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100
tutorials/custom-embarks.rst
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@ -3,51 +3,119 @@ Custom Embark Strategies
########################
The custom embark feature of Dwarf Fortress is a handy part of the game as it lets you customize exactly what sort of dwarfs you take with you and allows you to set their supplies to your exact specifications. Read on for more information!
The custom embark feature of Dwarf Fortress is a handy part of the
game as it lets you customize exactly what sort of dwarfs you take
with you and allows you to set their supplies to your exact
specifications. Read on for more information!
Embarking the custom way
========================
So you’ve chosen your perfect location, as per the world generation tutorial, and now you’re ready to embark. What you want to be doing now is selecting :guilabel:`Prepare for your journey carefully` from the embark menu. You will now be presented with your list of dwarfs and the skills they can access.
So you’ve chosen your perfect location, as per the world generation
tutorial, and now you’re ready to embark. What you want to be doing
now is selecting :guilabel:`Prepare for your journey carefully` from
the embark menu. You will now be presented with your list of dwarfs
and the skills they can access.
.. image:: images/14_Dwarf_Fortress_Embark_01.png
:align: center
Have a fiddle with your controls. The left-right arrows move between the list on the left (dwarfs) and the list on the right (dwarf skills). Select your first dwarf, then arrow over to the skill list and scroll through it. Currently this dwarf has no skills assigned. Find :guilabel:`Mining`, hit :kbd:`-` and keep hitting it until the dwarf is set as a :guilabel:`Proficient Miner`. Do the same for :guilabel:`Mason`.
Have a fiddle with your controls. The left-right arrows move between
the list on the left (dwarfs) and the list on the right (dwarf
skills). Select your first dwarf, then arrow over to the skill list
and scroll through it. Currently this dwarf has no skills assigned.
Find :guilabel:`Mining`, hit :kbd:`-` and keep hitting it until the
dwarf is set as a :guilabel:`Proficient Miner`. Do the same for
:guilabel:`Mason`.
You have now made your dwarf a pretty good mason and a miner! Note, there’s a zero next to his name? This means he can’t accept any more skills. Most of the time you’re going to be giving each dwarf a couple of skills, but one or two dwarfs might be given some outlier skills (leadership skills, for example) to ensure you have a broker from the get-go. There are many strategies when it comes to skill selection, we’ll cover some samples later.
You have now made your dwarf a pretty good mason and a miner! Note,
there’s a zero next to his name? This means he can’t accept any more
skills. Most of the time you’re going to be giving each dwarf a couple
of skills, but one or two dwarfs might be given some outlier skills
(leadership skills, for example) to ensure you have a broker from the
get-go. There are many strategies when it comes to skill selection,
we’ll cover some samples later.
Meanwhile, get back to a dwarf using the arrow key. You’ll see at the bottom the :kbd:`c` menu for :guilabel:`Customize` and :kbd:`v` for :guilabel:`View`. Hit :kbd:`v` and have a read about your dwarf’s personality. I usually look for the "friendliest" and mark them in my head for any possible leadership skills.
Meanwhile, get back to a dwarf using the arrow key. You’ll see at the
bottom the :kbd:`c` menu for :guilabel:`Customize` and :kbd:`v` for
:guilabel:`View`. Hit :kbd:`v` and have a read about your dwarf’s
personality. I usually look for the "friendliest" and mark them in my
head for any possible leadership skills.
Head back to the list (:kbd:`Esc`) and then hit :kbd:`c`. Here you can modify a dwarf’s nickname and profession name. This is handy if you want to make a note of how you’ve skilled each dwarf, or just for your own amusement, of course! Once you’re done there, hitting :kbd:`F` or :kbd:`G` takes you to a group and fortress menu list. Fiddle around here and come up with a creative name if you want!
Head back to the list (:kbd:`Esc`) and then hit :kbd:`c`. Here you can
modify a dwarf’s nickname and profession name. This is handy if you
want to make a note of how you’ve skilled each dwarf, or just for your
own amusement, of course! Once you’re done there, hitting :kbd:`F` or
:kbd:`G` takes you to a group and fortress menu list. Fiddle around
here and come up with a creative name if you want!
When you’re done, (you may have to hit :kbd:`Esc` to head back out of the menu), hit :kbd:`Tab` to go to the item list. Many items will be on your list already, on the left, with animal options on the right.
When you’re done, (you may have to hit :kbd:`Esc` to head back out of
the menu), hit :kbd:`Tab` to go to the item list. Many items will be
on your list already, on the left, with animal options on the right.
.. image:: images/14_Dwarf_Fortress_Embark_02.png
:align: center
As in the last menu, use the arrows to move left and right and the up down arrows to move through the list. Head across to the animal list and hit :kbd:`-` a couple of times to add 2 dogs to your party. Go down, add a couple of cats as well. No, make that three of each, then you’ve got a pretty good chance of getting one of each sex. That’s handy for reproduction, so my mum tells me!
As in the last menu, use the arrows to move left and right and the up
down arrows to move through the list. Head across to the animal list
and hit :kbd:`-` a couple of times to add 2 dogs to your party. Go
down, add a couple of cats as well. No, make that three of each, then
you’ve got a pretty good chance of getting one of each sex. That’s
handy for reproduction, so my mum tells me!
:kbd:`=` reduces the number of items. Reduce the number of battle axes to one. I usually don’t bother taking two steel battle axes as one skilled woodsman with a single battleaxe is quite enough and getting rid of one will free up some points you can use for other things. As for the rest of the items, that depends on your strategy. For now, hit :kbd:`n` for :guilabel:`New`. You’ll be taken to a huge menu of purchasable items.
:kbd:`=` reduces the number of items. Reduce the number of battle axes
to one. I usually don’t bother taking two steel battle axes as one
skilled woodsman with a single battleaxe is quite enough and getting
rid of one will free up some points you can use for other things. As
for the rest of the items, that depends on your strategy. For now, hit
:kbd:`n` for :guilabel:`New`. You’ll be taken to a huge menu of
purchasable items.
.. image:: images/14_Dwarf_Fortress_Embark_03.png
:align: center
Lets add some turtles to the list of stuff we’re going to take. Scroll down to :guilabel:`Fish`, then across to the right and down to :guilabel:`Turtle`. Hit :kbd:`Enter`, you will now be taken back to the main goods menu and you’ll see turtles added to your list. Hit :kbd:`-` until you’ve got 20 turtles. Note, the points available to you will go down as you do this – your available points are in the bottom right corner and the point cost of each item is listed next to the item.
