Watermaster: A Dwarf Fortress Short Fort

[@kruggsmash]

Gotta note that I didn't make the intro this time. It was made by Der2doug who you can find on Fiverr. Links in the description!

[@AlexianKing]

I like how this intro has a lot noisier color. Reminds me of authentic JPGs from the old days.

[@Dorsidwarf]

Der2Doug's art is beautiful, but your intros always have a place in my heart

[@Teachermook]

Whelp gonna try and put together lyrics for it....

[@TobiasTHolmes]

I just came down to comment on it, i was wondering how you made something so polished so fast alongside all the other work.

[@SCwirlify]

20-25 minutes is perfect for an episode, imo

[@Scatteredpast]

"I like the water stuff in dwarf fortress and I haven't played with it in a while." *war flashbacks to The Fortress On The Sea*

[@hiddenTNT]

flashbacks to waterkeeper

[@mr.nobody896]

Get PTSD

[@enricobianchi4499]

flashback to kingtrap flashback to that fuckin underwater fortress with the glass

[@swamp_croc]

Those were such fun, tragic things.

[@Mister_Clean]

What a disaster that was The single dwarf survivor was comedy gold.

[@rudolph1157]

"cavies, the literally most useless animal" They are excellent defence (or rather distraction) against werebeasts for what they cost.

[@arthurbarros5189]

Huge cost in FPS, I think

[@johnniewoodard648]

I just sacrifice My cows, donkeys, elves, and sometimes slow dwarves to the werebeasties.

[@arthurbarros5189]

@@johnniewoodard648 Sounds like some sort of cult

[@TruckTheDuck]

Can’t believe how long it took me to realize they’re not called “guinea pigs” because guinea doesn’t exist in DF

[@Real_Bad_Guy]

@@TruckTheDuck Guineafowl have been in DF since 2014, so I don't think that's the case. Gonna go out on a limb here, but I think the reason is that A. Zach Adams is a nerd, and B. "Guinea pig" is a colloquial name, they are not native to Guinea / West Africa (guineafowl are, though). "Cavy" is more accurate taxonomically but less commonly known, which makes it pure gold in terms of esoteric nerd jargon

[@ryconroleplays]

Dam Krug, the art style was great in this one. Love seeing the evolution over time

[@Gearhand]

Ahh! The famous Rycon! Loving the Bran the Ironman series. Still need to finish it though!

[@Cidiuss]

+1 absolutely stunnig, I really can't express how much awestruck I am with all the work put into this channel

[@perjohansson4414]

#RyconRoleplays Amen

[@justmutantjed]

Shorter episodes, less episodes, heck -- I'm just happy you're still providing essentially free entertainment for us, as long as you're not self-destructing. Take care of yourself first, Krugg; I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.

[@SetariM]

WE'RE not going anywhere anytime soon.

[@ArcLightShock37]

"The dwarf is fighting with the wave." That is perfect on so many levels.

[@truefailure6359]

A perfect representation of 90% of my adventurer runs ; v ; lol

[@chazdomingo475]

Tarn definitely needs to make cavies edible. That is what they were used for when first domesticated IRL. I was so disappointed when I first took some and realized I couldn't get meat from my cavy farm.

[@migarsormrapophis2755]

oh my god, the goblin style is just amazing my boi Krugg knows how to think outside the box

[@Crypto02222]

I love your short forts, they remind me of Pixar shorts where they try a proof of concept before seeing it in a great movie (or main series in your case)

[@wittyson]

Oh my God! The artwork is phenomenal in this one! Awesome stuff Krugg! Edit: My statement still stands even with the intro, I also like the extra DF tips. It adds a nice touch to it all.

[@crassiewassie8354]

The art was really good this one

[@epicgamer9766]

Phenomenal stuff laddy, been here since monsterkiller and it's only gotten better

[@sirpatrick549]

Episode overall was pretty nice. Reminiscent of older work. Definitely a good standard as I'm sure a lot of the newer people have gone back to watch. As someone who started watching sometime after Monsterkiller, I think it's good to lower for waves of excitement rather than gradually increasing it to an unsustainable point. Lulls are great for recovering energy, and help you when something epic strikes your inspiration. Also, building and gameplay tips are much appreciated.

