[Toma]

You sold at least one! :p

Considering I bought it too, and since my SpaceChem Avatar convinced another person to buy Gnomoria, I am responsible for a least 3 purchases! The Gnomoria dev can grab some good food for that tomorrow :p

(Regarding the SpaceChem recommendation: Consider looking at Frozen Synapse, Lone Survivor, Legend of Grimrock and the City builder games too if you havent played those yet. All heartily recommended.)

[Lonewolf_92]

This game really needs an ingame help for the controls. Magic trick number 1: Press F Turns this: into this: This way you have lower walls for better oversight over the actual room contents. Magic trick number 2: Press E Omits all the stone you havent mined yet. How ridiculously cool does that look, like seriously.

I must have accidentally hit E at some point. I was hoping there was a way to turn that overlay OFF because I was setting up mining jobs on the wrong level by mistake. Thanks for that!

[Toma]

I must have accidentally hit E at some point. I was hoping there was a way to turn that overlay OFF because I was setting up mining jobs on the wrong level by mistake. Thanks for that!

Yeah, thats how I found them. I just heard here in the thread afterwards that you can actually choose which keybindings to use, noticing that all the control options are hidden in the options menu. I can imagine that this might be annoying when actually trying to mine stuff though.

[SnakeswithLasers]

What do I do with all this damned dirt?

[Toma]

What do I do with all this damned dirt?

It stacks in piles of 64, so you can just designate a stockpile that only carries dirt on one floor and it will probably never be full.

Edit: Or were you talking of what to actually DO with it? lol You could make your own Gaf Insignia on top of your fortress! (like mine on the last page)

[SnakeswithLasers]

It stacks in piles of 64, so you can just designate a stockpile that only carries dirt on one floor and it will probably never be full. Edit: Or were you talking of what to actually DO with it? lol You could make your own Gaf Insignia on top of your fortress! (like mine on the last page)

Wow, I didn't realize it stacked. Thank the good lord!

[Toma]

No they dont. And Toma... can you find any writing from RoboB0b stating that these $8.00 will guarantee us the game after alpha into the full version? In all honesty I think he will and I am not worried about him screwing us over lol. Would be nice to see him say something publicly soon. Although I would not mind giving him more $ once the game is out.

He now changed the FAQ to make it read like this:

When will Gnomoria be released? Gnomoria is currently in alpha and available for preorder with immediate access to alpha. The release date is TBD. I don’t plan on an indefinite, prolonged alpha period. When Gnomoria reaches the level of quality expected from a finished game, it will be released but far from finished. Given the opportunity, I plan on continuing support and offering free updates well after release.

So yeah, you preorder the full game with access to the alpha now :)

[SnakeswithLasers]

Can you build channels? I have some water, but it's pretty far away...but I'm afraid to try to channel it closer to my settlement because I don't want anyone to drown in the construction process.

Edit: Also what does 'max containers' mean in a stockpile? I don't want my dwarves to stack shit without a crate. =|

Edit2: Is there a way to get them to stack stuff once I have containers if they've already stockpiled it by putting them down one at a time?

[elfinke]

Like I assume many others, I picked up DF with a real plan to make a proper go of it, due to the recent Giantbomb play of it with Dave. I've had some good early success and some even greater failures. That lazy noob launcher + tile set is great.

However this looks bloody fabulous, I'm in. Thanks for the heads up Toma, I'll grab this tonight.

[Toma]

Like I assume many others, I picked up DF with a real plan to make a proper go of it, due to the recent Giantbomb play of it with Dave. I've had some good early success and some even greater failures. That lazy noob launcher + tile set is great. However this looks bloody fabulous, I'm in. Thanks for the heads up Toma, I'll grab this tonight.

Haha, yeah. This game isnt nearly as deep as DF, but definitely makes up for it with ease of control. I love DF and I wouldnt want to miss it, but Gnomoria is definitely fun for shorter bursts or if I want to have my gnomes/dwarves build a 3D model of something.

[Ghizz]

After playing for a few days:

Pros:
- The graphics look pretty clean and nice.
- Lighting and daytime/night-time effects.
- Can rotate the map.
- Can zoom out a little.
- Can turn off and on hidden levels, like an x-ray view.
- You can plant tree's.
- Graphics can be set to just about any resolution.

