Dwarf Fortress
Encyclopedia
Slaves to Armok: God of Blood, Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress, also called Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress, but most commonly known simply as Dwarf Fortress, is a freeware
computer game
by Bay 12 Games for Microsoft Windows
, Linux
, and Mac OS X
set in a high fantasy
universe that combines aspects of roguelike
and city-building games and is primarily known for its unique level of complexity and difficulty. The title of the game is inspired by its primary focus on the construction, management, and exploration of dwarven fortresses within the game world. Development started in October , followed by the game's first public release in August .
role-playing game by Bay 12 Games. Dwarf Fortress discarded God of Bloods 3D graphics
in favor of a text user interface
and incorporated economic and strategy elements. On-screen displays use slightly modified code page 437
characters in 16 different colors implemented as bitmaps, rendered with OpenGL. This makes the game capable of switching to full screen on Windows Vista, unlike pure text-mode programs. The developer states that graphic representation is not a significant focus.
Dwarf Fortress initially supported 2D landscapes only, with X and Y axes corresponding to the four cardinal direction
s. Later versions added a Z axis – multilayered maps – while retaining two-dimensional graphical representation. This allows for geographic features like hills, mountains, and chasms and player-created features like multilevel fortresses, waterfalls, above-ground towers, elaborate deathtraps, and pits.
Dwarf Fortress has received wide press coverage, including a review, and a six page feature, in the December 2006 and July 2011 issues of PC Gamer UK
, a lengthy article in the New York Times magazine, an article in Games for Windows and PC Powerplay, mention on the Eurogamer
website, the Roguelike of the Year award from ASCII Dreams in 2007, Indy PC game of the year at the 2006 Gamers With Jobs Community Game of the Year Awards, and various interviews including ones for The Escapist
, Gamasutra
, Gamers with Jobs, GeekNights, and Dubious Quality.
Dwarf Fortress is under continual development with features being added constantly. The development website lists "Power Goals" in terms of small story excerpts, which at one point might emerge naturally in the game.
The latest major release was April 1, 2010, when the version number was updated from 0.28.181.40d to 0.31.01. The 0.31.01 version of the game features several substantial changes to gameplay, as well as numerous new bugs.
As of March 28, 2011, the game has been updated to version 0.31.25. The developer has stated his intention to release several smaller updates within a small period of time to fix bugs and incorporate an earlier experimental branch which added OpenGL
graphics features to the game. While the bulk of the game is programmed solely by Tarn Adams, portions of the OpenGL code in the experimental branch were programmed by third parties.
, erosion is simulated, then wildlife, towns, and other sites are placed. A specific history is attached to each site; references to these events can be found during gameplay (in artwork and conversations with non player characters (NPCs)), and development's current focus (as of April 2008) is to make world generation wars determine in-game territory distribution and NPC background stories. The entire process can take anywhere from a few seconds to several hours, depending on settings and computer speed. Tarn Adams has added an option for generating significantly smaller worlds (of sizes 257x257 (the default), 129, 65, 33 or 17) for people who do not want to spend longer amounts of time generating a full sized world. With the addition of more advanced world generation parameters in version 0.28, it has become possible to generate non-square worlds (such as 129x65) as well as the ability to "paint" the shape of the world (specifying height, temperature, savagery, rainfall, drainage, and volcanism) which has given rise to real-world-inspired world generation parameters.
The game offers two play modes: "Dwarf Fortress" mode, in which the player builds a dwarven settlement, and "Adventurer" mode, in which the player controls a single character in a generally roguelike manner. Only one mode at a time can be actively played in a given game world, although adventurers can visit abandoned or demolished fortresses built in prior games.
The game difficulty is variable, but its slant towards difficulty is reflected in the game's unofficial motto, "Losing is Fun." The first few attempts for newer players almost invariably (and very quickly at that) end in disaster. However, as time progresses, and the user's fortress grows, the game presents more late-game challenges. Since there is no victory condition for the game, all fortresses can and will eventually end in disaster.
As the player begins "Dwarf Fortress" mode, they have the ability to select a starting location, which determines the resources and challenges one may encounter on a given map. For example, a player may start on a map that contains a magma
pool, which allows the dwarves to smelt and craft metals without requiring fuel resources but occasionally spawns dangerous enemies.
