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[omega_dwarf]

Sort of relates to http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=141822.msg5544665#msg5544665

I can repost this there, but I couldn't find a thread more closely related and a quick search of the Dev section also yielded no results, so I hope this is a new suggestion. Toady One did imply he was thinking about new dreams in the devlog.


I just had a thought about dreams - what if there was one like Sam's from LoTR: Dreams of seeing an oliphaunt one day? And, of course, replacing the oliphaunt with a rare animal the dwarf has a preference for. (I guess he dreamt of seeing elves too, but that happened sooner.)

That gives rise to other possibilities: Dreams of hunting a great beast. Dreams of slaying a monster (FB, megabeast, etc.) Dreams of becoming a hero (winning x number of fights they entered for vengeance, killing some snatchers, or killing x number of invaders.) Or even a civilian with no military skills: Dreams of serving in a squad. Weirder ones, like "Dreams of seeing a ghost" or "Secretly dreams of vandalizing or witnessing/committing violent crime" (yeah, okay, maybe that last one is too creepy.)

And once we can send dwarves places, what about dreams to go adventuring? Dreams to fight for king and country (invasion)? Dreams to fight in defense of the civilization - dreams that are shaped by rumors/world events, by things dwarves experience in life?

I think there are some very fun possibilities here. It could tie into adventure-mode "goals."

Feel free to post other ideas (or a notice about a thread where I should move this )!

[red_kangaroo]

"Secretly dreams of vandalizing or witnessing/committing violent crime"

Yes, please!

Maybe even let some dwarves become "obsessed with his/her own mortality" while in your fortress and get "secretly dreams of becoming immortal/learning the secrets of life and death". We will have temples in the next release, or they could wander off you map (and the dwarves dreaming of adventuring too), and either return some time later, with strange new look in their eyes, or return as well, but with an undead suite.

[Enchiridion]

I like this idea. I would also like there to be dream professions for the dwarves.

[Wooster]

"Secretly dreams of vandalizing or witnessing/committing violent crime" (yeah, okay, maybe that last one is too creepy.)

Sure, but um, secret dreams oughtn't be visible on the status screen, right? I'd quite like there to be procedurally-generated dreams like this which are hidden from the user, so that we don't find out what will really make dwarves satisfied until it happens: this would provide an impetus to give lots of varied experiences to our dwarves.

[Naryar]

"Dreams to become a legendary X" where X being a skill.

Just control the skill list so we don't see silly things like crutch-walker, potash maker or bite- no actually legendary biter is fine

[omega_dwarf]

"Dreams to become a legendary X" where X being a skill.

Just control the skill list so we don't see silly things like crutch-walker, potash maker or bite- no actually legendary biter is fine

Dreams of becoming a legendary gelder?
If the secret dreams are included and kept invisible from overseers (which I think is a great idea), when they become realized, I think it's important they become entirely visible - imagine the surprise when you learn your perfect legendary dwarf always dreamed of sowing chaos - "and this dream was realized." That potential feeling of betrayal is intriguing. You thought you knew them XD

[Urist Tilaturist]

"Dreams to become a legendary X" where X being a skill.

Just control the skill list so we don't see silly things like crutch-walker, potash maker or bite- no actually legendary biter is fine

Legendary biter is a fine aspiration for a dwarf. Bodies just have to be changed so dwarves cannot bite bony bits as easily without risking tooth damage.

[Vattic]

Some more dream ideas:

• going on a pilgrimage
• meeting royalty
• amassing great wealth
• sailing the x seas
• becoming a priest of x sect
• getting turned into a vampire/werewolf
• having many children
• having a son/daughter
• meet object of worship (could be suicidal for megabeasts)

[vache]

Some dreams could stand to be a lot more basic or dwarfy.  A peasant dwarf might dream of living in an opulent bedroom one day or imagine being made a duke or other royalty.  A metalworker/miner/soldier might dream of working with adamantine. 

[Ngosp Umbabok]

I think that adding more dreams and having some dreams be hidden are both good ideas and are not mutually exclusive in that they could both be implemented.

There are a number of realistic reasons why dreams could be hidden from the player such as the dream is an unconscious yearning for something, the values of the dwarf conflict with the dream so they suppress it or maybe because for whatever reason the dwarf believes it would be a bad idea to tell people about it.

The list of dreams per dwarf that are visible to the player could just be the dreams that the dwarf is  both consciously aware of and comfortable telling people about.

[forsaken1111]

"Secretly dreams of vandalizing or witnessing/committing violent crime" (yeah, okay, maybe that last one is too creepy.)

Sure, but um, secret dreams oughtn't be visible on the status screen, right? I'd quite like there to be procedurally-generated dreams like this which are hidden from the user, so that we don't find out what will really make dwarves satisfied until it happens: this would provide an impetus to give lots of varied experiences to our dwarves.

Why not? Literally every other aspect of their tiny lives and minds are exposed to our view.

[Urist Tilaturist]

The player could get an unfair advantage by seeing which dwarves wanted to become necromancers and so on, but if players do not mind having their !!fun!! surprises spoilt, those ambitions could be visible.

[Ngosp Umbabok]

"Secretly dreams of vandalizing or witnessing/committing violent crime" (yeah, okay, maybe that last one is too creepy.)

Sure, but um, secret dreams oughtn't be visible on the status screen, right? I'd quite like there to be procedurally-generated dreams like this which are hidden from the user, so that we don't find out what will really make dwarves satisfied until it happens: this would provide an impetus to give lots of varied experiences to our dwarves.

Why not? Literally every other aspect of their tiny lives and minds are exposed to our view.

One example is that there may be dwarves with certain maladaptive tendancies or dreams and if the player were to know that about them then they could isolate or kill them on purpose. For example there could be dwarves with secret dreams to murder, steal, dig up the dead, profane temples, etc. As part of planning for any large community of people there needs to be things implemented that are designed to deal with these issues such as an effiecient justice system, recreation, and nobles who can provide counsel and guidance.

Allowing the player to see which dwarves need to be more closely managed or supervised due to harmful dreams would remove the incentive for the player to design their fort in ways that ensure maximum happyness and security.

Admittedly some of the stuff I mention hasn't been fully implemented or fleshed out but it would seem reasonable that if in the future there were harmful secret plans or dreams for some of the dwarves then the chances of those dwarves acting on those impulses would be less if they were happy and if they knew the fort was efficient at delivering justice and apprehending lawbreakers.

[Shonai_Dweller]

"Secretly dreams of vandalizing or witnessing/committing violent crime" (yeah, okay, maybe that last one is too creepy.)

Sure, but um, secret dreams oughtn't be visible on the status screen, right? I'd quite like there to be procedurally-generated dreams like this which are hidden from the user, so that we don't find out what will really make dwarves satisfied until it happens: this would provide an impetus to give lots of varied experiences to our dwarves.

Why not? Literally every other aspect of their tiny lives and minds are exposed to our view.

Aren't vampires given false background information to make them harder to spot?
Ambitions: "To suck the blood of every living Dwarf in the fortress" is a bit of a giveaway.

[Putnam]

"Secretly dreams of vandalizing or witnessing/committing violent crime" (yeah, okay, maybe that last one is too creepy.)

Sure, but um, secret dreams oughtn't be visible on the status screen, right? I'd quite like there to be procedurally-generated dreams like this which are hidden from the user, so that we don't find out what will really make dwarves satisfied until it happens: this would provide an impetus to give lots of varied experiences to our dwarves.

Why not? Literally every other aspect of their tiny lives and minds are exposed to our view.

They already have secret dreams. If one of your dwarves wishes to be immortal or keep their entity position, you won't see that in their description.