Q&A Dissecting the Development of Dwarf Fortress with Creator Tarn Adams

• url: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/q-a-dissecting-the-development-of-i-dwarf-fortress-i-with-creator-tarn-adams
• #highlight
  • "In gaming, there's the balance between Narrative and Simulation, between the pre-written story most games have, and making a deep world with a set of rules that can make many stories possible. Dwarf Fortress is one of the greatest arguments towards Simulation"
  • we want the player to be the "official will of the fortress" while the dwarves also exercise the autonomy they should be expected to have outside of their official duties. This allows them to be actors in their own stories, which is a large part of where emergent narrative comes from. At the same time, the player should be able to direct the general flow of their part of the game (this isn't crucial, really, but it's thought to be more fun than just watching a simulation, oftentimes, ha ha.)
• hasSubject game.Dwarf-Fortress (Private) @tarn-adams