Difference between revisions of "Bay 12 Forums"

Revision as of 04:39, 26 July 2013

xTATTEREDx · +FINE+ · *SUPERIOR* · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡ · ☼MASTERWORK☼

The Bay 12 Games Forums are the main hub of fan-based activity and discussion surrounding the game. Users can ask questions about game play, exchange stories of their exploits, advertise their own contributions (mods, tools, pregenerated worlds), make suggestions for improvements, or discuss the game in a more general fashion. Toady One is known to read the forums and occasionally respond to posts when he sees fit. In the past bugs were also reported here, but they have since been moved into the domain of the Bug Tracker, although workarounds and such are still discussed on the wiki.

Subforums

Bay 12 Games

Announcements: This is where Toady One posts general announcements, mostly the Bay 12 Games Report, a monthly report on the status of the game's development. It is read-only.

Dwarf Fortress

DF Announcements: This is where announcements on Dwarf Fortress specifically are made, usually specifying new release. As a matter of procedure, the most recent announcement thread is open to fans, but the rest are locked.
DF Bug Reports: This used to be where bugs were reported, before the Bug Tracker was created. New threads cannot be created, but old ones are still live, and occasional necromancy is common.
DF Suggestions: Where suggestions on the game are made, and players can freely discuss ways of how the game could be improved. Any suggestions are welcome, ranging from minor changes to the display up to major additions like magic systems. While Toady One is known to visit this forum, non-trivial suggestions are very rarely implemented into the game. Vote counting will not win him over either.
DF Gameplay Questions: This is the place where you can go if you encounter something you do not understand, which neither looks like a bug nor is explained sufficiently in the wiki. Questions about specific game mechanisms are common, but people also often ask for advice about how to implement certain ideas or features here. Topics range in complexity from "how do I start a farm?" to "is it possible to use perpetual motion to your advantage outside of power generation?"
DF Wiki Discussion: A subforum of the above, this is where the wiki (you're looking at it) is discussed. Grounds for discussion is rather more niche than the other forums, so activity is low, but the wiki admins and contributors do watch it.
DF Dwarf Mode Discussion is especially dedicated to discussions about dwarf fortress mode. This forum usually contains discussions about either ideas for ways to play in fortress mode or experiences with fortress mode. The content therein ranges from anecdotal to inspirational - it is a place of humor, revelry, fun, and occasional !!SCIENCE!! alike.
DF Adventure Mode Discussion is the counterpart to the previously described forum. It is dedicated to discussions about adventurer mode. Like its fortress mode counterpart, this forum ranges from ideas to anecdotes as people describe both their experiences as well as their ideas for adventurer mode playing.
DF Community Games & Stories, dedicated to discussions about community games and stories. In this forum, fans can advertise their community games, succession games, and the like and also handle the actually post exchange that is required for organizing such events. And they also exchange the stories of what happens in the game. Please note that, like the other forums, this forum does not offer upload facilities.
DF Modding is dedicated to discussions about modding. Fans use it to advertise their mods, exchange experiences with the modding process, and also ask and answer questions about how to mod the game successfully. It has multiple subforums as well.
DF General Discussion is the catch for all forum for dwarf fortress. Any discussions that do not fit nicely in any of the other DF forums go here. Topics here range from random ranting only losely related to the game, over dwarf fortress' public image, fanart exchanges, general thoughts on the game, Toady One, and the developments surrounding both. A noteworthy special feature is the Future of the Fortress threads started by Toady One as a community Q&A meant to discuss future development. This is the main source of dev news, alongside the dev notes.

Other Projects

Slaves to Armok: God of Blood is the very first forum from the site and is dedicated to discussions concerning the predecessor of dwarf fortress. It was locked in 2010, but looking through it you can find some 2001-era Toady One commentary.
Curses is dedicated to discussions about other ASCII based games by Bay 12 Games.
Other Games: Ever wish you could discuss your thoughts on games with probably the most eclectic gaming community of them all? Well, now you can!
Play With Your Buddies: Just what it sounds like, LPs and the like. Subforum of Other Games.

