Well dwarves aren't humans.
True, so when they differ from humans I'd prefer to see them deviate in a way that makes them feel more like
dwarves (by say, having a predilection for collecting dwarfy things, like gems, weapons, stone, tools, & booze) than like
chunks of code (every dwarf randomly chooses one of the equally-weighted likable objects to collect, resulting in situations where Urist McSturdyLegs steals all of the fort's crutches).
Makes me wonder if the obsessive collection of objects like mugs behaviour is relevant to bugs where they hold onto objects indefinitely blocking use of the hand. They just don't have anywhere to store the object and because they can't wear the 'accessory' they posess it all the while.
Off-topic Tangent #1: That's one reason why I'd like dwarves to have
pockets. Not the kind sewn into garments (although that would work too), this kind is a stiff leather pouch hanging from one's belt. Storing personal possessions there would both free the hands and give the same kind of individual flavor I suggested in my first post. Carried items might be purely personal (a dwarven child with her bag of marbles), or tied to the dwarf's profession (a Suturer with his needle & thread), or related to their office (the Captain of the Guard holds the only key to the fort's Treasury), or even a personal preference
based on their profession (a Miner or Ranger not wanting to leave the fort without some tinder & flint). Even if these objects never get used, just seeing them makes the game feel more real.
. . . if they dumped it on the floor in their rooms for a lack of space, they could have simulated messy junk and subsequently other dwarves could have a opinion on how messy it is as a negative thought. (spouses, children living in the same room etc)
Off-topic Tangent #2: In my experience, most dwarves are single, and use their rooms primarily just for sleeping. Groups of friends, especially, should occasionally congregate in their rooms. Canonically, dwarves enjoy showing hospitality (as long as they get credit for it), and would love to show off their collection of fine totems, and wide selection of home furnishings.
When I look at a room like that, I don't see a dwarf with a mini-forge fetish, I see a reminder that I'm playing an unfinished game.
The cure to that is to make other dwarves recognize the existence of the packrat behavior, and discourage or shun the offender. . . . then players will see it as intentional behavior.
Oooh, I hadn't considered interventions. But the real,
real cure is actually
variety: If every fort I play grows an otaku dwarf, who then has an intervention (or several), and who may or may not be "cured" before the next otaku develops, then that's not bad, that's just . . . routine, and boring. The key is to make obsession (& possibly other addictive behaviors) a relatively rare departure from regular Fort Mode play, so that every case is novel & interesting. If regular does of insanity are your thing, the Strange Moods already have that covered.
IMO, the default pattern should be "collect [1] of [almost all] types of things", not "collect [almost all] of [1] type of thing". But there should be several variations on that desire: Pairs (such as 2 totems flanking a doorway), Sets (4 matching mugs), Best-of-type (give away your old table once you acquire a nicer one), Build-toward-goal (enough figurines to make a chess set), or Collection (gather as desired, but no more than will fill a cabinet / bin). Dwarves may be influenced by their own circumstances,
e.g. those with more friends may want more chairs, and might move out some other furniture to make room for them, and/or petition for larger quarters. Dwarves should also be sensitive to overseer input--install a weapon rack in their room, and they'll want to acquire something appropriate to put in it. But all of these desires should be subject to the dwarf's own economic / social standing, and other difficulties in acquiring said objects.
As I've said, full-blown otaku-ism should be a rare case, and even then there could be some variation, based on whether there
is or
isn't an intervention. (Maybe she has no friends/relatives, maybe she does but they don't have the collective emotional fortitude to set her straight, maybe the mayor has much more important problems to deal with).
A dwarf who likes obsidian could easily settle for a lower quality bed if it meant he could afford an obsidian cabinet.
Getting a dwarf to "settle" for less than the best available will take some tinkering, but I too see it as a desired goal. Barring an actual economy that would allow Urist to restrain his spending on one thing in order to splurge on another, personality traits might come into play: A dwarf with high Self_Control and low Immoderation might very well eschew flashy furnishings--except when it comes to a preferred item, made of a preferred material.
Having dwarves furnish their own rooms is something I've always wanted to see as well. It would be nice if you could choose to designate generic places for furniture, and the residents of the room could choose what kind of furniture item they put there.
You might not even need to designate it, it could be automated. Beds are in the furthest spot from the door, tables are next to chairs, all furniture should have a clear walkable path of open floor (you don't need to step over a coffer to get to the armor stand), purely ornamental objects like statues are right next to--but not
in--the traffic flow, etc.
Author
Topic: Stuff that could (should?) clutter dwarf bedrooms (Read 2892 times)