It's been pretty long ago, starting my fortress I mean.
I miss the times, when I just got wiped out in instant. I guess it was due to (un)famous Dwarf Fortress learning cliff...
Lately I thought how could we turn that "cliff" to little more dwarfy "mountain" of learning. (let's get hardcore
). My suggestions will be separated into parts, which won't be necessarily dependent to each other
Overall gameplay:I suggest making new gameplay types. We would have then:
-adventure mode
-dwarf fortress mode
-dark age fortress mode
Dark age fortress mode:Whole world is on lowest tech level. Implementing "eras", like from Age of Empires 2, would help players to control everything. I mean players advance to next "era" would obviously mean getting access to better stuff. I thought of 2 ways of that: other races advancing along player, or separately, every one of them at different time. By advancing player would increase his own "danger level" which would trigger many interactions with other races. Like: goblins would only need danger level of 1 to think of player as a threat and attack him, and facing furious buckload of goblins, even without their simpliest mettalurgy could be devastating. I mean on fist lvl player would get only rock/wooden/leather/cloth equipment.
The idea of "eras" would allow also to restrict some races from attacking, because they see player as too dangerous to attack. So basically rush for tech advance would allow us to frighten everyone. But it would be the case only for most experienced players, which could overwhelm technically best races: try to advance only techs, and not millitary nor economically and you'll be seen by frostgiants as danger.
I would advise making "advancing" really pricey, so endgame won't be gotten by "walk in a park". It would be achieved in some kind of building, by offering stuff made in current era, or needed for stuff in next era (like gathering whole bunch of ores to experiment, and in the end inventing melting)
This gameplay would make the game more comprehensible to newcomers, by restricting the choice of buildings available on the very beggining. As well it would make it NECCESARY to use full extent of the game. Even pros would have to make it through wooden weapons, not aiming only for metals, which is just too easy now.
In later "eras" it could be possible to make better buildings:
You get the tier II buildings
You can build some new buildings as well as upgrade existing ones, up to level, when tech is enough for dwarves to work in their own room as long as they have needed stuff, as anvil and hammer.
Going after that, massive tool overhaul is needed, as chisels, pliers and much more
I'll work on tech list some time ^^
Building:I think that it should be really much more costy. I mean making whole building from one wood log? Or one rock? Get the sh*t real.
I think that with current overavaibility of resources, especially rock, it should be MUCH more costy. How much? I mean like 10 rocks/logs at least. Along with new DF version we'll get multiple logs from one tree, so it would seem ok for me. Just making whole 3/3 building of log, which is enough only for one door is just strange. Moreover rocks could be cut into blocks, but i think that 2 blocks from one rock is enough, as rocks most of the time just lay around. btw. in current state, when rock is enough for building which is let's say 1,5/1,5/1,5 it would be possible to make 3375 rock mugs and would leave 1,36 m^3 of rock mass usable for earrings and stuff... I am surprised at theese numbers D:
Damn, I haven't played vanilla loong time. So I don't know which stuff excactly is implemented x) but adding some more advanced buildings, giving more efficient ways of crafting, forging and stuff like blast furnance from Masterwork mod. and even more to that, make it possible for better buildings to take more space not only horizontally, but also vertically. It would be neat to have great forge taking 3 elevations to build.
Moreover I think, that pipes should be more commonly used: for metalworking buildings to let smoke out fortress - each furnance/smithing object would need pipe form it location, up to surface, allowing buildings to be attached to pipe, so most efficient way of building workshops would be above or under each other. Well it would be player choice: pipes and full protection, channeling and chance to be poisoned by fumes (or even crops got destroyed), or getting fortress full of smoke <3
oh oh, and... i don't know where i should put it, so i'll pu it right here: for more hardcore wouldn't it be best to make dwarves unable to work in the dark? I know that dwarves are fearless and great and awesome, but their physiology SUGGESTS, as they HAVE eyes, that they NEED them, so living whole life underground and keeping eyesight? yup, while making masterpieces
It could even make me to find a way to produce candles x) and it would be cool to make oil from plants, making torches, and pools with burning oil in them *.*
FarmingPretty much everything were thought of by NW_Kohaku and Impaler[Wrg]. Farming is pretty much one of the weakest points of DF. I'll just say that best option would be to allow "zone farming". Instead making plot, just make zone, where dwarves would sow seeds. By all means make crops less common, and reward manufacturing food, and using harder to get plants. Just get dwarves some neat buff for eating/drinking something complex and rare. It annoys me, that even with starting resources i can feed my whole fortress and even get too much food because of fishing. Okay, no more, others said everything up till now.
I had bunch more suggestions but i have to remember them x)
but, but, but. If Toady get to read this. I don't mean I want all this implemented. I think that implementing just possibilities of doing things is enough. Modders will get the work done