Dwarf Fortress (link) is a Windows game under constant development which uses ASCII text for graphics. Despite this despicable limitation, it is actually a very entertaining game. It is also completely free. It has some similarities to Nethack, or Dungeon Keeper, but for those who've never played it here's a brief summary:
Dwarf Fortress procedurally generates a random fantasy world, which is staggeringly vast. Using all kinds of funky algorithms it will create mountains, rivers, forests, glaciers, towns. It will give all of these places names, it will generate and record histories for these places, and it will populate them. This world is the giant sandbox in which you play one of the various modes of Dwarf Fortress.
In the most popular mode, Fortress, you begin with 7 dwarves, loaded with supplies, and you're tasked with burrowing into a mountain to build a fortress there. Each Dwarf has a profession, and as he works he will become more adept in that profession. You will eventually build halls, workshops, dining rooms, breweries, forges, farms... etc etc.
Your first concern is to survive winter - winter is harsh, if your dwarves don't die from hunger they may go insane due to the lack of ale or you may even be attacked. You will encounter many kinds of situations that are both hilarious and fascinating. The sheer amount of stuff that can happen during a game is nothing short of epic.
There are many ways to fail in this game, but failing is part of the fun. If for some reason your fortress doesn't survive, it becomes a kind of dungeon in the world that you might explore later in Adventurer mode. It has many, many intricate features that I think people like us will enjoy.
The learning curve is very steep. You will be confused for a long time, I know that I was. The graphics and interface are very frustrating for beginners, but eventually you will become accustomed to it.
Strike the earth!
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To all of my friends:
Wait, never mind.
05 Jun 2007, 4:16 pm
