Dwarf Fortress Noob Help

[Spike88]

Well, I've decided to have some "Fun (http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Fun)" in Dwarf fortress.
http://df.magmawiki.com/images/4/40/FunComic.png



But I can't bloody get the resolution to change. I've changed the following:

[WINDOWED:YES]
[WINDOWEDX:800]
[WINDOWEDY:600]
[FONT:curses_640x300.png]
[RESIZABLE:YES]
[FULLSCREENX:1366]
[FULLSCREENY:768]
[FULLFONT:curses_800x600.png]
[BLACK_SPACE:NO]

And yet in windowed or Fullscreen the image is in the top left corner and is the same size as before I edited anything.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/DwarfPains.png
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/DwarfPains2.png
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/DwarfPains3.png
What am I doing wrong?

[Krauter]

I'm not really sure.. but your first picture absolutely made my day :rotfl2:

[Ubergeek87]

try this and use the scroll wheel to zoom until it looks right:

[WINDOWED:YES]
[WINDOWEDX:800]
[WINDOWEDY:600]
[FONT:curses_800x600.png]
[RESIZABLE:YES]
[FULLSCREENX:0]
[FULLSCREENY:0]
[FULLFONT:curses_800x600.png]
[BLACK_SPACE:NO]

In my tests the menu never looked quite right, but once you embark it should be fine.

[Spike88]

try this and use the scroll wheel to zoom until it looks right:

[WINDOWED:YES]
[WINDOWEDX:800]
[WINDOWEDY:600]
[FONT:curses_800x600.png]
[RESIZABLE:YES]
[FULLSCREENX:0]
[FULLSCREENY:0]
[FULLFONT:curses_800x600.png]
[BLACK_SPACE:NO]

In my tests the menu never looked quite right, but once you embark it should be fine.


Figured this out after I started. :haha:


Thanks anyways. Will post screenshots of my failures.

[NeonSamurai]

This is mine

[WINDOWEDX:1280]
[WINDOWEDY:720]
[FONT:Anikki_square_16x16.bmp]

Full screen info.

[FULLSCREENX:1680]
[FULLSCREENY:1050]
[FULLFONT:Anikki_square_16x16.bmp]

If this is set to YES, the tiles will not be stretched, but rather the game view will be centralized, surrounded by black space. Tiles that are too large will always be compressed rather than running off the screen.

[BLACK_SPACE:YES]

This is the dimensions in tiles of the display grid. Minimum x is 80. Minimum y is 25. Maximums are 200. Make sure the window size or full screen resolution matches the grid/tile size if you don't want the display to be squashed or stretched. The default windowed font has tiles that are 8x12 pixels, for instance, so for a 80x25 grid, you use a 640x300 window, and for a 125x50 grid, you'd use a 1000x600 window. FULLGRID is used in full screen mode, whether graphics is on or not.

[GRID:80:45]
[FULLGRID:105:65]

Now I am using a square 16x16 font and custom grid sizes to match the resolution for windowed and fullscreen

[Spike88]

Ending up giving in and using the Pheobix skin pack, and the Bentgirder noob starter thing. Although I can take pride in the fact that I didn't use Lazy Noob Pack, and that I installed my tile set by myself.


I do have a question though, I have several dead rats around my wagon and have no clue what to do with them.

I tried creating a corpse stockpile, but they weren't moved. So I tried making a garbage pile, selecting a dead rat and choosing dump. And they still haven't been moved.


How the hell do I move these damn rats. :damn:

[Ubergeek87]

I think they go in the refuse stockpile.

[NeonSamurai]

Your dwarves are probably set to ignore refuse that is outdoors

check your orders (o key), and refuse (r in the orders menu) settings

[Spike88]

Your dwarves are probably set to ignore refuse that is outdoors

check your orders (o key), and refuse (r in the orders menu) settings

That's it right there. Thanks mate.

[Spike88]

Viewing thoughts and preferences seems to crash my game. :hmmm:

[NeonSamurai]

Me I am still using version df_28_181_40d

Last I looked still too many problems with the newer versions.

[Spike88]

I'm wondering if it's a bug, or if something is corrupt.

[Lionclaw]

Perhaps it's better to go with 40d until the newer versions become more stable. :)

Here's the tutorial I followed when I started playing.


http://afteractionreporter.com/2009/02/09/the-complete-and-utter-newby-tutorial-for-dwarf-fortress-part-1-wtf/

[NeonSamurai]

http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Main_Page best place for everything you ever wanted to know about the game

[Lionclaw]

I recommend having this list of minerals from Wikipedia bookmarked.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minerals

[Spike88]

Turns out it was an issue with the Bentgirder save.

Started a new settlement and the Thoughts and Preferences work fine.




Edit: Figured it out. Bentgirder is Version .31.12 I'm using .31.16

[Spike88]

How do I get Camels/Bulls/Donkeys out of my meeting hall?

Preferably without slaughtering them as lionclaw suggested.

[Spike88]

And my first fortress starts to starve. :D

[Dowly]

How do I get Camels/Bulls/Donkeys out of my meeting hall?

Preferably without slaughtering them as lionclaw suggested.

You tried slaughtering them? :hmmm:

[Spike88]

You tried slaughtering them? :hmmm:

:haha:




Well. I had to start a new map.

[krashkart]

Wow, this is an interesting game. :o

So, I'm trying hard not to start my fortress over. My dwarves are busy killing vermin for food until I can get the farms producing food. I think my first order of business on the next map will be to dig out some farms, then start mining and build a trade depot.

Question:
I have two large zones laid out topside for harvesting plants, but none of my dwarves are foraging. How do I get them to pick berries?

