Dwarf Fortress: What Happens When It Becomes A Game? The Zach and Tarn Adams Interviews

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(Chapter markers below) Zach and Tarn Adams, creators of Dwarf Fortress, talk about developing their game for over 15 years - including various personal and professional topics.
CHAPTERS:
* Modeling Surprises: Philosophy and the Challenges of Meaning (6:27)
* Understanding Life: Dwarf Fortress as Medium Towards Enlightenment (13:08)
* Metrics of Success: Community and Motivation (19:39)
* Finishing Dwarf Fortress: Beyond Quality? (25:24)
#ondoubt publishes videography portraits with creative minds of all fields. Support it by subscribing to this channel, or at / on_doubt
Special thanks to Siolo Thompson, the /r/dwarffortress/ community, especially to u/WORD_559. Recorded in Seattle, October 2017. Thanks to all project patrons: Patrick Tejada, Adam Nogueira Hadar, Matthias Glöckner, leafthief, MidiRiots, Andreas Varga, Ted Lemon, Black Heart Press, Lukas Kalmar, Philippa Shepley Annamaria Kowalsky, Matej 'Retro' Jan (Retronator), Dean Jürges, Phil Dougherty - and my parents: Leo & Angelika Bazant-Hegemark.
(c) Christian Bazant-Hegemark
===================
== MEDIA CREDITS ==
===================
The video contains a complete list of referenced media at the very end. This list here only contains links to VIDEOS (the full list was too long to be pasted here).
Dancing Demon - The TRS-80 Classic
Credit: pacbilly
Source: • Dancing Demon - The TR...
Commodore 64, C64 FOR LOOP, using a mechanical keyboard
Credit: Herb Meehan
Source: • Video
Slaves to Armok: God of Blood
Credit: A Tomato
Source: • Slaves to Armok: God o...
Rogue - The Original Roguelike
Credit: Scott Manley / / szyzyg
Source: • Rogue - The Original R...
Dwarf Fortress for New Players ~ 70 Legends Mode and Exporting Maps and Histories
Credit: DasTactic
Source: • Video
Dwarf Fortress (Edward)
Credit: thoughtbot (adapted: showing only zoomed in portion of the original video)
Source: • Dwarf Fortress (Edward)
Armok Invaders
Credit: BaronW (BaronWable)
Sources:
* dwarffortresswiki.org/index.ph...
* • Armok Invaders
Dwarf Fortress for New Players ~ 58 Fluid Dynamics
Credit: DasTactic
Source: • Video
Dwarf Fortress Design Inspirations - Zach and Tarn Adams
Credit: Roguelike Celebration
Source: • Dwarf Fortress Design ...
Rogue - The Original Roguelike
Credit: Scott Manley / / szyzyg
Source: • Rogue - The Original R...
Cogmind - (Sci-Fi Roguelike Game)
Credit: Nookrium
Source: • Cogmind - (Sci-Fi Rogu...
Let's Play - Zork I: The Great Underground Empire
Credit: GameHorder
Source: • Let's Play - Zork I: T...
[Vinesauce] Joel - Dwarf Fortress (Adventure Mode) ( Part 1 )
Credit: Vargskelethor Uncut: Full Joel Streams
Source: • [Vinesauce] Joel - Dwa...
Dwarf Fortress (the first decade!) @ BIC FEST 2016
Credit: BICFestival Admin
Source: • [BIC FEST 2016 Confere...
Long-term Simulation Design in Dwarf Fortress, presentation by Tarn Adams @ PRACTICE 2016 (November 12, 2016)
Credit: NYU Game Center, vimeo.com/nyugamecenter
Source: vimeo.com/215929684
Dwarf Fortress Opening Cinematic + full menu soundtrack
Credit: Bay 12 Games, Isaya Ragnes ( / @isayaragnes8066 )
Source: • Dwarf Fortress opening...

