Dwarf Fortress Devs Want Players to Have Fun Losing

gamerant.com:

The developers of the cult classic strategy simulation game Dwarf Fortress, which has become infamous for its text-based art and difficult-to-learn gameplay mechanics, are hoping new players will have fun learning while losing thanks to the addition a long-requested tutorial mode as part of the game's upcoming Steam debut. The Steam release of Dwarf Fortress will be published by Kitfox Games, the studio behind 2021’s hack-and-slash dating sim Boyfriend Dungeon.

Dwarf Fortress is a strategy simulation roguelike released in 2002 by the two-person team at Bay 12 Games, brothers Tarn and Zach Adams, and has been in continuous development ever since. The freeware game features text-based graphics that can be overwhelming to new players and seasoned veterans alike, but has received praise for the depth of simulation present in the game world. Hidden behind its simple graphics, Dwarf Fortress tracks everything from the rain levels in different areas to the geology of the caves where the titular dwarfs make their homes, and the title has been cited as one of the influences behind the creation of both Minecraft and survival game Rimworld.

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In a news update posted for the upcoming Steam release of Dwarf Fortress, developer Zach Adams announced that the game will be receiving a tutorial mode designed to help new players get a grasp on the notoriously complicated gameplay. Adams states that he used his wife Annie, who’d previously been overwhelmed by the original game, as a play tester for the new tutorial and that she was now able to get far enough in the game to drown her fortress under a bog. Though this outcome may not exactly be what some players would call a success,