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[Tabbyman]

http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-11270

This fortress is my most streamlined, efficient, fastest developed fort yet. After 4 or 5 years of operation, I've got spoiler metal up the wazoo, no need for masonry, a huge tree farm, a simple isolationist entrance...

20 military dwarves who are just backup incase I need to un-isolate myself a bit.

The original intent was to create lots of awesome stuff for a dwarven adventurer, and I still intend to add to it (like cavern access and training possibilities).

It ended up being pretty much my best fortress even though I didn't intend to focus on the fortress mode part.

It's not fancy and OCD to the degree I've seen in some long time pro's maps.

I'm interested to hear what some of you other DF folks would do differently in your style of fortress design. Not like there's anything explicitly wrong with my style. I just want to hear some different ideas from the wild imaginations of the dwarfiest people on the internet.

Edit: Adding one image... my unit screen.


Excuse the funny profession names. (D) stands for healthy non-vampiric booze drinking dwarf. D for Dwarf or Drinking.

"Broker Mugger" means he was making mugs between opportunities to be a broker... I think he's a legendary stonecrafter.

Only 3 or 4 dwarves aren't blinking...

[CaptainArchmage]

Alright, it looks like you have a reasonable entrance. I'd recommend cage traps at the front, weapon traps in the middle, and cage traps at the back. You should probably get your depot either aboveground, or underground with at least a 3-tile wide non-trapped route leading to it, and if possible a 7-tile wide untrapped route. This will allow you to get wagons. For this you'll need to use ramps, as wagons cannot go down stairs.

Be careful with the tree farm - I get that you didn't have more than 1 level of soil, but if constructions collapse above ground they will punch through. Generally I put my tree farms on the 3rd and 4th z-levels of soil, because that prevents cave-ins punching through the bottoms of murky pools.

You might want to try out wider main staircases on the fort, which will expedite traffic going up and down. Installing more doors can help you deal with major flooding accidents or invasions as well.

Other than that, good job!

[Loud Whispers]

If I were running it, I'd make the entrance bigger and add fortifications everywhere. Maybe add sentries outside too, so it's less likely that you'll be having to fight across your stairways, and give you more time to prepare for ambushes.
Also, floor hatches.

In brief, you have everything in order and nothing seems to be about to cause fortress death.

[flieroflight]

In brief, you have everything in order and nothing seems to be about to cause fortress death.

And as such the countdown until something completely unexpected screwing you over has begun.

[Graebeard]

Looks like you have a stable, if not architecturally ambitious fort.  I agree with the earlier comments about the Depot.  For added challenge make sure that wagons can access it at all times.

If you're looking for a challenge I highly recommend large above-ground constructions for your thralls to live and play in.  Be sure to incorporate plenty of water and magma into the design.

[Tabbyman]

Alright, it looks like you have a reasonable entrance. I'd recommend cage traps at the front, weapon traps in the middle, and cage traps at the back. You should probably get your depot either aboveground, or underground with at least a 3-tile wide non-trapped route leading to it, and if possible a 7-tile wide untrapped route. This will allow you to get wagons. For this you'll need to use ramps, as wagons cannot go down stairs.

Be careful with the tree farm - I get that you didn't have more than 1 level of soil, but if constructions collapse above ground they will punch through. Generally I put my tree farms on the 3rd and 4th z-levels of soil, because that prevents cave-ins punching through the bottoms of murky pools.

You might want to try out wider main staircases on the fort, which will expedite traffic going up and down. Installing more doors can help you deal with major flooding accidents or invasions as well.

Other than that, good job!

I usually do cage traps at the front, but I hate dealing with caged everything. Becomes a lot of work to empty them out.

I also did a nice wagon trail last time, but I've found that after trading once or twice I really have no need for caravans. There's loads of caravan goods sitting outside along with corpses of merchants and the likes... I had to open up ONCE and send my military out to guard my smith on a mood as he went out to grab some llama wool.

Good point with the collapsing. I never thought of that. Good thing I have no desire to collapse anything up there! (or build on the surface at all)

I like to have my depot within a few steps of my craftsdwarfs workshops so I only have to haul a million mugs in one short burst.

I also used to do wider staircases, 3x3. 2x2 has worked for me since I started doing it though, especially considering I keep my pop down to 50.

Not trying to be defensive. Just saying I understand your points and agree that I'd do those things if it suited me.

Edit: Just remembered a time I dug out a portion of the ceiling and it collapsed below and put holes through a few levels and killed a dwarf, a long way back. That was fun.

Edit again: I must be stoned or something. My staircase isn't as wide as I thought. Hasn't been giving me problems though.

[Tabbyman]

Looks like you have a stable, if not architecturally ambitious fort.  I agree with the earlier comments about the Depot.  For added challenge make sure that wagons can access it at all times.

If you're looking for a challenge I highly recommend large above-ground constructions for your thralls to live and play in.  Be sure to incorporate plenty of water and magma into the design.

Last time I built above ground I had it open enough for an aboveground farm. One little titan came in and slaughtered all 10 steel-equipped swordmasters. Then again, that titan spat webs...

Complete isolation from the surface to me translates to safety as long as I don't pop open a hole deep down.

[Tabbyman]

If I were running it, I'd make the entrance bigger and add fortifications everywhere. Maybe add sentries outside too, so it's less likely that you'll be having to fight across your stairways, and give you more time to prepare for ambushes.
Also, floor hatches.

In brief, you have everything in order and nothing seems to be about to cause fortress death.

I think if I were to expand my entrance defenses, I'd make a very long underground entrance hallway with fortifications and training grounds behind the fortifications for marksdwarves, and training grounds within the main entrance hallway for melee units (right after a bend of course).

Or I'd just make a reeeeally long hallway chamber for everything to pile into, with plates near the end to shut it, and a pipe full of magma leading to the chamber. (and a drain and pumps to recycle magma into a cistern for the trap)

I'm ashamed to admit I've never had magma defenses before.

As for not making use of fortifications, that habit died during the period of time during which marksdwarves were a pain in the ass. The reason I have hammerdwarves right now though is I was considering training them into marksdwarves after they're totally elite.