Hello Urists!

Alexandra here with a post-Adventure Mode beta launch update. We hope you’re enjoying all the mischief and mayhem that the beta has to offer. Some of the stories you’ve been sharing have been hilarious and thought-provoking to say the least. This story about stealing a shield gone wrong made me laugh a lot.


A big thank you to everyone who has been submitting bug reports to the tracker. The team already patched early this morning with some fixes:

• Fixed region map scrolling crash
  
• Crash fix related to multithreading

In the beta, as you may have noticed, you can create a party in character generation, visit your old forts, retire, unretire, get NPC companions, take quests, fight monsters with the various melee/wrestling/ranged options, set fires, tell stories, and travel the world. Portraits are available for dwarves, humans, elves, goblins, kobolds (minus some clothing variations), animal people (no items), and necromancer experiments (no items). These portraits are in both modes on the beta branch.

These are the features and improvements we have planned for Adventure Mode, as listed by Tarn in his devlog yesterday. We plan on keeping the beta branch up till the full launch on the main branch so you’ll be able to continue to play as features get added.

Even just the first few items on the (non-exhaustive) list below might take a few weeks so you can expect the beta to last quite a bit longer than that, which unfortunately means the launch won’t be extremely soon, despite what we thought and said previously. We promise we’re looking at how to be as efficient as we can. We don’t yet have a target date for the full adventure mode launch, but you’ll know as soon as we do, and keep updating regularly.

Planned improvements, though not sure in what order they'll be attacked exactly yet:

• Quest log / information screen
  
• Butchering and crafting
  
• Ability use, from necromancy to pet animal to spit
  
• Composing
  
• Motion/attack indicators
  
• Building interactions (levers, doors, etc.)
  
• Wrestle button
  
• Stealth vision arcs
  
• Better UI for stuff like going through hatches over ramps
  
• Some other info like movement speed / encumbrance
  
• Tracking / odor / weather / light / time etc. information
  
• Some travel map stuff like visible armies and zooming and highlights
  
• Minimap / map memory
  
• Trading and bartering (and the town shops being generally a mess)
  
• Assuming false identities
  
• Full personality customization in chargen
  
• Graphics and audio that didn't make it in for the initial beta release
  
• Get Classic conversions for the new buttons etc.
  
• The new stuff: chosen mode with deities, town improvements, dungeon improvements, healing options, and so forth

As we’ve said before, cabin building is a larger interface project, so that'll have to wait until after the rest of Adventure Mode is launched. We might also shift some of these improvements to be post-Adventure Mode launch, depending on how things look as we go. We’ll keep you updated.


Also, after a bit of a hiccup on the backend, the Adventure Mode soundtrack is now available on Steam. You can even get a 10% discount on it and the other OST, if you already own the base game.

Check it out!

That’s all for now! We really appreciate all the support and kind words as we continue our own adventure (of development!)

-Alexandra + Tanya + Bay12

It’s time to venture outside your fortress!

The beta for Adventure Mode is now live on Steam. Create a character and freely roam the rich simulated world you have made a home in during your Fortress Mode save or start fresh in a newly generated world.



If you already own Dwarf Fortress on Steam, you will be able to play the beta. To access the beta, right click Dwarf Fortress in your Steam library -> Properties -> Betas -> dropdown list and select "beta - Public beta branch”. No password needed. Steam should automatically begin downloading the beta!





There’s also the whole new original soundtrack out now, with an hour of music from good old Dabu and Simon Swerwer, together again. You can even get a 10% discount on it and the other OST, if you already own the base game. The soundtrack is also available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Youtube and Apple Music!

Note that although you will hear versions of these songs in the game, the dynamic music system Adventure Mode uses means that the OST is the only way to reliably hear these exact compositions, as ‘baked’ by the composers.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2937200/Dwarf_Fortress_Soundtrack_2_Adventure

Keep in mind this is very much a beta and still in active development. There are features from Classic Adventure Mode and planned new features that have not made their way to the Steam version yet. We will be updating the beta frequently with hotfixes, new menus, audio and art as well as fixing the inevitable bugs. Please send in your reports.

Want to discuss the beta and all your Adventure Mode trials and tribulations? Join us on the df-adventure channel on the Kitfox Discord!