The initial settlement party consists of seven dwarves. The player receives a number of points to spend on settler skills and resources (food, weapons, armor, equipment, etc.). Once these decisions have been made, the settlers arrive and await the player's instructions. The player can also choose to use a pre-generated party of dwarfs.
A variety of tasks can be performed in the game. Some are basic, such as mining, woodcutting, metalsmithing, masonry, farming, and cooking. Others are more esoteric, such as soapmaking, fish-cleaning, engraving, and gem cutting. A given dwarf's "career" will generally center on the skill practiced most. Many of the skills require special buildings, known as workshops, to be constructed.
The player influences newly-arrived dwarves through the designation of work areas and subsequent job creation, but the player cannot directly control a dwarf. For example, designating an area for wood-cutting creates one "chop down tree" job for each tree encompassed, which a dwarf with the proper job activated will carry out. If a wood stockpile is created, a "haul lumber to stockpile" job forms whenever there is a spare log and available room in the stockpile. Any dwarf may be designated to perform a job; however, higher skill in a given job may improve rate (such as with mining) or quality (in the case of crafting) of performance.
As they excavate their mountain, dwarves will have to fashion living space, produce food (typically involving farming and irrigation), obtain water and alcohol, and build workshops to generate valuable trade goods. They will also encounter hostile creatures against whom they must defend, which generally leads to military organization and deathtraps. As the fortress grows, more dwarves will arrive, providing additional labor and opportunities for job specialization.
As the game proceeds, players can encounter foreign traders, dwarven nobles who place demands on the populace, goblin sieges, maniacal dwarven artisans, and a variety of other special events.
The game models the dwarves and the world in extreme detail; for example, during combat, a dwarf can sustain varying degrees of injuries (broken, mangled, etc.) to many body parts down to individual fingers, internal organs and even nerves and arteries. Item base material, quality of workmanship, dye and decorations are all registered and taken into account. According to their experiences (having a friend die, being served low quality food, being disturbed by noise while sleeping, etc.) dwarves can become happy or sad, even angry and finally driven insane; they build social relationships, marry a sufficiently compatible dwarf and have children, or organize parties. Each dwarf also has its own unique personality, likes, and dislikes that will affect how the dwarf reacts to specific situations. An example of this is that a dwarf who likes the material gold will get a happy thought from seeing or owning a golden item, or a dwarf who is quick to anger will be more likely to tantrum and get into fist fights. In addition, dwarves can obtain personality traits through experiences such as seeing a great deal of death, which will decrease the unhappiness received from the death of friends. Gravity is simulated; and an elaborate fluid mechanics system is responsible for river and magma flows, and allows phenomena such as pressure geysers and flooding to happen in-game.
"Adventurer mode" also allows the player to explore parts and history of the current game world otherwise not accessible in "Dwarf Fortress mode".
Adventurers
are assigned several combat-related skills: shield use, armor use, ambushing, wrestling, swimming, and any of several weapon skills. Initial skill selection wholly determines starting gear, but equipment is available for purchase from stores in human towns. The player can also assemble a party of adventurers by asking townsfolk
to join the lead character.
Additionally, if the player has previously created a fortress (through "Fortress mode") in the same world, he or she can explore that fortress and witness what had become of it over time and view the engravings and items made during "Fortress mode".
Legends mode features various historical maps, such as historical civilization expansion maps, entity listings (starting with powerful creatures like dragons, then deities that various in-game characters worship), cities that civilizations have created, religions, and then each age's events. If an age has any particularly interesting features, such as the sudden rise of a powerful civilization, or a powerful demon or monster, the age will be named accordingly, e.g. "The age of the Hydra and Demon", or "The age of Elves". If there are no particularly salient events for an age, most worlds will default to one of the three standard ages: the Age of Myth, the Age of Legends, and the Age of Heroes.
to really appreciate the game. One review argued that the text-based graphics actually add to the game: it helps the player mentally visualize game events, making the game more immersive.
