gnome fortress by rfgpfeiffer
This is a game where you mine down below the surface of the earth. Try to dig up diamonds!
Using Tools
Each of your four starting gnomes has a different tool. The pick can be used to mine, the sickle can be used to harvest, the ladder can be used to climb back up, and the hammer can be used to craft more tools. Press X to pick up a tool (or resource) and C (or C with an arrow key to specify the direction) to use it. Tools wear out over time. Each tool has 100 charges in the beginning. Mining ore or diamonds wears the pick down faster.
Crafting
In order to craft, pile up the crafting ingredients in one place and use a hammer. If the available ingredients form a valid recipe, they will be transformed into a tool. If there are more raw materials around than you need, crafting will fail. These recipes are possible:
wood+wood+wood=ladder
wood+wood+iron=hammer
wood+iron+iron=pickaxe
wood+iron=sickle
Food
The current food energy level of each gnome is shown at the top of the screen. If the energy level falls below 20, it can not use tools. You can increase energy by eating food (pick up with X, eat with C). A hungry gnome automatically eats any food he finds next to him until he is no longer hungry. The initial energy level should last for five minutes.
Loops
You can automate complex tasks by giving a gnome looping instructions. Press R to record an instruction sequence, then give your instructions, then press again to start the sequence. Controlling a gnome again stops the loop. You can switch to other gnomes with J and K while a loop is executed.
How to run the game
There is a tarball for Linux that contains all dependencies except python and pygame, and a .zip for Windows with an .exe file that you just need to double click on.
In order to run this game from source, you need to install python 2.7, pygame, noise 1.2 (https://github.com/caseman/noise) and pyscroll (http://www.pygame.org/project/2892/?release_id=4722).
On Ubuntu I used:
sudo apt-get install python-pygame
sudo pip install noise
sudo pip install pytmx
sudo pip install git+https://github.com/bitcraft/pyscroll.git
Then
python main.py
or
python main.py --big
will run the game
Using Tools
Each of your four starting gnomes has a different tool. The pick can be used to mine, the sickle can be used to harvest, the ladder can be used to climb back up, and the hammer can be used to craft more tools. Press X to pick up a tool (or resource) and C (or C with an arrow key to specify the direction) to use it. Tools wear out over time. Each tool has 100 charges in the beginning. Mining ore or diamonds wears the pick down faster.
Crafting
In order to craft, pile up the crafting ingredients in one place and use a hammer. If the available ingredients form a valid recipe, they will be transformed into a tool. If there are more raw materials around than you need, crafting will fail. These recipes are possible:
wood+wood+wood=ladder
wood+wood+iron=hammer
wood+iron+iron=pickaxe
wood+iron=sickle
Food
The current food energy level of each gnome is shown at the top of the screen. If the energy level falls below 20, it can not use tools. You can increase energy by eating food (pick up with X, eat with C). A hungry gnome automatically eats any food he finds next to him until he is no longer hungry. The initial energy level should last for five minutes.
Loops
You can automate complex tasks by giving a gnome looping instructions. Press R to record an instruction sequence, then give your instructions, then press again to start the sequence. Controlling a gnome again stops the loop. You can switch to other gnomes with J and K while a loop is executed.
How to run the game
There is a tarball for Linux that contains all dependencies except python and pygame, and a .zip for Windows with an .exe file that you just need to double click on.
In order to run this game from source, you need to install python 2.7, pygame, noise 1.2 (https://github.com/caseman/noise) and pyscroll (http://www.pygame.org/project/2892/?release_id=4722).
On Ubuntu I used:
sudo apt-get install python-pygame
sudo pip install noise
sudo pip install pytmx
sudo pip install git+https://github.com/bitcraft/pyscroll.git
Then
python main.py
or
python main.py --big
will run the game
Ratings
| Coolness | 73% | 3 |
| Overall(Jam) | 3.08 | 455 |
| Audio(Jam) | 1.67 | 649 |
| Fun(Jam) | 2.69 | 530 |
| Graphics(Jam) | 2.85 | 564 |
| Humor(Jam) | 2.36 | 454 |
| Innovation(Jam) | 2.97 | 391 |
| Mood(Jam) | 2.69 | 577 |
| Theme(Jam) | 3.63 | 142 |
I found the mechanics of the game to be a bit overwhelming. A few things about the interface made it easy to lose track of what was going on, particularly the tiny pixel art and the lack of highlighting as to which gnome was currently selected. I was barely able to coordinate myself enough to dig down a couple squares and harvest a mushroom before my gnomes starved. I can't even imagine getting enough supplies to craft. So, I'm lost but at the same time I'm impressed at everything you were able to work in. I tried recording some actions just to see if it worked and it does. That's pretty cool!
I may be a bit biased to say this is a very good game, while my entry is pretty close to it :-)
I read through the instructions several times before I understood what to do. It is also difficult to understand what needs to be done and what the resources are.
Some sounds would also be nice.
Keep on the good work there is a lot of potential for a good game.
As for the game, it's alright, good ideas, but I got tired fairly quick to always switch and the very slow progress, maybe using the mouse for controls would have been better.
Dropped resources are stacked on the same spot, so the difference in one and three wood is invisible (I also didn't realize for a while that I could pick stuff up other than tools)
It would help a lot if the status information for the selected dwarf was highlighted.
I saw some instructions in game so didn't bother to read the description here after reading crafting recipes, so I missed out on the recording controls. The game is very tedious without recording. Even with recording, if I automate a guy digging and a guy placing ladders, I still have to bring the other tools over or collect the resources manually.
The concept is cool, but the current interface/implementation is a bit awkward.
Then I could make a dig or walk or whatever presets I want.