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[Stromko]

So I had a fortress, Spellclasp, which busted through into a [secret fun stuff]. Fortress survived, went on for many years, and I did a bunch of engraving hoping to get lots of 'this shows a dwarf shooting a [secret fun stuff]' and 'this engraving is of a [secret fun stuff] surrounded by dwarves. The dwarves are beating the crap out of it.'

Instead, out of every 50 engravings or embellishments, I get, "This shows a [secret fun stuff]. It is making a menacing pose." about 45 times, I might get one faction-based symbol, one or two "X was elected to X in year XXXX" engravings, many references to some masterwork or artifact item being made, and maybe one engraving or embellishment that refers to the /hundreds/ of goblins and other monsters that my fortress slaughtered over the many years.

It's just disappointing that my Champions have virtually no legacy in my fort, but so-and-so being released gets referenced nonstop. As an adventurer I chatted up locals about the surroundings tons, and all they /ever/ said about Spellclasp was that [secret fun stuff] was released in year so-and-so.

Who cares? Apparently the dwarves who survived the ordeal, without a scratch (but one burnt-to-death mule) to show for it, cared a great deal, because that's all they would ever frigging engrave or decorate about. Oh, except when they wanted to engrave about so-and-so being elected or somebody making a masterwork bin, every 20 or so engravings.

So my point is, I think that needs to be adjusted a bit. I think the intent might've been that in the last days of a fort while [secret fun stuff] is annihilating everyone, you might be able to scrawl warnings all over the walls with your engravers.. or for a fort that's annihilated to be remembered by what did the dirty deed. But, it makes no sense when a fort survives for a single historical event to completely whitewash over everything else. Hell, even if it's annihilated by Hidden Fun Stuff, can't anybody remember the good ol' days instead of dwelling on that nonstop?

edit: I was also a bit disappointed I couldn't find all the adamantium stuff I made anywhere, not in the veins of adamantine or in the stockpiles or bins. But I guess that makes sense when you abandon instead of being annihilated so perhaps this is an intentional feature.

[ February 22, 2008: Message edited by: Stromko ]

[gurra_geban]

yeah, i have gotten the impression of engravings being a little monotone... all my engraver does in all my forts is engrave a picture of a dwarf and dwarves, where the dwarf is surrounded by the dwarves... no matter how many gobbos get slaughtered or how many monsters i kill this is by far (20/1) the most engraved picture...

not a real bug, but certainly a tweak

[King Louis XIV]

I've noticed this as well. I know more skilled engravers (This was seen with a legendary Engraver who became one through an amulet for some reason) tend to create down more meaningful art. For example, Legendary McGraver carved up a lot of dwarves surrounding dwarves in their creepy dwarven circles and a few accounts of attcking goblin civilizations. Dabbling McGraver just ruined the walls with squares, diamonds, and other scribbles.

[Stromko]

Yeah it's best to only Smooth walls and such until you have some very good engravers, so once they do the engraving itself it's more interesting. But indeed, there seems to be a 20/1 ratio of mayoral elections being the topic vs anything else. Stack on top of that the intense popularity of engraving the secret-fun map feature being released, and lots of masterwork items, and you almost never see references to interesting stuff like killing and death and all that.

(edit) While starting up my adventurer to go play archeologist in my abandoned fort may not have worked out great in all ways, I've really learned nothing about the fort except when mayor were elected and when X was released by careless miners, I did manage to avenge a death that occured in Dwarf Mode. An elf death, unfortunately. Nguslu Helmmonsters the goblin killed Ameli Mountainpeaces the elven trader in early 1059, and was later killed by Sigun Deadlashes the Contained Assaulted Speechlessness of Holds. That many-named individual is my would-be archeologist whom benefitted greatly from an exceptional suit of iron platemail looted from Spellsculpted. Too bad those eight suits of adamantine plate are still MIA.

All in all, I might've been better off had my fortress been annihilated by Hidden Fun Stuff, as that seems to keep adamantine items on the site in my experience. It would've made more sense that all everybody talks about is how Spellclasp releaased Hidden Fun Stuff if that had been the end of them. Plus, it would've allowed a challenge befitting such titanically powerful equipment.

[ February 23, 2008: Message edited by: Stromko ]

[veryinky]

This has been one of my all time pet peeves since the 2d version. In copperblazes, roughly 1/2 of all engravings were of a goblin shooting a mule. I hated that mule.

In the recent version, way too much weight is put towards elections, bookkeeper reassignments and guard replacements. Where are the inspirational mosaics of battles, dwarf hunters killing that 20th elephant without dieing, the battle for clearing that evil cave full of giant spiders and iron men or the magma vent of all it's fire imps, firemen and magmamen.

[Stromko]

Maybe eventually there'll be less and less weight to recall a historical event for a given task, the more that task has already recalled it. In other words your engraver will decide that, no, you don't need ten /more/ engravings of Dumas the Mayor taking office.

And I'm not sure masterwork items even need to be a recallable event, as a long lasting fort will have literally hundreds of them there's no way for them not to dominate the history for no good reason. Perhaps instead we can have as a historical event the moment that a dwarf becomes Legendary in a craft skill.

[Nesoo]

quote:Originally posted by Stromko:
<STRONG>In other words your engraver will decide that, no, you don't need ten /more/ engravings of Dumas the Mayor taking office.</STRONG>

What are you talking about? Of course you do!

It's election season, after all, need to remind everyone to reelect him!

[Alfador]

quote:Originally posted by King Louis XIV:
<STRONG>Dabbling McGraver just ruined the walls with squares, diamonds, and other scribbles.</STRONG>

Modern art student?

quote:Originally posted by Nesoo:
<STRONG>

What are you talking about? Of course you do!

It's election season, after all, need to remind everyone to reelect him!</STRONG>

Dal Laborrevolutions cancels Mine Wall: Attending Party Rally.
Dal Laborrevolutions is now a member of the Ugbolothlix political party.

[Deathworks]

Hi!

Well, I never had much of a problem with creativity. I usually make no dwarves with lack of artistics in their personality engravers, instead having those with imagination designated to the job.

However, in one of my last fortress (38a), I noticed a worryingly high number of "This is an engraving of a dwarf. The dwarf is engraving." I did have a legendary engraver there, but I didn't know he was such an egocentric (^_^;;

Deathworks