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Utility:Lazy Newb Pack
| This utility page is about v0.47.05, an older version of DF. |
The Lazy Newb Pack was a pre-configured package for Windows containing Dwarf Fortress, a launcher program, and a small collection of graphics packs and utilities. While the original has been discontinued, it has been replaced by similar packs for all three platforms supported by DF (Windows, OS X, and Linux). These can be found at http://lazynewbpack.com or further down this page.
The current packs are ideal for new players, or anyone who doesn't want to find, configure, install, and update everything for themselves.
General information
These new packs generally include all the utilities that a veteran player might want on a new computer, while configuring everything in such a way that it is still easier for new players. In general, it's safe to simply ignore any option you don't understand and trust that the default settings will be OK.
The packages are built around the idea that newbies will likely have more difficulty with the game than with a package of utilities - which often make the game easier - and that there are many players who are not new but would still prefer an option to get all the extras in one place with a minimum of fiddling. Most include just about everything that still works and could be useful.
It is also worth noting that most of the contents of each pack were created by the community and just collected, configured, and redistributed by the maintainer of each pack. Of course there are a few personal touches too, but the vast majority of each is thanks to others - not least Toady for Dwarf Fortress itself.
Current Packs
All of these packs use the PyLNP launcher, maintained by Pidgeot. (Note that "PyLNP" and "LNP" are not interchangeable - the former refers to the launcher itself, while the latter refers to a pack as a whole.)
Linux: Enay's Unofficial Lazy Newb Pack
This package by Enay is a traditional package of compiled utilities, actively maintained and tested on Debian Jessie (64bit). It should work out-of-the-box with Debian-derived (Ubuntu, Mint, etc.) distributions, but support or continuing updates are not guaranteed.
Mac OS X: MacNewbie Reborn
This pack is an updated version of the old MacNewbie Cyan pack, maintained by Fricy.
(Unofficial update for Dwarf Fortress v0.42.06)
Windows: PeridexisErrant's DF Starter Pack
This pack is maintained by PeridexisErrant, and aims to include everything - while ensuring that ignoring any option still works for new players. Contents and a changelog are listed on the forum thread (linked above).
Lazy Mac Pack
A Lazy Newb Pack for Mac with lots of graphics packs but with not so many utilities.
Old, Retired, and Obsolete Packs
This section is provided for information, and should not be interpreted as a recommendation for these packs. It may however be interesting to look back at how the LNP/Starter Pack movement evolved.
The original GUI / Launcher
A key component of the LNP is a launcher, which allows easy configuration of the DF install, launches utilities, and generally means that you can simply click a button instead of having to edit configuration files by hand. The original launcher was windows-only, being coded in Visual Basic, and for several years meant that the LNP was only available for Windows computers. In 2012 Dricus created a Java-based launcher, which was cross platform and more flexible - but also required manual configuration and it was never finished. Mac and Linux packs were available based on this version. As of mid-2014, both have been replaced by the PyLNP launcher (Python) on all platforms.
The First LNP
The first Lazy Newb Pack was created in 2010. It was a Windows-only package containing Dwarf Fortress, a launcher program, and a small collection of graphics packs and utilities; it was officially discontinued in November 2013 since it had not been updated in over a year.
Beautato's Linux Lazy Newb Pack
This package by Beautato is a more traditional package of compiled utilities, actively maintained and tested on Ubuntu. It should work out-of-the-box with Debian-derived (Ubuntu, Mint, etc.) distributions, and contains workarounds for common issues on other distros (for example, zlib/libpng issues such as the "tileset not found" error).
Lazy Newb Pack Installer for Linux (outdated)
Created by Andrewd18, the Linux installer is a shell script that installs the Dwarf Fortress Lazy Newb Pack. It downloads and builds a DF installation from available source code and binaries, and also checks for the dependencies required by 64-bit systems. The home of this pack is on Github. Unfortunately, it is unmaintained since June 2014. If Beautato's or Enay's packs don't work on your platform it may be worth trying it anyway.