How Two People Created Gaming’s Most Complex Simulation System

This Dwarf Fortress documentary details the development of the indie management simulation video game Dwarf Fortress and goes behind the scenes of its creation. Discover more about its two creators Tarn and Zach Adams. From a very young age, Tarn and Zach’s dad taught them the basics of coding and this led to the brothers creating about 400 games in the BASIC programming language. They were inspired by tabletop RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons and Cyberpunk 2020, as well as many roguelike games from the eighties such as Hack, Rogue, Larn and Ragnarok. When Tarn and Zach were 12 and 14 respectively, they started developing their very first fantasy game that would eventually evolve into Dwarf Fortress.
The documentary also explores all the design decisions that Bay 12 Games made and shows why the project went from 3D graphics to using simple ASCII text-based graphics. It also takes a close look at all the hurdles the brothers had to go through. From struggling to become full-time indie developers, and Tarn’s bank account skimming zero multiple times, to completely overhauling the game’s world generation system during the process of adding a z-axis to Dwarf Fortress. Additionally, after Zach got skin cancer, the two developers started thinking more about their health insurance and how expensive it is. Therefore, they decided to partner with publisher Kitfox Games and develop a commercial version of Dwarf Fortress that was released on Steam and Itch.io in 2022. Lastly, the documentary takes a look at what’s next for the brothers, who are now millionaires, and their growing team and what we can expect of Dwarf Fortress in the future.
References:
thatguyglen.fun/video/how-two...
Script written by Anine Van de Ryck.
Outro song: Thank You R.G.E. - Joe Bagale
Support me on Patreon and get exclusive content like ad-free videos, commentary tracks that give insights of how my videos were made, Q&A videos, access to my Discord server and more:
www.patreon.com/user?u=745373...
Follow me on Twitter to stay up to date on what’s happening with the channel and my occasional video game opinions:
/ glencallaert
#DwarfFortress #Bay12Games #GameDevelopment

[@ThatGuyGlen]

What indie game would you like to see me cover next? Leave a suggestion in the comments below! Also, if you enjoyed the video, please consider subscribing to stay up to date on future “How Games Were Made” episodes. Leaving a like and sharing the video also helps out! Support me on Patreon and get exclusive content like Q&A sessions, ad-free content, access to my Discord server and more: www.patreon.com/ThatGuyGlen

[@haxenFilp]

friday night funkin

[@boxmedia123]

Rain world

[@HugoWo0o]

I think Castle Crashers would be cool

[@Waligug]

Factorio

[@indieApocalipse]

Spelunky👀

[@jonathanlebon9705]

I had no idea. I love how they fully take responsibility in continuing the project rather than try to chase the next dragon. It's that type of dedication to a game that the whole gaming industry has mostly lost sight of these days. I'm new to DF, but glad I discovered it.

[@CjMx2forever]

Wait till you realize the full depth of the beast you're diving into. It's terrifyingly great.

[@_NekOz]

​@@CjMx2forever As wide as an ocean, but just as deep. Frankly, it goes deeper than any ocean.

[@seeibe]

Yeah I'm really glad they have financial success with it. The same can not be said for many similar devs. Sadly, the reason there's so little innovation in the games industry is because creating the same games over and over with slight variations is an effective way to make money.

[@nokkturnaldev]

This is kind of backwards, games nowadays take longer to create and are serviced (especially with the advent of GaaS) for longer than they ever have been historically. Dwarf Fortress was really an (excellent) anomaly for back then.

[@dagothhyde7297]

It's literally their life's work

[@OfficiallySnek]

Bro literally decided to program *everything* into a video game

[@matthewboyd8689]

I see what the guy who made Minecraft ment by inspired to be Dwarf Fortress in 3D

[@universal5459]

reminds me of that movie where the insane girl put everything on a bagel.

[@jjhill001]

Feature creep, the game: Dwarf Fortress

[@Kuro-mg8vc]

​@@universal5459 what is the name?

[@Dragon-xd9em]

@@universal5459 WHAT MOVIE, TELL ME NOW

[@TheKyubiisaan]

I’ve never taken a deep dive into this game. But the drunk cat bug just sold a copy. Because that’s brilliant. They created a world so complex, so detailed, that it simulated a real life problem no one saw coming. That is the stroke of a genius.

