remiremedy [blu.knight]Join Date: 2003-11-18Member: 23112Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester
<!--quoteo(post=1676897:date=Apr 26 2008, 06:38 PM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ Apr 26 2008, 06:38 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1676897"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I personally like bringing an anvil. I find that I can get an anvil, fully skilled dwarves and various other necessities, so why trade in the anvil when I risk not getting one for quite a while? I remember someone complaining that caravans just refused to bring anvils. I mean, what to bring instead of an anvil? Food? Booze? All that can easily be produced on site. Hordes of dogs to train into war dogs, perhaps.
But to each their own. The only "wrong" starting builds are the ones that make early survival difficult. All your produced wealth and all your immigrants will eventually far outweigh your starting goods/dwarves, so all that matters is that you have what you need to get a fortress going.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> I actually have yet to get an anvil, with two fortresses made it to winter... The first time I think I messed up on the trade agreement, but the second time I definitely said I wanted anvils. Also, kobolds started stealing things.... How do I make traps that will kill them if I don't have an army?
remiremedy [blu.knight]Join Date: 2003-11-18Member: 23112Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester
<!--quoteo(post=1676896:date=Apr 26 2008, 06:34 PM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Faskalia @ Apr 26 2008, 06:34 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1676896"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Heck, I even played a game where I started with nothing (no skills/no items) and survived. (Ok, granted the trick is to build the trade depot with the wood from the wagon and hope that the local wildlife is able to kill the caravan and that you can pickup a pick from the remains, but its still the hardest starting build imaginable) It's actually all about timing. Because you can reuse the 3 logs, gather some plants, build a kitchen, farmers workshop and fishery and then dismantle those and build the depot right in time.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Maybe i should try a completely militarized starting build. Completely focus on butchering and hunting... Like all skills only in war-related things, and then all weapon related items and maybe a lot of war dogs.
Certainly would be less peaceful than my current fortresses. My biggest threat has been kobolds taking rocks.
<!--quoteo(post=1676901:date=Apr 27 2008, 01:17 AM:name=Psyke)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Psyke @ Apr 27 2008, 01:17 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1676901"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I actually have yet to get an anvil, with two fortresses made it to winter... The first time I think I messed up on the trade agreement, but the second time I definitely said I wanted anvils. Also, kobolds started stealing things.... How do I make traps that will kill them if I don't have an army?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Kobolds dont trigger stone-fall/weapon or cage traps. To get rid of them, you can either use upright spike traps (which can be linked to a pressure plate or lever) or drowning traps or drawbridges to squish them or you just chain a few wardogs at your entrance. They will rip kobolds apart.
Kobolds are so lousy at sneaking, I have no idea how they ever manage to steal anything. Mine certainly don't. Though one of them actually made it downstairs once, to the level where the valuables are. He could've stolen all the rock he wanted, too, it's not like I would've cared.
A kobold once stole an ARTIFACT from me. I couldn't figure out how it occurred, what, with almost 200 creatures running around and dogs chained at my entrances. I was rather vexed. Still, not as bothersome as the time when a goblin snatcher smacked a fisherdwarf in the face and took her baby right out of her hands. The mother seemed okay with the whole thing, which led me to believe that she was in cahoots with the greenskins ...
<!--quoteo(post=1676957:date=Apr 27 2008, 08:21 PM:name=Shzar)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Shzar @ Apr 27 2008, 08:21 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1676957"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->A kobold once stole an ARTIFACT from me. I couldn't figure out how it occurred, what, with almost 200 creatures running around and dogs chained at my entrances. I was rather vexed. Still, not as bothersome as the time when a goblin snatcher smacked a fisherdwarf in the face and took her baby right out of her hands. The mother seemed okay with the whole thing, which led me to believe that she was in cahoots with the greenskins ...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Now that I think about it, a kobold once stole an artifact from me, too. I thought I have to rally my Fortress Guard before the legendary whatever-er goes berserk and kills everyone. He didn't flip out, though.
<!--quoteo(post=1676894:date=Apr 26 2008, 05:55 PM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ Apr 26 2008, 05:55 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1676894"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Instead, invest some of those points into getting a few other types of starting seeds so you don't have to worry about acquiring them later when you need them. Pig tails can be spun into thread, then woven into cloth, then tailored into clothing. Good to have when your dwarves start complaining about ragged clothing.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Summarized version follows.
