Ha I never thought I'd see this day: NW "My opinion is fact" Kohaku and Deathworks (hey! In case you didn't notice my name is Deathworks) Deathworks (signed, Deathworks) getting into a 'conversation'.
Snark aside (it di'nt mean nothing, boss!), there is a certain feeling attained from playing without utilities. Alt-tabbing reminds me that I'm not literally a dwarven overseer, which is a terrible realization to have six hours into a DF binge. Being unable to easily sort by skill or aptitude keeps my need to micromanage in check, which in turn keeps my fortresses feeling lively and exciting. It's easier to imagine really cool backstories when I'm not constantly appraising my dwarves for their meta-utility, or sweating at the realization my industry isn't perfectly tuned. Also, half the fun of moods is to see what random shit gets cooked up by the little guy, even if it's a cheap trinket. I want my platinum warhammers to be rare and memorable TYVM.
Notice how all those things are opinions? I'd like to think they're valid, even if a little odd or illogical. These preferences of mine preclude the use of utilities beyond mitigating whatever parts of the interface really bug me. What these preferences fail to do is affect the lives of other people, or so I hope. Sharing these preferences (as others have shared their own idiosyncratic styles of play) was sort of the point of this thread.
NW is right, in that the ability to sort by skill and aptitude is absolutely necessary for a min-maxing playstyle. He is wrong when he claims that sort of playstyle is the only way to play. Like any human activity, there are usually multiple and even contradictory reasons for people's enjoyment of that activity. Your own subjective motivation often means very little to the person next in line, and coming to terms with that is a sort of maturity.
Oh, you wanted a funny response or something. . . Er. . .
The only true style of play, according to the principles of our well-established egalitarian democracy, is defined by the player never choosing to examine his dwarves. If the player never comes to know the specific strengths and weaknesses of each individual, all dwarves are given an equal chance to shine and the fortress as a whole becomes stronger (or at least more interesting). Failing to play in this manner is heathenous treason, and the criminal is always sentenced to death. This execution is accomplished by dropping 5000 boxed copies of Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet software onto the chained prisoner while shouting, "WHAT DO YOU THINK OF ALL YOUR DAMNED TABLES NOW, BITCH?!" Most are dead by box 1500, though one particularly resistant fellow survived to box 2789 before his head popped off.
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Topic: Life after Therapist (Read 10066 times)