Cons:
- Virtually no keyboard shortcuts, everything and that means EVERYTHING is handled through right click context menus.
- Nearly non-existent announcements. Not told if a gnome dies, if an invader shows up, etc.
- It crashes alot.
- Workshops often don't get completed.
- Stockpiles priority doesn't work well and stuff rarely gets put away correctly.
- Farms must be on the surface for max production.
- Research to build new items doesn't seem to work.
- Can't command military to anything except patrol, guard or just be in a squad.
- No rivers, only lakes and ponds.
- No sound.
- Digging designations, especially up/down staircases, are mind cracking frustrating with isometric view point and mouse control.
- It crashes. ALOT. Did I mention this?
- Worldgen is retardedly slow considering it's just the map you're on and not an actual world with other kingdoms, etc.
- It's NOT FREE. Playable demo limited to six days.
- There are tons of bugs and glitches.

DF is still ultimately a better game, but Gnomoria shows you the ropes with better graphics, the UI is not that much better due to no hotkeys.

[Toma]

Can you build channels? I have some water, but it's pretty far away...but I'm afraid to try to channel it closer to my settlement because I don't want anyone to drown in the construction process. Edit: Also what does 'max containers' mean in a stockpile? I don't want my dwarves to stack shit without a crate. =| Edit2: Is there a way to get them to stack stuff once I have containers if they've already stockpiled it by putting them down one at a time?

Alrrriiiiight (Feel free to ask more questions! Love answering them)

1. Thats my tunnel:

I had the same issue and simply tried it. The water is really, really slow in pushing into the new pathway. It also starts by pouring in rather low on the bottom and continuously rises, so that all the gnomes have more than enough time to get out of there. Doesnt seem dangerous at all, compared to the way DF handles this scenario especially.

2. I cant prove it, but my guess is that the "max containers" is only the max number of crates/barrels... that are supposed to be on a stockpile. I read somewhere that its planned to make containers "Moveable" and designate containers TO certain stockpiles so that you can control which stockpile has how many containers. So that issue is likely going to be sorted out at some point.

3. I havent actually tried it, but as the dev also acknowledged, the situation surrounding the containers isnt perfect. I dont think you can actually designate how you want them to be used currently. You might be lucky with the following (backup your save so that you dont waste time on doing this): Delete your old stockpile, create a new one somewhere else and check whether they now use containers.

You might actually try getting something into containers which cant be contained, btw. I was sort of hoping strawberries go into crates/barrels, but no luck. There isnt much that goes into these containers atm.

[Toma]

I took the freedom to comment on your comments :p

After playing for a few days: - Virtually no keyboard shortcuts, everything and that means EVERYTHING is handled through right click context menus. - Nearly non-existent announcements. Not told if a gnome dies, if an invader shows up, etc. - Stockpiles priority doesn't work well and stuff rarely gets put away correctly. - No rivers, only lakes and ponds. - No sound. - Digging designations, especially up/down staircases, are mind cracking frustrating with isometric view point and mouse control. - It crashes alot.

Yep, definitely issues that he should and apparently will work on at some point.

- It crashes. ALOT. Did I mention this?

It crashes a bit too often for my taste too, but considering the progress over the last few patches and his focus on bug fixing currently, I wouldnt worry too much. Besides the purchase is a "preorder" with access to the alpha right now, so yeah, problems are to be expected. Though comparing it to other Alphas I played last year, this one is actually rather stable and feature complete. True though, crashes need to go away completely, which is what he is working on the whole day currently.

To be honest, I am sort of expecting for most crash bugs to be fixed in the coming weeks. If its too much to take for you ATM, try it again in 3 weeks and decide for yourself whether the pace of progress is good enough for you ;)

- Workshops often don't get completed.

They do, I thought the same at first but its pretty surely almost always the players fault if they dont get completed because he was missing materials or a Gnome dedicated to building them. The game definitely needs more feedback for the player, though. A box in the workshop menu that is being build telling you which items are missing/what it is working on would be VERY helpful.

Edit: To prove my point, would you upload your savegame somewhere? I would pretty much guarantee you that I will find the reason why your workshops arent being completed.

- Farms must be on the surface for max production.

Thats not a bug. If plants need sunlight to grow, then they of course will yield less results underground. Well, actually there IS a bug: Its possible to farm underground at all. Apparently only should be possible above ground. The dev acknowledged that there needs to be something for people wanting to live purely below the surface, though, so you'll probably get underground plants at some point.

- It's NOT FREE. Playable demo limited to six days.

