Mapping all 13.8 gigapixels of the Caves of Qud world map (opens in new tab)

If you're the type that likes to optimize or solve problems perfectly, it's easy to get into a situation of feeling overwhelmed by the scope of choice and scope of the problem space, so it's best to just accept imperfection and avoid thinking too hard for your first 3-5 playthroughs (accepting you'll likely lose/die), and -then- be more strategic or pre-optimize if you wish to. That or lean into roleplay for your decision making and always just immediately choose what the character/archetype you're imagining would choose, even if it feels suboptimal.

I come back to it from time to time and play for a week. It looks like it's been getting more accessible over time, with a new UI update having been rolled out recently.

There's definitely a certain mindset that helps make it more enjoyable. Imagination being key! From the technical side, the developers have peeled back the curtain on how they've created parts of the game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U03XXzcThGU&ab_channel=Logo%...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV-DZqdKlnE&ab_channel=GDC20...

DF is such a time sink and its got a lot of hacking potential with DFhack and some lua skills.

However the recent update for Steam - and I'm very glad for the dev success - has left me cold and I haven't played it since.

I've been building dorf death forts since 2010 though and will always remember the goblins riding giant sparrow invasion of my underground cavern level fort in v0.34.

Caves of Qud 1.0 is out as of a couple days ago. It has a built in Tutorial now, and lots of UI improvements (though I pine for Nethack feel it started with). They have a publisher, Freehold Games, and their first DLC. I suspect the push to 1.0 was a good ting in terms of recognizing that they can make the came more accessible?!

FWIW it's MUCH easier to get into than dwarf fortress. You don't really need a guide like you need for DF.

Don't be afraid to play using "role-play mode" which is, IIRC, the one that saves in each settlement. There's no shame in that. You'll still be careful not to die, but it's a lot less punishing.

I too respect these games but cannot for the life of me play them. I’ve tried to get into DF a few times and it’s just too low-fidelity for me, nothing feels like it matters. It’s just not for me and that’s okay! Glad they made a bunch of hard earned money off of it on steam recently :)

Honestly I think you're doing Caves of Qud a disservice by comparing the two. Yes they are both very much heavy into procedural generation. But Caves of Qud is a roguelike/RPG. It's a game, where as Dwarf Fortress always felt more like a simulation. I've tried many times to get into DF to no avail. CoQ is quite hard but I think it's much more _fun_ to play.