this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2023
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Dwarf Fortress

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Hello everyone, I’ve seen a lot of my friends play these types of games (mainly rimworld) and saw the complexity of this game and decided to pick it up. While it is very interesting, it’s also very daunting to me.

My guess is that I’m more used to rpg and fps games with a set goal of some sort whereas this game is very open ended with what to do. I am overwhelmed by all of the options in the game and I am wondering if there are others that feel the same. If so, how have you overcome this feeling or learned to enjoy the game?

An idea I have is to just go with the in game tutorials and see what happens without worrying about the outcome, maybe I’m caught up with doing everything optimally when I should just enjoy the experience.

Any ideas are appreciated, thanks!

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[–] AnarchistArtificer 3 points 10 months ago

I have also had trouble getting into games like this, but advice from my friends is that it's actually less about the simulation, more about the stories and hilarity that can emerge from the simulation. In particular, I was advised to name each of my starting dwarves, and also to be less "smart" in how I played. In Rimworld, for example, I would load earlier saves if I lost someone important, and I was depriving myself of the kinds of chaos that these games are best at, like the glorious exuberance of rebuilding a colony from one person after a dreadful invasion.

[–] SteveNashFan 2 points 10 months ago

I think the quickstart guide on the wiki is fully updated to Steam version: https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Quickstart_guide

It's what I used, besides surfing Youtube tutorials.

You can also dip your toes in with the free ascii version, and use the quickstart guide for that version on the same wiki.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

They are probably horribly out of date, but I used the Tutorials on the wiki to get a senese of the game, mind you that was around 2013. Then I just set a goal for a run like, building a working water delivery system, trying a certain trap design, constructing a tower over the ocean, etc. Or just trying to keep my dwarves happy. My second or third fort was on a volcano and I tried to design a magma fall in the dining area. And when I felt burnt out on the game I just put it away for half a year.