The Making Of Dwarf Fortress

[Guest]

Is there a way to force a fisherdwarf to fish only at a specific location?
Like a nice small safe self-dug underground river/lake ?

Do you think it would be possible to create a fortress in such a way that no dwarf would have to enter the outside world? A self-sustained underground dwarven fortress? Would be so cool. I don't care if it "makes sense" or if it's "efficient".. I just want to have fun

To attack the fortress you would have to lockpick/destroy 20 locked stone doors and bypass some traps only to find a barracks full of soldiers after the 20th door Of course, I could open up the doors for a caravan. Or use floodgates or something that could not even be lockpicked. And somekind of opening mechanism usable by levers.

I wanna try something like this

 

[Prime Junta]

Is there a way to force a fisherdwarf to fish only at a specific location?
Like a nice small safe self-dug underground river/lake ?

I don't know. Have you tried looking at the zone pane?

Do you think it would be possible to create a fortress in such a way that no dwarf would have to enter the outside world? A self-sustained underground dwarven fortress? Would be so cool. I don't care if it "makes sense" or if it's "efficient".. I just want to have fun

Certainly. Hell, if the North Koreans can do it...

To attack the fortress you would have to lockpick/destroy 20 locked stone doors and bypass some traps only to find a barracks full of soldiers after the 20th door Of course, I could open up the doors for a caravan. Or use floodgates or something that could not even be lockpicked. And somekind of opening mechanism usable by levers.

The standard method is to use a drawbridge.

I wanna try something like this

I *am* currently trying something like this. It's an incredibly rich location with extremely difficult topography and "Terrifying" wildlife. I've left one entrance openable so migrants can get in; I think I'll block even that once my population hits fifty. After that, if they show up, they're monster food... unless I go all soft and dig a special access tunnel just for them, that I'll flood with magma after they're in.

 

[Guest]

I *am* currently trying something like this. It's an incredibly rich location with extremely difficult topography and "Terrifying" wildlife. I've left one entrance openable so migrants can get in; I think I'll block even that once my population hits fifty. After that, if they show up, they're monster food... unless I go all soft and dig a special access tunnel just for them, that I'll flood with magma after they're in.

I'm really beginning to appreciate you as a person!

Is a drawbridge 100% secure though? No way to enter? Not even anything that can fly over rivers? No locpicking or bashing or anything like that?

Is there something to be gained by terrifyind wildlife other than the possibility for unwanted intruders to get eaten? Some correlation between resources / wildlife?

Damn. Look's like someone is gonna start all over again....

 

[Prime Junta]

I'm really beginning to appreciate you as a person!

Is a drawbridge 100% secure though? No way to enter? Not even anything that can fly over rivers? No locpicking or bashing or anything like that?

Things that fly can get over it. One advantage is that you can smash things with them, and you need them to combine with moats. Still, floodgates plus drawbridges plus traps are even better.

Is there something to be gained by terrifyind wildlife other than the possibility for unwanted intruders to get eaten? Some correlation between resources / wildlife?

Not that I know. I like to pick terrifying locations for the challenge -- what fun are all those marvelous defenses if the only thing you're defending against is the occasional goblin raider?

 

[Guest]

PJ: Yeah the zone panel was the answer. I now have and artificial underground river that my fisherdwarves are now using (because I forced them to)

Now I'll just haul in a shitload of wood and close of all acces (that is.. the only access) with every possible building, obstacle, trap, hole, wall, etc that I can manufacture.

I started pretty ambitiously. I dug down three levels from the starting location and dug several long 1-tile corridors before the actual fortress and it's rooms (yes.. hauling in all the stuff I begun with was a major pain in the buttocks.)

Still don't know if I can get this to work though but it looks promising
Hopefully I'll be able to get the farms up n running before the dwarves start dying of hunger. They do have fishies to eat tho I guess.

 

[Guest]

No-one died yet. I think my plan worked

 

[V7]

(1) Finding a site: you have noticed that you can view the biomes in your square with the F keys, when browsing? It's not *that* hard to find a "perfect" site -- i.e., with all of magma, sedimentary, flux, water, sand, and wood... and reasonably easy to find one with all of the above minus one.

Myabe I'm doing it wrong - I've been looking for a place with limestone, wood, a stream and a vent - my current fortress has all that but it'd be nice to have sand, some elevation (its pretty much flat) and some more danger in the surroundings. What's your method?

Thanks for the magma tips, no screams of firey death yet.

BTW does anyone know how leaders work? The wiki seemed to suggest that giving a dwarf social skills would make him the leader but it seems to have picked the first one on my list.

