It seems right up my alley.
But man, how do you even begin? Does it ever really become second nature? Is it worth it? I’m a huge Nethack fan, and this seems to have a lot of the same appeal, but with more simulation goodness.
But so far, I can’t even pay attention past the setup!
I love Dwarf Fortress to death. I’ve been playing it for a couple of years now.
As to how to get started - the Dwarf Fortress Wiki is a good place to start. It seems to be down right now (3 AM CST), but it should be back up soon. There’s a good page on entitled Your First Fortress.
To get yourself going, I suggest doing what I did - set small goals for each new fortress. It’s easier to have small goals that will teach you how the game works. Examples:
Have a hunter, get used to killing wild game and producing meat and leather from a butcher’s shop and tanner’s shop
Have a craftsdwarf, make x number of stone, wood and bone crafts before the dwarven caravan arrives in the autumn. Trade these crafts for food.
Create x bedrooms. Furnish each with a bed and a cabinet.
…etc.
It really does become second nature. The pseudo-ASCII graphics are a bit of a hurdle for most, but you say you’re a NetHack fan so this shouldn’t be a big deal.
For getting past the setup - just pick a standard loadout and stick with it. This will speed things up. My standard loadout:
I pick a site with a river and plenty of trees. Always “Temperate” or “Cold”.
My dwarves:
2 Miners
1 Carpenter/Woodcutter
1 Mason/Mechanic/Architect
1 “Leader” - give skills in organization, appraisal, negotiation, persuasion
1 Butcher/Tanner
1 Herbalist/Grower
Remove one axe (really one need one dwarf chopping wood in the beginning)
Remove anvil (easy to get one from traders later)
Take 2 of all common animals (dog, cat, horse, cow, sometimes muskox) - this way they can breed
Take at least 5 of all seeds (plump helmet, pig tail, cave wheat, dimple cup, rock nut)
Take 1 of every “meat” that costs 2 - you get a free barrel for every unique kind of meat
Take minimum 30-40 of every type of alcohol (Wine, Rum, Beer, Ale)
Finish out the points with a cheap food (usually a 2-cost meat)
If you want to see the map I’m still working on, Here it is at the Dwarf Fortress Map Archive. I particularly like the bedroom layout (got the fractal design from the Dwarf Fortress forums)
Good luck! Stick with it, I promise this game is fantastic.
I’m playing it right now. It does eventually become second nature, and it is worth it, if you like making things.
First and foremost, the Dwarf Fortress wiki is your friend. It has information about pretty much everything, including pages about how to start your first fortress.
Just to emphasize this the only way I was ever able to get into it is with the Wiki open in front of me. The fact that there’s no feedback or context provided for decisions and an inconsistent interface makes it nightmarishly complicated to get into.
Really the developer needs to step back for a release or two and just clean up the game but he does seem stuck in the trap of implementing every cool idea that pops into his head…