Or maybe they "dumb down" the games because a lot of people doesn't actually care about the level of depth of DF (and here I would like to link to an article from David Baumgart, art director from Gaslamp Games. They are currently working on clockwork empire, another "DF ripoff": http://www.gaslampgames.com/2010/07/16/game-design-dialectic-dwarf-fortress-and-goblin-camp/ ), and at the end of the day, who want the depth of DF can always play Dwarf Fortress (WOW, right!?).
The gaslamp guys said even though they love DF a lot
Did you read that article? That guy don't like DF. Goblin Camp is almost dead - almost a year without updates, and the update was just a little bugfix. DF is still going strong. Which model was the best?
Despise they saying now that they love DF, they do so to not allienate our playerbase. I have the impression every game developer out there hates Toady.
Okay A) Gaslamp doesn't run goblin camp and B) I was specifically talking about the current gaslamp game being developed called clockwork empires. Which has been stated to have taken some inspirations from DF, the gaslamp guys loved DF enough to where one of the devs actually officially posted inside our forums on the thread I linked.
Everyone hates Toady? Don't make me laugh.
Read the link (that is hosted on the Gaslamp) it is one of the heaviest criticism of DF I ever saw (besides the "OMG there is no grafx this game sux" crowd). I didn't say they run Goblin Camp, but the link is about DF and Goblin Camp.
I didn't said everyone hates Toady. You need to work on your reading skills. But the various episodes of people who somehow get angry at DF development decisions and then go to design their own DF-like is astounding (it didn't look to be the case of Towns and Gnomoria, though).
That is a 2 year old article, just to show that a lot of people don't want the amount of depth of DF, therefore the "dumbing down". Who wants DF, can always play DF, for more amazing that this can sound...
And I feel that there a lot of people with fear that those games can get people away from DF (and I see as being the completely opposite), it's almost like they didn't trust DF.