[@skelybrinegaming8497]

I saw this comment about 3 seconds before the drunk cat bug was talked about the video lol

[@TStizzle19]

​@@skelybrinegaming8497 holy crap me too 😂

[@volkardlokisson6292]

If you think that's good wait till you hear about the thermonuclear cats...

[@clou09]

reminds me of the wow plague bug that mimicked a possible real life pandemic.

[@jojolafrite90]

I heard about this gaming piece of history a long time ago (once upon a time :p) in a paper magazine, when they still existed and were still somewhat interesting and it was one of those narrated gaming story that stayed with me, like another one about eve online and big geopolitical galactic events in it. Never got into these games, neither, though. But I know this type of stuff is what embodies the most what I like to think of as the spirit of gaming.

[@twomur_]

The way you adapt your video editing style to the games you talk about is really cool!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you, glad you like it twomur!

[@Unpug]

I know right!

[@KLANOFLAWLOR]

X X X 😊x😊 X😊

[@imaginify6173]

@@ThatGuyGlen seriously man your production quality is immaculate, huge props to you for these videos they deserve far more recognition

[@DeltaNovum]

This guys editing, presentation and information exposure is really good. However he could probably quadruple his subscribers if he took a couple of moments to breathe in between the info dumping. I have adhd and like a speedtrain of information, but even I need some time to incorporate the information presented. There isn't a real flow to it imo. If he's able to improve that he might keep the viewers attention better.

[@psycheisssdelic]

i think its beautiful that 2 brothers basically spent their lives working on a project they created together. truly a game of a lifetime. not just a game but a work of art

[@Lobotomistmankyeh]

dwarf fortress should be remembered by future historians with as much prestige as something like the Illiad or the epic of gilgamesh. not just because the game itself is a unique and truly wonderful expression of human thought, but because of the story of these two brothers who are pouring their entire lives into a true magnum opus. long live the toady one and threetoe!

[@codyj9983]

Respectfully, if what you say is true why do so few people play DF? Just look at Steam community hub. a few thousand play DF. Rimworld (the most obvious competition) has 15-20k people playing it at any given time.

[@OddlyIncredible]

It should also be studied as a shining example of what you get when you take things way, WAY too far. It is both glorious and horrifying at once - DF is possessed both of, and by, a degree of depth and complexity that is unrelenting to so far past the point of absurdity that it comes back around to brilliance. And I for one am _enjoying_ every minute of the dive into the abyss every time I fire up either the classic or the Steam version.

[@Henryfordisright]

We will figure out how to make him immoral.

[@WisdomThumbs]

When the brothers die, all rights to the game pass to an art museum. Deal’s already signed.

[@SnowMexicann]

@@WisdomThumbs Well fuck, now its a bunch of grubby little money hungry millionaires that get rights to the game.

[@salfordsal]

Oh my gosh, I hadn’t considered myself to be part of Dwarf Fortress history! I did a double take when I saw myself there lol

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Haha you’re a part of the team now! I’m so happy for all the people involved in making and promoting the premium edition, the entire development journey is so inspiring!

[@Epicwindow3]

good news:welcome to boatmurdered! bad news:theres no exit at boatmurdered.

[@OddlyIncredible]

@@Epicwindow3 Oh, there's an exit all right, but it's stacked high with dead dwarves.

[@ffejpsycho]

@@OddlyIncredible and remember... Death, itself is still considered an "exit"

[@yahyathegameenjoyer]

​@@ffejpsycho elephants intensifies

[@n3ttx580]

I remember playing this game with someone wayyy back on some random LAN party and I thought to myself "what a weird game, you have basically no idea what is happening, you do basically 3 actions per minute and you have to google constantly". Haven't played it after that much, and definitely didn't knew it had such a huge backstory to it. But also partly because of DF, I now love games like Rimworld, Factorio, Terraria and other similar dig and explore adventures. This game is absolutely legendary, and as a hobby programmer, I love the fact that even the developer itself sometimes doesn't know what features are in the game. Thank you Tarn and Zachm and Glen for reminding me about its existence and beautifully edited video

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, just happy you enjoyed it! And thanks for sharing your DF memories, always fun to read how people discovered it.

