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[Michael]

I've noticed that the current version of DF grinds slowly through the history part of worldgen.  It's not the worst DF has ever been, and is nowhere near bad enough to make me give up, but it's still a little annoying.

Now, there happens to be a knob for history in the basic worldgen parameters.  Turning it to "Very Short" makes this part of the worldgen over in a flash.   Even large worlds then generate easily, and as a bonus, sprawl is eliminated.

I was wondering if there was any notable drawback to doing this.  I can see how such a world could be boring in Adventure Mode, but I'm only interested in Fortress play at the moment.  Is history truly only for adventurers?

[Rallan]

A much larger proportion of the dwarves who turn up as immigrants will be children because the dwarven population as a whole won't have had much time to age and stabilise, which can be hella annoying. There's also more megabeasts and other assorted critters afoot because not many of them have been killed of by random historical encounters yet, but I'm sure most players will see this as a good thing rather than a bad thing. Also, since the other civs haven't had much time to expand yet you could be a looooong way from the nearest elves/goblins/humans. I'm not sure how (if at all) this affects caravans and sieges though.

On the up side, a very young world is pretty much guaranteed to still have civilizations of all species running around since none of them will have had enough time to get wiped out by warfare.

[Michael]

A much larger proportion of the dwarves who turn up as immigrants will be children because the dwarven population as a whole won't have had much time to age and stabilise, which can be hella annoying.

Oog.  Adult immigrants are already "hella annoying".  If it's the same unreasonable cap-ignoring wave size, only now all kids, it sounds like the game won't be playable without child sacrifice.

You'd think crossing the world solo to reach my embark (which could be nowhere near a dwarf civilization seed point) would require more maturity than, say, hauling duty.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Walking is not that hard.

[darkgloomie]

Walking is not that hard.

surviving encounters with enemy ambushes, giant badgers, possible mythical beasts and co. should be, though.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Walking is not that hard.

surviving encounters with enemy ambushes, giant badgers, possible mythical beasts and co. should be, though.

It is, they're just mentally scarred by the time they reach your fortress.

[IamanElfCollaborator]

You'd expect them to be missing limbs. Or insane. Or dead.

[GreatWyrmGold]

They obviously are insane, which explains a lot.

[XXSockXX]

A much larger proportion of the dwarves who turn up as immigrants will be children because the dwarven population as a whole won't have had much time to age and stabilise, which can be hella annoying.

With "very short" history (5 years) there will be less children migrants. Children as historical figures will start to show up in the first 10-20 years of a world, so with 30 years history you might get a lot of them. Civs start with 10 people, of whom some (king/queen, general, religious leaders) won't migrate to your fort. They need some time to marry and have children, if they survive at all, so with 5 years you won't get many.

Other possible effects of very short history: No vampires/werebeasts/necromancers, no tamed animals in world gen (means no mounted goblins), less civ sites (means some metals/plants/animals won't be available through trade).

[Michael]

Walking is not that hard.

surviving encounters with enemy ambushes, giant badgers, possible mythical beasts and co. should be, though.

I'm more wondering how they feed themselves.  You'd have to be more than a dabbling Herbalist or Ambusher to make it.  Or at least such a good fighter that you can kill things that try to hunt you.

Civs start with 10 people, of whom some (king/queen, general, religious leaders) won't migrate to your fort. They need some time to marry and have children, if they survive at all, so with 5 years you won't get many.

Wouldn't that mean only 5 or so migrants total and ever?  That would be preferable to the status quo.

Or does Armok conjure up new dwarves out of dust (as he apparently had to do for my starting seven) just to annoy me?

[XXSockXX]

Yes, it means there will be no or just a few historical figure migrants, and the rest will be randomly generated. You will always get migrants as long as your civ isn't extinct, then you'll be limited to the first 2 waves.

[BFEL]

Another ill effect of this is that much of your engravings will be of cheese. Without any history of glorious heroes beating elves to death with other elves the engravers kinda just draw whatever pops in their dwarfy little brains. Which is cheese. Its ALWAYS cheese.....

[darkgloomie]

Another ill effect of this is that much of your engravings will be of cheese. Without any history of glorious heroes beating elves to death with other elves the engravers kinda just draw whatever pops in their dwarfy little brains. Which is cheese. Its ALWAYS cheese.....

unless you deliberatedly try to get ambushed by giant badgers/goblin snatchers/kobold thieves/sieges before engraving anything.

Which isn't really any better. I don't know which is worse, images of cheese Vs dwarves curled up in fetal position as bonobos laugh at them.

[Michael]

Yes, it means there will be no or just a few historical figure migrants, and the rest will be randomly generated. You will always get migrants as long as your civ isn't extinct, then you'll be limited to the first 2 waves.

Then I guess the children issue won't be a problem, since the two special waves will usually push me way over my intended population cap.

unless you deliberatedly try to get ambushed by giant badgers/goblin snatchers/kobold thieves/sieges before engraving anything.

Not a problem, as I'm not a fan of engraving.

[Loud Whispers]

Yes, it means there will be no or just a few historical figure migrants, and the rest will be randomly generated. You will always get migrants as long as your civ isn't extinct, then you'll be limited to the first 2 waves.

That and smaller civs, smaller megabeasts (but larger populations), little or no necromancers and no World gen structures.