Finally

Creative Projects: Visual arts, music, writing, and anything else you are working on that you'd like to share.
General Discussion: Discussions, commentary, reviews, news, friendly debates. All thoughts welcome.
Life Advice: Please do not solicit medical or legal advice from the Internet.
Forum Games and Roleplaying: You can participate in the only multiplayer games B12 is likely to have anything to do with here. Feel free to start one of your own. Has Roll to Dodge and Mafia sub-boards.

Rules and suggestions

The forum rules have been more or less laid out in this thread.

Some suggestions:

Use the Search Function

The forums offer a search function (look in the upper right corner). The forums see a lot of activity day by day and thus chances are great that someone already asked the same question before or made a similar suggestion previously.

Please note that the search function offers searching a single forum or all forums, defaulting to the forum from where you visited the search function. There may be cases where people posted in an unexpected forum, so you might wish to search in all forums the issue you wish to discuss might fit in (for instance, questions about how to create certain structures in fortress mode could fit both in the DF Gameplay Questions or the DF Dwarf Mode Discussions subforums.

Support Existing Threads

Instead of starting new threads, consider participating in threads already dealing with the issue. This is especially an important issue for suggestions as some of the obvious ones tend to resurface regularly.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Colored Notice Box|#FF0000|This section has not been completely checked for accuracy since the old forums. Some information may be out of date.}}
+{{quality|Exceptional|04:39, 26 July 2013 (UTC)}}
-Link to Forum home page: [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/ '''Bay 12 Games'''/Forum]
+The '''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php Bay 12 Games Forums]''' are the main hub of fan-based activity and discussion surrounding the game.  Users can ask questions about game play, exchange stories of their exploits, advertise their own contributions (mods, tools, pregenerated worlds), make suggestions for improvements, or discuss the game in a more general fashion. [[Toady One]] is known to read the forums and occasionally respond to posts when he sees fit. In the past [[bugs]] were also reported here, but they have since been moved into the domain of the [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/my_view_page.php Bug Tracker], although workarounds and such are still discussed on the wiki.
-The official Bay 12 Games Forums are the major hub of fan-based activity and discussion surrounding the game.  Users can ask questions about game play, exchange stories of their exploits, advertise their own contributions (mods, tools, pregenerated worlds), make suggestions (which <b>might</b> inspire [[Toady One]] but have no binding nature), or discuss the game in a general fashion.  [[Toady One]] is known to read the forums and respond to posts when he sees fit, but there is no guarantee for such a response nor any rights to it.  One important function offered, which does regularly involve [[Toady One]], is the possibility to report [[bugs|Bug]].  But, usually, activity on the forums is between fans only.
+== Subforums ==
+=== Bay 12 Games ===
+*'''[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=8.0 Announcements]''': This is where Toady One posts general announcements, mostly the Bay 12 Games Report, a monthly report on the status of the game's development. It is read-only.
-==Rules==
+=== Dwarf Fortress ===
+*'''[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=10.0 DF Announcements]''': This is where announcements on Dwarf Fortress specifically are made, usually specifying new release. As a matter of procedure, the most recent announcement thread is open to fans, but the rest are locked.
-Contrary to popular myth, there are rules and laws on the internet, just as everywhere else in the world.
+*'''[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=6.0 DF Bug Reports]''': This used to be where bugs were reported, before the [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/my_view_page.php Bug Tracker] was created. New threads cannot be created, but old ones are still live, and occasional necromancy is common.
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=5.0 DF Suggestions]''': Where suggestions on the game are made, and players can freely discuss ways of how the game could be improved. Any suggestions are welcome, ranging from minor changes to the display up to major additions like magic systems. While [[Toady One]] is known to visit this forum, non-trivial suggestions are very rarely implemented into the game. Vote counting will not win him over either.
-While [[Toady One]] is very lenient in policing the forums, there are still rules of conduct you should try to abide by.
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=7.0 DF Gameplay Questions]''': This is the place where you can go if you encounter something you do not understand, which neither looks like a [[bug]] nor is explained sufficiently in the wiki. Questions about specific game mechanisms are common, but people also often ask for advice about how to implement certain ideas or features here. Topics range in complexity from "how do I start a farm?" to "is it possible to use perpetual motion to your advantage outside of power generation?"
