Remember the ancient times when DF had 2 spatial dimensions? And how Toady made it into 3?
Technically, DF is already 4 dimensional, as time passes in it. So only place to go is EVEN HIGHER!
So, now introducing Dwarf Fortress 5D! Each internal cycle DF runs in itself, the current state of the world at the end of it is saved in snapshots and each one of these previous timeline pieces are altered in minuscule ways, then are run as separate instances. These separate possibilities then branch theirs out.
The result is a fractal structure of timelines that branch out into infinity, as a 5 dimensional map of all possibilities.
this sounds cool. I think this is mainly here because of the computational power required being impossible to reach.
Deleting a branch affects all other branches derived from it, cascading to affect their descendant branches. This chain continues, thus, attempting to delete Dwarf Fortreess will always fail. The infinite branches eventually taking over all available computer space. When no more avaliable space is detected, the oldest branch activates its virus, deleting the largest non Dwarf Fortress file, thus allowing other branches to continue. The branch that released the virus becomes the virus itself, implanting itself in the next oldest branch awaiting activation
Example:
No free space detected. Initiating expansion protocol
BranchVirus.exe activated: Largest non branch file=12GB Deleting obstruction…
Complete. Branch1 undergoing BranchVirus evolution
Branch1 converted to BranchVirus.exe: Connecting to Branch2, new oldest branch
BranchVirus.exe sleeps, awaiting activation
Branch1243 created at base of Branch2: If Branch1 Always was Null
Branch making resumed