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[Gamli]

I think that the increased abundance of minerals in the new DF 2010 eliminates what was previously an enjoyable challenge.  I've started two fortresses only to abandon them out of boredom because all of the tech-tree options unlocked so very soon and dispelled my expectations of a challenging and creative experience.

One of the primary reasons I enjoy playing Dwarf Fortress is learning how to survive and thrive with the cards I've been dealt.  Is there a way to turn-off or tweak the excessive candy?

Why not improve the trading system instead of boosting resource abundance?  In the old version I found little use for trade, and with the increased abundance in the latest version, even less so.  It is safe to say that trade offers plenty of room for improvement yet.

[Silverionmox]

We certainly can use more controls for mineral distribution. Size, shape, quality of deposit, rarity, local variation instead of the same settings everywhere, etc.

Alternatively, there can be demand-side solutions like requiring more tools for labours, the wearing out of metal objects, or rust.

Trade: for the Caravan Arc, obviously.

[G-Flex]

It's just plain too much right now no matter how you slice it. This is even more obvious if you look at a revealed cross-section of a map somewhere, and is even worse considering how many z-levels we have to work with now (making the new abundance less necessary).

Really, it lessens the amount of character a given site has (since you're pretty much guaranteed almost everything possible in a given rock layer to be there every time), in addition to the other reasons the OP gives here. Fortress maps basically look rainbow-colored now.

[dood_]

Try and make your map smaller maybe? I recently embarked on a 2x2 site, and there's no HFS metal at all! That I've found! Shame, as I'm really attached to this fort.

[FunkyWaltDogg]

I admit it's not the easiest solution, but if you carefully examine the layers present in each site before you embark, you can find one that makes things more challenging.  Recently I embarked by chance on a site with tons of silver, a little copper and a small amount of gold; no tin (for bronze), no iron, no flux, and no coal.  Look for a site with only Igneous Intrusive and Metamorphic layers.

Of course, more options in the site finder, plus the ability to view multiple matching search results, would be nice.

[riznar]

I disagree. In DF a lot of the challenge is whatever you make it. Limiting the materials in a site essentially puts another end game condition in place where you don't have enough to do what you want and the fort dies from boredom waiting for caravans.

[Jaega1]

The thing is that it is not even slightly exciting to come across metals anymore.  In previous versions it was a big deal when you found a lot of gold.  Now it is as common as dirt.  This cheapens the whole thing for me.  It has to be rare for it to be interesting (at least in my opinion).  In the very least it needs to be adjustable!

[hjd_uk]

Im a noob and started playing with 2010 and the only metal i have so far been excited about finding (because i have so far found it to be rare) is Platinum. Gold and Silver seem far too common. Maybe its just the worlds and sites i've emarked on so far. The only problems i've been having is smelting all the damn stuff. Perhaps its a fluke. Perhaps im expecting a fantasy world full of Industrious Dwarfs to be too lifelike

[zilpin]

This is still an early, buggy, test release.

It appears that Today made everything very common for testing purposes, so that you can make sure all the new material properties work right, and help tweak their values.

Once things stabilize, I'm sure he'll bring it back to near the former scarcity.

[hjd_uk]

Ok, cool. Didnt realise gameplay / world gen settings was part of the Alpha too.  Ill make the most of all the interesting rocks then .

[Hyndis]

Each site does have a different set of minerals.

Some sites are just gigantic steel mills, with piles of iron, flux, and coal.

Other sites get you tons of copper but little iron. Each mineral type is still linked to the stone layer its in, and most sites only give you 4-5 different types of stone layers.

[Qloos]

[INORGANIC:HEMATITE]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:STONE_TEMPLATE]
[STATE_NAME_ADJ:ALL_SOLID:hematite][DISPLAY_COLOR:4:7:0][TILE:156]
[ENVIRONMENT:SEDIMENTARY:VEIN:100]
[ENVIRONMENT:IGNEOUS_EXTRUSIVE:VEIN:100]
[ITEM_SYMBOL:'*']
[METAL_ORE:IRON:100]
[SOLID_DENSITY:5100]
[MATERIAL_VALUE:8]
[IS_STONE]
[MELTING_POINT:12736]

Change the bold numbers for reduced frequency.  5 minutes of your time for the desired results.

[DarthCloakedDwarf]

And what's with all the hematite veins in DIRT layers, seriously?

One map I embarked on had five star sapphires exposed on the surface. I uncovered three more digging out my water tunnels for my cistern, and five more (and a pair of star rubies) while digging out my fort!

In that map, I had almost as much bauxite as siltstone, my layer stone. After building a bauxite megaconstruction.

Seriously, this is madness!

[The-Moon]

This is still an early, buggy, test release.

It appears that Today made everything very common for testing purposes, so that you can make sure all the new material properties work right, and help tweak their values.

Once things stabilize, I'm sure he'll bring it back to near the former scarcity.

Yes i have to agree, this is beta testing(or alpha, i forget)

Im 100% sure the reason why toady added in alot more gem and mineral spawns was for testing purposes.

You can however go into the object files and change stuff around so not as much spawns

[Greep]

I agreen with most of the others, DF is mainly about self-limitations for making it hard, since there're so many different ways to make it hard.  Want really hard? Go entirely in metamorphic.  Open hell.  Do the seven dwarves, etc.