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=22.0 DF Wiki Discussion]''': A subforum of the above, this is where the wiki (you're looking at it) is discussed. Grounds for discussion is rather more niche than the other forums, so activity is low, but the wiki admins and contributors do watch it.
-====Check the Wiki====
+*'''[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=11.0 DF Dwarf Mode Discussion]''' is especially dedicated to discussions about [[dwarf fortress mode]]. This forum usually contains discussions about either ideas for ways to play in [[fortress mode]] or experiences with [[fortress mode]]. The content therein ranges from anecdotal to inspirational - it is a place of humor, revelry, fun, and occasional !!SCIENCE!! alike.
+*'''[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=12.0 DF Adventure Mode Discussion]''' is the counterpart to the previously described forum. It is dedicated to discussions about [[adventurer mode]]. Like its [[fortress mode]] counterpart, this forum ranges from ideas to anecdotes as people describe both their experiences as well as their ideas for [[adventurer mode]] playing.
-Before posting any questions, please try to find the answer to the question in the wiki. The wiki does offer a lot of information not found in the included help and thus is a useful resource.
+*'''[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=14.0 DF Community Games & Stories]''',  dedicated to discussions about community games and stories. In this forum, fans can advertise their community games, succession games, and the like and also handle the actually post exchange that is required for organizing such events. And they also exchange the stories of what happens in the game. Please note that, like the other forums, this forum does not offer upload facilities.
+*'''[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=13.0 DF Modding]''' is dedicated to discussions about [[modding]]. Fans use it to advertise their mods, exchange experiences with the modding process, and also ask and answer questions about how to mod the game successfully. It has multiple subforums as well.
-The wiki is created by the fans and as such not perfect. Besides searching for the first term that comes to mind, you should also try searching for related terms. Sometimes, features are listed only within articles about some of their constituents.
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=2.0 DF General Discussion]''' is the catch for all forum for dwarf fortress. Any discussions that do not fit nicely in any of the other DF forums go here. Topics here range from random ranting only losely related to the game, over dwarf fortress' public image, fanart exchanges, general thoughts on the game, [[Toady One]], and the developments surrounding both. A noteworthy special feature is the <b>Future of the Fortress</b> threads started by [[Toady One]] as a community Q&A meant to discuss future development. This is the main source of dev news, alongside the dev notes.
-====Check the Development Page====
-[[Toady One]] also maintains a detailed [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev.html development page]. Besides listing the current developments, it also lists reported bugs as well as long-term plans and ideas [[Toady One]] wishes to implement eventually.
+=== Other Projects ===
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=1.0 Slaves to Armok: God of Blood]''' is the very first forum from the site and is dedicated to discussions concerning the predecessor of dwarf fortress. It was locked in 2010, but looking through it you can find some 2001-era Toady One commentary.
+*'''[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=3.0 Curses]''' is dedicated to discussions about other ASCII based games by Bay 12 Games.
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=4.0 Other Games]''': Ever wish you could discuss your thoughts on games with probably the most eclectic gaming community of them all? Well, now you can!
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=21.0 Play With Your Buddies]''': Just what it sounds like, LPs and the like. Subforum of Other Games.
-Regardless of whether you are planning to report a bug, ask a question about a really unexpected behavior of the game, or have a good idea for new game features, this page can save you a lot of time as it keeps you from repeating what is already known.
+=== Finally ===
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=16.0 Creative Projects]''': Visual arts, music, writing, and anything else you are working on that you'd like to share.
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=17.0 General Discussion]''': Discussions, commentary, reviews, news, friendly debates. All thoughts welcome.
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=18.0 Life Advice]''': Please do not solicit medical or legal advice from the Internet.
+*'''[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=15.0 Forum Games and Roleplaying]''': You can participate in the only multiplayer games B12 is likely to have anything to do with here. Feel free to start one of your own. Has Roll to Dodge and Mafia sub-boards.
