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[Seconis]

So I just started up a new game of Dwarf Fortress after being away for a year or two. The first thing that I noticed was that my muscle memory was still top notch for all of the commands; odd how that is. But the thing that brought me back to playing, besides the fact that it's an awesome game, is that I wanted to do an outside fort.

What I mean by this is that all workshops, barracks, homes, and every other thing are all outside in little buildings. There are taverns, messhalls, throne rooms, and the like all set up as a human city would be. The only things that are below ground are storage areas and farms. 

Has anyone else ever tried this?

[Mushroo]

Yup, lots of info here: http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Challenge

[Coalwalker]

My current fortress is somewhat following this. Belowground are the bedrooms and storage, plus a few underground farms, while the rest of the fort is an aboveground structure.

Spoiler: Urdim Duthnur (click to show/hide)

(I thought it would look cooler before stonesense revealed its lameness. Taller wall and buildings next time...)

There are aboveground farms for whip vine and sunberry, and the main dining hall is on the second floor, above the barracks. I can only imagine the migrants' terror. "What is that?! Why is it so high?! We have to live in that?"

[WealthyRadish]

I usually go for the castle approach rather than an open village. A wall or moat will be useful in any case, unless you've got invaders off and are in an nonthreatening area.

That said, it can be done without defenses, particularly if all civilians (sans miners/woodcutters/hunters) are given a crossbow, shield, and light armor. Dedicated military dorfs will still be needed to break most sieges, though. I find it a much more interesting way to play than the usual turtling underground, and find building structures is much more fun than digging them out (well, if it wasn't so annoyingly bugged and tedious).

[Loud Whispers]

There are two really awesome ways you can go about this without simply building a castle. One would be to build a town with several buildings, all connected by paved roads.

Orrrr.... A gigantic metropolis Fortress city.

Both are nice.

[Langolier]

I'm currently embarked near an ocean. There was a nice little spot on the beach where i've set up a small fishing village and the duchess is getting a nice big sprawling beachhouse. I just am really paranoid about ambushes until I can get the walls up or otherwise secure the area. I usually wait to build outdoors until I have an army of masons on hand. Then they can promptly get interrupted by vultures for five hundred years. ugh.

[Newbunkle]

The community games forum has a few of these if you want to have a look at them. The only ones I know by name are Murderfarmed 1 & 2.

[vanatteveldt]

You can also build an above-ground fortress by digging out. You can even have cool 'hanging gardens' by leaving some of the top soil on the 'highest buildings' (ie the ones in the soil layer)

[Preytor]

I always play as human fortress with humans (cause i'm tired of raise the bridge and no ones can kill me, or every time when I start a fortress dig a bit, and everyone is safe).

I recommend you start in a place with clay (because you will need it a lot for masonry stuff like walls and buildings, if you don't want to dig), wood is forbidden for building (or not recommended, cause it takes lot of years for grown and you will need a lot)

I always play embarking only with an anvil and one stone block (to make the kiln), farms and animals (dogs and cats can be free, inside of the walls) outside the walls, stockpiles and that stuff can be stacked inside the walls (in sieges you will pray for help if you dont have an army, or you will starve to death, avoiding raise the bridge and ignoring the goblins outside), the mine must be outside of the walls too.

screens of some photos of my fortress

Spoiler (click to show/hide)