There are countless ways for dwarves to get themselves injured in Dwarf Fortress, and thanks to the upcoming graphical Steam version of the subterranean management game, you’ll be able to see some of that in rather grisly detail. But you’ll also be able to easily review each dwarf’s medical records, thanks to some welcome updates the developers are making to the menu systems.
Dwarf character sheets in the Steam edition of Dwarf Fortress are going to be much more usable than in the old ASCII-based DOS version. You can pull up a sheet for each dwarf in your settlement, and look over tabs for personality, health, thoughts, and loads more. One tab gives you an in-depth look at each of a dwarf’s relationships and how they’ve impacted their life.
You’ll also be able to review not only a comprehensive list of wounds and ailments a dwarf has suffered, but also a complete history of the treatments they’ve received. As Dwarf Fortress creator Tarn Adams outlines in the latest Steam update, you might notice that a dwarf has various sutures included in their personal items – and a trip over to the health history tab will reveal when these were done and by whom.
It’s still a lot of dense information, but it’s now much easier to find and cross-reference. Also, it’s a perfect illustration of the sheer volume of data Dwarf Fortress tracks on each citizen that appears in the game. There are additional tabs that dig into dwarves’ inner lives, revealing how certain events in their lives have become memories that shape their perspectives and personalities.
“Previously, the player had to cobble together a dwarf’s memories from their seasonal thoughts and personality changes, and most memories were not visible most of the time,” Adams explains. “Now we have this simple chronology.”
Dwarf Fortress might be out as soon as this fall, if enough players are ready for it.
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