DFHack - Dwarf Fortress Modding Engine | Game Brain

DFHack - Dwarf Fortress Modding Engine Game Cover

About

DFHack is an add-on for Dwarf Fortress (search for it here on Steam!) that enables mods and tools to significantly extend the game. The default DFHack distribution contains a wide variety of these tools, including bugfixes, interface improvements, automation agents, design blueprints, modding building blocks, and more. Third-party tools (e.g. mods downloaded from Dwarf Fortress Steam Workshop or t…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

DFHack - Dwarf Fortress Modding Engine screenshot

99%

Audience ScoreBased on 483 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

grinding15 negative mentions

DFHack significantly enhances the Dwarf Fortress experience by adding numerous quality of life improvements, making the game more accessible and enjoyable.
The toolset allows players to automate tedious tasks, manage resources more effectively, and fix bugs, which greatly reduces micromanagement and frustration.
DFHack is considered essential by many players, as it transforms Dwarf Fortress from a complex simulation into a more streamlined and fun gaming experience.

Some users report that DFHack can lead to crashes or instability in the game, particularly if not properly configured.
The extensive features and options available in DFHack can be overwhelming for new players, making it difficult to know where to start.
While DFHack offers many cheats and shortcuts, some players feel that using these can detract from the challenge and original experience of Dwarf Fortress.

grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that grinding in Dwarf Fortress can be significantly alleviated through the use of tools like DFHack, which automate tedious tasks and enhance quality of life features. Players find these tools essential for managing complex aspects of the game, making it more enjoyable and accessible while reducing the grind associated with fort management. Overall, they emphasize that such automation is crucial for a smoother gameplay experience, especially in the graphical version.
- “After being converted to the graphical version, the complexity remained, but the accessibility to manage these features became tedious in a lot of respects.”
- “Helps with a lot of the tedious problems that can bog down running and enjoying a fort.”
- “It helps you with things that are just tedious or time-consuming.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
46%
23%
The gameplay of Dwarf Fortress has been significantly enhanced with quality-of-life features such as UI improvements, automation tools, and building planners, making mundane tasks more manageable and allowing players to focus on the core gameplay. While it retains a steep learning curve, the experience is enriched by various plugins and mechanics that facilitate smoother gameplay and emergent storytelling, akin to titles like RimWorld, albeit without certain migration features. Overall, these additions serve as both helpful aids and potential cheats, improving the overall enjoyment without detracting from the game's depth.
- “The UI fixes, the building planner, suspend manager, ability to automate wood chopping, etc. In short, the best parts of this don't let you do anything you couldn't normally do in Dwarf Fortress, but they make mundane tasks much more bearable, letting you focus on the more interesting parts of the gameplay loop.”
- “An indispensable aid for playing Dwarf Fortress, serving as both an augmentation and automation of mundane tasks and a cheat engine for getting out of a tight spot or testing deeper mechanics.”
- “But it also adds a ton of great quality of life features that will make gameplay so much smoother.”
- “Gameplay is similar to RimWorld, but without the migration/caravan mechanic (at least at this time).”
- “The learning curve is somewhat steep, but the gameplay past that curve remains easy to remember.”
- “Even if you're like me and only use 1% of what's available, it's still super useful and completely non-intrusive on your gameplay experience.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Users consistently highlight that Dwarf Fortress's replayability is significantly enhanced by the use of Dfhack, which introduces diverse tools that improve gameplay and overall enjoyment. While these tools are not essential, they make the game much more accessible and engaging, especially for long-time players.
- “Dfhack is an incredibly diverse and useful tool that makes Dwarf Fortress so much more playable and enjoyable.”
- “Makes the game more playable, and that's coming from a long-time veteran.”
- “While not required to play Dwarf Fortress, the tools here make the game a hell of a lot more playable.”
- “Makes Dwarf Fortress vastly more playable.”
- “Makes the game more playable, and that's coming from a long-time vet.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The optimization aspect of the game is highly praised, with users noting significant performance improvements, quality of life features, and automation tools that enhance gameplay and reduce tedious tasks. Many find that even basic installation leads to smoother performance, while advanced features allow for fine-tuning and troubleshooting, making it an essential tool for players.
- “From performance improvements and quality of life features to amazing automation tools that will make the game a lot more palatable for people who have had to deal with menial tasks one too many times, this is the kind of tool you feel you'll have a hard time living without after you have used it for a while.”
- “Just installing, and never even opening it will make your game work smoother, let alone what you can do for optimization of your fort.”
- “Just installing it, and never even opening it will make your game work smoother, let alone what you can do for the optimization of your fort.”
- “It has a lot of quality of life features, performance fixes, and overall better ways to fine-tune and figure out issues/problems.”
- “Some performance improvements as well, like timestream.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Dwarf Fortress is praised for its engaging gameplay, though it is occasionally marred by bugs and glitches. The game includes helpful fixes for these issues, enhancing stability and improving the user interface, which alleviates some of the more tedious aspects of gameplay. Overall, while stability can be a concern, the available quality-of-life improvements significantly mitigate these problems.
- “Dwarf Fortress is a great but sometimes buggy game.”
- “There are fixes for when something in the game locks up or glitches.”
- “It adds a ton of great quality of life improvements to Dwarf Fortress, removing the most tedious parts while helping you fix when the game glitches.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The graphics of the game have seen significant improvement compared to the pre-Steam version, showcasing good artwork that enhances the overall experience. However, while the complexity of the graphics remains intact, managing these features can be tedious for players.
- “The graphics of the game are quite good, and a major improvement over the pre-Steam version.”
- “After being converted to the graphical version, the complexity remained, but the accessibility to manage these features became tedious in many respects.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The game features high-quality storytelling, with rich backstories and detailed lore for every character, including goblins, kobolds, and dwarves, enhancing the overall narrative experience.
- “It has high-quality storytelling.”
- “Every goblin, kobold, and dwarf has a deep backstory and detailed information.”
- “Story?”
- “Every goblin, kobold, and dwarf will always have a deep backstory and info on them.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by the presence of a comical dwarf, whose antics and personality elicit laughter, contributing to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “The dwarf is laughing.”
- “Dwarf is funny.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of Dwarf Fortress is enhanced by its smoother gameplay experience and useful alerts, which contribute to player engagement without the need for cheating. Users appreciate the improved interfaces and text filters that enrich their overall experience, making the game more accessible and enjoyable.