• How do I report bugs?
  Please report bugs using the normal methods at https://dwarffortressbugtracker.com/
  
  
• What’s the difference between Easy mode and Demigod mode?
  Easy mode, which is available now in the beta gives you more skill points in character creation to make your party stronger. Demigod mode, which is still in progress and not in the beta right now will add tutorialization and worldbuilding.
  
  
• What about my save files?
  Old save files are compatible and you shouldn't lose anything.
  
  
• Will the new portraits be in Fortress Mode?
  They aren’t in right now, but they will be soon!
  
  
• Will the new music from the Adventure Mode soundtrack appear in Fortress Mode? What about ambience?
  New ambiance and music will not be in Fortress mode for now. Hopefully someday!
  
  
• Where can I get more info about what's in and what's missing from Classic Adventure Mode?
  Tarn and Zach are preparing a devlog for the Bay 12 blog, so keep an eye out over there if you’re interested in diving into the rich underbelly of details.
  Edit: Devlog is now available

Happy Adventuring!

-Kitfox + Bay12

Hey Urists,

It’s Alexandra from Kitfox here with a community update as well as some more Adventure Mode footage. Only a few more weeks till the Adventure Mode beta launches on April 17th! We know it's been a long wait, but we can't wait for everyone to start testing it out for yourself.

Tarn made a bonus video showing the conclusion to the fight that was in the previous update. If you missed it, you can watch Part 1 here

In these videos you can see the combat and conversation systems in action. Will the goblins prevail? Where did the wombatman go? Watch to find out!




Artist Thea has been working on new art for the Adventure Mode beta screen! We don’t want to reveal it quite yet, but can you guess what’s depicted?



Carolyn has also been creating every kind of clothing ever for the procedural portraits. Here is another series of masks, veils and head coverings.




We are going to be releasing a single off the brand new Adventure Mode soundtrack by Simon & Dabu. The music is going to be a bit different from the Fortress Mode soundtrack because it will capture the feeling of what’s it will be like to explore your vast, generated world. You can look forward to that in the next update.


Exciting news for European Urists! The folks at FanGamer EU have updated the store with apparel. It's always good to have extra shirts and coats for when yours decay.



We are going to be posting a few more updates before beta launch, so you’ll be hearing from us again soon!

-Alexandra + Bay 12

Hi Urists,

We are less than a month away from April, which means Adventure Mode launch is just around the corner. Time flies when you’re developing FUN! We wanted to share our launch plans with you as they will be a little different from what we did with Fortress Mode. The beta for Adventure Mode will open on April 17th (Tarn’s birthday!). Anyone who owns Dwarf Fortress on Steam will be able to access the beta. Adventure Mode will fully launch a few weeks later on the main branch. We will be announcing the official release date as soon as we can.

We hope that this will give the proper time to iron out major bugs, while giving you a chance to play right away.


After a few extra weeks of beta testing, patch 50.12 is finally live! Thank you to everyone who tested the update and sent in bug reports, it was very helpful. This patch brings many improvements to sorting and searching in the menus as well as a ton of bug fixes and additional keyboard support. Llamas have also (finally) achieved the status of pack animal. Here are the full patch notes:

New stuff

- Ability to sort the lists from the creature/task menus
- Kitchen interface sorting and searching
- Work detail sorting and searching
- Can edit and restore default work details
- Saves can be sorted by world and folder on the title screen
- Keyboard support for many unit lists
- Ability to designate burrows over multiple Z levels

Major bug fixes

- Additional statue graphics
- Fixed some classic building interface lights

Other bug fixes/tweaks

- Squad assignment now lists already-assigned units last
- Fixed error in calculation of bridge support
- Fixed issue in how environment-appropriate work animals are selected for visiting fortress
- Fixed missing autopause tooltip
- Additional miscellanous optimizations
- Fixed minor issue with forest variant display
- Fixed clipping issue on unit sheets
- Fixed minor issue with cage contents display
- Fixed pet list display on unit sheet rarely skipping a pet
- Llamas are pack animals now

There will be lots more Adventure Mode news coming in the coming weeks, including a part 2 of the combat video from last time.

-Alexandra + Bay 12

Hey Urists!

It's Alexandra here from Kitfox with a long-awaited video update from Tarn! It's our first footage of Adventure Mode and you will see combat, the new dialogue system and a few menus in action. I don't want to give too much away so just watch for yourself:



In the video you can hear some ambient sounds, but there are still many more sound effects we are adding to the game so it's very much a work in progress! We will have another update coming soon with patch 50.12 which is still in beta right now. We needed just a bit more time to squash all the bugs!

