Become the Chosen and go beyond your fortress in Dwarf Fortress Adventure Mode. Create a character in your simulated world and -- well, as a pure sandbox, what you do is up to you! To celebrate, we've made a brand new launch trailer which you can watch here:
Adventure Mode highlights:
Go anywhere! Explore any civilization, earn a reputation, and recruit followers to join you
Experience your fortress and the simulation in a new, more embodied way
Explore mythical dungeons to find magical items, artifacts, and fill your quest journal
Hints of mythology and magic as a start of future simulation enrichment to come
An additional hour of music from Dabu and Simon Swerwer, presented as a second volume of the original soundtrack
To access Adventure Mode, you must have already created a world. Select "Start a new game in an existing world" and then when it finishes loading, select "Adventure Mode". All your old save files should work just fine with the update. If you would like to try Chosen Mode, you will need to generate a new world so that mythic dungeons appear.
Beginner Tutorial
We've collaborated with content creator BlindiRL to create a new beginner tutorial for Adventure Mode. It covers everything you need to get started including character creation, skills, combat, quests and much more! Watch on Youtube:
20% off now!
Dwarf Fortress and both the Fortress and Adventure Mode soundtracks are on sale till January 30th. We only discount this low a few times a year so if you've been waiting, now is a great time to jump in!
Our friends at Blue Bottle Games, developers of Neo Scavenger just released a brand new roadmap for their hardcore noir space-sim Ostranauts. They have a lot of exciting features planned so if that sounds like your type of game, check it out:
Enjoy the update! We will have more news about future Dwarf Fortress plans in a few weeks.
-Kitfox and Bay 12 Games
Adventure Mode Beta Patch Notes (All of them)
In honor of Adventure Mode launch tomorrow, we thought it would be fun to share all the patch notes for Adventure Mode since beta launch. Lots of fun stuff in here (and MANY audio fixes).
Notes for tomorrow's update:
Made hero mode select hearthperson by default
Fixed crash from visiting certain forest retreats
Fixed some crashes related to local adventurer info not being set immediately after travel
Fixed crash issue from demanding tribute from mythical sites
Fixed a crash from unit sheets of certain creatures (e.g. roosters)
Added more combat music
Added sounds for items being put into containers
Updates some confirm sounds
Fixed some footstep sounds
Fixed issue causing music to sound as if it's indoors
Fixed some issues with ambient sound
Added a keyboard-based look-and-interact cursor ('l')
Stopped items like weapons and shields from starting in the same hand after character creation
Stopped mythical sites from appearing on rivers (again)
Older Notes:
Fixes an audio crash
Kobs/gobs shouldn't steal mythic artifacts
Undead shouldn't take over mythic sites near to market towns
Mythical sites shouldn't be placed over rivers as frequently
Added some mythical dungeons, materials, and related temple quests
Added a few magical items
Added initial god quest for chosen mode
Added mythical healing substances in mythical sites
Added messages for healing effects
Chosen/hero get bonus reputation for the purpose of gaining followers
Environmental display in top right (weather, light, temp, etc.)
