Dwarf Fortress vs Torn
Dwarf Fortress
Dwarf Fortress is one of the most unique and massive fantasy game ever made using only ASCII characters and colors. The game is completely open world in the sense that you are given the freedom to play as an adventurer and set off alone or with other adventurers on an exciting journey above or below ground (or both) to seek glory, fame and riches, or to settle down and help develop your very own dwarven outpost where you can then build a fortress, establish a barony, and in general, order your dwarven subjects around. Aside from the obviously different "art style" used, the freedom of choice, and the amazing amount of details in its gameplay, the game is also unique in its world building. The virtual world created is not only randomly generated with distinct civilizations with detailed histories, hundred of points of interests like towns and caves, as well as a flourishing nature, which includes both flora and fauna.With so many amazing features packaged into a simple-looking game, it is no wonder why Dwarf Fortress is a game that has inspired a wide variety of other modern games, both indie and big triple-A ones, until today. Due to its size, you might feel daunted to dive into a game like this, but once you've learned the basics, you will find yourself fully immersed in this completely open world of symbols and colors.
Torn
Torn is a browser-based text-based MMORPG (now available on Android!) that is among the earliest crime-themed text-based MMOs on the internet. It has inspired multiple equally-popular games, including Zynga's Mafia Wars and David Maestri's Mob Wars, though the former isn't as lasting as Torn.In this game, you play as an up-and-coming mobster in a vast fictional city that is just ripe for you to do your misdeeds in. The types of crimes you can commit, albeit virtually, in this game in astounding, and this is more so if you take into consideration that levels of depth and intricacies that Torn goes to make the game as immersive as it could. Of course, if you "failed" a crime attempt, you can risk going to jail for quite some time, from minutes to hours to even several days. You can battle other mobsters as well, both individually and in a clan.
There are plenty of other stuff to do aside from diving into a life of crime or dueling others. You can take up legitimate jobs or set up a business of your own; you can hit the gym to level up your stats; you can enroll in an educational course; or you can even craft items and sell them to others by posting ads.
Torn is one of the longest-running, mafia-themed, and text-based MMO game out there, and those aforementioned are just some of the reasons why it managed to stick around for so long. If you enjoy text-based mafia games, you'll want to give this game a try!