I just saw this. In the last few versions, Toady took out the unhappy thoughts from clothing falling apart. Players like me make lots of clothes for our dwarves, thinking that having multiple outfits would make dwarf happy. And, indeed, getting or buying new possessions does make a dwarf happier. However, before and after economy kicks in, dwarves pick up new clothing so infrequently that whatever happy thoughts they do get from clothing is way overpowered by the unhappy thoughts of their existing clothes rotting away. Since all clothes degrade at the exact same rate regardless of material or quality, that means each dwarf in any migrant wave will receive a significant unhappy thought from each of their pieces of clothing rotting away. Considering a dwarf wears around a dozen pieces of clothing, and some migrant waves can be over a dozen ... yeah. Tantrum landslide, nude dwarves running around getting into fights and vomiting all over the place. The Magic of Dwarf Fortress.
I hope the bug gets fixed soon, because I like providing fancy clothes for my dwarves. I feel like a good, benevolent commander on the odd occasion that a dwarf buys a *<<+kitten leather left sock+>>*.
Summarized version: Dwarves do not receive unhappy thoughts from clothing rot.
locallyunsceneFeeder of TrollsJoin Date: 2002-12-25Member: 11528Members, Constellation
My first fort was surviving but decidedly indefensible, so I elected to abandon the outpost. I wanted to try a bit more interesting climate as my plains dwarves were in a boring area geologically. I opted to draft two masons who had architecture and mechanic duties, two miners one a leader the other a craftsdwarf, two growers who would be cooking and brewing, and finally a dwarf familiar with the forest who would be gathering wood for his carpentry skills. I made an executive decision to forgo an anvil but keep the axe as I wanted my carpenter busy as much as possible, especially since the area we would be departing to was heavily forested.
When we arrived at our destination at the top of a grade 3 hill I found the river running down it was frozen due to the cold. Not wanting my dwarves to get cold I quickly dug into the silty hillside and created room for my two masons shops as well as a farm and other necessary spaces. I dug down another level for my bedrooms which were quickly constructed but found expansion to be constrained by the river on one side and the end of the hill on the other. There was enough space for my 7 founders to occupy 5by5 square rooms, but I knew I needed to dig down another level if I was going to be ready for immigrants.
Everything was going well until I had begun construction on the 5th level. I thought I was getting a jump start on rooms for that 3rd immigrant wave even before the first had come when my MasterBuilder, a Mason Architect, died of thirst. That's odd, even though the river's frozen I still have enough booze and I can count all 7 of my dwarfs on screen... wait a minute, that's eight dwarves. An immigration wave had snuck in under the cover of night.
I quickly assigned some of the less useful professions of milking and dyeing masonry and architecture duties, and began the search for my missing dwarf. It appears he had entombed himself behind a wall, poor bugger. Must have decided he'd rather die than see those unwashed immigrants flood into his domain. I tasked the new mason to remove a section of the wall and depose the MasterBuilder to his tomb. Farewell sweet dwarven prince, however life must go on without you. The two new immigrant waves barely know your name. I hope you end isn't a sign of things to come. Although these latest two waves have beds, they may be hard to sustain through the winter.
remiremedy [blu.knight]Join Date: 2003-11-18Member: 23112Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester
I think I might try a highly militarized build in a rather unsafe area. I went to some rather tame areas with my two fortresses and it seemed to be rather boring.
Tip to any beginner player: Go to an area with sand because you don't need to worry about hauling away rocks if you build your fortress in the sand layer, and you can build farms without worrying about water. If you need stone, just dig down a few layers and do some mining.
I have found myself with an excessive amount of wood and stone. Practically endless supply. The only thing I use wood for is beds, so I basically just have it sitting my huge wood stockpile collecting dust....
I made a Bower workshop though, and I told him to make some wood crossbow bolts and he complained that there was no wood... which there obviously is.
locallyunsceneFeeder of TrollsJoin Date: 2002-12-25Member: 11528Members, Constellation
edited April 2008
It is raining again, certainly this damp dreary hole will be many a dwarves' tomb. My glassmaker, who arrived on either the second or third immigration has created a perfect tigerseye after befalling a fey mood. He aptly named it "The weather of paddling". How droll my short legendary friend.
