I find Dwarf Fortress quite hard to get into, but smart friends are talking about it.
So how would one describe DF in this framework?
So how would one describe DF in this framework?
And yet: There is just so much depth in DF that if you can play it at all, there is always something interesting to do, build, explore... I've pulled all-nighters playing it, trying to build the next coolest thing. With each season the game throws new triumphs and failures at you. It's not a social game, but the dwarves are individualized to the point that you might start empathizing with them.
Disclaimer: I work for a social games company.
EDIT: This may have been what I was talking about (though it's not actually a statement by Tarn): http://www.industrygamers.com/news/braid-creator-finds-socia...
“Some kinds of games are very clearly made [to give something] – like Dwarf Fortress is definitely trying to give the players something and not exploit players. That’s very obvious to me in the way that it’s made. [Most of these social games are] the opposite of that,” explained Blow. “It’s trying to take the maximum amount while trying to give the minimum amount. So that’s an ethics of game design question. To me it doesn’t matter if people feel like they’re having fun or feel like they want to play the game, because the designers know what they’re doing.”
It reminds me of how I used to like movies and film, until I started noticing that money was changing hands to put product placements in them. Nothing ruins a move for me like the characters stating a brand advertising slogan or drinking from containers strategically positioned to display the label. It's more than just feeling cheated about having paid for the ticked and ending up watching advertising. It's the knowledge that the producer/director wasn't making the movie to be the best it could be.