The only thing DF has going for it is the depth of detail. That is a significant feature, but some day one of these superior games is going to have that too.
I am a huge DF fan, I wish they'd hire an art developer or something. It's just ridiculous.
Toady's reason for the simple graphics is that it lets him focus on core gameplay, which is what he enjoys.
There is a great 3D one that lacks features but the interface is great, that one is called Dwarves! if I recall correctly.
And that's ignoring the lack of any story component, complex interactions, any interesting events apart from "something came to attack your area", etc. It's just boring once you play it a few times.
The same bug that's never going to be fixed makes the game not fun at all for me.
That sounds to me like you're avoiding parts of the game because they're not fun, regardless of the chance of them being fixed in the future.
I've read the developer's reasons for not having graphics, and it's BS. If he doesn't want to do it himself he should let someone talented in that area join the development team.
You're right of course, it's his project and he doesn't have to share it. It's free and beggars can't be choosers. But a game belongs as much to it's community of players as it does to the people who create it. The best games ever created have all been open, either open source or by embracing a modding community. As a gamer who's had a passion for all forms of gaming since before I could read, I find the developer's attitude extraordinarily negative in general.
That's my opinion, nobody is obligated to share it. I'm just saying something superior is going to come along and when it does nobody will remember DF. And that would be a shame, really.
> If he doesn't want to do it himself he should let someone talented in that area join the development team.
And it's also one guy living off Patreon and the donations generated by DF. Where should he find the money to pay an employee?