Lets add some turtles to the list of stuff we’re going to take. Scroll
down to :guilabel:`Fish`, then across to the right and down to
:guilabel:`Turtle`. Hit :kbd:`Enter`, you will now be taken back to
the main goods menu and you’ll see turtles added to your list. Hit
:kbd:`-` until you’ve got 20 turtles. Note, the points available to
you will go down as you do this – your available points are in the
bottom right corner and the point cost of each item is listed next to
the item.
Lets add some Dwarven Wine the other method. Hit :kbd:`n` for new, then start typing :guilabel:`wine`. Pretty soon you’ll be left with only one option, :guilabel:`Dwarven Wine`. You’ll note that the :guilabel:`Drinks` part of the menu is highlighted, you’ll need scroll across :guilabel:`Dwarven Wine`, then hit :kbd:`Enter`.
Lets add some Dwarven Wine the other method. Hit :kbd:`n` for new,
then start typing :guilabel:`wine`. Pretty soon you’ll be left with
only one option, :guilabel:`Dwarven Wine`. You’ll note that the
:guilabel:`Drinks` part of the menu is highlighted, you’ll need scroll
across :guilabel:`Dwarven Wine`, then hit :kbd:`Enter`.
.. image:: images/14_Dwarf_Fortress_Embark_04.png
:align: center
You can now increase and decrease the number in the usual fashion. Lots and lots of drink is a good idea!
You can now increase and decrease the number in the usual fashion.
Lots and lots of drink is a good idea!
Embark Strategies
=================
You now know enough to navigate around the somewhat confusing menus. But what you don’t have is an strategy for what to buy when you’re embarking. Thankfully, there are some really good ideas presented on the Dwarf Fortress Wiki Starting Builds guide and of course, more ideas over on the Dwarf Fortress forums. I suggest going and reading the starting builds guide, there are some fun ideas there – for example, taking no axes, a little wood and then forging your own axes on site (saves you points for other items!).
You now know enough to navigate around the somewhat confusing menus.
But what you don’t have is an strategy for what to buy when you’re
embarking. Thankfully, there are some really good ideas presented on
the Dwarf Fortress Wiki Starting Builds guide and of course, more
ideas over on the Dwarf Fortress forums. I suggest going and reading
the starting builds guide, there are some fun ideas there – for
example, taking no axes, a little wood and then forging your own axes
on site (saves you points for other items!).
The :forums:`DF Starter Pack <126076>` includes a collection of embark builds, ranging from good for new players to advanced options designed to maximise the impact of each point. You can save your settings with :kbd:`s`, if you're happy with them.
The :forums:`DF Starter Pack <126076>` includes a collection of embark
builds, ranging from good for new players to advanced options designed
to maximise the impact of each point. You can save your settings with
:kbd:`s`, if you're happy with them.
Take all the advice there and then think about the location you’re embarking to. If it seems likely to be a frozen waste, you may chose to modify the builds presented as many are tailored for fairly ideal locations. That being said, there are some interesting ideas for builds centered around extreme fortresses too!
Take all the advice there and then think about the location you’re
embarking to. If it seems likely to be a frozen waste, you may chose
to modify the builds presented as many are tailored for fairly ideal
locations. That being said, there are some interesting ideas for
builds centered around extreme fortresses too!
When you’ve spent all your points and modified everything you want, hit :kbd:`e` for :guilabel:`Embark` and enjoy your new fortress!
When you’ve spent all your points and modified everything you want,
hit :kbd:`e` for :guilabel:`Embark` and enjoy your new fortress!

172
tutorials/generating-a-world.rst
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@ -3,92 +3,216 @@ World Generation
################
Welcome to the tutorial on world building. If you’ve played along with the walkthrough you may be itching to try out making your own world and finding a new place to build your next dwarfy citadel (perfectly laid out – as detailed on the notepaper you doodled on at work all day). Well, you’re in luck, because that’s what we’re talking about today!
Welcome to the tutorial on world building. If you’ve played along with
the walkthrough you may be itching to try out making your own world
and finding a new place to build your next dwarfy citadel (perfectly
laid out – as detailed on the notepaper you doodled on at work all
day). Well, you’re in luck, because that’s what we’re talking about
today!
Why World Build?
================
World building is a subtle and arcane art in Dwarf Fortress. You can do it the easy way (default world generation), the slightly complex way (custom parameter setting) or the really hard way (world gen file manipulation). We’re going to be covering just the first way as the others make my brain hurt and I’m not a masochist! If you are interested in doing things the hard way you can head over to the wiki and check out the guides to advanced world generation and pre-generated worlds.
World building is a subtle and arcane art in Dwarf Fortress. You can
do it the easy way (default world generation), the slightly complex
way (custom parameter setting) or the really hard way (world gen file
manipulation). We’re going to be covering just the first way as the
others make my brain hurt and I’m not a masochist! If you are
interested in doing things the hard way you can head over to the wiki
and check out the guides to advanced world generation and
pre-generated worlds.
Er, where was I, why do we want to generate our own worlds? Well, generally it is because we want to create a specific type of environment (haunted glaciers with skeletal whales FTW!) or we want to make sure we have an interesting and exciting place to build (build a volcano inside a fortress inside a volcano!). Or perhaps you just want to start a new game in a new land.
Er, where was I, why do we want to generate our own worlds? Well,
generally it is because we want to create a specific type of
environment (haunted glaciers with skeletal whales FTW!) or we want to
make sure we have an interesting and exciting place to build (build a
volcano inside a fortress inside a volcano!). Or perhaps you just want
to start a new game in a new land.
Making Worlds the Easy Way
==========================
Fire up Dwarf Fortress and from the start menu scroll down to :guilabel:`Create New World!` and hit :kbd:`Enter`. You'll see a screen with a variety of basic options which can be selected with the arrow keys. I suggest the following settings, but by now you can decide for yourself:
Fire up Dwarf Fortress and from the start menu scroll down to
:guilabel:`Create New World!` and hit :kbd:`Enter`. You'll see a
screen with a variety of basic options which can be selected with the
arrow keys. I suggest the following settings, but by now you can
decide for yourself:
.. image:: images/worldgen-options.png
:align: center
You you like the settings, hit :kbd:`y` and the world will start to generate. You’ll get a lot of stuff happening on the screen as the world is generated. Mountains will form and be eroded, forests will spread, rivers will spawn, civilisations will rise and fall. It’s pretty cool actually!
You you like the settings, hit :kbd:`y` and the world will start to
generate. You’ll get a lot of stuff happening on the screen as the
world is generated. Mountains will form and be eroded, forests will
spread, rivers will spawn, civilisations will rise and fall. It’s
pretty cool actually!
