Hi again!

We released the last standalone Classic DF patch at the end of February, and therefore: the code work on DF Premium (AKA the Steam version) is underway! The artists have sent me their work to this point, and now my first job is to get them a test version they can use to improve existing tiles and add new ones.

Since Dwarf Fortress's display to this point has just been a uniform grid, the initial step was to rework the innards so that we can display multiple tile grids of different sizes or whatever else we need. This is done now. Next I'm implementing the first pass list of the hundreds of identifiers the artists will be using to plug their work into the game.

There won't be anything new to show for a while still, but it was exciting to see the larger graphical grid displaying some grass and stone underneath the existing menus, rather than by itself as in the trailer. Like, welcome to 1987 or something, I know, ha ha, but this is going to be pretty cool. There's always some iffiness in dealing with technical hurdles, rather than the more straightforward work of updating existing content, so this is good from the standpoint of removing uncertainties as well.

- Tarn


Hi!

So I've been posting lil' peeks at the new sprites in DF Premium via Twitter, but might as well share them here too, right? Place your votes on the most deadly DF hump, heh.


From the Wiki.

Cheers,
Victoria

Hello!

Soon we'll be done patching the last major standalone Classic DF release. Fixed some oldies, like an ancient bug causing dwarves to teleport through walls when they are charged by an opponent and tumble backward in a certain way, and some new ones. For instance, the new necromancer experiments can sometimes escape from the tower and try to eek out a life in a village, and this sometimes means they can migrate to your fortress, as visitors or potential citizens. That's all fine, but they still casually ripped out doors and broke furniture. This is now fixed, ha ha.

March is here, and with that, the code work on Premium DF kicks into full swing. It'll be an interesting change of pace, to say the least, and it'll be cool to see all the artwork Mayday and Meph have been working on come to life.

- Tarn

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This update was originally going to be posted a week ago, but we were at PAX East! Sorry about the lateness. :)

It was nice to see some of you in person! The floor was packed with people, and it's always refreshing to be able to talk to fans of the game in real life. We only had the trailer of DF showing but even then... y'all are excited!

- Victoria

Hi again!

We've been keeping up the bug fixes as the last standalone Classic DF release stabilizes. Now-corrected highlights include the game getting confused about who owned the tomb after a mummy came back from the dead, leading to the mummy's zombies sieging themselves, and two dwarven spies diligently maintaining their enemy cover identities even when they came to live in the player's fort, confusing the local soldiers and starting civil wars. And lots of more mundane fixes.

It has been an adventure steering this fairly massive ongoing project from the villain work toward the Premium DF work since the Steam announcement last year. We should be ready to fully switch gears and work on Premium DF around the change of the month. Fewer news items about odd quirks and strange features, and more about graphics and user experience, but I imagine we'll still see some strange things happen, ha ha. They'll just be shinier now.

Scamps, my cat, turned 11 this week! (Picture included.) I have to revert most of his code additions, but he's always kept up his confidence and continues to try his best on the keyboard nearly every day.

- Tarn

Hello!

Yesterday we put up the last major solo release of Classic DF! There'll be some bug fixing now (which applies to all versions, including the future Steam release), and then we'll be pivoting entirely to Premium DF graphical work, which should be pretty exciting.

So far, the bugs don't look so bad... we did change the mount code, and apparently babies carried by their mothers (who are treated as 'riders') now control their mothers' actions with their random crawling AI, making the mothers wander aimlessly. It's straightforward to fix, but another odd tale for the DF chronicles. A mercenary company was hired to attack its own fort... a world history crash... it all seems manageable. We also need to fix an old raid crash, something to do with equipment settings. Once the worst is handled, the next era of DF can begin in earnest.

- Tarn

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Don't forget to sign up for the DF newsletter! Once work on Premium DF starts, I'll be sending emails out there so you get these updates right in your inbox. :) Or, of course, find us on Twitter and the like.

- Victoria (manavee)

Hello again, and welcome to 2020!

We're still on track for January to be the month where the update to Classic DF is released. (Remember, the Steam version of DF is called Premium DF.) I've been cleaning things up and adding the last few features. For instance, dwarves in craft guilds can now hold skill demonstrations, and priests can give various types of sermons and console worshippers that are stressed out. Player adventurers can also give sermons if they choose.

Once that release is up, and we've handled whatever issues arise, the code work on a Premium DF will begin. I imagine that'll change the nature of these news posts a bit! The first order of business will likely be getting the artists fully up and running with the ability to see more of their work in play. I have to rework most of the guts of the display, so it'll take some time before we have new screenshots together. We'll be doing that before moving on to the broader interface updates and quality-of-life changes.

This should be an exciting year! I'm looking forward to seeing it all come together.

- Tarn

Happy Holidays everybody!

Holidays have been hectic and enjoyable as usual, and there's not much specific to report, as the days where work does happen are more for testing and administrative stuff. However, we can say now that the final pre-Steam Classic DF release will be in January. After any fires are put out, my full-time Steam programming work to catch up with the artists will finally begin.

I hope all of you have a great New Year's!

- Tarn


Hey everyone!

Nothing much to report on our end either, but thanks for all the support and excitement this year. :) Can you believe we only announced the Steam version this year? Thanks for being a part of the community! Hope your 2020 goes well, and remember that wishlisting Dwarf Fortress on Steam helps us out a lot in the backend. Otherwise, we'll see you next year here (or Twitter/the newsletter!)

Cheers,

Victoria