Discuss the video with your fellow urists on the Kitfox Discord!

- Alexandra

The Adventure Mode update is approaching, so let's talk about it, and the upcoming year more broadly.


In the way the terms are usually used, Adventure Mode is something like a computer roleplaying game or a traditional roguelike, but it doesn't follow the expected contours. You control a character or party and set out into the generated world. The characters you've read about on Fortress Mode wall engravings are out there, as well as the cities and goblin towers. Making the entire world come alive has been a massive project to tackle alongside Fortress Mode over the decades, and to this point we've explored some avenues more than others. It's a wholly unique, rough experience that can be compelling as well as frustrating. Here is just a small sample of the art for the procedural portraits and clothing with different species done by Carolyn:



There's no storyline per se, but you can...

Fight: If you've read some Fortress Mode combat logs, you know part of what to expect. Combat in Adventure Mode is turn-based, and you can aim at body parts and wrestle as you see in those logs, with even more detail. Ever tried to convert your entire Fortress population into necromancers or vampires? Nothing will stop you from seeking these things out as an adventurer (why not both?), and using your new powers as you see fit.

Roleplay: Play as an animal person and ride around on a giant animal with a small animal on your shoulder and another animal running alongside. Dance in a meadhall or under the earth. There are even bandits and giant rats if you are feeling nostalgic. Or you can offend the gods and become a giant rat for a week, or offend a mummy and become cursed for the rest of your miserable short life.

Explore: Visit your old fortresses, or retire in a town and recruit yourself later. See the world to its full extent, from the glaciers to the deserts and jungles, from the kobold caves and night troll dens to minotaur labyrinths. Face the demon emperor of the goblin civilization on their home turf and use ancient knowledge to bend them to your will. There are really quite a few things to do.


These possibilities lead to difficulties which aren't atypical in games these days. Sandbox games are undirected, and the sandbox can have cracks. Adventure Mode is no exception. It's a large sandbox with large cracks. Some problems we've noticed from previous Adventure Mode iterations:
- You won't always get the reactivity you expect to your accomplishments and from your actions.
- Characters can have a cookie-cutter feeling to them.
- It can be hard to find the information you need to pursue a goal you've chosen.
- Battle is merciless and it isn't simple to heal.
- Some aspects of towns are thrown together and shops aren't satisfying.

These problems are well-known; most are the starting point for games that operate in this mode. Some are easier to tackle than others.


As with our earlier work on Fortress Mode, the goal is to update the existing visuals and interface and also make the game more approachable for new players. A lot of the graphics carry over from Fortress Mode, and the menus are generally less complicated, which is good. On the flip side, tackling the new player experience is somehow even harder this time around. There are all kinds of ways to handle it, and we've chosen a way forward that's consonant with our overall goals for Dwarf Fortress.

There are several menus left to tackle. The information screens and character generation are the main remaining bits. Carolyn is drawing a ton of combat icons that came up for wrestling and striking (so you can target toes with your crab pincers), so we don't have combat menu footage yet. We're also adding combat animations!



Before any Adventure Mode update, we need to:

• do some basic cleanup in the human towns, with how shops and other buildings handle items and furniture
  
• clean up how property is recognized
  
• generally tighten up the city side of the experience to give the new player some grounding
  
• old adventure menus must also be fully converted for mouse + keyboard
  
• the graphics and audio must be complete

This is probably a good time to mention that there will also be a whole new full soundtrack released alongside Adventure Mode by Simon & Dabu.

We're still aiming to release all of this in April -- that's only three months away! The cabin building aspect of the game may or may not make it in, since it's complicated. If it doesn't make the first update, it will be in the second feature update.

We think it's more important that we immediately, directly address the new player experience.


Adventure Mode suffers from the sandbox frustration of feeling lost and aimless. Adventure Mode has had three difficulty levels up to this point: Peasant, Hero, and Demigod. These affected your starting statistic point pools in character generation - the more elite-sounding levels are easier, not harder, reflecting the power of the character. We're turning Demigod difficulty into both a tutorial mode and an avenue for us to improve magical aspects of the fantasy setting generally. Peasant will remain the pure sandbox old players are used to. Hero balances these approaches, easing some of the difficulty of finding companions and quests.

