Dwarf Fortress (2) - Team Liquid Project

HAMMER HIM!

I am Am. For most of my youth, I have struggled to train myself in the way of the sword. This may have been a mistake. It turns out, practicing with a sword in my parents' basement all day does not bring in much gold. Nevertheless, I am confident I shall find purpose in this world! Only yesterday, I received word of an adventure to be had - a mine where dwarves live in the sky, and treasure is unlimited. I shall depart immediately.


We're that little grey '@' near the bottom.

Now, this 'Skyhall' place is meant to be somewhere to the East. It turns out, I have no idea where it is. Or where I am. Man, this is going to be hard.

In adventure mode, you realize how big the world really is. To travel by foot takes forever to get anywhere, and the hardest part is knowing where you need to go. All I know is our fort is to the east, so to the east we go!

Before I leave, I figure we could use some help on our journey. I recruit another brave soul to join our quest.


I'm 'Swordmaster' because that's what I'd appear as in-game to others. I'm not sure how they know this. Maybe they tattoo your head when you join the Swordmaster club.

Lirgir warns me about bogeyman. It is no idle threat. Should you travel alone at night, they will hunt you down. However, one who is swift and patient can simply run from them and hack them as they attempt to catch up. It would take a superb warrior to manage it, but have I mentioned I like swords? Regardless, traveling with Lirgir will prevent such a problem.

Soldiers will join you freely, up to a limit based on your reputation. We've done nothing, so the limit is 2, and I grab another soldier from the town. These guys will fight and die for you, so they're handy to bring through the wilderness. We could quest to raise said reputation, but we already have a key quest to handle.

Collecting our belongings, we set off, east. Always into the east.

I really wish I knew where we were going.


All I can think of is how many bolts this would make.

This is the travel map. It shows you your surroundings, and lets you fast-travel one square at a time, but it consumes the same amount of in-game time as walking normally. You can be attacked in this mode - you'll be forced out of it.

It doesn't take long before the three of us are hopelessly lost. We are somewhere within the Remarkable Forests. I do not see what is so remarkable about it. Perhaps elves named it - Lirgir notes that there is an Elven Retreat fairly close. You'd think with how much they live in the forest, it would not be remarkable to see another one. The world is a curious place.

We have been lucky so far - no ambushes. No wolves, and no bandits. The latter, I am grateful for. The former is actually a concern. It is winter, and it's so utterly ball-shatteringly cold that my waterskin has frozen solid. I try to drink it anyways, and merely manage to lick the ball of ice within. It takes me ten minutes to free my tongue from the frozen mass. This is a problem. No water and limited food means we need to rely on what we can forage.

And this is Dwarf Fortress, we can forage everything.

Continuing on our journey, we encounter two bursts of luck. A small pool of stagnant water, unable to freeze. I cannot drink it, for stagnant water is hideously... stagnant. However, I recall an ancient filtration trick. Carefully, I lower myself into the pool, recalling what skill in swimming I can, then climb back out.


Have you ever been so thirsty you'll drink the water off your eyeballs? We have.

I consume the water coating me. Meanwhile, a small animal has been spotted, and our third member who's name I cannot recall nails it with a bolt. The echidna is immediately killed and I move to butcher it. It is unfortunate I did not kill it myself - being coated in its blood from the gory massacre would have provided me with another layer of fluid to drink. Well, can't have everything in life!


I like to picture dabbling butchers just hacking away with a longsword, then trying to find scraps of meat in nearby trees.

Our supplies are replenished, and our quest can continue!

Before long, we pass an imposing fortress. I have been on the lookout for this, because frankly, my equipment is so pathetic a kobold wouldn't steal it. A lord, however, has far too many things.

Fortresses are where major faction leaders can be found - they give the highest quality quests to hunt megabeasts and other major creatures. They also have a fair amount of soldiers, that you can either slaughter if you wish, or recruit. More importantly, they're often strewn with random human items.


Look at the size of the wall around the central keep. This is the kind of thing I want to see, iGrok.