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
computer game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
by Bay 12 Games for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
set in a high fantasy
High fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
universe that combines aspects of roguelike
Roguelike
The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
and city-building games and is primarily known for its unique level of complexity and difficulty. The title of the game is inspired by its primary focus on the construction, management, and exploration of dwarven fortresses within the game world. Development started in October , followed by the game's first public release in August .
History
Dwarf Fortress is the successor to Slaves to Armok: God of Blood, a hack and slashHack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
role-playing game by Bay 12 Games. Dwarf Fortress discarded God of Bloods 3D graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
in favor of a text user interface
Text user interface
TUI short for: Text User Interface or Textual User Interface , is a retronym that was coined sometime after the invention of graphical user interfaces, to distinguish them from text-based user interfaces...
and incorporated economic and strategy elements. On-screen displays use slightly modified code page 437
Code page 437
IBM PC or MS-DOS code page 437 is the character set of the original IBM PC. It is also known as CP 437, OEM 437, PC-8, MS-DOS Latin US or sometimes misleadingly referred to as the OEM font, High ASCII or Extended ASCII....
characters in 16 different colors implemented as bitmaps, rendered with OpenGL. This makes the game capable of switching to full screen on Windows Vista, unlike pure text-mode programs. The developer states that graphic representation is not a significant focus.
Dwarf Fortress initially supported 2D landscapes only, with X and Y axes corresponding to the four cardinal direction
Cardinal direction
The four cardinal directions or cardinal points are the directions of north, east, south, and west, commonly denoted by their initials: N, E, S, W. East and west are at right angles to north and south, with east being in the direction of rotation and west being directly opposite. Intermediate...
s. Later versions added a Z axis – multilayered maps – while retaining two-dimensional graphical representation. This allows for geographic features like hills, mountains, and chasms and player-created features like multilevel fortresses, waterfalls, above-ground towers, elaborate deathtraps, and pits.
Dwarf Fortress has received wide press coverage, including a review, and a six page feature, in the December 2006 and July 2011 issues of PC Gamer UK
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
, a lengthy article in the New York Times magazine, an article in Games for Windows and PC Powerplay, mention on the Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
website, the Roguelike of the Year award from ASCII Dreams in 2007, Indy PC game of the year at the 2006 Gamers With Jobs Community Game of the Year Awards, and various interviews including ones for The Escapist
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
, Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
, Gamers with Jobs, GeekNights, and Dubious Quality.
Dwarf Fortress is under continual development with features being added constantly. The development website lists "Power Goals" in terms of small story excerpts, which at one point might emerge naturally in the game.
The latest major release was April 1, 2010, when the version number was updated from 0.28.181.40d to 0.31.01. The 0.31.01 version of the game features several substantial changes to gameplay, as well as numerous new bugs.
As of March 28, 2011, the game has been updated to version 0.31.25. The developer has stated his intention to release several smaller updates within a small period of time to fix bugs and incorporate an earlier experimental branch which added OpenGL
OpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
graphics features to the game. While the bulk of the game is programmed solely by Tarn Adams, portions of the OpenGL code in the experimental branch were programmed by third parties.
Gameplay
Prior to play, a world must be generated using the software or downloaded from the Internet. Each constructed world is unique; events that take place during play will affect subsequent games in the same world. World creation in Dwarf Fortress is elaborate: terrain is generated using fractalsFractal landscape
A fractal landscape is a surface generated using a stochastic algorithm designed to produce fractal behaviour that mimics the appearance of natural terrain...
, erosion is simulated, then wildlife, towns, and other sites are placed. A specific history is attached to each site; references to these events can be found during gameplay (in artwork and conversations with non player characters (NPCs)), and development's current focus (as of April 2008) is to make world generation wars determine in-game territory distribution and NPC background stories. The entire process can take anywhere from a few seconds to several hours, depending on settings and computer speed. Tarn Adams has added an option for generating significantly smaller worlds (of sizes 257x257 (the default), 129, 65, 33 or 17) for people who do not want to spend longer amounts of time generating a full sized world. With the addition of more advanced world generation parameters in version 0.28, it has become possible to generate non-square worlds (such as 129x65) as well as the ability to "paint" the shape of the world (specifying height, temperature, savagery, rainfall, drainage, and volcanism) which has given rise to real-world-inspired world generation parameters.
