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Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft had a baby and named it [Gnomoria]

MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
edited July 2012 in Games and Technology
So this got linked on the Dwarf Fortress Facebook page over the weekend. Turns out it's kinda fun.

gnomoria.jpg

Gnomoria

What is it?
Right now, it's basically Dwarf Fortress lite. It's not nearly as in-depth as DF is, but it's still in alpha as well. The basics of mining, building and providing food for a fortress are there, and a little combat, but that's about it.

How do I play it?
Right-clicking brings up menus for building and designating, or allows you to interact with what you have selected. If you have always wanted to try DF but have found its Ascii interface too daunting, then it looks like Gnomoria is the game you've always wanted.

How much is it?
There's a short demo mode (6 days of in game time), and the full game pre-order/alpha is about $8

Wait, how is this like Minecraft?
Well, the graphics for one. Not to mention that you can tear down and rebuild anything. Soil, stone, etc... just rebuild it somewhere else if you want to.

Here's some screenshots. You can find larger versions of these on the official site.

castleii.jpg
workshops.jpg
miningui.jpg
professionui.jpg
stockui.jpg
mechanismswaxles.jpg

The game, being alpha, is still a bit buggy and such. But overall it's a pretty damn good take on the 'fort-builder' genre with a good interface. I still have issues trying to sort out exactly which tile I am selecting sometimes though. His 3D selection cube is a bit tricky for me to get used to.

Here's a quick getting started guide laying out what you need for the first few workshops.

Other stuff to be aware of:
-Stockpiles can hold multiples, in most cases. More if you build crates. Varies between 32-64 of an item on each tile
-Trees are farmable, sometimes they drop cuttings you can replant
-The only crops right now are Strawberries (for wine), Wheat (for bread and beer), and cotton (for cloth). Apples can also be foraged from trees for food or apple wine.
-I haven't figured out water pressure yet but carelessness can lead to a section of fort getting flooded. Not sure how much you actually need a well right now.
-You can assign stockpiles and workshops with a priority number, if you want something done faster
-You can press 'R' to rotate things when placing them (workshops, furniture, etc...)
-Pressing ',' and '.' will rotate the camera
-The 'F' key will lower the walls of the level you are currently on, if you need to see through them

Finally, here's a quick video on the game from the guy who created it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E75mL6R42i0

There's no plan, there's no race to be run
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
MuddBudd on
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    DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    This looks exactly what I've always wanted from Dwarf Fortress. Not exactly the graphics (although those are nice) but the interface in DF is fucking terrible and this looks a lot better. If the creator(s?) flesh this out more I think it might be better than Dwarf Fortress period.

    JtgVX0H.png
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    HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    Is six days on the in-game clock a substantial amount of gameplay? I want to see where this game goes because it needs to distinguish itself big time from Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft.

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    KadokenKadoken Giving Ends to my Friends and it Feels Stupendous Registered User regular
    Strawberry wine.
    A DFlike game that looks 1000000x less confusing.
    Graphics that make it easy to identify things.
    And something that will scratch my DF itch until I can finally figure it out.

    Yes.

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    Henroid wrote: »
    Is six days on the in-game clock a substantial amount of gameplay? I want to see where this game goes because it needs to distinguish itself big time from Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft.

    Unless you set the clock to double-speed, it should take you 20-60 minutes maybe? Depends on how much you pause to look at stuff/interact.

    It was more than enough time for me to set up some workshops, start my farms, and harvest some stone/wood/cloth. If you buy the full game you can continue where you left off as well.

    -edit-

    Looks like there's already some Let's Plays on youtube, this should give people more of an idea of how the game plays.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOsGo9oGnCY

    -double edit-

    Oh snap, there's a rotate camera button. I didn't notice that.

    MuddBudd on
    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    undeinPiratundeinPirat Registered User regular
    yeah if this gains even a smidge of the depth of dwarf fortress, i'll definitely play it for a least a little bit.

    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] steam: undeinpirat
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    HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    Y'know... aside from a better interface, this really has nothing when pitted against Dwarf Fortress. They should've had a demonstratable hook right away if they want people to pay for an alpha build. I paid for Terraria when it was essentially a work in progress because it was demonstratably different than Minecraft even at that point.

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    BloodySlothBloodySloth Registered User regular
    Dwarf Fortress with a better interface is a hell of a hook, to be fair.

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    Considering that a lot of people have major problems with the DF interface, that alone is going to be the hook for many. And like Minecraft if you buy the alpha you get the full game at release, plus all the updates in between, etc...

    It will almost certainly never have the full scope of DF, but it has potential, so I bought it. To be honest, I'm surprised there is so much in it as it is. This is remarkably smooth and feature laden for an Alpha.

    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    I'll keep an eye on it for fairness' sake. Just not going to invest in it until it's fleshed out.