Here’s a shot of the world history being generated, which happens after the geography is formed. Did you know you can actually go and read all of this history in :guilabel:`Legends` mode? Yes, it’s all there! Tons of history and mythology to soak in. We’ll have a look at that later.
Here’s a shot of the world history being generated, which happens
after the geography is formed. Did you know you can actually go and
read all of this history in :guilabel:`Legends` mode? Yes, it’s all
there! Tons of history and mythology to soak in. We’ll have a look at
that later.
.. image:: images/worldgen-generating.png
:align: center
Once the world is created you’ll end up with a menu as well as a little information, such as the name of your world. Mine, :guilabel:`The Universe of Wonder` looks mountainous and pretty frozen up North! (I swear, I got that name the first time!) Use the arrow keys to look around and get a rough idea for the kind of world created. Hit :kbd:`Enter` to accept the world. The world is now being stored and you will be taken back to the main menu. You can now chose :guilabel:`Start Playing` and a new world will be there, probably the attractively named :guilabel:`(untranslated name), Folder: Region 2`.
Once the world is created you’ll end up with a menu as well as a
little information, such as the name of your world. Mine,
:guilabel:`The Universe of Wonder` looks mountainous and pretty frozen
up North! (I swear, I got that name the first time!) Use the arrow
keys to look around and get a rough idea for the kind of world
created. Hit :kbd:`Enter` to accept the world. The world is now being
stored and you will be taken back to the main menu. You can now chose
:guilabel:`Start Playing` and a new world will be there, probably the
attractively named :guilabel:`(untranslated name), Folder: Region 2`.
.. image:: images/worldgen-regions.png
:align: center
You’re a bloody legend, mate
============================
With your new region selected, hit “Enter” and you can see the three game modes available. :guilabel:`Dwarf Fortress`, which you know well by now, :guilabel:`Adventurer`, which you may have dipped into and :guilabel:`Legends`. Select :guilabel:`Legends` and hit :kbd:`Enter`. After some loading you’ll get a screen showing a list of histories to read. Scroll around, hit :kbd:`Enter` to drill down and :kbd:`Esc` to go back up a menu layer. The first history I read is about Sidya Athetipyi, hag spouse of evil - born an elf, abducted at age four, and transformed into a creature of the night by Momuz Shadeberry. She later escaped and wandered for years, before being struck down at age 41 in the Pure Prairies. There are happy stories too, I promise!
With your new region selected, hit “Enter” and you can see the three
game modes available. :guilabel:`Dwarf Fortress`, which you know well
by now, :guilabel:`Adventurer`, which you may have dipped into and
:guilabel:`Legends`. Select :guilabel:`Legends` and hit :kbd:`Enter`.
After some loading you’ll get a screen showing a list of histories to
read. Scroll around, hit :kbd:`Enter` to drill down and :kbd:`Esc` to
go back up a menu layer. The first history I read is about Sidya
Athetipyi, hag spouse of evil - born an elf, abducted at age four, and
transformed into a creature of the night by Momuz Shadeberry. She
later escaped and wandered for years, before being struck down at age
41 in the Pure Prairies. There are happy stories too, I promise!
If the in-game interface for Legends mode isn't your cup of tea, don't despair! From the main legends screen, you can press :kbd:`x`, :kbd:`p`, :kbd:`d` to export most of the information - or use the DFHack command ``exportlegends all`` to do so automatically. These files are created in the ``Dwarf Fortress`` folder, and can be read with Legends Viewer - which incorporates the maps, and adds everything from hyperlinks to population statistics.
If the in-game interface for Legends mode isn't your cup of tea, don't
despair! From the main legends screen, you can press :kbd:`x`,
:kbd:`p`, :kbd:`d` to export most of the information - or use the
DFHack command ``exportlegends all`` to do so automatically. These
files are created in the ``Dwarf Fortress`` folder, and can be read
with Legends Viewer - which incorporates the maps, and adds everything
from hyperlinks to population statistics.
When you’re bored, :kbd:`Esc` back out to the main menu.
Play the Damn Game Already!
===========================
Head back in to “Start playing” and select your region and then “Dwarf Fortress”. You’ll then get a screen somewhat like this. It is the “settle” screen where you chose where you’re going to found your fortress. I’ve scribbled on the picture below so as to give you a better idea of what you’re looking at. The image below explains the three map windows you can see:
Head back in to “Start playing” and select your region and then “Dwarf
Fortress”. You’ll then get a screen somewhat like this. It is the
“settle” screen where you chose where you’re going to found your
fortress. I’ve scribbled on the picture below so as to give you a
better idea of what you’re looking at. The image below explains the
three map windows you can see:
.. image:: images/worldgen-sites.png
:align: center
On the right is more information and it relates entirely to what’s in the embark box in the left window. Lets see what we can do about navigating around! Start off by hitting the arrow keys a while. What you’ll notice is that the arrow keys move the X on the region map. Holding down an arrow key results in the local map zipping past, the region map moving square by square and the world map X moving fairly slowly. As you move the cursor around you should see the info on the right change. Note, this info does NOT relate to the region window! Instead, it relates to the local window, but as you’ve noticed by now we don’t seem to have much control over the placement of that local window box… or do we?
On the right is more information and it relates entirely to what’s in
the embark box in the left window. Lets see what we can do about
navigating around! Start off by hitting the arrow keys a while. What
you’ll notice is that the arrow keys move the X on the region map.
Holding down an arrow key results in the local map zipping past, the
region map moving square by square and the world map X moving fairly
slowly. As you move the cursor around you should see the info on the
right change. Note, this info does NOT relate to the region window!
Instead, it relates to the local window, but as you’ve noticed by now
we don’t seem to have much control over the placement of that local
window box… or do we?
If you read the text on screen you’ll see you can move the local area box around using :kbd:`w`, :kbd:`a`, :kbd:`x`, and :kbd:`d`. Try it now! You’ll notice lots of information changing on the right. You can also resize the local space using :kbd:`u`, :kbd:`h`, :kbd:`m`, :kbd:`k`. You probably want to leave the box at 3x3, but 4x4 will give you more space when you’re playing. 5x5 should only be used by those who like the game going particularly slowly as those sort of sizes can become somewhat crippling for the CPU to keep up with. 1×1 micro-fortresses are also doable, if you want speed more than space.
If you read the text on screen you’ll see you can move the local area
box around using :kbd:`w`, :kbd:`a`, :kbd:`x`, and :kbd:`d`. Try it
now! You’ll notice lots of information changing on the right. You can
also resize the local space using :kbd:`u`, :kbd:`h`, :kbd:`m`,
:kbd:`k`. You probably want to leave the box at 3x3, but 4x4 will
give you more space when you’re playing. 5x5 should only be used by
those who like the game going particularly slowly as those sort of
sizes can become somewhat crippling for the CPU to keep up with. 1×1
micro-fortresses are also doable, if you want speed more than space.
