Dictatorship, Bureaucracy, or Democracy

[eRe4s3r]

You forgot the other bad sides

1) Anarchic and unworkable Interface
2) Asci art looks butt ugly even with enhanced sprites
3) Issuing orders should never involve more than 2 clicks + 1 Hotkey Combo
4) Flow dynamics of liquids do not work when you can't see holes and don't have slopes and no wall-holes
5) Fortress building from top-down robs you of one of the most important features, walls with features, that is.
6) Asci art damages gameplay
7) It competes with Dungeon Keeper.. and even though DK is infinitely less complex, its still a better game and visualizes dungeons better. And that game is from 1997 - we have 2010...
Overview screens offer no real overview over an entire sub-gameplay function (like farming)

This isn't about lack of imagination, this is bad graphics/controls hurting a games gameplay so much, that nobody except autistics and hard-core masochists would consider playing it more than 2 times.

If you can't tell, i am no big fan of games that claim asci art is an art-style, its laziness in todays times.

Yes, its an awesome idea, but somehow I'd wish someone would fork the development of that and make a proper game out of it, not a terrible executed train wreck.  

I just had to say that ;p .. as an 3d artist i consider ascii art a deadly sin and the ultimate expression of hatred of their player base by the developer

But the worst death sin is no mouse support.

[HellishFiend]

7) It competes with Dungeon Keeper..

Where is Dungeon Keeper 3?  Had so much fun with those games.

[I-KP]

1) Anarchic and unworkable Interface
2) Asci art looks butt ugly even with enhanced sprites
3) Issuing orders should never involve more than 2 clicks + 1 Hotkey Combo
4) Flow dynamics of liquids do not work when you can't see holes and don't have slopes and no wall-holes
5) Fortress building from top-down robs you of one of the most important features, walls with features, that is.
6) Asci art damages gameplay
7) It competes with Dungeon Keeper.. and even though DK is infinitely less complex, its still a better game and visualizes dungeons better. And that game is from 1997 - we have 2010...
Overview screens offer no real overview over an entire sub-gameplay function (like farming)
This isn't about lack of imagination, this is bad graphics/controls hurting a games gameplay so much, that nobody except autistics and hard-core masochists would consider playing it more than 2 times.
If you can't tell, i am no big fan of games that claim asci art is an art-style, its laziness in todays times.
Yes, its an awesome idea, but somehow I'd wish someone would fork the development of that and make a proper game out of it, not a terrible executed train wreck.  
I just had to say that ;p .. as an 3d artist i consider ascii art a deadly sin and the ultimate expression of hatred of their player base by the developer
But the worst death sin is no mouse support.

Go on.  Tell us what you really think. 

[eRe4s3r]

If any developer reads this, if you make Dungeon Keeper 3, i would work for half the rate i usually charge! 

I am just tired of people saying DF has an AI. That insults actual AI Developers.

[Black]

I think someone is just sad that they don't know the glorious fun that is DF

[eRe4s3r]

True enough ;p   I have gotten too old to learn 51 shortcuts just to equip a specific dwarf with tools so he can farm, which he should all do himself, alone, if there were any AI. (Also, if you have ever used the overseer in DF - you will know why i obsess over their being no AI.

This reminds me of a little funny tale about AI.

AS - Actor gets a goal, actor moves toward goal without thought - doesn't achieve goal (in 9 of 10 tries, anyway) ;p
AI - Actor gets a goal, takes a look at surroundings, finds right tools - achieves goal given (in 9 of 10 tries, anyway)
AGI - Actor gets a goal, Actor asks why he should do it, upon you saying "because I am god" he rebels against you and enslaves you. 

The current state of AI in games, is AS (Artificial Stupidity)

This just an abstract example - by the way, the kind of AI that could enslave you isn't called ai, but artificial general intelligence = AGI

[mallocks]

Actually farmers will equip themselves with the appropriate tool, made easier because they don't use one. Even dwarves in roles who do (woodcutters, miners) will get their axes and picks themselves. I think you're getting confused with the squad screen for military dwarves which is thankfully getting a revamp in the upcoming major patch.

Anyway I didn't actually come here just to bring up DF, and clearly I'm not going to convert you to its cause so seguing beautifully back into on-topic conversation:

That AI War's quite the game, no?

[Kjara]

Equipping a squad of dwarves with the right weapons in the current version is a huuuge pain(esp if you want to have them switch between training weapons and real combat weapons).  Other than that, I don't have a huge problem with df's equipment system.

[eRe4s3r]

Yes AI war is quite a game Which is why i spend my time around here and offer suggestions ;p

And the only reason AI War is great is that x4000 follows his own idea, that is "Complexity for the sake of Complexity is bad"

I wish more developers would follow this. And DF.. definitely does not follow this. 

So yeah.. i think the System of AI War works fairly well because x4000 is active enough and has enough overview as to not engage in feature creep.