The game Dwarf Fortress is a contender for "longest time spent in Early Access" and is now receiving a much needed update. It has come a long way from its text-based screens to a planned Steam release. Even after all this time, it remains one of the most complex games on the market in terms of mechanics and management. However, the game has just received a huge update that adds tutorials and more to offer guidance. This can help to make the game more accessible to new players.
Dwarf Fortress Tutorial Update
There are a number of games, such as Escape From Tarkov and RimWorld, that are notoriously devoid of tutorials with Dwarf Fortress being another. Since it's an in-depth colony simulation, there are many layers and details that can be overwhelming to new players. With the creation of the Tutorials and Tooltips Update, there will finally be help available to those who don't know how to get started. The update outlines that when players decide to place their first fort, a prompt will suggest a location so they can have a more traditional tutorial. There's also a camera tutorial, which is very useful considering how confusing elevation slices can be. Finally, the devs have confirmed that there are over 350 tooltips explaining specific functions in the game.
Dwarf Fortress has been in development by Bay 12 Games since it first appeared in 2006 as a text-based game. It was then announced for Steam in 2019 to be published by KitFox Games with updated mechanics, graphics, music, and SFX. The game puts players in charge of a group of dwarves who must build a colony in order to survive in a harsh environment. One of the challenges of the game is keeping the dwarves in a perpetual drunken state so they can be more effective. In addition to the management and colony-building gameplay, there are also social elements among the individual dwarves as well as the option to go on an adventure and complete quests.
As the Dwarf Fortress tutorial update goes into effect, the devs are currently designing tips and guides to appear as pop-ups. Depending on player response, this could be changed with even more tutorials to appear in the future.