Moving quickly and quietly, I avoid the Human Lord - we're nobody to him, and probably cannot handle whatever quest he would give us even if we qualified. No, our goal is something simpler. Unfortunately, this fortress was nearly empty - but we snag some Bronze Chainmail before leaving. I am now better protected against the horrors of the world. I hope my companions are equally well armored. But let's be honest - they're more expendable.

To the east, we encounter a river that isn't frozen. Most surprising, but this lets me refill my waterskin and stave off death. Less surprisingly, there are wolves here, probably driven by the same desire to find a source of running water within a hundred miles.

Combat in adventurer mode is as complex as you'd expect in Dwarf Fortress. You can choose your type of attack and where to aim it on your opponent. Each attack will have a rating for accuracy and damage - generally, more powerful attacks like a stab to the head aren't going to hit as easily, but it's a little random anyways. Since we have a sword, I start by aiming slashes at whatever limb is easiest to hit, hacking them off, until I can get a clear stab at the head or torso.

The wolves are no match for the three of us. The one I attack first simply bleeds to death before I can strike it down, and the remaining stragglers are swiftly killed. Fortunately, we all avoid any major wounds.


If the characters of 'The Grey' were dwarves, we'd have drunk the Alpha Wolf's blood twenty seconds into the movie.

Back to our eastward trek, then. It's uneventful. I know we need to head south-east, and the fortress lies along a stream. As we travel, I recall the names of the places we move through, but they mean little to me. I only know that Skyhall lies on the eastern edge of the world. We pass forests, deserts, rivers. We pass a frozen river in a desert. This world mocks me.

Surprisingly, we run into little other wildlife on our way east. I had heard Skyhall was meant to be in savage lands. Someone must have made an error. We have run out of food as a result. We have run out of water. Licking the snow brought no comfort to my dry mouth. This place is known as the Forest of Executing. It may execute us yet.

But what is that to the south?


You have no idea how long it took me to notice this.

Could it be?


I've gained new appreciation for how hard goblin sieges work to even get here.

Scattered refuse lay upon the ground, and a stone wall rose from the snow.

We had reached Skyhall, but what could lie inside?

In a daze at my luck, I began to move around the walls of the mighty fortress. It had clearly been abandoned - it lay in disarray and disrepair, with items tossed around. Yet in the distance I noticed a small figure - a dwarf was still here! I moved quickly to greet him, and learn what I could.


An abandoned fortress sends the dwarves to various places, but some stick around. Look who it is!

The dwarf I encountered claimed he was a 'boss of macro'. He did not have much else to say, nor did I end up asking him anything in detail. I had secrets to uncover and treasure to find. As soon as I figured out how to get inside this damn wall. To the south, I discovered a bridge, and a way in.


A steel bridge along a river? Who built this, and have they ever heard of rust?!

Peering in, I was taken aback by the disorganization I found, not at all like the courtyard of the human fort. Endless amounts of stone lay discarded within the walls, more like a goblin's cave than a hallowed place. I approached the marble tower nevertheless and began to climb. From the tops, I was able to get a decent view, and find some more dwarves. I also grabbed some dwarven ale, one of the greatest contributions to the world the dwarves had ever made. That, and releasing demons from the depths of the earth, but the dwarves don't like to talk about that one.

Positioned in the tower were several statues. I moved closer to investigate.


If this is dwarf-sized, and I assume it is, that's one horrifying statue to have standing around.

I have revised my thoughts about this place. Apparently man-sized mosquitoes were a part of its downfall.

I am regretting coming here.

The tower is a marvel, but largely empty. I decide to head below ground in search of food, since I've run out. I find nothing but more trash.


This was acutally Xeen's grave until I had the body moved to the main tomb and forgot to turn pets off again.

It appears the dwarves of Skyhall venerated cats enough to inter them alongside dwarves themselves. I understand this. In the face of the giant mosquito menace, cats may have been a great ally to the dwarves. No doubt this Captain of Cats slew many in life, before meeting a heroic end.

Looping back to the west, I discovered more statues that merely confirmed my theories.