Demigod characters will receive instruction and ongoing help from their patron/parent. All difficulty levels will benefit from changes to deities, but sandbox characters will have to find their own ways to interact with them, at their own risk. We'll also:
- tweak the Hero level encounters with gods to something that strikes a balance again, leaning toward a more epic feeling
- expand dungeons and temple relic hunting to facilitate more direction for Demigod characters
- provide more healing options

Again, other difficulty levels will be able to interact with these pieces of the world as well, on different terms.


People that have been following Dwarf Fortress development these many years will recall both the current cosmology of the game in these changes, and perhaps wonder about the aspirations we have toward proceduralizing the entire setup (including the existence of gods and how and whether magic works). We're going to use this opportunity to set the stage for the new framework, to be expanded upon in the future.

Siege improvements (he he he), investigations of villains, the ability to lead criminal networks, and other features that were in the air before we made the transition to the Premium version are not forgotten either, and we'll be seeing about working on these after the initial Adventure Mode update.


Where does Fortress Mode fit in? First, we have an update with bugfixes coming in the next week or two (thanks Putnam!).

But on top of the ability to explore and visit your old fortresses, Fortress Mode at the very minimum will see these benefits with the initial Adventure Mode update:
- the addition of portraits
- that whole new soundtrack I mentioned earlier
- site map visuals on embark

Forts will also eventually have access to the new healing methods, and the new deity improvements through temples, but implementing those connections might occur in a subsequent update, since the hospital in particular is complicated to change. It's exciting because magical healing methods will be fully procedural, and connecting that sort of system to Fortress Mode has been a long-standing dream of ours.

Finishing Adventure Mode will also allow us to get back into regular Dwarf Fortress development, where most subsequent feature updates will either center on or impact Fortress Mode, while Adventure Mode and Legends Mode continue to evolve in parallel.

- Tarn and Zach

Hello and Happy Holidays!

Now that we have our April release month, we'll follow the roadmap to get there. If you missed the Adventure Mode roadmap, you can read it here. Part of this involves menus!



So far, we've managed the environment/ground menu, the climb/hold menu, the jump action, conversation menu and the inventory menu, with combat actions and options up next. The Adventure menus can be fully operated with the mouse or keyboard, or whichever mix works for you, which is why you still see traditional roguelike letters next to each item.

You can also now click in the play area to open up a context menu for the tile, which gives all of the possible options, whether those are environmental options, movement options, conversation options, or the upcoming combat actions. As with Fortress mode, there are lots and lots of things you can do, so this should help you get a handle on the possibilities that you can also find down in the menus.

We've also reenabled the "Assume Control" option in the Arena for April. This lets you take control of a creature that you've placed in the arena so you can jump into the action yourself in Adventure Mode's turn-based combat rather than running the fight in real-time Fortress mode style.

Jacob has been working on statues most recently, Carolyn has been adding more features to portraits (like clothing quality and variations), and Neoriceisgood has been making more animal person portraits for all of the animal person portrait fans out there! Here are the varations for the breastplates as well as the Walrusman portrait:



See you all again in January with more updates as the work continues.

-Tarn + Kitfox Games

P.S. Special happy holidays from the Bay 12 dogs: Jojo, Una, Sun Bun and Sam!

Urists Rejoice!

As you may have seen on the PC Gaming Show today, we're announcing that we have a release month for Adventure Mode which will be coming April 2024! Watch the brand new trailer with the first ever footage of Adventure Mode in action:



For those who don’t know, Adventure Mode is the RPG mode of Dwarf Fortress, where you can create a character and freely roam the rich simulated world you have made a home in during your Fortress Mode save or start fresh in a newly generated world.

• Characters in the world will now have a face. A dwarf’s appearance will reflect their description, from wounds to clothing to hairstyle. This is possible thanks to the game’s procedural portrait system based on the beautiful pixel art from Carolyn Jong we’ve been showing off in the art updates. This feature will also be coming to Fortress Mode.
  
  We've already shown off the dwarves and the elves but here is a look at goblins and kobolds:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Thanks to a new interface, Adventure Mode brings rich conversations with characters! This will help you bond with your unique party of adventurers and add weight to the stories they create in your world.
  
