For those who don't know, Dwarf Fortress is a freeware game for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and the graphics are completely created using text characters. Since that's the first major problem with the game and the first you'll be presented with, let's start there.
The game uses a modified version of code page 437, the character set of the original IBM PC, which contains 256 different characters. These characters can be displayed in any of a whopping 16 colours. This incredibly small collection results in the same characters being used for multiple objects. To overcome this, you're forced to select the object in order to view its properties. I should take a moment to ensure that you know that this is not some game from 1982. This is a game that started development in 2002 and is currently still in development. On top of that, it's already using OpenGL (a 3D rendering API) to render the characters to a bitmap so that it an be properly scaled. The fact that this game is totally text based is completely unacceptable in this day and age.
What makes the problem worse is that the creator won't even make it possible for the community to really step up and improve on that aspect. Because the game is tied to the character set, it's not possible to simply replace the art and have everything look awesome. Since so many objects reuse the same characters, just replacing the character won't handle all the cases. Without even seeing the codebase for this game, I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that changing this game to run off of a sprite sheet instead of CP437 would take less than a week of time. Even if this guy is a terrible programmer and every instance of character usage is hard-coded, it would still take less than a week. After that, the community would be free to do proper sprite sheet replacements that would take the visuals of the game to the next level. As an added bonus, it would make it easy to replace the graphics for the core game when the creator feels it's a more critical part of the game.
Let's assume that you've managed to fight past the terrible graphics and are ready to dig into the game. Not so fast. First you need to come to terms with the mind-boggling control scheme. I'll get right to it, there is (essentially) no mouse control in a game that is entirely based around navigating menus and selecting positions on a tile grid. How is this even in question? There is a reason that we have a pointing device attached to our computers and it's not because our desks look too empty without them.
Mouse input is one of the best methods of interacting with a 2D interface. Save for touch interfaces, it is the best. Again, there is no excuse for not having mouse control. Instead, you're left with the arrow keys to navigate the map, the +/- keys for navigating menus (but only sometimes!), and dozens of keyboard combinations to accomplish tasks. As alluded to above, the controls are also incredibly inconsistent. My favorite example of this is the difference between mining an area and building a farm. Both of the actions require that you designate a rectangle on the map to tell the game where you would like to execute it. For mining, you will move the cursor around with the arrow keys, press Enter to designate one corner, then use the arrow keys and press Enter to designate the other corner. For the farm, you will use the U and M keys to increase or decrease the height of the rectangle and K and H to do the same for the width. Then you use the arrow keys to place the rectangle and Enter to confirm. Seriously, what the fuck? There is no good reason for this. Ever.
With that description out of the way, let's give an example of an action you might want to perform, just to get an idea. We're going to build walls to create a 3x3 room. First, press b for build, shift+C for construction, and w for wall. Next, press u twice to increase the height of the wall, position it with the arrow keys, and press Enter to confirm. Now, press + or – to select the material you would like to use to build the wall and press Enter to confirm. You have now built a single 3x1 wall. Do that again for each of the other sides. This is not an exaggeration and I am not just picking out one of a few random things that are terrible. Everything in this game is controlled with similar mechanics.
My last major complaint is probably the most difficult to fix. The learning curve of this game is like a brick wall. Even without the maddening graphics, interface, and controls, the game is incredibly difficult to learn. Without directly being told, via either friend or internet, there is almost no way to learn how to play the game. For instance, you need a bookkeeper to know the quantity of supplies, such as food and water, you have in stock. You can assign a dwarf to be a bookkeeper on the nobles screen. It takes time for the numbers to be available to you. A dwarf with the record keeper skill will be better at being a bookkeeper. None of this is told to you, but all of it could probably be figured out with a little digging through the menus and a bit of experimentation. The sticking part is that the bookkeeper requires a “Meager Office” in order to work. In order to make this office, you need to craft a chair, place it in a room, and interact with that chair to create a study. Don't be fooled by the word study, you're actually creating a meager office. There are dozens, or maybe more, of these same hurdles. Adding to this difficulty is the, obviously intentional, lack of the ability to save your progress as you play. You can save and quit and that is all. I'm sure that if the creator could figure out a way to prevent you from copying your save files, he would. This creates an incredibly punishing game that's difficult to learn even the basics.
For now, the most critical part of development seems to be adding complexity to an already complex game, such as mapping out damage on a dwarf down to the tooth or tracking soil moisture and nutrients. Clearly these aspects are incredibly important. Perhaps, however, it would be best to focus on the basics first? Like a clear, not necessarily pretty but clear, graphical representation and intuitive, well thought out, easy to use controls?
Which leads me into my final point. When I hear that the creator doesn't feel that graphics are a significant focus, or when essentially the same action has two different ways of controlling it, or when I can't use the mouse to play a game with an incredibly complex interface, or when I can't make a save file or even save the game without quitting, all I can picture in my mind is this:
The smarmiest motherfucker on the planet. A guy who is so proud of what he's accomplished, he can't see past the faults. Someone who is incapable of understanding why different people might want to experience the game in different ways. And that makes me sad, because beneath all of the shitty graphics and barely functional controls is a fantastic simulation. If the development focus was switched, even for just a month or two, the game could be greatly improved making it much more accessible and enjoyable to play.
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