Maybe these symbolize the vampire? Both are bloodsuckers. Whoever's got the save file, investigate!

Another hideous statue adorned a hallway that led towards a grand room.

I entered this chamber, and found a simple statue of a dwarf. But in the center of the room, a raised platform loomed. I climbed it. Surely this is where I would find riches, the vaunted treasure of Skyhall.


Who's up next, Obsidian? Trap the hell out of this place, I can't have random adventurers just walking in!

Hey, what are you doing?

Stop that!


NO

I have obtained a precious relic from Skyhall, the bones of its former leader! With these, I can truly cement my place as a mighty adventurer and return to my village in triumph!

The dwarves around here don't seem all that cheerful about this, though. I tried to escape. I went down into the depths, but they were walled off. My followers are dead. I have no choice.

I must fight.


I hope you guys trained the militia well.

My sword is drawn and ready. Uvash Lancelimb awaits, but all my life has lead to this point. Charge!


Yeah, 'view other pages'. You can aim for toes. You can aim for individual teeth.

I refrain from the opening Uvash gives me at his lower body. His armor is thick there. Instead, I aim for his right upper arm, a clear attack. My sword flicks out and severs the limb neatly. The hammerdwarf is no longer a threat.

Now, I go to work.


You can level up 'Biter'.

After ramming my sword into Uvash, I go for a bashing attack against him. My sword is not an option, being lodged in his wound - I can twist it to inflict pain, but I go for an attack of opportunity here. My right foot sails into his lower body, and with a twist of my sword, the dwarf keels over in pain.


Also known as the 'gg' menu.

With a single, direct strike, I plunge my sword through the Hammerdwarf's head.

The battle is won.

Having defeated the militia of Skyhall, I feel no fear as I return to the surface. Victory is mine, and glory shall be my reward. I just have to get these bones back to aaaahgrthgrhj


Even the game knows the panic-mode response of drafting everybody!

In a single second, I am beset by all manner of scraggly, bearded dwarves! There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and scarcely space to swing my sword.

I swing it anyways.


How does he bleed out so fast? Picture that scene from Kill Bill.

There are too many. Skyhall descends on me, a monstrous horde. Crushing. Suffocating. They raised a tower to the sky, but beneath the earth is where they are strongest, as dwarves should be.

I probably shouldn't have taken those bones.


If he had taken iGrok's, however, he'd already be back home and waist-deep in peasant wenches.

Thus, so ends the tale of Am, who was ignobly beaten to death by a horde of dwarves. He is no legend, no hero to be remembered.

He's a jerk who robbed my tomb, and was bitten to death.

Sadly, Skyhall doesn't have a lot to explore. We haven't done major engraving to look at, nor are the caverns currently open to wander around. Of course, a good adventuring fortress isn't the same as a good fortress-mode fortress, but hopefully Skyhall survives to actually grow into a something sizable. So get on it, future leaders!

Gather round, gather round, and witness the action-packed adventures of Nemen Risasgirus as he seeks Martyrtomb!

For this attempt, our Hero (and he's actually a Hero, meaning no crazy Demi-god stats/starting skills) Risas is going to attempt to reach and explore Martyrtomb, with some leveling and questing on the way.


Nemen hails from the family of Decentsavior. Their cousins, Matchfixingsavior, are another story.

A few levels in Swords and various other adventuring skills are all we have to begin with. He's a human, for reasons that anyone who plays Adventurer Mode should recognize. Let us begin!


It's actually a prime tourist destination.

Nemen begins north of the eastern edge of the Putrid Oceans, near the Remarkable Forests. From my last playthrough, I remember this puts us west of Skyhall, and southeast of Martyrtomb, which lies along the north edge of the ocean. That means I'll have to slowly make my way along the edge of the sea, collecting fame, fortune, and followers along the way.




I'm definitely going to start building up before I try a long journey, so I travel to these houses to look for things to do and followers to hire. As before, I'm just going to be swiping all the soldiers I can find - probably why so few are actually in these villages in the first place.