  
• Combat in the game will also see a visual and mechanical revamp with updated wrestling mechanics. This will encourage those who may have in the past avoided grappling, to maybe look forward to a tussle. It will also spice up your adventures out in the wild and another exciting layer of engagement with their world. Fight as an individual or control your whole party in tactical mode.
  
  
• The world map while in Adventure Mode will also see a change, with important landmarks such as roads, towns, and homes being much more easily visible.

Adventure Mode holds limitless possibilities for player stories: Write a poem and recite it in front of unsuspecting tavern-goers, join the group of hearth warriors of a local village to solve local problems, rob a tomb and become cursed by a mummy. This and so much more!

We also remain busy working on Fortress Mode in parallel to development on Adventure Mode and look forward to sharing an exact date for Adventure Mode when ready. In the meantime we will continue to update you on our progress. As we get closer to launch we will be releasing tutorials and other videos for more gameplay action!

As usual you can discuss the update and follow the news in the Kitfox Discord. We have an Adventure Mode channel, in-depth bug discussions, and it's the fastest way to find out about our Dwarf Fortress livestreams!

-Kitfox + Bay 12 Games

Attention Urists!

Do you think Dwarf Fortress is one of the stand out games this year? Annoyed at how mainstream awards shows look over cool, indie games? Well, now is your chance to make your voice heard because you will be able to nominate Dwarf Fortress for the 2023 Steam Awards!



Nominations are open and we want to amass a large squad of Urists to be ready for when it does. We think Dwarf Fortress would be a great candidate for both Hardest Game You’ve Played and Labour of Love. We support you in whatever category you think fits best (Game of the Year?!?!) but we think these are the ones we have the best chances with!

We we will update again if we pass the nomination stage.

Good luck and happy voting 💪⛏

-Alexandra

Hey Urists,

It’s been a little over a month since our big Adventure Mode Roadmap. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, go ahead and do that here. Since then, we’ve been working on a ton of new procedural portraits for goblins, kobolds and animal people which will be added to both Adventure Mode and Fortress mode. Soon you will be able to stare into the face of every single being you encounter in your fort or, bring them along with you in Adventure Mode. Watching humanoids slowly go insane from sobriety or die of dehydration was never so personal.

Here is one of the first screenshots from the new Adventure Mode, featuring an ambitious hippoman at a tavern. Maybe you can convince him to join you on your party? We also see the Adventure Mode UI coming along with your character’s portrait in the bottom left as well as all the new buttons for the various actions you can do.



Below, we also have a first look at the Adventure Mode world map. As you can see, towns are represented in much more detail including roads, farm plots and homes. The little shield acts as the marker for your party as you move through the map to reach new points of interest.



We will have more to show with Adventure Mode as well as a more accurate release timeframe in a couple of weeks. If you're curious to pore over the little pixel icons and implications, Blind did a little livestream grilling Tarn and Zach over the Adventure Mode details, so check that video out here.


We are happy to announce that we have a new bugtracker ready to go! The bug tracker has now migrated to a new domain with the old account system for reporting and commenting. The previous address and email reporting will no longer be used, so please update your bookmarks and follow the new instructions here: {LINK REMOVED}https://bit.ly/3R2d9t5

Thank you to everyone for your patience and willingness to help to squash all those pesky bugs!




New Dwarf Fortress merch has arrived to FanGamer as well as select items on the FanGamer Europe store. We have the vinyl soundtrack, a journal designed to document your favourite forts, a giant desk mat and a hood with customizable menacing spikes! And European Urists can finally rejoice because you can now pick up the vinyl, journal, desk mat and pin on the European storefront, at least until they sell out:

Wave 2: https://fanga.me/r/dwarf-fortress-wave-2

FanGamer Europe: https://www.fangamer.eu/collections/dwarf-fortress

----------------------

That’s everything we have for this update. Thanks for reading! In a couple weeks will have some very exciting Adventure Mode stuff to show off and a more accurate timeframe for the release!

-Alexandra

P.S.

Our friends at Freeehold Games just released one of the biggest Caves of Qud patches ever yesterday! It’s been a year in the making and features a ton of new content including new boss fights and factions as well as the next leg of the main quest and HUNDREDS of new visual and audio effects, plus improved Steam Deck controls. Now is the best time to pick up Caves of Qud or return to it. You can buy Caves of Qud in Early Access and read more about the update on Steam or watch the trailer.