For the sake of discussion, would the current incarnation of Stonesense support Music or Ambient Sounds? Environmental Ambience might be a rather nice way of increasing immersion... perhaps Biome/Climate-specific music, or Surface vs. Underground ambience? Could thematic tunes cued by certain lines of text work? ("A Vile Force of Darkness" could cue an iteration of Siege Music, or "has been struck down" could cue the Willhelm Scream, etc.)
It's merely an idea, and I'd definitely say group discussion about what would best suit DF, and what is possible with Stonesense so far, should come before any plans to implement something like that. Even just a customizable playlist folder might be nice for folks, with some sample tunes thrown in by default, and which would cycle through or play at random. I'm not sure if Software-handled MIDI is considerably lighter-weight than MP3, but performance effects would be another consideration, for certain.
Anyway, what are your thoughts on implementing Music, Ambient Sound, or Sound Effects in Stonesense?
The style is a little cartoony for me, not gritty enough, but who am I to complain?
I rather like seeing cheerful little countryside Fortresses, filled with cartoonish, colorful graphics of dwarves... coupled with endless wars, unknowable horrors from the deeps, mining accidents, medical malpractice, and the stench of rotting dwarf-corpse wafting in from the mass graves right next to the stone stockpiles, which slowly drive the residents into a madness to rival that of the Elder Gods.
It's a beautiful little irony.