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[Mfbrew]

Benefits to an individual of using ASCII over graphics in DF:

-It's the way the game is "supposed" to look for the time being
-No weird symbols in the middle of people's names
-More abstracted than tiles, so it's easier to use your imagination instead
-Play new versions immediately without waiting for someone to update the graphics packs
-Nostalgia's sake
-People who use tiles can't understand ASCII screenshots.  People who use ASCII can understand both ASCII AND graphics screenshots.

[ronnyfire]

-People who use tiles can't understand ASCII screenshots.  People who use ASCII can understand both ASCII AND graphics screenshots.

Totally not always true. I use maydays graphics and i know what people are showing in the ASCII screen shots just because every diagram on the wiki is in ASCII

[Krath]

Back when I started in 40d, I had no idea what tilesets were, but even if I did I probably wouldn't have used them.

I was scanning the wiki for the best guide I could find and settled for the '40d: Your first fortress' guide. Before actually starting, I also went into the 40d: Starting builds page, and went over some other things like farming, military, and such. Following the guide, I found a nice little embark area next to a brook and a mountain, got my dining room, stockpiles, bedrooms, depot, everything set up before the first season was up. Of course, due to unforeseen events (read: Goblin ambush party), I had to abandon because I simply wasn't ready for it.

But back to you, TC, I do say you should go ahead and get the Mayday tileset if you haven't already. If you're having trouble with ASCII, it'd be a good idea as many said. And also, the 40d: Your First fortress guide on the wiki is very, very helpful, even with the new version. Gonna have to look somewhere else for the 2010 stuff though.

[whatthefbomb]

Just wondering, do you use a CRT or a LCD monitor?  If you're using an LCD, you do know that there is basically no refresh rate on LCD monitors, or at least not one that's going to make your eyes hurt/give you a headache, right?  Just checkin.  60 Hz on an LCD just means it updates slower than 85 Hz, but there is no flashing going on.  The lights are always on.

It's CRT. I think they lied when they said it stood for "Cathode Ray Tube." What it probably stands for is "Combust Retinas Today!"

[Vercingetorix]

Definitely start off with a tileset.  It's much easier to get a feel for the mechanics behind the game, and once you've got that down it's no problem picking up the ASCII should you choose to do so; the hardest part of the learning curve is just figuring out how to do everything, and there's no reason to make it worse with a bunch of %'s and @'s and &'s.

I did that and then switched over to the ASCII because I liked the clean, classic look it gives the game.  One thing I would like to see in the default graphics is a grid when designating out tiles to dig like in Mayday...makes it a little bit easier to make even rooms

[whatthefbomb]

One last thing before I go, and this may sound like heresy which will most likely be punished by a severe hammering, but what do you think good sources of music are to play in the background? The six-string piece by Toady is nice for a while, but it gets old. The song Devil's Lab from FF6 seems to fit the game well. The hammering sounds remind me of a Dorf working furiously at a forge or something, trying to pump out enough copper swords to supply the meager fortress militia before they march blindly to their deaths, provided free of charge by the HE Corporation™. (Herd of Elephants)

Also, TV Tropes' article on DF says that carp and elephants have been nerfed and replaced by unicorns. This still true? Should I keep avoiding Good-aligned sites for my first fort so that Snow White and her entourage don't get gored by the deceptively cuddly-looking white ponies with razor-sharp spikes on their foreheads? After all, wouldn't want to stain all that pearly white fur a grisly shade of red, right? Red unicorns just aren't as pretty.

[Aklyon]

One last thing before I go, and this may sound like heresy which will most likely be punished by a severe hammering, but what do you think good sources of music are to play in the background? The six-string piece by Toady is nice for a while, but it gets old. The song Devil's Lab from FF6 seems to fit the game well. The hammering sounds remind me of a Dorf working furiously at a forge or something, trying to pump out enough copper swords to supply the meager fortress militia before they march blindly to their deaths, provided free of charge by the HE Corporation™. (Herd of Elephants)

Also, TV Tropes' article on DF says that carp and elephants have been nerfed and replaced by unicorns. This still true? Should I keep avoiding Good-aligned sites for my first fort so that Snow White and her entourage don't get gored by the deceptively cuddly-looking white ponies with razor-sharp spikes on their foreheads? After all, wouldn't want to stain all that pearly white fur a grisly shade of red, right? Red unicorns just aren't as pretty.

For music:instrumental music or Korpiklaani both are nice.

For the TVTropes article: http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/40d:King_of_beasts (the 2010 version isn't made yet, but its the same in my opinion.)

[Greep]

This thread is the god of very specific tutorials for newbies

[Yarn]

I just watched some tutorial videos on youtube, none of these wussy tilesets for me.

[Aklyon]

I just watched some tutorial videos on youtube, none of these wussy tilesets for me.

Note on 2010 farming: if you accidentally flood your farm too much, you can dig down, find a cavern, then use the cavern as a drainage room. 

[Corona688]

Hi, new guy here.

I've tried getting in DF a few times in the past, each time with the same result: I start out all gung-ho, create a world, find an ideal first fort spot with a little (read: a lot of) help from the wiki, prepare for the journey carefully with a little (read: a lot of) help of the wiki (Yes, I know I wrote that twice.), then when I'm finally told to "Strike the Earth!"...I get intimidated by the UI, or rather the lack thereof, I guess, and never touch it again.

The biggest problem isn't reading the screen, I've found:  The biggest problem is learning the keys.  There doesn't seem to be comprehensive docs on that, and it's all configurable anyway.

With the new version out a while back and reading Dorf LPs again, I'm thinking about downloading once more and trying yet again. Unfortunately, I'm not particularly confident in my attention span, but hearing all the hilarious things that DEM DORFS do, I have at least an inspiration to try. Still, I doubt I will succeed, so I come to you, the elite among the community, to ask what I could do to help get started. Would downloading a graphical tileset help ease the transition? Should I watch some online tutorial videos? Or is this game just not right for me? (Please say it ain't so!  )

You've got to just go and do it.  We can answer gameplay questions but can't tell you why you should care.  If you do, you do.  If you don't, you don't.  It's just a game.

[Corona688]

Definitely start off with a tileset.  It's much easier to get a feel for the mechanics behind the game, and once you've got that down it's no problem picking up the ASCII should you choose to do so; the hardest part of the learning curve is just figuring out how to do everything, and there's no reason to make it worse with a bunch of %'s and @'s and &'s.

What's the difference?  The picture still doesn't tell you what anything or who anyone actually is.  That's what the K and V keys are for.

Loo(k) at everything.  Just look around a while until you can make sense of the tiles(be they ASCII or bags-with-fisheyes.)  Until you can do that, that's going to be a big intimidation factor.

I love the smooth walls of tilesets.  But the trees stuck in my drawbridges can take a hike.  I like better graphics for switches.  But they also have to look like an O, or they'll mutate everyone's names.  Better graphics for one kind of tree makes my plump helmets look all wilted.  Graphic sets for creatures are lovely, if they aren't too "realistic" to even see.

So I think there's a useful middle ground somewhere between Mayday and dumped video ROM.