[@Erikreaver]

I love how you make the goblins and such, the aesthetic motifs used by the dwarves, and suchlike different in every world. Just because they are all goblins does not mean they have to all look the same in every world, ey?

[@davidromeroblaya7920]

Goblin commander: "Use their children as weapons!" Seriously, I love the design of your goblins. They are like a mix between Jim Henson's creations and something from an Oddworld Inhabitants game.

[@toryumau6798]

... Huh, that makes me wonder how well the setting of Oddworld would work as a conversion mod for DF. [ Imagines for a second ] I NEED THIS TO BE REAL. >):'^]

[@squidamodd1048]

Actually snatched children are meant to be trained as goblin soldiers for future sieges so ... sooner or later, they are actually used as weapons.

[@Handles_Are_Bad.Phuk-them-off]

@@squidamodd1048 I think slave or thrall is more accurate, they often become any [entity role] of the civ that snatches them.

[@mendelovitch]

11:40 - Och, that little beardy baby playing with his father. Snatchy and Cavy. Cute!

[@davidhayward6382]

you can just put the timestamp down with a colon 11:40

[@gingerbead7919]

Personally, I love these shorter, more casual feeling short fort style things. While the watchful eyes and similar are great, there's all the details to remember, of all the characters and various forts. With these short forts, it's refreshing to just jump in fresh to some sort of experimental fortress.

[@IvanDuch]

Kruggsmash! Thank you so much for the shoutout at the end of the video! It's always a pleasure to contribute some music to these amazing tales of yours. Looking forward to the next short fortress =).

[@yuuneeq9494]

Your work is great Ivan

[@IvanDuch]

@@yuuneeq9494 thanks a lot!

[@Cynidecia]

That pixel art has gotten a lot more impressive! Though I do miss the simplicity of the OG intros.

[@felixtasker1862]

Krugg, been a watcher for a long time now and this one convinced me to comment. I've always loved your Short Forts in particular, since they seem like a great way for you to try something creative and experimental without worrying about committing to a long-running series. I'm beyond happy to hear that you're prioritizing taking care of yourself, and if that means more small projects that are easier and more enjoyable for you to throw together, then by all means, keep them coming. Keep having fun, you brilliant bearded bastard.

[@BastieDerSpasti]

Nice to see how the experience of playing DF accumulates over the years. Thinking back to Waterkeeper, the doomed underwater Fort and Kingtrap, you see where the skill comes from. The format is really good right now. Murderhall was a nice series as well. Less art for the same amount of Fort, does not really hurt. Nice to have, but Foremost I am here for the game to play out. Good stuff.

[@thatguynameddan2136]

Good to know you're taking it a little easier on yourself. Dont want to burn out on something you love doing after all. These short forts since the update remind me a lot of your older stuff. Love the longform narrative style it developed into, but these have a place as well, i believe. Harkening back to crazy traps and fighting forgotten beasts and "Great job, now throw it on the pile and get back to work." style of artifact production.

[@lowethiderman]

Love to hear that you are focusing on your health and well-being. It's definitely noticeable that you're enjoying this format, and it shines through into the video. I'm happy for you, Krugg!

[@yourlocalgrubdog3345]

As someone who started out with Skullhorror, I really like these short forts! I find that trying to make a weird idea work to just be fun and enjoyable, even if the fort ends up falling. I also prefer the shorter run time personally. I'm in college, and like to watch these during my lunch break. Shorter run times means I can actually finish the videos during lunch rather than having to stop and come back.

[@alexrexaros9837]

Intro went from Atari 2600 to NES to literally SNES in just a few series. You're getting better with pixel art!

[@NinjaBusCow]

The Muddy Nook sounds like the name of a Dwarven Bar. Holy heck, I'm digging the new art style, seems grittier, the Goblins looked badass and the Dwarves were really Dwarfy. The wholesomeness of tossing a Bearded Dwarven Child, that was adorable. DAMN TROLLS! The opening animation was smooth. It's always good to sit down for one of your videos. It's awesome that you're finding a better balance with your workflow, your own health is the most important!