[Spike88]

Wow, this is an interesting game. :o

So, I'm trying hard not to start my fortress over. My dwarves are busy killing vermin for food until I can get the farms producing food. I think my first order of business on the next map will be to dig out some farms, then start mining and build a trade depot.

Question:
I have two large zones laid out topside for harvesting plants, but none of my dwarves are foraging. How do I get them to pick berries?

Do you have a dwarf with the herbalist skill? If not choose any dwarf you want to do the job via U and then C on their name. Hit P for Prof, Labor, finding Foraging and assign it to that dwarf.

Starting over is part of the fun. I've restarted 4 times now. :rotfl2:


Edit: If you're to the point that they're eating critters, you're probably close to a tantrum spiral.
http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Tantrum_spiral

Just had some fun with an irrigation system for my farm(took me until Autumn to get everything done). Through a mishap I ended up flooding my lower levels. Luckily the water is 1/7 to 2/7. All it means is that my living quarters will now be covered in mud.

[krashkart]

Thank you, Spike. :salute:

[NeonSamurai]

How do I get Camels/Bulls/Donkeys out of my meeting hall?

Preferably without slaughtering them as lionclaw suggested.

Pit them. Make a room with locked doors and an opening 1 z level above, designate that opening as a pit and assign the critters to it (i zone, pit, designate the area, P set pit/pond info, and select the critters you want in the pit).

Wow, this is an interesting game. :o

So, I'm trying hard not to start my fortress over. My dwarves are busy killing vermin for food until I can get the farms producing food. I think my first order of business on the next map will be to dig out some farms, then start mining and build a trade depot.

Question:
I have two large zones laid out topside for harvesting plants, but none of my dwarves are foraging. How do I get them to pick berries?

Check their skills/jobs, you need to set one or more to herbalist for them to forage (view unit, prefs, labor, highlight the desired skill).


PS word of advice, stay they heck away from cats. My advice use a trapper for the pest problem or bring only male cats, and get rid of any female cats that come with migrants (I usually either lock out the whole bunch of them and let em die, or execute the new arrival and the cat). Anything to avoid catsplosion. Animals breed by spores (only caging them stops it and you can't cage pets), cats pick their owner, and you have to be quick to get rid of kittens before they adopt a dwarf. Easier just to not bother with them.

As for farming, my suggestion is bring plump helmets, find earth or sand, dig down (or sideways) and plant. Surface farming is for the beardless ones, real dwarfs gnaw on raw plump helmets in the cold dark. :DL

Personally for starting out I try to make my place as secure as quickly as possible, generally by quickly hollowing out a tunnel (preferably near sand/earth for a quick farm), emptying the wagon, stripping it down and getting it in the tunnel, then getting as much wood as i possibly can while getting the underground farm going, then locking myself away before the gobbos come (generally with stone doors or a drawbridge connected to a lever so pesky kobolds can't pick them open). After that its all the basic stuff (living quarters, beds, production centers, etc), and lining the entrance tunnel with about 30-60 stone fall traps. I also try to keep my trade area inside the base (3 tiles wide tunnel with 1x3 drawbridges acting as doors).

Another tip if using water is use drawbridges, not floodgates, or you might end up with a towercap growing under the open floodgate and blocking up everything (assuming you found an underground river or pool).


If you have any more questions feel free to ask, I more or less know 40d inside and out and am familiar with the newer stuff post 40d. I can also offer suggestions for starting parties (equipment and skills). I may post some later.

[krashkart]

Pit them. Make a room with locked doors and an opening 1 z level above, designate that opening as a pit and assign the critters to it (i zone, pit, designate the area, P set pit/pond info, and select the critters you want in the pit).



Check their skills/jobs, you need to set one or more to herbalist for them to forage (view unit, prefs, labor, highlight the desired skill).


PS word of advice, stay they heck away from cats. My advice use a trapper for the pest problem or bring only male cats, and get rid of any female cats that come with migrants (I usually either lock out the whole bunch of them and let em die, or execute the new arrival and the cat). Anything to avoid catsplosion. Animals breed by spores (only caging them stops it and you can't cage pets), cats pick their owner, and you have to be quick to get rid of kittens before they adopt a dwarf. Easier just to not bother with them.

As for farming, my suggestion is bring plump helmets, find earth or sand, dig down (or sideways) and plant. Surface farming is for the beardless ones, real dwarfs gnaw on raw plump helmets in the cold dark. :DL

Personally for starting out I try to make my place as secure as quickly as possible, generally by quickly hollowing out a tunnel (preferably near sand/earth for a quick farm), emptying the wagon, stripping it down and getting it in the tunnel, then getting as much wood as i possibly can while getting the underground farm going, then locking myself away before the gobbos come (generally with stone doors or a drawbridge connected to a lever so pesky kobolds can't pick them open). After that its all the basic stuff (living quarters, beds, production centers, etc), and lining the entrance tunnel with about 30-60 stone fall traps. I also try to keep my trade area inside the base (3 tiles wide tunnel with 1x3 drawbridges acting as doors).

Another tip if using water is use drawbridges, not floodgates, or you might end up with a towercap growing under the open floodgate and blocking up everything (assuming you found an underground river or pool).


If you have any more questions feel free to ask, I more or less know 40d inside and out and am familiar with the newer stuff post 40d. I can also offer suggestions for starting parties (equipment and skills). I may post some later.


http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=258&pictureid=2386


Edit: As luck would have it, the same group with whom I had initiated trade decided to invade when spring rolled around. Gave up on that fortress and started a new one - I was already overwhelmed enough by the sheer complexity of this game. :haha:

[Lionclaw]

Dwarf Fortress motto: "Losing is fun!"

;)

[NeonSamurai]

Oh ya other option is to cage the critters rather than pit them, but then they can't breed.

