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v0.31:About
Dwarf Fortress is a single-player fantasy game by Bay 12 Games. You can control a Template:L or an Template:L in a randomly generated, persistent Template:L.
Dwarf Fortress is completely free. The developer does appreciate donations though. He states: "As of June 2007, donations are the only money I receive from month to month and are therefore deeply appreciated!"
See some sample screenshots.
Difficulty
The game has a very steep learning curve, partly due to its ASCII graphics, but also due to the fact that it is one of the most complex games ever released. That said, the curve can be overcome with time, documentation from this wiki, and help from people on the forums.
Gameplay
Dwarf Fortress has two major game modes and a third non-game mode:
- Template:L: In this mode you manage a number of Template:L whose task is to create and defend a Template:L.
- Template:L: In this mode you explore the world in a fashion similar to Rogue, NetHack, or Angband, completing quests and killing monsters. In adventure mode you can uncover details about your world's Template:L.
- Template:L: Allows you to read more about the Template:L of your world.
An important part of Dwarf Fortress is that it creates a randomly generated, persistent Template:L for you to play in. (The world is only "on" when you are actually playing in it, however.)
When you die in either the Template:L or Template:L modes, your next game will be in the same world, albeit a few days later. You can visit your old fortress, or get revenge on the monster that killed your adventurer. If your fortress or your adventurer had done anything of particular note, there's a chance that the game will generate a legend for them, which you can read about in the legends section.
History
The first alpha version of Dwarf Fortress was released on the 8th of August 2006 after nearly 4 years of development (which began in October of 2002).
Note that while Dwarf Fortress is technically still in the alpha stage of development, it is fully playable, and definitely enjoyable.
If you are interested in the history of the development of the game you can look at the development log.