Quote Originally Posted by TinCow View Post
I think it's largely an aesthetic and accessibility issue. Minecraft is exceptionally easy to use. Dwarf Fortress is one of the most complex games ever made. Stonesense looks nice, but the game can't be played through it, so it doesn't have the same impact as viewing the world in Minecraft.

Minecraft is basically an extremely dumbed down version of Dwarf Fortress. I generally dislike dumbed down games because I find that fewer options means less fun. However, DF is one of the few games (along with MOO3 and perhaps Black & White) where the complexity level is so high that it actively diminishes entertainment. It's still a lot of fun, but it could be more fun if it was a bit more efficient. Minecraft is certainly not worthy of the amount of praise that is being heaped on it at the moment, but it's so easy to get into that it has a lot of appeal for a more pure, simple kind of fun. There's room in this world for both kinds of games.
It's almost too simple at this point. I found that it had a "wow" and "fun" factor that wore off after about 10 hours of near OCD-like playing. The reason I still like it and paid for it is because it has potential. When it gets opened up to modding and user content, it's just going to be nuts.

Speaking of mods, there's quite a few that have sprung up over the past few weeks now that people are figuring out how to dissect the game code. Thread is here: http://www.minecraftforum.net/viewto...p?f=25&t=47098