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[xZippy]

I've been watching DasTactic's video to help out new players, and he uses the Lazy Newb Pack. As everyone here knows, and as the name would imply, makes the game operate much better. To be honest, I use it mostly for the graphics and sometimes soundsense. I don't really mess with other settings to make the game too easy, otherwise that wouldn't be fun. I'll only use Dwarf Therapist if I really need to, but refrain from doing so if I can.

How many people do not use these starter things at all and just play the game vanilla? It looks extremely daunting and eye-straining. I don't like playing with kits or mods, I like to play games exactly how they were made and nothing more, but the vanilla DF looks like too much to handle.

[NJW2000]

I play entirely vanilla, though once installed DFhack to try to get stonesense and armok vision (3d visualisers) to work for me.

Tbh, the whole messing about with installers and files discourages me more than Vanilla DF

[Xgen]

I play it with and without starter packs! However, I wish I had DFHack on the vanilla version to make it more easy to play.

[Findulidas]

I basically only play with it. The original graphics makes my eyes bleed. Its not that I cant understand them or think they are ugly, its just that my eyes cant handle playing with them. I get dancing patterns on my retina, its the same with the homepage of df. Also I dont understand why you wouldnt play with therapist. It doesnt reduce the difficulty of the game, just removes some of the tediousness. Also dfhack can be so very useful. The tweak command alone fixes several annoying bugs. Makes the game much more fun.

[BigD145]

LazyNewb? No thanks. I like to actually get in and put the graphics and dfhack and all that in myself. It gives a better understanding of how df actually looks at all its files and I can throw in little mods myself because I know where the code needs to go. I can also give feedback to modders here, which is invaluable to them. I also don't run into the "problem" of "OMG lazynewb isn't updated and I feel like playing right now". I make my install work for me.

[Starver]

Vanilla, apart from manual edits to get numeric liquids, larger window-size and seasonal autosaves. No DFHack, but DwarfTherapist comes in useful.

I find the default tileset more understandable than equivalent-sized 'graphical' replacements, but I suppose it depends on screen-res and viewing distance whether somone would prefer something larger, which might as well then be 'prettier'...

[DeKaFu]

Lazy Newb Packs weren't a thing yet back when I was a lazy newb.

I started out using (manually installed) graphics when I first picked up the game, but eventually switched to ASCII and never looked back. Once I finally wrapped my brain around ASCII graphics (playing Cataclysm really helped with that) I found them much cleaner and easier to look at. No more worrying about dead trees and bridges sharing a graphics tile, which used to drive me up the wall. I do use a square tileset, though.

I also used Dwarf Therapist for a while, but haven't bothered in a long time. Never even tried DFHack. I'm content with how vanilla DF looks and operates, so I don't think the Newb Packs really have much to offer me now.

There's a lot to be said for being able to download a new version the same hour it's released and only have to tweak a few lines in the init to get everything perfect and ready to go, in my opinion.

[Ekaton]

Played vanilla DF for a while, a long while, not sure if they were around back then when I started, before I discovered that there were things like graphic mods, dfhack and dwarf therapist, and I haven't returned to full vanilla ever since. Most of the time, however, I am playing the Masterwork mod - it's a whole different experience and customisability provides that the game doesn't have to be too easy or too hard, you can actually make it pretty hard with certain settings even compared to original DF. Besides, you can try to play as Orcs, Succubi, Kobolds - it's a very different from vanilla, really worth to check out.

I played the newest version for a while but realised that I got used to better graphics and it is hard to go back to default ones. Funny, because long time I was hesitant to check out the better graphics because I enjoyed simplicity.

[BlackBronze]

I've switched between vanilla and starter packs a few times. Currently, I am using vanilla. If you compare the fps of vanilla versus using starter packs and skins, Vanilla runs much faster (at least for me it does). It's a bit bittersweet though, since there are so many great skins! I hardly would use dwarfhack anyways.

[milo christiansen]

I always assemble my own pack. I Install DFHack, TWBT, and Rubble, then I run a few custom Rubble addons that automatically tweak my install so it is just the way I like it.

Any pre-made pack does not have exactly what I want, and most have extra cruft (for example I don't use/want therapist, I use manipulator).

[Dyret]

I mostly play square vanilla, or the occational tileset if they look interesting enough. Never really used third party tools or starter packs, I think I played around with DFHack or something at some point, but that's it.

[Cormack]

Never play vanilla, ASCII is just confusing and unclear.

[Dame de la Licorne]

Hi!

I've never used starter packs (they weren't available in the 2D days), and only recently started to use DFHack (but only for the autobutcher and clean invisible creature commands).  Apart from that, I like vanilla.

-Dame de la Licorne

[Putnam]

Yes, though I probably should

[dizzyelk]

I play with the newb packs when they get updated to the new version of the game. I like curses_square_16x16, as the graphics packs are just confusing blobs of pixels to me, while I can easily determine what the ASCII is. The only 3rd party utilities I really use are soundsense and therapist. I like dfhack solely for the cleaning functions and twbt.