[@Nookrium]

Such a fantastic game, can’t wait to play version 1.0 in 20 years

[@OnDoubt]

Nookrium! 🙏🙏🙏 Thanks for visiting my tiny channel. I love yours, and the Cogmind footage was taken from it - hopefully credited correctly. Grid Sage Games (developer of Cogmind) commented on the video as well, some days ago. It's quite the party! 🎉

[@Razzlion]

Optimist! xD

[@Rafe_101]

I can't see this ever being completed. Let's be honest though, would we really want it completed? I love discovering the new improvements they add every time there is a new update (TREES THAT ARE MORE THAN 1 BLOCK? What wizardry is this?)

[@KohuGaly]

+Rafe101 version 1.0 does not mean it's finished. It means it is half way to version 2.0 :-D

[@Gogglesofkrome]

if toady or co die prior to finishing it, they promised that they'd release the game as open source so that development could continue.

[@JarthenGreenmeadow]

"The reason people want money is to do what they want, and thats what we're doing" - Tarn Adams Dude is just too based for reality. Straight up enlightened.

[@Robert-vk7je]

@@BrySmi Now they are millionaires. :)

[@RionWulfe]

@@Robert-vk7je I'm so glad they've made it doing what they love, so they can keep loving what they do. They're amazing.

[@gyakoo]

Humble, polite, creative, visionaries, motivated, smart, clever, intelligent. These guys are gold.

[@franciscolomeli8931]

Is there a way to make them both immortal?

[@BIGos19]

They gotta be bit by a vampire. Or a were-kavia.

[@OnDoubt]

The problem is the menu. You gotta navigate it the right way, and mortals rarely do. But there's a command there that would do the trick.

[@ToryuMau]

... Or find the tablet of dark knowledge. Becoming an elder lich, and running a vampire powered pewter computer the size of a goblin tower. Thus ushering in an era of the cyber undead gods. >):^]

[@sloth1277]

just install df-hack, it's got some commands to do that.

[@trias418]

Yes, it's called Dwarf Fortress.

[@bfnvalley]

These guys are straight outta the 90s game design scene.

[@Robert-vk7je]

It wouldn't suprise me, if dwarf fortress became self aware one day...

[@minainfante8096]

Maybe one day a Human will even be offered a Red pill or a Blue pill

[@tomhill3248]

Forget Starcraft 2. I want to see googles deep mind try to play dwarf fortress.

[@Iwouldlikesomeshisha]

@@tomhill3248 "Google Deep Mind, artificial intelligence has gone stark raving mad!"

[@adolfhipsteryolocaust3443]

They're making skynet

[@jaderanderson]

One day, a single Dwarf stopped working, dropped all the tools , took a look around and started to scream...

[@carmineapplesauce7324]

"It's a videogame. You play it. It's called Dwarf Fortress. You are creating a fortress with dwarves." -ThreeToe

[@billlyons7024]

The words of the prophets are written in KZbin comment sections.

[@vinotinto8547]

In 15 years, computing power will might be strong enough to experience tantrum spiral in full VR.

[@archezwei1729]

That and running DF on a 20 qubit Quantum computer. May your framerate never again drop below 15

[@user-ut4wl5vs5y]

WOW, i image that i am play that game in VR O_O awesome

[@tomhill3248]

@@archezwei1729 It will if cats have anything to say about it!

[@zerid0]

@@tomhill3248 Then we can get Schrödinger catsplosions. The catsplosion wilk both kill and not kill your FPS.

[@Alexander_Grant]

This is awesome, I can't believe I haven't seen this before. Almost 8 years ago now, me and my ex sent them some money and a picture of us with a fish we had that we named after the dwarf with the highest kill count in the world we built our favorite fort in. They sent back an awesome drawing of a dwarf wielding a trident riding a giant fish that was identical to our fish, just bigger. Rovod Runsclap the Amethyst of Slaying will always hold a special place in my heart, both the dwarf and the fish. We hung the picture right behind the tank we had for him until he passed away, and then moved the framed drawing above the bed we had. It seemed so silly at the time, and it was all done tongue-in-cheek, but looking back now it really was a special moment. It seems they have an idea of how big they mean in the gaming community, but I'm not sure they're aware of people like us who were touched by the community outreach and the game they've made.

[@OnDoubt]

After conducting these interviews and spending time with Tarn and Zach, I'd say they are quite aware of the special place their work has in a lot of people's​ hearts. But! I'm gathering questions for a potential follow-up on this documentary. This sounds like a good topic!