[Spike88]

New map:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/world_map-region1-309--10081.jpg
Outside:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/Outside.jpg
Level 1: The Irrigation level
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/Level1.jpg
Level 2: The farming/production level
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/Level2.jpg
Level 9: The living quarters
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/Level3.jpg
Not shown Level 3: The Administration level

[NeonSamurai]

I would strongly suggest that you work on your defenses asap. Your setup looks extremely vulnerable to attack.

Wall, moat and drawbridge would be a good start.

[Spike88]

Moat. Another chance to drown my fortress

[NeonSamurai]

Dry moat is better, some mobs can swim, but none of them can go down a z level without stairs or a ramp (well unless they fly).

I often do 3 spaces wide moats and then a drawbridge with stairs in the middle on each side.

Also with levers, the notes key is your friend

[Spike88]

Dry moat is better, some mobs can swim, but none of them can go down a z level without stairs or a ramp (well unless they fly).

I often do 3 spaces wide moats and then a drawbridge with stairs in the middle on each side. I take it a moat is a channel? The Dwarf wiki only links to a blank page for "Moat" Although I'm looking at:
http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/DF2010:Defense_guide
and
http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/DF2010:Security_design
Right now

Also with levers, the notes key is your friend
I came to realize this when I got confused on which lever does what, and almost drowned my facility a second time. Luckily it was only a surge of 2/7 and 3/7 water.

[NeonSamurai]

Yep, channel. I may post some screens of my super fortress later which is totally siege proof, and can defeat any siege, even super mobs.

Early game, long coridors for your entrance (above or below ground) loaded with stonefall traps is your friend (chained guard dogs are good too to catch ambushers/thieves).

Also another tip, trade wagons need 3 tile wide paths to get anywhere, and can go up and down ramps as long as they are 3 tiles wide. This is useful to know for getting them underground if you have dug down into the ground rather than into the side of a mountain.

[Spike88]

Yep, channel. I may post some screens of my super fortress later which is totally siege proof, and can defeat any siege, even super mobs.

Early game, long coridors for your entrance (above or below ground) loaded with stonefall traps is your friend (chained guard dogs are good too to catch ambushers/thieves).

Also another tip, trade wagons need 3 tile wide paths to get anywhere, and can go up and down ramps as long as they are 3 tiles wide. This is useful to know for getting them underground if you have dug down into the ground rather than into the side of a mountain.


I'm thinking of making a Circular wall around my fortress with a dry pit, and then another wall with a wet moat. Draw bridges for both walls

[NeonSamurai]

Ok here is part of my superfort


First off this is the main entrance. The bridges are drawbridges that raise north (up). the path on the left is for enemies to walk across and get sniped from the positions above (shown later). The whole area is paved as this area is designed to quickly be flooded to drown attackers and not turn into mud and plants and crap (i pave everywhere water goes to prevent that). To get the enemies to use the winding pathway, I pull up the middle drawbridge (top in this picture), and leave the other's open. Also notice the stairs going down at the bottom bridge. PS the ^ are deadfall traps
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/8284/dffort01.jpg

This shows the upper area of the fort entrance including stairs going up into the ramparts (there are lever operated doors there to block enemy access)
You can see the third drawbridge, which seals off the tunnel and lets the area be flooded, and the water flooding mechanism (it drains out on the level below). It is basically 2 pumps, a perpetual motion machine (pumps & waterwheel) grates, and a 1x2 bridge (which as I said previously I use rather than floodgates in water, as tower caps and other plants cant grow where one is (since it doesn't disappear when up or down, plus it smashes to bits anything under it). Oh also in the tunnel there is are 2 (or 3 i forget) portcullises (grates), but they are up right now
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/8295/dffort02.jpg

Here you can see more of the tunnel, and my 4 balistae which cover the tunnel.The 2 bridges there at the bottom cover the entrance to the fortress proper in time of siege, and the porticullus (which the balistae can shoot through) keep the enemy far enough away. The balistae are all masterwork, and maned by 4 legendary siege operators
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/4001/dffort03.jpg

The main lever room and central staircase. The levers here control almost everything in the fortress. On the left and right you can see the water that goes to wells on the living quarter above (not shown). The zigzag controls for water pressure (there is a gigantic water cistern fed from an underground river behind that is under massive pressure, no pics of it though)
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/8460/dffort04.jpg

This is the entrance way (at the bottom is where it goes up to where the balistae and 2 drawbridges are). You can see the guard room and training area with pumps that are being run dry to build up stats before i start having the recruits train (it's a lot safer if they toughen up first before having them spar). You can also see the Trade depot to the north, and more traps. Carts can easily get down there due to the ramps and 4 tile wide corridors
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/9216/dffort05.jpg

Central staircase and main meeting hall/statue garden. It has 4 waterfalls (the misty areas) which refresh (and wash) the dwarfs. They love being sprayed with mist, and it is cool too. Engineering it was a pain though.
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/3298/dffort06.jpg

This is the second level of the fortress main gate, notice the fortifications point inward
http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/7327/dffort07.jpg

third level of the main gate, there are 4 towers which can shoot outwards or inwards. Also the ramparts below are covered with a roof to prevent sniping from above by enemies
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/4105/dffort08.jpg

Last level of the gate. the towers also have roofs on them
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/8526/dffort09.jpg

picture of in front of the main gate, there was a battle recently with about 50 goblin invaders, but they got slaughtered by my 8 elites (i've seen them send goblins flying 100 squares or more) and ran very quickly My guys are cleaning up the damn mess of junk they always leave behind. I also have roads going to the edge of each side of the map, and the tunnel on the right is cut out of the mountain all the way through (so that when I order the dwarves indoors during a siege, they do not hide in there and get slaughtered.
http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/5310/dffort10.jpg

this is my side "secret" entrance, concealed behind a lake. It is 100% secured when like this as flying mobs can't swim under the water, and swimming mobs cant cross the dry moat behind the water. I often use this passageway for wood gathering as it is closer to the forested area.
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7223/dffort11.jpg

