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[GFXiNXS]

The idea is to have an additional option available when viewing rooms or workshops that gives way to a descriptive paragraph describing the basic nature of what is happening in that room. Key figures such as nobles will be noted along with a basic guideline of what is happening within the room.

As things stand, with or without graphics, looking at a giant dining hall and seeing a mass of flashing figures isn't very descript without glossing over everything with the loo[k] command.

With the new potential of bands, dancing and brawls coming into play, it'll make for a lot of action that the player cannot readily take at a glance.

Things that could be pointed out:
- Nobles, liason etc (what are they doing? what state are they in?).
- Bands playing
- Brawls/fist fights
- Dancing
- The general state of the room (is it sparkling clean? are walls covered in blood and vomit? does it show signs of battle?)
- Infestation (Is the room rife with rats and flies?)
- Smell (does the aromatic fragrance of finely cooked meals fill the room? or perhaps the stench of death?)
- Sounds (can the nearby workshops be heard? are the prisoners screaming? is that the sound of the hammerer dishing out pain?)
- Key historical engravings (maybe it could choose one at random).
- The general mood of the dwarves (are they content? tired? starving?).
- What your dwarves are up to (are they partaking in conversation? idling? scoffing tankards?)

Examples (Will revise these when time present itself):

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Dining Room:
This is a [legendary] [dining Room]. The walls are [densly] populated with engravings. The surrounding walls predominently consist of [Granite] and also contain [Orthoclase] and [Microcline]. Traces of [Hornblende], [Cobaltite] and [Rutile] can be seen in the surrounding walls. The [Dining Room] houses a [large] number of chairs and tables. A [large] number of dwarves populate the [Dining Room]. The dwarves look [content]. The [Mayor], [Sigun Dumatigath], is [sitting] whilst [eating] a [plump helmet roast]. The mayor looks [dissatisfied]. The [Dungeon Master], [Scruga Kubukatzul], is [standing] whilst [drinking] [dwarven rum]. The dungeon master looks [content]. A meeting is taking place. Several dwarves are partaking in conversation. Several dwarves are idling. A [small] number of dwarves are playing instruments. The instruments include a [flute], a [harp] and a [guitar].

Craftsdwarf's workshop:
The workshop hosts a [large] number of crafts. No dwarf is currently working here.

Masons workshop:
The workshop hosts a [small] number of crafts. [Tosid Vodsazir] is working [furiously]. [Tosid Vodsazir] is currently working on an unknown construction consisting of [rough gems], [turtle shell], [leather] and [stone].

Bedroom:
This is a [royal] bedroom. The walls are smoothed. The surrounding walls predominently consist of [Granite]. Traces of [Rutile] can be seen in the surrounding walls. This room houses [Wheelslaughtered], an artifact [statue], a [fine] bed, a [masterwork] [granite] cabinet, [2] chairs, a [decent] [marble] table and a [lightly] packed [chest]. This bedroom belongs to [Sigun Dumatigath], the [Mayor]. [Sigun Dumatigath] is sitting on an [Orthoclase] chair. [Sigun Dumatigath] is tending to [Bookkeeping]. [Sigun Dumatigath] looks tired. The [Outpost Liason] is waiting to attend a meeting.

[Urist Obama]

That could definitely make adventure mode more interesting if implemented correctly. I approve.

[Rowanas]

Hmm. sounds nice, but I don't think toady should spend time on it unless he's bored of doing the meatier work.

[GFXiNXS]

Of course, I knew that was the first thing people would jump on This is merely a suggestion, in a suggestion forum. I'm not attributing any priority requests to this concept, - just putting it here to be heard

The adventure mode concept would be great too. For example, a toggleable init setting that enables descriptive paragraphs upon entering important locations.

Upon entering a cave (with the new underground changes), you could be briefed with a small paragraph describing the initial (visible to the adventuring character) surrounds whether it be rock formations, lava, plant life, moving shadows in the distance. Even walking into a town hall or local keep could give you a rundown of the decor. Strange sightings such as all dwarves having golden beards or some-such would be great (I remember Toady stating that if a player decides to cull all red bearded dwarves, they would start to notice, so information like this would be ripe to pluck from the variables at sme point). Having these paragraphs pop up upon entering important sites or being called up at the player's whim should be an option.

I know there are many out there looking for the latest siege updates and actual gameplay mechanics being implemented. I, however, am one of those in it for the immense amount of flavour Dwarf Fortress offers up. We should be thankful to the Toad that he has offered us both sides of the coin, and we must accept that Dwarf Fortress wouldn't be what it is without all facets of the coin being etched.

[Pilsu]

Being able to affect the description manually would be nice as well

Wonder how that beardism will be reflected by the dwarves themselves

[Rowanas]

Having dedicated more thought to it, I'm not so much pro-this-idea. I like to imagine what's going on, and I'm not sure I'd like the computer to tell me. I could always just turn it off in the init, so that's fine

[LordZorintrhox]

I kinda agree with Rowanas here.  The interface at the moment kinda tells us all those things already, though which nobles/higer-ups are in a room obviously requires using the [k]/[l] hotkey.  The thing is, especially for adventure mode, it is kinda a cop out on the whole "perception" concept in rpgs.  We have the [look] command, so why include a descriptive paragraph function that does all the looking for you?  Makes it easy to find things when that should be your job.

However, the bit with the who's who in the room in question would be very useful.  Also, if you could make the system robust enough, the description paragraph would certainly be the spot to give the feel of the room that the standard graphics can't, based on the contents of the engravings or the inhabitants.  For instance:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

This is a [legendary] [dining hall].  The walls are [densely populated] with [masterful] [engravings] of [the history of the Board of Esteeming].  The hall is [densely] populated with [merry-making] dwarves.  The smell of fine [dwarven rum] and [dwarven flour][biscuits] wafts in the [high atmosphere].

versus:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

This was a [legendary] [dining hall].  The [dense] [masterful] [engravings] on the walls are [splattered] with the [dried blood] and [dwarf chunks] of the members of [The Board of Esteeming].  The hall is [sparsely] populated with [the remains] of [dwarves] and [rats].  The smell of [rotten] [dwarf chunks] and [stale][dwarven rum] hangs in the [dark atmosphere]

A descriptive paragraph for a room should give you what the look command and interface can't: the atmosphere of the room at hand, the feeling of the room.  A sense of either 'what is happening here' or 'what happened here.'  Otherwise the descriptive paragraph is just a way of looking without having to look.

[GFXiNXS]

Yeah, that more along the lines of what I was thinking. I was at work when I wrote up this post so I probably wasn't in the best mindset for it. Excellent examples though, I'll revise my post.

The whole reason I brought this up is because of things like bands and dancing being set in motion. Looking at a giant dining hall and seeing a mass of flashing figures, with or without graphical sets, it can be very hard to get a quick glimpse of what is going on. And loo[k]ing at everything can be somewhat of a small nightmare. If key items like bands playing, dwarves dancing, fist fights and brawls, important figures, the general state of the room and the general mood of the dwarves could be conveyed in a few flavoursome lines, it would really take the edge off, and allow the player to paint a picture of his fortress with relative ease.