[@8ShekelsDeep]

i got into DF because of those games

[@sadghst862]

2.3k hrs into terraria. Big fan lmao

[@CjMx2forever]

The moment I saw that they had a steam page I saved over $100 to buy it not only for myself but finally get friends that didn't want to lean the keyboard controls and hated the UI to see the game for the awesomeness I saw it as. Two of them are now going crazy that they're real world knowledge works for certain issues but then get to laugh when the game reminds you it's a game with odd not world logic.

[@2009dudeman]

I played DF for a few days back in high school when it was far less refined, late 2000s. I just couldn't get into it. I loved the idea behind it, but the text graphic and keyboard only controls to me just required too much a learning curve. That issue only grew from there, to the point where getting it would have been essentially equal to learning to cook dinner on a sailboat in a hurricane without ever having stepped foot in a kitchen before. I share your excitement over the GUI version, it's just incredible.

[@theophiled]

@@2009dudeman Yep the exact thing happened to me with blender, the UI was horrible, now it's great and tons of people are learning to use it. Dwarft Fortress seems to get a similar treatment, which is great. I hope they will be as successful as minecraft

[@aa-tx7th]

"every year around christmas their donations would increase" my heart. lol they thought of game developers theyve never met for christmas. tarn and zach are leaving the world a far far better and more fun place than in which they came into it.

[@gp8666]

I'm not letting them leave

[@Argosh]

​@@gp8666 I think there are several necromancer raising chambers ready for any accidents...

[@MillillioN]

​@@gp8666 Losing is part of the fun as there will be fun reminders of the previous life.

[@Highwind_]

Although it is a grim reminder of the winter hardships to come, the supply caravan from The Internet is a welcome sight.

[@Dieselnaut16]

Even though I don't know how to play Dwarf Fortress (my base is basically a rotten hole in a hill) I still absolutely love this game and I'm glad you made a video about it!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Yup, it's a fascinating game to behold!

[@dani.2479]

@@ThatGuyGlen its like deus ex, it allows you to do whatever the fuck you want, as long as it works

[@codyruggiero]

Hey, that rotting hole in the mountain is yours and though your dwarves might perish, the next dwarves will learn from that

[@ftb282]

My world is full of failed and abandoned rotting holes. Youre playing the game as intended dw

[@cmd5789]

Team rotting hole in a hill

[@erasmus_locke]

That dead cat bug is crazy detailed and hilarious

[@Jack-lg8zk]

Amazing work Glen, you gave this indie story the documentary it deserves. I particularly enjoyed the ASCII graphics incorporated throughout the video. I think this may be my favourite indie story yet!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you very much, Jack! A lot of work went into this one so I'm glad to hear I was able to do Tarn and Zach's story justice.

[@twomur_]

Oh my god I absolutely love this game and the story behind it so the fact that you made a a video about it is amazing!! So much passion from the devs and such an awesome community that surrounds this game!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

It's an incredible indie story so I'm happy it finally made its way to the channel :D

[@SleepyMatt-zzz]

I never played much of Dwarf fortress, that being said, I did buy the steam version just out of respect for the two brothers. This game is a work of art, and people like this deserve our support.

[@pauliedee1951]

you should really play it since it duch a great game and the fact that adventure mode will come out soon for steam.

[@andeluvianspeeddemon4528]

7:02 If anyone wonders, the longest development history of any computer game is Unreal World, a survival roguelike inspired by Iron Age Finland and ancient Finnish mythology. It has been in development since 1992.

[@ottwarrior]

nethack has been in development since 1987

[@ocelotmadness6287]

Damn I thought it was star citizen

[@Groobl]

This is false, NetHack has been in active development since 1987

[@ilari90]

Developer of that game makes nice archery/horse archery videos by the name Ugri Archer in youtube.

[@Hablo74]

They started with version 1.0 in 1992, so they practically done 0 years of development. If you look at version 3.0 instead, it was released in 2007, so that's 15 years. Star Citizen started in 2012, which is 11 years ago, and it's still in pre-alpha. Sorry, but your Finnish game has lost! 😆

[@PotatoGodzilla]

I have been in the roguelike community for 11 years now and I can definitely say that this will be forever my favorite game.

[@davidstaffell]

No game will ever come close

[@moodlethenoodle]

What percentage of the game mechanics would you say you know/have mastered

[@PotatoGodzilla]

@@moodlethenoodle Hard to know there's just so much stuff. When you think you've seen it all everything changes and you have to adapt, plus there are just so many parameters.

