Dwarf Fortress update adds "secret vampire dwarves" and werewolf invasions

Dwarf Fortress

Remarkable indie adventure generator, Dwarf Fortress has just received a great big update. Version 0.34.01 is now free to download from the official site, adding fresh new ways for your Dwarves to die horribly. Vampire dwarves can infiltrate your settlements and full moons bring the added threat of werewolf invasion. More unpleasantly, "Ingested syndromes are now possible" in adventure mode, so you'll have to watch what you eat when exploring the new cities present in the latest update.

There are some gems in the bug fix list as well. "Demons masquerading as gods will try a little harder" and the devs have "restricted mandates so they'll be more reasonable." Thank heavens for that! Find the rest of the patch notes below. For more Dwartress, check out our Dwarf Fortress diary , a tale of seven drunk dwarves and their quest to reach hell.

New stuff

  • cities in adventure mode that have various buildings, dungeons, items, livestock, etc.

  • protect your community from secret vampire dwarves or hunt them as an adventurer

  • defend your fort during the full moon or risk a werewolf infestion -- hunt/be hunted as an adventurer

  • face armies of the dead in dwarf mode or visit their necromancers' towers and learn their secrets as an adventurer

  • evil regions where the dead and pieces of the dead can come alive, with evil mists and rain

  • tombs built in world gen which can be visited in adv mode, either beneath towns or out in the wilds -- beware the dead!

  • revamped justice/witness/death notification system in dwarf mode

  • immigrants to your fortress will now be historical figures whenever possible, which means more family relationships and history for each one

  • dropped items/bodies tracked between plays in the wilderness anywhere in the world

  • more battlefield information tracked/war dead raisable in world gen

  • all sponsorship animals and their giant/man versions are in the game now

  • various new abilities for creatures (see file_changes.txt for list and syntax)

  • adventurers can use creature abilities/learned powers and they can be tested from the arena

  • new site travel map to make navigating towns easier

  • reading/swimming/observer (for traps) relevant in adv mode now

  • established historical figures can lead bandits

  • rivers block movement in adv mode travel

  • eating/drinking required in adv mode

  • ingested syndromes are now possible

  • ability to make campfire (from 'g') and warm items at campfire/fire/magma (from 'I') in adv mode

  • traps work in adv mode, once spotted they can be ignored

  • gems now have different cuts

  • necromancers can write books about various topics (all books are in their towers as it stands)

  • moon phase indicator in fort

  • alphanumeric world gen seeds and some more world gen params (see file_changes.txt)

  • the legends xml has a lot of new info for historical figures

Major bug fixes

  • buffer overload from aborted world gen fixed

  • fixed cave-in-on-embark issue with hidden underground structure, and a few others

Other bug fixes/tweaks

  • designations over z levels all at once now possible

  • unit screen divided into four sections

  • rivers/pools have ramps now

  • able to trade portions of stacks in both modes

  • messed with adv mode currency trading and made items teleport to you

  • tweaked how fire damage works

  • made vision work through floor grates and bars properly

  • fixed some road/bridge problems

  • crystal glass items possible again

  • tweaked adventure mode swimming and alt-movement readout (use alt-movement to get into a river you want to cross)

  • skeletons/zombies replaced by animation effect

  • demons masquerading as gods will try a little harder

  • restricted mandates so they'll be more reasonable

  • stopped blank map from being exported when you back out of detailed map export

Tom Senior

Part of the UK team, Tom was with PC Gamer at the very beginning of the website's launch—first as a news writer, and then as online editor until his departure in 2020. His specialties are strategy games, action RPGs, hack ‘n slash games, digital card games… basically anything that he can fit on a hard drive. His final boss form is Deckard Cain.