Hit :kbd:`u` and make your space 3×5. Make it small again by :kbd:`m`. Easy huh? But rather than just selecting some random area and hitting :kbd:`e` for :guilabel:`Embark!`, lets use the :guilabel:`Find` system to get us a nice site.
Hit :kbd:`u` and make your space 3×5. Make it small again by :kbd:`m`.
Easy huh? But rather than just selecting some random area and hitting
:kbd:`e` for :guilabel:`Embark!`, lets use the :guilabel:`Find` system
to get us a nice site.
Finding somewhere to live
=========================
Follow along:
* Hit “f” for :guilabel:`Find`. A new menu will pop up with settings to fiddle with.
* Hit “f” for :guilabel:`Find`. A new menu will pop up with settings
to fiddle with.
* Set :guilabel:`Savagery` and :guilabel:`Evil` to :guilabel:`Low`.
* Set :guilabel:`Flux Stone Layer` to :guilabel:`Yes`. Flux stone is one of the ingredients you need to make steel so we really do want it.
* Leave :guilabel:`Aquifer` as :guilabel:`N/A` - while they're a pain, you'll get a better site if you're willing to use the DFHack command ``drain-aquifer`` after you embark
* Set :guilabel:`Flux Stone Layer` to :guilabel:`Yes`. Flux stone is
one of the ingredients you need to make steel so we really do want it.
* Leave :guilabel:`Aquifer` as :guilabel:`N/A` - while they're a pain,
you'll get a better site if you're willing to use the DFHack command
``drain-aquifer`` after you embark
* Set :guilabel:`River` to :guilabel:`Yes`.
* Set :guilabel:`Shallow Metal` and :guilabel:`Deep Metal` to :guilabel:`Multiple`.
* Set :guilabel:`Shallow Metal` and :guilabel:`Deep Metal` to
:guilabel:`Multiple`.
* Set :guilabel:`Soil` to :guilabel:`< Deep`.
* Set :guilabel:`Clay` to :guilabel:`Yes`.
* Hit :kbd:`Enter` for :guilabel:`Do Search`.
DF will now look for a location matching your preferences. Now, I’ve chosen the particular settings above to set up a fairly straight forward fortress location. You can have a lot of fun by not going for some of these settings, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
DF will now look for a location matching your preferences. Now, I’ve
chosen the particular settings above to set up a fairly straight
forward fortress location. You can have a lot of fun by not going for
some of these settings, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
Once the search is run a suitable site will be found (hopefully) and the local map will be centered on it. Hit :kbd:`Space` to back out of the find menu. Here’s what I’ve found.
Once the search is run a suitable site will be found (hopefully) and
the local map will be centered on it. Hit :kbd:`Space` to back out of
the find menu. Here’s what I’ve found.
.. image:: images/worldgen-search.png
:align: center
You can see the climate looks quite good. The temperature is warm, it’s sparse trees (which is plenty). It’s wilderness, which will be somewhat challenging and fun and there’s some sand too – always nice if you want to make glass. However, one thing I don’t see is an aquifer... or do I? Perhaps it’s in another biome? Biomes are how land is divided up in DF. Plains will be one biome, a mountain range another, a forest yet another. Clearly there’s a grassland biome here, and there are three options next to :guilabel:`View Biome`; :kbd:`F1`, :kbd:`F2`, and :kbd:`F3`. By default we’re viewing the biome that dominates this space inside the local embark box and this is the :kbd:`F1` biome. if I hit :kbd:`F2` I will switch to seeing what’s on the other biome as well as what land it covers. The flashing Xs show the boundary and I can hit :kbd:`F1` to see how it compares to the other biome. Here’s what I see when I check the second biome. Note, it’s possible to have one, two, four or even more biomes all intersecting on the area you’re looking at!
You can see the climate looks quite good. The temperature is warm,
it’s sparse trees (which is plenty). It’s wilderness, which will be
somewhat challenging and fun and there’s some sand too – always nice
if you want to make glass. However, one thing I don’t see is an
aquifer... or do I? Perhaps it’s in another biome? Biomes are how land
is divided up in DF. Plains will be one biome, a mountain range
another, a forest yet another. Clearly there’s a grassland biome here,
and there are three options next to :guilabel:`View Biome`; :kbd:`F1`,
:kbd:`F2`, and :kbd:`F3`. By default we’re viewing the biome that
dominates this space inside the local embark box and this is the
:kbd:`F1` biome. if I hit :kbd:`F2` I will switch to seeing what’s on
the other biome as well as what land it covers. The flashing Xs show
the boundary and I can hit :kbd:`F1` to see how it compares to the
other biome. Here’s what I see when I check the second biome. Note,
it’s possible to have one, two, four or even more biomes all
intersecting on the area you’re looking at!
.. image:: images/worldgen-biomes.png
:align: center
I’m pretty pleased with that! A good sized area, a water source in the corner, magma (deep down), sand, flux stone, lots of wood, perfect! Of interest is that I have a brook instead of a full river (DF tells me that in the info box to the right of the maps) which somewhat reduces the difficulty of dealing with the challenges of plumbing!
I’m pretty pleased with that! A good sized area, a water source in the
corner, magma (deep down), sand, flux stone, lots of wood, perfect! Of
interest is that I have a brook instead of a full river (DF tells me
that in the info box to the right of the maps) which somewhat reduces
the difficulty of dealing with the challenges of plumbing!
I am now ready to embark!
Your Basic Embarking
====================
When you’re comfortable with your start zone hit :kbd:`e` for “Embark”. You will get a confirmation dialog, hit :kbd:`Enter`. You now have options that probably look something like this:
When you’re comfortable with your start zone hit :kbd:`e` for
“Embark”. You will get a confirmation dialog, hit :kbd:`Enter`. You
now have options that probably look something like this:
.. image:: images/worldgen-embark-presets.png
:align: center
The best option, if you want to play straight away, is to select :guilabel:`Use DFVIDTUTS2015` (the preset the walkthrough is based on) and hit enter, you will now be taken to another menu which you want to hit :kbd:`e` from. Voila! You’re in and playing! Alternately, you can :guilabel:`Prepare for the journey carefully` and individually skill and equip each dwarf - but that's another tutorial.
The best option, if you want to play straight away, is to select
:guilabel:`Use DFVIDTUTS2015` (the preset the walkthrough is based on)
and hit enter, you will now be taken to another menu which you want to
hit :kbd:`e` from. Voila! You’re in and playing! Alternately, you can
:guilabel:`Prepare for the journey carefully` and individually skill
and equip each dwarf - but that's another tutorial.