A new immigrant wave has arrived, I think the fourth. I have not had time to look over the full roster but I sense a noble among them. I can smell them. They were no doubt expecting a Dwarven Club Med after hearing about the "weather of paddling" we have here. Probably dreaming about sitting in a rowboat with parasols sipping elven wine and reciting bad poetry. I should find a way to put them out of their misery; weather of paddling indeed...
After having slept on the matter I have resolved to construct an ark. I shall have to wait until winter when the river and waterfall freeze over. Fortunately there are all ready several bridges over the river and small lake the formed underneath the waterfall. It would just be a matter of building many more.
The question now is whether to divert the river, or chip out the ice and build a retaining wall around construction, or simply chip out the ice and slowly build upward. The last option seems a poor choice for a multi-season effort, which I'm sure this will be. A retaining wall seems the best bet however I'm not sure how keen my dwarves will be about slaving at icewalls. Either way I should begin the constriction of a screwpump and choose a pump operator among the fresh immigrants.
No need to wait till winter. Remember: Aquifers, brooks and rivers can absorb water! So, just pump the river dry and divert the pumped out water back into it again or as an alternative off the map screen.
locallyunsceneFeeder of TrollsJoin Date: 2002-12-25Member: 11528Members, Constellation
<!--quoteo(post=1677106:date=Apr 29 2008, 11:18 AM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Faskalia @ Apr 29 2008, 11:18 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1677106"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->No need to wait till winter. Remember: Aquifers, brooks and rivers can absorb water! So, just pump the river dry and divert the pumped out water back into it again or as an alternative off the map screen.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> I didn't think I could pump a river dry. The area slated for construction of the ark is a river. It's a small pool formed by the waterfall as the river travels on, but still part of the river. I will post a picture once I begin construction.
locallyunsceneFeeder of TrollsJoin Date: 2002-12-25Member: 11528Members, Constellation
I learned an important lesson today. If you drown a third of your dwarves your Ultra Mighty fortress leader will tantrum and kill more than half of the remaining dwarves. She was so unhappy no cats or babies were spared.
Wait... so you built a large construction on ice, which promptly thawed come spring, causing the construction to "collapse," causing everyone in/on it to fall into the water and drown?
locallyunsceneFeeder of TrollsJoin Date: 2002-12-25Member: 11528Members, Constellation
<!--quoteo(post=1677153:date=Apr 30 2008, 12:05 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ Apr 30 2008, 12:05 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1677153"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Wait... so you built a large construction on ice, which promptly thawed come spring, causing the construction to "collapse," causing everyone in/on it to fall into the water and drown?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Not exactly. The construction of the retaining wall was successfully completed before winter. I even placed some door and locked them to prevent dwarf drowning if I had missed a spot.
I then took the opporunity to start digging into the silty loam on the other side of the river. The frequent snowstorms caused the ice level to reach up to my bridges which had previously had a z level of open space beneath them. My dwarves thought it would be a good idea to take shortcuts to the new stone stockpile across the frozen river. I noticed this too late and when spring came 13 dwarves fell a z level into the river and drowned. Shortly thereafter Tun, my Ultra-Mighty Stonemaster(Legendary Miner, StoneCrafter) went beserk killing 15 dwarves, 2 cats, and one baby before being dispatched by my legendary Jeweler and legendary Glassmaker.
<i>Misc notes:On a positive note the retaining wall held and I had not missed a spot. It's tricky though because ice is a building material and you can easily build a wall out of it if you're not careful. Ice floors will disappear when spring comes but walls built out of stone will be fine, even if they are built on ice floors. I don't know if this would apply to a freestanding structure. I imagine it would follow the 7x7 rule, I may reclaim the fortress later and test this theory.</i>
I started a new fortress last night in the savanna with about the same starting build. It's an aquifer and there are carp, but the carp is far away so I will see how far I can get. The lions nearby worry me more.
<!--quoteo(post=1677253:date=Apr 30 2008, 11:04 PM:name=SkulkBait)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SkulkBait @ Apr 30 2008, 11:04 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1677253"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'm not positive, but as of the latest version I don't think the 7x7 rule applies.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If the latest is still .38c I can support this.