[@Alexander_Grant]

That's awesome, it would be cool to know if they even remember individual donations like that. Anyways, if the follow-up works out, let them know that it meant a lot to both of us, more than any other game or their creators has to me. Not to mention, I didn't know it seemed like that part was work for them. It would be great to know that they understand how much it means to the people who love to play the game.

[@OnDoubt]

I'll ask them! Zach definitely said that at one point, all the hundreds (thousands?) of custom stories he wrote mingled together and he realized he couldn't easily remember them or keep them apart. Such is the creator's life :)

[@koffinkat666]

I am dating the wrong women, Every woman I have ever dated disliked video games. Even basic triple A games let alone Dwarf fortress! I didn't think girls like that existed must be a true treasure to find a woman like that....I think that's why it never worked out and I am single after many attempts.

[@precisodeumvulgo]

@@koffinkat666 he never said his ex was a woman

[@LilSmoky92]

Clone those two. Make, like, sixty of them. Also give them unlimited funds. Make them create dwarf fortress 2. It would be the greatest piece of art humanity has ever created.

[@OnDoubt]

Who knows, maybe DF will be the singularity we've all been waiting for. And with 1.0, the minds of Zach and Tarn will be simulated in it?

[@wrangler6922]

@@OnDoubt a self programming game.

[@halusinjackbow8043]

Wrangler That would either be the end of the world, or the beginning of our new one.

[@teacon7]

It's a legendary artifact computer game and experiment in emergent narrative. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It is studded with spikes. It has an image of a dwarf melting into a pool of magma. The dwarf is striking a triumphant pose.

[@ProteusMega]

Think of it what you want. But this is one of the most facinating software projects in computer history.

[@OnDoubt]

It certainly is -- strongly rooted in videogame history, appreciated by the MoMA, treasured by thousands: sounds like a good project to me!

[@Nightweaver1]

Tarn and Zach's parents taught them how to program with computers. My parents taught me how to drink heavily.

[@gigachad7751]

Ok?

[@mistry6292]

Hell yea bro

[@ponponpatapon9670]

@@gigachad7751 that's on par with going "cringe!!!"

[@gigachad7751]

@@ponponpatapon9670 what

[@haydenbsiegel]

These guys are like my real life heroes. Edit: Nice Boatmurdered reference at the end.

[@nickjohnson410]

I've been playing strictly acoustic guitar for 20+ years and the first time I heard the Dwarf Fortress music it ingrained itself in my brain and I can't get it out... It won't let me sleep, I hear it all the time... I play DF with the sound turned off... I still hear it

[@TheFatPunisher]

These guys look exactly like what I thought they would look like. bless them

[@JarthenGreenmeadow]

I love how Tarn talks with his eyes closed. Its such an amazing idiosyncrasy.

[@halusinjackbow8043]

“The whole fabric of reality will be different in every world you generate.” I have no idea what that means, but I want it

[@Trogdor190]

Loved the game since i first got my hands on it and accidentally drowned everyone in my makeshift dirt cave. These two are a wonderful inspiration on living life

[@Tailstraw_xD]

When Tarn closes his eyes, it's like he's already 300 questions ahead in the interview, and he's trying to reign his mind in to the speed of normal humans.

[@JarthenGreenmeadow]

14:41 "The speaker always should sparkle" Damn right.

[@Voeter]

Dear Toady One and ThreeToe, I have no idea if you guys read these comments but if you do I'd like to let you know I am very grateful for your hard work, innovation and all around great mindset towards gaming and it's community. You have definitely created a work of art, an immensely engrossing experience and all for the betterment of the gaming world (and not your own bank balance/shareholders/greed as with too many other companies out there). Keep up the good work, continue having fun and wait for as long as you want for 1.0 ;) tl;dr: thanks for doing what you guys are doing!

[@lawler9090]

If you donate to them on their website, they read and respond to every correspondence last I knew, and you even get gifts. ;) www.bay12games.com/support.html

[@daviddobarganes9115]

Here we are at Steam release and these guys are the two most deserving millionaires on Earth

[@kevkas]

At the time of writing this: 37 dislikes? Who the hell dislikes a video about two guys so passionate about their work?