I'm willing to bet that the Bottlefriends are pretty drunk.

Bugi Asnabekat gives us an array of things to kill. For our little Hero self, they're all daunting, particularly because we've begun with no armor, a copper shield, and a silver sword. There's no real step down from this. My only hope to do much of anything while I slowly gain levels is to hire people to help me, so that's what I'll do.


No questions asked. This village must be a really boring place.

Umci Gelommogem joins us. We have the option to customize our followers, but I forget about this just like I'll forget about Umci within a few minutes. You can't die, see - this is a roguelike. But your followers can, and many a battle can be won by having your followers handle it.


Our tasks.

This village sucks. Sometimes you get lucky, and there is an absolute zoo of lairs near to the town, letting you clear them quickly and even discover more that the villagers don't know about. Instead, we're going to have to travel a decent distance to each one, and that's assuming we can actually handle them. Beasts in Dwarf Fortress are puny when 50 dwarves pile on them. When you're one guy, it's not so pretty. Now I will know why I fear the night.

Aside from the bogeymen and such.

And the wolves. Did I mention wolves?


Oh boy, random battles. It's like we're really playing a JRPG!

Wolves are kind of a threat to us, with our complete lack of armor or defensive skills. I put points mainly in offense because that IS defense - if you aim your attacks at limbs, you can simply disable opposing offense. In a brawl with many foes, however, that's not going to work. Unless you can keep the fight as a constant 1v1, which is the safest way to handle many enemies.


Wolves actually based their hunting tactics on Brood War Dragoon AI.

Nemen kites backwards, letting the wolves charge at him individually, and takes aimed swings at whatever parts they present. The wolves are quickly dis-limbed, slain, and butchered. With a triumphant drink of some of the wolf blood coating him, Nemen continues his journey, slightly more experienced.

You may ask about our followers, the ones I said I'd forget the names of. As it turns out, a river I had to cross (that wasn't frozen, surprisingly), had an alligator in it. The alligator ate them. This was pretty much the best-case scenario - alligators have nothing on carp or sturgeons.

So, I went to get some new ones. Back to town!


Thank goodness people are generous. I'm not kidding. Nighttime is terrifying.

Nemen waits the night out, grabs some new followers, and heads back out into the forests. The endless, dreary forests, heading back towards one of our lairs. You remember that was our goal, right? To kill monsters, gain fame, and then travel to Martyrtomb with a legion of random soldiers? Well, it is.


Seriously, what makes these damn forests so remarkable?

We've arrived at a lair. You'd think the lair would be better hidden, but quest-seeker GPS trumps all acts of camouflage. I've got two brave souls with me, which translates to a whole lot of attacks that Nemen won't take directly to his soft, unprotected body.


What a quaint little cave you have there.

There is more than one Shadow Troll in here. There are many. That is not what the peasant said. He lied to me.

There are actually four - a Shadow Troll bride and three Trolls, the last of which is simply named 'One'. I might check him out in Legend Mode later, because he sounds tough. Trolls are strong and hit hard, but they, like all creatures with bodies, have one critical weakness, and that is carefully aimed attacks.




One, two, three...


Four!

One himself is no slouch, being much harder to hit and wear down. My companions are badly injured during the fight, but we manage to win a battle of attrition and kill all four night creatures. Despite all being in one lair, these count as multiple foes removed from the earth, so Nemen will be greatly recognized for his deeds when they are reported to town.

From the lair, we swipe things of value - some coins, mainly. The items in here are dwarven, so of no use to us, but I do find a crutch. Crutches are absolutely critical because they cannot be bought and any injury that renders you unable to stand is practically character-ending due to how slow it makes you. A crutch, however, will let you get back up to full speed as you level up crutch-walker. I store it for now. Nemen still has his two legs.

He can, however, begin to make jokes about his 'solid third leg' to peasant women.


I guess nobody ever lies in this world?

Pan Irnatbuh (aka. first villager I saw) is impressed at our deeds. Our reputation soars, and we've passed beyond the level of mundane quests that most villagers give us. This immediately places Dwarf Fortress above all other RPGs that have top-level heroes running fetch quests for bored NPCs.