-The development page is actually divided into several parts for easier theme based searching. If you are not sure where to look concerning an issue, there is also the [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev_single.html consolidated development page] which tries to summarize all the other pages. This can be used together with your browser's search feature to find things quickly.
+== Rules and suggestions ==
+The forum rules have been more or less {{f|38443.msg642398#msg642398|laid out}} in this thread.
-====Use the Search Function====
+Some suggestions:
+;Use the Search Function
 The forums offer a search function (look in the upper right corner). The forums see a lot of activity day by day and thus chances are great that someone already asked the same question before or made a similar suggestion previously.
 Please note that the search function offers searching a single forum or all forums, defaulting to the forum  from where you visited the search function. There may be cases where people posted in an unexpected forum, so you might wish to search in all forums the issue you wish to discuss might fit in (for instance, questions about how to create certain structures in fortress mode could fit both in the <i>DF Gameplay Questions</i>  or the <i>DF Dwarf Mode Discussions</i> subforums.
-====Support Existing Threads====
+;Support Existing Threads
 Instead of starting new threads, consider participating in threads already dealing with the issue. This is especially an important issue for suggestions as some of the obvious ones tend to resurface regularly.
-=== Important threads ===
-The following are threads which are considered useful for handling specific discussions.
-==== Threads to Read ====
-* [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/eternal_voting.php DF Eternal Suggestion Voting] - Not strictly a thread (though [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=24818.0 there is one associated with it]) - this is essentially the most recent (and dynamic) incarnation of the master list of popular suggestions - very useful as an index to find the thread for that suggestion that, no, you're ''not'' the first to think of.
-''need more...''
-==== Threads to Watch ====
-* [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=21498.645 The NEW Future of the Fortress] - [[Toady One]] answers questions about new/planned features (don't forget to read the [[dev logs]].
-''need more...''
-==== Historical perspective ====
-This is the list as it was when this page was created in April. Some links are broken due to the forum move and inability to find the thread again, and all of them are somewhat old.
-* [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=4479 The BIGGEST gameplay problems with DF] - This thread has seen a major discussion about what people consider major obstacles for full enjoyment of the game. As such, it also includes ideas for solutions. Last active in September.
-* [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=24622.0 Creating a magic system?] - This is one of the major discussions about the possible implementation of magic in Dwarf Fortress. The topic is active at the moment. (12.15.2008)
-* [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=3192 Magic: By dwarfs for dwarfs] - This is one of the major discussions about possible dwarven magic. Last active in June.
-* [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=4617.0 Occam's Razor: Dwarven Magic] - Another discussion about dwarven magic. Last active in March.
-* [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=4731.0 Occam's Razor: Elven Magic] - Despite the title, the discussion is not limited to elven magic. Last active in March.
-* Top 3 Suggestions - This is a list of the most common/preffered suggestions, add your favourites. If what you planned to post is listed here then don't make a new thread. Could not locate a thread by this name.
-* Multiplayer Mod - Multiplayer is NOT being implemented in the forseeable future and therefore if you wish to discuss the problem it goes in the modding forum. Could not locate a thread by this name
-* Stone "problem" - A lot of people have problems with the clutter of stone in a fortress and suggestions for ways of dealing with it. Search the suggestions forum for topics with the word 'stone' in the subject for another 50 examples. Could not locate a thread by this name
-==Location==
-The official Bay 12 Games Forums can be found [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php here].
-==Subforums==
-The official Bay 12 Games Forums consist of several subforums, most, but not all of which are concerned with Dwarf Fortress.
-===Announcements===
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=8.0 forum] is a place where [[Toady One]] provides general announcements about Bay 12 Games. It does not offer any interactivity for fans.
-=== Dwarf Fortress ===
-====DF Announcements====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=10.0 forum] is dedicated to announcements about Dwarf Fortress only. Besides the official statements by [[Toady One]], the threads here regularly see comments by fans, ranging from crash bug reports up to comments and praise about what has been announced (usually new release versions).