[@MrFancyGamer]

ngl this is probably the most heartwarming thing i’ve seen this month, the narration and editing were also superb :)

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you very much!

[@cdfactory]

Based pfp

[@MrFancyGamer]

@@cdfactory the best

[@valhaimerdbloodsmith665]

It is amazing to think the game development was very literal to even the most micro-functions of the game. The brothers did an epic job. Simply inspiring.

[@TwistedLogicGaming]

It's amazing to see the amount of dedication and passion that went into creating such a complex and unique game. To think that this game was developed by just two people is a testament to the power of creativity and determination. This documentary is a must-watch for anyone who loves Dwarf Fortress, and for anyone who wants to gain a deeper appreciation for the art of game development. Great video

[@12345NOU54321]

You’ve almost helped me finally figure out dwarven water physics. Almost. Not surprised to see you here.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated, glad you liked it!

[@alexanderkulaev541]

I've just started watching it, but want to say this first: it's beautiful! How you always create a stylisation for each video based on the game it's made about, it's so awesome and done professionally. Your videos are always enjoyable, inspiration and full of little details that take us back into our past of retro and nostalgia and awesomely done games with restrictions. Good times. Thank you, Glen!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you very much for your kind words, Alexander! Put an extra amount of effort into this one so I’m glad to hear it shows!

[@alexanderkulaev541]

@@ThatGuyGlen It shows always!

[@crimsonharvest]

Since two months after the first public alpha I played the game and contributed a little discussion and funding. Being there in the slice always felt like something that could be really important some day, if only other people could see it. I'm so pleased at how everything is turning out.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

That's awesome! Tarn and Zach have come a long way and I couldn't be happier for them.

[@KikiAelita]

Wow, I had no idea what Dwarf Fortress was. That was super cool. Adding it to my wishlist.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

It's an amazing game!

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Massive respect to the brothers. There's nothing like this in gaming

[@roybobxiv8996]

Look up the Oliver Twins the English version of Bay 12 Games. They were selling games at 12 Dizzy was quality.

[@nddragoon]

these two are insane and i love them. it's mind-boggling how much love they have for their game. we need to invent immortality so they can continue working on it for the rest of their natural and unnatural lives

[@darkeyedwitch]

Did not intend to watch the whole video right then and there but you did an amazing job telling the story behind the game so I couldn't look away. Tons of info that I never knew about.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you very much, glad to hear you liked it!

[@MrChipathenIsMyDoggo]

That was the coolest video I’ve ever seen from you. What an amazing story. It’s almost like there’s nothing else like it.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Glad to hear you liked it! It really is the quintessential indie story.

[@YevvaiYT]

I've never played DF, never even heard of it until this video but I am so happy and proud of the two for sticking to their guns throughout 20 years and continuing to do so even now. The gaming community, mostly on the developer side, needs more passion like this.

[@tfairfield42]

Glad to see so much coming into place for Tarn and Zach

[@bsharp111]

commenting this while watching, and it’s damn interesting how the brothers adams ventured through the world of programming. btw love the ansi art, very cool

[@ThatGuyGlen]

It's such an inspiring story. I had a blast making this video.

[@timecubed]

It's crazy how they genuinely poured every part of their life into this game and their dedication is unmatched. Even in financial struggles they still worked on the game and the bond between them will never break. It's so mind boggling how they practically created an AI long before traditional AI stuff was made, how every system affects every other system and how the game generates text for all the goblins in a way that makes them seem so human and how the world generates so close to reality. When the narrator mentioned how cats in the game LICKED THEMSELVES CLEAN and then started DYING to alcohol poisoning because they ate a ton of alcohol from their paws is insane. I'm genuinely so unbelievably glad they haven't sold this game or bailed out to chase something new and kept working on this game. The fact that through all this time this is still an ALPHA RELEASE is crazy. These alpha versions are just more fleshed out than most big indie releases nowadays. I'm so glad I found this video, decided to click on it and watch this master piece of a story about 2 brothers pouring everything they have and had into the world's most complex game of all time.

[@rosalindcormier4384]

Not just most indie but most games in general

[@devyn10111]

Tarn probably the biggest chad on earth. Spends his whole life making a single video game. No wife, only dwarf fortress. True man of focus and determination.