The game offers two play modes: "Dwarf Fortress" mode, in which the player builds a dwarven settlement, and "Adventurer" mode, in which the player controls a single character in a generally roguelike manner. Only one mode at a time can be actively played in a given game world, although adventurers can visit abandoned or demolished fortresses built in prior games.
The game difficulty is variable, but its slant towards difficulty is reflected in the game's unofficial motto, "Losing is Fun." The first few attempts for newer players almost invariably (and very quickly at that) end in disaster. However, as time progresses, and the user's fortress grows, the game presents more late-game challenges. Since there is no victory condition for the game, all fortresses can and will eventually end in disaster.
Dwarf Fortress mode
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
pool, which allows the dwarves to smelt and craft metals without requiring fuel resources but occasionally spawns dangerous enemies.
The initial settlement party consists of seven dwarves. The player receives a number of points to spend on settler skills and resources (food, weapons, armor, equipment, etc.). Once these decisions have been made, the settlers arrive and await the player's instructions. The player can also choose to use a pre-generated party of dwarfs.
A variety of tasks can be performed in the game. Some are basic, such as mining, woodcutting, metalsmithing, masonry, farming, and cooking. Others are more esoteric, such as soapmaking, fish-cleaning, engraving, and gem cutting. A given dwarf's "career" will generally center on the skill practiced most. Many of the skills require special buildings, known as workshops, to be constructed.
The player influences newly-arrived dwarves through the designation of work areas and subsequent job creation, but the player cannot directly control a dwarf. For example, designating an area for wood-cutting creates one "chop down tree" job for each tree encompassed, which a dwarf with the proper job activated will carry out. If a wood stockpile is created, a "haul lumber to stockpile" job forms whenever there is a spare log and available room in the stockpile. Any dwarf may be designated to perform a job; however, higher skill in a given job may improve rate (such as with mining) or quality (in the case of crafting) of performance.
As they excavate their mountain, dwarves will have to fashion living space, produce food (typically involving farming and irrigation), obtain water and alcohol, and build workshops to generate valuable trade goods. They will also encounter hostile creatures against whom they must defend, which generally leads to military organization and deathtraps. As the fortress grows, more dwarves will arrive, providing additional labor and opportunities for job specialization.
As the game proceeds, players can encounter foreign traders, dwarven nobles who place demands on the populace, goblin sieges, maniacal dwarven artisans, and a variety of other special events.
The game models the dwarves and the world in extreme detail; for example, during combat, a dwarf can sustain varying degrees of injuries (broken, mangled, etc.) to many body parts down to individual fingers, internal organs and even nerves and arteries. Item base material, quality of workmanship, dye and decorations are all registered and taken into account. According to their experiences (having a friend die, being served low quality food, being disturbed by noise while sleeping, etc.) dwarves can become happy or sad, even angry and finally driven insane; they build social relationships, marry a sufficiently compatible dwarf and have children, or organize parties. Each dwarf also has its own unique personality, likes, and dislikes that will affect how the dwarf reacts to specific situations. An example of this is that a dwarf who likes the material gold will get a happy thought from seeing or owning a golden item, or a dwarf who is quick to anger will be more likely to tantrum and get into fist fights. In addition, dwarves can obtain personality traits through experiences such as seeing a great deal of death, which will decrease the unhappiness received from the death of friends. Gravity is simulated; and an elaborate fluid mechanics system is responsible for river and magma flows, and allows phenomena such as pressure geysers and flooding to happen in-game.
Adventurer mode
In "Adventurer mode", the player controls an individual dwarf, human, or elf. There is no goal apart from survival, making this mode more casual than the previous. Players may either receive quests to kill monsters, which provide no specific reward, or wander freely and slaughter local fauna. "Fortress mode" had received the bulk of the developer's attention until update v0.31.17. With that, however, "Adventure mode" has been vastly improved in an effort to prepare it for a more seamless integration with Fortress mode. It is now possible to aim at specific body parts, which makes combat much more interesting; become a revered hero with the various nations in the world; visit castles with lots of hireable soldiers and fight fearsome "night creatures" and menacing outlaw bands."Adventurer mode" also allows the player to explore parts and history of the current game world otherwise not accessible in "Dwarf Fortress mode".
