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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3200 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for December 9, 2022

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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What video games are people playing?

I just finished the Outer Wilds after picking it up on sale, and wow, that game was incredible. The ending actually made me cry, something I haven't experienced in a video game in almost a decade.

I usually don't go for narrative driven/mystery type games, but Outer Wilds is truly in a class of it's own. I've heard Return of Obra Dinn is similar quality, as well as Disco Elysium, so I'm curious to check those out.

Dwarf fortress got a graphical release which has been super fun. Being able to visualize the deep caverns carved out by hand is super enjoyable so far, even if some of the imagination is ripped out of the game with visual assets. So far it's really good, pretty stable, and runs well on my crappy laptop. I think it's missing some important key binds, but if you've never tried DF before you won't really notice. The QOL of being able to use a mouse makes other things a lot faster, especially for newer players. All in all, totally worth the 30 bucks.

Is the interface less hostile now ?

As someone who puts hundreds of hours into building large rail networks in Transport Tycoon and its successors, I felt distinctly disappointed when making a simple mine railway with no lights, pathing or anything turned out to be impossible to figure out with the interface.

Yeah, on top of being able to use a mouse and actual graphics, all of the hotkeys are arranged more intelligently. Some are still weird, like the button presses from no menu to placing a bed is b -> f -> r, so build -> furniture -> r...? Something something legacy binds, but I'm fairly sure you can rebind a lot of it.

Also the graphical interface and tutorials are waaaay more intuitive now. Z-levels are no longer the strange abstract concept and are more visually digestible, and you can see all levels visible below the current z, so you can actually see the slope of the mountain your are carving. It's much easier to comprehend what you are putting together now, I would give it another shot if the ascii version was too impenetrable.

Significantly. Consider it the move from vim to WYSIWYG.

Mouse interface is universal. Niche placement/construction modes make sense now. Orders and buildings are grouped much more coherently. Labor seems to have been simplified, unless I'm missing a menu. There are inbuilt tutorials; only the first is interactive, but it covers the main UI layout.

This does come at the cost of some specificity. I understand a few hotkeys are changed or missing, but that's more a problem for power users or those with muscle memory.

I think you'll still be disappointed with the rail system, but then again, I haven't explored it much.

I'm not expecting something like in Factorio, just so I can move stone around quickly.

You think there's any chance the dev will use the money to transition DF into some nice voxel-based 3d engine ?

With lighting and all, it could be very cozy and interesting. Add in being able to possess a dwarf for some nice fighting, it could improve the game somewhat, and really wouldn't necessitate changing any of the internal logic, just another way of presenting what already exists. .

You think there's any chance the dev will use the money to transition DF into some nice voxel-based 3d engine ?

I...doubt it, I remember the announcement for DF getting a big graphical overhaul in tandem with a Steam release was specifically so that the dev could raise money to treat his cancer.

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