Where did you get the impression that it is or should be free? A game NOT being free is generally not really a con in my book, except you are just comparing it to DF in this case, which is a bit unfair though. DF is not exactly free either, lots of people pay for it or it wouldnt exist. Point taken, though. Not paying for a game is a plus compared to a game you need to pay for.

- Research to build new items doesn't seem to work.

It works, it just takes a LOT of time, especially if you have a Gnome doing it with a rather low skill for it.

- Can't command military to anything except patrol, guard or just be in a squad.

I wish more control over them too, but its a simulation, not an RTS. Thats just some stuff that comes along with the genre I guess. He might be adding more to that though to allow for more precise orders.

- Worldgen is retardedly slow considering it's just the map you're on and not an actual world with other kingdoms, etc.

Yeah, it takes a while. But hey to be fair, if you compare this game in your con&pro list to Dwarf Fortress, it still wins single handedly in the "time-it-takes-to-create-a-map" category :p

DF is still ultimately a better game, but Gnomoria shows you the ropes with better graphics, the UI is not that much better due to no hotkeys.

Undoubtedly, but its definitely a good start. And I dont think anyone expected it to be "better" either, with the amount of dev time currently in Gnomoria compared to the time Toady spent on Dwarf Fortress. There is also the problem of user friendliness vs raw content. I dont think Gnomoria will EVER surpass DF as the "better" game for me due to the way both games are structured, but this doesnt mean I cant enjoy the more light hearted game of the two ;)

[Ghizz]

Undoubtedly, but its definitely a good start. And I dont think anyone expected it to be "better" either, with the amount of dev time currently in Gnomoria compared to the time Toady spent on Dwarf Fortress. There is also the problem of user friendliness vs raw content. I dont think Gnomoria will EVER surpass DF as the "better" game for me due to the way both games are structured, but this doesnt mean I cant enjoy the more light hearted game of the two ;)

That's true (: Still a fantastic genre though!

[Lonewolf_92]

I'm building a village ENTIRELY ON THE SURFACE USING LOGS! Why? Why not? ;)

[Toma]

I'm building a village ENTIRELY ON THE SURFACE USING LOGS! Why? Why not? ;)

When I tried that first, I had some issues grasping the ideas of floors. I really liked the idea of building some 3d stuff with my gnomes, maybe I'll build something else. There is no white/very bright building block, right?

[Toma]

Edit2: Is there a way to get them to stack stuff once I have containers if they've already stockpiled it by putting them down one at a time?

Just found the Gnomoria forum suggestions thread about this issue:
http://forums.gnomoria.com/index.php?topic=631.0

RoboB0b's response:

There was talk of this pretty soon after the first alpha release and I've been planning on doing something to help "soon". In practice, it has turned out to be too hard to get containers to show up where you want and requires some player intervention. I was waiting to get to the point where I had a day to try out a couple things to see what worked best.

[Twinduct]

I kinda liked how he phrased his 'upcoming features post'. The honesty is also quite nice.
I've been ignoring this for Towns as of late. But God damn the Towns's AI is completely broken. The only thing they'll follow is the top most priority. Anything on a lower tier gets handled 'eventually'. Not fun to try and micromanage it.

Bit I digress on topics not suited for this thread. Besides giving up on Towns until some serious updates comes along. So back to Gnomoria!

Toma, any idea on the rate of feature updates on Gnormoria?

[Toma]

I kinda liked how he phrased his 'upcoming features post'. The honesty is also quite nice. I've been ignoring this for Towns as of late. But God damn the Towns's AI is completely broken. The only thing they'll follow is the top most priority. Anything on a lower tier gets handled 'eventually'. Not fun to try and micromanage it. Bit I digress on topics not suited for this thread. Besides giving up on Towns until some serious updates comes along. So back to Gnomoria! Toma, any idea on the rate of feature updates on Gnormoria?

You read the upcoming features post, so you know that the dev doesnt want to have a clear schedule on stuff to do right now. He mentioned that he would like to have a short term schedule, though after he is finished with the current bugfixing-athon.