[@rayned.5536]

One of the things i like about dwarf fortress the most is the narrative. The fact that you give scope not on the random gibberish the fame generates, but instead connect the spaghetti threads. You exemplify it well, krug. Highest quality crafttubership.

[@TheLifeOfRyanB]

A dwarf fighting a wave. A perfect image of everything dwarf fortress stands for. Love it!

[@arthurbarros5189]

I always admire Krugg's freedom of mind. I struggle to not make similar fortress all The time. It's like The same place moving around instead New ones.

[@stinthaduthegshatag8134]

My god that intro was incredible. Another short fort is always cool. As soon as a new upload pops up it just puts a smile on my face dude. This is very exciting! And definetly go easier with the videos dude. Everyone needs some free time to go along with work. Your health is way more important than our satisfaction. And to be honest, murderhall was super entertaining despite the lower levels of editing. I say less is more sometimes.

[@mobi777]

I love the episode. Also I am all in for a healthier work schedule for Mr and Mrs Krugg

[@whocares317]

But in all seriousness, This is one of my favorite youtube channels, just because of the concept, Art, story telling, Dwarf Fortress. Its everything I could have ever wanted. Been watching for about a year now

[@N3x0]

This was a ☼MASTERWORK☼ of a fortress. Those several stories high walls. Maybe someday, Toady, makes dwarfs intelligent enough to automatize scafolding.

[@ringodooby]

Love this. Classic goblin siegeing, trap building, story telling action. Makes me wana watch waterkeepers again

[@xxianxx0]

I'm not the most dedicated watcher of this channel but maaaaan do I appreciate the effort that is put into these videos.

[@kruggsmash]

means a lot, dude. Thank you :)

[@ericstapleford5880]

My favorite episodes are the first few of a series (or the short forts) because they focus less on the characters or world and more on the fort itself and the concept(s) driving it. The greatest reason why I like your videos is that I can experience the game vicariously through you, with the added bonus of fantastic hand-drawn visuals to supplement the imagination these kind of games require of the player

[@ErikWarhammer]

That's one HELL of an upgrade to the intro. 10/10

[@torylva]

Not gonna lie, when I saw the Billon Warhammer I thought it said Billion Warhammers and I was like "Damn, that rat bastard can forge like a demon."

[@wolfzeitweiser3773]

Personally, I just enjoy listening to you narrate the progress of your fort. This, in turn, makes me enjoy longer episodes more. The depictions of dwarves, artefacts and monsters are great. I thoroughly enjoyed Honeystoker, due to it being an experiment hidden behind a story. Do what's best for you. I think it's safe to say we light up when a new episode pops up.

[@carlstein9278]

Love it! you did seem way more relaxed in this episode krugg. make the whole thing more enjoyable for me.

[@orthunreactive1124]

Hey Kruggsmash, all I want to say is: Believe in yourself. You are doing an amazing job here and I do not know anyone else, who is even close to be able to what you do. Statistics do not matter. It will always be an up and down. They do not judge you. Continue what you do. I am glad that I have found this channel by random on KZbin about someone playing a game, which can hardly be displayed to anyone in any way. But you are able to do so. Do not listen to the shadows. They do not know, what dwarves are made of. Yet.

[@Cagicajagi]

As much as people may disagree with me, I'm quite curious with the changes to how quickly dwarves suffer from mood problems how Krugg would fare with a straight-up hyper-efficient build. I'm often left stunned at how he makes all these grandiose and gimmicky fortresses, so one where he's at his absolute best possible environment would be quite a sight to see. Heck, maybe seeing him try for a raid on the Underworld would be worth the wait!

[@terminaro]

I love when a fortress tinks with the environment

[@TheCurlyCal]

While I like he long-form story telling you do in your higher effort videos, this is the content I originally came to your channel to enjoy. Detailed and interesting, but fast paced fortress storytelling. I love your videos where the fort itself is the main character, with the named dwarfs just sprinkled in. It truly captures the feel of playing the game. Please make more like this!