Righto, you should be able to do basic world construction to your heart’s content now. World generation is as complex as you want it to be and you can see some of those options under :guilabel:`Design New World with Advanced Parameters` from the main menu. Don’t worry about those unless you get super keen on custom building worlds to ensure certain features, in which case, head off to the Bay12 forums already! There are lots of useful threads there and links to map databases (and info on how to use them). It’s a hobby in itself and people seem to enjoy competing to create the most perfect starting location or the most perfect micro-fortress.
Righto, you should be able to do basic world construction to your
heart’s content now. World generation is as complex as you want it to
be and you can see some of those options under :guilabel:`Design New
World with Advanced Parameters` from the main menu. Don’t worry about
those unless you get super keen on custom building worlds to ensure
certain features, in which case, head off to the Bay12 forums already!
There are lots of useful threads there and links to map databases (and
info on how to use them). It’s a hobby in itself and people seem to
enjoy competing to create the most perfect starting location or the
most perfect micro-fortress.

266
tutorials/jobs-management.rst
View file

@ -4,11 +4,16 @@ Managing Dwarven Jobs
.. warning::
This tutorial is based on an old version of DF, and needs to be updated.
This tutorial is based on an old version of DF, and needs to be
updated.
In this tutorial we’ll look at managing our dwarfs, a topic we have ignored until now. Dwarf management isn’t that hard, but there’s lots of subtlety to it, as I’m sure you can imagine. You also have to learn to navigate the interface, which is its own special challenge!
In this tutorial we’ll look at managing our dwarfs, a topic we have
ignored until now. Dwarf management isn’t that hard, but there’s lots
of subtlety to it, as I’m sure you can imagine. You also have to learn
to navigate the interface, which is its own special challenge!
So lets dive right in! In the end you will find managing your dwarfs well quite rewarding, trust me!
So lets dive right in! In the end you will find managing your dwarfs
well quite rewarding, trust me!
In-game interface
=================
@ -17,38 +22,96 @@ Hit :kbd:`u`! You will be presented with a list much like this:
.. image:: images/dftutorial68.png
:align: center
On the left, a list of dwarfs with their name and current profession (the game works out the dwarf’s profession based on their best skill, unless you assign them a custom profession name, more on that later). On the right, we have the current job the listed dwarf is doing. You will note that the list includes more then just dwarfs. You can scroll up and down using :kbd:`PageUp` and :kbd:`PageDown` as well as the arrow keys so have a look around. This is the full list of all living creatures in the current area (excluding vermin), so it’s a good way to see how many goblins you’re facing when the inevitable siege occurs!
On the left, a list of dwarfs with their name and current profession
(the game works out the dwarf’s profession based on their best skill,
unless you assign them a custom profession name, more on that later).
On the right, we have the current job the listed dwarf is doing. You
will note that the list includes more then just dwarfs. You can scroll
up and down using :kbd:`PageUp` and :kbd:`PageDown` as well as the
arrow keys so have a look around. This is the full list of all living
creatures in the current area (excluding vermin), so it’s a good way
to see how many goblins you’re facing when the inevitable siege occurs!
Had a good look? Great! Now lets get on with working with our dwarfs. With the first dwarf selected, hit :kbd:`c` for :guilabel:`Zoom-Cre`. Using this shortcut will become extremely familiar to you as you jump to this list, select a dwarf, and whack :kbd:`c` to see what on earth they are up to now!
Had a good look? Great! Now lets get on with working with our dwarfs.
With the first dwarf selected, hit :kbd:`c` for :guilabel:`Zoom-Cre`.
Using this shortcut will become extremely familiar to you as you jump
to this list, select a dwarf, and whack :kbd:`c` to see what on earth
they are up to now!
.. image:: images/dftutorial69.png
:align: center
Lets examine what we can see here. On the left we have a yellow X over the dwarf we selected. If we were to move the X around using the arrow keys we’d see the info on the right change as the closest dwarf to the X changes. By the way, you can pull up the X directly without going through :kbd:`u` just by hitting :kbd:`v` from the main map. This is really handy for when you’re trying to work out which dwarf is skulking around the dining room not doing any work!
Lets examine what we can see here. On the left we have a yellow X over
the dwarf we selected. If we were to move the X around using the arrow
keys we’d see the info on the right change as the closest dwarf to the
X changes. By the way, you can pull up the X directly without going
through :kbd:`u` just by hitting :kbd:`v` from the main map. This is
really handy for when you’re trying to work out which dwarf is
skulking around the dining room not doing any work!
So, lets focus back on Ingish Noramshem, Miner. You can see some info about this stunty. First up, you can go to the :kbd:`l` for “Labour” menu, the :kbd:`e` for “Work Dogs”, :kbd:`s` for “Soldiering and Hunting” or you can :kbd:`A` “activate” the dwarf. Don’t worry about any of those just yet! Instead, look at the bottom menu list. We’ve got :kbd:`z`, “View profile” and a list of other shortcuts.
So, lets focus back on Ingish Noramshem, Miner. You can see some info
about this stunty. First up, you can go to the :kbd:`l` for “Labour”
menu, the :kbd:`e` for “Work Dogs”, :kbd:`s` for “Soldiering and
Hunting” or you can :kbd:`A` “activate” the dwarf. Don’t worry about
any of those just yet! Instead, look at the bottom menu list. We’ve
got :kbd:`z`, “View profile” and a list of other shortcuts.
Things can get a little confusing from here, so follow along carefully. For some reason known only to Toady, the coder, the menus get extremely circular, but we’ll get there in the end!
Things can get a little confusing from here, so follow along
carefully. For some reason known only to Toady, the coder, the menus
get extremely circular, but we’ll get there in the end!
So, hit :kbd:`z`, and you’ll see this:
.. image:: images/dftutorial70.png
:align: center
Not much to see. We can see that this dwarf owns 14 things (*snore*), has a modest quarters. The text is in blue, which I’m guessing is a good thing which means that it is over and above the quality demanded by that noble (thank Ookpik). Below, we can see we have three options, we can hit enter, view relationships with “r” or customize with “y”. Lets go ahead and hit “enter”. Oof! Wall of text!
Not much to see. We can see that this dwarf owns 14 things (*snore*),
has a modest quarters. The text is in blue, which I’m guessing is a
good thing which means that it is over and above the quality demanded
by that noble (thank Ookpik). Below, we can see we have three options,
we can hit enter, view relationships with “r” or customize with “y”.
Lets go ahead and hit “enter”. Oof! Wall of text!