View of the lower level of the secret entrance. You can see how it is flooded and drained, and also the dry moat
http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/8136/dffort12.jpg


I figured I would now show off some of the other areas

This is the main food production&storage floor, with grand dining hall in the center (with waterfall), fishing area to the north of that, storage to ether side of the dining hall, and farms after that. I have to be extremely careful though with flooding, as the water source is pressurized and can flood in an instant if i open both gates at once. Though the fort can be recovered as I designed drains and pumps in case of an emergency like that. I can also flush out the cistern and drain the farm area (had to do that actually due to wiring a lever wrong). There is also production areas to the south, and that south central area is to be a hospital. Below that is the refuse area which is air-locked to prevent miasma escaping (diagonal paths break water pressure and prevent miasma from spreading)
http://img573.imageshack.us/img573/5016/dffort13.jpg

Workshops floor, below it is the raw materials storage, and above is finished products storage. Has all the workshops here
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/6508/dffort14.jpg

Smithy, with magma forges, smelters, kilns, glass making, charcoal, etc. All are magma powered. the 2 side rooms hold sand for glass making, center area is materials storage (wood, charcoal, iron ore, iron bars, and pig iron bars). Other ore is stored 1 level below, along with finished bars.
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7858/dffort15.jpg

Picture of my underground tower cap farm. This fortress can literally seal itself off from the outside world forever, and be completely self sufficient with wood production (the main reason for going outside). Best of all its real dwarf mushroom wood, not that fancy dancy la te da stuff the damn elves like. That is only good for burning...
http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/820/dffort16.jpg

This is my obsidian production line (waiting to be mined out atm). It works by having lava fill below, then pressurized water floods over top turning it to stone before being drained off. You can see where i paved (no mud) here too.
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2615/dffort17.jpg

The magma level of the obsidian production factory. This is also where the execution area is where nobles, the hammerer, and other dwarves that piss me off go to die, either by burning lava to the right, or starvation to the left.
http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/4488/dffort18.jpg


This is my animal area. the C's are all cows, on the left and currently locked in by lever operated door. I also have cages inside in case they over breed or i just want to lock them away. The right side is the same but is my dog area. The dogs are all in the cages at the top right now as I don't want them breeding any more at this time.
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6520/dffort19.jpg

Kennels training area, you can see the 2 pits which lead to the animal rooms show in the picture above. This is also where I keep pests under control as I have 4 trappers doing the job of vermin control (and no god damn cats, or any other pets). The fortress is also over max pop (240 or so atm), with no nobles other than the mayor, and a philosopher, who doesn't make demands (and can pull levers).
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9269/dffort20.jpg


Anyhow that wraps up the tour for now. That is only about 1/4 of the fortress though. I didn't show quarters, storage, vaults, the cisterns, water and lava sources, all the piping, zoo, jail, etc etc etc

[Spike88]

The ASCII makes my cringe. :haha: Glad I use a tile pack.

I started my base defenses. Will post them up after they're done.

Saw my Miner flashing, and I'm thinking "OH GOD! What's about to happen" Turns out she's a legendary miner now. :yeah:

[NeonSamurai]

Not me, I can't play it any other way. Actually I find the ascii better than the tiles as I find it more clear (especially humanoid icons, its impossible to quickly tell what profession they are, color coded ascii is so much easier). Frankly I am rather lost with the screen shots you posted, being only able to make out some of it. Oh and that is a custom 16x16 ascii style font (notice it's all square not stretched out) that I use.

Besides this is how real manly dwarfs play the game. The kind with beard so long they trip over it when trying to walk, that gnaw on cold raw mushrooms in the dark and throw epic civilization destroying tantrums. Tiles are for elven weenies. :D

[Spike88]

Not me, I can't play it any other way. Actually I find the ascii better than the tiles as i find it more clear. Frankly I am rather lost with the screen shots you posted, being only able to make out some of it. Oh and that is a custom 16x16 ascii style font (notice it's all square not stretched out). This is the same for the shots you posted. :haha:

Besides this is how real manly dwarfs play the game. The kind with beard so long they trip over it when trying to walk, that gnaw on cold raw mushrooms in the dark and throw epic civilization destroying tantrums. Tiles are for elven weenies. :D

I'm only partial Manly Dwarf. My beard aint that long and I don't know on mushrooms(yet).
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/148430_499386877151_626462151_7109573_7342861_n.jp g

[Spike88]

Temporary defense:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/Fortress.png

Will add another floor to the wall at one point, and there will be an exterior wall at another point.

I know you said dry moat is the best, But this is the easiest way to get water into the fortress.

[NeonSamurai]

Ya, make sure you put a lever on the bridge (drawbridges are best rather than disappearing bridges as they act like a wall when up), and put the lever by a meeting area inside.