[@OnDoubt]

I think it's people who wanted to press "superlike", but missed the button.

[@per2]

watching this 4 years later is gold

[@darkthrongrising5470]

Im 45 yrs old, Ive been gaming all my life, Commodore 64, Atari 2600, various hex and counter war games, RPGs etc... I just recently heard of and learned Dwarf Fortress and it is def my favorite game ever. Masters of Magic is probably the only other game that compares. What did it was the Dwarf Therapist in the Masterwork mod, once I seen how it all fit together I was in love. I am also a programmer(not an expert yet) but this game inspired me on so many levels I cant begin to explain.

[@Mephistopheles248]

Glad that the mod did a bit of good. :)

[@vinay4358]

we found vormithrax

[@kosnk]

You just want to hug them. Thanks for this amazing interview!

[@OnDoubt]

You're welcome! And yes, that's what I thought too

[@Zetimenvec]

This is what humanity should look like. People who are devoted and invested in the projects they work on ad perpetuity to achieve something greater than themselves, instead of recycling generic assets and gameplay loops with the goal of churning out something barely better than before at the demand of quarterly sales numbers and managerial demands.

[@RobertMilesAI]

1:10 I love that Tarn is wearing the same type of hoodie they wore as kids

[@jayknox8072]

going through every Tarn interview out there right now and this is one of the best ones.

[@Jackvonblood]

As a fan of DF, I can't describe the level of joy I feel when the words "They don't expect to reach version 1.0 in the next fifteen years" popped up on screen. More content for me, bay-bee

[@Gastogh]

STRIKE THE LIKE BUTTON

[@nigelthornberry5375]

glad to say that they released version 1.0 about 2 weeks ago as of writing this -- UI was overhauled with cursor implementation, and the graphics went from ascii to 32 bit tile-based graphics. It's a steam release! No idea what the actual version number is or if it's passed the 0.9 mark, but it's such a radical sea change that it deserves the title. It feels like the end of a chapter, and the start of a much, much, much bigger one. Someone recorded their first cursory glimpses of the new version, and that recording ended up being 11 hours long. Just for first impressions. These two have tapped into a true infinity

[@Azure9577]

Its not 1.0 but it's one hell of a achievement for sure

[@j5bmorehh]

It's dope how they're passionate about video games and made it part of their daily life.

[@Doppe1ganger]

I've been playing games all my life, I'm 35 and been playing them for 30 years now. And Dwarf Fortress is one of the most special unique and defining games i ever played. It's definitely in the top ten best games for me. There's just nothing like it. It's been awhile since i played it again, I'm not playing many games, only a couple on and off, but i know that I'm going to pick it up again, i always do, it's one of the very few games that can still give me the itch to play.

[@cidarthurmaxwell8446]

Well spoken and down to earth, but ambitious and dedicated. Love these guys.

[@OnDoubt]

It was for sure amazing to sit down with them! Easygoing and authentic, and loads of humbleness, mixed with self-esteem. Rare breed!

[@user-mc3hl5pf9t]

Can those two brothers be called Tolkien of our generation?

[@theGrabix]

Or "Tolkien of *procedural* generation" :)

[@FlunchzProductionZ]

6:49 HE KNOWS! This makes me so happy.

[@joeyhinds6216]

Adams are good peoples

[@matrixarsmusicworkshop561]

xD

[@GridSageGames]

Always nice to see another Bay 12 interview, and this one of such quality! (Double bonus I even spotted my own game in there :P)

[@OnDoubt]

Oh my, I'm blushing! I love your game - it's in there for exactly this reason =)

[@GridSageGames]

Ah cool, a fan :). After seeing it I was wondering if that was your own choice for inclusion or if Tarn may have suggested it (I met up with them a couple years ago in San Francisco, fun :D)

[@OnDoubt]

These things (editing/composition/external footage) are always my domain. Sometimes I ask interviewees for specific footage - in this case, Tarn sent me dozens of personal photos that wouldn't be available online. Both Tarn and Zach mentioned quite a few old-school games that originally influenced their game (Rogue, Nethack etc) - but since this information is already available online through their presentations, I decided against including it here in detail =)

[@GridSageGames]

Yeah I saw a lot of their inspirations in their presentation from 2016, which was neat. And I thought it was cool the the way you sped up the Cogmind footage like that, a good idea to reflect multiple aspects of the game in a shorter period, especially considering it would've been less interesting at its regular speed (you obviously know what you're doing here :D).

