Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Khym Chanur]

Don't think anyone asked this, yet...
What kind of relation will there be between strange moods dwarves have currently and the secrets/curses spirit-interaction stuff that's coming in this release? Will the two systems become one eventually?

Artifacts were intended to be the starting point of the magic and spheres system, but the new secrets and interactions have beat them out the gate it seems. There's nothing specific about magical artifacts on the new dev pages though, so I don't think there's any timeline.

Well, if the gods a dwarf worships can influence the artifact made by a strange mood, the god's spheres could influence what artifact is made, without having to bring magic into it.  The god's spheres could decide what type of artifact is made, rather than the dwarfs skills (WAR sphere makes armour or weapon, etc), and also the materials used (TREE makes wood be used, WEALTH increases the chance of decoration with gems, etc).

[Rockphed]

Don't think anyone asked this, yet...
What kind of relation will there be between strange moods dwarves have currently and the secrets/curses spirit-interaction stuff that's coming in this release? Will the two systems become one eventually?

Artifacts were intended to be the starting point of the magic and spheres system, but the new secrets and interactions have beat them out the gate it seems. There's nothing specific about magical artifacts on the new dev pages though, so I don't think there's any timeline.

Well, if the gods a dwarf worships can influence the artifact made by a strange mood, the god's spheres could influence what artifact is made, without having to bring magic into it.  The god's spheres could decide what type of artifact is made, rather than the dwarfs skills (WAR sphere makes armour or weapon, etc), and also the materials used (TREE makes wood be used, WEALTH increases the chance of decoration with gems, etc).

Or, perhaps, the gods worshipped by a dwarf influence the sphere's an artifact acquires.  So a dwarf that worships a god of death, consolation, fortresses and wealth might create an artifact with any of those spheres, though it might acquire more the same way gods do.  What effect the spheres of an artifact had is a whole other question.  For instance, an anvil with the fire sphere might cause a workshop built with it to never need fuel.  A throne with the war sphere might cause whoever sits in it to gain 1 point in a fighting skill for every frame they sit.  A hammer with the death sphere might sometimes raise the bodies of its kills under its wielder's control.

Really, I don't think we have anywhere near enough information to begin speculating on what the effects of artifacts will be.  For now, we are getting an awesome set of curses, undead, necromancer, and were-chihuahuas.  Sufficient is the day for the !!FUN!! thereof.

[darkflagrance]

Given that we have secrets now, a more likely interaction with an artifact might see a dwarf that comes into contact with it gain a secret associated with the artifact's sphere like how to live forever or make legendary beds or raise zombies or cure illnesses, or pick up some sort of interaction, such as one that gives the dwarf super strength or allows it to throw fireballs or turns it into a carp.

[werechicken]

Constructed creatures mentioned by threetoe - golems or something like Frankenstein's creature? Also haunted houses sound pretty cool, wonder if any of the ghosts will give quests?

I see artifact interaction being a whole new source of experimental terror.

As long as I can use at least half of these new features to commit war crimes against invading goblins I'll be happy

[freeformschooler]

Irrelevant to the current release, but it's come up a few times especially when Toady's said something won't be any "scripting language" and still stick to the RAWs.

Is having a scripting language for manipulating things (much like DFHack is doing to a small extent) something you've considered? Like I said, it's been brought up a few times, so I was wondering if this was more of a post-1.0 goal

[Untelligent]

Constructed monsters? Will we finally be able to create creatures in workshops in Fortress mode?

[3]

"Constructed monsters" refers to the Frankensteinian night creatures discussed in the latest DF talk. It has nothing whatsoever to do with being able to construct creatures.

[nenjin]

Although when Toady does the partial bodies re-write down the road (and decides to let magic into Fortress mode), dwarves creating constructs sounds like low hanging fruit.

(As an aside, I love that metaphor. Low hanging fruit dangling from The Tree of Fun and Woe.)

[werechicken]

I remember toady saying in a previous talk that constructed creatures like bronze colossi will be artifact level in dwarf mode

So we probably won't have legions of steel golems wandering around our fortress, unless they're really limited.

[Cthulhu]

Although when Toady does the partial bodies re-write down the road (and decides to let magic into Fortress mode), dwarves creating constructs sounds like low hanging fruit.

(As an aside, I love that metaphor. Low hanging fruit dangling from The Tree of Fun and Woe.)

The Tree of Cupidity and Avarice.

Do we really need more than one steel golem?

[irdsm]

Personally what I want most is the ability to mod in creature creation. To the level this is used in vanilla is irrelevent, I just want to be able to make a cow workshop, a golem workshop etc. and it seems like it wouldn't be too hard to code in for toady.

[nenjin]

Or that hard to learn to mod in yourself.

[Knight Otu]

Personally what I want most is the ability to mod in creature creation. To the level this is used in vanilla is irrelevent, I just want to be able to make a cow workshop, a golem workshop etc. and it seems like it wouldn't be too hard to code in for toady.

You might actually be able to do that in the next version... if you're willing to sacrifice a dwarf for a golem. Create a material (or stinging vermin) with a transformation syndrome that keeps the victim part of your civ, expose a dwarf to it, and you should have a transformed dwarf. Doesn't work if transformed creatures automatically becomes foes, but we'll see.

[Cruxador]

Personally what I want most is the ability to mod in creature creation. To the level this is used in vanilla is irrelevent, I just want to be able to make a cow workshop, a golem workshop etc. and it seems like it wouldn't be too hard to code in for toady.

You might actually be able to do that in the next version... if you're willing to sacrifice a dwarf for a golem. Create a material (or stinging vermin) with a transformation syndrome that keeps the victim part of your civ, expose a dwarf to it, and you should have a transformed dwarf. Doesn't work if transformed creatures automatically becomes foes, but we'll see.

Hell, you don't even need a full transformation. a curse that turns dwarven skin to adamantine and bones to steel would already make them immune to almost everything. If it also includes a side effect of turning them into a giant flesh-eating monster (that still has adamantine skin and steel bones) every full moon, then that's just an added bonus.
I'm not sure if we'll be able to couple effects like that, though.

[PlainTextMan]

I was against goblins not having to eat until I started to think of them as eternally hungry rather than always sated. Eating all kinds of disgusting things if they have the chance - while still surviving forever without any sustenance.

YES

Make them not have to eat to stay alive, but make them want to eat all the time. Make them crave blood and rotten kitten corpses. *barfs at own awesome suggestion*

All that needs doing to make this pretty crazy novel decision of goblins not eating is to sufficiently balance it with other factors. Then the image the designers had in mind of really scary goblins can happily realize.

So, can you [guys] please elaborate on the the new Face Of Goblinness you have in mind, so that the dear people of the forums may have peace in this regard?

The way I understand folklore of the middle ages (and before), if Toady wants to stick to the original flavor of any of those creatures (goblins, elves, etc.), he'll basically make it up as he goes along and not care too much about adhering to anything in particular. Whenever I read about fairies, elves, goblins, trolls, or anything else similar, it seems like people had a million different ideas of what they were and could do, depending on what part of what region of Europe you asked around in.

YES