From what I understand there will be a few weeks of bug squashing now, with the highest priority on getting the game stable to "release" it, so that he can focus on adding content. He also said that he cant do bug fixing 24/7, because his brain will become pudding in that case, so he is likely to add smaller stuff (some UI information maybe? Probably an easy task for in between, or some more decorative items) with his bug fixing updates. Smart move too, since those small additions might be enough to have people looking forward to the weekly updates. Purely taken from my ass, but considering his progress in the last updates and the amount of bugs/crashes I experienced, I'd say we have about a 4+ weeks period of smaller content/UI and MAJOR bugfixing updates before we see updates focussing on adding major gameplay additions. Since I see a lot of potential in this game, I'll keep you all updated about the progress of course :)

I am not bothered by talk about Towns btw. The games seem similar enough so that comparions between Gnomoria/Towns/Dwarf Fortress are rather unavoidable. All games have people liking them, so its a fair point comparing them if people dont senselessly bash one of the three, because obviously all three have their advantages and disadvantages. I'd even appreciate a quick write up what people who played both prefer in Towns over Gnomoria or the other way around. Besides from content and graphics of course... Dwarf Fortress and Towns seem way farther along an graphics.. well.. guess all has been said on the matter of DF's graphics ;)

[Infinite_Daremo]

So GAF got me addicted to Demons Souls, Monster Hunter, Minecraft, Terraria and now this. Goodbye productivity for a while.

[Toma]

So GAF got me addicted to Demons Souls, Monster Hunter, Minecraft, Terraria and now this. Goodbye productivity for a while.

I'd say we have a good influence on you.

[Infinite_Daremo]

I'd say we have a good influence on you.

That you do. Id trust one gaffers review over multiple journalistic reviews. Although I nearly got suckered into Deadly Premonition.

I'm also a sucker for pixel art.

[kafiend]

I'd say we have a good influence on you.

GAF is a good influence... most of the time :)

Bought because of this thread. Thanks Toma.

[Toma]

That you do. Id trust one gaffers review over multiple journalistic reviews. Although I nearly got suckered into Deadly Premonition. I'm also a sucker for pixel art.

In case you havent yet, buy Lone Survivor in the upcoming steam sale. Just believe me.
Another very good Pixel Art game recommendation is Jamestown. If you even remotely like to play Shmups, pick that up too. Pixel Eye candy and one of my favourite shmups.

[Toma]

Trying to excavate a sphere into a hill:


Will probably still take me a while. The worst thing about this.. if you mess up, there is no going back. Its still a bit faster than building ramps and stairs to build stuff above ground, though.

[Twinduct]

You read the upcoming features post, so you know that the dev doesnt want to have a clear schedule on stuff to do right now. He mentioned that he would like to have a short term schedule, though after he is finished with the current bugfixing-athon. From what I understand there will be a few weeks of bug squashing now, with the highest priority on getting the game stable to "release" it, so that he can focus on adding content. He also said that he cant do bug fixing 24/7, because his brain will become pudding in that case, so he is likely to add smaller stuff (some UI information maybe? Probably an easy task for in between, or some more decorative items) with his bug fixing updates. Smart move too, since those small additions might be enough to have people looking forward to the weekly updates. Purely taken from my ass, but considering his progress in the last updates and the amount of bugs/crashes I experienced, I'd say we have about a 4+ weeks period of smaller content/UI and MAJOR bugfixing updates before we see updates focussing on adding major gameplay additions. Since I see a lot of potential in this game, I'll keep you all updated about the progress of course :) I am not bothered by talk about Towns btw. The games seem similar enough so that comparions between Gnomoria/Towns/Dwarf Fortress are rather unavoidable. All games have people liking them, so its a fair point comparing them if people dont senselessly bash one of the three, because obviously all three have their advantages and disadvantages. I'd even appreciate a quick write up what people who played both prefer in Towns over Gnomoria or the other way around. Besides from content and graphics of course... Dwarf Fortress and Towns seem way farther along an graphics.. well.. guess all has been said on the matter of DF's graphics ;)

If you look at froggy's post about DF's development roadmap, you kinda get why Rob doesn't want to lay out this whole 'megaton' list of hopeful features. Although the forum is now added to my daily dev read runs.

I didn't think you minded the towns talk. I just felt that I have not talked about this game for the last few posts. So wanted to get myself more on topic. For the record I honestly don't think it would be fair to compare these two. Given that both is in Alpha and that one update could completely change the 'scales'.

Besides, Towns has been longer in development. Stuff like 'endgame' or at least larger advances with enemies are more laid out. I'm excited about both's development though.

[Toma]

It comes along... slowly..