Adventurers
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
are assigned several combat-related skills: shield use, armor use, ambushing, wrestling, swimming, and any of several weapon skills. Initial skill selection wholly determines starting gear, but equipment is available for purchase from stores in human towns. The player can also assemble a party of adventurers by asking townsfolk
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
to join the lead character.
Additionally, if the player has previously created a fortress (through "Fortress mode") in the same world, he or she can explore that fortress and witness what had become of it over time and view the engravings and items made during "Fortress mode".
Legends mode
Legends mode is less of a traditional gameplay mode than it is a way of reading through a world's vast history. Options can be set, when creating a world, to either discover its history manually during adventurer mode, or have all of the history automatically revealed upon world creation.Legends mode features various historical maps, such as historical civilization expansion maps, entity listings (starting with powerful creatures like dragons, then deities that various in-game characters worship), cities that civilizations have created, religions, and then each age's events. If an age has any particularly interesting features, such as the sudden rise of a powerful civilization, or a powerful demon or monster, the age will be named accordingly, e.g. "The age of the Hydra and Demon", or "The age of Elves". If there are no particularly salient events for an age, most worlds will default to one of the three standard ages: the Age of Myth, the Age of Legends, and the Age of Heroes.
Development
Dwarf Fortress has been praised for offering so much depth and gameplay, despite only one programmer developing the game. Tarn Adams, "Toady One" on the forums, is the programming half of Bay 12 Games, the company he runs with his brother Zachary. Though the game is currently in its alpha stage, many of the core elements are already in place, or at least have the basic foundations already laid down. Part of the development for the game is done through user suggestions, stories written by players and Zachary Adams, as well as a series of overarching goals, called arcs. Development is funded by donations to Bay 12.Arcs
Adams has stated that the development of Dwarf Fortress will proceed across several feature "arcs". Each arc is a series of goals and priorities all grouped together under a similar subject, and are named accordingly. For example, the current arc being developed is the Caravan Arc, which focuses on game features related to trade and economy. The arcs help provide guidance in development, but are not a strict project plan. Adams has been known to delay certain features, or add in popular user requested features even though they might not fall under the current arc. He has also stated he will not focus solely on one arc at a time anymore to avoid grinding at the same features month after month without a release.Reception
Several reviews praise Dwarf Fortress for its deep and rich content and gameplay. Some of those reviews also state that one first has to overcome the quirky interface and extremely steep learning curveLearning curve
A learning curve is a graphical representation of the changing rate of learning for a given activity or tool. Typically, the increase in retention of information is sharpest after the initial attempts, and then gradually evens out, meaning that less and less new information is retained after each...
to really appreciate the game. One review argued that the text-based graphics actually add to the game: it helps the player mentally visualize game events, making the game more immersive.
See also
- MinecraftMinecraftMinecraft is a sandbox-building independent video game written in Java originally by Swedish creator Markus "Notch" Persson and now by his company, Mojang, formed from the proceeds of the game. It was released as an alpha on May 17, 2009, with a beta version on December 20, 2010...
, an indie gameIndie gameIndependent video game development is the process of creating video games without the financial support of a video game publisher. While large firms can create independent games, they are usually designed by an individual or a small team of as many as ten people, depending on the complexity of the...
with a focus on building, which cites Dwarf Fortress as a primary inspiration - FortressCraftFortresscraftFortressCraft is a video game released on Xbox Live Indie Games on April 8, 2011. FortressCraft is very strongly inspired by the two pioneers of the sandbox block-builder genre: Minecraft and Infiniminer...
, a sandbox block-builder game inspired by Dwarf Fortress. - Strategy video gameStrategy video gameStrategy video games is a video game genre that emphasizes skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration...
External links
- Dwarf Fortress official website at Bay 12 Games
- Dwarf Fortress Wiki
- The Brilliance of Dwarf Fortress - NYTimes.com - Where Do Dwarf-Eating Carp Come From?