Thanks to Knight Otu, Putnam, Heph, pedrousz, AutomataKittay, King Mir, Rockphed, Ribs, eux0r, MrWillsauce, mastahcheese, Inarius, MrWiggles, Cruxador, Mopsy, Manveru Taurënér, Valtam and anybody I missed for helping out this time! As usual, if you don't find your question below, it was very likely addressed right after you asked it by one of the aforementioned forumgoers. Sorry for the delay. Things have been reasonably hectic, and'll probably only really quiet down after this Friday.
Will we be able to take on the role of one of our citizens from Fort Mode?
Will it be possible to take control of living fortresses that the player didn't initially create, or is it limited to what the player has started and retired?
(I added the bold) I've put these two questions together, since it is sort of the same flavor of decision. The answer is currently no to both questions, but it's not a hard no, just a time no. It isn't really a big deal to me if people want to take control of any historical figure or a fortress that already has the monarch in it, and we've discussed this on DF Talk and elsewhere quite a bit I think. It more or less comes down to wanting some things to do appropriate to whatever position you are taking over, and having some world gen switches so that you can stop yourself from taking over historical figures etc. if you know it would inevitably prove to be a temptation you want to avoid for that world.
So are you suggesting fortressmode fruitpickers in future might need to carry ladder tools around which they then depoly/construct as upwardstairs ?
He he he, yeah, that was the suggestion in my remark, though I'm not sure how it'll turn out. Seems dwarfy enough.
If you play a fort long enough, would a deep site spawn and become associated with your fort, and if so, would a tunnel likewise spawn connecting the sites, or have you not gotten far with how deep/hill sites interact with player forts/forts that are reclaimed?
I certainly haven't gotten that far for this release. There'll be deep sites associated to your fort directly later on, though we don't have specifics sorted out. It'll likely involve start scenarios that indicate how likely it is to happen, and that decision will likely be mutable. Long ago you had the ability to connect a road that would sort of go off the screen forever to the left, and we'd still like to get you formally hooked into the road network at some point, especially now that you'll be able to reclaim world gen forts that already have roads up.
Are redwoods planned to be in/special? If so what's going on there?
I like redwoods and grew up near some we visited from time to time. Highwoods are probably in because of those, before we knew what we were going to do with trees. I haven't put in redwoods yet, since I've been focused on fruit trees this time, but I suspect they'll still have to be dwarfed by the "magical" highwood trees in the high "savagery" areas.
Will we be getting generated fotress screenshots, or will those be a surprise?
Probably a surprise, though more of a "they work!" surprise than a "wow!" surprise. Maybe not even that sometimes.
Is the Adventure mode questlog going to be made slightly more useful?
There's already a key (m) that's supposed to show information, but instead of something minorly useful like a log of the quest giver's words, it only shows the name and race of the target.
A log of the questgiver's words would at least provide you with a description of your target, because something like "Kill Atir Ragthroat | dwarf" doesn't provide you with information of what Atir really is.
Is he a werewolf? Is he a vampire? Or something else due to mods? Who knows, certainly not you if you forgot it! Which is very likely with a lot of quests.. And this is where a quest log should come in, after all.
but alas, all the quest log says to you only to kill Atir Ragthroat, a dwarf.
The problem comes in when you forget that Atir Ragthroat is a master vampire due to you playing with a mod that can do that, and that master vampires are actually very lethal.
Now, if only you had logged that little detail in your quest log, you'd know exactly who's who. But currently you don't, and that's a bit silly.
The quest log won't really be recognizable. I never tried to finish what was there before, and now that's just as well. I don't want to commit to things since a few of the notes could still be dropped, but hopefully it'll be more interesting. There are things like rumors and incidents that need to be catalogued, for example, and your reputations and affiliations are more important. Individual quests are also slightly less important at this point, if you are working against a village for example, though there are still specific critters people want killed.
How easy will it be to climb log walls made from wood, or walls made from metal bars? If walls made from metal bars are like a sheet of metal, would it be possible to climb them (in-game) at all, or would they act as smooth rock walls?