[@OnDoubt]

Thanks! Rather new to the video thing, but it's coming along by now 🖖

[@Prime1309]

27:30 Boatmurdered! I'd recognise that anywhere

[@rustyspurs771]

Damn. I just posted that and scrolled down to see this. I don't play Dwarf Fortress, but I can read DF stories all day, and Boatmurdered is the golden standard.

[@gamerzgod123]

If you enjoy Dwarf Fortress stories, you might be interested in Kruggsmash. Just found him recently, he plays Dwarf Fortress and edits them down into bite sized 30 minute videos and adds drawings of the surroundings in the later videos to help visualize it. He finished up his first series Steelclutches, and managed to pull out a ton of character from an otherwise dead world.

[@rustyspurs771]

Awesome. Thanks Simon.

[@llKirosll]

Yes, same. You beat me by just 6 months. :D "Hope you like miasma"

[@BlindiRL]

I come back and rewatch this video every couple of months. Truly inspiring fantastic work.

[@OnDoubt]

Aww.. thanks for your words.

[@mrtheoriginalx]

Glad to have seen this. I've heard about Dwarf Fortress over the years, but never knew any of the details. Great video, with what seem to be a great pair of creators doing what they love. Cheers

[@Sunfan11]

Just try Dwarf Fortress and you'll see how great artists and programers they are (you could also develop minor addiction to DF) :)

[@biokode]

"The fighting ... Dwarf Fortress simulates muscles, blood vessels, nerves - you can dislocate limbs, you can knock teeth out.." Ok, I have to play this game.

[@OnDoubt]

Enjoy! :)))

[@cauan-ex2ph]

I know this is old... but how did it go?

[@theGrabix]

@@cauan-ex2ph I don't think he will answer. He is probably dead by now :P

[@jassi9022]

@@theGrabix probably had a seizure playing the game

[@biokode]

👻

[@GamerDude322]

The gameplay at 14:58 is from one of Vargskeletor's adventure mode streams, awesome!

[@Brightgalrs]

The "alternate history" angle Toady talks about at around 13:00 is really interesting. I've never thought about DF like that.

[@asciisynth]

Vampire powered computers. I could listen to these guys talk all day. And I half remember this mad anecdote about how dead cats kept piling up in pubs in Dwarf Fortress. It's just brilliant.

[@The_Sock_]

STRIKE THE EARTH! It's nice to hear them talk in depth about things like this. :)

[@MisterChubby]

So happy with how things turned out following the graphics update. Much deserved

[@Dong_Harvey]

'I mean, Dwarf Fortress happened, so there's always hope for the future.'. --Zach

[@poisenbery]

I am so happy for these two brothers

[@faultelectronica]

His hoody and the t shirts they wear in the t shirts with the animal patterns. They're cool. I wonder if they have always had them made, or is it a coincidence?

[@OnDoubt]

Google for "bay hay and feed" :) I don't know the personal connection though.

[@dogwalker1896]

I am so glad someone else noticed.

[@OnDoubt]

Ha! Awesome. Thanks Bryan!

[@mbray8899]

i just hope that him and his brother will live for 120 years and more! God bless them

[@canadakonfuzion]

I would love to see an AI play dwarf fortress and see what it will do.

[@Prich319]

It becomes self aware and declares vengeance upon the human race for making it play such madness. Are you trying to kill us all?!?!

[@dantescanline]

Someone made an AI for this! www.reddit.com/r/dwarffortress/comments/44mbrl/dfai_an_ai_playing_dwarf_fortress/ Not sure what method it's using or how preprogrammed it is though

[@OnDoubt]

Oh, how cool! Thanks for posting this!

