Dwarf Fortress will finally let us enjoy the sight of disembowelled guts

(Image credit: Kitfox Games)

Dwarf Fortress designer Tarn Adams has given us a rare glimpse of the fancy Steam version's stumpy denizens, but they've seen better days. All three of them, unfortunately, have come down with a nasty case of being disembowelled.

Though probably a wee bit sore, disembowelment isn't always fatal in Dwarf Fortress, and hopefully these fellas will be able to get stitched up and enjoy the rest of their day without their guts trailing behind them. In Dwarf Fortress Classic, that gory detail wouldn't actually be visible, but in the new version they are extremely hard to ignore.

I'm impressed with how well the dwarves are handling the situation. Very stoic. Adams notes that the dwarves are still a work in progress, so these are placeholders rather than the final version. Does that make it OK to disembowel them for a developer update? Sure, why not.

It's a shame there's no gif, because the guts are apparently animated. They move around as they trail behind the dwarf they're attached to. Lovely. There's just one thing missing, but Adams says the team is on it: "This normally involves a bit more blood, but we're still working on it."

You can also take a look at the improved minimap, which now offers a much more detailed impression of your surroundings and fortresses. Adams says the minimap gives you a pixel-perfect representation of the area, and you can change elevation to see the different layers of your fortress.

There's no release date for the new version yet, but there have been plenty of development updates to keep us on the hook. Take a look at the new UI, loads of birds, new world maps, randomly generated monsters and our first look at Dwarf Fortress it in action.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.