I'm not sure what metal bar walls are meant to be, especially since we have vertical bars, but they are the easy kind to climb. A wall made from any kind of "blocks" is much more difficult to climb -- logs and rough stone walls are treated the same way, as easier climbs. Which one would be more difficult would probably depend on nuances of size and arrangement we don't have. Natural walls that are smoothed aren't climbable right now, but that'll probably change for certain creatures (all pillar-shaped walls are climbable now).
Now that combat has been updated, can you give us any details (or equations/code) on how weapon-target interactions work? Preferably also with some notion of how the numbers in the raws affect things.
You also mentioned that skulls are harder now than before versus blunt objects, does that apply to other things, like armor or other body parts? Does this mean blunt weapons are now less effective than they previously were?
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Like when a dwarf swings a bronze axe at another dwarf with a iron mail shirt, what happens? How do the weapon & armor raws affect whether the defender gets limbs removed, or bones broken, or no damage at all? Does it multiply the dwarf's strength times the weapon weight vs the armor material shear fracture strength times some constant? What about against a bronze breastplate, or leather cloak, or silk cap (or 3 caps for that matter, since many items can have multiple copies worn simultaneously)?
I haven't done much with raw numbers, aside from the new attack speeds and the skull change. I don't know if I want to do large code dumps here in FotF about non-release stuff. The material rules of combat haven't changed as far as I remember, and there are a ton of equations and functions mushed together, using the numbers in the raws. Those equations and functions have issues, and I haven't tried to address them this time.
When you program Dwarf Fortress, are you more concerned with making the code more comprehensible or with optimizing it? With such a huge game, I would imagine that using optimization techniques such as utilizing bitwise operators would make the game run a lot faster, but then again with the sheer size and complexity of the code it would also probably help to use a more memory intensive but easier to read style.
It is important that it be readable, especially when I don't see portions of the code for years at a time sometimes now. That said, a lot of stuff like bitwise operators are still used all the time -- preprocessor defines make most of those plain text. The larger algorithmic changes yield me the best results, and that doesn't really change readability. The main sort of restructuring I'd probably need to do now involves things I don't really have a handle on regarding arranging things in properly sized and placed chunks in memory for the cache or whatever, and I'm not sure what that would do to readability. Some of it probably isn't practical at this point, and it isn't my area of expertise, if I have one. As far as I know, the micro-optimizations that used to make code totally unreadable are often done by the compiler now, thankfully, though I don't know enough about it to say anything with certainty.
Now that we're getting closer to some mingling between cultures with the taverns and inns, how do you plan on making different civilizations of the same race unique?
I know we already have religions to some extent and the idea of different architecture has been mentioned for the final game, but I'm wondering if there will be any hint of a person's origin from their description (other than the part where it is explicitly stated) or gear.
The equipment and physical appearance are somewhat culture specific already, but there's quite a bit more that can be done. I don't really have a timeline or specific plans here. The things that don't come out of trade/items/genetics are... well, lots of stuff, I guess, and the human entity in particular is probably going to end up as a total mush of "variable" for many of the tags. Their languages are all the same, which is odd, but changing that has some annoyances we've discussed, and things like differing ethics and value systems are simple enough but would have limited in-game effect until we add more stuff. It might be around the time to start doing that, though. For the non-humans, I'm not really sure. We haven't thought very much about same-race diversity there. If humans are any guide, there's quite a bit of wiggle room. Dwarves might be the hardest to wiggle, since they have the most game/interface associated with them, but that also makes it the most interesting avenue to explore. When we start setting up specific fort types and so on with start scenarios, we should have more food for thought there anyway, if anything, since there will be sub-cultural differences (if you are a religious sect fort, say), and this might guide us on entity differences somewhat.
With all the new opportunities for adventure in caverns, tunnels and dwarf/goblin sites, the practicalities of going below have become more important. Are you going to increase the adventurer's sight radius in (some of the) underground areas beyond the three tiles it is in 0.34.X?
