Two years is a long time to wait for a new version of a videogame in development, but Dwarf Fortress is more than just a game. It's an "art project that has been in production for over ten years," as the most recent Bay 12 Games report puts it. And a new version is finally on the way.
"The time has come! We are planning to release the next version of Dwarf Fortress in the beginning of next month," Toady One, aka Dwarf Fortress co-designer and programmer Tarn Adams, wrote on the Bay 12 Games forum. "We are grateful to all those who have contributed time, energy, and money to help us along."
Some of the changes and fixes are touched on in the lengthy "Future of the Fortress" forum thread , but the studio also acknowledged separately that the update is going to bring with it " a lot of bugs " when it goes live. That, I suspect, will come as neither a great surprise nor a disappointment to long-time fans of the game, and in fact the studio called on players to "help find bugs, show newbies how to play, and generally spread the word."
"It will take time for the new version to be as stable as the one that's out there now. Not to mention all the mods that will have to be re-calibrated," Adams wrote. "We know that without all the people working and contributing, Dwarf Fortress would be just another failed oddity of a game. But people are getting involved with the project. Everyone is doing their part." He also noted that the predicted July release is "more ironclad" than the one he made in March of last year, "So look forward to it!"