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    AsheAshe Registered User regular
    As someone who was always curious about DF, but didn't quite get around to tackling it, this sounds fantastic. Will definitely have a dabble in the demo.

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    Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    oh my god did somebody finally make a 3D interface for dwarf fortress

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    darkwarriorvadarkwarriorva Senior Keyboard Basher, Touch Thingy Specialist Registered User regular
    Yeah, this looks pretty cool. I always thought the world could use a more accessible Dwarf Fortress (and thought I could write it, so upon seeing this I remarked "Damn Damn Dammit!!!" 8) ). I like Tarn and DF (and have donated several times), but it's been a decade now, he's not going to make the user interface a priority, it seems.

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    FleebFleeb has all of the fleeb juice Registered User regular
    What Dark said. $8? Sold.

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    KorhedronKorhedron Registered User regular
    Yeah, this looks pretty cool. I always thought the world could use a more accessible Dwarf Fortress (and thought I could write it, so upon seeing this I remarked "Damn Damn Dammit!!!" 8) ). I like Tarn and DF (and have donated several times), but it's been a decade now, he's not going to make the user interface a priority, it seems.

    This. It's good to see people take this concept further, outside of his box. Now my workday can't possibly end fast enough! I need to try this out. I just hope this does not end up being a monkey wrench in DF's great machinery.

    Now we just need to get this guy and Tarn into the same room, so they can start working to merge both creative inputs into 1 game! I'd actually help sponsor this meeting to ensure it happens. Tarn's detail-savvy experience and this guy's grasp of graphical, user friendly UI.... That would make birds sing, flowers bloom in winter, solve world hunger and end all wars forever. Make. It. So!

    These are the stories of Dwarf Fortress. Legends have been forged there, and meticulousy gathered in one mighty hub: http://dfstories.com/start-here/
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    tbloxhamtbloxham Registered User regular
    Yeah, I've never understood the df guys irrational loathing of UI and comprehensible graphics. Even if he just did a secondary money collection for 30k or something to say if you donate this much I will hire someone for 6 months to produce a mouse driven interface and a graphical front en. Even little colored blocks moving around would be a big stepforward.

    "That is cool" - Abraham Lincoln
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    KorhedronKorhedron Registered User regular
    Well, I'm guessing there's just a matter of personal preferences about what he likes working with. Creative people are sometimes very tied to their own ideas, and don't like to move away from their visions. There's nothing wrong with that, as plenty of amazing, original works show. Hell, DF is an amazing achievment in and of itself! But other great works have been made, by the creator just expanding on someone else's concept that they themselves just fell in love with. Most fantasy writers spring to mind...

    That's why I love the notion of someone else using this concept, and expanding it in another direction. To show Tarn that there's a 3'rd option: Hiring people who loves his concept, and would very much like to elaborate on it, instead of just making a better looking, but way lighter clone! I just hope it goes that way, instead of this game usurping Tarn's hard work.

    These are the stories of Dwarf Fortress. Legends have been forged there, and meticulousy gathered in one mighty hub: http://dfstories.com/start-here/
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    McHogerMcHoger Registered User regular
    Korhedron wrote: »
    Well, I'm guessing there's just a matter of personal preferences about what he likes working with. Creative people are sometimes very tied to their own ideas, and don't like to move away from their visions. There's nothing wrong with that, as plenty of amazing, original works show. Hell, DF is an amazing achievment in and of itself! But other great works have been made, by the creator just expanding on someone else's concept that they themselves just fell in love with. Most fantasy writers spring to mind...

    That's why I love the notion of someone else using this concept, and expanding it in another direction. To show Tarn that there's a 3'rd option: Hiring people who loves his concept, and would very much like to elaborate on it, instead of just making a better looking, but way lighter clone! I just hope it goes that way, instead of this game usurping Tarn's hard work.

    I'm not really sure this game will ever really take the place of Dwarf Fortress. The things you can come at the expense of the crazy depth that Dwarf Fortress has. I don't Gnomoria can, or even intend, to go as far.

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    McHoger wrote: »
    Korhedron wrote: »
    Well, I'm guessing there's just a matter of personal preferences about what he likes working with. Creative people are sometimes very tied to their own ideas, and don't like to move away from their visions. There's nothing wrong with that, as plenty of amazing, original works show. Hell, DF is an amazing achievment in and of itself! But other great works have been made, by the creator just expanding on someone else's concept that they themselves just fell in love with. Most fantasy writers spring to mind...

    That's why I love the notion of someone else using this concept, and expanding it in another direction. To show Tarn that there's a 3'rd option: Hiring people who loves his concept, and would very much like to elaborate on it, instead of just making a better looking, but way lighter clone! I just hope it goes that way, instead of this game usurping Tarn's hard work.

