Yeah, I agree about the UI. There is an indy remake in the works called Gnomoria or something like that. I don't know how far they are. I believe their map sizes were much smaller, but it is in 3D (isometric view) and has much better interface (at least has mouse/menu access which alone is a HUGE improvement over memorizing keys and key-combos).
Also, I second the Lazy Newb Pack. Makes the game a lot easier to get into and fixes a lot of things that just didn't make sense. It also shows you some important stats on your dwarves so you know what their inclinations are in terms of jobs and can move them into more appropriate jobs based on their attributes that are otherwise hidden from you (but shouldn't be, such as strength, stamina, etc).
Gnomoria is nearly released. It isn't nearly as in depth or complicated as Dwarf Fortress though. I have a couple hundred hours on the game, and it is far more in depth than Banished. The UI is far superior to Dwarf Fortress, and while it does not have great graphics, the fact that it has any at all makes the graphics better than Dwarf Fortress.