You can get weird civilization names in this game, but that's a good one.

Pan asks us to see the civilization leader, which means we're getting much harder but more impressive tasks to complete. One step closer to launching our crusade to Martyrtomb, to sweep it clear of foes in a wave of angry metal.

I head to the fort as Pan asks, because Forts are full of human gear. This is why I created a human - robbing forts/dungeons in human towns is the best way to get good equipment besides abandoning an overstocked fortress of your own for a dwarf. Nobody minds if you swipe stuff lying around, so it's off to this Lord we go. Copper armor kind of sucks.

The mentioned fortress is pretty far to the east, so instead, I go to the closest one. They all have leaders.


I'm not entirely convinced building a fortress so near to a forest isn't asking for an Ent beatdown.

The first thing I notice about this fortress is the walls.


Color of royalty, ain't it?

They're entirely made of rutile blocks, which are purple. This is a giant purple fortress.

I can't imagine anyone managing to siege this place without snickering at how silly it looks.

Nemen holds his tongue long enough to greet the Lady of the Fortress, who asks him to kill a dwarf in a dungeon.


Making jokes about how the Lady named the town 'Greatblown' is punishable by death.

This is problematic.

Dungeons are massive, randomly generated underground areas beneath towns and forts. Actually finding your enemy in it can range from 'surprise, I'm right here, and you're dead!' to 'rarer than a quality post in a LR thread'. Dungeons can be massive. The only upside is they're usually full of random items too.

Martyrtomb would be easier to find. Still, we need our renown. And some experience.

Rummaging around the fort, I find it depressingly tidy and devoid of anything actually useful. I do, however, find a stack of 25 arrows. This is critical, because I haven't found any rock to use the Knapper skill on.

Before I leave the fortress, I spend a little time playing darts.


Using bows to train Archery is too mainstream.

With Legendary Thrower and Archer, Nemen can turn anything into a deadly hail of death. This is far better than trying to actually engage some things in melee combat, especially when 'some things' means 'horse-sized armored spiders' and 'anything with an actual weapon holy shit we have no armor still'.


If these guys live I'm going to have to start naming them for people in the thread.

I've gathered a small army. Civilization leader quests aren't as easy as the peasant ones, and even those were dangerous to us in our poor state of skills and equipment. These brave men and women shall die on the front lines for me, while I hurl bolts across the room.

Assuming our upcoming battle has any line of sight to use.


Ha ha, of course it won't!

Damn it.

Biteholes, the dungeon under Greatblown, is a maze of twisty passages, all alike. The entire area shows that we're at where we need to be to kill our target, so navigation basically relies on wandering randomly and hoping you get lucky.

As Nemen strolls through the corridors, picking up random gems, we start encountering some nonhuman resistance. Goblins, elves, and dwarves, well-armed, wander the halls. It is clear why the Lady wanted these things exterminated - there must be some sort of anti-human resistance force developing underneath the town.

Too bad my whole group's human.

I actually run into the dwarf we're supposed to kill, a Legendary Marksdwarf, very quickly - and miss screenshotting it. He's got a lot of followers, and they don't mess around.


Loss of skull tendons claims thousands of lives every day in Dwarf Fortress.

I fall back to my plan. Letting my hordes rush the doorway towards the foe, I simply throw arrow after arrow into the fray, ripping through foes. I can't aim for body parts, but that doesn't stop them shredding nerves and tendons even when they hit non-critical areas. Legendary Throwers, at this range, don't miss.

Pretty soon, both our ammunition supplies are expended. This is bigger problem for him than it is for me.


The sword was a 'gift' from the floor of a Fortress.

Triumphant, with several of my followers dead but 100% of Nemens in the area still alive, I return to the fortress at Greatblown itself to report my success. After this, no doubt the whole world will follow me to Martyrtomb!


This is getting exponentially more serious.

Uh, alright Mr. Lord. I'll get right on that one.

Later.

Like, after Martrytomb entirely.