For all you saying "what" about my comment.
my saying "DF 2014 is essentially DF 2012 modded" is broken down in logic as follows:
-most of the changes to the game which are visible are just that - changes and additions. Much as is seen is the same, and core gameplay is largely unchanged from previous versions, although there are visible differences and changes, just the same as with many fan mods, albeit in not to such an extent. Thus, it is not a stretch in my opinion whatsoever to compare the game update to any 3rd party developed mod. While I am aware that underlying code was changed drastically, this does not change that the difference on-screen is no different from mods seen in other games as far as additions to the world are concerned.
That said, do you prefer DF 2012 or DF 2014?
Thus far I prefer DF 2012, mostly because I am used to it and its less crashy. Also my framerate isn't shit on it. I think tilesets make everything look muddled and its hard to tell what specific things are (I guess that wouldn't be a problem as much if I got used to a single one).
I have nothing against mods, but when people say they should be included in the game, that makes me ask who is going to be responsible for including them? Does Toady need to make sure every mod works before releasing a new version? Does Toady send out early copies of the game to modmakers so they can make sure they're compatible before he releases?
See I think ASCII makes everything look muddled and hard to tell what things are, but that is something which will vary from person to person, hence my wanting an option for pick-and-choose graphics at a button press. As for mod inclusion, those concerns aren't really valid for the majority of mods. Mods which would only change RAWs, take mine for example, would be unlikely to have bugs in them if Toady were to pick and choose implementations. Most tileset mods only require access to the RAWs as things are added/changed - thus the tileset might only need amendment if something new was added in a version which would require a new tile be added, or a creature be added, which could have an in-term solution, or a list of creature/monster additions could be added as a spoiler in advance and tileset makers could send in their edited tileset for the package that would let people pick/choose via button.