[@chubbymoth5810]

Great stuff! I've noticed that if you do not make weapons and armor, the invasions tend to be bigger from the get go. I guess they are emboldened if you have only a few copper axes to chop heads. Another easy way to build walls up is by building the next layer overhanging the lower one. Eventually that creates an upside down pyramid shape if you start from a box shape and build outwards, or a pyramid if you build inwards. Outwards you can stay inside your fortress, which is quite a benefit A U turn in the center or a tower going up from the caverns can take care of the incoming flyers. Eventually it would also make for a great reservoir as building pump stacks is fairly straightforward. It takes quite a bit of materials though,.. but hey,.. who cares about dwarf time. A level of stone will do nicely and green glass is unlimited. Prepared food pots and porcelain instruments are highly recommended trading goods. It enables you to buy the caravan and give fat bribes, without producing FPS killing amounts of stuff. My biggest problem for years was not knowing how much stuff I actually had, making dedicated storage places (one good each), made me learn a lot about that. A pain at times, but useful in the long run.

[@squidamodd1048]

The new freakish look of the goblins (and their helmets and armors at 14:39 ) is amazing! I liked the variation on trolls too, I have a thing for big nosed trolls from Finland folklore. :)

[@Magnius00]

This shorter duration is still fine as it's still as entertaining to listen to as I work. If there's anything I'd specifically love to see, I'd says I'd love to see an episode looking at Moldaf and Scorchfountain after all these years.

[@shawnroske7274]

Very nice. And I appreciate that little tip about quick and dirty temporary forts and the simple bedroom solution.

[@moroii]

I love how you're drawing goblins now!

[@rossjames8839]

Extremely happy to have Kruggsmash videos less often if it means having more of them in my life!

[@willem1703]

I hope you find the right balance, Krugg! Watchful Eyes is astounding and Murderhall was great fun. We're behind you all the way!

[@PrivilegiaVid]

Krugg, I'll tell ya, I preferred this episode over the last 5 or 10 major videos that, as you told us, took you a huge amount of time in the editing. Really nice, a lot of ideas for my gameplay. I think these videos have a target shifted towards DF players instead of Kruggs' stories lovers, and I was missing this since we had "story videos" for a while now.

[@kazamthwizard54]

I love the new style of goblins and trolls. it's cool how the troll fur looks like they're wearing robes.

[@Rei-internet-fox]

I think most if not all of us would like for you to keep doing this for a long time too, so it's great that you're trying to figure out how to balance it properly. Heck personally even if you do very small, bite-sized episodes of like 5 minutes or so but more often, I'd still enjoy it.

[@arthurbarros5189]

I remember once I tried to make a lava version of The fantastic drowning Chamber in Kingtrap. I tried to make a forge, but dug wrong into The vulcan, channeling at ground level instead one level down... The resulting lava river created a Forest fire. The Nice woodland now turned into ashen wastes with a fiery wave permanently bleeding from The mountain... I think I created mordor by accident.

[@angryviking6928]

On the subject of building walls. I construct my first border wall out of logs while I'm clear cutting the forest. Once things are situated a little further, and my masons are cranking out the rock blocks, we do another stone block wall around the wooden one, making it two layers high. You can designate everything in one go

[@l.l.6733]

The short forts are my favorite. Love seeing the architectural concepts, traps and the scenarios that crop up. So grateful for your hard work!

[@bscorvin]

I feel an incredibly strong urge to play Dwarf Fortress every time my seasonal depression starts going away, but god knows I won’t get anything done if I do, so it seems I finally have to watch a playthrough, and I gotta say this was pretty rad.

[@coyoteseattle]

Another good video, really enjoying it. That siege kinda reminded me of what happened the last time I started an experimental fortress; in the first year, before I even had any military set up, a necromancer came along, and reanimated all the animal corpses in my refuse pile. That was the shortest-lived fortress I've ever had.

[@pavellishin2972]

I love the new goblin design, especially their helmets!

[@coryrobertson6367]

One trick I found to make building walls a little quicker is to do it like you were doing only create all the walls at once and then mass suspend all the wall building tasks. Then I all I have to do is unsuspend wall building tasks instead of having to go into the build menu and add each wall individually. This has the benefit of letting you create wall greater than one or two units so more shift-enter and less trips to the materials screen.

