Tarn Adams
Tarn Adams | |
---|---|
Computer game programmer | |
Years active | 1996–present |
Tarn Adams (born April 17, 1978) is an American
Early life and education
Tarn was born in
In high school Tarn and Zach created a spacecraft game that simulated sections of a rocket blowing off and released their first publicly available game on
After Dragslay, Tarn and Zach started working on another adventure game, focusing on
Shift to game development
The Adams brothers started a company called Bay 12 Games, where they developed and released
In 2006, Tarn started his post doctorate in
Dwarf Fortress
After quitting university, Tarn thought he would use up his savings after a year ($15,000) so he looked for a job to sustain himself. Dwarf Fortress was originally started in October 2002 as a two-month side project, but was suspended soon after due to the brothers' focus shifting to Armok. In the meantime he had also developed a game called Mutant Miner. It was a
The game's primary mode is set in a
The game uses CP437 text-based graphics and is open-ended with no main objectives. It is a part construction and management simulation and part roguelike game due to its multiple game modes. Before playing, the player has to generate worlds with continents, oceans and histories documenting civilizations. The main game mode, Dwarf Fortress mode, consists of selecting a suitable site from the generated-world, establishing a successful colony or fortress, while fighting threats like goblin invasions, accumulating wealth, and taking care of the dwarves. Each dwarf is modeled down to its individual personality, has likes or dislikes, and specific trainable skills in various labors.[9] The second game mode, Adventurer mode, is a turn-based, open-ended roguelike, where the player starts off as either an adventurer in the world, or the leader of an adventuring group, and is free to roam the land, complete quests, or explore old abandoned fortresses.[10] The combat system is anatomically detailed with combat logs describing organs getting pierced, fat getting bruised, and limbs getting severed.[11][12]
Continuing its development, Tarn calls it his life's work and said in 2011 that version 1.0 will not be ready for at least another 20 years, and even after that he would continue to work on it. The game influenced Minecraft, Terraria, and various other games. It was selected among other games to be featured in the Museum of Modern Art to show the history of video gaming in 2012.[1] There is an active community of fans of the game, and Tarn said they have helped them in the development of the game in addition to providing monetary support.[13] Fans have also made creative interpretations of the game. In the past, he and his brother sent crayon drawings or short stories to the donors, customized to their requests, and displayed the donors who have donated the most on their website.[1]
Inspirations and preferences
Tarn has cited books, movies,
Regarding his career, he said, "...but as far as design is concerned, I just think that I've happened to fall into a little sweet spot where I get a lot of freedom, but I guess the cost is my livelihood."[3] He further said working in the gaming industry can be "soul crushing" for many people.[5]
Adams has expressed his dislike for
Bibliography
- Adams, Tarn (2015). "Simulation principles from Dwarf Fortress" (PDF). In ISBN 978-1482254792.
- Short, Tanya; —, eds. (2019). Procedural Storytelling in Game Design. S2CID 241639037.
References
- ^ New York Times. Archivedfrom the original on 2012-06-05. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Jaz McDougall (2 August 2010). "Community heroes: Tarn Adams, for Dwarf Fortress". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- ^ a b c Chris LaVigne (4 March 2008). "For the Love of the Game". The Escapist. Archived from the original on 2013-03-03. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d John Harris (27 February 2008). "Interview: The Making Of Dwarf Fortress". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2013-05-13. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- ^ a b c Elijah Meeks (22 December 2010). "An Interview with Tarn Adams". Stanford University. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
- S2CID 13994557.
- ^ Kieron Gillen (18 February 2011). "The Very Important List of PC Games, Part 5/5". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 2014-05-11. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ Johnston, Casey (25 February 2013). "Dwarf Fortress: Ten hours with the most inscrutable video game of all time". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ a b Alex Spencer (26 Dec 2013). "A History of Roguelikes in 6 Free Games". IGN. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ Pearson, Dan (31 January 2013). "Where I'm @: A Brief Look at the Resurgence of Roguelikes". GameIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 2014-09-03. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ Hogarty, Steve (August 2011). "Dwarf Fortress diary: How seven drunks opened a portal to Hell p:1". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- ^ Quintin Smith (23 September 2010). "Dwarf Fortress: The Song Of Onionbog, Pt 1". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 2014-05-14. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ Rose, Mike (2 July 2013). "Dwarf Fortress in 2013". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2014-05-11. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ Fenlon, Wes (31 March 2016). "Dwarf Fortress' creator on how he's 42% towards simulating existence". Pc Gamer. Archived from the original on 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
- ^ Argüello, Diego Nicolás (2023-02-03). "Breaking a 16-year-old tradition in Dwarf Fortress". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
- ^ Review for Procedural Generation in Game Design: "MBR: Wisconsin Bookwatch, September 2017". Midwest Book Review. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
External links
- Official Bay 12 games website
- "Kitsap creators of Dwarf Fortress make losing fun", from Kitsap Sun on Apr 6, 2013