Yesterday, I dug up an email chain from 2014 in which a friend attempted to teach me how to play Dwarf Fortress, a game that allowed players to construct and influence sprawling procedurally generated worlds — at the time — drawn in rudimentary ASCII graphics. My friend failed then, and in the 11 years since, I have tried again and again to get on this bandwagon, only to faceplant in the mud. Even the beautiful graphics overhaul couldn’t solve my dilemma. Thank goodness for the writers and documentarians who have helped me enjoy this historic series despite my utter lack of patience and skill.
Danny O’Dwyer is the latest storyteller to capture the magic of Dwarf Fortress and its creators, a pair of lovable brothers. The four-part series by Noclip has been in production for three years. Each episode runs about 30 minutes and covers a milestone in the game’s long, storied life, from its early development to its new, more mainstream-friendly Steam release.
If you’re unfamiliar with the series, I recommend starting with the second episode, released earlier this week. Titled “How Dwarf Fortress Evolved over 16 Years of Development,” the video delivers precisely what’s written on the tin. For people already familiar with the game, start from the beginning, and learn the humble origin story of a game that will be preserved in museums.
Noclip will publish the final two episodes in the coming weeks. Need even more Dwarf Fortress before then? Read this 14-year-old feature from the New York Times — a piece that shaped the early years of Polygon. Like I said, I’ve been tailing this dragon for a long, long time.