[@Larzang]

I do so love that the Short Forts are back. First came in during Skullhorror, and watched the other series as well after. Now I have this new one to look out for too, it is absolutely delightful!

[@bubblewraposaurusrex1866]

Love the new design for the goblins! :)

[@boxesrotses]

Everytime I watch a Kruggsmash episode, I can't help but think "Man this art is great!"

[@stevenrobert2414]

Great stuff as usual! Really loving the new designs for the goblins. Also love that scaly owl.

[@BlackburnBigdragon]

I have a fun idea for a fort to try. Something I'm trying to build right now is a big, underground cave city. I don't mean going to the cavern layers and just digging out rooms. I mean, going to the cavern layers, clearing out stuff to make room, and then building houses, apartment buildings, workshops, and even a castle for the mayor or king. Build all kinds of just.. structures for everyone to live in just like you're building houses and stuff on the surface.

[@zapiggy613]

I loved this episode. The drawings were great and the first (and one of my favorite) video I saw from this channel was Kingtrap. I’m really glad that another fortress is being made with this idea.

[@insanity9329]

I like Dwarf Fortress story that doesn't end miserably.

[@Dadarkgamer]

Over the moon to just see a video like this. I dont mind having less pictures at all; I'm glad you're finally cracking down on yourself. This was definitely one of your more to-the-point videos with little RP. I dont mind that at all, just do whatever is best for yourself.

[@benpielstick]

It's great to see you outsourcing some. The more you hire out the parts you find tedious and focus on what's most important, the happier you'll be!

[@dfghrthtjytrjtfjgnvb]

Magical intro. Beautiful art. Fun fortress. Just simply amazing work!

[@jester5370]

Super stoked to see some short forts coming back, these always lead to shenanigans. Your worlds always get such cool names too.

[@malkomalkavian]

Felt that I was back to watching classic Kruggsmash; light-hearted, gleeful and a bit nuts; and that's a good thing :)

[@mikeloeven]

10:57 I imagine this scene as two dwarves stomping on a downed goblin while X Gonna Give It To Ya plays in the background

[@TomWonderful]

I love short forts and the new format goes very well with it. It's cool to see these small forts where you're building toward a specific gimmick. With this format, we get to see it progress rapidly, and the DF graphics with your editing is plenty to make the story exciting as is

[@TheEJackUK]

You know you can search for natural waterfalls on the map. I've been trying for ages to create a world with a waterfall, volcano, river and at least two biomes on a 4x4 map.

[@Handles_Are_Bad.Phuk-them-off]

whats the input?

[@TheEJackUK]

@@Handles_Are_Bad.Phuk-them-off I've tried various things. Latest was some world gen from the wiki. V small biomes. Lotta volcanos. I'm trying an edit to get something a little different next time. Generated a lot of world's with no joy.

[@TheEJackUK]

@@Handles_Are_Bad.Phuk-them-off Next attemp will be magma in first cavern. Gotta be flexible with the rest. I'm envisioning carving an entrance surface to cavern then over the magma. Let the invasions play with the cavern creatures. Saw that idea on one of krugsmashes videos.

[@inigo137]

That would be awesome!

[@spadeus1443]

Oh dear, you just reminded me of an old map i generated in masterworkdf a long ago, it was a 5×6 embark, a big long river went across the entire thing, surrounded by big darn mountains, a small brook was at the top of one side, making a small waterfall and at the same x level of the river, a volcano, it was great until my laptop went ded after a while

[@garrag0]

Just so good! Short forts, longer short forts, 30-episode elaborate story arcs and tournaments. I know you asked us for some harsher critique but it's all so entertaining that I can't say more than: keep it coming at your own pace and continue to evolve with your work.

[@kfogo7459]

what good fortune! here i was, searching for kruggsmash videos i did not rewatch in the last weeks for the fifth time and suddenly there appears a new short fort episode! such a bliss, thank you! :D but rewatching was really fun again too, i really liked to see the grand story of honeystoker and the dwarven hero who stepped through the demonic gate again, it was fun seeing the hero of balance and his honey badger people dance, skullhorror is always cool and i had almost forgotten the interesting smaller series like the bastion of beasts! so many great stories, thanks to mr krugg!