This is the tileset I use

http://df.magmawiki.com/images/d/d2/Anikki_square_16x16.png

it is actually pretty simple, and I preferred it over the graphics stuff as it didn't corrupt the text in the game

the double stacked + sign is paved, smoothed, or tiled floor
the random colored .,'` stuff and black background is rough ground, round solid things are boulders
,'% etc with a color around it is rough walls
the smooth stuff is build walls or smoothed natural walls
faint . shows empty space with a floor 1 z level down
^ are stonefall traps
the smooth border around double + are bridges
smiley faces are dwarves, helmet are dwarf soldiers. color says what their profession is
Trees are tree shaped, squigly y are saplings, " are bushes
# is are floor grates, the thick vertical line with a think horizontal line is a wall grate (picture 2)
double ~ is surface water if blue, lava if red (same for numbers)
!! are cages
smooth wall looking things with T type ends are raised bridges (top of pic 2 for example)
The thick + shaped things are fortifications
+ are doors
The white man shaped outlines are statues (pic 4)
the o with a ` above are levers
the grey double barrel shaped things are pumps
notched right angle triangles are stairs going up or down, X are stairs going up and down, smooth right angle triangles are ramps (eg bottom of pic 5)
g is goblin (red outlines mean dead ones, color of letter indicates type of soldier), C is cow, d is dog, etc
the male symbol (shield and spear) are bags
% are prepared meals
brown double ~ are farm fields thick horizontal bars are planted fields
X surrounded by brown are bins
brown = is wood
= with three lines are bars

[Spike88]

Ya, make sure you put a lever on the bridge (drawbridges are best rather than disappearing bridges as they act like a wall when up), and put the lever by a meeting area inside.


This is the tileset I use

http://df.magmawiki.com/images/d/d2/Anikki_square_16x16.png

AH THE PINK BURNS MINE EYES.:dead::dead:

I put the lever next to the bridge... I best destroy it and relocate.

[Spike88]

How do I build roofs?



And it's new fortress time. ran into a cave that killed everyone.

[Submarine]

Anyone interested in doing a bloodline succession game? I'm quite the DF player myself :yep:.

[Spike88]

Bah this is the third time I've struck a cave at around level 12. :damn:

[Rilder]

Right now I'm using Talyrth's 15x15 tileset, good size and easy to read...

http://df.magmawiki.com/images/6/6d/Talryth_square_15x15.png

(Note it may look white with two icons in the corner but its a full tileset)

Also finally got back into this a bit haven't seriously played in AGES...

[NeonSamurai]

Heh the pink is used as an alpha channel by the game

Roofs are generally floor tiles, or solid blocks. Sloped roofs are ramps and solid blocks


I would play a succession game, but I don't have much free time, and I am still playing 40d

[krashkart]

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this. I'm not a real dwarf yet -- I turned invasions off until I figure out how to build and run an efficient fortress. :oops:

Farming is going well. Hacking four more caverns out of a clay layer so that the brewery will have something to ferment. :D

Seemed to have solved the starvation problem I had last time. But I lost one miner to dehydration, about four levels down in an exploratory shaft. Guess his ramp was inaccessible and he got stuck. Will have to burrow down there more carefully to bring his bones up. :nope:

Haven't found any coal or lignite yet. Must not have found a good place for it. :hmmm:

I'm thoroughly impressed with DF so far. There's enough stuff to do without ending up in a braindead, vegetative state. <-- the thousand-pixel stare :smug:

[Spike88]

You turned off invasions? How?

I'm thinking of turning off caves. As digging into them for umpteenth time is bugging me.

[krashkart]

You turned off invasions? How?

I'm thinking of turning off caves. As digging into them for umpteenth time is bugging me.


It's in d_init.txt, close to the top:

[INVADERS:NO]

[NeonSamurai]

My suggestion when digging straight down is to use up&down stairs, ramps can only reach one z level up.

Also I suggest using ramps rather than channeling when digging out large areas, as its way safer and much less micromanagement intensive. its how i dug out my massive water cisterns and hollowed out the area where my entrance fort went in the screens above.

Channeling is best when you want to dig out an area, but not go down into it (like a moat).

[krashkart]

That'll help out tremendously. :salute:

[krashkart]

Pit them. Make a room with locked doors and an opening 1 z level above, designate that opening as a pit and assign the critters to it (i zone, pit, designate the area, P set pit/pond info, and select the critters you want in the pit).

I must be doing something wrong. The steps I take are:

- Hollow out a room one level down
- designate the ramp or stairs leading down (I've tried both) as the pit
- set the info, select an animal

Result:

Urist McAnimalhandler cancels Pit/Pond Large Animal: Innappropriate building

nnnnnyyyyyuuurrrgh!! :damn:

What am I doing wrong? :06:

[Spike88]

I must be doing something wrong. The steps I take are:

- Hollow out a room one level down
- designate the ramp or stairs leading down (I've tried both) as the pit
- set the info, select an animal

Result:

Urist McAnimalhandler cancels Pit/Pond Large Animal: Innappropriate building

nnnnnyyyyyuuurrrgh!! :damn:

What am I doing wrong? :06:


You don't select the ramp/stairs
You dig a channel on the upper floor, directly above the room you want to use. You select the channel as the pit. The animals will fall 1 Z-level into the pit. When a dwarf drags them over.


Also:
http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Boatmurdered/Introduction/

[krashkart]

You don't select the ramp/stairs
You dig a channel on the upper floor, directly above the room you want to use. You select the channel as the pit. The animals will fall 1 Z-level into the pit. When a dwarf drags them over.


Also:
http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Boatmurdered/Introduction/


Okay, now I've got it. :salute:

[NeonSamurai]

Ramps/stairs are also bad, because the animals will just walk up them out of the pit. I suggest having doors operated by a lever in the ground floor of the pit. or stairs and then lever doors in a separate area

[Spike88]

Ramps/stairs are also bad, because the animals will just walk up them out of the pit. I suggest having doors operated by a lever in the ground floor of the pit. or stairs and then lever doors in a separate area

Couldn't you just set the doors to forbid pets?

[Spike88]

There is plenty of sand on the surface and on level 1 of my fortress. If I tell a sand maker to gather sand from a tile, does that tile run out of sand? Or is the sand endless?

[NeonSamurai]

Sand is endless in 40d probably still is.