Will NPCs (dwarves, for example) in the new version be handing out quests whose targets reside in the deep underground? Will there be bandit camps and lairs in the caverns?
We added an eerie light to certain areas we felt it belonged, but most of the underground is still dark. I haven't felt a need to increase it yet (of course, when we get to actual lighting, it'll be much greater when you have a light). If it comes up during the ensuing testing, it might be made higher to match a lantern or torch, but probably not.
We don't have any new quests placed deep down right now -- there have never been proper sites down there until the addition of the deep dwarf sites, and those aren't so questy. There need to be more things at some point, but it isn't that way yet.
Are we still on for the five or so levels of combat in adventure mode? I am SERIOUSLY hoping that horseplay and training fights can be in adventure mode, as a welcome counterpoint to the tooth-losing grimdarkery of regular DF adventure mode. Will there be a way to mod them in, at the very least? I love the idea of challenging NPCs to training duels, or even challenging retired PCs. I would dearly love for those modes of combat to remain in the update plan.
It's still on, but I never had plans to formalize training for example in adventure mode for this release. Those lower levels are necessary to keep dwarf mode working. They'll make it to adventure mode sometime.
Does this mean that the possibility for peaceful run-ins with bandits will make it in the next release? As in, if you just run into a dispossessed leader bandit, he might not automatically be hostile and instead offer you a quest (presumably to kill the incumbent leader/usurper of his old village)
Yeah, I think that's quite likely at this point, though robbery and murder will still be the common initial interactions.
Is climbing going to be tiring in the first implementation? If so, will the weight you are carrying be taken into consideration?
Energy use for all forms of movement can be set by gait in the raws now, though I think right now it only causes exertion in vanilla to climb quickly. If the weight slows you down, you'll exert more energy when using an energy-exerting gait, but all of that could afford some betterment.
Speaking of activities making you tired, how tiring is running going to be? Realistically, while people in good physical condition can "run" for several hours, it's very hard to sprint at full velocity for a long time. Are we going to see creatures passing out from exaustion from running? It would add a whole new dimention to persuing a target when you have the possibility of beating him in endurance instead of only speed.
Another running question:
One interesting aspect of including "natural" abilities such as climbing and swimming as skills is that they can attach themselves to other core abilities, like strengh and endurance. It makes sense to increase strengh, stamina, etc by training your climbing or swimming skill, although as far as I can tell that doesn't happen right now with non-fighting skills. Is there a reason why running isn't getting the same treatment? It would make sense to have your endurance enhanced as you train your running "skill". Although I could see how running is something that is much more attached to more general abilities such as strengh and agility rather than a specific skill...
Yeah, you get tired very quickly sprinting at this point, and running also makes you tired over time. I think lower endurance characters also get tired when jogging, though I don't recall exactly how that balances out.
It's because it doesn't have an associated skill that the game doesn't train atts. Now that climbing has a skill, it builds atts (presumably, since that happens automatically whenever skills are checked in the right way). Running will probably just be given a skill sometime. I don't have a particular reason why it isn't that way -- presumably track athletes are learning a specific action/whatever and not just building their endurance/muscles, so it seems like a fine thing to me. The original Armok had a very cumbersome body familiarity skill in preparation for soul-swapping stuff which never happened, and that sort of thing'll probably be done in some way or another eventually. A running skill would make even more sense at that time, for souls that have never experienced legs.
Adventure mode bandits and night creatures and so forth are going to follow actual patrol routes now instead of teleporting to your location to ambush you, right? Are these patrol routes through the wilderness realized all the way down into the gameplay view? Will we be able to sit hidden among the leaves and watch a shadow crone or a goblin squadron make its way through the underbrush, without ever noticing us up there? Have the old travel mode ambushes been replaced by the game pulling you out of fast travel whenever your character observes something interesting (tracks, creatures, etc.) in the surroundings?
