What configuration options can I change to make Dwarf Fortress easier to play?
Best Answer
I found one of the easiest ways to simplify the game without hacking or removing many sources of Fun is to lower the population cap. I found that once my fortress grew to 100 dwarves or beyond, I couldn't figure out how to manage all of them and keep them working productive jobs. So instead they all just sat around throwing parties and pestering my productive dwarves. Until you get enough experience to handle a fortress that size, try lowering the cap to 40 or 50 dwarves.
To do this in v0.31.08, edit data/init/d_init.txt and change the value of this line:
[POPULATION_CAP:200]
Note: your actual population may still go above the cap you set, you just stop getting new immigrant waves after you reach or surpass that cap. And apparently births don't respect caps. Also I think (but I haven't tested) that you can change this mid-game if you save and quit first.
If you want to use the tileset in fullscreen mode, locate and modify the [FULLSCREENX:800], [FULLSCREENY:600], and [FULLFONT:curses_800x600.bmp] configuration lines to match the specifications from the tileset list. The FULLFONT directive should match the filename of the tileset you downloaded. If you want to use the tileset in windowed mode, search for the [WINDOWEDX:640], [WINDOWEDY:300], and [FONT:curses_640x300.bmp] lines instead, and change them to the correct values.
The 800 and 600 values are dependent on the size of your new graphics and the size of your screen. A tileset with 16x16 tiles will be 256x256 pixels large, and the target resolution will be 1280x400, unless you change the tile width and tile height in the same file.
As for difficulty I think an interested thirteen year old should be able to learn to play. Oftentimes it seems children are better at learning interfaces than we adults are. As far as content dwarf fortress contains the following.
Fantasy Creatures
Cannibalism (Elves)
Kidnapping (Goblins)
Torture and torment of captives
Brutal law enforcement
Violence
Blood spatter
Overly descriptive organ damage
Vomit caused by stomach damage
Protruding organs
Failed surgical procedures
Permanent mutilation from violence (lost eyes, hands, etc)
Violent death of children and infants
Madness and emotional torment
Corpses which need to be moved
Graves, mass and otherwise
Ghosts of the fallen haunting the living
The need to clean up vomit and blood
The ability to kill unicorns, and mermaids for their valuable body parts You can still kill good creatures, but their body parts values have been lowered to make the practice less attractive
Totems made from the dead
Alcohol and alcohol dependence
Monsters kidnapping people and turning them into monsters for procreation
Dwarf Fortress does not contain:
Drug references, aside from alcohol.
Mention of sex, nor sexual topics. Creature procreate, but the mechanism is not specified.
What tempers the excessive gore of the game is the fact that it is text based. Very gruesome things happen in game, but are not visualized, only described in prose. You would have to determine from that how appropriate it is for the child in question. I'm fairly sure the ESRB would rate it at least 13+.
It's also worth nothing that the community around Dwarf Fortress can be quite gruesome and disturbing, including the official forums.
Best Answer
I found one of the easiest ways to simplify the game without hacking or removing many sources of Fun is to lower the population cap. I found that once my fortress grew to 100 dwarves or beyond, I couldn't figure out how to manage all of them and keep them working productive jobs. So instead they all just sat around throwing parties and pestering my productive dwarves. Until you get enough experience to handle a fortress that size, try lowering the cap to 40 or 50 dwarves.
To do this in v0.31.08, edit data/init/d_init.txt and change the value of this line:
Note: your actual population may still go above the cap you set, you just stop getting new immigrant waves after you reach or surpass that cap. And apparently births don't respect caps. Also I think (but I haven't tested) that you can change this mid-game if you save and quit first.