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Author Topic: Steam Version - Dwarf Therapist  (Read 3304 times)

r4NGe

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Steam Version - Dwarf Therapist
« on: March 19, 2021, 12:14:37 pm »

Is there any news regarding labor assignment in the Steam version? To me, an upgraded labor assignment interface is make or break for the Steam version. I simply cannot play without dwarf Therapist! I worry that a confusing labor assignment and/or having to use a third party app while playing DF, will turn off alot of the masses. This keeps me up at night.

Any news on this? Do you guys also require Dwarf Therapist to play?
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Starver

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Re: Steam Version - Dwarf Therapist
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2021, 01:17:20 pm »

I can't speak for Tarn, nor Clément, but while I don't recall any word of Steam/Itch tie-in with DT (nor anything at all about the LNP possibilities, which I don't even keep any eye on), there's also no reason why Therapist won't go through the exact same update as per every other release, it'll have to be remapped (probably grossly!) and so provisional memory interogation will happen for new .INI info, that may need revising. And perhaps it'll lead to (or require) core recoding too.

It should be fairly quick, maybe from the non-Steam download if that's going to be co-released as exactly the same but without the Premium media elements. And not matter which download you have yourself.

(I don't require DT to play, but I do highly prefer it. Without, I have to break out my old pre-DT spreadsheet method, manual transfer of info into it and then coordinated changes back into DF again as required.)
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Schmaven

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Re: Steam Version - Dwarf Therapist
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2021, 03:24:27 pm »

From what I've understood so far, DT and DFHack will also be available on the itch.io/steam version.  But as is true for any substantial new DF version, some lag time is to be expected as the wizards work their programming magic to address all the new changes.

I've played without DT, but I find it much easier to do several things with DT:

* Unassign fishing / hunting from all dwarves
* Find the most skilled dwarf to start making masterworks
* Pick the strongest / most agile dwarves for the military
* Train dwarves just enough in a relevant skill so their next mood will create an artifact of 1 of their item preferences
* Filter out the most stressed dwarves for "special assignments"

I suppose from 1 point of view, none of those things are in any way essential for a fort, but I do them anyway for fun.
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PatrikLundell

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Re: Steam Version - Dwarf Therapist
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2021, 04:26:22 pm »

As far as I understand there will be three versions of the DF executable at least for Windows and 64 bit:
- Premium version via Steam
- Premium version via Itch.io
- Classic version

Depending on how these are made, we may be lucky enough to have everything related to DF itself at the exact same offsets, if the vendor specific stuff is tacked on at the end of the executable. If not, we may get different offsets, or at least an offset for the offsets. Given that DT is very good at dealing with offsets, I would expect that it shouldn't be too hard to support these offsets as well (although it would require additional work to map additional sets out, of course).

As mentioned, it will take some time to determine the new sets of offsets, and I wouldn't be surprised if all the UI changes will make it take longer than usual.
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Shonai_Dweller

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Re: Steam Version - Dwarf Therapist
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2021, 05:13:46 pm »

And, just in case you hadn't noticed, the plans are to replace the current labor interface with something more automated and even probably include a deeper spreadsheet thingy for micromanagers.

So, while Therapist will be nice for all the extra functionality it gives beyond labor setting, Steam DF by itself most likely won't cause you any more sleepless nights (except in a good way).
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r4NGe

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Re: Steam Version - Dwarf Therapist
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2021, 11:39:54 am »

Hey thanks guys for the insight. I figured that dfhack/DT would still be available even if slightly lagged behind releases. That is 100% great with me. I'm used to playing DF with at least 40 windows open. Closing DF is like whack-a-mole.

My concern is when DF drops to the world, many will be turned off by the confusion of labor in particular. Opening another window or 2 to play a game would be unfamiliar to many. Shonai, it is good to hear they plan to rework labor!
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Starver

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Re: Steam Version - Dwarf Therapist
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2021, 01:24:05 pm »

There are quite a few in-game dialogues revealed in the (WIP) screenshots, that clearly promise a lot more useful gatherings of tabbed-and-tabulated sub-frames that might save the fresh players from too much of the 'pain'. At-a-glance unmet needs, etc, seem to appear prominently in a Dwarf details (though whether that actually helps you help them to help themselves fulfill them is another issue).

That aside, at least beyond the initial release (when it's maybe mostly those who already know what they're in for, by experience or understanding, who may have to go without all the 3rd-party tools properly primed) I think even the naïver n00b - ...who somehow layer stumbles across Steam-era DF and thinks they might like it... - ought to be well primed to accept that a dedicated set of side-developers can also help out.


I don't know if people these days just can't handle multiple desktopped-windows (with separate representation on the taskbar/whatever the OS in question does, Alt-Tabbing/etc to switch), if so then maybe I blame some of that on console gaming, but with far less malice than I have against them for other reasons...  :P
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