Quest journal outline on right side of main screen
Vampire blood sense markers
Memory map
Stealth vision cones
Goblin/kobold glowing eyes in the dark
Added liquid/ramp arrow toggles to adv mode
Announced when somebody pushes past you and cancels your action
Made people stop moving when you talk to them (if they aren't fighting)
Added shared items to wrestling interface so you can struggle for possession without using inventory screen
Fixed audio for snow/mud footsteps
Added buttons so ramps can be used with hatches
Separated adv/fort volume settings
Fixed jump tooltip
Stopped adventurers from starting in pits if other sites are available
Stopped rbut from quitting out of character creation
Updated more classic tiles and brought back cursors
Dye vs profession coloration toggleable in both modes
Stopped migrant families with negative age younger siblings in young worlds
Removed case sensitivity from unit filters
Fixed a crash from subtabbing to certain buildings
Made help close button act consistently when help is minimized
Fixed bug where syndrome would target too few tissues
Fixed issue with occasional infinite loop on population placement
Fixed bug where many priests would move to different homes after world generation
Fixed crash involving river audio polling
Started adding tutorial (camera, movement, menu options, popups for many menus)
Menu sounds during character creation and the adventure log
Improved river and campfire audio loops
Can click on portrait for status
Hive no longer looks like clothing
Made string display more compatible with fan translations
Made threading more stable
Fixed modding crash involving creature variations
Audio crash fixed
Update to bin/barrel container graphics so they show their contents in more detail
Added tracking symbols (shift + K for now)
Added classic glyphs (still need to work on screen layout)
Fixed Linux crash-on-exit
Better respected caste population ratios
Added more information to crash logs
Fixed command line world generation
Fix for recent audio crash
Palettized wieldables and wearables for dwarves/humans/elves/goblins/kobolds
Graphical left/right hand distinction on wieldables
Child/baby images for humans/elves/goblins/kobolds
Visible soldiers/groups on world map in adventure mode
Adventure mode sound indicators in unseen areas
Ability to assume identity in adventure mode
Can view wounds in dwarf mode arena without diagnosis
Your adventurer can ride and push minecarts, use levers, bash down locked doors and hatches, topple statues
You can now use wells in towns
Adventure music plays based on context
Full personality customization available in adventure character creation
A few Linux audio crashes fixed
Composing poems, music, dances, and writing things down is back in
Wrestle button now handles wrestling
Encumbrance is visible in inventory screen and there are a few alert levels for being over-encumbered
Speed is visible in the movement options
Indicators for ongoing movement, attacks, and dodges during player's turn in combat
Throwing/shooting crash fixed
Fixed input/display issues in kitchen menu
Handled several issues with gifting pets
Certain goblin torsos weren't being displayed
Butchering and crafting is now in
Abilities menu! Raise the dead if you learn the secrets, pet animals, spit, breathe fire and use other special powers in mods or as an arena-controlled creature/undead
Sites without tables in their stockpile get emergency tables for their shops for now
Printed tabletop items on tables, and stopped many other building items from printing on top of creatures
Sound off init option should work in adventure mode now
Adventurers are no longer unaware of their own name
Adventurers should no longer be sprinting/walking/etc forever when retired into a fort
Fixes that linux crash on the trainer menu again
Makes liquids/powders not spill out of containers on unretire
Right click menu has option to move more than one tile
Npc sheets no longer give away their names unless you know them
Cleaned up an intermittent crash from playing multiple adventure worlds
Fixed crash from some old adventurers
Stopped lockpicking menu from popping up until that's ready
Fixed cave adaptation
Optimization for loading speed with regards to flow events
Restricted some actions like bookkeeping from happening outside fort mode
Centered display of some wide-bodied creatures (some bears, anaconda, python, some animal people
Fixed region map scrolling crash
Crash fix related to multithreading
Adventure Mode Launches January 23rd + Beta 28 Update
It's almost time!
Adventure Mode will be launching out of beta on January 23rd, 2025. Watch the release date announcement trailer here:
Thank you to all the urists who participated in the beta and left their helpful feedback. The mode has come a long way since it first launching in beta and we couldn't have done it without your help! We are excited to shift focus back to Fortress Mode very soon but this is also not the end of Adventure Mode development. Many updates in the future will be applied to both modes and there's still more to add to Adventure Mode in the future. As with everything in Dwarf Fortress development, it will all come in due time. More details about the next steps soon.
We also have beta 28 out today with a long list of improvements and additions:
Beta 28 changes
Graphics
Child portraits!
Baby portraits!
Pebble floors are differentiated from stone floors
Mythical remnant images by sphere
Fixed broken human hair palettes
Fixed missing hoods for cloaks in portraits
Fixed coin palettes and pile size images
Fixed off-center mythical dungeon map images
Also
Tame vermin can be made available as pets in fort mode!
