Wow. It's great to see you here
I really love the combat system in Dwarf Fortress and I'm sure I will love your game too. AI is very important in this kind of things and by looking at your blog I'm sure you'll nail it. Will morale affect your character as well? Like forcing the player character to run away for some turns or decreasing and increasing the chance to hit.
Wounds are very important too. Broken bones and severed limbs aren't the same thing after all.
I think you should start a new thread about your game and provide that link. There are a lot of experienced roguelike players and developers here. You will find their feedback useful.
I'm uncertain about morale effects for your character yet. I am leaning towards letting you have complete control, but I'm trying - as best as possible - to get the AI to mirror what a competent human should do when deciding to run, fight, regroup, etc. You will sometimes end up fleeing, and the AI is, in a way, designed to mirror whatever causes you to decide to leg it.
Oh, yeah, I've got wounds, broken limbs, and severed limbs, and varying degrees thereof. Been working on it tonight, too.
Would I be 'allowed' to do that? I mean, it would be great, but I've only just joined the forum, and I'm not sure if talking about what I'm doing rather than DF would be appropriate. However, as you know these forums, if you think it would be okay and wouldn't look obnoxiously egotistic, I will do just that : )
My opinion:
Many may disagree with me, but i think that you should concentrate on the combat solely. Let's face it, there's no way you can catch up with DF in creating a living breathing and immerse world. The good news is that you don't have to, we don't need two dwarf fortresses, your project may end up as the most detailed fantasy combat simulator ever made. There's nothing like it, just make a scenario editor and concentrate on the combat. ...multiplayer may be awesome. Can you imagine turnbased-capture the flag-roguelike gameplay with DF style combat?
The combat is the primary aim, though by 'combat', I include all different species, combat situations, siege weapons (potentially, eventually), mounted units, command structures of your army, managing those loyal to you, etc. The idea of a scenario editor is probably going to be closer to the initial alphas than the final product, though I think that could make a great alternate mode. The idea has given me a lot to think about, though...
He's not trying to make another DF. DF is wideranging, ambitious, long term project. You will be able to do literally anything anywhere.
From the description in this thread, it looks like he's concentrating on the roguelike side as opposed to the invisible overseer side, which means a lot more of a focused game.
Yep - you might end up overseeing a large force, but you're a VISIBLE, and potentially vulnerable, overseer. Additionally, your messages do not instantly permeate - you'll have to send out a rider, or put up a signal, to get your forces to respond how you want.
DF is a whole another thing. Just because there is realistic combat doesn't mean it's going to be exactly like it. Also, in the adventuring mode of DF you don't have much to do.
This is very true. Adventure Mode can seem like a world that is vast, and complex, but relatively lacking in opportunity. The map I'm working on is a lot smaller, but will be much more crowded with cities, towns, caves, whatever, and I hope to simply cram more to do into that space.