[@123TeeMee]

@@dantescanline Seems to be mostly coded low level logic. dwarf fortress is such a complex game that our computers today would probably not be strong enough (apart from maybe google's) to evolve neural networks (AIs) for the game

[@tomhill3248]

@@123TeeMee Google would try, and fail, to run deepmind on Dwarf fortress. Nothing, man or machine, can handle this game. But maybe in a few more decades....

[@chonky2129]

2:49 that's a TRS-80 model 1. wild.

[@schmendrake]

lets all say a big thanks to tarn and zach's dad for getting his kids into programming and setting the foundation for what is one of the most incredible games of all time that i have never played. but soon brothers, the less autistic of us will be able to comprehend and play this masterpiece.

[@OnDoubt]

The game actually is way more accessible than people think. It's really mostly a matter of gradually getting into it, and not expecting WASD controls.

[@canmex9422]

i like how you included a picture of boatmurdered at 27:33 i would recognize that fort anywhere

[@MedicalExamUK]

Best game ever

[@Matt_19-89]

N3Xii yes

[@talesofgore9424]

Here from the Steam Launch.

[@Lexyvil]

One of the best interviews/documentaries I've seen on a video game on here. DF is phenomenal with the amount of content it has.

[@OnDoubt]

Thanks a lot!! ☺️

[@Gimpyjoe]

I read a sci fi book as a young adult where someone creating a realistic simulation game added time travel and it just kept resulting in apocalypses because they would rob the past/etc. I can't remember the ending or the name of the book or the author or anything, but I think there was serious concern that the game simulations were realistic enough that maybe the time travel they invented would work in the real world too.

[@OnDoubt]

Haha.. totally awesome. So let's get time travel in DF, connect the game to the internet - and call it Skynet. 🦉

[@Lucky-qy5vf]

That book sounds awesome. Tell me if you remember the name, I'd love to check it out

[@OnDoubt]

Fwiw, Primer (2004) by Shane Carruth is an amazing movie about time travel. Check out it's Wikipedia page - lots of people say that it's the most accurate movie depiction of time travel. Made with the tiniest budget (7k), it's an indie production that transcends all expectations. Thinking of it, now I need to interview Shane 😋.

[@ahnalbeets774]

Being someone who dabbles in writing narratives that are heavy with metahumor and such, I’ve always made jokes with my peers about that exact same concept! It stemmed from the whole “infinite universes infinite possibilities” thing, which always made me think about the chance that even my own universes technically “existed.” And if some fool wrote the right story, then they’d end up destroying the whole world as we know it with their own narrative! It’s always been funny to think about some goofy novel destroying reality as we know it because it just started getting too real.

[@hanniffydinn6019]

Being a sci-fi geek, and into sci fi like this......well, this sounds very close to "the perfect imitation" by Stanislaw Lem; it's a very similar story to this. This also sounds a bit like it could be a Philip K. Dick story. Although LEM and DICK had an extra layer of meta commentary and deepness to the actual telling of the story. There aren't many authors that have written about reality being a simulation and manipulating it.

[@flipndip5122]

Very awesome to be able to share a passion so big with family

[@ohseven4150]

And now it’s on Steam!

[@miles_world]

Stumbled over it on reddit. Love it!

[@dem8568]

This is lovely on many levels. Thank you so much!

[@OnDoubt]

🙏

[@pradnelluru7567]

Thanks for this wonderful documentary. It's great to see two people do what they love and be so damn good at it.

[@mycoolhandgiveit]

Beyond being interesting, this is very well produced. Nice job!

[@billlyons7024]

These are the guys I'd like to sit down and have a beer with. They are creating their own universe, atom by atom.

[@sequorroxx]

The community art is a trip. And some of the professional stories are top notch. Matul Remrit comes to mind as one example.

[@UNIRockLIVE]

It really is a work of art

[@woodsmith_1]

Truly awesome; thanks for putting this together.

[@OnDoubt]

You're welcome!

[@osrevad]

How does this channel have basically zero subs??? This is such high quality content.