Added adventure soundtrack to Fortress mode
Added adventure mode music track credits
Improved initial loading speed
Adventure mode character creation changes
Changed description and added tip if chosen destiny is disabled
Correct destiny name shown on character sheet in creation
Difficulty tooltips
Creature description tooltips on character creation
Civilization description tooltips on character creation
Home site description tooltips on character creation
Ordered adventurer start sites by population
Belief description tooltips on character creation
Tweaked spacing in background paragraph in character creation
Added character archetypes to character creation for attributes and skills
Skill/attribute tooltips in character creation
Made some additional skills available in character creation
Made character creator choose better starting materials if some points can be spared
Changed item category order
Highlighted item categories in character creation that are for fortress mode
Item quality button explanation in character creation
Adventure mode general changes
Added mythical animal populations to mythical sites
Made mythical populations wear less armor and decreased leader skills somewhat
Added more protection against unintended infighting at mythical sites, though goblins can still argue
Compass for retrieve artifact quest
Improved adventure shopkeeper placement and table handling
Stopped chosen from starting in towns with ruined temples
Added handling of player that has been knocked out or unable to act for a long time
Made reputation visible for people and groups in adv log in chosen/hero modes
Improved adventurer log map display somewhat
Added more information about where companions are located in companion list
Right click allows drinking from tiles
Right click on self has view option
Right click on hatch gives option to go below
Made adventurer NPCs tend toward taverns instead of castles
Made priests start in their temples more correctly
Hover info for sounds, vampire senses, memory map
Fixed problem where enemy healing liquids healed you instead
Added more chosen god popups
Added some adventure mode help guides
Made stop travel button flash if travel is impossible
Clarified wording of surrounding obstacles message
Clarified wording in talk button tutorial window
Added announcement button to menu overview
Improved travel restrictions check
Added highlight for travel restrictions
Made divine intervention stronger
Fixed divine intervention crash against projectiles
Cleaned up quest display between games
Added more combat audio layers
Changed songs less often in adventure mode
Fixed audio crash related to ambiance
Other tweak
Fixed broken medium taupe coloration for nightmare sphere screaming mouths fabric
ready to push the button
Strike the Earth (again!)
- Tarn + Alexandra
Fortress Mode Hotfix 50.15
Fixed a bug that made hive sprites appear as socks and cloaks
Fortress Mode update 50.15: New Container Graphics
Hey Urists,
We have a Fortress Mode patch this week, with a bunch of fixes and tweaks and most notably with the new container graphics. See exactly what's inside your barrels and boxes for easy sorting!
We are still working on Adventure Mode things but won't have a patch for a few weeks which means this will be our last update before the holidays. But not to worry, it will be coming VERY SOON! When Adventure Mode leaves beta, it will unify both branches so a lot of upgrades in Adventure Mode will be making their way to Fort Mode as well. We hope you have a relaxing and restful holiday!
Patch Notes for 50.15
Graphics additions/changes
Expanded graphics for containers
Added ability to view worn clothing by dye or by profession
Shields in right arms displayed in correct order
Major bug fixes
Fixed crash in Linux related to object pools
Other bug fixes/tweaks
Added some safeguards to ages of generated migrant children
Made tutorial close button behave consistently when tutorial is minimized
Made the agitation decay setting work properly
Removed case sensitivity on unit filters
Fixed some issues with list sorting
Fixed crash related to possible null building in sheets
Fixed a crash with creature variation mods
Fixed some threading issues in unit loops
Fixed problem with mod version compatibility setting
Fixed command line world generation
Made game respect caste population ratio in more places
Fixed some possible null pointer references
Added more information to crash log headers
-Kitfox and Bay 12 Games
Adventure Mode Hotfix (Beta 27)
Fixes an audio crash
Kobs/gobs shouldn't steal mythic artifacts
Undead shouldn't take over mythic sites near to market towns
Mythical sites shouldn't be placed over rivers as frequently
We have a large Adventure Mode beta patch today, including the introduction of "Chosen Mode" which gives you access to 'divine quests' from the gods. It's designed to give more guidance to players looking for a more traditional RPG experience. It's not complete yet, and this with the tutorial are the only things left to work on before we can release Adventure Mode out of beta!
To access Chosen Mode you will need to build a new world, and it should be at least 100 years old, but the god stuff kicks in right after the tutorial if you have selected Chosen Mode. Almost all 100+ year old worlds support it, but it requires the correct configuration of temples etc. so occasionally it doesn't work, we don't yet have a fall back position for that quite yet. If you un-check the tutorial on the start screen, it'll still do the Chosen stuff immediately when you start. But it's just a 'quest' to go speak to a priest in a nearby temple, and it gives you a compass to the priest. We need to do more with ensuring that players can make it to the temple. Some helping popups from the god and fixes to being stuck in castles and unable to travel will be coming as well. We are trying to catch all the cases to make it more friendly.
Players who are a bit more used to things should be able to go through the whole cycle now, and have some reasonably hard though somewhat one-note dungeons to go through with their parties. The god/temple stuff is ultimately pretty simple, but we'll have a chance to hone it through December now.