    I'm not really sure this game will ever really take the place of Dwarf Fortress. The things you can come at the expense of the crazy depth that Dwarf Fortress has. I don't Gnomoria can, or even intend, to go as far.

    I don't think he intends to, and no, it won't.

    Especially right now, it clearly has way less to it than DF does, but it WILL scratch the itch for the folks who can't get over the UI issues.

    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    McHogerMcHoger Registered User regular
    MuddBudd wrote: »
    McHoger wrote: »
    Korhedron wrote: »
    Well, I'm guessing there's just a matter of personal preferences about what he likes working with. Creative people are sometimes very tied to their own ideas, and don't like to move away from their visions. There's nothing wrong with that, as plenty of amazing, original works show. Hell, DF is an amazing achievment in and of itself! But other great works have been made, by the creator just expanding on someone else's concept that they themselves just fell in love with. Most fantasy writers spring to mind...

    That's why I love the notion of someone else using this concept, and expanding it in another direction. To show Tarn that there's a 3'rd option: Hiring people who loves his concept, and would very much like to elaborate on it, instead of just making a better looking, but way lighter clone! I just hope it goes that way, instead of this game usurping Tarn's hard work.

    I'm not really sure this game will ever really take the place of Dwarf Fortress. The things you can come at the expense of the crazy depth that Dwarf Fortress has. I don't Gnomoria can, or even intend, to go as far.

    I don't think he intends to, and no, it won't.

    Especially right now, it clearly has way less to it than DF does, but it WILL scratch the itch for the folks who can't get over the UI issues.

    Yeah, I think there is a market for people who want a DF experience, but don't want to spend hours to learn to play it. And I've seen a number of people who play DF who see it as a fun change of pace.

    Now I need someone to explain to me how to set up a stockpile better. It seems if I build a small one, my gnomes will just fill it with individual items rather than containers. But if I make a large one, they want to fill the whole thing with containers.

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    s1ppycups1ppycup Registered User regular
    Dwarf Fortress' complexity is what makes it so fun. I don't believe that Gnomoria is "expanding on" DF -- that would imply that it has all of DF's core features *plus* something more. Gnomoria is a more complex Farmville, not a prettier Dwarf Fortress.

    For all of you guys who are hung up on the outdated graphics, check out the Lazy Newb Pack (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=59026.0). It comes with two graphical tilesets (Phoebus and Ironhand) that replace the standard ASCII look. You can see some screenshots of the Phoebus tileset spoilered here: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=57557.0

    If you're still having trouble wrapping your head around DF, check out the new O'REILLY book: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920022565.do -- you should be able to use the coupon code "WKGAME" to get the ebook format for $8.99. I produce DF tutorial videos for my YouTube channel, and I still found the book to be an educational (and funny) resource well worth the money.

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    When a game hits the point where you can say "If you find this too complex, buy this O'REILLY book", then there is a market for a simpler, more graphical version.

    This guy is going to do well.

    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    darkwarriorvadarkwarriorva Senior Keyboard Basher, Touch Thingy Specialist Registered User regular
    Yeah, I have no problem with DF's graphics or complexity. I'm specifically talking about its user interface. It's needlessly obtuse. You could retain all of that game complexity in a more sensible, accessible user interface. "Accessible" is not a dirty word.

    Gnomoria isn't quite it. It doesn't nearly have all of that dwarfy complexity that we love. But as Mudd said, it'll scratch the itch for some people. Those who don't want to have to watch tutorial videos or read a reference manual just to understand how to play a game, for instance.

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    I suspect he'll eventually develop it into a far different game anyway. It's not a DF replacement. It's a spin-off.

    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    s1ppycups1ppycup Registered User regular
    I actually hope that Gnomoria does do well, because it may prove to be a "gateway drug" to DF :D

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    VorpalVorpal Registered User regular
    Darmak wrote: »
    This looks exactly what I've always wanted from Dwarf Fortress. Not exactly the graphics (although those are nice) but the interface in DF is fucking terrible and this looks a lot better. If the creator(s?) flesh this out more I think it might be better than Dwarf Fortress period.

    Half of the times I want to get back into DF I am deterred once I remember that it will take me 2 hours just to relearn the interface and where commands are.

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    DarmakDarmak RAGE vympyvvhyc vyctyvyRegistered User regular
    Vorpal wrote: »
    Darmak wrote: »
    This looks exactly what I've always wanted from Dwarf Fortress. Not exactly the graphics (although those are nice) but the interface in DF is fucking terrible and this looks a lot better. If the creator(s?) flesh this out more I think it might be better than Dwarf Fortress period.

    Half of the times I want to get back into DF I am deterred once I remember that it will take me 2 hours just to relearn the interface and where commands are.

    Exactly, and I can't be fucked to bother with it. If Tarn just lifted the interface from this game then I would play Dwarf Fortress again but as it is I think I'll stick with this.