Yeah, they move around and never teleport (unless there is a weird bug or something, or unless they are on a site which gets obstructions when it realizes). The patrol routes are realized down to the gameplay level, so you can watch them go by. It'd be very rare, unless you are being tracked, say, in which case you'll see them walk on -- they don't currently know how to track at the gameplay level though, so they'll probably start shuffling around or leave on their old route once they catch up to where they wanted to go. I still have a few notes related to this, so it might be improved slightly before the release. The game doesn't always pull you out of fast travel -- I've abstracted tracks so you can interact with them while traveling for instance.
will refugees and bandits be able to settle in caves the way kobolds currently do?
I haven't gotten to the in-play other-civs-reclaim part yet, so we'll see. I'm going to do whatever is fastest at this point, I think, for that part.
Are the goblins' trolls an exception, or will more exotic pets occur in all site maps?
The elf sites certainly had an animal party going on.
Will the bickering between villages be noticeable at all in Dwarf Mode?
Like refugees from occupied towns or something?
Aside from some merchant talk, I don't think it'll come up until we add better support for multiracial fort stuff, which are currently planned for dwarf mode taverns/inns. Those aren't that far off in the grand scheme of things (that is, they are vying for the next slot after job priorities/bug fixes).
The description for Dralthas indicates that they feed on the tops of tower-cap mushrooms. Now that tower-caps are large multi-tile objects, but the Draltha's are still single-tile creatures (like everything else), will the description for Dralthas change?
Things always get ahead of other things. King Mir brought up giraffes and Eric Blank mentioned giant sloths. That's pretty much the eventual idea, and our original sketch had one feeding in a very giant slothish depiction. When we have browsing creatures properly handled, however that's going to work, then things'll be okay.
Will we eventually be able to learn or teach skills or secrets to/from NPCs via talking to them? Such as learning a secret orally from someone who knows it, and then passing it on to a student?
I suspect, yeah, though the current plan is for skill training to be a longer term process in general (whether or not that has you do something with a different character during the time is an open question). You can currently pass along rumor/incident information, which can spread around, so we have it in baby form now.
Will you be able to bribe people for various reasons this release?
If not, what would it likely be included with on your plans?
We don't have anything like that now. It seems like something that'd happen during the Thief role stuff, as a way to avoid the consequences of the justice process at first, or to get by a watchperson. It would be amusing in fort mode as well, though I have no idea how that'd play out.
Will companions now be able to find you if you lost them? Some change on their AI?
Groups have the ability to track now, but at this point they don't specifically know how to follow you once they are offloaded, since your "army" doesn't have an initial controller. That makes them a little brain-dead when they haven't formally split from you. Once we have guide and insurrection meetings expiring properly, before the release, I'll see if something can be done naturally at that point.
What happens if the player loses a fight by being knocked unconscious before he can yield? Will the attacker beat the player until his skull caves in? Will the player wake up in an alleyway later in the day with bruises and a splitting headache?
What happens depends on what level of lethality the opponent considers themselves to be in, and if they want to flee. If you are in a lethal fight and don't get a chance to yield, your opponent will continue striking you if they've got nothing better to do. If you at any level from "non-lethal" and below, your opponent will stop hitting you even if you don't yield. So fist fights should be mostly survivable unless you escalate.
How will fluid motion affect climbing? For instance, if you attempt to climb up a wall while a stream of water is falling on you, are you likely to be pushed off?
The chances are the same as they have been. I'm not sure what the difference is in general -- trying to hold your feet as you stand in such a way that a rush of water doesn't bowl you over vs. holding your grasp on a wall. It would really depend on the nature of the wall, your grip and whether you could grasp with your legs etc., so it might be best to just leave it for now, or throw in a few bonuses. It's all the same right now, and you can be pushed.
Also, will we ever be able to eat and drink from the fast travel map?
As Valtam mentioned, it's sort of cool to have to stop and take little breaks and so on, from a camp perspective. It can also handle any food effects better if the units are loaded. That said, there may be some room to cut down on annoyingness if it starts to get problematic. I'd have to think about "magical" interaction effects carefully though. It's hard to do certain things without having the map/units loaded and available in their proper setting.
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Topic: Future of the Fortress (Read 3837610 times)