Hey, I am bored at work right now. Might as well dig out a giant ass sphere :p

If you look at froggy's post about DF's development roadmap, you kinda get why Rob doesn't want to lay out this whole 'megaton' list of hopeful features. Although the forum is now added to my daily dev read runs. I didn't think you minded the towns talk. I just felt that I have not talked about this game for the last few posts. So wanted to get myself more on topic. For the record I honestly don't think it would be fair to compare these two. Given that both is in Alpha and that one update could completely change the 'scales'. Besides, Towns has been longer in development. Stuff like 'endgame' or at least larger advances with enemies are more laid out. I'm excited about both's development though.

Agreed with everything. I'll still probably try to post every interesting bit from the dev forums here in this thread. Feel free to do this though, in case you see it before me. Might not check it every day.

[StaffordZ]

I've really enjoyed what i have managed to play of this game so far, even if i hadn't yet grasped it at all. However, since version 0.8.3 i have had game breaking issues with the menus. At the main menu i need to spam left click and space bar to actually be able to select anything like new game and world size etc then once i get in game i cannot select anything.

It's pretty disheartening to have not seen this addressed yet though i'm sure the dev is working very hard. Has anyone else experienced any of these problems? I'd love to be able to overcome it. I want to get back into this game as soon as possible!

[Toma]

I've really enjoyed what i have managed to play of this game so far, even if i hadn't yet grasped it at all. However, since version 0.8.3 i have had game breaking issues with the menus. At the main menu i need to spam left click and space bar to actually be able to select anything like new game and world size etc then once i get in game i cannot select anything. It's pretty disheartening to have not seen this addressed yet though i'm sure the dev is working very hard. Has anyone else experienced any of these problems? I'd love to be able to overcome it. I want to get back into this game as soon as possible!

The main menu is bugged like this for you? Not just ingame?
What you described reminds me of a bug I had that slowed down my whole game so that I needed to click 29918723 times until a click had been acknowledged. But that was ingame, due to a pathfinding bug that effectively slows down everything. Do you have more than one PC at home? Could you transfer the installer to a different PC and try it there? Since its the main menu, it cant be any save file problem.

You are the first one I heard with problems in the MAIN menu :( No idea how that is even possible since nothing is even loaded up. Even a rather bad PC should be able to run the main menu fine. (Your PC specs are good enough, I guess, right?)

Probably best to create a thread over in the Gnomoria forums:
Technical Bugs

Maybe someone knows the issue.

[Toma]

The gnomoria community is having a contest giveaway for 10 Gnomoria keys!

You can play the demo to participate:
http://forums.gnomoria.com/index.php?topic=718.0

[StaffordZ]

Thanks for the correspondence dude. Yep, it all starts on the main menu but i can eventually get past that with some strategic hits of the space bar while clicking. Its the in-game menu i have the real trouble with and cannot actually select anything.. the highlighted selection just flickers up and down and back and forth through the boxes whenever i try choose mine / wall etc

This is extra peculiar as i have uninstalled and reinstalled 0.8.3 & 0.8.2 separately and i am now experiencing the same problem for both versions. I doubt it is anything to do with lag as I'm running windows 7 w/ i5, 8gb ram & 560ti. Infact, i have overlooked the documents folder, i think I'll delete that and see if that helps anything.

I cant help but feel sorry for the Dev. It looks like he really has his work set out for him with 12 pages of threads on bugs. Hopefully gets some more guys on-board to share the work load.

[Toma]

I cant help but feel sorry for the Dev. It looks like he really has his work set out for him with 12 pages of threads on bugs. Hopefully gets some more guys on-board to share the work load.

Not all of those bug reports in the forum are still valid, though. Some issues have been fixed and others were duplicate bug reports. Still more than enough to do, but I am pretty confident he'll get the most severe bugs out in the not so distant future.

Thanks for the correspondence dude. Yep, it all starts on the main menu but i can eventually get past that with some strategic hits of the space bar while clicking. Its the in-game menu i have the real trouble with and cannot actually select anything.. the highlighted selection just flickers up and down and back and forth through the boxes whenever i try choose mine / wall etc This is extra peculiar as i have uninstalled and reinstalled 0.8.3 & 0.8.2 separately and i am now experiencing the same problem for both versions. I doubt it is anything to do with lag as I'm running windows 7 w/ i5, 8gb ram & 560ti. Infact, i have overlooked the documents folder, i think I'll delete that and see if that helps anything.

Your bug still strikes me as odd, though. Since I havent read your bug anywhere else (and 0.8.2 worked before but now doesnt anymore either?), I am guessing that something with the framework the game is running on must be borked. You could try updating/reinstalling the .net framework since the game is programmed in XNA. That might be worth a try.

