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[Lightman]

I was listening to the Software Engineering Daily interview with Tarn and hit a disappointing segment.

Around 16 minutes, Tarn is describing the origins of Dwarf Fortress.  I really wanted to hear the end of this story, as he had just gotten to the primordial Dwarf Fortress - the idea that you would create a fortress and then later explore it "to get a high score".  The next stage would have been really interesting to hear about but the interviewer breaks in with "what language is Dwarf Fortress written in?".

That was kind of an abrupt change in topic and I didn't appreciate it.  It felt scripted in a bad way.  Furthermore, Tarn answers that it's a mixture of C/C++, the type that comes about "when you learn object-oriented programming, midstream".  The interviewer responds, "how did you end up using that mix?", which is pretty silly since he had just stated how.

I thought that the interviewer could have done a better job.  I haven't finished listening yet but I already ran into another point were he interrupts (or tries to).

[Drakale]

Had the same feeling as you, the interviewer obviously had a prepared list of questions and didn't quite flow with the interview, which is a bit sad. Always nice to hear Toady talk tho, I really like his general philosophy about development and come across as humble and honest.

[Lightman]

Exactly.  I always enjoy interviews/talks with Toady and it was vexing to have an interviewer that didn't let the speaker speak, in addition to the shortcomings you described.

[Vattic]

Toady has covered the same topic in DF Talk before without interruption and very likely in other places; In case you didn't know the Bay 12 links page has a large list of past interviews.

Then when we started working on Dwarf Fortress as a side project for Armok I, the idea we came up with for that pretty early on was to have the adventure part be a sort of high score mode afterward, where you go through the fortress and explore what your dwarves left behind; that was originally how it was going to be and that was going to be the whole thing. And then as Dwarf Fortress started stealing from Armok I to the point where it became Armok I or whatever, the adventure mode - ideally, if it were actually done - would just be a standard role playing game taking place in the Dwarf Fortress mode while you're switching off between fortresses and adventurers and so on; so it came out of all that.

Searched the combined transcript for "high score". I'm sure there is more knocking about, but the detail I remember might be spread through Toady's posts in little bits.

Have to say I found the interview interesting if a bit awkward.

[Lightman]

Thank you.  I'll have a look.  I found the interview interesting, too but I didn't think it was conducted very well... and I agree, it was a bit awkward.

[Lightman]

Well, I read that part of it but I haven't tried digging through all the posts.  I think it repeated the same thing, without the lead-in to more information.  I'm still interested in that first step of DF's evolution.

I still think this is a disappointing interview, overall (due, solely, to the interviewer) and I would cut out parts of it to avoid the annoying questions and needless focus on irrelevant topics (mostly another game, which I won't bother to name).