-====DF Bug Reports====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=6.0 forum] has a special role within the forums. This is the place where you should initially post bug reports. If the [[bug]] is already [[bug|known]], other fans may inform you about this. Likewise, if it is not a [[bug]] but a misunderstanding, it is likely to be resolved with the help of senior fans. If it is indeed a hitherto unknown [[bug]], [[Toady One]] himself may respond in your thread and most likely ask for necessary details or even a save file so he can check and eventually fix the [[bug]].
-====DF Suggestions====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=5.0 forum] is the place where fans can freely discuss ways of how the game could be improved. Any suggestions are welcome, ranging from minor changes to the display up to major additions like magic systems.
-While [[Toady One]] is known to visit this forum, these suggestions have no special status for him. If he likes an idea, he might implement it, but if not, the idea is not implemented. Because of this non-binding nature, <b>vote counting</b> (which is also not automatically supported by the forums which are lacking a poll feature) is <b>meaningless</b> and [[Toady One]] himself has recommended to refrain from using unqualified support posts (in other words, if you do like or dislike a suggestion, you should also state why you feel that way).
-Please keep in mind that [[Toady One]] is providing all of this voluntarily. You may try to outline what you consider a good idea and try to make it look appealing, but there are no obligations on [[Toady One]]'s part. Threatening or trying to blackmail [[Toady One]] is therefore meaningless.
-====DF Gameplay Questions====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=7.0 forum] is the place where you can go if you encounter something you do not understand, which neither looks like a [[bug]] nor is explained sufficiently in the wiki.
-Questions about specific game mechanisms are common, but people also often ask for advice about how to implement certain ideas or features there.
-====DF Dwarf Mode Discussion====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=11.0 forum] is especially dedicated to discussions about [[dwarf fortress mode]].
-This forum usually contains discussions about either ideas for ways to play in [[fortress mode]] or experiences with [[fortress mode]]. The content therefore ranges from anecdotal to inspirational.
-====DF Adventure Mode Discussion====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=12.0 forum] is the counterpart to the previously described forum. It is dedicated to discussions about [[adventurer mode]].
-Like its [[fortress mode]] counterpart, this forum ranges from ideas to anecdotes as people describe both their experiences as well as their ideas for [[adventurer mode]] playing.
-====DF Community Games & Stories====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=14.0 forum] is the youngest of the forums and dedicated to discussions about community games and stories.
-In this forum, fans can advertise their community games, succession games, and the like and also handle the actually post exchange that is required for organizing such events. And they also exchange the stories of what happens in the game. Please note that, like the other forums, this forum does not offer upload facilities.
-====DF Modding====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=13.0 forum] is dedicated to discussions about [[modding]].
-Fans use it to advertise their mods, exchange experiences with the modding process, and also ask and answer questions about how to mod the game successfully.
-====DF General Discussion====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=2.0 forum] is the catch for all forum for dwarf fortress. Any discussions that do not fit nicely in any of the other DF forums go here.
-Topics here range from random ranting only losely related to the game, over dwarf fortress' public image, fanart exchanges, general thoughts on the game, [[Toady One]], and the developments surrounding both.
-A noteworthy special feature are the <i>Future of the Fortress</i> threads started by [[Toady One]] himself to discuss the development. This feature is noteworthy since its content somewhat overlaps with the DF Announcement forum and the suggestion forum.
-===Other Projects===
-====Slaves to Armok: God of Blood====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=1.0 forum] is dedicated to discussions concerning the predecessor of dwarf fortress.
-====Curses====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=3.0 forum] is dedicated to discussions about other ASCII based games by Bay 12 Games.
-====Other Games====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=4.0 forum] is dedicated to discussions about non-ASCII games by Bay 12 Games as well as gaming in general.
-===Finally...===
-====Various Nonsense====
-This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=9.0 forum] is dedicated to meaningless and general banter. People discuss politics, their pen names, riddles, and heaven knows what else there.
-====Forum Games and Roleplaying====
-[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=15.0 Exactly what it says on the tin.]
 [[Category:Guides]]