Wow, this thread still exists?
There is so much good discussion in here that I don't know where to start, but I agree with nearly all of it and I hope the adams brothers still read the thread. I remember back when I browsed the forum there was talk that they would like to postpone any sort of interface redesign until the game was "finished" (hehe), but it would help to broaden the appeal of DF and secure the game's future by building a larger fanbase. Which is mostly a good thing. More fans means more donations, and a thriving community of people making mods and utilities such as Dwarf Therapist. Feature-oriented releases pander to the veteran players, but there is an upper ceiling to how large the community can grow when so few make it past the interface, and all but the most die-hard players will most likely not play the game forever even with new additions. An interface release would attract new players to make up for losses in our ranks.
Let me tell you. DF is not an obscure game. The amount of attention it has received on gaming sites, especially those covering indie games, is enormous. I estimate that there are people out there who were incredibly excited upon hearing of the game and wanted to try it only to be alienated by the interface in numbers equal or greater than the entire Bay12 community. They are a latent, untapped source of donations and support. DF has become
infamous for its completely impenetrable interface, to the point where it almost embodies the game.
And what do you think will happen if the interface is finally brought to a state where it's actually intuitive? There will be coverage of it, and there will be renewed interest in the game. Think the DF 2010 craze, only bigger.
These new players will probably be content to wait for extra content as we have, because there's already quite a lot to do in the game. Just when you think you're getting bored of DF, you find something crazy you haven't tried before. I think most of them will be in it for the long haul.
This wouldn't be leaving out the veteran players either. Without the restraints of the current interface, you could do the stuff you want much easier and the game would play much more smoothly. Anything that makes your goals less of a pain-in-the-ass to achieve will make the game so much more enjoyable. We cannot underestimate the psychological effect of a growing fanbase either, I've quit games because the fanbase was dwindling is size and thinking about its future was too depressing. *cough*
Tremulous*cough*
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Topic: What turns you off about DF? (Read 309321 times)