Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics • Hacker News Board

Re: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics

#31

Post by VectorLock » Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 6:08 PM UTC

fzeroracer wrote: post #29

aresant wrote: post #9

Three points of interest: 1) Full developer announcement on their Patreon page -> https://www.patreon.com/posts/25343688 2) They are putting on steam largely because of the USA's shit healthcare system "after Zach's latest cancer scare, we determined that with my healthcare plan's copay etc., I'd be wiped out if I had to undergo the same procedures . . " 3) Cool to see that they are going to use graphics built by two…

It's such a disaster to see people so severely affected by the healthcare system in America. If you haven't been keeping track, there's been a similar issue with SomethingAwful's Lowtax, who is deep in debt as a result of some of the medical issues he's going through. It's enough to certainly make me consider working in a different country. I wonder if there would be any possibilities of the Dwarf Fortress developers…

What kind of issues is Lowtax having?

Re: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics

#32

Post by conistonwater » Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 6:09 PM UTC

tkiley wrote: post #19

aresant wrote: post #9

Three points of interest: 1) Full developer announcement on their Patreon page -> https://www.patreon.com/posts/25343688 2) They are putting on steam largely because of the USA's shit healthcare system "after Zach's latest cancer scare, we determined that with my healthcare plan's copay etc., I'd be wiped out if I had to undergo the same procedures . . " 3) Cool to see that they are going to use graphics built by two…

> They are putting on steam largely because of the USA's shit healthcare system "after Zach's latest cancer scare, we determined that with my healthcare plan's copay etc., I'd be wiped out if I had to undergo the same procedures . . " I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it totally sucks. On the other hand, I suspect that as as consequence of this crappy pressure, Dwarf Fortress will reach a substantial…

> bring joy

Yeah, right. I bet you'll see it in productivity statistics instead. It's as bad as Factorio.

Re: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics

#33

Post by hiccuphippo » Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 6:10 PM UTC

The corner grass in the pics looks weird. Are they supposed to be cliffs?

I've heard of this game but never tried it. I've only played nethack on a terminal. I'll definitely try it!

Re: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics

#34

Post by VectorLock » Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 6:10 PM UTC

Its great they're bringing DF to a larger audience and adding graphical tile sets will sure help but I found the most inscrutable thing about this game wasn't how it presented the graphics but the menu system. I'm curious if the Steam release will do anything to make that less impenetrable.

Re: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics

#35

Post by umvi » Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 6:11 PM UTC

One thing that amazes me about Dwarf Fortress is that the creator(s) don't use version control[1] (as of 2014, things may have changed):

"I don't use version control -- I didn't like the feeling of having the code get committed into a black box thingy with no immediate upside."

I can't fathom how you can manage the complexity of a game like DF without a VCS.

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1avszc/im_tarn_adams_...

Re: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics

#36

Post by shrimp_emoji » Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 6:11 PM UTC

bradford wrote: post #18

I've played DF a lot. Biggest problem that I had is that it eventually becomes a challenge to manage the framerate. I realize there are ways to fix this that are intertwined with the gameplay, but I'd rather play the game instead of butchering kittens and other things in an effort to keep the game performant. Second issue is with military organization. I never really became confident in my ability to get the squads d…

Multithread w h e n ???

Also, early embark setup fatigue is real. Setup the stockpiles. Plan the rooms. Have the plans outpace your current productivity and have it take way too long. Do this every time.

Once that's over, though, you get to enjoy sorting through droves of migrants, assigning each to the tasks they're most appropriate to or which need the most dwarves right now (the game actually approximates this automatically in that it generates migrants vaguely in reflection to the fortress's needs, but it's not like it assigns all burly, tough, slow-to-tire dwarves to your melee squads or that talented bonecrafter to more useful crafting jobs, so it's up to your manic OCD). Do this every season.

Somewhere in there, have some !FUN!.

Re: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics

#37

Post by StrangeDoctor » Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 6:11 PM UTC

crooked-v wrote: post #7

"No access to the source code" is a seriously weird thing to note. Is this going to be like one of the existing memory-injecting/manipulating mods, with all the downsides that implies?

It's a roundabout way of assuring the existing community that the integrity of the simulation/game is the same as always. All of these mods are memory injection/watching, but nothing is being done to circumvent the modders.

Re: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics

#38

Post by tptacek » Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 6:13 PM UTC

ceejayoz wrote: post #6

> But, in today’s FAQ, the pair said that they’re selling this premium version in part to pay for health care for ailing family members. "Name one positive thing about the US health insurance setup." "Uh... it got us Dwarf Fortress with graphics, I guess?"

DF already has graphical tilesets, right? This is just a packaging of them?

Re: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics

#39

Post by novok » Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 6:15 PM UTC

aresant wrote: post #9

Three points of interest: 1) Full developer announcement on their Patreon page -> https://www.patreon.com/posts/25343688 2) They are putting on steam largely because of the USA's shit healthcare system "after Zach's latest cancer scare, we determined that with my healthcare plan's copay etc., I'd be wiped out if I had to undergo the same procedures . . " 3) Cool to see that they are going to use graphics built by two…

Since they live around Seattle, maybe they should consider immigrating a few hundred miles north to Canada? They might qualify under the self-employed artist category?

https://www.settler.ca/english/immigration-to-canada-for-art...

Re: Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam with graphics

#40

Post by soneca » Wed, Mar 13, 2019, 6:16 PM UTC

I always read about Dwarf Fortress in HN and it always interested me. But some elements, like the ASCII art, always seemed to me as entry barriers purposefully built to maintain a protected subculture that I had no interest in being part of. I just wanted to try out a good game.

So this comes as good news to me, I'll probably give it a try now with the tile graphics.