Hey Urists,

We have another patch this week including a hotfix for the crashes that were happening with the beta 21 update. This issue was related to the audio engine crashing, thanks to everyone who reported the issue. Also in this update is the ability to assume different identities in Adventure Mode, palettized equipment for all the units who have dynamic portraits as well as baby sprites for humans, elves, goblins and kobolds. You should be seeing a lot of these new graphics over in Fortress Mode in a future patch very soon.


- Fix for recent audio crash
- Palettized wieldables and wearables for dwarves/humans/elves/goblins/kobolds
- Graphical left/right hand distinction on wieldables
- Child/baby images for humans/elves/goblins/kobolds
- Visible soldiers/groups on world map in adventure mode
- Adventure mode sound indicators in unseen areas
- Ability to assume identity in adventure mode
- Can view wounds in dwarf mode arena without diagnosis

See you next patch!

- Alexandra

P.S.

Today Kitfox announced we are publishing the hardcore noir space-sim Ostranauts. So if you like dying in space in weird and interesting ways, then I highly recommend checking it out. It's currently in Early Access and available now with a 20% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1022980/Ostranauts/

Hey Urists,

Beta 21 of Adventure Mode is now live. You are now able to fully customise the personality of your adventurers in character creation. Travel in style (and destruction) with minecarts and all the features that come with riding a minecart. Well in towns are also usable now. You can raise and lower well buckets and fill your waterskin which is super helpful in human villages and towns since they always have wells, if they aren’t frozen.


-Your adventurer can ride and push minecarts, use levers, bash down locked doors and hatches, topple statues.
-You can now use wells in towns
-Adventure music plays based on context.
-Full personality customization available in adventure character creation.
-A few Linux audio crashes fixed.

See you next patch!

-Alexandra

Hello Urists!

We are back with another patch for Adventure Mode! The most notable update this time is the quest log and information screen which will help with keeping track of all the events in-game. We also have tons of new sprites for flowers, fruits and leaves for the over 180 different plant and tree species. And finally, we have baby sprites for dwarves! No more confusion about whether red-clothed adult dwarves are actually children.

Tarn has been busy with an international move but things should be settling soon and the patches should appear more frequently. Thank you for your patience through these major life events on the dev team! We’ve also created a new FAQ, specifically addressing the most common comments and questions we’ve been seeing on Steam. We’ve done a few of these community FAQs in the past but this one will be focused on Adventure Mode development and how things work behind the scenes.


Babies in the trade depot!

• Quest log and information screen in adventure mode
  
• Child and baby pictures for dwarves
  
• Many new fruit, flower, leaf pictures
  
• Updated dwarf clothing images
  
• Made good/bad thoughts about tombs work
  
• Fixed error with experiment portrait mandibles

All of the legumes and their flowers

It's quite possible you will run into problems with hair and clothing colors etc. so we still have some adjustments to make on that front.

In case you missed it, we uploaded a new devlog by Tarn on Youtube where he highlights some of the biggest features that have made their way to Adventure mode and which ones are still left to do.




How is Kitfox Games involved with Dwarf Fortress development?

Kitfox gets the game on Steam, helps with promotion, and handles the money side of things. Technically the artists, audio folks, and programmer working on Dwarf Fortress are contracted through Kitfox, but are managed by Bay 12. Kitfox does not directly assist in the game’s development in any way, other than occasional playtesting or coordination. Tarn and Zach are the creators of Dwarf Fortress, and we want to preserve and protect their vision.

Besides, even if we wanted to send our programmers to help with Dwarf Fortress, they wouldn’t be able to help due to the nature of the game’s uniquely built codebase. Our job is to help Tarn and Zach grow Dwarf Fortress to fruition on their own terms. We take care of as many distractions and relieve as much stress as we can. It is not our role to tell Tarn how to work on his game. We do not force deadlines on him. We do not have shareholders to persuade.

We believe this is the only way to sustain Dwarf Fortress development in a healthy way that will allow Tarn and Zach to work the way they want to on the game, ideally for the rest of all our lives.

The game released in 2022 and is selling well. Why are updates so slow?

We can’t and won’t hire a bunch of programmers to make updates go faster, even if it is a huge project. So far, we’ve added exactly 1 programmer to the team (Putnam), who was selected based on extensive pre-existing understanding of the codebase and a relationship with Tarn. Dwarf Fortress is the single most complex simulation ever created, mostly by one programmer, and it was started in 2006. Work on this labor of love is necessarily based in trust. We are optimizing to make the best game, according to Tarn’s vision, no matter how long it takes, rather than trying to optimize for speed.

Modders have the freedom to move fast and break things, and we’ll continue to support them. This is a lifetime project. This is not a game that will ever be “finished”, but our pace is focused in the long-term. Updates will come slowly but steadily “forever”.

