Editing v0.34:About

{{av}}
[[Image:DFLogo.PNG|right|300px]]
'''[http://bay12games.com/dwarves/features.html Dwarf Fortress]''' is a single-player fantasy game by [http://bay12games.com Bay 12 Games]. You can control a [[Dwarf fortress mode|dwarven outpost]] or an [[Adventurer mode|adventurer]] in a randomly generated, persistent [[World generation|world]].

'''Dwarf Fortress is completely free.''' The developer does appreciate '''[http://bay12games.com/support.html donations]'''. 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 [http://bay12games.com/dwarves/screens.html screenshots].

'''[[Installation|Download and Installation]] will help get you started.'''

= Difficulty =
[[File:curses-tileset-screenshot.png|right|thumb|300px|Default tileset.]]
[[File:DFG13.png|right|thumb|300px|Graphics set example.]]
The game has a very steep learning curve, partly due to its CP437 graphics (code page 437, the character set of the original IBM PC), 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, help from people on the [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/ forums], and plenty of [[Alcohol|Beer]].

[[Graphics set repository|Graphics sets]] are available which make the graphics more intuitive.

= Gameplay =
Dwarf Fortress has two major game modes and a third non-game mode:
* [[Dwarf fortress mode|Dwarf Fortress Mode]]: In this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Construction_and_management_simulation construction and management simulation] mode you manage a number of [[dwarves]] whose task is to create and defend a [[dwarf fortress mode|fortress]].
* [[Adventure mode|Adventure Mode]]: In this mode you explore the world in a fashion similar to Rogue, NetHack, or Angband, completing quests and killing monsters in an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_world open world].
* [[Legends]]: Allows you to read more about the [[legends]] of your world.

An important part of Dwarf Fortress is that it creates a randomly generated, persistent [[World generation|world]] for you to play in. (The world is only "on" when you are actually playing in it, however.)

When you die in either the [[Adventurer mode|adventure]] or [[Dwarf fortress mode|fortress]] 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.

There are some historical milestone [[Version number|versions]] of DF which you might hear of and wonder about:

*'''0.23.130.23a''', the final "2D" version, most often recognized for being the origin of the legendary saga of [[Main:Boatmurdered|Boatmurdered]] (which actually began in version 0.22.110.22f, predating the addition of [[dye]]s and proper [[temperature]] handling, but switched to newer versions as they were released). It was very different from the current version - for example, fortress mode had no [[z-axis]] and did not permit diagonal movement ([[adventurer mode]] supported both of these), and as you dug deeper into the mountain (always to the right) you always encountered an [[23a:cave river|underground river]], a [[23a:chasm|chasm]], a [[23a:magma flow|magma river]], [[23a:eerie glowing pit|hidden fun stuff]], and finally [[23a:raw adamantine|Adamantine]]. The critters were also very mean back then, especially [[elephant]]s.
*'''0.28.181.40d''', most often referred to as "40d" (which only indicated the number of "bloat" elements implemented and the number of bugfix builds), was current up to April 2010. It didn't have guaranteed magma, had much less interesting underground stuff, the military was much simpler. 0.31 took a long time, so a lot of people are familiar with 40d and there's much wiki-text written on it.
*'''0.31.25''' introduced the concept of burrows, an immensely revamped military and healthcare system, the cavern layers as well as a significant number of new animals.
*'''0.34.11''' is the current version. This version encompasses the Caravan arc and introduced vampires and werewolves into fortress mode as well as necromancers, undead sieges and evil weather.

If you are interested in learning more about the history of the development of the game you can look at [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev.html the development log].

{{Getting Started}}
[[Category:FAQ]]