Dwarf Fortress has arrived on Steam, and me and blogmate Phil Nelson are so enthused! I bought it at full price nearly immediately, even though it’s $30 (there is no game in the world that’s a better value proposition for the money!) and played through the tutorial, and was pleasantly surprised that the interface learning curve is much better! The gameplay curve is just as high as it ever was, but that is all part of the game whose tagline is “Losing is fun!”
Longtime Urists will have a little adjusting to do, as some of the keypresses have been changed, some options moved around, there are no Kennels now, and it’s not obvious how to de-designate areas like tunnels to be dug. But compared to how it was before it’s an unquestionable improvement!
There’s also excellent pixel-art graphics, zoom support (hold Ctrl down while rolling the mouse wheel) and even a lot of new music! I wish there was an option to return to the ASCII-ish graphics, but with Steam support for mods I’m sure if they don’t provide it themselves, a fan will make it before long. And if you don’t have $30 rolling around in your pocket or purse, the game is still free on the official website, just as it ever was.
Polygon has not rested on this release, and immediately posted several useful articles for enthusiasts and prospective fortress chiefs, most of them written by Jeffery Parkin!
- Dwarf Fortress’ Steam version immediately punched me in the gut (oh my, are you hurt?)
- Dwarf Fortress is indescribable – but let me try (it’s good to have ambitions)
- 8 things you should know before starting Dwarf Fortress (beware catsplosions, they’re dangerous for your framerate!)
- How to set up your first Dwarf Fortress for success (practical!)
- The 11 biggest changes in Dwarf Fortress’ Steam release (interesting!)
Dwarf Fortress on Steam ($30) – Dwarf Fortress at Bay 12 Games
