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[Granite26]

Discuss...

[Hyndis]

This is true.

I once unleashed a ghost apocalypse just for my own amusement.

When it was all over 90% of the population was dead. The migrants who came later decorated everything with images of vengeful ghosts and weeping dwarves. 

[Johnny Madhouse]

Not true. One happy fort may have an above-the-river path leading into a cliff below a natural waterfall, while another might just have gold statues strewn about. Another might have a nice dining room that every dwarf uses, while others (like mine) have individual dining rooms for all dwarves large enough to hold parties in.

And zoos. And aquariums. And so on.

[billybobfred]

My happy forts have gratuitous mist generators!

[Silent_Thunder]

My happy forts are because I systematically inflict psychological horrors on every immigrant untill they get the "Doesn't really care about anything" descriptor, only then are they granted access to the fortress proper.

[Davichococat]

Wrong.

Maybe you mean 'Unhappy forts are all alike; every happy fort is happy on its own way.'?

Oh. See. Unhappy forts never have good bedrooms for the dwarves. If they do, its a happy fort. Unhappy forts never have that great dining hall decorated with masterwork statues of gold. If they do, they are a happy fort.
But happy forts are all happy on their own way. Maybe UristMcX's fort has 5x5 bedrooms for each dwarf decorated, engraved and filled with metal furniture, or maybe UristMcY's fort has great dining halls decorated with gold, platinum, aluminium and maybe candy? Or maybe UristMcZ's fort is a great castle with awesome walls with a road to the edge of the map, and all families have their own 'houses'!

But unhappy forts aways seek for one thing: Death. And burning elfs in magma. Well, death.

[OwlEpicurus]

In my experience, at least, this is true.  Then again, I usually end up abandoning my forts once they become happy because they're not as interesting as the others are...

[Ultraviolent4]

Hi Tolstoy, are you writing a novel about DF?

[plisskin]

This is applying Whedon's approach to television to DF:

"Happy people dorfs make for boring television forts."

I must put forth the example of Undergrotto. Absolutely not like any other fort I've seen and it is a tranquil dwarven paradise frozen in time at 0FPS.

[obeliab]

Well, if you're making square rooms connected to rectangular hallways branching off of a central staircase connected to a 3x10 gate corridor mined into a hillside, then I guess happy forts are all alike.  Also, if you're making huge, consolidated rooms connected to thin hallways branching off in different directions leading to several back passages connected to small openings in the mountainside, then I guess happy forts are all alike.  It's also true that if you're making molded rooms connected to vein-based hallways branching off of several lengthy staircases connected to a multiple z-level entrance hall carved out of the side of a volcano, then I guess happy forts are all alike.

[Granite26]

A successful for has a good military, high quality rooms, ample food, and relative safety from megabeasts.

Unhappy forts are starving, flooding, rioting, burning, being overrun from above or below.

Playing the game safe is relatively easy.  Oftentimes, the only way to fail is to try something more difficult, usually for no in-game reason or reward.

The point being...


Losing is fun.

[obeliab]

No, I mean, I agree with you in some ways, but I suppose I read into the topic as saying "If you don't intentionally cause unhappiness in your forts, then they are ultimately all the same," which was reading too much.  I intentionally pick out desolate or dangerous areas with no trees or vegetation and don't use traps at my main entrance because I like the challenge... but I'm not sure if the goal is to have mass starvation and bloody riots.  Death and destruction are interesting, but you're kinda playing a different game than I am if they're the only variables across your fortresses.

And, despite what sentiments there are on the forums, I think there's at least a few players who wouldn't agree that "Playing the game safe is relatively easy."  Because, you know, DF is widely talked about for its simple learning curve and low difficulty.

[Unfrozen Caveman]

My happy forts are because I systematically inflict psychological horrors on every immigrant untill they get the "Doesn't really care about anything" descriptor, only then are they granted access to the fortress proper.

I strongly approve of this strategy. 

[Granite26]

Well, you don't intentionally inflict the dangers, but a lot of the standard deaths are due to players choices.  Biomes, messing with magma or aquifers, HFS, no traps,etc.

There are more things that can go interestingly wrong.

[Hyndis]

Its very easy to have a fort where everything goes right, but these forts do tend to be somewhat boring because everything works perfectly.