[@dordly]

Wow you are underrated. I've watched a few of your videos/docs as they came across my suggestions and I really appreciate the amount of effort these kinds of videos take, especially when you're making all the text and images styled like the game.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Appreciate the kind words! Every video requires a ton of work and this one especially took longer than usual. Always have a blast making them though!

[@Michael-kp4bd]

Holy crap I was floored by so much of this. I had absolutely no idea. I also can’t believe that this big payout for them was so recent! They are sooo deserving. So much of this reminds me of one of my programming teachers. Genius programmer, that guy, but his passions are squarely teaching and (once I started asking him about other things) endlessly working on a resource management style game with inspirations from his favorite fantasy novels and tabletop games. I can now only assume the brothers are a huge inspiration to him. Connecting the dots after watching this, a bunch of things he’s said make even more sense now 😅 … I guess it could be a coincidence and he just has a similar spirit as Tarn, but this video still gave me so much to recontextualize and think about. Bravo.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

I’m sure Tarn and Zach have inspired many people to follow their dreams and work on their passion project!

[@SPYD0R]

Excellent video. I've seen all the main videos on Dwarf Fortress and this is by far the most informative on it. Bravo!

[@wolfee2320]

I gotta say, those ASCII art transitions throughout the video actually look really cool! Also nice video, always love hearing about journeys through game development like this

[@MilitantPacifista]

They are men of focus, commitment and sheer f***ing will.

[@gregw322]

Never heard of this game until now and watched this the entire way through. I got a super nice gaming laptop on a whim during black Friday and it must be fate that I saw this. A game like this is tailor made for me. Massive respect to these brothers. I plan to play the game for the first time within the next hour. Wish me luck! 🤓

[@akapilka]

Good luck!

[@stevejohnson6593]

Are the golbins still friendly?

[@peileed]

found this channel a couple of weeks ago and now, I dream with being in this channel someday, meanwhile the amount of information is insane, thank you so much for so many user cases man!

[@liors94]

I'd vaguely heard of it prior, had no clue as to the depth and intricacies explored by the creators. Such a unique game development tale that stands out in stark contrast to what has been the custom in the last couple of decades. Definitely adding to the wishlist. Thanks for the comprehensive video, it was captivating.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!

[@Gilsworth]

What a fantastic video! I have such deep respect for Tarn and Zach for following their passion and staying true to their vision. It feels more than a game, it's a work of art, as cliché as it sounds it's also simply just true.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you, glad you liked it!

[@icannotbeseen]

This is the first time I learn about these two and I have to say: I love these guys. beautiful story. I hope their health will be ok in the future so they can continue working on their passion.

[@morningvideo]

Hey Glen! I love how your videos show the intersection between game development and human interest. Great showing of emotion in your documentaries!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you very much! I always try highlight the emotional mindset of the developers while they were coming up and developing their game so I'm glad to hear it shows!

[@casedistorted]

Dwarf Fortress has been going since I was in high school in 2004 or 2005. I am about to turn 37 now.. I still remember playing DF for the first time and having my mind blown back then.

[@cptCrax]

FWIW, Code Page 437 is very much *not* "also known as ASCII". ASCII is 128 characters and it includes *none* of the symbols you mention as examples. The whole point of code pages is that they are extensions beyond ASCII to add additional interesting or useful symbols for some specific purpose. ETA: loved the episode, thanks for making great content!

[@unknownkingdom]

Wrong

[@Cenourafnord]

Cheguei aqui pelo jogo e fiquei pela história incrível dos desenvolvedores. Na verdade eles estão mais para criadores de uma lenda, incrível alguém conseguir ficar duas décadas desenvolvendo o mesmo projeto e só fazendo concessões por problemas de saúde. Muito obrigado por compartilhar.

[@EO-fv3wc]

Wow, that was amazing. Props for the quality video/doc. I have newfound respect for and understanding of the DF Bros. The Steam release's explosive popularity didn't shock me at all. It just felt like dropping a catalyst into a huge batch of super-reactive stuff. The community was just waiting to explode with love and support.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated!

