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[darkhog]

While some people may already engage in what I'm about to explain, I do believe that more people will once Steam version with proper graphics rolls around do so.
In short words: Fashion fortress.
Now there's little to no reason to use materials other than what's "on site" because the only graphics (unless someone is using a tileset) are ASCII and all the stuff is obscured by it.
While some people already make some dwarves wear stuff for fashion reasons more than any practical ones, I do believe more people will engage with this sort of gameplay when they're actually able to see how certain stuff looks on their dwarves (unless it's something that can't be really represented in a 32x32 tile, such as a ring).
Another thing is actually building the fortress. Currently players mostly use materials found on-site in the embark, because wall is a wall and slight variation in the color of the █ character can be satisfied by any number of materials. But, when graphics are in, with every type of stone represented in its own graphic, I can see players importing materials by caravan trading in order to beautify their fortress (currently any beauty of the fortress is reserved for intricate passages rather than materials used).

[PatrikLundell]

As you indicate, some people already color code, and the discussion in the graphics thread indicates differing opinions about whether you should be able to patch up a dug wall with a built one without it being visible or not.

Regardless, import is rather impractical as it stands, given that your requests only provide rather modest amounts of product requested at a delay of a year. Inducing other civs to get into contact with you might increase the number of sources, but they won't all have the same things, and civs other than your own won't allow for requests anyway, unless DFHack is used.

But yes, the graphics (regardless of whether it's Classic or using the graphics set) will probably throw color coordination out of whack [and some color sensitive players into a fit] as the color palette will expand, so what used to be the same color will no longer be the same.

[Superdorf]

...civs other than your own won't allow for requests

I actually had a human guild representative show up to my last 0.47.x fort to arrange an import/export deal. Was exciting!

[Shonai_Dweller]

...civs other than your own won't allow for requests

I actually had a human guild representative show up to my last 0.47.x fort to arrange an import/export deal. Was exciting!

Yeah, new feature in 0.47.x. Very nice.

[PatrikLundell]

Then I stand corrected on that point. The import volumes will still be limited, though.

[darkhog]

The point here is for big projects. I mean, the Great Pyramid wasn't built in a day.

[kaijyuu]

I already typically make my constructions out of glass or metal for aesthetic reasons (also having enormous and/or infinite stocks of the stuff). Having an obsidian tower look even more awesome is great ot me.

I'm all for fashion fortress.

[Superdorf]

I usually do green glass, and whatever stone serves as the bedrock of my embark: granite, diorite, or gabbro. Nice and solid and uniform, with an interesting contrast between floor and wall.

[Pvt. Pirate]

i don't get where the problem is.
to me, the biggest thing that will come is a stormtide of requests to totally dumb down the game.
and i don't mean requests to make things in the UI easier to grasp or more intuitive to use or fixing some logic holes that seem normal to DF-veterans,
i mean real dumbing down: "please reduce the amount of ores and alloys!", "why do my dorfs need to drink?!", "why can i flood my fort?! nobody warned me about this, 0/10 stars"

[Sabin Stargem]

It might be a good idea to implement a "paper doll" graphics system, to further promote Fashionable Fortress.  It would give Kitfox extra material to create after the coding is implemented, allowing them to create paid content packs to secure the healthcare of Toady & Friends.

[Pvt. Pirate]

omg, please tell me we're not going to ruin this awesome game with paid content systems.

[PatrikLundell]

I think Toady wouldn't be comfortable with DLCs, so hopefully we'll be spared those.

However, it ought to be possible to use DFHack to create a doll (or create an external program along the lines of Dwarf Portrait) and raws to create varied clothing and dyes. You can then remind users of the mod that donating to Toady would be a rather good thing.

You'd still have the issue of getting them to wear what you want them to, though, unless you're going to use uniforms.

[voliol]

"Paper dolls" are already in the plans, that system was the reason for backwards-joints night creatures not being graphically represented as such. The final extent of the system is yet to be seen, though, I don't think it's been fully decided upon.

I do agree microtransactions would be crappy. The donation system won't shut down, even with the steam release.

[PatrikLundell]

"Paper dolls" are already in the plans, that system was the reason for backwards-joints night creatures not being graphically represented as such. The final extent of the system is yet to be seen, though, I don't think it's been fully decided upon.

I do agree microtransactions would be crappy. The donation system won't shut down, even with the steam release.

Graphical representation of clothing/armor/weapons is underway, and that's a reason for why backward joints won't work (would alter the stance too much to work with standard pants etc. There's also been some discussion about a paper doll representation of uniforms, but I don't think any of the people actually involved (i.e. the artists and Toady) were participating. However, the military screens are high priority candidates for UI cleanup. One problem identified with a paper doll system is that DF allows you to wear multiple items of the same kind as long as they're not "shaped", and there are several clothing layers on top of that, so a doll representation would take some work to be reasonably easy to work with, and not devolving into an incomprehensible mess of layers, locations, and item copies, while still taking different body shapes into account (and the chimera issue will come later, on top of that).

[Blomquistador]

One problem identified with a paper doll system is that DF allows you to wear multiple items of the same kind as long as they're not "shaped", and there are several clothing layers on top of that, so a doll representation would take some work to be reasonably easy to work with, and not devolving into an incomprehensible mess of layers, locations, and item copies, while still taking different body shapes into account (and the chimera issue will come later, on top of that).

I agree. I think that if they were to implement a "paper doll" type system for uniforms it would have to be constrained to generic sprites for each type of armor, with maybe color information and wear being used as modifiers. But as far as multiple layers go the task is monumental to provide that much detail to simple sprites and paper dolls.

This is not even to mention all the traits a dwarf can have: skin color, eye color, beard type, hair color / type... etc.
They would have to go generic or not at all.