I assume other games work fine? I assume deleting the documents folder didnt solve the issue either?

[SnakeswithLasers]

My new town was swimming along just fine when a goblin came down in the night and attacked my Yaks in their pasture.

He killed one of them, which was what prompted me to know that there was an attack going on, so I told my gnomes to go up and defend the others.

They fought a valiant fight alongside my other two yaks and ultimately killed the goblin. One of my remaining yaks was blinded and bleeding, while the other suffered deep wounds and was also bleeding. The pasture was just covered in blood. My miner (Red Miner) also got pretty messed up and subsequently covered the entire mining operation with his blood.

A day later one of the yaks succumbed to her wounds. Then later that night the last yak died. At that moment the game crashed.

Fuck that goblin.

[Toma]

My new town was swimming along just fine when a goblin came down in the night and attacked my Yaks in their pasture. He killed one of them, which was what prompted me to know that there was an attack going on, so I told my gnomes to go up and defend the others. They fought a valiant fight alongside my other two yaks and ultimately killed the goblin. One of my remaining yaks was blinded and bleeding, while the other suffered deep wounds and was also bleeding. The pasture was just covered in blood. My miner (Red Miner) also got pretty messed up and subsequently covered the entire mining operation with his blood. A day later one of the yaks succumbed to her wounds. Then later that night the last yak died. At that moment the game crashed. Fuck that goblin.

Ouch, your first goblin sounds way more mean than my first one was. But just wait until you release that shielding yourself from outside isnt all that secure since Golems will await you in the depths of your fortress later.

[SnakeswithLasers]

Ouch, your first goblin sounds way more mean than my first one was. But just wait until you release that shielding yourself from outside isnt all that secure since Golems will await you in the depths of your fortress later.

You know, my guys found a couple golems and I didn't even notice it. I just saw the notices "mud golem has died" and was like..."ok!"

This one goblin was a maniac though.

If I make bandages, will they automatically use them?

And is there a good strategy to finding metal? I'm going to start a new town (my third now...) and do all of my stuff underground, but would like to use traps--however, I can't ever seem to find enough metal to get moving with that.

[Toma]

You know, my guys found a couple golems and I didn't even notice it. I just saw the notices "mud golem has died" and was like..."ok!" This one goblin was a maniac though. If I make bandages, will they automatically use them? And is there a good strategy to finding metal? I'm going to start a new town (my third now...) and do all of my stuff underground, but would like to use traps--however, I can't ever seem to find enough metal to get moving with that.

Bandages, yeah, I noticed they use them if they get to using them and don't die before. However, the fight needs to be ended AND they need to be able to move (no leg injuries). You cant heal them otherwise.

And yeah... you got to dig a lot for metal. Currently digging though 5 whole layers at -10 to find more of it. I started a map for one of my building projects (the sphere above) which had a big copper source in a mountain, but wasnt as lucky with my save where I actually try to survive :p

[SnakeswithLasers]

Bandages, yeah, I noticed they use them if they get to using them and don't die before. However, the fight needs to be ended AND they need to be able to move (no leg injuries). You cant heal them otherwise. And yeah... you got to dig a lot for metal. Currently digging though 5 whole layers at -10 to find more of it. I started a map for one of my building projects (the sphere above) which had a big copper source in a mountain, but wasnt as lucky with my save where I actually try to survive :p

This is a pretty great game. I'm anxious to see how well it turns out at release. I've got an early game strategy, but am not sure what to do after that (i.e., once summer is in swing).

It's good though--I enjoy continually starting over and refining my 'build order' and I love that this game makes it MUCH easier than Dwarf Fortress.

[Toma]

This is a pretty great game. I'm anxious to see how well it turns out at release. I've got an early game strategy, but am not sure what to do after that (i.e., once summer is in swing). It's good though--I enjoy continually starting over and refining my 'build order' and I love that this game makes it MUCH easier than Dwarf Fortress.

I fully agree :) I like the devs opinion on how gameplay elements should go together to make a fun experience. There was one forum post about discovering tiles in caverns.. let me look for it.

At first, it would only reveal as the little gnomes had line of sight to each cell, but it felt really lame. If you wanted to explore a cavern, you had to mine/build/something a cell to get a gnome to walk over there and then cancel or let it finish and do it again. When I switched it to flood fill through the air and reveal all of the terrain adjacent to air, it felt way better :D

He seems like he is able to make good decisions on which elements are fun, and which are not, which is part of the reason why I am really looking forward to his journey developing Gnomoria.

