yah the completely unbalanced stress system is probably the single most challenging thing in the current df meta. it basically puts a soft cap on fortress lifespan, unless you do the micromanaging of exiling or "disappearing" dwarfs with personality traits that give them susceptibility to trauma. IIRC the reason it's become such a problem is that toady added the ability for dwarfs to have an emotional reaction to the act of remembering. So in addition to "urist was unhappy after getting caught in the rain" you also have "urist was furious after remembering getting caught in the rain two years ago", meaning the emotional consequences of one traumatic event quickly compounds as the dwarf remembers it. certain personality traits can also affect this, some dwarves are more prone to dwelling on the past or holding grudges. the effect is even worse for soldiers or dwarves tasked with cleaning up after battle- PTSD is very effective at bringing down fortresses.
it's definitely going to be patched in one of the upcoming bugfix releases, but its also an amazing reminder of what makes DF special, no other game has the depth of simulation that makes these bugs possible.
To add to that, my understanding is that bad memories don't go away unless they're overwritten by something of strictly greater magnitude. That's why the rain thing early on can last for a long time. The dorf may be encountering plenty of small, happy moments, but it's never enough to dislodge that damned raindrop.
Does repeatedly traumatizing them with the deaths of their pets and friends so they feel nothing at all immunize them to the effects of stress? Last I played I saw a lot of messages to the effect of "she felt nothing at all after seeing the corpse of her child"
I think that's one possible outcome. Extreme events and long-term trauma can change their personalities, making them more or less affected by different stressors. So yeah, if they don't go into a rage, first.
yah the completely unbalanced stress system is probably the single most challenging thing in the current df meta. it basically puts a soft cap on fortress lifespan, unless you do the micromanaging of exiling or "disappearing" dwarfs with personality traits that give them susceptibility to trauma. IIRC the reason it's become such a problem is that toady added the ability for dwarfs to have an emotional reaction to the act of remembering. So in addition to "urist was unhappy after getting caught in the rain" you also have "urist was furious after remembering getting caught in the rain two years ago", meaning the emotional consequences of one traumatic event quickly compounds as the dwarf remembers it. certain personality traits can also affect this, some dwarves are more prone to dwelling on the past or holding grudges. the effect is even worse for soldiers or dwarves tasked with cleaning up after battle- PTSD is very effective at bringing down fortresses.
it's definitely going to be patched in one of the upcoming bugfix releases, but its also an amazing reminder of what makes DF special, no other game has the depth of simulation that makes these bugs possible.
To add to that, my understanding is that bad memories don't go away unless they're overwritten by something of strictly greater magnitude. That's why the rain thing early on can last for a long time. The dorf may be encountering plenty of small, happy moments, but it's never enough to dislodge that damned raindrop.
Does repeatedly traumatizing them with the deaths of their pets and friends so they feel nothing at all immunize them to the effects of stress? Last I played I saw a lot of messages to the effect of "she felt nothing at all after seeing the corpse of her child"
I think that's one possible outcome. Extreme events and long-term trauma can change their personalities, making them more or less affected by different stressors. So yeah, if they don't go into a rage, first.
wow, i didn't know that! thats wild.