Cage Match 2 - Dwarf Fortress vs TKOL
Voting is now closed, thanks for participating!
Vote count: Dwarf Fortress 73 - 21 The Kingdom of Loathing
Winner: Dwarf Fortress
“Kingdom of Loathing is hands-down the greatest web-browser game ever created. Dwarf Fortress can not compete with that. Can anyone even tell me why I would play DF over NetHack?” - Sebastian
“Dwarf Fortress is a clear winner. It’s the best game I’ve played in a long time. A huge amount of detail, rapid development. The perfect mix of Dungeon Keeper, The Sims and NetHack.” - VeaaC
“Not going to lie, KOL is pretty rockin’ with its humouristic D&D going on, but DF has stolen so many hours of my life it’s ridiculous.” - anonymous
“Never even heard of Dwarf Fortress… so, I vote KOL.” - Jonathan Ellis
“I’ve deposited quite a few hours into DF, and having to tell my dwarf lackys specifically what jobs to do, what things to pickup, where to put things you pick up, gets tiring. It’s like its not a god game, its a mothering simulator…” - anonymous
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
My vote goes to Dwarf Fortress.
Not going to lie, KOL is pretty rockin’ with its humouristic D&D going on, but DF has stolen so many hours of my life it’s ridiculous.
Prospero said,
July 19th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Dwarf Fortress. No contest
VeaaC said,
July 19th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Dwarf Fortress is a clear winner. It’s the best game I’ve played in a long time. A Huge amount of detail, rapid development. The perfect Mix of Dungeon Keeper, The Sims and NetHack.
evan said,
July 19th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Kingdom of Loathing but just by a hair and probably only because I’ve got more time invested.
Marco said,
July 19th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
DWARF FORTRESS:
Reason Why: Drawbridge Catapult Traps.
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Dwarf Fortress.
KOL is great but can’t really compare to DF.
BMcC said,
July 19th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Dwarf Fortress, hands down.
Sebastian said,
July 19th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Kingdom of Loathing.
There’s no way I can vote for a Windows-only executable when games like that are a dime a dozen. Kingdom of Loathing is hands-down the greatest web-browser game ever created. Dwarf Fortress can not compete with that. Can anyone even tell me why I would play DF over NetHack?
SaintMcBob said,
July 19th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
KoL. No doubt.
I’ve been playing it for years, and I could never get in to DF.
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
kol
Jonathan Ellis said,
July 19th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Never even heard of Dwarf Fortress. It looks like a kind of inferior roguelike, and considerably less sophisticated than even Angband (If DF needs different keys for attacking with different weapons, to judge from the screenshot, there’s obviously a lot less you can do). By contrast I’ve been playing Kingdom of Loathing for several years now and it’s still fun. So, I vote KOL.
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
KOL BABY… all else is poop!
Alex said,
July 19th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Dwarf Fortress
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Kingdom of Loathing, easily. I’ve never been one for roguelike games.
Rowboat said,
July 19th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Dwarf Fortress.
Apparently many people here haven’t actually played Dwarf Fortress at all or at least bothered to read anything about it before voting… good thing this is just the internets. (Hint: it’s not a roguelike, at least not in the mode depicted in the screenshot chosen here.)
I do in fact play both, and I love KOL, but I definitely invest much more time and interest in DF.
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
I’ve deposited quite a few hours into DF, and having to tell my dwarf lackys specifically what jobs to do, what things to pickup, where to put things you pick up, gets tiring. It’s like its not a god game, its a mothering simulator. Theres something about the simple joys of swinging a heavy metal thunderrr guitarrr at a Weremoose that makes KOL the clear winner. also cocktailcrafting. every game should include that.
Javet said,
July 19th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Dwarf Fortress
Xander said,
July 19th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
Dwarf Fortress.
KOL is awesome, there’s no doubt about that, but what’s great about Dwarf Fortess is this simple request;
Write a guide to it.
By the time you try to finish that, you will be wiping nuclear fallout from your computer monitor and lamenting the fact that you seem to have fused to the chair, although rather comforted by the fact that your ass no longer hurts from extended periods of sitting. In fact in less dystopian circumstances it’d be kind of a boon. It’s an absurdly deep game, and no matter how great Turtle Taming is as an RPG Skill Set, you can’t beat something infinitessimally bigger than you.
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Kingdom of Loathing.
Sure, DF is fun and all, but Kingdom of Loathing has a crazy awesome community.