[@vis7040]

incredible how much was put into it with this much dedication and love for the project

[@-www.chapters.video-]

00:00 Origins and childhood of the creators 02:25 Development of their first fantasy game 03:13 Tarn's escape through programming 03:48 Moving back to Kitsap County and becoming closer 06:00 Evolution of Mutant Miner into Dwarf Fortress 07:20 Switching gears to focus on Dwarf Fortress 08:02 The unique ASCII graphics of Dwarf Fortress 09:29 The perfect team of Tarn and Zach 11:28 Evolution of Dwarf Fortress gameplay and features 13:33 Detailed simulation of dwarves' personalities and physical attributes 14:52 Financial support and growth of Dwarf Fortress through donations 16:30 Tarn's full-time dedication and collaboration with Zach on Dwarf Fortress 17:00 Ambitious features planned for version 1.0 and development process 21:13 Losing is Fun and Impact on the World 21:55 Art Style and CPU Power 22:41 Funny Situations and Mishaps 23:41 Insight into the Inner Workings of the Game 24:26 Creating a Captivating Adventure and Legends Mode 25:28 Community Involvement and Animated Videos 26:38 Development Process and Engine Used 27:31 Bug Tracking and Mod Support 28:03 Community Engagement and Donations 29:13 Rejecting Job Offers and Licensing Deals 31:48 Making deals with spirits and otherworldly beings 32:18 Partnership with Kitfox Games and health crisis 33:42 Commercializing the game and improving user experience 35:46 Official release of Dwarf Fortress's premium edition 36:22 Overwhelming success and gratitude towards fans 37:21 Goal to continue improving the game and future plans

[@attilavs2]

6:58 "It was just the start of perhaps one of the longest development journeys" NetHack : Hold my beer

[@MilitantPacifista]

Wieder was gelernt.

[@chonkly]

Amazing video my man! Putting faces to these games is really amazing, and helps me appreciate them even more. Keep up the great work.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you very much, glad to hear you liked it!

[@miserablepumpkin9453]

As a person who was incapable of playing the ASCII version due to several different reasons including health issues, I'm happy to know a GUI version now exists!

[@ker0356]

the editing in this video is simply outstanding

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you very much!

[@klti0815]

I have only been vaguely aware of Dwarf Fortress until now, but after hearing the story, I have to say, these guys seem like absolute legends, and what you want indie devs to be like. Not really chasing the money, just wanting to make the best possible game they can make while not starving, and even finding a way to "sell out" that actually works for it.

[@TheNitrozwerg]

What an incredibly well made video. These 40 minutes felt like 10,

[@blurmarsh2265]

God damn making 400 games is an impressive feat, it reminds me of how John Romero said Doom was the 90th game he made. I think nowadays a lot of game media really romanticizes the idea of the indie dev who makes one game and has it go viral, so it's encouraging to see older indie devs be open about how many small games they did before they had a big succesful one

[@raze_]

I think its just cuz this is essentially 3 generations separated from modern indie devs. Modern indie devs have much easier access to advertise the game to consumers. The video itself mentions the only way they could talk to the community was through forums while we have so many easy to access advertisement platforms through social media. I also doubt he made 400 games. He maybe started 400 but if you start a cake but give up on it before baking it. Did you bake a cake? Also a few of those 400 games before were a sequel in the zork series and fucking wolfenstein 3D. Honestly pretty insulting to compare the brothers to someone like romero.

[@blurmarsh2265]

@@raze_ I mean, yeah they probably didn't make 400 fully finished and released games but I'd say just making a small project for yourself still counts as making a game. My point wasn't that they and Romero were on the same level or were as influential as each other, just that they're good examples of how long the path of learning game dev and making a succesful game is. Even nowadays most devs make docens of projects before they have even a small breakthrough. I didn't mean it as an insult to Romero or anyone else.

[@asdnetwork4268]

I don't know these brothers but I like them. Very cool story and they love their hobby and they liked sharing their creation with the world just for the sake of sharing. They were not motivated by anything but their love of their hobby. Inspiring stuff.

[@nicholasfinch4087]

I love these guys humbleness throughout their whole ordeal. It's really rare to see people be so calm when a hype train comes through.

[@justamicrowave5297]

This is like when you start programming by trying to make a whole game you have mapped out in your head with complex systems, but instead of giving up after a single line of code breaks, you actually do it.

[@geterdone4936]

I had no idea this game even existed and now I want to play it more than anything.

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

Thanks for sharing their story truly an inspiration to all creatives!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure!

[@chansesyres4117]

Quite impressive. Look at how far we've come in such little time.