Whats your "early game" strategy btw?

[SnakeswithLasers]

I probably overstated it by calling it strategy, it's more just my tactics are shifting.

The first game, I built into a mountain and had a big entrance. I put farms outside and workshops inside. It was more of a city than a fortress. However, it was my first game, so I didn't know the sizes of all of the workshops, etc. and my rooms were all wonky. Then tragedy struck when goblins started murdering my gnomes who were tending to a cotton field way out in the middle of nowhere--it was big, flat ground, so I figured it would work.

So the next game, I decided to just build a stairs down and then put everything underground. This worked for a while, but my initial plot size on my underground farms and arboretum was too big, so nothing was getting done fast enough. On the bright side though, my projection was that nobody would have to go outside after the Summer once all of the food operations were complete, except to tend to the ranch. THEN MY RANCH GOT INVADED and the game crashed

Essentially, that game was me using HUGE, SWEEPING clear orders and room buildings. So this time I'm going to start with bite-sized tasks and plots and then just expand on those. I think it will be more efficient that way.

I also think I'm going to dedicate one gnome to nothing buy hauling. I'm sick of all of this dirt.

[KTallguy]

So this is a complete remake? What are the differences between this and the real dwarf fortress (besides the graphics).

I like the idea of DF but I've never been able to get around the obtuse interface and graphics... I'd gladly try something a little more streamlined and easy to understand.

[Toma]

So this is a complete remake? What are the differences between this and the real dwarf fortress (besides the graphics). I like the idea of DF but I've never been able to get around the obtuse interface and graphics... I'd gladly try something a little more streamlined and easy to understand.

Tons of simulating stuff in DF is missing from Gnomoria. But lets just say that people just trying to get into this kind of game dont necessarily need all the mechanics DF offers right from the start anyway. The core gameplay of digging, finding ores, crafting and building is very much intact here. This game is definitely " a little more streamlined and easy to understand". I linked the page where you can download a demo in the OP, try that. Also, read the end of the OP for a guide on how to play this kind of game and which goals you should set yourself in the beginning. Come back if you have any other questions :)

From what is actually here, the biggest difference to DF is the control scheme. Everything is done via mouse, which is very easy to get into. However, after playing for a few hours I am already hoping for an implementation of shortcuts for each order. Its still a great and fun start, though! Simply try the demo, read the How to play part in the OP or watch some tutorial videos.

[Infinite_Daremo]

How do you delete saves? Theres nothing in the Documents or Game directory and there seems to be no option in the load menu.

EDIT: Nevermind, found it. My Documents/Games/Gnomoria/Worlds

[SnakeswithLasers]

So this is a complete remake? What are the differences between this and the real dwarf fortress (besides the graphics). I like the idea of DF but I've never been able to get around the obtuse interface and graphics... I'd gladly try something a little more streamlined and easy to understand.

Due to the significant changes and streamlining, one could go so far as to say that it's less a remake of Dwarf Fortress, and more of a re-envisioning of Terraria 'in the spirit of Dwarf Fortress.'

[Lonewolf_92]

I probably overstated it by calling it strategy, it's more just my tactics are shifting. The first game, I built into a mountain and had a big entrance. I put farms outside and workshops inside. It was more of a city than a fortress. However, it was my first game, so I didn't know the sizes of all of the workshops, etc. and my rooms were all wonky. Then tragedy struck when goblins started murdering my gnomes who were tending to a cotton field way out in the middle of nowhere--it was big, flat ground, so I figured it would work. So the next game, I decided to just build a stairs down and then put everything underground. This worked for a while, but my initial plot size on my underground farms and arboretum was too big, so nothing was getting done fast enough. On the bright side though, my projection was that nobody would have to go outside after the Summer once all of the food operations were complete, except to tend to the ranch. THEN MY RANCH GOT INVADED and the game crashed Essentially, that game was me using HUGE, SWEEPING clear orders and room buildings. So this time I'm going to start with bite-sized tasks and plots and then just expand on those. I think it will be more efficient that way. I also think I'm going to dedicate one gnome to nothing buy hauling. I'm sick of all of this dirt.