Selling the game on Steam does not change the way that Tarn and Zach will continue to develop. Dwarf Fortress is not like any other game on OR off Steam, and was far ahead of its time, partially because of its unique development approach. We know it can be frustrating to wait, but we will not interfere just because some fans are impatient.

Why aren’t there any updates to Fortress Mode right now when it’s the main game mode?

Many of the fixes going into Adventure Mode will improve Fortress Mode, but you’re right that the time between improvements for Fortress Mode are longer right now. Adventure Mode has been important to Dwarf Fortress for a very long time, and has its own cult following of fans who prefer its playstyle, as well as the interplay between the two modes. Tarn has to focus on completing the beta before returning to regular development. Putnam is continuing to develop other features and fix bugs, but there’s a lifetime of work to do.

How are updates going to work when Adventure mode is complete? What are the next updates after Adventure Mode is complete?

After Adventure Mode leaves beta, development of both modes can proceed in parallel. Fortress Mode and Adventure Mode rest on the same world simulation, so updates are often shared, but each mode has its quirks and special features and we'll be improving them both. You can expect Fortress Mode to be made more rich with each major update, which will be more regular than in years past, rather than waiting for literal years to get giant sweeping changes. We're looking forward to it!

Why isn’t (this known bug from 8 years ago) fixed by now?

Sometimes it’s hard to fix, sometimes it’s just not impacting most players, and sometimes it’s related to a feature that’s planned to have big changes or improvements “soon” anyway, so it’s more efficient to look at it then. Maybe check the bug database for more information, because the bug wranglers might have interesting discussions you can read about it, or contribute information of your own to help track it down.

Why are you selling merch or posting community updates when there haven’t been any patches in a while?

Currently our only merch is designed and sold by FanGamer, who takes care of everything for us. Tarn and Kitfox make final approval on designs before they are sold but otherwise have no involvement in that process. Community updates help us inform players of things outside of development but related to Dwarf Fortress. These updates are written by the community manager Alexandra and sometimes Tanya and do not take away from time spent working on development. We try not to do these too much and we can understand how it’s frustrating to receive these updates when you are hoping for patch notes or updates to the game.

What about the Mac build?

After investigating the programming requirements, we have decided it’s best to cancel the Mac build for the time being. Porting the game over to Mac would take significant time and resources away from improvements to Fortress and Adventure Mode that simply don’t make sense for us to dedicate right now, given the low number of Mac-only users. There is a significant amount of work that would be required for maintaining a Mac build that would delay all patches in the future, and as we know, you all want patches faster. We aren’t saying it will -never- happen but do not count on it any time soon. We are very sorry to all the Mac users who have been waiting patiently for an update on this.

Thank you to everyone who has joined us on this long development journey and have supported us thus far. Dwarf Fortress is truly a unique game that requires a unique but unconventional approach to development and we hope to continue being transparent about where that journey takes us.

See you for the next patch!

-Kitfox

Hey Urists!

Work on Adventure Mode continues on with two updates of note that we've just patched in: Composing and the wrestling button. Characters in Adventure Mode can already perform to increase their reputation with other characters and maybe even get a free drink at the tavern. But with composing, your character will be able to write their own music, poetry and dances! Wrestling is already in Adventure Mode, but now that the button works, you'll be able to open the wrestling menu directly instead of going through the attack menu.


The wrestling button looks like this ^


Advancing the beta

- Composing poems, music, dances, and writing things down is back in
- Wrestle button now handles wrestling
- Encumbrance is visible in inventory screen and there are a few alert levels for being over-encumbered
- Speed is visible in the movement options
- Indicators for ongoing movement, attacks, and dodges during player's turn in combat

General bug fixing

- Throwing/shooting crash fixed
- Fixed input/display issues in kitchen menu
- Handled several issues with gifting pets
- Certain goblin torsos weren't being displayed

We'd love to see what kind of music, poetry and dances your character creates. Share with us on the Kitfox Discord in the Adventure Mode channel!

See you for the next patch!

-Alexandra

Urists, get ready to eat meat.

Butchering went live in the Adventure Mode beta today, so survival should be more feasible for more kinds of adventurers.

There's a few small fixes in there too but the only other remarkable change to note is Crafting is also available -- but as in the days of yore, crafting is just about knapping stones, making wooden axes, and carving bone jewelry or figurines. If you want other crafting options, we welcome you to try mods! Within moments, I'm sure, Steam Workshop will have various new crafting ideas to explore.

We'll be back with more fixes and features as soon as we can!
Tanya on behalf of Bay 12 and Kitfox

Happy summer, Urists!

It's been a few weeks since we've updated, so here we are with some progress. For context, Tarn is figuring out the details of a fairly major life change right now (moving to a new country), but the worst of the documentation is behind him, and Adventure Mode is humming along.