[@justanotherdayinwherever]

This is a heartwarming story. I was immediately in love with the concept when I first played DF. It was difficult for me to play but my respect for it was high. I contributed to their Patreon since I wanted them to succeed.

[@indieApocalipse]

Este es con diferencia uno de los videos que más he disfrutad en mucho tiempo, la historia de este increíble juego es maravillosa y lo contaste de una manera super entretenida

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@empoleonmaster6709]

This was an amazing video! Thank you for making this, it's legitimately awesome!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad to hear you liked it! I had a blast making it.

[@user-cd4bx6uq1y]

This channel is something I keep coming back to, and this is a perfect opportunity

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Awesome to hear!

[@hanh7395]

this just randomly showed up in my feed and was watching this while doing something else, never really thought much of it as i've never heard of this game. But man it's a pretty inspiring story of persistence, patience and passion. They really stuck to it and still do after all those years. Lots of turns they could've taken in their lives that could cease this game from existing the way it is. In a different reality, they could've stopped what they were doing and stick with a 9-5 job, with one of them getting a pretty good pay. But man, making that choice that only get to see it flourish they way it is after 20 years? crazy.

[@TuriGamer]

The answer is simple: "2 decades"

[@FrostRare]

Also doesn’t hurt to be a math savant with a PhD from Stanford

[@hullinstruments]

Seems like something Tolkien himself would have greatly enjoyed. I'm totally out of my depth here but this is fascinating and I really admire all of their work.

[@rikk319]

Tarn and Zach definitely have the same attention to detail as Tolkien. Their enthusiasm is contagious.

[@hullinstruments]

I never got to play video games. I think I've played a total of 2 hours of Halo back when it was first released at a buddies house. I remember thinking how incredible and fun it was I'm In my mid-thirties and just grew up in a super conservative environment. And it just never had the opportunity since I've been an adult. I would absolutely love it. I think it is an art form that is one of the most expressive and far-reaching things that human has ever come up with. God I wish I could get into that stuff these days. Maybe someday just seems like it would be so so much fun

[@marcusborderlands6177]

​@@hullinstrumentsmy man, just take the plunge. Something like dwarf fortress can easily be started and learned by a total novice to games, as it's so utterly unlike modern games you would be starting ont he same playing field as most who have picked it up since the steam launch.

[@LukeSly91]

Man this was inspiring. Great work on the vid Glen, loved it!

[@cheese_master01]

i love the process of making games, the way they evolve it's simply amazing

[@spicytrashpanda]

Being honest I've been intimidated by this one for over a decade. Finding out they finally (and tbh unfortunately) have a more newcomer friendly version I'm definitely going to finally make the plunge.

[@drygordspellweaver8761]

Lol yeah most felt the same tbh

[@thepants1450]

*gets a million dollars* *continues thinking about dwarf stuff*

[@thenoddingturtle]

Bought it on Steam on day one. I'm not much of a player, but the level of detail and the dedication of developers fascinate me.

[@beerasaurus]

Its been so fortunate for Tarn and Zach. They're set for life.

[@Polaf3456]

Dwarf Fortress is literally the best videogame ever developed. A clear example of how continuing to develop one game, fleshes it out.

[@kukukachu]

You're looking at Dwarf Fortress, which is cool, but there is another that isn't getting the proper attention it deserves called Songs of Syx. Made by only 1 guy, he has created an amalgamation of a game. It feels like a mixture of Dwarf Fortress, Rimworld and Total War...I highly recommend checking it out...I also recommended this before, but now that the DLC is out, I'd look into the story of Rain World (both the behind the scenes and the story itself) since the saga is now complete.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Rain World is coming next ;)

[@kukukachu]

@@ThatGuyGlen I am VERY excited to hear this news/

[@VirtuaVirtue]

​@@ThatGuyGlen i subscribed at the mere mention of a rain world video

[@phoenixnader6006]

what song did you use in the intro@@ThatGuyGlen

[@chan4est]

Such a great recap of all the history of Dwarf Fortress! I don’t personally play it, but am always fascinated about the game whenever I hear about it!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

Much appreciated!

[@tfairfield42]

I like how the videos border and style matches the current design of the game in the year being discussed

[@chrism3562]

This was a great history of the game! I'd seen lots of the content in bits and pieces over the years however having it all in one big timeline makes it even more impressive.