Forbidding pets with doors works as long as no dwarfs go through them. Otherwise pets get through and often jam the door open. Lever is 100%. Plus i like to designate the animal pits meeting areas so they don't all mad rush out the moment the door opens (and don't cluster at the pit opening) and levers keep the dwarfs out. This way everyone is happy, dwarfs have their animal free meeting areas, and the pets have theirs.

[krashkart]

Sand is endless in 40d probably still is.

Forbidding pets with doors works as long as no dwarfs go through them. Otherwise pets get through and often jam the door open. Lever is 100%. Plus i like to designate the animal pits meeting areas so they don't all mad rush out the moment the door opens (and don't cluster at the pit opening) and levers keep the dwarfs out. This way everyone is happy, dwarfs have their animal free meeting areas, and the pets have theirs.

Not sure about the sand in 31.16, there isn't any on the portion of map I've settled.

I just built my first pump stack, leading up from a large lake 14 levels down from topside. It works great, and when it's running full throttle it generates 1200 power with only 120 drawn off by the pumps and axles. :yeah: The downside is that right now it won't shut off (probably because something is blocking an intake), so I will need to build another pump to empty the feed pool before I can clear the jam and tweak the design.

Also, found adamantine. But then I started reading more about it I learned that lots of fun can result from mining adamantine. So now I'm training my dwarves and hoping that if/when the fun begins when I resume mining they will be able to survive. :timeout:

Question:

Do the underground lakes provide an infinite water supply? I had hopes of draining a z-level out of it to get at some gold deposits. :hmmm:

[Spike88]

Not sure about the sand in 31.16, there isn't any on the portion of map I've settled.

I just built my first pump stack, leading up from a large lake 14 levels down from topside. It works great, and when it's running full throttle it generates 1200 power with only 120 drawn off by the pumps and axles. :yeah: The downside is that right now it won't shut off (probably because something is blocking an intake), so I will need to build another pump to empty the feed pool before I can clear the jam and tweak the design.

Also, found adamantine. But then I started reading more about it I learned that lots of fun can result from mining adamantine. So now I'm training my dwarves and hoping that if/when the fun begins when I resume mining they will be able to survive. :timeout:

Question:

Do the underground lakes provide an infinite water supply? I had hopes of draining a z-level out of it to get at some gold deposits. :hmmm:


Have you run into any caverns with creatures? :hmmm:

[NeonSamurai]

Lakes shouldn't provide infinite water unless they are connected to the edge of the map, or it's an aquifier. If your pumping from it you should know pretty quick though as you should see numbers lower than 7 floating around in the lake. But again I don't have much experience with the versions after 40d

As for not shutting off the pumps, didn't you attach a lever to a gear between the power source and pumps?


I would suggest not mining out the adamantium, unless you have a death wish. Only champion warriors (or a properly made balista with legendary operators) will have much chance against what will come out, and even then not for very long. Personally I try to avoid the stuff, as then you get the monarch coming to your city and trying to set up residence, and I as a rule kill off all nobles other than the mayor and philosopher. Plus your city becomes the capital and you loose the dwarf caravan coming.

[krashkart]

Have you run into any caverns with creatures? :hmmm:

Yes. Lots to find there. Make sure you train up some troops and give them decent armor and weapons before venturing deep enough to find caverns. I was caught off guard and lost a couple of good dwarves to a single troll. One was a hauler, the other a soldier. I'm not sure I want to know what else is down there, so keeping my mining to the upper strata for now. :-?

Once I killed the troll and sealed off the pump stack there wasn't much to it beyond sending in repeated patrols and then locking up certain stairwells with floor hatches. I found some safer alternate routes by studying what was revealed after finding the caverns. By putting in some stairways through existing features you should be able to tunnel down to the magma sea, without opening your fortress to the critters. Just be careful around the adamantine. From what I've read, and from what NeonSamurai said, the gates of Hell are down there somewhere... but nobody knows exactly where until they (accidentally) find them.

*looks over shoulder for possible batmen*

[to NeonSamurai] I linked a lever to the floodgate that controls water flow to the pump stack, but I think one of the floor tiles I destroyed above it fell into the works and blocked output to terra firma.

[NeonSamurai]

Ya, not the way to do it, also use 1 tile drawbridges as I suggested earlier not floodgates, they can't be blocked off (they will smash anything under them, and trees cannot grow under one). If the water flow drops below 7 continuously you can have a towercap grow there and block the floodgate (towercaps can grow under floodgates as floodgates "disappear" when opened, drawbridges never "disappear"). It could be anything btw that blocked off that gateway, from a rock to a butterfly's corpse... anything can block off a door or gate when open, but nothing can block off a drawbridge (well other than super monsters). This is why drawbridges have another name... the dwarven atom smasher.

http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Atom_smasher

In future I suggest linking a gear to a lever to interrupt things (just make sure there is ground beneath the gear. But I guess your pump stack is self powered (something I never do).

I also strongly suggest again using raising drawbridges for floodgates, and putting down paved roads anywhere water will go. Otherwise you are highly likely to have a plant problem at some point or another messing things up (I learned this lesson the hard way).


I generally use perpetual motion machines for power

looks something like this...