You can have the whole world, resting on a simple 1x1 square.
locallyunsceneFeeder of TrollsJoin Date: 2002-12-25Member: 11528Members, Constellation
I can't seem to get engravings to work. I have an engraver, with stone detailing turned on. I pick a rough hewn rock wall(ie: not constructed) hit 'd' then 'e' then use my cursor to select a portion of the wall/floor whatever and then nothing happens. Same thing when I try toggle engraving.
Oh christ. When my leatherworker went insane I'd assumed he'd just run around randomly and eventually get himself killed, but no. He is in fact running around <i>naked</i> trying to get himself killed. His clothes are all over the newly furnished meeting hall and gathering area. Where everyone gathers. Where he is running around naked.
I've gathered a few questions from my retarded stumblings through the game, if someone will indulge me;
1. How I farm for meat? More specifically, I have a large collection of animals which I keep trying to put into a pit, only to have them immediately walk out. What's the best way of making a pen for them?
2. If I tell my military dwarves to wear chain, will they put on helmets, greaves e.t.c? Because they don't seem to.
3. Is there a way to select a dwarf to be arrested? I don't want that naked guy running around my meeting hall anymore.
Your guys should wear helmets on the 'chain' setting. 'Plate' will let your guys wear greaves and plate mail (duh), 'chain' will use leggings and chain mail, and leather uses leather stuff, as well as caps for the head.
You can stuff an infinite number of animals into a cage. Do that, and make a zoo so your dwarves can admire them.
Running around naked is not a crime in DF. But he will die eventually.
First of all: Animals in cages dont seem to breed, they can give birth in cages though. There are several ways to make breeding grounds for animals. (I often take 2 dogs with me and let them mass breed so I can have a great number of wardogs later on.)
Channel a 3x3 area. Open the zone menu and make a 1x1 zone on top of a channeled out area. Make this zone a pit and assign the 2 animals you want to breed to it. Later when you need the animals, just dig an access to your pit. This works great, cause you can do it right at the start of the game and If you wall in your breeding ground you wont loose any animals to bow-gobbos.
Later on you want more easy to acess and also more functional breeding grounds. Just dig a 3x3 area, and then use grates or vertical bars to make sure the area is isolated. Connect them to a levr. Now open your bars/grates, build a cage the breeding ground, connect a lever to the cage. Lower the grate/bars. Pull the lever to release the animals from teh cage. If you want to be really cheap you can use a door instead of a grate and forbid passage. Or you can just build walls instead of the grates. All that matters is that you can squeeze in a male and a female in a small area.
If you take omly use a few animals from time to time, build 2 doors/bars/grates and use them as an arilock. Send a single dwarf in, rebuild the cage. Stuff every animal you dont need in the cage. Butcher the rest. And free them from the cage afterwards.
<!--quoteo(post=1677652:date=May 4 2008, 09:47 PM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DiscoZombie @ May 4 2008, 09:47 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1677652"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->there's no harm in letting your animals roam free though is there? aside from possible traffic problems in the corridors...
if you set a door to be not pet passible, that might be a good way to keep an animal pen that dorfs can still go in and out of. no trench required.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> Depends. When a dwarf opens a door, an animal can slip through even when its set to not pet passable. But if you reularly take animals out of the livestock, a corridor with maybe 5 doors should work and keep em close together without any mayor trouble. As an alternative you can also use a rather complicated design, where you use 2 levels.
So D is the door on the acess level leading to the fort < and > ar the stairs x wall B bridge (Or hatch, or Grate, or Floor bars, its your call <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />) P pressure plate
Ste the bridge to retract and hook it up the plate. Make sure that citizens dont trigger. What happens is that if an animal goes on the upper level and walks over the plate it triggers the bridge and the bridge retracts droping the animal down into the pit again. /Falls of 1 z level are harmless. Just make sure that you are using masterwork mechanisms for everything and that you expand the bridge or else it wont work. The door should be set to not pet passable or else you little buddys keep the bridge retracted 24/7 and your dwarves cant get in. Depending on the quality level of the used mechanisms it might be necessary to use several pressure plates.
That's not foolproof, though. An animal can still pass through a "tightly closed" door while it's being held open by a dwarf.
However, what should work is this: Have an "animallock" of sorts, one door leading into a small chamber and another door in that chamber leading to the animal room. The outer is set to tightly closed at all times, and to locked except when you need dwarves to enter. The inner door is set to tightly closed, but if an animal manages to get into the "animallock" chamber while the door is open, set it to pet-passable until the animal wanders back into the animal room.
However, you could also simply let animals roam. Just butcher as necessary so they don't multiply too much, and they shouldn't be a traffic problem. Roaming war dogs are actually useful, since they'll help find kobolds and goblin snatchers and such - and gleefully tear them to pieces. \^_^/
locallyunsceneFeeder of TrollsJoin Date: 2002-12-25Member: 11528Members, Constellation
So apparently my dwarves don't like turtle.
One of my founding dwarves went fey and claimed a craftsdwarf workshop. He had stone he had wood, but he needed shells. I cursed myself for forgetting to turn cooking off of turtle meat as I should have had shells from the 50 turtle I brought with me. Fortunately the humans I'm currently trading with live near the ocean and brought turtle with them. Okay! So I make the transaction and forbid all food expect the barrel the turtle is in. The dwarves in the fortress then proceed to eat all of the raw fish in the barrel but leave the turtle untouched. The fey dwarf eventually becomes melancholy and is dragged to the graveyard after he dies from thirst. Oh well, my economy is based on glass trade anyway since I'm on an aquafier and the only stone comes from the nearby volcano.
As a side question, does anyone know how strong zombie groundhogs are and whether or not I would have to deal with zombie dwarfs?
Comments
But to each their own. The only "wrong" starting builds are the ones that make early survival difficult. All your produced wealth and all your immigrants will eventually far outweigh your starting goods/dwarves, so all that matters is that you have what you need to get a fortress going.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I actually have yet to get an anvil, with two fortresses made it to winter...
The first time I think I messed up on the trade agreement, but the second time I definitely said I wanted anvils.
Also, kobolds started stealing things.... How do I make traps that will kill them if I don't have an army?
Maybe i should try a completely militarized starting build. Completely focus on butchering and hunting...
Like all skills only in war-related things, and then all weapon related items and maybe a lot of war dogs.
Certainly would be less peaceful than my current fortresses.
My biggest threat has been kobolds taking rocks.
The first time I think I messed up on the trade agreement, but the second time I definitely said I wanted anvils.
Also, kobolds started stealing things.... How do I make traps that will kill them if I don't have an army?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Kobolds dont trigger stone-fall/weapon or cage traps.
To get rid of them, you can either use upright spike traps (which can be linked to a pressure plate or lever) or drowning traps or drawbridges to squish them or you just chain a few wardogs at your entrance. They will rip kobolds apart.
Now that I think about it, a kobold once stole an artifact from me, too. I thought I have to rally my Fortress Guard before the legendary whatever-er goes berserk and kills everyone. He didn't flip out, though.
Summarized version follows.
I just saw this. In the last few versions, Toady took out the unhappy thoughts from clothing falling apart. Players like me make lots of clothes for our dwarves, thinking that having multiple outfits would make dwarf happy. And, indeed, getting or buying new possessions does make a dwarf happier. However, before and after economy kicks in, dwarves pick up new clothing so infrequently that whatever happy thoughts they do get from clothing is way overpowered by the unhappy thoughts of their existing clothes rotting away. Since all clothes degrade at the exact same rate regardless of material or quality, that means each dwarf in any migrant wave will receive a significant unhappy thought from each of their pieces of clothing rotting away. Considering a dwarf wears around a dozen pieces of clothing, and some migrant waves can be over a dozen ... yeah. Tantrum landslide, nude dwarves running around getting into fights and vomiting all over the place. The Magic of Dwarf Fortress.
I hope the bug gets fixed soon, because I like providing fancy clothes for my dwarves. I feel like a good, benevolent commander on the odd occasion that a dwarf buys a *<<+kitten leather left sock+>>*.
Summarized version: Dwarves do not receive unhappy thoughts from clothing rot.
When we arrived at our destination at the top of a grade 3 hill I found the river running down it was frozen due to the cold. Not wanting my dwarves to get cold I quickly dug into the silty hillside and created room for my two masons shops as well as a farm and other necessary spaces. I dug down another level for my bedrooms which were quickly constructed but found expansion to be constrained by the river on one side and the end of the hill on the other. There was enough space for my 7 founders to occupy 5by5 square rooms, but I knew I needed to dig down another level if I was going to be ready for immigrants.
Everything was going well until I had begun construction on the 5th level. I thought I was getting a jump start on rooms for that 3rd immigrant wave even before the first had come when my MasterBuilder, a Mason Architect, died of thirst. That's odd, even though the river's frozen I still have enough booze and I can count all 7 of my dwarfs on screen... wait a minute, that's eight dwarves. An immigration wave had snuck in under the cover of night.
I quickly assigned some of the less useful professions of milking and dyeing masonry and architecture duties, and began the search for my missing dwarf. It appears he had entombed himself behind a wall, poor bugger. Must have decided he'd rather die than see those unwashed immigrants flood into his domain. I tasked the new mason to remove a section of the wall and depose the MasterBuilder to his tomb. Farewell sweet dwarven prince, however life must go on without you. The two new immigrant waves barely know your name. I hope you end isn't a sign of things to come. Although these latest two waves have beds, they may be hard to sustain through the winter.
Tip to any beginner player: Go to an area with sand because you don't need to worry about hauling away rocks if you build your fortress in the sand layer, and you can build farms without worrying about water. If you need stone, just dig down a few layers and do some mining.
I have found myself with an excessive amount of wood and stone. Practically endless supply. The only thing I use wood for is beds, so I basically just have it sitting my huge wood stockpile collecting dust....
I made a Bower workshop though, and I told him to make some wood crossbow bolts and he complained that there was no wood... which there obviously is.
A new immigrant wave has arrived, I think the fourth. I have not had time to look over the full roster but I sense a noble among them. I can smell them. They were no doubt expecting a Dwarven Club Med after hearing about the "weather of paddling" we have here. Probably dreaming about sitting in a rowboat with parasols sipping elven wine and reciting bad poetry. I should find a way to put them out of their misery; weather of paddling indeed...
After having slept on the matter I have resolved to construct an ark. I shall have to wait until winter when the river and waterfall freeze over. Fortunately there are all ready several bridges over the river and small lake the formed underneath the waterfall. It would just be a matter of building many more.
The question now is whether to divert the river, or chip out the ice and build a retaining wall around construction, or simply chip out the ice and slowly build upward. The last option seems a poor choice for a multi-season effort, which I'm sure this will be. A retaining wall seems the best bet however I'm not sure how keen my dwarves will be about slaving at icewalls. Either way I should begin the constriction of a screwpump and choose a pump operator among the fresh immigrants.
I didn't think I could pump a river dry. The area slated for construction of the ark is a river. It's a small pool formed by the waterfall as the river travels on, but still part of the river. I will post a picture once I begin construction.
Not exactly. The construction of the retaining wall was successfully completed before winter. I even placed some door and locked them to prevent dwarf drowning if I had missed a spot.
I then took the opporunity to start digging into the silty loam on the other side of the river. The frequent snowstorms caused the ice level to reach up to my bridges which had previously had a z level of open space beneath them. My dwarves thought it would be a good idea to take shortcuts to the new stone stockpile across the frozen river. I noticed this too late and when spring came 13 dwarves fell a z level into the river and drowned. Shortly thereafter Tun, my Ultra-Mighty Stonemaster(Legendary Miner, StoneCrafter) went beserk killing 15 dwarves, 2 cats, and one baby before being dispatched by my legendary Jeweler and legendary Glassmaker.
<i>Misc notes:On a positive note the retaining wall held and I had not missed a spot. It's tricky though because ice is a building material and you can easily build a wall out of it if you're not careful.
Ice floors will disappear when spring comes but walls built out of stone will be fine, even if they are built on ice floors. I don't know if this would apply to a freestanding structure. I imagine it would follow the 7x7 rule, I may reclaim the fortress later and test this theory.</i>
I started a new fortress last night in the savanna with about the same starting build. It's an aquifer and there are carp, but the carp is far away so I will see how far I can get. The lions nearby worry me more.
If the latest is still .38c I can support this.
You can have the whole world, resting on a simple 1x1 square.
I've gathered a few questions from my retarded stumblings through the game, if someone will indulge me;
1. How I farm for meat? More specifically, I have a large collection of animals which I keep trying to put into a pit, only to have them immediately walk out. What's the best way of making a pen for them?
2. If I tell my military dwarves to wear chain, will they put on helmets, greaves e.t.c? Because they don't seem to.
3. Is there a way to select a dwarf to be arrested? I don't want that naked guy running around my meeting hall anymore.
2. Helmets and greaves seem to count as plate armour. For dwarves set to wear chain, you'll want caps and leggings made of metal.
3. No.
You can stuff an infinite number of animals into a cage. Do that, and make a zoo so your dwarves can admire them.
Running around naked is not a crime in DF. But he will die eventually.
There are several ways to make breeding grounds for animals. (I often take 2 dogs with me and let them mass breed so I can have a great number of wardogs later on.)
Channel a 3x3 area. Open the zone menu and make a 1x1 zone on top of a channeled out area. Make this zone a pit and assign the 2 animals you want to breed to it. Later when you need the animals, just dig an access to your pit. This works great, cause you can do it right at the start of the game and If you wall in your breeding ground you wont loose any animals to bow-gobbos.
Later on you want more easy to acess and also more functional breeding grounds. Just dig a 3x3 area, and then use grates or vertical bars to make sure the area is isolated. Connect them to a levr. Now open your bars/grates, build a cage the breeding ground, connect a lever to the cage. Lower the grate/bars. Pull the lever to release the animals from teh cage.
If you want to be really cheap you can use a door instead of a grate and forbid passage. Or you can just build walls instead of the grates. All that matters is that you can squeeze in a male and a female in a small area.
If you take omly use a few animals from time to time, build 2 doors/bars/grates and use them as an arilock. Send a single dwarf in, rebuild the cage. Stuff every animal you dont need in the cage. Butcher the rest. And free them from the cage afterwards.
That must be one hell of a party.
if you set a door to be not pet passible, that might be a good way to keep an animal pen that dorfs can still go in and out of. no trench required.
if you set a door to be not pet passible, that might be a good way to keep an animal pen that dorfs can still go in and out of. no trench required.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Depends.
When a dwarf opens a door, an animal can slip through even when its set to not pet passable. But if you reularly take animals out of the livestock, a corridor with maybe 5 doors should work and keep em close together without any mayor trouble. As an alternative you can also use a rather complicated design, where you use 2 levels.
<!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><!--ec1-->z=0
xxxxx
x..<x
xxxxx
z=1
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DBP>x
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So D is the door on the acess level leading to the fort
< and > ar the stairs
x wall
B bridge (Or hatch, or Grate, or Floor bars, its your call <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />)
P pressure plate
Ste the bridge to retract and hook it up the plate.
Make sure that citizens dont trigger.
What happens is that if an animal goes on the upper level and walks over the plate it triggers the bridge and the bridge retracts droping the animal down into the pit again. /Falls of 1 z level are harmless. Just make sure that you are using masterwork mechanisms for everything and that you expand the bridge or else it wont work. The door should be set to not pet passable or else you little buddys keep the bridge retracted 24/7 and your dwarves cant get in. Depending on the quality level of the used mechanisms it might be necessary to use several pressure plates.
However, what should work is this: Have an "animallock" of sorts, one door leading into a small chamber and another door in that chamber leading to the animal room. The outer is set to tightly closed at all times, and to locked except when you need dwarves to enter. The inner door is set to tightly closed, but if an animal manages to get into the "animallock" chamber while the door is open, set it to pet-passable until the animal wanders back into the animal room.
However, you could also simply let animals roam. Just butcher as necessary so they don't multiply too much, and they shouldn't be a traffic problem. Roaming war dogs are actually useful, since they'll help find kobolds and goblin snatchers and such - and gleefully tear them to pieces. \^_^/
One of my founding dwarves went fey and claimed a craftsdwarf workshop. He had stone he had wood, but he needed shells. I cursed myself for forgetting to turn cooking off of turtle meat as I should have had shells from the 50 turtle I brought with me. Fortunately the humans I'm currently trading with live near the ocean and brought turtle with them. Okay! So I make the transaction and forbid all food expect the barrel the turtle is in. The dwarves in the fortress then proceed to eat all of the raw fish in the barrel but leave the turtle untouched. The fey dwarf eventually becomes melancholy and is dragged to the graveyard after he dies from thirst. Oh well, my economy is based on glass trade anyway since I'm on an aquafier and the only stone comes from the nearby volcano.
As a side question, does anyone know how strong zombie groundhogs are and whether or not I would have to deal with zombie dwarfs?