>>2140775
I too remember the huge hype that the M&M talk created back in the day, and all the interviews he did then. Almost nothing has come from it though. But people keep thinking it's just one more dev cycle away.
I think a huge part of the appeal of DF is not so much the game itself, but the dreaming about what it will be. It's similar to Star Citizen in that regard, where theory crafting and dream building are the main pull. Both promise to be an "everything game" where anyone can do whatever their personal favourite gaming fantasies are. Except ofc that DF is not a scam, and that Toady is a real developer, albeit a slow one.
Everyone can project any kind of vision onto DF: People want it to be a colony sim, a strategy game, a harvest moon roguelike, a trading caravan adventure, a game where you build a pirate ship and sail the seas with your crew, etc.
All of this is incongruent and will never ever be done. But all these different people can come together and dream together about it. Toady never says 'no' and just keeps fueling the players' fantasies.