Today we put up an Adventure Mode patch (on the beta branch, no password needed) with:

• Abilities menu! Raise the dead if you learn the secrets, pet animals, spit, breathe fire and use other special powers in mods or as an arena-controlled creature/undead
  
• Left click to move to distant tiles
  
• Interaction-given syndrome tracking/timing improved
  
• NPCs should run and sleep again

I heard animalpeople are getting animalbodies, so keep an eye out for those soonTM...



Also, we're collaborating with Ludeon Studios on a new Steam bundle deal. If you have any friends who play RimWorld but DON'T yet own Dwarf Fortress, now's a great time to get them to dip their toe in, since DF is 10% off PLUS they'll get an extra 10% off for owning RimWorld. Alternately, as a Dwarf Fortress owner, now is a great time to buy RimWorld! The bundle will only be up now and then (a week or so this time), so don't wait!

Finally, if you're looking for new ideas for fun to have in Adventure Mode, this reddit thread is pure gold. Bards, beastmen, and cults oh my!

We'll be back with more patches as soon as we can!
Tanya on behalf of Kitfox & Bay 12

P.S.
If you were curious what Tarn was consulting on, Kitfox announced Streets of Fortuna last weekend, and continues to answer questions about that. But that's the last we'll mention it until there's more concrete news. Thanks to those who watched the PC Gaming Showcase!

Hey Urists,

It’s Alexandra here with a small community update. Tarn is still in menu land working on the rest of the features for Adventure Mode. If you’re curious about what’s left to be done, we provided a list of improvements in this April update.


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2232370/Dwarf_Fortress_Soundtrack_Fortress/

The Dwarf Fortress soundtrack (Fortress version) on Steam has been updated with .wav files. Thank you to everyone who requested the change.


FanGamer just released two new pieces of Dwarf Fortress equipment. The baseball shirt features very cool old school RPG inspired art by FanGamer artist Nina Matsumoto. Every order of the shirt also includes a holographic sticker of the art. We think it suits Dwarf Fortress perfectly! Available in the US and EU shops.







Keep your eyes out for Tarn and Zach who will be making a cameo appearance on Sunday’s PC Gaming Show. Kitfox Games and the Caves of Qud team both have big announcements to share that might be very interesting to Dwarf Fortress players.

Kitfox Games is announcing a brand new game we’ve been secretly working on for the last two years that is very simulation heavy and Tarn himself is providing consultation on design and architecture.

Plus, Caves of Qud has the Spring Molting update with a complete UI overhaul and a ton of other improvements!

The PC Gaming Show starts on June 9th at 1pm PDT/ 4PM EDT/ 9pm BST/ 10 pm CEST on Youtube.

That's all for now. We will have another Adventure Mode patch coming real soon so stay tuned!

-Alexandra

Hey Urists!

We are back with another Adventure Mode beta patch with the biggest addition being the bartering menus (pictured below). Tarn has also gone in and cleaned up the towns so that stuff is properly displayed on tables instead of being all over the floor.




-Added the trade/barter/demand conversation menu
-Sites without tables in their stockpile get emergency tables for their shops for now
-Printed tabletop items on tables, and stopped many other building items from printing on top of creatures
-Sound off init option should work in adventure mode now
-Adventurers are no longer unaware of their own name
-Adventurers should no longer be sprinting/walking/etc forever when retired into a fort
-Fixes that linux crash on the trainer menu again
-Makes liquids/powders not spill out of containers on unretire

-Alexandra + Bay12

Hey Urists!

Dwarf Fortress is on sale on Steam at it's lowest price to date! Pick up Dwarf Fortress and the Fortress Mode Soundtrack for 20% off. We won't be discounting this low for a while so take advantage of this deal until May 13th.

Buying Dwarf Fortress will also give you access to the public beta of Adventure Mode. We will also be patching Adventure Mode next week so stay tuned!

Apologies for two updates in two days but important things are afoot, and as I mentioned yesterday, Tarn is going to take a little rest for a week or two, so hopefully this will help make that wait more bearable.

This is version 50.13 updating on the main/default branch, improving Fortress Mode! If you're not seeing it, try closing Steam and re-logging in.

• Portraits! Whether they're dwarves, elves, humans, or animalpeople, they have portraits! Procedurally assembled, in many cases.

A few of my favorite animalpeople portraits

• Fixed statue-related crash
  
• Fixed syndrome-related crash
  
• Fixed temperature-related crash
  
• Fixed crash from empty kitchen menu
  
• Fixed multi-kill squad orders
  
• Fixed world gen crash from the appointing of chefs by demon rulers that had been influenced by outside reading materials on decorum and leisure time

• Centered some creatures that were printing off-center
  
• Large gems and gem crafts should be produced properly by gem cutting jobs again
  
• Fixed cave adaptation
  
• Fixed problem with numbers in wild creature clusters
  
• SELECT_GROWTH and SELECT_MATERIAL available in plant modding

Thank you for playing!
Tanya on behalf of Kitfox and Bay 12