Tarn's Seasonal Update Video
In case you missed it, we uploaded a new devlog by Tarn on Youtube where he highlights some of the biggest features that have made their way to Adventure mode over the past few months!
Patch Notes for Beta 26
Toward finishing Adventure Mode beta
Added some mythical dungeons, materials, and related temple quests
Added a few magical items
Added initial god quest for chosen mode
Added mythical healing substances in mythical sites
Added messages for healing effects
Chosen/hero get bonus reputation for the purpose of gaining followers
Environmental display in top right (weather, light, temp, etc.)
Quest journal outline on right side of main screen
Vampire blood sense markers
Memory map
Stealth vision cones
Goblin/kobold glowing eyes in the dark
Added liquid/ramp arrow toggles to adv mode
Announced when somebody pushes past you and cancels your action
Made people stop moving when you talk to them (if they aren't fighting)
Added shared items to wrestling interface so you can struggle for possession without using inventory screen
Fixed audio for snow/mud footsteps
Added buttons so ramps can be used with hatches
Separated adv/fort volume settings
Fixed jump tooltip
Stopped adventurers from starting in pits if other sites are available
Stopped rbut from quitting out of character creation
Updated more classic tiles and brought back cursors
Other changes
Dye vs profession coloration toggleable in both modes
Stopped migrant families with negative age younger siblings in young worlds
Removed case sensitivity from unit filters
Fixed a crash from subtabbing to certain buildings
Made help close button act consistently when help is minimized
Fixed bug where syndrome would target too few tissues
Fixed issue with occasional infinite loop on population placement
Fixed bug where many priests would move to different homes after world generation
- Tarn + Alexandra
Adventure Mode Hotfix (Beta 25)
Adventure Mode Beta 25 Notes
-Fixed crash involving river audio polling
Tutorial work begins + Discounts, Guidebooks, and Wedding ⛏ Beta 24
Hey Urists,
Beta 24 is now live and includes the beginnings of a tutorial and audio on chargen and in the log screen. There's also a few crash fixes regarding creature variations and threading behaviour thanks to Putnam and some fixes to the audio. There's only a few little things left to clear up before Adventure Mode is ready, and one big thing (the tutorial), and then we'll be able to turn our attention back to the underlying simulation, which will generally improve both Fortress and Adventure modes.
Beta 24 Patch Notes
Started adding tutorial (camera, movement, menu options, popups for many menus)
Menu sounds during character creation and the adventure log
Improved river and campfire audio loops
Can click on portrait for status
Hive no longer looks like clothing
Made string display more compatible with fan translations
Made threading more stable
Fixed modding crash involving creature variations
We wanted to let you know that NOW is the time to buy copies of the game as a gift, or tell your friends who inexplicably still haven't bought it. The game is 20% off right now (which it hasn't been since April), and that's as low as it's going to be for quite awhile... at least six months but maybe more.
But if you're here you probably already own the game so maybe here's a more relevant tip... Caves of Qud and Tales of Maj'Eyal are also going on discount in a day or two, so you can get them for an extra 10% off if you own Dwarf Fortress, in the Legendary Roguelikes bundle.
Guidebook
Also, Fangamer put up their preorders for the Dwarf Fortress guidebook, a lovingly crafted codex of insight and tips. A perfect gift for yourself or other fans of fungal cuisine. You can also add an "Expedition Leader's Journal" for $5, which is a logbook specifically created for tracking the details of your different fortresses and worlds.
Back to the Grindstone
Tarn's been away for little events like moving countries and getting married! But now he's settled into his new life, and back to work on Adventure Mode. Look how happy he is! You all helped make this happen with your support for the game. Congratulations to Tarn and his love both.
Children!
Meanwhile, the artists have been busy, as usual. Carolyn has started designing the portraits for children, though It might be a bit before we see them in-game. Here you can see dwarf children on top versus the adults below. They'll need adjusted clothes since their bodies are a bit smaller, and we won't be showing in detail the injuries they can sustain, but a head-bandage should communicate quickly that they're not in good health.
Crashing?
We know some folks are still experiencing new crashes, even though updating C++ redistributables fixes it for most people. It's very mysterious to us but if you have any clues to share with us, please let us know, especially if the whole game exe just won't start, we'd love to know your OS details, driver setup, etc.
That's all for today, but we'll see you at the next patch! Tanya, Alexandra, Kitfox and Bay 12