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Kingdom of Loathing… nothing like it.
generator said,
July 19th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Kingdom of Loathing
Recently been expanded, now jokes about bands that don’t suck as well as well as jokes about “They might be giants”
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
I vote for KoL.
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Kingdom of Loathing.
Dwarf Fortress looks pretty interesting and I think I’ll have to give it a try, but Kingdom of Loathing has kept me interested almost every day for coming up on two years now.
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Kingdom of Loathing, definately.
The complete randomness and funniness of some of the things that happen in that game just add on to its great gameplay.
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Dwarf Fortress
Never played KoL though, so maybe I’m biased
Anonymous said,
July 19th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
KOL >w< rar!
Paul said,
July 20th, 2007 at 12:38 am
Dwarf Fortress! Oh god, Dwarf Fortress! KoL is funny and all, but it’s all premade jokes. I have laughed out loud many a time when playing DF, just due to the situations my dwarves get themselves into (or when I flood everything with lava and drive my remaining population mad with grief).
Raigan said,
July 20th, 2007 at 12:50 am
DF, but for the love of god.. couldn’t they keep the roguelike graphics but move to a non-roguelike interface?! hotkeys are great for adventuring, but not for managing a sim!
Alex said,
July 20th, 2007 at 12:54 am
Seems like a lot of KOL fans voting without having played DF. Do some research. It’s not even a roguelike, really. “why should I play this over Nethack” indeed
Alex said,
July 20th, 2007 at 12:55 am
and TMBG used to not suck
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 12:58 am
Kingdom of Loathing. The interface for Dwarf Fortress is incredibly cumbersome, and really gets in the way of my enjoyment of the experience. I do love the idea of it, though.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 2:54 am
Dwarf Fortress.
DF is NOT and roguelike, it’s an awesome fortress simulation game.
Arnos
D.S. Fargeg said,
July 20th, 2007 at 3:02 am
Dwarf Fortress. Any game with gruesomely detailed battle narratives, tentacle demons and a wrestling system is automatically the victor, even if it does bring your CPU to it’s knees.
im9today said,
July 20th, 2007 at 3:13 am
I enjoyed The Kingdom of Loathing much more.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 3:35 am
I like dwarf fortress more.
Even though its only version 0.25, the severely underdeveloped adventure mode is almost on par with nethack. And, unlike ADOM, updates come somewhat on time.
Fort mode is also very fun. You do not need any extra buttons to attack in adventure mode. But if you choose to wrestle…..
100 options:
their body part and the one you want to grab it with.
Until you lose a limb.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 4:14 am
I’m a fan of both; give Dwarf Fortress two thirds of a vote and let Kingdom of Loathing the other two thirds.
Megan said,
July 20th, 2007 at 4:15 am
Dwarf Fortress, hands down. I’ve played both for many hours - the main difference is that with DF, I found myself playing for fifteen hours straight without realizing that time was passing. KoL has some good jokes and I thoroughly appreciate it, but when it comes to gameplay, detail, freedom, and replayability, Dwarf Fortress is the best I’ve ever seen, while KoL is merely a pastime.
Ryan said,
July 20th, 2007 at 4:23 am
Dwarf fortress for sure
Aasdfadslkfj said,
July 20th, 2007 at 4:40 am
Dwarf Fortress. Clearly.
Xgamer4 said,
July 20th, 2007 at 4:41 am
Dwarf Fortress. Easily. Flooding the world with magma will always be more fun than KoL.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 4:49 am
Dwarf Fortress, its on its way to becoming the most complicated and deep simulation ever made.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 5:28 am
THIS IS DWARF FORTRESS!!!
“Can anyone even tell me why I would play DF over NetHack?”
Depends on if your talking about adventure mode or fortress mode.
Adventure mode hasn’t gotten nearly as much work as fortress mode, and nethack barely beats it.
Fortress mode has so much detail it boggles the mind. The only way it could get more realistic is if toady started modeling quantum physics with it, and I don’t doubt he could.
“If DF needs different keys for attacking with different weapons, to judge from the screenshot, there’s obviously a lot less you can do.”
That peticular screen is from fortress mode for telling you troops what weapon to get. In andventure mode, attacking is done by moving.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 5:31 am
Dwarf Fortress
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 6:02 am
Dwarf Fortress
puke said,
July 20th, 2007 at 6:10 am
Dwarf Fortress, hands down.
