Awesome Dwarf Fortress video tutorial.

[1eyedking]

Whatever, time to turn troll modes off since things are starting to go in circles. Though I admit it's really fun to see such blatant, dumbfucked elitism every once in a while.

DF is a good game overall since it's the little details such as cat adoption, dwarves bringing food and water to their sick brethren, parties, and insanity (yes, I know the different between a fey and possessed dwarf). Of course, now you can infer I was obviously trolling; it's a game with lots of potentials, but in serious needs of a graphical overhaul if it ever aspires to be commercially successful (which by all goddamn means it should).

For that matter, things are starting to look up:

Oh, and tileset creators: This version should accept PNG tilesets with alpha transparency. I say "should", because the code has not been tested, there being no such tilesets to test it on yet. This must not continue.

 

[Balor]

Whatever, time to turn troll modes off since things are starting to go in circles. Though I admit it's really fun to see such blatant, dumbfucked elitism every once in a while.

Residual trolling?

Anyway, it might be commersially successful indeed - like X-series, that are indeed VERY complex, or EVE online.
But it would mean scrapping everything except basic ideas and starting over, with MUCH bigger budget, hiring lots of people, etc... then, giving the scope of things, making it for ten years, and by that time the most advanced graphics of today would looks about as ugly as tilesets. Hah.

 

[1eyedking]

Residual trolling?

More like the reason why I trolled?

Anyway, it might be commersially successful indeed - like X-series, that are indeed VERY complex, or EVE online.
But it would mean scrapping everything except basic ideas and starting over, with MUCH bigger budget, hiring lots of people, etc... then, giving the scope of things, making it for ten years, and by that time the most advanced graphics of today would looks about as ugly as tilesets. Hah.

There's no need to make it 3D, even - isometric 2D should be a maximum. Toady just needs to adopt an official tileset and work his ass off from there. And he doesn't need that many people. I'm thinking about Mount & Blade, Eschalon, and Age of Decadence, whose development team members you can count with one hand.

 

[Davaris]

Though I admit it's really fun to see such blatant, dumbfucked elitism every once in a while.

After playing Fallout 3 halfway through and then uninstalling it and deleting my save games in disgust, I am all for elitism. In gaming, too much ground has been taken by the lowest common denominator and high walls must be built to keep the barbarians out. :twisted:

But it would mean scrapping everything except basic ideas and starting over, with MUCH bigger budget, hiring lots of people, etc...

The game would be so dumbed down, it would be unrecognizable.

then, giving the scope of things, making it for ten years, and by that time the most advanced graphics of today would looks about as ugly as tilesets. Hah.

Exactly. Trying to keep up with graphics standards is like keeping up with the Joneses. Its a battle that cannot be won and it gives developers good excuses not to work on the game part of their games.

 

[Raapys]

I don't know, 3D games can age well too if they just get the art direction right. Dungeon Keeper 2, for instance, still looks very decent to me.

 

[RandomLurker]

Of course, now you can infer I was obviously trolling;

Uh, "now"? Riiight... :declineofthetrolls:

 

[St. Toxic]

I don't know, 3D games can age well too if they just get the art direction right. Dungeon Keeper 2, for instance, still looks very decent to me.

Would require alot more work, with little actual benefit. And generally, 3d games do age badly, especially compared to 2d games.

I'm also alot more interested in the implentation of a mouse reliant control scheme than graphics updates. The control scheme as it is now is relatively easy to learn and make use of for any person of average intelligence, but it's hardly hassle-free and can be improved upon alot by making use of the mouse; it'd be faster, more practical and user friendly.

 

[SkeleTony]

I am somewhere in the middle on this. I cannot stand ASCII anymore(was ok 20 years ago) so I only play roguelikes with graphical tiles. I agree with 1eyed on the matter of DF's interface being a clusterfuck and the general point that ASCII is NOT user-friendly by any stretch of the imagination.

But I also know that DF, Nethack, ADOM, etc.(even with ascii) are great games. I have encountered a lot of 'Ascii elitists' dumbfucks in my time but not so much here. I could understand calling someone out if they posted a thread called "ASCII RULES!! Graphics are for people with single-digit IQ's" or some such but I don't see much of that here really.

My issue with DF now is that it is real-time. I would gladly put forth the effort to actually learn the ins and outs of playing DF(and surviving for more than a year) with a custom tileset(Mayday's) if it were at least turn-based but not for real time. I would rather go play Nahlakh or something.

 

[poocolator]

Anyone know when the latest version of Dorf Fortress is due? I'm eagerly awaiting the new updates included. Oh god I need some more NAO!

 

[Davaris]

I am somewhere in the middle on this. I cannot stand ASCII anymore(was ok 20 years ago) so I only play roguelikes with graphical tiles. I agree with 1eyed on the matter of DF's interface being a clusterfuck and the general point that ASCII is NOT user-friendly by any stretch of the imagination.

The ascii in DF reminds me of the scene in the Matrix when Neo sees the truth.

Perhaps a more stylized ascii could work in a game like this?

 

[poocolator]

That's because Dwarf Fortress IS TRUTH. Incarnate.

 

[Krash]

Anyone know when the latest version of Dorf Fortress is due? I'm eagerly awaiting the new updates included. Oh god I need some more NAO!

It's gonna be a while, I'd say at least 2-3 months. Hopefully worth the wait.

 

[Balor]

Btw, I have a great idea:
Instead of actually buying some sort of hyped-up next-gen shit, torrent it, but donate the money to Tarn Adams.

So, you are getting the game, and NOBODY can say that you are not contributing toward making good games (in fact, you are contribution much moreso then in case you would actually buy that piece of shit next-gen title).

Btw, even being a Russian with average salary (which is like 5x time less then an average USA or Europe salary), I still donate 20$ a month (paypal subscription - handy stuff) and sometimes more when I feel like it.
I suggest everyone do the same. DF must go on!

 

[Micmu]

Played it for 20 hours straight during the weekend.

HALP

 

[Oarfish]

I suggest everyone do the same. DF must go on!

Seconded. Must have donated about 5 oblivions worth of decadent capitalist income, Toady deserves it. And its nice to feel you are contributing to something worthwhile:

852. Finished up the inheritence I was working on yesterday. Right now it'll do dominant-recessive stuff with the color variables, and it can also do that with the appearance variables or do averaging. It's pretty simple at this point, but what's there now could be used to, say, breed your dogs toward certain colors and body dimensions, as well as whatever facial features there end up being (though the colors and patterns would be limited to whatever is in the raws

 

[scorpioo]

Is this game RPG or STRATEGY?

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

It is everything.


But seriously, little nice 8-bit (or even 16-bit if you're feeling extravagant) sprites would be solic gold for the game.

 

[scorpioo]

THX.
I think i start played this game because i read only genious word about this game.

 

[poocolator]

Played it for 20 hours straight during the weekend.

HALP

Oh no! It's too late for you, man. Join the ranks of the converts >.<
Say buh-bye to thine life.

 

[Elwro]

Thankfully, I managed to stick just to reading Asper's LP. When I remember my ADOM addiction from a few years ago, I really shudder to think what something like this would to do my plans this year. (Srs bzns.)

 

[Gerrard]

I don't know, 3D games can age well too if they just get the art direction right. Dungeon Keeper 2, for instance, still looks very decent to me.

Would require alot more work, with little actual benefit. And generally, 3d games do age badly, especially compared to 2d games.

I think making and animating a model that can later be easily altered is less work than drawing hundreds (thousands) of sprites (and more every time you add something new).

But hey, what do I know.

 

[St. Toxic]

But hey, what do I know.

Exactly.