Second Floor
#########
#########
#########
#########
#_____###
#_WWW_###
#%WWW%###
#%WWW%*==
#_____#.#
###\###.#
###.....#
#########

First Floor
###7#####
##7#7####
###7#####
###B#####
#.....###
#.....###
##...####
##...####
#.....###
###/#####
#########

Key

# :wall or unmined rock
\ :stair going down
/ :stair going up
7 :Water source
B :Drawbridge that raises north (linked to a lever)
% :pump tail (water exits)
% :pump head (water enters)
W :Water wheel
. :mined space (floor)
_ :empty space (channeled)
* :Gear Assembly (linked to a lever)
= :Axle (going off to what ever it is powering)

Some notes:
The little kink (diagonal split) where the water comes in is to control for pressure (if the water is coming from a pressurized source like a cistern). I always use drawbridges over floodgates, as they can't be jammed and wont have stuff grow under them. I also always build paved roads on any surface that will have water on it (this is to block trees and other stuff growing if the water ever has to be drained, or does not stay at 7. Last thing you need is a <censored> tree growing in the middle of a pipeline). You need a water source for one of these things, as the water will slowly evaporate from the pumping action. Water is pumped from the south and dropped to the north. The stair gives access to he area above. when building this i generally leave the last row on the second floor unchanneled (but mined out underneath) to place the water wheels, and I get the pumps built before channeling out the middle part (or the dwarfs will get stuck). You can also stack these side by side though you may want to keep them separated to get full power (connected with an axle).

[krashkart]

Rgr that, NeonSamurai. I'd have to redesign the entire structure all the way up through 12 levels to be able to install the clutch mechanisms on pump #1 (the bottom-most). But, there is just enough floor space left between the feeder tank and the lake in which I can fit a small bridge. That will only require some rearrangement of a minor section of wall. Hopefully the simple solution works out, otherwise I'll have to try building another stack later. :DL

Anyway, finally got the thing to shut down by building an outflow pump to empty the feeder tank. The original plan was based on simply cutting off the water supply with the floodgate and allowing the pump stack to empty the feeder tank. But it turns out that when I had deconstructed a floor tile one z-level above the intake tile for pump #11, a chunk of siltstone dropped down in there and blocked the water flow up to my reservoir. Didn't account for that in the planning stages. :haha:

Here are a few detail screenies:


http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=410&pictureid=3302
The feeder tank for the water wheels. Floodgate is open at this point as I'm priming the stack for it's second run, after having cleared the jam 11 levels up.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=410&pictureid=3301
This is the pump house. It accommodates 14 water wheels and generates a lot of (currently untapped) energy. I had to build it up into a full structure after a troll destroyed the first pair of wheels (and two of my dwarves... but now she rots in the sun so, fair trade). The new outflow pump is on the left near the lake.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=410&pictureid=3300
Pump #11 and its casing. Purdy, ain't she? :smug: Mouse cursor is over the tile that was blocked. A few tiles south, below the yellow walls, is the downspout for recirculating water from the fortress' reservoir back into the lake. When I don't need to use it I have a hatch cover linked into a lever to kill the outflow.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/picture.php?albumid=410&pictureid=3299
Here be the reservoir, soon to be again filled with water from 12 levels down. It is a work in progress. The two aqueducts leading out serve as an additional intake (left) from a stream, and an outflow (right). More water can be sucked out with a windmill-powered pump on the next level up. At some point those ducts will be rebuilt on the next level down and merged into a full blown sewer system. You can also see part of the original reservoir lower in the picture -- had to reduce its size to keep from killing the framerate.

[NeonSamurai]

My fortress uses a huge 16x16 cistern that is 20 z levels deep. I was fortunate though in that I did not have to build pumps to get water anywhere, as the water source is an underground river that is above most of my fortress. Also so you know, mobs can be sucked through wall grates (and fortifications) by water, but not floor grates.

Not sure if I have figured out how your wheel stack runs. Does the water flow in from the north, drop down and go past the water wheels (which I assume are those grey charcoal colored things) then get sucked up again by that pump in the middle? If so are you getting full power from all your wheels, or is it fluctuating a lot? I usually don't like to go past 5 wheels (and that is with pumps on each side). Still having trouble understanding your tile set (since I have never used it and don't find it very clear). Which one is it?

[krashkart]

My oh my, how the time flies.

@NeonSamurai

The tileset I'm using is Phoebus' Graphics Set. Linkage: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=57557.0

That pump stack I built started out as a two-wheel water reactor that only moved water north, hence the L-shaped tunnel. The pump draws water up from the feeder pool one z-level below, which is flooded via a channel leading south into the lake.

Now if I could just get it running reliably it would be a true pump stack. :haha:

[Spike88]

Started explaining DF to someone and decided to get back into the game. :haha:

Might as well post what happens again.

[NeonSamurai]

Ironically I was thinking the same myself, with the current version.

[Spike88]

Found the perfect area to start my first fortress. Low threats nearby, plenty of trees, plenty of water, a bit of mountain to carve into. And then I carved too much into the mountain and had a cave-in on my only Miner. Time for a new world.

[Spike88]

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/DwarfAdventure.png

My current Dwarves

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/DwarfAdventure2.png

And the map as it stands from base level. Going to have to use pumps to get the water on the lower level up so I can use it as a moat. Also, I started building into the mountain so that may add extra difficulties for the moat.

[Spike88]

Had a fairly big population going, and was almost finished on my aqueduct system which would also give the water needed for the moat when I get hit by a Goblin ambush, several people are struck down. And I try to get my military organized. Due to lack of understanding on the military front I'm forced to abandon the fort. Time to read the military entries.

[NeonSamurai]

One of the first things I do is get a dry moat built around my main encampment with a drawbridge and wall. I also go on a wood gathering rampage. Once that is done then I can lock up for a while, dig down and fortify. Dry moats BTW are actually more effective then wet ones, as more mobs can swim then can fly, and last I looked, mobs don't like dropping down a z level unless there is a ramp or stairs.

[Spike88]

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/Dwarf2.png

Each item marked is a dead object. Not seen is one more dead dwarf.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/dwarf.png
The cause of this mess, and his death.