I feel this is slightly unfair, because theres really is no comparison — besides the fact that theyre both free.
One is a massive freeform sandbox, and the other is an adventure rpg. The fun in one is exploring punny content and trading with others. the fun in the other is creating content and fleshing out a massive single player world.
I have to cast my lot with DF though. even though i’ve enjoyed both games for different reasons, i have enjoyed Dwarf Fortress on far more levels and for far longer.
Its a revolution in game design, and the innovation it (and the other fine Bay 12 Games) display set a whole new standard for computer gaming.
a standard i really dont expect anyone else to live up to anytime soon.
Chris said,
July 20th, 2007 at 6:45 am
Dwarf Fortress. I think it has the potential (if it ever gets the mainstream attention it deserves) to go down in history as one of the most influential games ever made.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 7:16 am
Dwarf Fortress. Any game where a dwarf can go insane after drinking river water polluted with the blood of his wife and new born son is a clear winner in every match.
Timofei said,
July 20th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Dwarf Fortress. I played KoL for a year or so, but then it got boring. I don’t play DF now either, but it got so much potential, and when the next version is released I will start playing it again.
Popoyt said,
July 20th, 2007 at 8:29 am
KOL, because it’s easier (and faster) to play.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 9:03 am
Dwarf Fortress
Paul Eres said,
July 20th, 2007 at 9:46 am
Dwarf Fortress this time.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Dwarf Fortress. If only due to the Something Awful thread where they had a dwarf break EVERY bone in another dwarf’s body. While ON FIRE. They both burned to death.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 11:00 am
KOL!
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Dwarf Fortress!
… also, Nexus War > tKoL.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Dwarf Fortress without a doubt
Ian C said,
July 20th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
kol
mark d said,
July 20th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
DF is an ALPHA and dee best in a long while.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Reading over some of the comments, it seems that the KOL voters haven’t played DF. Dwarf Fortress has an incredible amount of detail and little nuances that utterly defeat what KOL has to offer, so I vote Dwarf Fortress.
Alex said,
July 20th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Dwarf Fortress FTW!
Markavian said,
July 20th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
I votes for DF, a top game no doubt. I just couldn’t get into KoL.
Vinic said,
July 20th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Dwarf Fortress. There is nothing like describing to a group of people how an elephant named Krothom just trampled your best miner and then flung a dwarf’s leg fifty feet. And then you’re distracted by a message that says “Kal Korge has given birth. Kal Korge cancels Build Trap: seeking infant.”
Chainsaw D. said,
July 20th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Dwarf Fortress.
Nothing in KOL can match starting a new fort and having the whole thing meet an early, drunken demise when your fisherman pitches a rotten turtle into the barracks and pisses everyone off to the point of bareknuckle boxing.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Dwarf Fortress. There is no contest. KOL is good and all, but DF has hundreds of time the ammount of content. The gameplay of DF is also superior, both in fortress and adventure mode.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Dwarf Fortress. Anyone who has spent more than a few minutes with it shouldn’t have any difficulty deciding this whatsoever. None.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Dwarf Fortress without even a shadow of a doubt.
Alex said,
July 20th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Did this get posted to a DF forum or something?
Greg Sweetman said,
July 20th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
I vote for Dwarf Fortress
While KoL takes up plenty of my time, and entertains me with a satirical slant of an MMO, it is ultimately a very shallow game. DF on the other hand is so wonderfully complex that you’ll never be able to say “I know everything”
Remember. Losing is fun!
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
I have played both of these games and while both are fun I have to vote for Dwarf Fortress. Right now as an early alpha it is already a very fun sandbox with an impressive amount of detail. The plans for future development is why it really gets my vote because I feel that KoL hasn’t really changed in years despite the addition of some new jokes.
m said,
July 20th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Dwarf Fortress BY FAR
While I also play KOL, it’s just a grind. Dwarf Fortress, like Nethack, has a really simplistic view, but you can do so much with the tools.
You can go ahead and combine lava with water and get a scalding steam explosion from where they meet. You can wage wars from your doorstep by devestating the trees in the area to piss off the elves or just slaughter the traders with abandon.
There is just so much stuff you can do with the world; even things the developer may not have planned but left in because it’s really awesome to divert a portion of the river for cave farming.
Laffo said,
July 20th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Dwarf Fortress by a long shot. I’ve spent a ton of time on Kingdom of Loathing, but it’s nothing approaching as awesome.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Dwarf Fortress wins by a mile! Anybody who disagrees deserves to be beaten to death with an *Obsidian Table* and thrown into the chasm.
