Hi all,
Just thought I would say hello and give some initial reactions to DF. (Holds breath, pinches nose, and dives in...)
I installed DF about a week ago, from the PC Gamer cover DVD. (Yes, I have upgraded since then!) And now I'm completely hooked.
I think this game is absolutely superb. It completely captures the elusive quality of GAMEPLAY that so many fully-fledged companies have lost sight of these days. So often we see games with amazing graphics and superb music, and we're yawning at them within half a day. One example is the recent "Sid Meier's Railroads!" - great graphics and sound, but IMHO it actually has less features and gameplay than "Railroad Tycoon III" which came out ages ago. (No map editor, for example.)
So far in DF, I've got the hang of designing a basic fortress, with a well, mason's workshop, carpentry workshop, basic bedrooms, eating area, various store piles etc. And yet I'm only just scratching the surface (literally!). I'm currently working out how to build a farm to keep everyone fed, and trying to work out the most efficient size for various types of rooms, and the corridors. My last dungeon (my fifth, I think) got flooded when I made a mistake placing a floodgate, but I just regarded it as an opportunity to start again and improve my design using the knowledge that I'd picked up during the building process. It's true, losing CAN be fun!
There always seems to be some new level of challenge waiting round the corner. I have no idea how to trade with the caravans yet, nor how to capture/breed/train/eat the various animals I see. And I'm only just finding out about ores, smelting and metal-working too. And jewellery, and coins. Can I keep critters away from sleeping areas so everyone can get a good night's sleep? What good are pets? Do they increase morale? How do I cook? (Heh, I have enough trouble with THAT in real life!)... etc etc. But these are the things which keep me coming back again and again. Each new fortress raises new questions and teaches me something new about the DF world, information that I can use to make this dungeon the better than the last. It's a bit like Chinese plate-spinning, where you learn to keep just one more plate on the end of the cane than you did last time, before they all come crashing down!
Of course, the help system built into the game is essential. With no GUI, it does take quite an effort to work out how to monitor and control things (MS, you're making us soft!) And this forum has a tremendous amount of help. Searching around here is like searching through a dark DF cave - sometimes you can come up with a valuable nugget! And when I've finished writing this, I'm going to go and read the wiki for the first time.
The last time I found gameplay this good was when I started playing the "Civilization" series. So much depth, so much to learn, and yet a great sense of achievement at the end of each game, no matter how it ends.
Thanks to the game author(s), doc writers and website gurus. I'm sure I'm going to be coming back here a lot more to learn a lot more over the next few days and weeks. And I agree with one of the comments I've read here in the forum. Please DON'T bother about flashy graphics or other skin-deep tweaks (yet). The depth of gameplay is where DF shines, so keep on fixing those bugs and slowly adding new features.
And one more thing - with Christmas in a few weeks, my budget is pretty tight at the moment, which is another reason why I'm trying a free game! But if I'm still enjoying this in January, I'm sure I'll be clicking on that donation button. People who can develop deep game systems like the one in DF deserve to be supported.
Cheers!
Saiph (aka Keith)
Aylesbury, UK
Author
Topic: Feedback from a new player (Read 629 times)