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[thvaz]

Everyone who works in a job he likes is usually more happy than those who had to work in a job they don't like.

So, what about a new set of preferences, related to what the dwarves would like to do? You usually assign them to jobs based only in your needs at the moment, even because you have nothing to worry about. Migrants who already had a profession are reassigned as haulers or at the job you need them to work.

Let's say, "Gimli likes masonry and dislikes fishing and crafting". He would have a happy thought whenever he worked as a mason, maybe he would got a unhappy  ("Gimli would like to work as a mason") for doing something different and an extra unhappy thought ("Gimli hates his job!") for working in a job he dislikes.

This would make the professions more important and give a reason to players to not reassign the dwarves at will. The migrants could become more useful too, since you could receive dwarves with professions you need.

The first dwarves and migrants would have profession preferences set as their starting professions, and peasants and children would got random preferences.

I think itīs a good idea. Itīs balanced enough, would add some extra difficult but a very nice ammount of flavour too.

Sorry for my english, I am not a native speaker and seldom write this much.  

[Lightning4]

Maybe an additional military preference. Some dwarves might be civilians but they have the heart of a soldier (happy thought for being drafted, and slightly unhappy thought for being removed), while others can not stand the thought of being anywhere near combat, large unhappy thought there, and probably extra to the unhappy thoughts regarding seeing hostile creatures or being attacked.

I do like the idea though and it would add a little more depth to dwarves.

Additionally, a dwarf might become sick of a task if they have been doing it repetitively for a very long time and long for a change in career. Dwarves that like their profession will be more hesistant but still may be affected. It is only temporary though... and we're talking repetitive like making crossbows every day for five years straight. Wouldn't you be sick of that eventually, even if you like making crossbows? Just a thought, not sure how it'd actually work, but it'd make things slightly interesting and add a little more micromanagement.
It'd need a list though for faster dwarf access, showing happiness and special flags that need attention like thirst, the aforementioned job disgust, and even wounds.

[thvaz]

It was nice of you to point about military dwarves - indeed, some dwarves should aspire a military life, therefore being glad for being recruited, while others don't.

About getting sick of a task, I don't know. I can imagine dwarves aspiring for a career "I want to be a miner like my father!" but I don't imagine they getting sick of his job. Doesnīt look very dwarfish to me.

[Black Hound]

People in real life may not like their jobs, they might even complain about it, but they'll still work. That might be an interesting direction to go in for flavoring, but it should never result in, say, somebody throwing a tantrum over their job.

I think a better direction to go in would be to, instead of simply punishing the player for assigning dwarves to tasks they don't like, give each dwarf some talents which make them better at particular professions, to give the player some positive incentive to move them into those jobs.

quote:Wouldn't you be sick of that eventually, even if you like making crossbows?

What else do they have to do? They don't have computers or the internet, so they can't play Dwarf Fortress. This isn't exactly the golden age of entertainment and leisure activities. They wouldn't expect their lives to be anything more than hard, almost constant labor. It's not a matter of liking or disliking your job, so you can switch careers any old time you feel restless. It's your living. If you don't work, you don't eat.

[Ryven]

Do dwarves get happy thoughts from holding items they like? My legendary miner likes picks, and always seems to be "happy at work."

[thvaz]

quote:Originally posted by Black Hound:
<STRONG>People in real life may not like their jobs, they might even complain about it, but they'll still work. That might be an interesting direction to go in for flavoring, but it should never result in, say, somebody throwing a tantrum over their job.
</STRONG>

Well, people don't throw a tantrum only because of their job, but dwarves wouldn't, too. They, like people in real world, must be unhappy for another reasons before throwing a tantrum.

The job will be just another reason to get happy or unhappy, so they will only tantrum if the player doesn't bother to check if they dislike the job he is appointing to them, when they were already unhappy.

[Black Hound]

quote:Well, people don't throw a tantrum only because of their job, but dwarves wouldn't, too. They, like people in real world, must be unhappy for another reasons before throwing a tantrum.

The job will be just another reason to get happy or unhappy, so they will only tantrum if the player doesn't bother to check if they dislike the job he is appointing to them, when they were already unhappy.

I see where you're going with it, but it just sounds like another layer of micromanagement to me. Nobody is going to appreciate the increased individuality if all it will mean practically is that the dwarves are harder to manage. Well, except for the scary lunatics who want their video games to be as arbitrarily difficult as possible.

[thvaz]

Well, I think it's too easy to let all your dwarves ecstasic after a couple of years ingame without any micromanagement (looking at their profiles) at all as it is.

I agree with you, however, in that it must be some extra benefit. Expanding, they could have better results in his favored profissions - they could learn faster the skills related than a dwarf who didnīt like that specific job. This could be added to the personalities Toady added today - another layer of complexity at the game.

[ August 30, 2007: Message edited by: thvaz ]