.. image:: images/dftutorial71.png
:align: center
You’ll have to read this on your own screen to see what it says. In essence it’s a blow by blow of the happy thoughts and sad thoughts of the selected dwarf as well as some bio details. As you will read from the first paragraph Ingish is quite happy, except for the vermin problem (erm, my fault, I forgot to bring any cats with us. A couple of cats will hunt vermin away). On the whole, a content dwarf, which is good. Upset dwarfs go crazy and kill other dwarfs. It’s annoying.
You’ll have to read this on your own screen to see what it says. In
essence it’s a blow by blow of the happy thoughts and sad thoughts of
the selected dwarf as well as some bio details. As you will read from
the first paragraph Ingish is quite happy, except for the vermin
problem (erm, my fault, I forgot to bring any cats with us. A couple
of cats will hunt vermin away). On the whole, a content dwarf, which
is good. Upset dwarfs go crazy and kill other dwarfs. It’s annoying.
The text in blue concerns the religious and group affiliations of this dwarf. I’ve never found much need to worry about this stuff, although of note is that the god the dwarf worships can be read about in Legends mode. Reading about the gods, creatures and civilisations in your world can be quite an amusing post-game sideline.
The text in blue concerns the religious and group affiliations of this
dwarf. I’ve never found much need to worry about this stuff, although
of note is that the god the dwarf worships can be read about in
Legends mode. Reading about the gods, creatures and civilisations in
your world can be quite an amusing post-game sideline.
Next you’ll see a list of things the dwarf likes. Over time it’s quite possible your dwarf will accumulate items based on the things they like, especially once the dwarven economy kicks in. Of note is that this dwarf likes “cows for their haunting moos”, how strange! Mind you, we could take advantage of this later on by putting a cage in this dwarf’s quarters and shoving a cow in it. Then the dwarf will be happy ever time they see the cow, because it’s a favoured animal of theirs.
Next you’ll see a list of things the dwarf likes. Over time it’s quite
possible your dwarf will accumulate items based on the things they
like, especially once the dwarven economy kicks in. Of note is that
this dwarf likes “cows for their haunting moos”, how strange! Mind
you, we could take advantage of this later on by putting a cage in
this dwarf’s quarters and shoving a cow in it. Then the dwarf will be
happy ever time they see the cow, because it’s a favoured animal of
theirs.
Food preferences are interesting as well. This dwarf likes quarry bush leaves. We’re not growing any right now (you need to grow them in an indoors field and then at a Farmer’s Workshop, process them to a bag), but it might be a good idea to grow some if we ever worried about this dwarf’s happiness, or just to ensure those dwarfs that do like quary bush leaves are kept extra happy.
Food preferences are interesting as well. This dwarf likes quarry bush
leaves. We’re not growing any right now (you need to grow them in an
indoors field and then at a Farmer’s Workshop, process them to a bag),
but it might be a good idea to grow some if we ever worried about this
dwarf’s happiness, or just to ensure those dwarfs that do like quary
bush leaves are kept extra happy.
The next block of text covers the personality traits of the dwarf. There’s not much to act on here, although it’s interesting to note the dwarf’s tolerance for the outside world. Over time dwarfs that spend all their time underground will become nauseous at the sight of the sun, which slows them down when they go outside. This can have a big impact on your military and so some fortress designers like to build open air spaces into their fortress. But more on that later.
The next block of text covers the personality traits of the dwarf.
There’s not much to act on here, although it’s interesting to note the
dwarf’s tolerance for the outside world. Over time dwarfs that spend
all their time underground will become nauseous at the sight of the
sun, which slows them down when they go outside. This can have a big
impact on your military and so some fortress designers like to build
open air spaces into their fortress. But more on that later.
Don’t be alarmed by the note on drinking. All dwarfs love drink!
@ -57,80 +120,182 @@ With this examining done, space back a menu and hit :kbd:`r`.
.. image:: images/dftutorial72.png
:align: center
To be honest, I seldom view this screen and I’m not sure if we really need to. I just noticed that with the selection over the deity you can hit :kbd:`v` and get information on the god worshipped, cool! This dwarf worships Agesh, who “often takes the form of a female dwarf and is associated with fame, rumors, agriculture, the rain and rainbows”, sounds delightful!
To be honest, I seldom view this screen and I’m not sure if we really
need to. I just noticed that with the selection over the deity you can
hit :kbd:`v` and get information on the god worshipped, cool! This
dwarf worships Agesh, who “often takes the form of a female dwarf and
is associated with fame, rumors, agriculture, the rain and rainbows”,
sounds delightful!
You also get a list of friends here, and in time, partners and children. It’s interesting, but not particularly useful
You also get a list of friends here, and in time, partners and
children. It’s interesting, but not particularly useful
Anyway, back out of that menu and hit :kbd:`y` for “Customize”. You get an option now, customize nickname and customise profession. Some people use these to tag their dwarfs for more easy viewing, or to name them after friends and family for general hilarity, I leave this option alone because I have plans for them using the Dwarf Manager utility, but more on that later.
Anyway, back out of that menu and hit :kbd:`y` for “Customize”. You
get an option now, customize nickname and customise profession. Some
people use these to tag their dwarfs for more easy viewing, or to name
them after friends and family for general hilarity, I leave this
option alone because I have plans for them using the Dwarf Manager
utility, but more on that later.
Hit :kbd:`Esc` and back out to the main dwarf menu. Hit :kbd:`g` for “Gen”. You’ll see some skill information and stat information for this dwarf:
Hit :kbd:`Esc` and back out to the main dwarf menu. Hit :kbd:`g` for
“Gen”. You’ll see some skill information and stat information for this
dwarf:
.. image:: images/dftutorial73.png
:align: center
As you can see, all of this mining and digging has made our dwarf tough and agile. Ingish is also becoming a skilled miner and is also an adept mason! Other skills have been built up through time in our fortress. There’s more to see than this list though, I’ve highlighted the down arrow which indicates that there are more skills and so use “alt”+”down arrow” and have a look. You should see “Dabbling Grower” at the bottom, looks like our shorty has been picking some plants in the fields!
As you can see, all of this mining and digging has made our dwarf
tough and agile. Ingish is also becoming a skilled miner and is also
an adept mason! Other skills have been built up through time in our
fortress. There’s more to see than this list though, I’ve highlighted
the down arrow which indicates that there are more skills and so use
“alt”+”down arrow” and have a look. You should see “Dabbling Grower”
at the bottom, looks like our shorty has been picking some plants in
the fields!
