Dwarf Fortress is famously difficult to get into. To help newcomers get started the community has created many useful resources that pare down the difficulty curve significantly. Here I will collect a selection of the best of these resources to hopefully help those of you who are looking to get started with DF but don't know where to start. I have used all of the resources here at some point in my DF journey and can attest to their quality.
Firstly I will say that the thing most important to keep in mind when starting DF is that you will lose. Since DF has no set win condition it is guaranteed that you will lose eventually. With this in mind it is imperative that you follow the community's motto of "losing is fun" and learn to enjoy this inevitable collapse of all your hard work. I still fondly remember when my first fortress only a few months in was brutally dismembered by a vicious werehorse.
-----
For your very first fortress I would suggest following along with either a video tutorial or a written walkthrough, several of which I have collected below.
Kruggsmash's beginner walkthrough is an excellent, brief overview of the absolute basics that is only 1/2 hour long. While it was made 2 years ago it is not out of date as all the gameplay areas it covers have been relatively unchanged in recent updates. I watched this tutorial myself when I was getting started and highly recommend it for its high production quality and easy to follow structure.
This video tutorial by Nookrium is a bit more recent having been released this year. It runs a bit longer than Kruggsmash's tutorial at just under 45 minutes and is thus slightly more in depth.
The quick start guide on the DF wiki covers almost every important topic you will need to know starting out. It describes everything from how to defend against sieges to trading with merchants. This is a good place to look if there is a specific area you are struggling to understand. In general the wiki is your best friend when getting started with DF and will likely remain so even when you are a seasoned veteran. You should always have it open when playing DF, as it details pretty much everything there is to know about the game.
This walkthrough which I think we can safely assume was written by PeridexisErrant is a great alternative for someone looking for detailed explanations of a variety of Dwarf Fortress' mechanics and systems.
-----
In the process of learning to play DF you will inevitably come across a specific question that cannot be answered by these sources. There are two main places where you can ask questions regarding DF; the subreddit and the forums.
The DF subreddit hosts a bi-weekly question thread that is the perfect place to ask any and all DF related questions. In my experience the community surrounding the subreddit is very helpful and welcoming to newcomers.
The DF forums have been around since the game first began development and are frequented by many knowledgeable DF veterans. The gameplay questions forum is teh prefect place to ask your question, just remember to check if a previous thread has already answered it.
-----
Hopefully you found this set of resources helpful. If you think that this post could help someone you know get into DF direct them this way. If you have any questions, suggestions, or criticism don't hesitate to comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment