Dwarf Fortress - DF Project 2: World of Oracles [Archive]

Arphahat

01-19-2009, 11:49 AM

Instead of each individually playing our own random maps, what proved interesting before was to start with a common map and routinely post results. Anyone interested in seeing the previous thread can check here (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=1086).

This time, we'll use this map (http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=734). There is no picture file (that I could find) that indicates the starting spot, so tonight I'll go through the description and try to take a snapshot of where I think the starting location is. Or, if someone else wanted to do that, I'll edit this post later with their image.

May Green Tileset including Dwarf Fortress (http://mayday.w.staszic.waw.pl/df.htm) Version 16 seems to be the latest, so I suggest re-downloading even if you have an older version.

Use SL's map compressor (http://shadowlord13.googlepages.com/dfmap-index.html) direct link(zip) (http://shadowlord13.googlepages.com/DFMapCompressor-3.3.2.zip) to make map archives each year and post them to the DF Map Archive. Optional, of course, but the interesting stuff should come from seeing how each of us end up with a different fortress, different experiences, etc. from the same world.

Edit:

Here is the 3x3 location as described, plus I did a search for the characteristics mentioned. There is no chasm, but there is a bottomless pit.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/8933/worldoforaclesnr1.jpg

RandoM51

01-19-2009, 11:51 AM

I'll start mine up tomorrow, probably. :)

biosc1

01-19-2009, 02:57 PM

I'll start mine up one day this week. Pretty busy on the front end of this week, but Thursday is looking good to start a new fortress. Thanks for doing this work :)

ThievesAmongUs

01-19-2009, 03:18 PM

I love this game, but quite frankly the main reason I don't play it: is the overwhelming difficulty curve attached to it.

EDIT: and I suck horribly at it.

destoo

01-19-2009, 03:34 PM

woot. I'll give it a try.

Arphahat

01-19-2009, 05:30 PM

I love this game, but quite frankly the main reason I don't play it: is the overwhelming difficulty curve attached to it.

EDIT: and I suck horribly at it.

As an Apostle of the Fortress, I believe everyone's life can be improved by playing Dwarf Fortress. As such, I have a number of suggestions that will make the game easier for you.

Use the May Green Tileset (http://mayday.w.staszic.waw.pl/df.htm)
It comes with Dwarf Fortress already setup and with graphics. The learning curve in Dwarf Fortress is tough enough; you don't need the added complexity of deciphering obscure icons.
Follow the steps for Your first fortress (http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Your_first_fortress)
This is a simple way to get familiar with the game.
For your first fortress, pick an easy location. From the "Your first fortress" tutorial above, that means picking a Neutral location.
Pick one thing to get good at before moving on. You'll hear a lot about making weapons and armor, as well as making things from glass and waterpumps and windmills.... you don't need to do any of that. Focus on the items in the tutorial and get good at masonry and farming. All that other stuff can be experimented with later on.
Watch the tutorial videos in this thread (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=4606).
Finally, don't be afraid to lose. Losing is actually defined as "fun" (http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Fun) on the wiki.
If everything always goes your way, there isn't much to the game. But, if you encounter obstacles that you didn't expect, it creates the interesting stories that you will never forget (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showpost.php?p=36654&postcount=45).

Arphahat

01-19-2009, 11:00 PM

OK, updated the opening post with the image of the starting location. Begin at your leisure!

SilentScreams

01-20-2009, 07:29 PM

Not sure I'll have much time over the coming weeks, and I also need to semi-relearn the game as I haven't played for like 4-5 months, but I'll give this a shot when I can spare the minutes (/hours/days)

Arphahat

01-20-2009, 11:49 PM

I have a good start going. Since I don't want to reveal any potential spoilers, I'm going to stick with just my starting pics.

We start in a relatively safe spot and can take the time to dig through the thick basalt. Note the enticing gems.
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/4334/cogyear1001ce2.jpg

We use the gems to clear an entryway into our fortress.
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/4892/cogyear1002og0.jpg

I'll post some additional images tomorrow. I'll give a day or two longer before I start revealing any potential "spoilers."

RandoM51

01-21-2009, 07:28 AM

The embark spot is damned near perfect as far as proximity to certain resources goes.

:)

destoo

01-21-2009, 08:16 AM

I haven't played much, but watching the video tutorial, he seems to fancy digging tunnels under grass.. That would be the patch northwest of where you started your fortress, right?
Is there any harm in building a farm there, or even starting your fortress in that spot, digging down?

I totally forgot about taking screenshots.. Here's one
http://www.technocarotte.com/images/planning.jpg

... hmmm.. think the top-left corner spells failure in the short term?

RandoM51

01-21-2009, 09:09 AM

Digging in soil as opposed to stone is good for two purposes.

1. It doesn't leave any stone/ore behind to move, making it very good for quickly building storage areas.
2. Soil is the quickest way to get a farm plot in place. If you don't have soil you have to flood and drain a stone area to put a layer of mud on top of it.

RandoM51

01-21-2009, 10:33 AM

Here is a quick and easy way to layout food/drink production so you can see how much of what you have with a quick glance instead of going into your stores interface all the time.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2moo36b.jpg

While it isn't the most efficient in terms of distances, it makes it very easy to see at glance what my quantities of the following are:

Plump helmets
Dwarven wine
Prepared food
Empty barrels

I'm always short of barrels until I get a safe production area created for wood, which means I have to make sure I don't fill up all my barrels with food and then run out of drink. This layout prevents that from happening.

Plump helmets are the safest/quickest food/drink production as you can brew them into dwarven wine and then cook the wine into biscuits as needed. This greatly increases the food you produce per unit of effort. That is a tiny plot I'm using and I only plant it two seasons of the year and only have 2 dwarves dedicated to farming/cooking/brewing.

biosc1

01-21-2009, 02:30 PM

Nice. My organization skills seem to be my biggest issue and I hate having barrels fill up with food and not wine.

RandoM51

01-21-2009, 03:10 PM

Found lots of copper, a bit of aluminum and one decent vein of hematite. Haven't found any flux though, might not be making steel.

Found the magma vent, pit, and underground pool. Capped the magma and built a small tower-cap farm for some much needed wood, started a massive tree farm that is taking forever to clear the stone from.

Be careful if you open up a tunnel to the pit, hehehehe. ;)

biosc1

01-21-2009, 04:54 PM

This time, we'll use this map (http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=734).

Okay, I don't know how dumb I am, but I downloaded the zip from that link and I'm unsure of what I'm supposed to do with it?

Instead, I copied the world gen parameters into the world gen text file and generated it out of that...is that what we're doing?

I ended up with what looks like the right spot...

Arphahat

01-21-2009, 05:08 PM

Okay, I don't know how dumb I am, but I downloaded the zip from that link and I'm unsure of what I'm supposed to do with it?

Instead, I copied the world gen parameters into the world gen text file and generated it out of that...is that what we're doing?

I ended up with what looks like the right spot...

Oops! Sorry, I should have specified where it goes. You can copy the whole directory into your save folder, so it would look like this:

"\DFG16\data\save\region6" (region6 is the folder the game unzips to.)

If you generated it OK, it should be fine, but the author notes that you might need some mods to get it to generate exactly. If in doubt, just copy the folder.

SilentScreams

01-21-2009, 05:09 PM

So I'm about to make a start.
I've forgotten most of the handy tricks I picked up last time I played, but I'll give it a shot.
My fortresses have never been pretty to look at though, so don't expect much from the screenshots. :)

biosc1

01-21-2009, 05:40 PM

Oops! Sorry, I should have specified where it goes. You can copy the whole directory into your save folder, so it would look like this:

"\DFG16\data\save\region6" (region6 is the folder the game unzips to.)

If you generated it OK, it should be fine, but the author notes that you might need some mods to get it to generate exactly. If in doubt, just copy the folder.

Ahhh...I've done it before, just completely forgot how and the internet wasn't helping me. I'm going to restart anyways, I loaded a profiled embarkation preset, but I didn't get to tweak it before pressing 'e' :o

LongStepMantis

01-21-2009, 05:47 PM

I'm taking a stab at this, and I've never played DF before.

I understand most of it, it's just one of those things that put me off because of the complexity. So here goes nothing. I'll be telling you all about the quick collapse of my society.

Heretic Machine

01-21-2009, 06:25 PM

How does one remove boulders and dead shrubs from a road?

RandoM51

01-21-2009, 06:33 PM

How does one remove boulders and dead shrubs from a road?

d, s, then enter/enter(or select it with mouse) on the boulder or shrub.

I have fresh meat for the arena, should be a good fight versus a squad of goblins. Haven't decided if I'm going to let the goblins have weapons or not, though, muahhahahaha.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2qda355.jpg

Heretic Machine

01-21-2009, 07:02 PM

d, s, then enter/enter(or select it with mouse) on the boulder or shrub.

I have fresh meat for the arena, should be a good fight versus a squad of goblins. Haven't decided if I'm going to let the goblins have weapons or not, though, muahhahahaha.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2qda355.jpg

Yeah, figured that out before you posted, I appreciate it anyhow. Was having trouble getting a nice path to my trade depot.

destoo

01-21-2009, 08:35 PM

Nice neighbors..

biosc1

01-21-2009, 11:54 PM

SilentScreams

01-22-2009, 08:42 AM

RandoM51

01-22-2009, 11:34 AM

hit alt-prt scrn while the df window is highlighted, then paste it into whatever image program you use. Crop the stuff you want for your image, save it as a jpg, then upload it to something like tinypic.com and use the url they give you to embed it in a forum post.

Arphahat

01-22-2009, 11:43 AM

I forgot how slow the going is with just 7 dwarfs. I didn't get any migrants either. First time that's ever happened.
It's taking forever to mine everything out and clear the stones.

Can somebody post a dumbass guide to posting my screenies? It's not something I've done a whole lot of.
I've uploaded my map to the DF map archive thing, but that's as far as I've got. :o

Allow me to promote an open source tool that I wrote years ago and use all the time. ScreenShot Assistant (http://sourceforge.net/projects/screenassist/), or SSA, monitors your clipboard, looking for images. It saves any images it finds using the preferences you configure. Give it a shot. Note that it uses the .Net Framework, so if you don't have that installed, you either need to download the framework, or download an older version of SSA.

RandoM51

01-22-2009, 05:14 PM

Found 4 or 5 more seams of hematite and some marble so steel production is definitely a go on this map for those who want it.

biosc1

01-22-2009, 06:16 PM

I had my first year completed.

Capped the magma pipe, to keep the nasties in there while I awaited the arrival of the caravan...which got ambushed...and then took off with the anvil I was going to purchase. Their diplomat went insane on stepping foot into my fortress, luckily onto a cage trap.

Got my underground farms going, trying a new organizational idea...gleaned from Random's suggestion earlier in this thread.

All in all pretty good so far. Would love to get a migration going, but would love more to get an anvil so I can start using the magma.

RandoM51

01-22-2009, 07:01 PM

This time it is for metalworking.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2j2suuw.jpg

I build a tunnel from the capped magma pipe to my work area, and put a set of vertical iron bars near the vent end to prevent beasties from getting in.

Stairways up and down go to ore stockpiles one level up and one level down.

Since craftsman go insane if you melt down their masterpieces the stockpiles are set so that masterpieces end up on the left and everything else on the right to be melted back down into bar stock. Since you only get partial bars and those partials remain in the smelter I dedicate one smelter to that job just to make sure I waste as little as possible.

Right now you see a lot of copper. I pick the cheapest ore that I have in the greatest quantity and use that to skill up my metalworker to legendary in armor and weapons by having him make copper shields and copper spears. Anything not a masterpiece gets melted back into bar stock. There is usually enough copper on the map to get him to legendary in both skills. Masterpiece spears go into weapon traps and masterpiece shields get sold to traders.

There are stockpiles there for charcoal and flux for when I get around to steel production. If there is no adamantite, everybody gets steel armor/weapons. If there is adamantite I make one uber squad of six dwarves in full adamantite and give the rest steel.

Garbage dump into magma is handy for permanently getting rid of many things, like all of the stone I have to clear above and below for my ore stockpiles and wornout clothing, etc.

That middle door goes to a dining room, beyond which are three levels of housing so that dwarves going off shift/on shift do not waste too much travel time. Farming and food/drink production/storage are one level above.

SilentScreams

01-23-2009, 07:20 AM

Damn. Kind of makes me realize just how amateurish my workshops/stockpile layout is.
It'll do for now, but I think later on I'll have to do something more efficient.

Here's my workshops:
http://i41.tinypic.com/302opib.jpg

And on the floor directly above, my stockpiles:
http://i41.tinypic.com/2w4fx2h.jpg

This is a fort I just started, but I generally have the same sort of layout in all my games. Later on once I have spare manpower, I clear out big store rooms for each individual workshop.

biosc1

01-23-2009, 12:16 PM

Damn. Kind of makes me realize just how amateurish my workshops/stockpile layout is.
It'll do for now, but I think later on I'll have to do something more efficient.

Here's my workshops:
http://i41.tinypic.com/302opib.jpg

You do have the advantage of being able to lock away your crazies, if you can't supply them with what they need. :)

RandoM51

01-23-2009, 12:21 PM

Damn. Kind of makes me realize just how amateurish my workshops/stockpile layout is.
It'll do for now, but I think later on I'll have to do something more efficient.

That is what makes the game fun for me, finding better ways of doing the same things I did the last time I played.

It would be cool if they'd add some metrics at some point so you could measure the overall efficiency of the various dwarven industries. I've got it in my head that the perfect fortress would grow to resemble a sphere, or a set of connected spheres, but I'm not going to go to all that effort without the metrics to prove it.

biosc1

01-23-2009, 01:23 PM

That is what makes the game fun for me, finding better ways of doing the same things I did the last time I played.

It would be cool if they'd add some metrics at some point so you could measure the overall efficiency of the various dwarven industries. I've got it in my head that the perfect fortress would grow to resemble a sphere, or a set of connected spheres, but I'm not going to go to all that effort without the metrics to prove it.

I would love to see traffic density/usage graphics that resemble something from Sim City, so I could figure out what routes are heavily trafficked and what routes aren't.

Edit:

Oops...just stumbled across some nice underground neighbours. Good news is that tower cap trees are possible.

Arphahat

01-23-2009, 07:38 PM

I haven't played as much as I have intended, yet. But, I am surprised by just how close everything is so far. I've found the magma pool and the regular underground pool, and I haven't really even begun mining or exploring.

I'm feeling a bit rusty. I'm also a little impatient, trying to play a later stage than I am prepared for. For example, my farming was ignored, as was the brewing, but I have a series of flood gates, levers and a pump attached to a waterwheel. I also have dug out my traditional huge dining room, but I just got to digging an office for the bookkeeper. Fortunately, the game is patient and doesn't punish floundering: no goblin raids until you are worth raiding.

I did catch a Rhesus in one of the traps along the main corridor. I am thinking about trying to catch another, taming them and then chaining them up to breed. Then, I will use them as a food source. Yum!

SilentScreams

01-23-2009, 09:58 PM

So I started a new game, and within a month my 4 War Dogs had all been incinerated by a forest fire started by a Fire Imp. Fortunately my moat saved my Dwarves from the fire and the traders came along and wiped out the pesky Imps and I traded with them for a Giant Desert Scorpion (thank you traders, for your willingness to pay an absolute fortune for my wine biscuits and turtle roasts), which now sits chained up in my narrow entrance. It's already butchered like 8 kobold thieves.

RandoM51

01-24-2009, 12:20 PM

adamantine location:

Southwest corner of the map, starting about 8 levels beneath the surface, according to the depth indicator in upper right corner of the game display.

Arphahat

01-26-2009, 12:19 AM

Hey, Random, I'm being annoyed by fire imps and was interested in this line from your post: I build a tunnel from the capped magma pipe to my work area, and put a set of vertical iron bars near the vent end to prevent beasties from getting in.
How are you doing this? Don't the bars melt if they are in the magma?

biosc1

01-26-2009, 10:21 AM

Hey, Random, I'm being annoyed by fire imps and was interested in this line from your post:
How are you doing this? Don't the bars melt if they are in the magma?

I believe iron doesn't melt.

What I do is use a fortification in the channel. The magma goes through and the baddies don't.

destoo

01-26-2009, 10:29 AM

So if I channel one square above a magma square, then set up a magma forge on that spot.. baddies will come out?

I'm starting to get the hang of it, I think.. At least, the game doesn't punish you for mistakes. (I was afraid of losing the Anvil at one point..)

Can exterior buildings, with roof, be created? Do I just create a floor on the squares on top of my walls? (that's where my well is.. I have no clue if it'll freeze or not)

RandoM51

01-26-2009, 12:07 PM

So if I channel one square above a magma square, then set up a magma forge on that spot.. baddies will come out?

Yes, they can. Iron, steel, bauxite, and adamantine will not melt in magma. There are a bunch of other exceptions but most of them are bugs/oversights.

I'm starting to get the hang of it, I think.. At least, the game doesn't punish you for mistakes. (I was afraid of losing the Anvil at one point..)
Some mistakes it does, hehehe, like tunneling upwards into an underground river. Ooops.

Can exterior buildings, with roof, be created? Do I just create a floor on the squares on top of my walls? (that's where my well is.. I have no clue if it'll freeze or not)
Yes, you don't put a floor on top of the walls themselves, but on the empty areas in between. So if you had a 3x3 square of walls, you'd only need one roof/floor tile in the center.

biosc1

01-26-2009, 12:35 PM

Yes, you don't put a floor on top of the walls themselves, but on the empty areas in between. So if you had a 3x3 square of walls, you'd only need one roof/floor tile in the center.

Though, I think that may still be considered "outside"? I recall telling my dwarves not to go "outside", but that led to them not crossing an enclosed bridge I had over a chasm in one game I played.

Panthera

01-26-2009, 12:37 PM

Outside/inside is a funny thing. Once a tile has been exposed to searing, natural light, it will never be underground again.

Panthera

01-26-2009, 12:40 PM

I just looked it up in the wiki, and I'm wrong. It's Light/Above Ground that never goes back, not Inside/Outside.

biosc1

01-26-2009, 12:44 PM

I just looked it up in the wiki, and I'm wrong. It's Light/Above Ground that never goes back, not Inside/Outside.

Ah...so, if I "channel" a bunch of surface level ground, but then put flooring over it, it will revert back to "inside" again.

This also accounts for why my bridge over the chasm never become "inside" because it was always considered light/above ground...and I just made it dark/above ground (not technically inside, just darkened outside space).

Panthera

01-26-2009, 12:50 PM

Right. As far as the 'dwarves stay indoors' order is concerned, Light/Above Ground is outside, even if the game sees that it's Inside.

destoo

01-26-2009, 01:06 PM

Ah...so, if I "channel" a bunch of surface level ground, but then put flooring over it, it will revert back to "inside" again.

This also accounts for why my bridge over the chasm never become "inside" because it was always considered light/above ground...and I just made it dark/above ground (not technically inside, just darkened outside space).

You could then build another bridge under it and that new bridge would be "inside", right?

Panthera

01-26-2009, 01:09 PM

Nope. Once you go Above Ground you never go back.

Well, it would be Inside, but the dwarves would still treat it as outdoors.

RandoM51

01-26-2009, 03:06 PM

Immigration Denied!

http://i43.tinypic.com/2irrugy.jpg

biosc1

01-26-2009, 03:28 PM

I'm seriously thinking of doing what you've done before in regards to immigration. I want to have my cave dwellers and then my "above ground left to the wilds" dwarves.

Panthera

01-26-2009, 03:41 PM

Immigration Denied!

Jesus. What killed them? :eek:

Arphahat

01-26-2009, 07:19 PM

Jesus. What killed them? :eek:

He did. He did. The heartless brute left them to the forces of the wilderness. *weeps*

SilentScreams

01-26-2009, 09:00 PM

I think it's time I got started on this map. I've had my relearning period on easier maps, so now I figure it's time to bite the bullet.
I'll let you know how it goes. Considering I managed to lose 3 Dwarves on an easy map, this could get ugly. Although I think two of the deaths were a bug...I'm sure that alligator had no way to get into my base legitimately.

MagGnome

01-26-2009, 09:58 PM

I was going to load up Company of Heroes tonight, but reading this thread has me itching to play this instead. I've never really played DF before, outside of a few minutes the other day where it was clear that I had no idea what was going on.

Wish me luck!

SilentScreams

01-26-2009, 10:03 PM

Good luck, Mags.
Welcome to the Dwarf Side.

MagGnome

01-26-2009, 10:41 PM

biosc1

01-26-2009, 11:16 PM

I just spent over an hour gearing up, and I'm finally ready to begin building. I'm following along with the guide.

Unfortunately I have to go to bed very soon, but I really don't want to.

Edit - I just dug my first ever tunnel!!!!! This is so exciting. :D

Just remember to focus on conquering one thing at a time...dig out some tunnels, work on a well, build a farm, build an army, etc... (not necessarily in that order)

MagGnome

01-26-2009, 11:20 PM

I'm following along with the first time guide, so I dug out a few rooms and built some workshops. I suddenly wish I had a woodcutter. :/

SilentScreams

01-27-2009, 08:50 AM

I'm following along with the first time guide, so I dug out a few rooms and built some workshops. I suddenly wish I had a woodcutter. :/

Yeah you'll be pretty stuck if you run out of wood. No wood means no beds, no barrels/bins, no buckets for your well either.
As a general rule of thumb, if something can be made out of stone or wood, make it out of stone. You'll never run out of stone. In fact, disposing of the stuff is a job in itself (http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Stone_management).

RandoM51

01-27-2009, 08:59 AM

Jesus. What killed them? :eek:

Goblin patrols. The topside of my fortresses always looks like Fallout 3-Dwarf Apocalypse.

I've just now started building my military. What I do is take my two original miners, put them in steel plate armor with weak copper weapons and let them spar each other. They'll be legendary swordsdwarves eventually at which point I'll move them into adamantine armor and weapons. Meanwhhile, I've taken 4 peasants, turned them into miners and I have them strip mining the levels I've already pulled all of the ore/gems out of. This will level them quickly, making them nice and strong. Once they're legendary miners I'll repeat the process, only this time those 4 dwarves will be turned into marksdwarves. I've started up a horse breeding operation and I'm butchering 4-16 horses per season and turning their bones into bolts. By the time my 4 marksdwarves are ready I should have enough training ammo to get them 5-6 levels in marksdwarves. After that I'll use them to clean out underground pool, and then station them behind fortifications near a chokepoint to my depot.

Once I've got 8 really good marksdwarves, I'll give them adamantine bolts and setup a kill room for the demon pit(I've only mined 2-3 levels into the adamantine). With the adamantine bolts and the two uber swordsdwarves I'll make short work of the demon pit and all of the precious adamantine will be mine, muahahahaha.

It is all gravy from there on out.

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 06:36 PM

Yeah you'll be pretty stuck if you run out of wood. No wood means no beds, no barrels/bins, no buckets for your well either.
As a general rule of thumb, if something can be made out of stone or wood, make it out of stone. You'll never run out of stone. In fact, disposing of the stuff is a job in itself (http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Stone_management).

I should probably build a well soon, eh?

Is there a way to force some of my dwarves to chop wood, even if they don't have the skill? I marked the trees for cutting, but no one bothered.

Random's posts make my head spin. :eek:

SilentScreams

01-27-2009, 07:18 PM

I should probably build a well soon, eh?

Is there a way to force some of my dwarves to chop wood, even if they don't have the skill? I marked the trees for cutting, but no one bothered.

Random's posts make my head spin. :eek:

Hit 'v' and locate a dwarf. When it comes up with his name and such, hit 'p' then 'l' to bring up his labour menu. From that you can set what jobs you want him doing.
He'll need an axe too though, so I hope you brought one with you.

And yes, get a well built asap. You'll need a chain though, which can be hard to get hold of until you can get a forge up and running unless the traders happen to have one with them.
A well just makes a safer way for your guys to get water. Otherwise they have to go outside and get it from ponds or rivers. Not a problem in peaceful maps, but it's only wounded dwarves that drink water (unless you run out of booze) and if a dwarf is wounded, chances are something wounded him and it's not safe. :)
Just remember that there has to be water in the level just below the well. The easiest way is to channel it from a river if you have one on your map. Just don't forget to account for water pressure. I've lost too many fortresses that way...or the lower levels at least.

Alkanos

01-27-2009, 07:33 PM

And yes, get a well built asap. You'll need a chain though, which can be hard to get hold of until you can get a forge up and running unless the traders happen to have one with them.Couldn't you just use a rope instead? They're pretty cheap on the embark screen, so I usually grab one there.

Is there a way to force some of my dwarves to chop wood, even if they don't have the skill? I marked the trees for cutting, but no one bothered.Make sure you actually have an axe along with, there's no specific wood-chopping axe so you just use a battleaxe. I know I forgot to bring one a few times, and only realized it when my designated woodchopper stood around doing nothing all the time. :D

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 07:56 PM

SilentScreams

01-27-2009, 08:08 PM

I do have an axe. Do I need to equip a dwarf somehow or will he just go grab it?

I'm not even sure where the axe is to be honest. I think it's laying outside near my stockpiles.

I'm jumping in now, so I guess I'll figure these things out sooner or later.

Edit - I just went into the init file to change a couple of things and noticed that the sound and intros are set to off. Do I actually want these things on? Is there any point to either of them?

The sound is just music. There are no sound effects really. I leave it off. The intro is maybe something to watch once then turn back off.

And yes, your dwarf will grab the axe once you set him to wood cutting duty.

And if you haven't already, hit q, then go to the wagon you had at the start and press x. I'm not sure on the numbers, but you can get a few extra logs from that. Three I think.

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 08:23 PM

I took the wagon apart last night, but thanks for the tip.

I'm busy chopping wood and building beds, tables, and chairs. Next up is farming.

I was pretty nervous when I saw other creatures moving around on the map. Then I checked them out and discovered that they were flies, butterflies, and dragonflies. :o

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 08:27 PM

Libuke

01-27-2009, 09:00 PM

Okay, the guide is telling me to mine out an area of soil underground, but I don't know how to do this. So far I've just been digging into rock.

I can't seem to find my seeds either. I know I embarked with them, but they seem to have gone missing. :/

Soil is different from rock and will always be on top is there is any. The easiest way to tell if it is soil or rock is soil never leaves anything behind.

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 09:01 PM

Soil is different from rock and will always be on top is there is any. The easiest way to tell if it is soil or rock is soil never leaves anything behind.

I see that, but how do I dig "into" it in order to build an underground farm?

Libuke

01-27-2009, 09:04 PM

I see that, but how do I dig "into" it in order to build an underground farm?

Do you mean dig up or down a level?

If so you need to big stairs first, a down stair on the first level and then an up stairs on the level below. Then your guys can go down. If this is not what you meant then I am not sure what how to help at this point.

Edit: Should add seeds you started with will grow underground, without needing light. I think some of the more advanced ones can not be grown underground but you do not really have to worry about that.

SilentScreams

01-27-2009, 09:05 PM

I assume this is for farming?
If so, the reason it's telling you to mine out soil is because you don't need to irrigate soil at all. If you want to make a farm in stone, you need to make the ground muddy by adding water. It can be a tricky process for new players involving tunnels, floodgates and levers though, so if you can find soil then that would be for the best.
As Libuke said, it'll be on the top level. Or if you started on a mountainside, then it could be down a few levels.
Also note that for all intents and purposes as far as farming is concerned, sand is the same as soil.

Edit: Damn, two posts while I was typing this out. If you actually meant digging down a z level then I misunderstood.

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 09:06 PM

Here's my little fortress for those interested:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v58/JacobD/Fortress1.jpg

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 09:08 PM

I need to dig down a level (a z level I guess) in order to build an underground farm. This is what I was trying to do. I'll try out the stair thing that Libuke suggested.

Edit - I got it!!! Thanks. :)

I feel pretty dumb right now. I could not figure out why my dwarves would disappear when moving past a certain area of the map. I just now realized that my fortress located up on a mountainside, and when they disappear they are going down a level to the plain below. I was wondering where all the trees were. :o

SilentScreams

01-27-2009, 09:11 PM

From the look of things, you'll need to dig down two levels, then go north/northwest until you hit soil/sand. It should be under where all the trees etc are.

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 09:25 PM

From the look of things, you'll need to dig down two levels, then go north/northwest until you hit soil/sand. It should be under where all the trees etc are.

So I just dug down two levels and broke into a big magma pool. I met my first fire snake. :(

SilentScreams

01-27-2009, 09:27 PM

I guess I should mention that I am yet to actually play this map, so I didn't know there was a magma pool there. :D

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 09:29 PM

I guess I should mention that I am yet to actually play this map, so I didn't know there was a magma pool there. :D

Thanks a lot. :p

To be fair, I dug down into it before reading your post, so it's really not you fault, at least not completely.

Any way I can block the stairs so nothing nasty will come up into my fortress? I also saw a fireman and several fire imps farther down the magma pool.

Edit - Now I've really screwed up. I thought I would be clever and take out the stairs, but I could only figure out how to take out the upward stairs from the lower floor. My dwarf headed down there and removed the stairs, but now he is trapped and for some reason I can't build a new staircase to get him out. The firesnake is closing in as we speak.

Edit 2 - Everyone is safe for now. After several failed attempts, I finally managed to rescue my dwarf that was trapped. I built a new tunnel and closed the magma cavern off with several locked doors. Now I just need to build a farm before I run out of food.

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 10:04 PM

Okay, does anyone know how to get rid of downward staircases? I can get rid of the upward ones, but not the downward ones. I have several downward staircases that go no where.

Sorry if I'm cluttering up the thread by the way, I hope no one minds.

SilentScreams

01-27-2009, 10:33 PM

I think the only way to get rid of downward ones is by channeling (d, h).
Then build something to go over the top like a hatch or grate at your masons workshop.

Edit: I made a start on this map. Here is what I have so far.

http://i42.tinypic.com/28he5br.jpg

It's compact, but it's efficient. Most of the stuff will be moving as soon as I can get other rooms dug out, such as the beds will be going into individual rooms to make my guys a bit happier.
The room to the south of the "bedroom" is going to be a dining room, but right now I want all my guys dumping rocks outside to clear up my soon-to-be stockpile area so that I can move everything in from the doorstep.
The stockroom is downstairs, but you can't see the stairs in this shot due to the clutter of rocks.

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 10:41 PM

What is that big gray square in the middle, the one in your entrance?

Also, how do you make the dwarves move objects like stone or empty barrels? I got them to move food, but I can't figure out how to move other things.

SilentScreams

01-27-2009, 10:50 PM

It's a drawbridge. Underneath is a channel I dug. I can raise it by pulling the lever in the corner of the bedroom.
Later on, I'll make an external wall with a door in it too. It should stop most attackers, and at least stall the ones who can destroy it long enough for me to pull the lever.
Once I have an army, the room with the beds will have fortifications in the external wall, allowing my marksdwarves to take shots at anything outside. I'll make it a barracks, so that my army is always there and there should always be someone around to pull the lever too.

Or at least that's the plan.

For a dwarf to move something, you have to give him somewhere to move it. If you make a stockpile for stone, they will move stone there.
Otherwise, press 'i' and designate a garbage dump. Then you can press 'k' and 'd'ump any objects you want to get rid of. Your dwarves will stack all the items in the garbage dump, which is how I'm clearing stone away from my future stock rooms.

Edit: By "big gray square" you may have also meant the 5x5 one. Thats my trade depot. You'll need one of them up as soon as you can. Make sure you have a dwarf with the Architecture labor assigned.
Word of advice: the trade depot needs a 3 square wide route to it for the wagons to get through, so it's no use putting it down a narrow coridoor.

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 11:00 PM

Thanks for all of the info! I was indeed referring to the drawbridge, but I'm glad you told me about the trade depot as well. I'll have to get started on both of those soon.

I had already figured out how to do a stone stockpile before your post, but I still have one more thing I'd like to move - I want to rearrange some of the beds in my barracks. Is there any way for me to order specific furniture to be moved like that?

Edit - My dwarves put the anvil in my furniture stockpile, so I just need to figure out how to rearrange things like beds, tables, and chairs once they are place in rooms.

SilentScreams

01-27-2009, 11:16 PM

You need to use 'q' and 'x' to deconstruct them like you did with your wagon. They will be put back in the stockpiles for reuse then.

MagGnome

01-27-2009, 11:19 PM

You need to use 'q' and 'x' to deconstruct them like you did with your wagon. They will be put back in the stockpiles for reuse then.

Great, thank you so much for all of your help!

I need to force myself to go to bed now. I'm sure I will be dreaming of this game.

ShivaX

01-27-2009, 11:23 PM

Damn you all, this is all I can think about now. I haven't played in months.

Edit: Hmm... can't seem to get the map to work for me.

ShivaX

01-27-2009, 11:42 PM

Oops! Sorry, I should have specified where it goes. You can copy the whole directory into your save folder, so it would look like this:

"\DFG16\data\save\region6" (region6 is the folder the game unzips to.)

If you generated it OK, it should be fine, but the author notes that you might need some mods to get it to generate exactly. If in doubt, just copy the folder.

This isn't working for me. It just ignores the files no matter what I do.

biosc1

01-28-2009, 12:14 AM

This isn't working for me. It just ignores the files no matter what I do.

What's your save file directory look like? Perhaps you're putting it down one extra level or something?

Khrymsyn

01-28-2009, 09:13 AM

I know this isn't a "DF Project" related question. Sorry for the threadjack... but..
do you still have to worry about Cave Ins? I've created some HUGE rooms and am worried about digging underneath / above them for fear of cave ins. A version I tried (and honestly lost interest in) seemed to require a load bearing support like every 4x4 square... This new one I'm trying I'm seeming to finally catch on some =)

Panthera

01-28-2009, 09:28 AM

Nope. It used to be a 6x6 square maximum in the 2d version but now as long as there's any support at all, there won't be a collapse.

I still find myself making my fortresses as if that limit was there, though, since pillars are aesthetically pleasing and all that. The exception being massive, underground tower cap farms.

Alkanos

01-28-2009, 09:48 AM

As long as a ceiling has some support somewhere, you won't have a cave-in. Toady's set it to that until he can make more realistic cave-ins. So you could theoretically clear out an entire z level and so long as you left one block to support it, it wouldn't cave in.

Hmm, that gives me an idea... :D

RandoM51

01-28-2009, 11:26 AM

You can also disable cave-ins in the config file.

Khrymsyn

01-28-2009, 02:36 PM

You can also disable cave-ins in the config file.

Bah with those cheating shenanigans!

RandoM51

01-28-2009, 03:44 PM

Bah with those cheating shenanigans!

If the cave-in code made any sense at all I would leave them enabled. I suppose if that is cheating I cheat in a lot of ways. :)

[ECONOMY:NO]
[CAVEINS:NO]
[ARTIFACTS:NO]
[ZERO_RENT:YES]

[POPULATION_CAP:80]
[BABY_CHILD_CAP:7:100]

Panthera

01-28-2009, 04:38 PM

With the cave-ins so lax in this version, why would you disable them? Turning off artifacts and the economy is pretty much cheating, too. ;)

MagGnome

01-28-2009, 05:47 PM

I'm not even far enough along to touch any of that stuff. This rabbit hole goes very deep, no pun intended.

MagGnome

01-28-2009, 08:15 PM

There is a dark gnome roaming around outside my fortress, messing stuff up and harassing anyone who ventures outside. Any tips on how to kill it or scare it off?

Edit - Nevermind one, there's at least 5!

Edit 2 - One of them entered my fortress, and I killed him! :D

Arphahat

01-28-2009, 09:19 PM

This isn't working for me. It just ignores the files no matter what I do.

I have run into this problem when I tried to use an older version of Dwarf Fortress to run a save created with a newer version. Did you grab the latest version? Do you have multiple versions on your computer? Are you sure you are running the right one?

None of this is meant to insult you, these are just the easiest steps to start with.

I've been working on one of my little story-type posts. I hope to post it tonight. :)

SilentScreams

01-28-2009, 09:32 PM

Those dark gnomes are irritating. I've caught 3 in cages though, and two more have been squished by stonefall traps.
What is the best way to get them out of the cage and into my magma channel? :evilgrin:
Normally I'd just dump the cages in, but I'm having very little luck finding decent metal and I need the cages to reload the traps.

MagGnome

01-28-2009, 10:20 PM

I killed one, and I'm probably going to kill more soon. They are obnoxious, and there are a lot of them! I wish I could keep them from just waltzing through the door.

MagGnome

01-28-2009, 11:03 PM

biosc1

01-28-2009, 11:44 PM

Ha...yah, I did that with the traders the first time I played as well. I was like...okay that was easy, but where are my goods?

The dwarf fortress wiki is your friend ;)

ShivaX

01-28-2009, 11:56 PM

Well I got it to work, basically required just dumping the whole program and starting over for some reason.

SilentScreams

01-29-2009, 08:08 AM

I just really screwed up.

The traders came, and I quickly built a depot. Everything was going smoothly, but insteading of hitting "t" on the trade screen I hit "o" and just gave them my goods for free. Damnit.

I'm thinking about restarting, using what I've learned to build a better fortress. One where I don't have several downward staircases that lead to nowhere. ;)

The whole "I can do better next time" thing is what keeps me playing DF.

Anyway, here is what I have now:
http://i40.tinypic.com/24dk2ud.jpg

Fort entrance.
My mass bedroom has now been turned into a barracks with the weapon and armor stockpiles to the side.
The dining room/meeting hall is partly furnished. It needs another row of tables and chairs though. I'm probably going to put a platinum statue in there too to raise the rooms value.

http://i41.tinypic.com/29nv2j9.jpg

My stock rooms complete with magma chute for disposing of excess stone, and there's my farm in the top left. I pretty much just squeezed it in where I could.

http://i42.tinypic.com/29m81ad.jpg

And finally my collection of magma powered buildings. All I need now is some decent metal. I have a crapload of Nickel, a bit of Lead and about 5 bars of Platinum, but nothing to make armor and weapons out of yet.

Edit: Also, has anyone found any sand on this map? And if so, where? I have a boatload of rock crystals, and if I could find some sand I could start pumping out some crystal glass.

Panthera

01-29-2009, 10:09 AM

Very nice! Looks like you've got a very similar efficient building style to my own.

destoo

01-29-2009, 11:55 AM

There is a dark gnome roaming around outside my fortress, messing stuff up and harassing anyone who ventures outside. Any tips on how to kill it or scare it off?

Definitely a fun part, figuring out how to command squads.
Activate one guy, press x, move your cursor where the gnomes are and put two or three patrol points (p)

A fire guy invaded my fortress before I found out how to block them.. He killed my noble, but right after my lumberjack hit and chopped its head off. That was really satisfying.

And of course, once my lava channel was ready to be filled, I figured the dwarf digging it would have been quick enough..

Two deaths, first year not done yet.

biosc1

01-29-2009, 12:28 PM

And of course, once my lava channel was ready to be filled, I figured the dwarf digging it would have been quick enough..

Been there, done that...I didn't take into account the pressure...

MagGnome

01-29-2009, 07:24 PM

I'm venturing back in shortly. Debating on whether to continue with this game or restart and use what I've learned to build a better fortress.

Arphahat

01-29-2009, 08:07 PM

I'm venturing back in shortly. Debating on whether to continue with this game or restart and use what I've learned to build a better fortress.

Most of the time, you can repurpose you existing fortress. Keep playing for a bit, reusing as much as you can and digging into new layers.

MagGnome

01-29-2009, 08:38 PM

Most of the time, you can repurpose you existing fortress. Keep playing for a bit, reusing as much as you can and digging into new layers.

I don't have a whole lot of time to play tonight, so I'm going to continue on with my current fortress for now.

MagGnome

01-29-2009, 10:16 PM

Here's an updated look at the main part of my fortress, taken just a moment ago:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v58/JacobD/Fortress2.jpg

I have a 5x5 farm a couple of levels down, otherwise that's pretty much the whole thing right there. I just finished building some huge stockpile rooms for furniture and wood.

SilentScreams

01-30-2009, 09:34 AM

Here's my "appartments", which are currently undergoing a smoothing process.
As you can see, I've gone very minimalistic.
Still; they like it more than a big collective bedroom.

http://i40.tinypic.com/2mnjf2r.jpg

I'll post another pic when all the beds and doors are in and it's all been smoothed down.

RandoM51

01-30-2009, 10:05 AM

With the cave-ins so lax in this version, why would you disable them? Turning off artifacts and the economy is pretty much cheating, too. ;)

The code for all three is broken in some critical way that makes them detract from the overall experience, not add to them.

If it was cheating they wouldn't be options in the config file. :)

For those working on housing, if you put a coffer and a cabinet in each dwarf apartment it will:

1. Upgrade the quality of the apartment
2. Make the dwarf occupant happier
3. Prevent the dwarves from leaving their personal possessions lying all over the fortress.

Since these can be made out of stone and there is plenty of that to go around it isn't much work to do and you can still limit your apartments to three tiles(bed/cabinet/coffer)if you want.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 10:25 AM

Libuke

01-30-2009, 11:03 AM

What does smoothing accomplish? I've seen it in the options, and I've thought about smoothing down my whole place to give my idle dwarves something to do.

I actually have a number of dwarves right now that sit around idle. I know that isn't good.

Smoothing allows you to then engrave the walls, both which makes dwarfs happier and makes the rooms and therefor your fortress worth more.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 11:14 AM

Smoothing allows you to then engrave the walls, both which makes dwarfs happier and makes the rooms and therefor your fortress worth more.

Thanks for explaining. I haven't spent any time at all making my fortress valuable, and I've barely paid attention to the happiness of my dwarves. I even made them go down to the river to drink water for an entire season.

Libuke

01-30-2009, 11:19 AM

Thanks for explaining. I haven't spent any time at all making my fortress valuable, and I've barely paid attention to the happiness of my dwarves. I even made them go down to the river to drink water for an entire season.

The main reason to make it worth more is to attract more dwarfs, of course it also attracts trouble, but that is what makes it fun.

destoo

01-30-2009, 11:25 AM

Don't worry about value until your nobles request it.
(hit n to check your nobles, and if they require anything)

Oh my.. First artifact..
This is a Olivine hatch cover. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It is encrusted with Olivine. On the item is an image of rats in Olivine. On the item is an image of rats in Olivine.

Yes.. not one but TWO images of rats on this wonderful hatch cover.
Best.. artifact.. ever.. (...) in this fortress.. (...) so far.. ;)

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 11:36 AM

destoo

01-30-2009, 12:02 PM

Libuke

01-30-2009, 12:19 PM

That sounds lovely destoo. Do you get artifacts by chance, or is there a specific shop that makes them?

I don't have any nobles at the moment, but I do have several peasants that I need to put to work. I sent a few of them down to the river to fish. I figured they could deal with the dark gnomes more easily in groups. :)

It is fairly random and any guy can make an artifact. There are also different levels of crazy some times they come out legendary in whatever craft it took to make the item, in some they don't and in one it requires dwarf bones to make so you will lose a dwarf to make an artifact if you let the guy who went crazy make it.

They also often require rare items like glass, then other times it will just take simple rock so you have to look at the thoughts of the dwarf who is making the item if he just sitting there in the workspace they take over. Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out but you can check the wiki if you cannot and don't want to figure it out yourself though I find fun in trying to figure it out myself for things like that. I am sure you can check the wiki for more information on strange moods if you want.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 01:11 PM

According to the wiki (yeah, I check it a lot), any dwarf might snap and decide to build an artifact as soon as some conditions are met. (pop:20+, 1 artifact per 200 items created, ...). They go in a trance, don't eat sleep or drink until it's complete.

If you hit 'n', it should tell you who the group expedition leader, bookkeeper, manager and brokers are. It's usually the same guy.

I've been reading a lot of the Wiki as well.

I guess I do have one guy who is in "charge" of everything. He's also my carpenter.

It is fairly random and any guy can make an artifact. There are also different levels of crazy some times they come out legendary in whatever craft it took to make the item, in some they don't and in one it requires dwarf bones to make so you will lose a dwarf to make an artifact if you let the guy who went crazy make it.

They also often require rare items like glass, then other times it will just take simple rock so you have to look at the thoughts of the dwarf who is making the item if he just sitting there in the workspace they take over. Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out but you can check the wiki if you cannot and don't want to figure it out yourself though I find fun in trying to figure it out myself for things like that. I am sure you can check the wiki for more information on strange moods if you want.

Thanks for all of the info! Are these "strange moods" usually a result of boredom? I'll have to read more about them in the wiki.

I have several dwarves who don't do much besides haul around goods, and I'm afraid that some of them might snap. I need to step up my expansion and keep them all busy, but I need more tools as well.

biosc1

01-30-2009, 01:18 PM

Thanks for all of the info! Are these "strange moods" usually a result of boredom? I'll have to read more about them in the wiki.

I think it can be the result of many things, they get upset if they have nothing to do (lack of work) or whatnot. Sometimes it's as simple as not having a workshop. A clothier with out a clothier workshop tends to get upset...doesn't explain why he suddenly takes over a craftdwarf's workshop though ;)

Okay, after a long wait, here's my map so far:

http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-4511-cog-worldoforacles

I messed up the front entrance in my first attempt at ramps, so it's a little messy. Right now I'm starting to equip my army with iron armour and weapons. Both my armoursmith and weaponsmith are now legendary after making a crap-ton of copper items. Partial strip mining is going on in search of metal veins. I'll redo the upper levels eventually to search for more gems.

I have a solid farming area producing more than I can use. So, I'm hoping to get some cave wheat seeds to change over to milling flour for my meals.

Also attempting to harvest some Tower Cap trees, by providing large areas for them to grow, like in the upper left area of the map where it's all clay. Going to take care of the water pit, soon, once I get my army in better equipment.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 03:01 PM

biosc1

01-30-2009, 03:06 PM

I need to figure out how to build a well and make weapons and cheese. I wouldn't bother with the cheese, but I had a cheese maker arrive and he has nothing to do. I don't want him going on a rampage. ;)

Just reassign him. That's what I do with people like soap makers and cheese makers. I either give them a pick and make them miners, or I make them military.

A well is very important to learn how to make. They are pretty easy, especially on this map where you don't have to worry too much about elevation. I just ran a line from the river and made a little reservoir that a dug a hole into from above...then all you need is a block of stone, a bucket and a chain/rope.

I always try and make sure to embark with a rope so that I can build a well right away. Though, I've only been burned once in a game where the water froze.

SilentScreams

01-30-2009, 03:28 PM

I haven't actually made a well yet. I should probably look into that.
I tend to get distracted then forget simple stuff like that.

One thing I'm unsure over by the way...I've discovered the underground pit/chasm or whatever it is. Reading the Wiki, that should mean I am now able to make a Tower Cap farm, correct?
Does the farm have to be around or near the chasm?

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 03:34 PM

Just reassign him. That's what I do with people like soap makers and cheese makers. I either give them a pick and make them miners, or I make them military.

A well is very important to learn how to make. They are pretty easy, especially on this map where you don't have to worry too much about elevation. I just ran a line from the river and made a little reservoir that a dug a hole into from above...then all you need is a block of stone, a bucket and a chain/rope.

I always try and make sure to embark with a rope so that I can build a well right away. Though, I've only been burned once in a game where the water froze.

I could reassign him, but I don't have any extra weapons or picks. Tools are in short supply in my fortress.

How do you dig a line into a river without the miner drowning? Wouldn't the water rush in as soon as you broke through?

I do have a bucket, but no rope or stone block. I'm assuming the block is easy to make. I tried to trade for a rope, but like I said earlier I accidentally gifted my trade goods.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 04:15 PM

Now I have another question. I built a bowyer's shop, and I have a bowyer that joined my fortress.

For some reason though he won't make bows. He keeps cancelling the jobs because bones and wood are "not available", yet I have both. What's the deal?

Edit - He appears to be stuck in the bowyer workshop. He is complaining of thirst, but he won't go drink! He's still refusing to make bow's, because there are no materials there, even though they are available. It's either a bug or something is wrong with him.

Edit 2 - He was apparently trapped in the workshop because part of the shop was blocking the door. That was really annoying, to say the least.

ShivaX

01-30-2009, 04:41 PM

Keep in mind even without weapons you can train military units to be wrestlers. If you later get more weapons you can swap their specialty, plus wrestling helps with dodging attacks if I remember right.

As far as making a well, if you do it near the surface you can just wait till you're one square from the water source and then channel it out from above. Or you can put up a floodgate or the like and try to control it all, though you shouldn't need to for a well.

The safest way is to just dig a double wide tunnel. One half is a channel that the water flows down, the other side is basically a path that the channeller works from. No chance of accidental drownings or anything else (well beyond the normal dwarven incidents of well diving). Which reminds me, make a staircase out of the resevoir just in case. Dwarves have a habit of falling down wells and if theres no way out, you might lose some of em down there.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 05:29 PM

biosc1

01-30-2009, 06:07 PM

Thanks!

Now I have another problem - my farmers are not planting. I have tons of seeds, but the planting option (I chose plump helmets) in the plot screen is red. Any idea what that means? They were planting and maintaining the fields until just recently.

Edit - Is this because it's winter? The plot is 2 levels below ground.

Could be over-farmed? Not sure if that has an effect on the game. I usually don't plant all year round because I get too many plants coming in to deal with.

As for the well, as it was mentioned, dig a channel to let the water in. So, dig in reverse from your well to the river, then send a guy outside to dig a channel.

It's usually a good idea to use a floodgate (or door in this version) attached to a lever (or pressure plate) to save yourself from any accidental flooding due to pressure issues...nothing sucks more than letting an unlimited supply of water into your fortress...

As for my digging, I think I have about 10-15 miners. The moment I opened up my magma forges and bought an anvil, I cracked out a whole bunch of copper picks and gave them to every person who was being unproductive. The better they get, the faster they go :)

SilentScreams

01-30-2009, 06:25 PM

Maybe the farm needs re-watering if it's on stone?
I'm not sure if it actually dries out, as I very rarely farm on stone.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 06:57 PM

Could be over-farmed? Not sure if that has an effect on the game. I usually don't plant all year round because I get too many plants coming in to deal with.

As for the well, as it was mentioned, dig a channel to let the water in. So, dig in reverse from your well to the river, then send a guy outside to dig a channel.

It's usually a good idea to use a floodgate (or door in this version) attached to a lever (or pressure plate) to save yourself from any accidental flooding due to pressure issues...nothing sucks more than letting an unlimited supply of water into your fortress...

As for my digging, I think I have about 10-15 miners. The moment I opened up my magma forges and bought an anvil, I cracked out a whole bunch of copper picks and gave them to every person who was being unproductive. The better they get, the faster they go :)

I don't see any mention of farms being over-extended in the wiki, but maybe that's the problem.

I'm not understanding your guys' directions on building a well. That's probably because I haven't attempted it yet, so I have no idea how things like channels, floodgates, levers, etc. work in the game. I'll give it a go as soon as I have a rope and report back on my success.

I need to set up some forges, but I don't know how. I'll check with the wiki and see if that helps. I'd like to make weapons and tools, especially axes and picks.

Maybe the farm needs re-watering if it's on stone?
I'm not sure if it actually dries out, as I very rarely farm on stone.

The farm is on soil.

Edit - From the game's help file: "If a crop is red, then it is known that now is not a good time of the season to plant it". Now we know.

biosc1

01-30-2009, 07:25 PM

So, what I did was dig a stairway down, one tile away from the river, then I dug a straight line to where I wanted the well. I then made a small room under there, about 3x3 to act as a cistern (just in case the river was going to freeze, I wanted to have a supply). Then dig a one tile channel one story above it to create a hole for your future well.

Once that was done, I put a door in the hallway I had just dug, attached it to a lever, to prevent flooding and to allow for retrieval of drunk army personal who have a penchant for falling into wells. (hence, if you look at my map I linked above, you'll see I have a sort of "drain" installed to fish out dead bodies).

Once I had a levered door in place, I dug a one tile channel as seen below by the number 7 depth water. This filled the hallway with water. Then I opened the door by pulling the lever and tested to make sure it didn't flood my well area (meeting hall).

level 1-> level 2
http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/2282/clipboard27qr9.jpg http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4800/clipboard28cu6.jpg

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 08:02 PM

SilentScreams

01-30-2009, 08:05 PM

That totally makes sense now, thanks!

Things are humming along, and I've just encountered my first kobold thieves. I wish I could order my units to attack them directly, as I really can't spare any dwaves for guards until I have more weapons and other equipment. I think I'm going to build a couple of cages by my entrance and put some of my dogs in there.

You'll have to put your dogs on chains which you've set up as furniture. They can't do anything when they're in a cage.
As for Kobold thieves, just turn the nearest civilian into a military unit. I've yet to see a Dwarf that can't wrestle a Kobold thief to death.

RandoM51

01-30-2009, 08:18 PM

Keep in mind even without weapons you can train military units to be wrestlers. If you later get more weapons you can swap their specialty, plus wrestling helps with dodging attacks if I remember right.

Do not train this way. Wrestling is the most likely sparring to cause spinal injury/nerve damage, which if it happens it does not heal and your warrior will not spar anymore.

Training other weapon skills will also slowly level wrestling.

The safest way to do it is make a legendary armorsmith first, then put your soldiers in steel/admantite full plate+shield, and then give them very crappy swords(silver, copper, or wood). Have them train with swords first which will get their shield, armor, and wrestling up before training in more dangerous weapons like axes(lops off limbs) or spears(punctures organs).

Last few fortresses I've just made swordsdwarves and marksdwarves, both easy and safe to train while still perfectly capable of killing the enemy, particularly if you have adamantite handy.

RandoM51

01-30-2009, 08:21 PM

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 08:24 PM

Are you sure the seeds are plump helmet spawns? You could have tons of other types of seeds. Brewing/eating a plump helmet will give you seeds, but if you cook them you don't get seeds---always brew them then cook the dwarven wine if all you have are plump helmets.

I've never, ever worn out a farm plot, don't think it can happen.

They are almost all plump helmet seeds. I have dozens and dozens of them.

The farm plot wasn't worn out, it was just too late in the season to replant, according to the help guide. Spring arrived and they are planting once again.

I'll be sure to free my dogs from their cages. :o

SilentScreams

01-30-2009, 08:25 PM

God damn rhesus macaques. They keep on interrupting my woodcutters.
I've caught a few in cages though, so at least my butcher will be busy. Bush meat anyone?

Still haven't found any decent metal. I have some copper though, so I can at least make some armor for my guys, crappy as it may be.

RandoM51

01-30-2009, 08:31 PM

Here is my map, year 254. If you don't want any of the major sites spoiled do not look at it. :)

http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-4513-tubesshoot

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 08:52 PM

I just had 19 new dwarves show up at my door. Things are a bit crowded!

They brought along a child (making 20 new arrivals), a calf, a few dogs (I already had several), and another horse.

I'm definitely going to have to speed up my building process, and start carving out apartments, as well as that well. I also need to increase my food and wine production.

They also brought a cat, so I can finally be rid of this vermin.

Edit - They also brought some hedgehog remains, for some reason.

biosc1

01-30-2009, 09:08 PM

They brought along a child (making 20 new arrivals), a calf, a few dogs (I already had several), and another horse.

If you have a butcher, it's easy to go into the stock (z) animals sections and select all animals that show as "available" and click 'b' to have them set to be slaughtered :)

Easy way to keep population of animals down and get some meat and bones.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 09:14 PM

If you have a butcher, it's easy to go into the stock (z) animals sections and select all animals that show as "available" and click 'b' to have them set to be slaughtered :)

Easy way to keep population of animals down and get some meat and bones.

I might be doing a bit of that soon, but not quite yet.

I'm working on a major expansion, but people keep partying and getting married, which is slowing the work done! I need to crack the whip. :p

My weaponsmith was just possessed. I don't even have a weapons shop for him, so I fear he will go crazy. I'm going to try to build one soon.

Matthias

01-30-2009, 09:28 PM

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 09:33 PM

just out of curiosity, is there a way to use the tileset with the mac version of DF? I've been booting into W7 every time I want to play which is a major bother.

Also, what should I look for on this map for metalsmiting and hunting/butchering? I've only been at this for a day now, and the wiki is even a tad overwhelming

I'm working on setting up my metalsmithing operations right now. I built a magma forge one level above the magma pool, using a channel to let the heat rise into the forge. Once I have some metal bars set up I'm going to build a metalsmithing shop to churn out swords and other goods.

I thought about playing this in OSX, but I just decided to install it in Windows along with the rest of my games.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 09:52 PM

Matthias

01-30-2009, 09:57 PM

I thought about playing this in OSX, but I just decided to install it in Windows along with the rest of my games.

yeah that's basically what I decided, but DF is really the only game I have right now, so it's kinda a bother to repeatedly reboot to get work done, then to play for a while, then to work some more... and I don't have access to parallels atm, so no dice.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 10:06 PM

yeah that's basically what I decided, but DF is really the only game I have right now, so it's kinda a bother to repeatedly reboot to get work done, then to play for a while, then to work some more... and I don't have access to parallels atm, so no dice.

I've just been booting into Windows lately. Hopefully I'll have a Windows only machine soon so I don't have to go back and forth. Then I can use the Windows machine for gaming and the Mac for everything else.

Keep us up to date on your fortress, and be sure to post pictures! :)

biosc1

01-30-2009, 10:56 PM

I just built a magma smelter, only to discover that I built it over an open space and not the actual magma, which is two levels below. How can I set this thing up? I obviously can't build a channel in the open space.

Do it exactly the same as shown in the well example above. Choose a location away from the magma pit that you want to put your forges. Then go down one level and dig all the way to one square away from the magma pit. Then go up one level to the top of the magma pit (easiest) and channel that one square.

Some tips...put a fortification in the channel that you dig out. This will let the magma through, but no baddies. Another thing that I did was drop a ton of water to seal the top of the magma pit (and make a bunch of obsidian which you can then carve into stone swords that are wicked deadly ;) )

Go look at one of our maps that we've posted and see how we channel the magma away.

Alternatively, you can seal the top of the magma pit, dig down on layer and then punch a hole into the pipe.

MagGnome

01-30-2009, 11:32 PM

I will do that, thanks!

Edit - My weaponsmith just went beserk! I'm going to have to put him down, just as I was about ready to build him a workshop. :(

Edit 2 - I successfully channeled the magma, thanks a lot biosc1! I've also been overrun by those cursed macaques.

Edit 3 - I set up a patrol, and the macaques are now dead, their corpses litter the mountainside. I'm off to bed, although I'm loathe to leave.

biosc1

01-31-2009, 01:03 AM

I will do that, thanks!

Edit - My weaponsmith just went beserk! I'm going to have to put him down, just as I was about ready to build him a workshop. :(

Currently, I'm about to witness the loss of my legendary armoursmith. I spent a very long time getting him up to speed. Now he's stationed himself in a workshop and he has everything he needs except shells...I used to be over-run in shells...they were coming out of my wazoo. Now, I can't find a single shell!

So...time to start getting another dwarf up to speed :) Time for some one else to step up. For now, I'll just station a few military guys near him, just in case he gets violent ;)

RandoM51

01-31-2009, 01:10 AM

That is why I turn off artifacts in the config file. If it was just a matter of gathering resources that were in the environment, fine, but when you get one who wants stuff you have no way of getting you automatically lose that dwarf.

Mandates are almost as bad. Mayor wants me to make trifle pewter items. I don't have trifle pewter. I don't even have the tin ore I'd need to make trifle pewter. I've probably mined between 50%-75% of the map too. Maybe there is some tin ore, maybe not. Only shot is pray that a) I get a trade caravan before the timer expires and b) that they just happen to have lugged some trifle pewter along with them.

I've started letting some of the migrants in, am up to about 50-60 population. If you happen to decide to only let part of an immigration wave in make sure you don't split up any marriages or families. One guy went homicidal when I left his wife outside, another one went when I left his pet cat outside. Poor guy lost his kitty and he goes apeshit and starts killing random dwarves? :)

biosc1

01-31-2009, 10:54 AM

, another one went when I left his pet cat outside. Poor guy lost his kitty and he goes apeshit and starts killing random dwarves? :)

Are you sure you didn't rename him Fitbabits?

RandoM51

01-31-2009, 11:37 AM

Are you sure you didn't rename him Fitbabits?

no spiders on this map.

Arphahat

01-31-2009, 11:43 AM

So, funny I get this thing started and then don't participate. I hadn't played in a long while, so my start felt weird and it is hard to refocus. I started another map to get my groove back. Then, I think I will either try to pickup where I left off, but I think I'd really prefer just to start over.

MagGnome

01-31-2009, 11:47 AM

How do you keep migrants from coming in? Just lock the doors?

biosc1

01-31-2009, 02:23 PM

How do you keep migrants from coming in? Just lock the doors?

Pretty much...then just look at the screenshot Random posted above and you'll see the results ;)

SilentScreams

01-31-2009, 02:32 PM

MagGnome

01-31-2009, 02:35 PM

Things are really humming along again. I just traded with the caravan, giving them my huge collection of stone mugs in exchange for a ton of wood, seeds, and other goods. One of my dwarfs is possessed, but he's actually building something instead of going on a rampage.

I'm also finally building bedrooms. I noticed that most of my dwarfs are sleeping on the floor, which is obviously unacceptable.

Finally, I have completed everything I need to build a well, at long last.

destoo

02-01-2009, 08:17 AM

This game needs zombies. And priests, clerics and paladins, of course.

destoo

02-01-2009, 08:18 AM

I haven't seen anything yet in this particular game that could butcher a whole group of migrants. Not unless the Dark Gnomes allied with the Rhesus Macaques to create mounted Dark Gnomes...and even then they would still stuck.

I think it was fear that killed them. Or hunger. One of them went hungry, agoraphobic, then killed them all and killed himself.

biosc1

02-01-2009, 10:31 AM

This game needs zombies. And priests, clerics and paladins, of course.

Zombies are easy...just play in a "haunted" area. You'll get plenty of zombie marmots to zombie dragons :)

MagGnome

02-01-2009, 02:20 PM

I want to see a zombie dragon!

Then again maybe not.

RandoM51

02-01-2009, 09:55 PM

Dragons are nasty. Once you get your fort up to a certain population level/economic status the game will throw a megabeast at you now and then. Almost all of them will fall prey to a cage trap though.

I tamed a dragon and then tried to use it to guard the drawbridge to my underground depot once, thing is the dragon doesn't care if something is between it and the enemy, it will fire its breath weapon anyways. After it had toasted a couple dwarven wagons just because a kobold thief appeared behind them I decided dragons weren't practical in terms of defense. :)

biosc1

02-02-2009, 12:34 AM

Ha...almost sounds like an ACME ad.

Defense Dragon. Warning, may cause collateral damage, but will get the job done ;)

Panthera

02-02-2009, 10:43 AM

skwish

02-02-2009, 12:46 PM

i just lost a bunch of dwarves to a random goblin raid and now since they were all popular bastards half of my fortress is now throwing a huge hissy fit tantrum.....

Oh and i am playing on the mac version which seems to be running ok... the only real bug is that when creating custom stock piles you cant actually use the custom stockpile option... i have needed to place one of the closest generic stock piles and then go in and edit its settings with the q menu. doesnt cost me anything really just one extra button push but it took me the damned longest time to figure out why the hell my dwarfs were looking at my stock pile, then looking at me, then looking at the pile of stuff i wanted in the stock pile and just saying fuck that!!!!

biosc1

02-02-2009, 02:09 PM

Oh and i am playing on the mac version which seems to be running ok... the only real bug is that when creating custom stock piles you cant actually use the custom stockpile option... i have needed to place one of the closest generic stock piles and then go in and edit its settings with the q menu. doesnt cost me anything really just one extra button push but it took me the damned longest time to figure out why the hell my dwarfs were looking at my stock pile, then looking at me, then looking at the pile of stuff i wanted in the stock pile and just saying fuck that!!!!

I don't think that's just a mac issue. I've run into that issue as well.

RandoM51

02-02-2009, 02:31 PM

That is just how stockpiles work. You have to place it then customize it.

I decided I wanted a bigger tree farm so I cleared almost 75% of a level of stone and am now slowly flooding it. Hopefully it will still grow towercaps even though I've drained off almost all of the underground pool.

biosc1

02-02-2009, 06:31 PM

Yes.

Finally found the adamantine today. Also finally lost my legendary armoursmith. I knew he was going to go, so I stationed a squad near him and they took care of him in seconds. Then started training another armoursmith, but he's bloody lazy...always "on break", so now I'm training yet another armoursmith in tandem and I'll wait and see who actually works harder for this priviledge :)

SilentScreams

02-02-2009, 06:34 PM

My Dwarves are the biggest party animals ever, especially one of my legendary miners. He's forever throwing parties. I'm tempted to get rid of the meeting hall altogether.

MagGnome

02-02-2009, 06:50 PM

I really need to get a tower cap farm up and running. Wood is all too scarce, and I'm pretty much out.

My Dwarves are the biggest party animals ever, especially one of my legendary miners. He's forever throwing parties. I'm tempted to get rid of the meeting hall altogether.

I was having a problem with this as well for a while. Too many parties and weddings - get back to work!

skwish

02-02-2009, 07:19 PM

my mayor and i are currently in an epic battle of patience and stubborness...

He keeps throwing out really stupid mandates.... so i keep ignoring hes demands for quarters, office space, and sparkly shit. we will have to see who wins this battle.... or mabye ill give him his room and rig it so i can kill him any time i want with just a simple seal door order and a pull of a magical lever in the middle of my party hall :D

MagGnome

02-02-2009, 07:56 PM

May the best man win skwish!

By best I mean the one calling the shots, of course. ;)

biosc1

02-02-2009, 10:48 PM

I really need to get a tower cap farm up and running. Wood is all too scarce, and I'm pretty much out.

I wouldn't really depend on it. This is my first time playing with tower cap's and, so far, I've only harvested 2 trees over the last year or so. Though, I may be doing something wrong.

What I mainly do is demand trees from the traders. Dwarven and human traders can bring a crap-ton of logs in their wagons.

MagGnome

02-03-2009, 06:42 AM

I wouldn't really depend on it. This is my first time playing with tower cap's and, so far, I've only harvested 2 trees over the last year or so. Though, I may be doing something wrong.

What I mainly do is demand trees from the traders. Dwarven and human traders can bring a crap-ton of logs in their wagons.

The last caravan that visited me brought a lot of wood, and I bought every single log. It was nearly gone soon after though, because I needed to build a lot more beds.

Savok

02-03-2009, 06:43 AM

I suppose Ill take another stab at DF, I only wish I still had the mind I had a decade to get a grip on it all.

RandoM51

02-03-2009, 07:20 AM

I wouldn't really depend on it. This is my first time playing with tower cap's and, so far, I've only harvested 2 trees over the last year or so. Though, I may be doing something wrong.

What I mainly do is demand trees from the traders. Dwarven and human traders can bring a crap-ton of logs in their wagons.

A. Clear a very large area.
B. Towercaps are seasonal. Once you've got the farm established there will be a few every season and then suddenly one season they will be everywhere.

I'll take a screenshot to demonstrate.

Hellbug

02-03-2009, 08:11 AM

I started a new fortress a few minutes ago and already nearly lost a dwarf while digging a staircase downwards to the magma pool. Very nice map.

RandoM51

02-03-2009, 09:56 AM

I decided to make a very, very large towercap farm. :) In the process of flooding it now. I didn't need any extra towercap production but it was a good project to keep the dwarves busy.

I've got four hatchcovers leading to the bottomless pit in the SE corner of the map. Once I've flooded the entire area I'll close the floodgate to the river and open those 4 hatchcovers. Probably be 2-4 more years before I see any returns on the project.

I should have put floodgates on both sides of the base, would have flooded quite a bit quicker.

http://i43.tinypic.com/28bwso1.jpg

skwish

02-03-2009, 10:09 AM

well that is quite the engineering project random im impressed

oh and my epic battle of wills had a winner last night. one of my tantruming dwarves due to my uber popular dudes getting killed. kicked my mayors cat against a wall and killed him. thus my mayor went batshit insane and went bungie jumping into my chasm (not playing on the same map as you guys) problem was he had no bungie... so i guess i win???

biosc1

02-03-2009, 10:16 AM

I love the tantrums in this game. Nothing better than watching your dwarves spiral out of control while you try and lock people down, crank up the military presence. One of my best experiences was seeing a thriving town of 60 dwarves dwindle to 10 down to 4...then trying to survive with the 4 hardest mofos that city had ever seen.

MagGnome

02-03-2009, 05:55 PM

I haven't played this in several days now. I really need to get back into it.

I miss my dwarves!

skwish

02-03-2009, 07:07 PM

why are elves such bastards???

They give me shit for cutting down trees... then they go and trade with me with NOTHING but WOOD items..... grrr i want them to die

RandoM51

02-03-2009, 07:09 PM

Elves don't care if you cut down trees, they do care if you try to trade them wooden items, or things in wooden containers.

biosc1

02-03-2009, 07:17 PM

I think they do care if you cut down a lot of trees. I played one map where I actually didn't trade anything but bone crafts with them (not including the wooden bin) and they eventually came to me one year with a demand that I can only cut down 100 or so trees a year...so I agreed, for that year, then I built up my army and destroyed their caravan the next year ;)

ShivaX

02-03-2009, 07:20 PM

Yeah they don't like you cutting down trees.

One map I was at war with them because I clear cut tons of trees to power my forges. Damn dirty elves never bring much of worth anyway.

MagGnome

02-03-2009, 07:44 PM

I wish I could clear cut a ton of trees. This map seems woefully lacking in them.

destoo

02-03-2009, 08:24 PM

Superdwarvenly Tough Legendary Record Keeper.
Damn this game rocks.

SilentScreams

02-04-2009, 07:22 AM

I like the Elves simply because they usually bring some interesting creatures to put in my arena or chain up in my entrance.
I've pissed them off in this game though, because I carelessly left some wine biscuits I was trading with them in a barrel.

RandoM51

02-04-2009, 09:58 AM

I wish I could clear cut a ton of trees. This map seems woefully lacking in them.

Just make your own towercap farm. I finally finished soaking my last, gigantic farm. Had to eventually build pumps to get water out to the farthest areas from the river but it is done now. More trees and wood than I can shake a stick at now.

RandoM51

02-04-2009, 01:05 PM

The beginning:

A self contained base with barracks, dining room, weapons, ammo, food, and drink.

6 Legendary Marksdwarves in steel plate with masterpiece steel crossbows and adamantine bolts, stationed behind fortifications good for blocking fireballs.

2 Legendary Swordsdwarves in adamantine plate with adamantine short swords, stationed at the last door between the marksdwarves and the demon pits.

1 Legendary Miner digging a search pattern to find the demon pits. The pattern zig zags to prevent Demons from launching fireballs at max range.

http://i40.tinypic.com/29cqna9.jpg

The Middle:

We've found the demon pit, run away! run away!

http://i43.tinypic.com/2hd32f9.jpg

The End:

...to be continued.

biosc1

02-04-2009, 01:27 PM

How do you know you are getting close to the pit? I have not played long enough to encounter one yet.

Is it random? Or is it always at the bottom of the map?

RandoM51

02-04-2009, 01:37 PM

How do you know you are getting close to the pit? I have not played long enough to encounter one yet.

Is it random? Or is it always at the bottom of the map?

The bottom of the pit is always at the bottom of the map, but you never know where the top of the pit is. Generally I'll do 2-3 levels of adamantite, then stop and prepare for the demon pit.

The top of the demon pit on this map is in the 6th layer of adamantite you hit, so feel free to mine the top five before preparing. After I finish off the demons I'll upload a full map to the archive.

skwish

02-04-2009, 10:32 PM

k this is fucked....

One of my peasants went into a fell mood... and then took over the tanners shop. interestingly enough he probably had never even knew where it was to begin with...

anyway he takes over the tanners and i have my cursor over it waiting to see what he needs.... and then he just murders the closest dwarf just out right clubs him in the face and kills him.... then he turns the freshly killed dwarf into a "dwarf leather" right glove..

Like HOLY crap this guy just turned another dwarf into a freaking glove..... wow...

Libuke

02-04-2009, 10:44 PM

skwish

02-04-2009, 10:49 PM

well i did get a legendary tanner out of it

destoo

02-04-2009, 11:15 PM

I have three turles swimming around.. how do I catch one to get the shells one of my dwarf needs?
I have a cat that killed one.. but I wasn't able to process the "turtle remains" at all.
Hunting fails.. and fishing dwarves just catch fish, with the turtle swimming right next to them.

Arphahat

02-04-2009, 11:23 PM

RandoM51

02-04-2009, 11:57 PM

Fishing will do it. When a bunch of my non-immigrant fishers camped outside the moat they left a bunch of turtle junk laying around.

Oh, and I'm still waiting for the demons to come out of the pit. Usually they come up like a bat out of hell but they're going real slow this time for some reason. It is particularly annoying because cloaked monsters cause a massive performance/framerate hit in DF.

Researching that today I found out that while DF appears to be an ASCII/Curses game it is actually OpenGL. Imagine that. :)

biosc1

02-05-2009, 12:18 AM

Yah, I remember reading that about the OpenGL part...it's actually quite an interesting project that this man has undertaken.

RandoM51

02-05-2009, 06:33 AM

Oh hey, btw, it is Autumn when I get the tree explosion in my towercap farms. Every other season they pop up here and there but when Autumn hits there are lots and lots of them.

MagGnome

02-05-2009, 06:42 AM

well i did get a legendary tanner out of it

You're lucky. My guys always become possessed, so they don't become "legendary" when they are done crafting.

I played for a bit last night, and I'm sort of stuck as to what to do next. I need to build more, but I'm really tempted to start over for some reason. I've been away from the game for a few days, and coming back is difficult.

A goblin snatched the only child in my fortress last night, and I didn't even see him come in! He probably got her while she was playing up on the mountainside.

RandoM51

02-05-2009, 07:58 AM

You're in a haunted land and you let children play up on the mountain by themselves?

biosc1

02-05-2009, 09:56 AM

I played for a bit last night, and I'm sort of stuck as to what to do next. I need to build more, but I'm really tempted to start over for some reason. I've been away from the game for a few days, and coming back is difficult.

Well, technically, there is no "end" to the game, except mass extinction.

I only really played one game for many weeks...where I was building a mass mountain side castle (on a 6x6 map) and I was working on pumping water up the slope to maintain the moat parameter...and I had courtyards, etc...

That's how you make fun in this game, you start some insane project. Some try massive glass towers, or underwater forts, etc...

MagGnome

02-05-2009, 05:46 PM

You're in a haunted land and you let children play up on the mountain by themselves?

I wasn't aware that the map was haunted, or that I could keep the child from going outside. Should I have put her in a cage? :p

Well, technically, there is no "end" to the game, except mass extinction.

I only really played one game for many weeks...where I was building a mass mountain side castle (on a 6x6 map) and I was working on pumping water up the slope to maintain the moat parameter...and I had courtyards, etc...

That's how you make fun in this game, you start some insane project. Some try massive glass towers, or underwater forts, etc...

I know that there is no ending to the game. I've just sort of hit a wall as to what I want to do next, probably because there isn't anything that I "have" to do, and yet there is so much that I "could" do, if that makes sense.

I'm sure I will figure something out. :)

biosc1

02-05-2009, 05:49 PM

I know that there is no ending to the game. I've just sort of hit a wall as to what I want to do next, probably because there isn't anything that I "have" to do, and yet there is so much that I "could" do, if that makes sense.

I'm sure I will figure something out. :)

Just restart the map. It will be easier because you're still "new" to this game. Take what you learned and go forth and execute a perfect opening game. You'll eventually come across another challenge...such as I am, waiting to stumble across demon pits...which I have yet to encounter yet in a game.

Arphahat

02-05-2009, 06:05 PM

Just restart the map. It will be easier because you're still "new" to this game. Take what you learned and go forth and execute a perfect opening game. You'll eventually come across another challenge...such as I am, waiting to stumble across demon pits...which I have yet to encounter yet in a game.

Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about the demon pits. The danger is way overrated. ;)

MagGnome

02-05-2009, 06:17 PM

Just restart the map. It will be easier because you're still "new" to this game. Take what you learned and go forth and execute a perfect opening game. You'll eventually come across another challenge...such as I am, waiting to stumble across demon pits...which I have yet to encounter yet in a game.

I think that is what I am going to do this weekend. I'm ready to start over and use everything I've learned to build a nicer fortress and get up and running quicker.

RandoM51

02-05-2009, 06:29 PM

Only one demon came out in the last 2 days, the rest of them are down there though, I can tell by the stone melting wherever they step and the "hot" tiles that show up when selecting dig tiles.

First one out got destroyed by my marksdwarves, I could only find half of its body.

destoo

02-05-2009, 11:02 PM

hmm... any good tileset optimized for 1024x600?
if not, i'll definitely return this eee laptop... :(

Arphahat

02-05-2009, 11:23 PM

hmm... any good tileset optimized for 1024x600?
if not, i'll definitely return this eee laptop... :(

These (http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/List_of_user_graphics_sets) are a bunch from the wiki, and none are the dimension you requested. You might want to post at the bay12games forums to see if anyone else is in your situation.

I started up the World of Oracles again, picking up where I left off and am confused by the behavior of one of the dwarves, my armorsmith. He went into a fey mood, and after he did, I created a magma forge. However, he will not take ownership of the forge, instead choosing to stand around like a dumbfuck. Any clues as to what is going on?

Libuke

02-05-2009, 11:30 PM

These (http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/List_of_user_graphics_sets) are a bunch from the wiki, and none are the dimension you requested. You might want to post at the bay12games forums to see if anyone else is in your situation.

I started up the World of Oracles again, picking up where I left off and am confused by the behavior of one of the dwarves, my armorsmith. He went into a fey mood, and after he did, I created a magma forge. However, he will not take ownership of the forge, instead choosing to stand around like a dumbfuck. Any clues as to what is going on?

When dwarfs go into fey moods the item they want to make is not necessarily in their area of craft specialization. He probably wants a workshop which you do not have built. e.g. he may want to make a glass item so you need a glassworkshop.

Arphahat

02-05-2009, 11:36 PM

When dwarfs go into fey moods the item they want to make is not necessarily in their area of craft specialization. He probably wants a workshop which you do not have built. e.g. he may want to make a glass item so you need a glassworkshop.

According to the wiki (http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Strange_mood), the highest skill of the dwarf is supposed to determine what shop they grab. Also, I used Dwarf Companion to check that he is triggered as an Armorsmith (and needs two metal bars of any type). I can try building some extra workshops that I don't have, though, since I can always use them later, anyways.

edit: re-reading the relevant portion, it looks like he might insist on a non-magma forge... dagnabit.

Libuke

02-05-2009, 11:43 PM

According to the wiki (http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Strange_mood), the highest skill of the dwarf is supposed to determine what shop they grab. Also, I used Dwarf Companion to check that he is triggered as an Armorsmith (and needs two metal bars of any type). I can try building some extra workshops that I don't have, though, since I can always use them later, anyways.

edit: re-reading the relevant portion, it looks like he might insist on a non-magma forge... dagnabit.

Hmmm maybe I am just used to non craftdwarfs becoming possessed and taking whatever over. I thought they always wanted a magma forge when you hit magama but perhaps that has changed in newer versions.

Arphahat

02-05-2009, 11:47 PM

That is what it was. He wanted a non-magma forge. How fucking retarded. Now I get to see if he needs coke.

SilentScreams

02-06-2009, 07:12 AM

On the bright side, at least you get a legendary armorsmith for your trouble.

Panthera

02-06-2009, 08:51 AM

I think I'll join in on this after I finish upgrading my system. :D

biosc1

02-06-2009, 11:44 AM

hmm... any good tileset optimized for 1024x600?
if not, i'll definitely return this eee laptop... :(

Keep us updated on your EEE adventure.

I'm almost debating getting a little laptop, just to play Dwarf Fortress and Angband, Spelunky, etc... :)

Libuke

02-06-2009, 11:48 AM

Keep us updated on your EEE adventure.

I'm almost debating getting a little laptop, just to play Dwarf Fortress and Angband, Spelunky, etc... :)

Dwarf fortress is actually highly CPU intensive, so when your fortress gets big and crowded a slower machine will experience slowdown in the game. Having said that I don't know how much CPU power the lower end laptops have, it may be fine for the game.

Panthera

02-06-2009, 11:53 AM

Plus there's always microforts! One tile, low population.

biosc1

02-06-2009, 12:36 PM

Yah...the machine I run it on at work (hehe) is not the most powerful machine P4 2.8GHz (jeesh, saying that this isn't powerful makes me remember the good old days of 386's).

Well...looking at a quick single-threaded benchmark (http://laptoping.com/intel-atom-benchmark.html), it appears it'll be almost 2x as slow...but that was just a quick benchmark and I do usually run a bunch of other stuff on my work pc at the same time. So, I think it'll be quite do-able. Well, my girlfriends b-day is coming up, time to buy myself...um...I mean "her" a EEE laptop ;)

destoo

02-06-2009, 01:36 PM

Keep us updated on your EEE adventure.

I'm almost debating getting a little laptop, just to play Dwarf Fortress and Angband, Spelunky, etc... :)

The eee is the PERFECT gift for valentine's, btw.

So far... Nethack, Legerdemain and DF are running.
Legerdemain is a few pixels too tall.. there has to be a way to fix it.

for DF, I readjusted the grid and graphics like this and used the mayday pack (the one listed on this thread)
[GRAPHICS_FULLSCREENX:1024]
[GRAPHICS_FULLSCREENY:600]
[GRAPHICS_FULLFONT:maydayMIX.bmp]
[GRAPHICS_BLACK_SPACE:YES]
[GRID:64:33]
[FULLGRID:64:37]

CPU-wise, I think the Atom's dual 1.7 will definitely do the job. But I'll report again after a few immigrations.
Keyboard takes some time to get used to. the backspaceis easy to reach, at least!

Spelunky.. I forgot about that one.

biosc1

02-06-2009, 02:53 PM

Keyboard takes some time to get used to. the backspaceis easy to reach, at least!

Yah, I use a fancy schmancy keyboard at home that is missing some keys (and a numpad), so I know I'll be remapping like crazy.

RandoM51

02-06-2009, 05:31 PM

DF is a pain in the ass without a real numberpad. When I play on laptop I always plug in a usb keyboard.

MagGnome

02-06-2009, 05:42 PM

I've been tempted to pick up a netbook just so I can lay in bed and surf COG. I never even thought about putting Dwarf Fortress on there. :eek:

Libuke

02-06-2009, 08:22 PM

I've been tempted to pick up a netbook just so I can lay in bed and surf COG. I never even thought about putting Dwarf Fortress on there. :eek:

You would never sleep then!

MagGnome

02-06-2009, 10:08 PM

You would never sleep then!

That implies that I sleep now! :eek:

destoo

02-07-2009, 09:40 AM

There are some nice USB keypads.. I'm considering getting one. A guy at work has a wireless usb one.. I'll try to find where he got it.0

Ok. solid 8fps on the eee, but I'm in a desert, first year, no water (wtf?).. what setting do I need to change to speed things up, and what do you recommend as a stress test?

I also have started looking at usb-type of self contained software, like FramaKey.
(all your software is on an usb key, plug it in, and start the game from there). Anyone tried that for DF?

destoo

02-07-2009, 12:10 PM

First snow fortress!
Winter was harsh.. but I got my first artifact!
Rutile and silver cup, encrusted with Alexandrites and inscribed with Spiders.
You can see my miner there, sitting on a pine seat in front of a pine table in my 2x6 meeting hall, with his pet squirrel pikachu.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_o9pZJuT3zSc/SY3Lrtx2grI/AAAAAAAAAWU/0OT4pLKAg-w/s144/100_2181.JPG
More here (http://picasaweb.google.com/destoo/WinterDwarfFortress?feat=directlink).

imagine Johan.. he must have AMAZING fortresses.

Arphahat

02-07-2009, 01:59 PM

Well, nothing really exciting has been happening, but I still felt inspired to do a little imaginative storytelling. Let's see how this goes.
*************************

The first letter received from Sodel Shorastuvel, Expedition Leader to Kanzefon, the Tiredfountain

1st Timber, 240
Dear Urist,

The construction and planning for a fortress is much more involved than I had thought. It is too true that I would, sitting around the tavern, idly discuss how things should be done differently and why I did not understand how such obvious undertakings were going unnoticed. Now, it has become clear to me that, when one person is responsible for all the happenings of a place, even the seemingly obvious can be missed.

Now, lest you worry, do not be concerned. While items have been missed here and there, we are certainly far from the fabled and unfortunate myth of Earthroads! We are all living in our own rooms within the structure, and the space where our glorious dining hall is to be has been excavated. The front door is trapped, and we have supplied ourselves with a network of channels, levers, floodgates, a waterwheel and a screwpump; a well has been established and a farming area created... but these are only recently established.

Though, partially a lack of urgency on our part, our plans of water movement were unexpectedly altered once we encountered the underground magma pool directly in the way of our channels. We were diverted from our efforts by the new urgency of "capping" the magma pool: pumping water over the magma to harden it into obsidian, containing the fire beasts in the depths.

The progress on the water sytem resumed, needing a new tunnel and extra floodgates. Of course, once everything was in place, once the well was established, we discovered another underground pool, this one of water; the well sat directly above this pool. This water source is convenient, but also another thing to divert my attention: the pool is home to the snakemen and frogmen.

As I was involved in the preparation of the depot for the arrival of the caravans, to begin the negotiations between us and the watery races, I sent Kel Rakustedem, the miner, in my place. Imagine my dismay at learning that Kel's "negotiation" tactics consisted of hacking and tearing a snakeman to pieces using his pick! I asked him what he was thinking and he responded, "Oh, don't worry; I used the other side, not the one for mining the rocks."

While still busy, I knew, obviously, that Kel would not be our diplomat. To talk to the frogmen, I sent Atir Nomalthikut, the woodcutter. We weren't needing much wood at the time, and he seemed disciplined enough: it never occurred to me that his discipline had come from training in the army as an axe dwarf! Perhaps I need to reword my requests more clearly, since Atir's negotiation left an even bloodier mess to be dealt with. I fear that the men of snakes and frogs will forever be at odds with us.

And, lest you worry, he too told me that he used the "other side" of the axe.

destoo

02-07-2009, 08:39 PM

if anyone's interested:
http://pkf.olivepeak.com/dwarfcalc.html
This is a calculator to give you the right settings with the tileset you are using versus the resolution.

Problem is: for this version, min size is 80.. so I'll need to get a tileset that fits in 1024 for 80 tiles... so that's one of the 12x set.

MagGnome

02-08-2009, 11:10 AM

Great letter Arphahat! Very imaginative and clever. :)

Matthias

02-08-2009, 03:13 PM

Okay, I haven't had a chance to start up what with class and homework, but here's a sort of map-specific beginner's question:

Should I dig into the rock south of where the caravan lets out and then eventually dig down through the rock and over to the soil to plant farms (thus only having 1 entry point) or should I build a downwards staircase into the soil, and have another area in the rock, then connect the two? How do I plan around that massive cavern that opens up like on layer below the starting caravan.

biosc1

02-08-2009, 08:44 PM

Dig the rock south...don't worry about the cavern (pit), just work around it and don't open it up. You can ignore it until you get a decent military, then you can send some Marksdwarves in for some target practice ;)

MagGnome

02-09-2009, 06:42 AM

I also dug south into the rock and then eventually dug over to the soil to plant farms.

As for the massive cavern, I had no idea it was there until I dug into it. Oops.

Matthias

02-09-2009, 12:09 PM

I also dug south into the rock and then eventually dug over to the soil to plant farms.

As for the massive cavern, I had no idea it was there until I dug into it. Oops.

yeah i found out about the cavern when I was first planning my central staircase. I dug right into the roof of it. Thankfully my dwarf didn't fall in (i don't know if that's possible).

So eventually I want to channel water into the cavern to cap it into obsidian? or do I need to keep the magma for a forge? This whole thing is crazy...

biosc1

02-09-2009, 01:49 PM

yeah i found out about the cavern when I was first planning my central staircase. I dug right into the roof of it. Thankfully my dwarf didn't fall in (i don't know if that's possible).

So eventually I want to channel water into the cavern to cap it into obsidian? or do I need to keep the magma for a forge? This whole thing is crazy...

Channel some water into the magma pit. This will create a layer of obsidian. Channel off some magma elsewhere, so you can stick a magma proof grate or fortification in the channel to filter out the baddies. Then you have some magma for a forge.

I didn't explain it very well, but if you look at one of our maps you'll get a decent idea. The nice thing is the obsidian gives you a good source for making rock obsidian swords which are pretty nice :)

destoo

02-10-2009, 10:50 AM

Looks like the map I started on the eee is doomed.. No magma, no water, no trees. Just black sand.. It was an interesting experience nonetheless. (I must have pressed on a key right after finding my site)
The eee is definitely sufficient for DF with up to 20 dwarves using the May 16x16 tileset. When I tried using a smaller tileset performance definitely went down.
a 12x tileset would seem perfect, but I'm not looking for pixel perfection if I can make out every item.

Next step is the framakey... I'll let you guys know if it works.
According to this guy (http://forum.canardpc.com/showpost.php?p=1391906&postcount=12), it works. It will allow you to hold the fortress and all game files on the usb key, and play the same game from any computer that's able to launch the framework.

Savok

02-10-2009, 10:51 AM

Finally got a Fortress going with all the basics like food and booze but nothing else. My miners seem to be getting slower in doing anything I tell them too. Sick of all this rock in my fortress as well, I did find the command to get rid of it but then I lost it again, really does need a proper interface this game.

That said in classic DF fashion weird shit is happening, like my cats pinching dead things out my refuse pile and dragging them around the fort, then putting them back in the damn refuse pile. Dark Gnomes keep spooking my guys as well, moment I send the lazy miners out to deal with them though they run, bastards.

Oh and the place is called Paintedtick, god bless those crazy dwarves.

biosc1

02-10-2009, 12:39 PM

Next step is the framakey... I'll let you guys know if it works.
According to this guychrome://easygestures/skin/xLink.png (http://forum.canardpc.com/showpost.php?p=1391906&postcount=12), it works. It will allow you to hold the fortress and all game files on the usb key, and play the same game from any computer that's able to launch the framework.

Doesn't it play already off of a USB key? Considering it plays out of a directory and not an install to any particular computer, how would it know the difference?

Or does framakey improve performance? Looking at that website, all I saw was something cool that I was actually thinking about (thanks for that :)).

MagGnome

02-10-2009, 04:53 PM

My poor fortress has been neglected for nearly two weeks now. Hopefully my dwarves are okay.

SilentScreams

02-10-2009, 05:59 PM

My poor fortress has been neglected for nearly two weeks now. Hopefully my dwarves are okay.

I'm in the same boat. My fort has been put to one side for the time being. I have too much other stuff to play.
I have to get a review of Street Fighter IV done for tomorrow, but I'm probably the worst person in the world to review a fighting game.

biosc1

02-11-2009, 12:38 AM

I have to get a review of Street Fighter IV done for tomorrow, but I'm probably the worst person in the world to review a fighting game.

No, that makes you an average joe whose opinion means more than a SFIV addict's opinion does to me.

Arphahat

02-11-2009, 11:29 AM

No, that makes you an average joe whose opinion means more than a SFIV addict's opinion does to me.

Yeah, if the review is "I didn't really want to play this because I'd rather play Dwarf Fortress," I think it sums it up for your audience nicely. :)

SilentScreams

02-11-2009, 12:18 PM

Actually, if I want to play a "fighter", I'll play Super Smash Bros. That should give you an insight into my preferences. And yes, I would also rather play Dwarf Fortress. :)

My single biggest gripe with fighting games is that I don't want to spend hours and hours memorizing and practicing all these combos so that I can pull them off at will.
I just want to play a game. To me, memorizing stuff isn't fun. I did that in school and it wasn't fun then either.

Since you can apply that same complaint to just about every fighter out there, it stands to reason that I'm probably never going to like one, and so me reviewing one is a complete waste of time.

I'll say that I didn't find SF IV any worse than any other fighter I've played, and fans of the other ones will most likely enjoy it. It's simply not my thing.