[@moonmaan]

I don't know that there was anything in here that I didn't already know, but I'm still here crying at the end because I'm just so happy for these sweet brothers.

[@ThatGuyGlen]

All that success couldn’t have happened to better people!

[@Ved000000]

I like how the Mathematics Genealogy Project is basically like looking through legends mode for necromancers and their apprentices/masters.

[@ToddsDiscGolf]

As a software engineer and aspiring indie-game maker, I love this content so much! It is incredibly motivating! Subscribed 👍

[@Srab23]

Tarn is great. What a man. An ideal game developer, really

[@chrisgeorgiou]

I've never heard about this game .Respect! What an exiting story! That's the meaning of life dedication and devotion to something you really love, really unique, and special ! I wish them best of luck, and success for the game(dream )! They deserve it 100%percent

[@angelo4678]

I honestly have no idea how I got here nor do I have any idea at all that this game exists. I was only doing my laundry ang hanging my clothes at 12mn when this video randomly popped up and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Happy for these two guys even though i've only known them 40 mins ago. And hey, you earned yourself a sub! Thanks for the video.

[@MythBoy64]

Absolutely amazing documentary, thank you for helping me enjoy this game that much more!

[@ThatGuyGlen]

My pleasure, glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@isaacslemko7947]

The sheer depth to this game is insane.

[@HugoWo0o]

Hey i think a cool indie game you could make a video about would be castle crashers

[@ThatGuyGlen]

It's on my list!

[@nicksshitbro]

Wow, these two literally remind me of my own brother and I. Rest in peace, Bud.

[@krubbington]

Always a pleasure to see a new upload from you; I love seeing how different people go about their game development journeys. If I'm not mistaken, Dwarf Fortress has the longest time span for a game's development that you've covered so far?

[@ThatGuyGlen]

I’m really glad I settled into the topic of game development journeys, because r never gets boring! And yup, by far the longest development cycle I’ve covered and it’s still ongoing :D

[@chronictimewasterdisease]

everytime i enter this video the title changes, it's starting to become funny

[@semirionu]

Yep, it's the third title I've seen, but there may have been more

[@chronictimewasterdisease]

@@semirionu i have at leas 6 different titles, dude is changing the title every 2 days on average

[@semirionu]

@@chronictimewasterdisease yep, it changed again lol

[@StarvoXD]

The amount of detail is CRAZY I had no idea!

[@wolframstahl1263]

The drunken cat thing blew(?) my mind. It's just the tinyest glimpse into the complexity of this simulation, and it's almost terrifying to think about how much is going on in this world if it tracks things like substances spilled on the floor, creatures walking through the spills and ingesting the substances when they clean themselves, subsequently developing appropriate symptoms of intoxication. I don't know what this does to my mind, neither blow nor boggle come even close to an apt description.

[@AJ-tk1uo]

Adventure mode player here. I usually either end up getting killed by monster hunting or random ambushes while traveling. You'd never know it but in adventure mode you can pretty much make a fortress of your own. With how reputation works, and hearth persons. You can have guards patrolling land you claim, guards that protect you, and you can even take over other sites and pass the titles to your companions/friends. They will take over the site as lord/lady and can act freely from here, going out to start wars on your behalf, essentially becoming your vassal. You can even make these "vassals" pay taxes to you, by making the demand "pay homage". The game is incredibly complex, by far the best combat system I've ever experienced in a game as well. Nothing better than hunting down a man who kidnapped a child and holding him down while you cut off his tongue.

[@user-lj1ko7el7v]

Jesus loves you

[@calebodonnell3673]

a dead man from the middle east cant love anyone buddy

[@SebeastMr-zh4px]

Thanks?

[@enderman_of_d00m24]

this boys and girls is what dedication looks like. God bless Adams bros.

[@lukeredinger753]

Nice job! It's very unsettling - I definitely get a sense that something is crawling at me! Keep it up!

[@SuperNova-so2cj]

that's incredible. I'd heard of DF, knew it was the inspiration for minecraft, but I never knew its story and the legends behind it. It truly seems like one of those historic pieces of art that only happens once in an era where people put every atom of themselves into something beautiful. I only hope that its remembered for many years to come

[@JRSofty]

Well damn, you've sold me. Looks like I'm going to be buying a copy of Dwarf Fortress. These guys did a hell of a lot of work.