 

[dyze]

best

game

ever

 

[Prime Junta]

Myabe I'm doing it wrong - I've been looking for a place with limestone, wood, a stream and a vent - my current fortress has all that but it'd be nice to have sand, some elevation (its pretty much flat) and some more danger in the surroundings. What's your method?

(0) Know what you're looking for. For example, if you absolutely have to have trees, ignore squares with no woodland or forest tiles. If you absolutely have to have water, ignore squares with no brook. If you absolutely have to have exciting wildlife, search only the purple areas.

(1) Export world map to bitmap. Look for promising locations there -- edges of mountain ranges with rivers, especially with volcanoes in the vicinity.

(2) Start with those areas. Zip through them fast and keep an eye on the line that lists the layer types (you now, the "-ites" -- "Dolomite, Andesite, Gabbro").

(3) When you see a dark-gray igneous extrusive (andesite, basalt, obsidian, felsite...) layer, stop and search the surrounding mountain squares that border a non-mountain square. You have a good chance of finding a vent.

(3b) When you see a sedimentary layer -- especially one of dolomite, chalk, or limestone -- near a square with an igneous extrusive layer, search that area very, very carefully -- you have very good odds of hitting pay dirt big-time.

(4) When you find a vent, center the site selector on it. If it contains more than one biome (and it usually will), you'll be able to examine them with the function keys. Do so: you'll see what other layers are present, as well as the situation re trees and water.

Thanks for the magma tips, no screams of firey death yet.

Then you're doing something wrong.

BTW does anyone know how leaders work? The wiki seemed to suggest that giving a dwarf social skills would make him the leader but it seems to have picked the first one on my list.

The expedition leader is always dwarf #1. When your outpost grows to a certain size, you'll be able to appoint other notables -- the mayor and the sheriff. When it grows past a certain point beyond that, nobles will arrive from the outside and start bossing your guys around.

I think I'm going to declare my fortress Communist: not appoint any notables, and drown any arriving feudal oppressors in burning magma.

 

[Prime Junta]

Now I'll just haul in a shitload of wood and close of all acces (that is.. the only access) with every possible building, obstacle, trap, hole, wall, etc that I can manufacture.

If you have access to magma and magma-proof materials, you can permanently block off tunnels -- flood them with magma, then use a magma-proof floodgate to cut it off from the vent. It'll cool and turn into basalt.

 

[GothicGothicness]

This sounds like crazy fun, why haven't I heard about it? where do I get the game???

 

[V7]

(1) Export world map to bitmap. Look for promising locations there -- edges of mountain ranges with rivers, especially with volcanoes in the vicinity.

How do I manage that?

 

[V7]

This sounds like crazy fun, why haven't I heard about it? where do I get the game???

The official site is here:
http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/

PJ had a link up to a modified version with nicer graphics further up in the thread.

...and be careful its adictive...

 

[GothicGothicness]

I found it and downloaded? if I download from the PJ site the graphics pack is already applied without me doing anything right? I tried GAWD it took time to generate that world... now I have some dwarf catch live animals to live in the cave, coool!

 

[Prime Junta]

How do I manage that?

Go to Legends Mode and hit "p." Or hit "p" after world generation finishes.

 

[Prime Junta]

I found it and downloaded? if I download from the PJ site the graphics pack is already applied without me doing anything right? I tried GAWD it took time to generate that world... now I have some dwarf catch live animals to live in the cave, coool!

Yep, it's already there. And it's not my site, I just use it.

 

[V7]

Wow that map looks amazing

Edit, went for the detailed one first very pretty, but the other makes it easier to see the tiles.

 

[Guest]

I don't worry about the starting place too much. I just make sure there's running water, some wood and somekind of stone (other than sand).

I haven't even seen any magma yet

And a warmer climate is quite nice.

 

[Guest]

Perhaps some kind of absolute beginners guide to DF would be in order, for the rpgwatchers? I could help making/writing it. If not a full blown article/feature perhaps just a post in the forums? It should include thing like:

- What is it? Why is it?
- Where to get it? Graphics versions?
- Editing the init file (for those interested)
- World generation & choosing a location.
- How to start playing and get a basic fortress up and running?
- perhaps some advanced stuff like farming & irrigation

It could also be in a reviewish form, just to promote this fantastic game.

I love this thing so much that I even concidered making a donation to the author.
But perhaps I could be of help by getting more people to play the game.

 

[Guest]

PJ: Wouldn't it be cool to stea... uh... seize items from the elven caravan?
Damn treehuggers won't buy my lovingly crafted bone items anyway.
What do I care if they declare one or two wars on me? Or twelve...