Now, next menu item, hit :kbd:`i` for “Inventory”. You will see a list of items your dwarf is carrying, it should look something like this:
Now, next menu item, hit :kbd:`i` for “Inventory”. You will see a list
of items your dwarf is carrying, it should look something like this:
.. image:: images/dftutorial74.png
:align: center
If you want to make this list easier to read, hit :kbd:`Tab` a few times until the menu takes up half the screen. Then you can see all the item names in full (this tip is especially helpful with some workshop menus where item names are long). You can use this list of inventory items to check closely what your dwarf is carrying. Scroll through each item using the alt-scroll method, and hit :kbd:`Enter` and :kbd:`v` if you want to learn more. The inventory screen is one you’ll use often when dealing with the military side of Dwarf Fortress. Don’t worry too much about it for now.
If you want to make this list easier to read, hit :kbd:`Tab` a few
times until the menu takes up half the screen. Then you can see all
the item names in full (this tip is especially helpful with some
workshop menus where item names are long). You can use this list of
inventory items to check closely what your dwarf is carrying. Scroll
through each item using the alt-scroll method, and hit :kbd:`Enter`
and :kbd:`v` if you want to learn more. The inventory screen is one
you’ll use often when dealing with the military side of Dwarf
Fortress. Don’t worry too much about it for now.
Lets move on and hit :kbd:`w`. This is a list of wounds:
.. image:: images/dftutorial75.png
:align: center
White is good. Nothing injured. Light grey indicates bruised, yellow indicates broken, red, mangled and grey is “lopped off”. In a game I’m playing now I currently have a goblin I stuck in a special goblin pit with both eyes missing after a fight with my dwarfs (and those are the only wounds! Good shot marksdwarfs!). He keeps wandering around and passing out before waking up and wandering around again, no doubt bumping into other goblins before collapsing again. Ok, so I found it amusing, anyway…
White is good. Nothing injured. Light grey indicates bruised, yellow
indicates broken, red, mangled and grey is “lopped off”. In a game I’m
playing now I currently have a goblin I stuck in a special goblin pit
with both eyes missing after a fight with my dwarfs (and those are the
only wounds! Good shot marksdwarfs!). He keeps wandering around and
passing out before waking up and wandering around again, no doubt
bumping into other goblins before collapsing again. Ok, so I found it
amusing, anyway…
What you can’t immediately see in this list are organs. Yes, Dwarf Fortress does model internal organs! If your dwarfs, or critters, get wounded, you can see exactly how much and to what degree from this screen. Dwarfs that get wounded will be taken (or make their own way) to your barracks where they will be fed, watered (you need a bucket made in the carpenters for your dwarfs to fetch water for the injured dwarf) and left to recover. This can take a substantial amount of time, weeks, months or even years! And they may never recover from some injuries.
What you can’t immediately see in this list are organs. Yes, Dwarf
Fortress does model internal organs! If your dwarfs, or critters, get
wounded, you can see exactly how much and to what degree from this
screen. Dwarfs that get wounded will be taken (or make their own way)
to your barracks where they will be fed, watered (you need a bucket
made in the carpenters for your dwarfs to fetch water for the injured
dwarf) and left to recover. This can take a substantial amount of
time, weeks, months or even years! And they may never recover from
some injuries.
Hit :kbd:`p` to be taken back to the info-screen about that dwarf. For now, ignore the “Activate” and “Work Dogs” option (we have no trained dogs yet) and lets focus on “Labour”. When you hit :kbd:`l` you’ll see a screen like this:
Hit :kbd:`p` to be taken back to the info-screen about that dwarf. For
now, ignore the “Activate” and “Work Dogs” option (we have no trained
dogs yet) and lets focus on “Labour”. When you hit :kbd:`l` you’ll see
a screen like this:
.. image:: images/dftutorial76.png
:align: center
What you’re looking at is a big, big list (it goes down a couple of pages) of different “labours” that the dwarf is enabled for. The jobs in white are turned on, the ones in grey, off. At the bottom of the list are all the hauling jobs, from stone hauling to cleaning.
What you’re looking at is a big, big list (it goes down a couple of
pages) of different “labours” that the dwarf is enabled for. The jobs
in white are turned on, the ones in grey, off. At the bottom of the
list are all the hauling jobs, from stone hauling to cleaning.
An important job in DF is thinking about and managing the labours of your dwarfs. For example, do you want your wood cutter to also have hauling jobs on? If they have that job on they’re going to spend their time cutting wood and then walking half way across the map to move a piece of food to a food store, and then walk back across the map to go back to chopping. Perhaps it would be best if you turn off the hauling jobs on your woodcutter? How about your miner? Do you have a lot of mining work to do? Turn off all the jobs except mining and your digger will drink, eat, sleep, rest and dig, and that’s all. No distractions!
An important job in DF is thinking about and managing the labours of
your dwarfs. For example, do you want your wood cutter to also have
hauling jobs on? If they have that job on they’re going to spend their
time cutting wood and then walking half way across the map to move a
piece of food to a food store, and then walk back across the map to go
back to chopping. Perhaps it would be best if you turn off the hauling
jobs on your woodcutter? How about your miner? Do you have a lot of
mining work to do? Turn off all the jobs except mining and your digger
will drink, eat, sleep, rest and dig, and that’s all. No distractions!
But hauling jobs are important, so how about turning all the extraneous labours of all those lye makers and potash maker immigrants and turning them into full-time peasant haulers. You can’t go wrong with up to 1/4 of your workforce just hauling stuff and the rest divided between important jobs. At times you’ll want to do a lot of bulk job modifying so you can get a lot of hauling done, or a lot of digging, or whathaveyou. This is especially the case once your fortress grows to a substantial size and you have multiple dwarfs doing about the same sort of job.
But hauling jobs are important, so how about turning all the
extraneous labours of all those lye makers and potash maker immigrants
and turning them into full-time peasant haulers. You can’t go wrong
with up to 1/4 of your workforce just hauling stuff and the rest
divided between important jobs. At times you’ll want to do a lot of
bulk job modifying so you can get a lot of hauling done, or a lot of
digging, or whathaveyou. This is especially the case once your
fortress grows to a substantial size and you have multiple dwarfs
doing about the same sort of job.
Dwarf Therapist
===============
.. warning::
This section uses the precursor to current tools. Look up Dwarf Therapist instead, and admire the fantastic user manual it comes with.
This section uses the precursor to current tools. Look up Dwarf
Therapist instead, and admire the fantastic user manual it comes
with.
But how does one do this without working ones way through dozens of labour settings for dozens of dwarfs? Well thankfully the answer is at your fingertips! Remember the “Dwarf Manager” shortcut we made right at the start? Good! Run it! If you skipped that step you’ll find “Dwarf Manager” in your Dwarf Fortress folder. Run the exe in there.
