I love the game, and it was difficult to learn (UI, and overwhelming possibility) But I loved that very much. I loved coming home from work and figuring out how to do things, and browsing the wiki as I play so I can reference the significance of things like 'Dolomite', and 'biting' skill. Its the first game I have not got bored of, and I love that the game plays me (haven't had that since C64, Coleco, and NES). The broken military kinda sucks. I find alot of the "bugs" I encounter turn out to be user error, so I get a chuckle when all my talented axe dwarfs strip naked and head out to wrestle some goblin ambushers, but I restrain myself from reporting a bug for obvious reasons. The point is; I love figuring things out. Other people don't seem to, so I sit down and help them start their first fortress, and it goes a long way for them to not have to try and muddle there way through.
-The UI isn't as big a problem as people make it out to be. I agree its hard to learn without being shown, but it becomes instinctive quite quickly.
-The military is beyond my intellectual level. I should be able to just assign some dwarfs to the military, and by default they go train with whatever is available. The complicated military interface and functions shouldn't be changed, they should just have a very good default setting (like the miners for example. If I have a miner and a mining task, he does it, I don't have to f-around with his clothing and tools to get him to break stone) So that I can get a military up and running quick, and play with the features later.
-assign dwarf to military, dwarf grabs the best armor available by default, and wrestle or use a non-axe weapon by default (as not to take axes from woodcutters), then go and train at the nearest barracks till I tell him else wise via change of actions/scedules or force move/kill.
-hunters Im assuming are fixed, but they should be a simple military that requires any of the following: traps for small game, ranged for larger game or spears for larger game (and enemies, experienced hunters are proud and not quick to frighten).
-moods being challenging instead of impossible . If I have a turtle in my food storage, the dwarf should be able to take his shell at the cost of losing the food value. If the dwarf is asking for cloth, gems, and leather, and I have all of those, he shouldn't go insane in his workshop. If he wants bone, and my refuse pile is full of animal and goblin remains, he shouldn't go insane in his workshop
Those are the ONLY big problems my friends and I complain about. DF really is the best game ever. I hope some rich person gives you lots of money to sit around and make it better (with no strings
).