Gamist. Because I don't recognize the other two catagories as entertainment. DF is a fantasy city builder, a detailed management simulator and a real time strategy war game. It comes with its very own map generator in order to defeat the inevitable boredom that comes along with any toy. Some people say it has RPG aspects, but I don't see them, I don't see anyone performing a role or getting into character, do you? Atleast not in Fortress mode, and that's the only mode I boot up into. Am I missing out on the other game aspects. No, this is about 'my' playstyle. I find infinite many replays in just the fortress mode.
Other games do adventure and twitchie godlike action games better and cheaper, than Bay12. But not fortresses. I have yet to see a game with this kind of random map generation. At onetime I could find this kind of galaxy generation in space games, but not anymore, they've all apparently went graphic. Trade Wars 2000 was a favorite of mine, back when I hosted a BBS. I imagine there are still hidden niches playing that, but its not like it once was.
I refuse to be called a simulationist or constructionalist on prinicipal, because the words aren't in my dictionary. They are tasks performed here, as needed to succeed where needed, nothing more. I'm a war gamer first and foremost. If I want to survive, I do them as opposed to pushing up daisies. They are not types of players but instead actions taken to meet a goal, WIN! Win the skirmish, win the battle, live to fight again, live to fight longer. Until the innevitable bug, lag or boredom shuts me down.
I don't enjoy the term endgame, its not a term in my dictionary either. In random sandbox worlds, they end how they end. The convergences of randomness determine the outcome, not some preset epic neighborhood, zone or logic set.
But at the end of the day, I have to confess, that I can no longer participate in shooters, so I'm here more as a result of my aging eyes and arthritis, out of necessity, more so than by choice. But I refuse to be swept into that sim crowd, simply because I get a little more AI assistance here and there than a younger twitchy gamer does. My favorite genre was the MUD and early MMO, like Asheron's Call, but thats been destroyed by greedy devs over the years. Playing a dwarf here, reminds me in some way, of playing a Lugian Tactician in AC2.
Sincerely
Knutor