[Arclight]

Soo... your mason or miner threw a tantrum and went on a killing spree? :doh:

*No wait! It was the spinner, right? Whatever that means. :hmmm:

[Spike88]

Soo... your mason or miner threw a tantrum and went on a killing spree? :doh:

*No wait! It was the spinner, right? Whatever that means. :hmmm:


Spinner was taken over by a mood, forget which, I didn't have the proper station set up at the time so he eventually went insane. His insanity caused him to berserk and he went on a killing rage. Mind you none of my dwarves were armed(save the miner and carpenter) so it was mostly fist on fist action going on. But he still managed to strike down my soldier dwarf who was a wrestler, and the bloody war dog. :shifty:

As for the meaning of spinner, he's someone who spins pig tail fiber, cotton, web, etc. into stuff like rope, bags, and cloths(atleast I think so, he was a immigrant after all).


I have a new fort set up, and instead of making huge moats with huges amount of land, I've set up something more appropriate. If my fort manages to last a year I'll post pictures.

[Oberon]

Could be worse...could have been Sankis the Great.

[Spike88]

Moar pictures(haven't reached the year mark yet, though)
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/dwarf3.png
The outside of the fort. For those not accustomed to DF, or the tile set I'm using, the green bit is grass, the brown bit to the south is the wall and the draw bridge, and the outer dark square is the moat.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/dwarf5.png
This is the 3rd layer down and is the farm level, there is also a section for weaving cloth, and making clothes. Note that the main entrance into the fort is to the north, but inaccessible from this area, you have to route to the floor below and come back up.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/dwarf4.png
My warehouse stores, need to arrange them better but this is roughly how I'll have it in the future. The area to the bottom left is the Forging area. Note one of my new migrants(a blacksmith the bastard) has been taken by a secretive mood. I don't have the items he's requesting(shiney metal and quarry bushes) and don't have the means of getting them. So hopefully he doesn't go on a rampage.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a108/Tetsou88/dwarf6.png
The living quarters as they now stand, need to clear out the rock and add where the bedrooms will be. Right now we have the hallway, the meeting hall just south of it, the kitchen/brewery just south of that, and the pantry taking up the last space to the south.

[NeonSamurai]

Here is a trick to protect yourself against berserk dwarves. Build little alcoves for the workshops (i usually do 3x4 rooms for each one, though you could do 4x4), and put a door in the entrance. If they have a mood and you can't give them what they want, lock the door.. or if you want to be really sure, wall them in. They will starve to death eventually, then just dispose of the body.

Oh ya, also the guy is requesting rock (quarry) and metal bars.

[Dowly]

QUESTION!!!11

When you abandon your fortress, the population joins/forms a new group.
Do they actually keep on living if I start a new fortress and play the game, say
10 years? If after the 10 year period I check one of the dwarfs with Legends viewer,
has he/she done anything?
(I made one, decided his first name was to be Dowly, hit the randomize name a few times
and got "Fondletusk" as last name.. so funny..)

I'm guessing the answer is "no" as you can reclaim fortresses?

Same question about adventurers, if I make one and retire him, does the AI take
over? Say, if the place he retired to gets attacked, does he take part in the fighting?


As for the game itself, I'm still in awe, reading the history of my world, amazing. :yep:

Which actually raises another question, again related to how persistent the world is.
Say, I read that there has been a night creature in the area I have settled into,
and the history indicates that it is still alive. Is there a chance that I might encounter
it at some point? Do figures travel to the area I am in from outside the local map?

EDIT: Guess I could just ask: How "living" is the world around you?


:salute:

[Lionclaw]

You can reclaim IIRC, however the place will have some baddies there. Lost a fortress due to a tantrum spiral.

I abandoned the fortress in the end.

Reclaimed it later. But there were some creatures there, lost some soldiers.
Think I cleaned it up, but lost it again due to tantrum spiral.

That was in version 40d however, before v0.3.


Don't know about adventurers retiring living on their own. I usually often just die. :O:


And yes, I think there are some sort of travelling going on. You can get besieged by enemies, depends on what civilization you have nearby. Usually it's goblins.

And watch out for kobolds, thieving bastards. :nope:

Sometimes there will be Fun! arriving, haven't had it myself but I've read some stuff about some nasty enemies coming into ones area.

Haven't played the latest version all that much, it's so difficult to get into it sometimes. It has kinda like a learning cliff face difficulty to it.

It's rewarding though when you've learned the basics and begin to understand how it works.
Had most of my experience with 40d. They changed so much when 0.3 came around.


Here's a link to the forums
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/


And as they say: Losing is fun! :O:

[Dowly]

Yeah, I know most of that, did a bunch of reading. But what I never learned is
just how living the world outside your local area is?

I know goblins and such can attack me, but reading the history, there might be
an ongoing war nearby, does that affect me? I'm watching a collaborate let's play
of DF and they had 28 new dwarves at one time, could that be they were refugees
or something? Their fort wasn't really fancy or anything like that at that point.

So, to sum it up: I know the basics of DF (kinda), just want to know how much
the areas outside of your local area affect you, if any.


:salute:

[Lionclaw]

Ah, sorry about that. :oops:


I'm not sure to be honest. :hmmm:

[Dowly]

Ah, sorry about that. :oops:


I'm not sure to be honest. :hmmm:

No worries, man. :up:


:salute:

EDIT: Actually, watching the Let's Play, they talk about there being
3 goblin bases nearby (outside their local area) and that they might
be attacked by them at some point, so guess that answers my question partly at least.

But then again, the one who mentions it is new to the game, so
I'm not sure if he is correct or not.

Btw, the let's play playlist is here:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGB6RkFB7ZmPAE8hDbR-A6kvARdPbjfF8

They play a year and then give the save to the next guy. On top of that Das24680
draws sketches of some of the events here and there. Pretty fun to watch.

[NeonSamurai]

In 40d as I recall the answer is yes, other civilizations around you will have an effect. You can get invaded by hostile ones, and friendlier ones will come to trade. I am not sure though from how far away they can come.