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Dwarf Fortress ftw
Anonymous said,
July 20th, 2007 at 11:22 pm
Dwarf Fortress, hands down. The number of elephants captured by my fortress now triples the number of dwarves. My butchers cannot process their meat fast enough, and soon they will rebel and snap the necks of every dwarf with their trunks.
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 12:18 am
DF all the way. Although I play both, (KoL introduced me to roguelikes) I love to read the stories from dwarf fortress.
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 1:04 am
KOl hahahhaa wereMoose..
CogDissident said,
July 21st, 2007 at 1:26 am
Dwarf Fortress, of course
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 1:51 am
Dwarf Fortress is, by and large, the better game. KOL is funny and simple, as well as easy to play, but Dwarf Fortress is a magnificently complex, infinitely replayable, and marvelously unpredictable experience. Also, the dwarves in DF are capable of some of the most hilarious strokes of bizarre stupidity that I have ever witnessed in any game, including KOL.
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 2:10 am
Dwarf Fortress won for me when I had a Goblin champion with the title of “The Fancy Savage Moth” kill dozens of my Dwarves.
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 2:20 am
Dwarf Fortress.
Phil said,
July 21st, 2007 at 3:14 am
Dwarf Fortress by far, but these games are really very different genres and thus a comparison doesn’t work well.
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 3:27 am
Dwarf Fortress. Listen folks, if you are reading this and haven’t tried it yet, please do so! I had no idea a game could be so involved. This game is already one of the best I have ever played, and it keeps getting better. Mine a fortress, marshal an army, farm, trade, craft, watch your dwarves go insane, create rivers of lava or water or steam to defeat your enemies (or often, your dwarves)…I could go on for hours.
Beer said,
July 21st, 2007 at 3:35 am
dwarves 4 lyfe
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 4:34 am
Dwarf Fortress. Kingdom of Loathing doesn’t begin to come close to DF.
Nikica said,
July 21st, 2007 at 9:24 am
Played both and both are cool but Dwarf Fortress is simply awesome, it has this “thing” that keeps you getting back every time you don’t want to play it anymore, it’s like, a drug for Rogue-Fans and the big minus for KOL is that it isn’t downloadable.
My vote: Dwarf Fortress
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 9:30 am
Dwarf Fortress. KoL’s neat, but…
Jim said,
July 21st, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Dwarf Fortress, all the way. I mean, this is the most freeform, detailed game I’ve ever played, and it only gets better with each release. KOL is funny for a short while, but it can’t hold a candle to the sheer gameplay depth of DF.
“Can anyone even tell me why I would play DF over NetHack?” - what are you, an idiot? I don’t think people this ignorant should be allowed to vote.
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Dwarf Fortress.
The levels of complexity are astounding, but you don’t really need to pay attention to the more difficult to understand parts of the game. It’s there for when you have more experience.
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Kingdom of Loathing totally rocks and it’s really hilarious.
Kingdom of Loathing always get my vote.
Anonymous said,
July 21st, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Seriously, Dwarf Fortress wins hands-down. Awesome game, minimal problems, and encourages the drowning of pesky nobles.
Oh, and Z-axis digging and fluid dynamics are being added.
Anonymous said,
July 22nd, 2007 at 5:54 am
Definitely KOL! It’s got the best graphics out there, and combat’s so exciting!!!!!!1111twothreeforty
Anonymous said,
July 22nd, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Dwarf Fortress
The two games really aren’t comparable. KoL is a funny coffee break game. Dwarf Fortress is an insanely complex fantasy world simulator. I’ve enjoyed both, but Toady One has some of my money, and Jick hasn’t.
Anonymous said,
July 22nd, 2007 at 7:32 pm
I don’t play either, but dwarf fortress creates much more interesting reading, so that’s what I’m voting for.
Doctor Zero said,
July 23rd, 2007 at 2:01 pm
There’s no contast.
Dwarf Fortress.
Lindis Kyle Herman-Giddens said,
July 23rd, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Dwarf Fortress
Anonymous said,
July 24th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Dwarf Fortress
Anonymous said,
July 24th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Dwarf Fortress is the most dangerous game. It wins.
Anonymous said,
July 24th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Dwarf Fortress
Lisa said,
July 26th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Dwarf Fortress. No lie.