    JtgVX0H.png
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    TheKoolEagleTheKoolEagle Registered User regular
    edited July 2012
    this looks sexy, although unless it gets some of the complexity of DF I don't see it going far for me

    edit: watched the lets play video and digging seems much more complicated then dwarf fortress, seems just clunky at this point but might be the player

    TheKoolEagle on
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    Jubal77Jubal77 Registered User regular
    Nice... when I got into Minecraft it was at this early early stage as well. Lets hope this guy gets to work in it more and more. I have been playing for the last hour and all I really have to say is I am of the crowd that found DF intriguing but didnt have the time to actually play it. Here is hoping that this guy can expand this game out more and more.

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    Jubal77Jubal77 Registered User regular
    this looks sexy, although unless it gets some of the complexity of DF I don't see it going far for me

    edit: watched the lets play video and digging seems much more complicated then dwarf fortress, seems just clunky at this point but might be the player

    Its the player most likely. The mining in the game is easy once you figure out the part that is selected is the top of the cube graphic shown and not the mouse at all.

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    s1ppycups1ppycup Registered User regular

    Jubal77 wrote: »
    this looks sexy, although unless it gets some of the complexity of DF I don't see it going far for me

    edit: watched the lets play video and digging seems much more complicated then dwarf fortress, seems just clunky at this point but might be the player

    Its the player most likely. The mining in the game is easy once you figure out the part that is selected is the top of the cube graphic shown and not the mouse at all.

    I was having the same issue -- I was having a hard time figuring out which square was going to be dug out. The isometric perspective also makes it tricky to tell which is the "active" level sometimes.

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    s1ppycup wrote: »
    Jubal77 wrote: »
    this looks sexy, although unless it gets some of the complexity of DF I don't see it going far for me

    edit: watched the lets play video and digging seems much more complicated then dwarf fortress, seems just clunky at this point but might be the player

    Its the player most likely. The mining in the game is easy once you figure out the part that is selected is the top of the cube graphic shown and not the mouse at all.

    I was having the same issue -- I was having a hard time figuring out which square was going to be dug out. The isometric perspective also makes it tricky to tell which is the "active" level sometimes.

    He mentioned on the forums he may make the top segment of the selection cube stand out a little more to make sure people can tell what they are selecting.

    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    s1ppycups1ppycup Registered User regular
    I think the easiest solution is to have a selection cursor that's cubic like old-school X-COM. It also automatically drew dotted lines from your cursor to the ground to indicate its relative elevation.

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    harvestharvest By birthright, a stupendous badass.Registered User regular
    I love DF and have donated a lot of money to Toady. I paid the $8 for this though, hoping the author gets a fire in his heart for making the gnomiest simulation ever, because I really like the graphics and interface. If he can capture some of that DF spirit (and from the looks of it he can) then everything will be worthwhile. I'm taking a tiny risk and betting that he will.

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    s1ppycup wrote: »
    I think the easiest solution is to have a selection cursor that's cubic like old-school X-COM. It also automatically drew dotted lines from your cursor to the ground to indicate its relative elevation.

    Actually it kind of does that now... I've noticed if I designate a mined out wall and the area is already empty (cavern) it will show up as grey with more grey boxes leading down into the depths.

    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    krissgjengkrissgjeng Registered User new member
    A new update is out forums.gnomoria.com/index.php?topic=880.0
    General:
    Hide mouse cursor while placing jobs
    Designation placement uses the solid diamond tile
    Mining uses an alternate wireframe tile with a more emphasized top
    Bone, skull, pet rock, puzzle box, commemorative coin, statuette, ring and necklace can be stored in crates

    Art:
    Added a border to the solid color tile
    Added an alternate wireframe tile for mining
    Added chiseled wall/floor
    Updated table
    Changed birch color

    Bug Fixes:
    Crash on save with items inside containers
    Crash on save after not dropping items that should have been dropped in combat
    Crash on save after armor has been destroyed in combat
    Crash on save with missing items still in the stocks
    Crash when stocking items
    Crash when pathing to a bed
    Items sometimes not existing on the map
    Squad members dropping food before eating when the uniform didn't have a hand set to "any"
    Merchants not showing up after loading

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    Nice, I'll check that out tonight.

    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    The new selector helps a lot, at least for me.

    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    SonarSonar Registered User regular
    I'd really just like to know how to place a @#$@ table in the dining hall.

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    MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    There's a build menu, isn't there? I was able to do it somehow, but I don't have access to the game right now to check.

    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
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    Jubal77Jubal77 Registered User regular
    It is a separate placement build window. It allows you to place all of your buildable items on your map even if you haven't built them yet. You can even select the quality of the item to place and after a suitable item has been built your builder gnomes will place it.

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