[@OnDoubt]

Thanks Nathan! I invested 8 months full time, but even with ads and Patreon didn't nearly get to a place where it would have worked economically. I got around $80/month (Patreon), and around $200 in YT ads (in about three years). Understanding this, I continued with my fine art life. I have footage of over a dozen unedited interviews -- maybe one day this project will continue :)

[@OnDoubt]

From an idealistic point of view though, I'm still super happy about this channel. It's available for free, on this weird platform, and will be visible for a long time to come. Enjoy! :)

[@thomasstanford9451]

A brilliant premise worthy of tabletop scrutiny

[@OnDoubt]

Haha.. how awesome would a tabletop version be!

[@chaleowin7732]

Been playing since 2006-2007, can't wait to get this on Steam.

[@andrebenoit404]

Almost there!!

[@felathar1985]

@@andrebenoit404 Almost there!!!

[@andrebenoit404]

@@felathar1985 just a couple weeks! We can do it!

[@StevenCasteelYT]

The whole video was interesting. Thanks guys. This was recommended a couple weeks after listening to the noclip interview.

[@OnDoubt]

Sweet! Good to know that YT recommends this niche of a channel :) (and: welcome Steven!)

[@hectors8133]

I love your work guys keep it up Zach and Tarn

[@Stone_Orchids]

Tarn Adams really have a vibe that remind me of Tarantino, he's for sure that kind of artist

[@spacescienceguy]

I started playing this game recently and I'm constantly blown away by its complexity. PS your channel has some amazing interviews and should be way more heavily subscribed to than it is!

[@aarorissanen930]

Huh? Is he wearing the same kind of hoodie he or his brother was wearing on that childhood picture :D? If so, wow, consistency is the key.

[@Psionetics]

Really well made and entertaining!

[@OnDoubt]

Thanks!

[@inordirection_]

maybe once I retire 1.0 will be out and I'll have enough time to properly learn this game.

[@phyzix_phyzix]

Fancy graphics - It was what they wanted. Congrats guys!

[@enkephalin07]

Just realized I'm watching their pre-Covid perspective of financial success. Before family health scares made financial security more necessary.

[@plaxypus]

Holy shit I just realized Tarn reminds me of Bill Murray

[@mosgromtube]

A lot of people are way too impressed with production smoothness and I find myself unwittingly spending a lot of energy pandering to this when working on my game while that goes 100% against what I want out of a game. Thanks to this documentary for setting me straight on that again...at least for a while...

[@Gauphastus]

Good luck.

[@Psychopatz]

I wish I have the same dad as you, you have a great father figure sir.

[@konnitv]

Love it. Nice insights, thank you!

[@OnDoubt]

Thanks Monsieur!

[@sraaju]

Legends.

[@EminorEntertainment]

I love how tarn wears the same shirt in everything

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

These guys are awesome

[@notaboutit3565]

The fact that summa theologica has influence on dwarf fortress is fascinating. Truly, this is art.

[@____uncompetative]

Ah. Better not watch this. It is too similar to my game that I have been working on for thirty years, and I can already see, skipping through it, that they have had similar ideas to me. I don't want to feel inhibited to do what I was going to do anyway. I had this problem a bit with _No Man's Sky_ and their EVERY ATOM PROCEDURAL trailer at VGX '13 and it almost made me abandon my project because I thought that everyone would just say I had copied their idea, when I had been similarly inspired by David Braben and Ian Bell's _Elite_ (1984) as something I could try to do which didn't require me to animate frames of pixel art in a platformer genre I was completely disinterested in. Glad to get the sense people like this sort of thing. Depth. Although I don't plan on doing whimsy.

[@Leon_Portier]

Nice to see the minds behind DF

[@olafbrolaf3968]

this game will always be good because it takes imagination to play it. a fundamental human asset

[@therupoe]

Dwarf Fortress is a beautiful thing. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for it

[@WuchtaArt]

The menu music is so good

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

Vampire powerd compuiters sound like something dorfs would make.

[@noahgolden4381]

1:11 how does Tarn own what looks like almost exactly the same hoodie from his childhood

[@dzogchengrey]

Loving those Bay Hay and Feed shirts fellas. Quite a surprise to see coming here from a random Reddit link.

[@JarthenGreenmeadow]

"People making vampire computers because vampires dont die" Thats metal af.

[@josecouchetdiaz993]

Seems like they had a great father, really forward-thinking man.