But how does one do this without working ones way through dozens of
labour settings for dozens of dwarfs? Well thankfully the answer is at
your fingertips! Remember the “Dwarf Manager” shortcut we made right
at the start? Good! Run it! If you skipped that step you’ll find
“Dwarf Manager” in your Dwarf Fortress folder. Run the exe in there.
If the program doesn’t run, you may need to do some .net installing. You can check this all out at the Dwarf Manager website. ** NOTE: Dwarf Therapist is currently the favoured dwarf management program. You may wish to try it instead. It is fairly self-explanatory and works in much the same way. **
If the program doesn’t run, you may need to do some .net installing.
You can check this all out at the Dwarf Manager website. ** NOTE:
Dwarf Therapist is currently the favoured dwarf management program.
You may wish to try it instead. It is fairly self-explanatory and
works in much the same way. **
Once you get the program up and running, the first thing you should do is hit the “Load from DF” button in the bottom right of the program. The program will pull all the dwarf data from DF and you should see a screen something like this:
Once you get the program up and running, the first thing you should do
is hit the “Load from DF” button in the bottom right of the program.
The program will pull all the dwarf data from DF and you should see a
screen something like this:
.. image:: images/dftutorial77.png
:align: center
The extremely cunning among you may have noticed that my Dwarf Manager is v0.2, but the one on the website is v0.6. I suggest we all go to the Dwarf Manager website, grab the latest version, and install it on top of the Dwarf Manager folder in your DF folder. Come back when you’re done!
The extremely cunning among you may have noticed that my Dwarf Manager
is v0.2, but the one on the website is v0.6. I suggest we all go to
the Dwarf Manager website, grab the latest version, and install it on
top of the Dwarf Manager folder in your DF folder. Come back when
you’re done!
What you’re looking at now is a very neat way of adjusting the labour of large numbers of dwarfs at once. It also gives you a great way of quickly seeing what your dwarfs are set to do, and it allows grouping in useful ways. Please note, in my screenshot I’ve had a few immigrants, so don’t worry if your numbers next to professions don’t match mine.
What you’re looking at now is a very neat way of adjusting the labour
of large numbers of dwarfs at once. It also gives you a great way of
quickly seeing what your dwarfs are set to do, and it allows grouping
in useful ways. Please note, in my screenshot I’ve had a few
immigrants, so don’t worry if your numbers next to professions don’t
match mine.
Now, go through and double click on each profession and expand them out. The green blocks show what labour the dwarf has, the grey dot in the middle shows how skilled they are at that labour – the bigger the dot, the better they are. If you double click on any dwarf name you can pull up more information about the dwarf including their name and profession and what they’re skilled in.
Now, go through and double click on each profession and expand them
out. The green blocks show what labour the dwarf has, the grey dot in
the middle shows how skilled they are at that labour – the bigger the
dot, the better they are. If you double click on any dwarf name you
can pull up more information about the dwarf including their name and
profession and what they’re skilled in.
Note that the grey bars across the profession names indicate what is turned on in that profession group. Clicking on those boxes turns on jobs for everyone in that profession. And this is where we can make things easier for ourselves. I’ll show you how:
Note that the grey bars across the profession names indicate what is
turned on in that profession group. Clicking on those boxes turns on
jobs for everyone in that profession. And this is where we can make
things easier for ourselves. I’ll show you how:
* Look at your miners in Dwarf Manager.
* Double click on the first one, change their “Profession” to “Digger”.
* Hit enter.
You have now created a custom profession. Now right-click on the next dwarf, chose custom profession, click on “Digger”, like the picture.
You have now created a custom profession. Now right-click on the next
dwarf, chose custom profession, click on “Digger”, like the picture.
.. image:: images/dftutorial78.png
:align: center
Do this for all of your miners, and then hit the bottom right button “Write to DF” (you need to do this to make any change stick, and always click “Load from DF” before making any modifications to!). With this custom profession I now have easy control over groups of dwarfs. I group dwarfs into the following groups, how you do it is up to you though:
Do this for all of your miners, and then hit the bottom right button
“Write to DF” (you need to do this to make any change stick, and
always click “Load from DF” before making any modifications to!). With
this custom profession I now have easy control over groups of dwarfs.
I group dwarfs into the following groups, how you do it is up to you
though:
* Diggers (miners)
* Farmers (dwarfs who farm!)
@ -141,12 +306,29 @@ Do this for all of your miners, and then hit the bottom right button “Write to
* Metalers (dwarfs who smelt/armor/weaponsmith)
* Foodies (dwarfs who cook and brew)
…And so on. I’m sure you can come up with a scheme of your own. Anyway, the point is, once you get beyond a dozen dwarfs Dwarf Manager is an awesome way of herding your shorties easily and quickly. Give it a go yourself!
…And so on. I’m sure you can come up with a scheme of your own.
Anyway, the point is, once you get beyond a dozen dwarfs Dwarf Manager
is an awesome way of herding your shorties easily and quickly. Give it
a go yourself!
Managing labour is how you get things done. If you see a building or workshop not being built, hit “q” and check to see if there’s a “need XYZ labour” message. If there is, check to see if anyone has the labour on. If they don’t, find someone, and turn it on. Your dwarfs can do just about anything you set them to do, but remember they do it better when they are good at it, not only quicker, but with higher quality.
Managing labour is how you get things done. If you see a building or
workshop not being built, hit “q” and check to see if there’s a “need
XYZ labour” message. If there is, check to see if anyone has the
labour on. If they don’t, find someone, and turn it on. Your dwarfs
can do just about anything you set them to do, but remember they do
it better when they are good at it, not only quicker, but with higher
quality.
Keep in mind that mining and wood cutting require specialist tools (a pickaxe and a waraxe respectively). Also note that farmers with no skill may screw up and lose your seed, producing no food. While this is ok when you’ve got a lot of food and farmers and you’re training up some new recruits, it’s not so useful when you are low on food and supplies!
Keep in mind that mining and wood cutting require specialist tools (a
pickaxe and a waraxe respectively). Also note that farmers with no
skill may screw up and lose your seed, producing no food. While this
is ok when you’ve got a lot of food and farmers and you’re training up
some new recruits, it’s not so useful when you are low on food and
supplies!
I think this may be enough for this lesson. I am sure I will come up with more useful tips as we go, but now you have the tools to look after your dwarfs so taking advantage of my tips will be no problem!
I think this may be enough for this lesson. I am sure I will come up
with more useful tips as we go, but now you have the tools to look
after your dwarfs so taking advantage of my tips will be no problem!
Next lesson we’re going to get back to expanding the fortress and increasing our uberness!
Next lesson we’re going to get back to expanding the fortress and
increasing our uberness!