I would suggest flattening out the mountain top you've settled for fields/pasture land. I've heard it recommended 8x8, or 64 squares total, for a field to give you and idea of what size you need (you'll need 3 fields: Wheat, Strawberries, and Cotton, plus pastureland for whatever animals you have access to), build a set of stairs up from the inside of your fortress for access and once you've got it setup as you like remove ramps to create cliffs to limit access from the outside (to prevent gobbos from just marching up and slaughtering your yaks/herdsgnomes). Farming inside is currently a bug so it's a good idea to think of a solution as if you can't do it (so you'll be prepared for when it's fixed).

I'd leave dirt cleanup until your first gnomads at least, as the gnomes are horrible at prioritizing tasks and once you start a stockpile for dirt you can expect most of them to come running with a clump to add. If you really want to get rid of the dirt, you could use it to build around exposed areas to limit access, dirt surfaces go up pretty quick, you could build a quick little two story tower around your fortress entrance with a barracks for your soldier gnomes if you wanted to, and it would be putting that dirt to good use.

[Toma]

How do you delete saves? Theres nothing in the Documents or Game directory and there seems to be no option in the load menu. EDIT: Nevermind, found it. My Documents/Games/Gnomoria/Worlds

Had issues finding those as well. He really should add an easy delete option from within the game for that.

Due to the significant changes and streamlining, one could go so far as to say that it's less a remake of Dwarf Fortress, and more of a re-envisioning of Terraria 'in the spirit of Dwarf Fortress.'

I wouldnt throw Terraria into the mix of describing Gnomoria actually. Except the graphics which seem to be from the same guy, of course. But other than that, Terraria is an action platformer at its core with some city building elements whereas Gnomoria is a simulation/City builder with explorative roots. I guess I know what you are trying to say, but its definitely closer to DF than to Terraria.

[ToxicAdam]

Bookmarking, will download and share impressions.

[Toma]

I am preeeeeetty sure I had a Goblin in my fortified fortress, even after I sealed up all my farming areas and the fortress entrance. Golems spawn underground in areas that dont have light, right? Whats the rule for Goblin spawns? Do they spawn at the edge of a map like new Gnomes or randomly on the map?

There is also a time restraint to it. Those enemies dont spawn until a certain point. Like 1 seasons for Goblins and 2 for Golems or something?

Bookmarking, will download and share impressions.

Have fun! Let us know in case you need some help/starting out advice.

[Toma]

Bookmarking, will download and share impressions.

Some of those spawns are funky, lol.
seed: 1234567890
kingdom center 1987654321, 1987654321

Spawn is from the Gnomeria forums, but my own screenshots:

Rest of the map is completely flat. Perfect map if someone is annoyed by deconstructing ramps/making flat surfaces for farms and stockpiles above ground:

[SnakeswithLasers]

I wouldnt throw Terraria into the mix of describing Gnomoria actually. Except the graphics which seem to be from the same guy, of course. But other than that, Terraria is an action platformer at its core with some city building elements whereas Gnomoria is a simulation/City builder with explorative roots. I guess I know what you are trying to say, but its definitely closer to DF than to Terraria.

Definitely agreed, but I'm throwing out the Terraria comparison just due to the playability of both of them. Thematically it's 100% a "cover" of Dwarf Fortress, but it feels friendly and incredibly accessible in a way that Terraria did, even though it is still alpha.

And I say 'accessible' with a grain of salt. I don't think Terraria is hard, but it's harder tolearn than a lot of other games out there; but one of my favorite games is Europa Universalis 3, so it's all relative.

[Toma]

Definitely agreed, but I'm throwing out the Terraria comparison just due to the playability of both of them. Thematically it's 100% a "cover" of Dwarf Fortress, but it feels friendly and incredibly accessible in a way that Terraria did, even though it is still alpha.

He definitely did a great job of considering which kind of UI would fit his game the best, which sort of made me want to support him even before I tried the game. When I made this thread, I had not even played more than 15 minutes or something, but what I read in his forums was really down to earth and rather intelligent from a game design point of view.

And I say 'accessible' with a grain of salt. I don't think Terraria is hard, but it's harder tolearn than a lot of other games out there; but one of my favorite games is Europa Universalis 3, so it's all relative.

High Five!
OT, but how do you like CK2? I was asking myself yesterday whether I could ask someone who played both and loved EU3 about his opinion on CK2. Tried getting into it a few days ago and the spark has not sparked yet. Kinda feel bad about not getting the same vibe as all the other players hyping it to death right now :/ Took me a while to get into EU3, so that might still come, but who knows.