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[Neruz]

It'd be nice if you could 'copy' thoughts from dwarf to dwarf.

I'm thinking either a sort of 'legion' effect where something that when one dwarf gets a happy though, all the other dwarfs get the same happy thought, either that or a 'queen' effect where when one specific dwarf gets a happy thought, all other dwarfs get the same thought.


This would be pretty neat; you could have it so when the King gets unhappy everyone gets unhappy, it'd also be useful for 'hive' creatures like Antmen (assuming they ever get a civ) and the thought replication for all to all would be kind of neat as well.

[Capntastic]

This is already in.   It's called 'an angry dwarf going crazy and picking a fight with every other dwarf'.

[Neruz]

Yeah, not what i'm after.

[Guy Montag]

How would this make any sense at all, realistically?

"Urist admired own fine chair"
"Kogan admired Urist admiring own fine Chair"
"Cog admired Kogan admiring Urist's admiring own fine chair"

Urist "Had a pretty decent drink lately"
Kogan "Had a Urist having a pretty decent drink lately"
Cog "Had a Kogan Having a Urist having a pretty decent drink lately. Cog has suffered from dehydration lately. Cog is estatic"

[Derakon]

I don't see a point in having this kind of explicit replication. For your Antman example, you can simply make all antmen think the same way; thus, what one antman finds appealing, all will, and any antman who encounters the happiness-producing stimulus will get the same happy thought. And likewise for negative thoughts. And as noted, dwarves will bash other dwarves around if they're upset. Maybe it'd be worth applying happiness modifiers to conversation, so that talking with an angry (or reclusive, or antisocial / unskilled in social skills) dwarf might upset the other dwarf. But magically copying thoughts from one unit to another? Only in telepathically hive-minded civilizations.

[Footkerchief]

Yeah, the original idea sounds a little bizarre and hivemindish. 

I think what you're trying to get at, though, is the concept of empathy, which does have a definite place in fleshing out social interaction.  Dwarves wouldn't get identical thoughts, but would get thoughts like "was upset on Friend X's behalf over Event Y," or maybe just "was saddened by Friend X's unhappiness," depending on their SYMPATHY personality facet, their EMPATHY and SOCIAL_AWARENESS mental attributes, their degree of friendship with the person, and maybe their own past experiences, which could compensate for low empathy.

[Volfram]

Sounds like a job for Dwarf Foreman(or another hex editor of that sort.  I never mess with 'em, personally.)

Unless OP is trying to mod in a hive-minded race, in which case there are certain racial and civ tags which can emulate the effect.

Actually, an annoying number of the things here seem to be somebody asking to have Dwarf Foreman features added to the main game, which violates the premise of Dwarf Fortress, really.

[Vattic]

I think what you're trying to get at, though, is the concept of empathy, which does have a definite place in fleshing out social interaction.  Dwarves wouldn't get identical thoughts, but would get thoughts like "was upset on Friend X's behalf over Event Y," or maybe just "was saddened by Friend X's unhappiness," depending on their SYMPATHY personality facet, their EMPATHY and SOCIAL_AWARENESS mental attributes, their degree of friendship with the person, and maybe their own past experiences, which could compensate for low empathy.

I approve of this idea!

"is pleased that friend is happy", "has been annoyed at a grudges smugness" or some such would be interesting.

An extenstion of this idea could be jealousy/envy. Having a fellow Dwarf you dislike have something bad happen to him might even amuse some sicker dwarves.

[Capntastic]

Pretty much what the previous two posts say.   There's no realistic reason for a dwarf to magically spread reactions to events like a disease.

It doesn't fit in with DF's cause and effect simulation to just have the king become happy because everyone else is happy.  It doesn't make sense for a dwarf that doesn't know another dwarf to be happy because that dwarf recently ate a good roast.   

What does make sense is the king being happy that his subjects aren't bothering him with requests, or dwarf A becoming thrilled at dwarf B's description of the roast he just ate.  And these sorts of things are planned, and even partially implemented at this time.

[Neruz]

True, but i'd also really like to be able to literally replicate thoughts across multiple creatures, Antman Hill anyone?

[Volfram]

Besides the fact that your dwarves are already basically little alcohol-dependant, tantrum-throwing beards with ants attached...

I will look up a set of tags to give your civilization a hive-mind effect once I have the power cable for my laptop repaired.  Until then, the feature you're looking for is available in the Wiki under the "cheating" page.

[numeral]

Actually this idea sort of makes sense, but only in the negative(when talking about dwarves at least), if a King is upset he'll usually take it out on his subjects, it doesn't necessarilly mean that everyone is gonna be unhappy but perhaps his subordinates or anyone he runs in to could get an unhappy thought and then their subordinates will get an unhappy thought etc etc
In short this is just like sympathy only you don't only take into account friends/family but also work/social/aristocratic hierarchies.

O.T. This would be cool if haulers and craftsdwarves start having fights
Urist McStoneWorker and Zas McHauler duke it out near Urist's Workshop!

[alfie275]

I just read this book called Foundation and Earth and in it is a planet called Gaia, Gaia is a super organism in which lots of normal one are joined to create a mega-consciousness, even the rock is slightly consciousand Gaia is able to make it into Gaia.

[The Mad Engineer]

Yeah.  The series went downhill from there.

[LegoLord]

I can see the OP suggestion going well with antmen, should they ever become more than random creatures in a cave (there are plans for that, right?).