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[Chthonic]

The average dwarf should prefer doing traditional things . . . i.e., for food, "Plump helmet roasts were good enough for my pappy and good enough for my grandpappy, so dammit they'll be good enough for me!  Don't want none of this stinkin' muskox biscuit!"

This could manifest as each fortress having a distinctive profile of foods that are most often eaten, symbols most often seen, materials and styles of clothing and decoration, et cetera.  Dwarves would react unfavorably at first to new things, but with time and player interference, the profile could shift: after a while of only having rope-reed kilts to wear and eating only fish, the dwarves of the fortress would start prefering rope-reed and kilts and fish to the traditional mountainhome garb and chow.

Where dwarves have choices in terms of what they make (say instead of making specific clothing, a tailor is told to "make clothes"), their products may be weighted toward the fortress' cultural norms.

The profile could then factor into reputation: wealth might attract immigrants, but immigrants might also be attracted by things about the culture profile that they like and dissuaded by things they don't.  A cosmopolitan fortress with many choices as part of its profile might be viewed as a favorable place to settle down by anyone, while an insular fortress with one industry (say a desert fortress specializing in hunting camels for food, clothing, and crafts) might turn out to be small, inbred, and hostile toward outsiders.

Traditions could encompass particular types of jobs (Urist McFisher is proud to be a fisherdwarf like his father) as well as products, materials, and styles.

[lordcooper]

Cool idea, I haven't got much to add at present, but I'm all for it.

[Bricks]

I think that the current likes/dislikes system is motivated by culture, and that in turn affects what items they choose to make if given a vague command like "make rock table".  So, yeah, good idea, but I think its something already planned and in progress.

[Warlord255]

Some overviews (foods most eaten/enjoyed, etc.) would be good for this, but it'd need some kind of surveying position or job (perhaps by the Manager) to keep it in a game context, much like the Treasurer position justifies your knowledge of precise stock numbers.

That said, I can't imagine that dwarves would enjoy being polled very much unless they were obsessive about organization.

[Shurhaian]

It doesn't need to be so crass as a mere poll. "What food do you want there to be more of available?" can sound, to Urist on the underground street, like a chance for him to make a request, not just speak his opinion. So maybe the manager could do such a thing.

[Warlord255]

It doesn't need to be so crass as a mere poll. "What food do you want there to be more of available?" can sound, to Urist on the underground street, like a chance for him to make a request, not just speak his opinion. So maybe the manager could do such a thing.

That works too. Still, tying any kind of fortress surveying/opinion to the manager position would be nice. Though when phrased that way, it's almost certain it'd be tied to personal preferences. "What's the best food around here?" might work.

[HammerHand]

At the same time, don't we have unhappy thoughts in the game for consuming the same old stuff too often?

Just... tossing that out there.  c.c  This idea does sound pretty nifty, actually.  It'd give every fortress just a little more to differentiate it from the others.

"Alakatest?  Which one was Alakatest?"  *scrolls through some engravings*  "Oh, right... they're the ones that won't shut up about their muskox and pig tail and rum."

[lordcooper]

Sweet!

So maybe, they'd you know, not cover every wall in cheese engravings?

[Bricks]

I'm a huge supporter of semi-noble positions to keep track of public opinions and grievances.  Trying to scan through the thoughts of every dwarf is a chore, even with the initial seven.  In addition to cultural and personal preferences (regarding food or whatever) there should also be an expectation of variety, as well as slow changes in tastes and preferences.  Dwarves shouldn't have opinions about food they have never had access to, especially if they grew up in your fort.

[Ghoulz]

New position: HR Rep

[neek]

I had a similar idea to bring more identity to a fortress that otherwise wouldn't be found that goes along with this quite nicely (it was discussed in a tech thread, I think "Building systems":

Perhaps instead of technologies being researched (a la Civilization), it would make more sense if certain "advancements" were accidental or incidental, but out of the player's control? That is, a dwarf can enter into a secretive mood, and in addition to his artifact, he can contribute a small bonus to the community (+10% quality in crafting X). Reclaiming a site, once you rediscover the artifact, you suddenly "gain" the knowledge. These advancements should be restricted to one job (Masonry e.g.) and one task (Crafts, e.g.).

It might be possible that a Legendary dwarf can have a "stroke of genius." This chance should be infintessimaly small, so as not to create fortresses where they ADVANCE EVERY FIELD KNOWN TO MAN ON A LONG ENOUGH TIMELINE. Multiple effects shouldn't stack, or should return less on each additional advancement.

This could generate a custom descriptor: "This is a masterwork wooden barrel. It is sealed with resin as is the method of the Urists of Uristing," or, "This is a well-crafted bone bolt. It has spiral grooves, as is the style of Urists of Uristing." Or, "This is a fine glass vial. It has bubbles and swirls of color, as is the style of...", you get the idea.

Some of these advancements could require an extra item per 10 items made (tracked much the same that melting down an item is tracked, per workshop), and wouldn't spam a message if you don't have it--they just use it if they have it. These additional ingredients should be non-essential items, things that you wouldn't expect.

This might provide greater immersion: Your dwarves might develop their own style, while imported items will have other styles because of the advancements they made.

This idea (which provides customization of objects by your dwarves within a fortress) combined with a taste in personal preferences on items would definitely create a very breathable "culture" into your fortress. Having geometic patterns carved into stone doors coupled with the same style sewn onto camel leather should show a very uniform culture within that one fortress. Every fortress will become invariably more unique as time progresses, with its own oddities and its own quirks and its own style. Immersion, after all, should be a very high priority goal.

As for "surveying" this, I don't think any direct poll is necessary. A record keeper'll know what's being produced, change in quantities over a period of time, the deduction of certain styles or the use of certain materials; your dwarves will know simply by assimilation of what each other's doing. Rather than having an overt method of finding out, I think it'd be easier just to have a Culture tab, maybe in the z-window. From this tab, you'll have a list of Foods, Clothing, etc., the styles that're most prevalent. Or perhaps what styles are there and some cryptic way of expressing it.

[HammerHand]

Neek, your idea is genius.  Even if the crafted items don't grant a bonus, that would be really, really cool.  Not on every item, of course, but that's not what you're suggesting anyway.

Extra cool if items you IMPORT (or "liberate") show similar style messages, allowing you to feel that your fortress is not the only place in the world with a sense of individuality.  It would be great if you get something like "This iron dagger has a hilt wrapped in dwarf leather, as is the style of the Goblins of The Languish of Seduction."

[Taal]

I really like the idea, However it would have to be more complicated. Food had over and over would become unwanted, boring, disliked. Im not exactly sure how it would work but generational likes and dislikes is the very essence of culture.

[Atarlost]

I really like the idea, However it would have to be more complicated. Food had over and over would become unwanted, boring, disliked. Im not exactly sure how it would work but generational likes and dislikes is the very essence of culture.

Only in the modern world.  Prior to the advent of mass media culture changed slowly.  Food culture still does.  Japanese food today is pretty much the same as Japanese food 500 years ago. 

[Rowanas]

The fortress culture would be cool, but I don't like the idea of it being traditional stuff. If you've got lots of "as is the style of <your fortress>" items, then dwarves that dislike tradition would prefer not to come, because everything is done "in the style". Dwarf culture affecting which dwarves come would still be awesome. Maybe even to the degree that if you refuse to allow dwarves multiple jobs then you might get more dwarves with one or two awesome skills and nothing else, or more hardworking dwarves...