[@monkymastr]

You do what you need / want when it comes to making content. Art made with passion is infinitely better.

[@MrZacchery]

I bet we the viewers have more fun proportional to the amount of FUN you have Kruggsmash!

[@robotcalus]

Fantastic episode, your water escapades are always interesting. Long or short (and 20 minutes is by no means short), your videos are always very entertaining and I really appreciate and admire the effort you put into this channel!

[@efelbar9191]

The short forts series has always been my favorite, so I'm super glad to see it coming back, even if the episodes are a bit shorter. Great work as always!

[@RottenTotem]

the new goblin and troll designs are amazing

[@PeasantUnit]

I have never played this game and I don't understand how it works for the most part, but I'm still having fun watching this

[@oo-yh5yj]

This episode was HIGH quality. Loved the new intro!

[@aackert]

So hoping an adventurer comes out of this and establishes the next fortress, ala honeystoker style. Would also love to see you execute an adventure mode with the new updates. Thank you for your work.

[@jeremybamber5729]

Was going to post about using walkways for high wall construction but you covered it. I still think making floors along the walls would make the designation process quicker though :P For anyone who feels they have too many migrants I recommend building dormitories (a selectable room type) - a big hole full of beds. Good vampire protection too!

[@hornyonmain7085]

I always liked the short forts, it was quite nice to see you trying out some small concept that probably wouldn’t be that entertaining for a mega-series but works as a novelty for a few episodes long series

[@afinegamingexperience5739]

Perhaps selecting a pond on the world map next would match your water goals?

[@mikeyjofalviton5046]

Getting better and better! Shocked when you said these were gonna be smaller because they sure don’t feel it. Awesome to hear all the credits given to other artists!

[@JimmyDoesSomething]

You outdid yourself on the art and editing Krugg! Remember to put that pickaxe down from time to time and get some rest .

[@dingliedangliedoodle9261]

OMG lmao I'm picturing the goblin swinging the bag with the child in it at his pursuers, poor kid getting bonked left and right.

[@johnbirchall2794]

Loved the video and the relaxed format, Krugg! All craftsdwarfship was of its usual highest quality. Great to hear you're working on finding that healthy balance, it can be a hard one to find at times.

[@rudesthazard5769]

I enjoy this new format more. I say "new" but It's kinda like your older stuff. Like I've said before? Sweeping stories and narratives are great and all, but just watching the trials and tribulations of a relatively normal fortress run is very relaxing and entertaining. A few key drawings here and there to highlight some emergent storytelling events without breaking back over it is definitely the way to go.

[@ZeroPlayerGame]

gotta say, I definitely love the new, chunkier art style!

[@faultyinterface]

Opening was masterful! Kudos to the artist!

[@LabToast56]

Honestly really glad to see these short forts come back! The storytelling is great, but I've kind of missed just seeing you play the game and do shenanigans.

[@Jimverse_]

Half way in and this is perfect - a few characterful pictures, and plenty of gameplay - I love snatchy and Cavy :) Nice one Krugg!

[@migarsormrapophis2755]

Krugg: "gib da cabies snoots." Krugg Fans: "Genius."

[@Jimverse_]

Finished, yes it's great man, I'm happy we're getting a second in this fortress. Who knows maybe that artifact hammer will get some use ;p I personally think this sort of video is fantastic, and if it's less work than usual then all the better. I like the new design for the goblins, they remind me a bit of the little goblin from black cauldron

[@lub7013]

To be honest dude, this short fort might be the coolest damn dorf fort I've ever seen in my three-ish years of playing and watching the game. I just go so hyped up watching this fort. Great video Kruggsmash! Keep it up lad

[@freeasinfreedom7712]

I love your videos so much that I am thinking of actually learning to draw just to be able to make some fanart to enjoy your videos (and my own fortress) more. Thanks for the inspiration!!

[@eamonnkent4088]

I like the short fort vids (like this) and I like the story vids too. So far, basicly, I love all your videos. Its nice to just watch crazy ideas in Dwarf fortress unfold.