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[RPB]

By the time you get a second batch of immigrants, those job titles don't cut it and remembering 30-40+ dwarven names doesn't work. Is "<random>, Farmer" a brewer, a cook, a field hand, a butcher, or just a woodcutter who happens to have a little bit of farming experience? You really can't tell at a glance, and you should be able to. At the very least more specific profession names should be used, but it would be better if players had a way of assigning titles or nicknames to keep track of individual dwarves better.

[ August 17, 2006: Message edited by: RPB ]

[Baro]

That and/or a better 'unit list' screen.

Like name, current job, active skills (abreviated as they couldn't all be listed)

then if you press tab or something, it would show the same list but showing what items they had.

Ah.. about the skill list.  We can do even better than that.

A fairly clear short form/abreviation for every skill.  The list would show all the dwarves skills.  Gray for sub-novice, light gray for beyond novice, white for compotent and above.  Then, have the skill highlighed green or something to show if the dwarf has that job activated.

This way, at a glance, we can see what a dwarf is good at and if they are using it.

Perhaps even using the arrow keys be able to move the cursor on top of the skills in the list to activate/disable right from the list.

[John Gaden]

I think you should just let me rename my damn dwarves, or atleast assign them professions/title names of my own, as opposed to what they come with. "I dont care how many jewels you made before you came here, now youre a rock hauler and only a rock hauler!"   :p

[karnot]

quote: A fairly clear short form/abreviation for every skill.

Um...do you really believe there is space for that in 80x25 resolution ? Because you know, there are 30+ skills the dwarf has.

 

quote: assign them professions/title names of my own, as opposed to what they come with. "I dont care how many jewels you made before you came here, now youre a rock hauler and only a rock hauler!"

Now THAT is a great idea. I find it very nice that they are named by their highest skill, but as the number of dwarves goes up it will ultimately lead to huge confusions and time spent on looking who-can-do-what-and-what-did-you-set-for-him.
So...i concur that idea, but their highest skill should be mentioned somehow. If you make a jeweler into a rock hauler, and you have 10 rock haulers, how will you find a skilled jeweler when you need him ? Mm ?

[ August 17, 2006: Message edited by: karnot ]

[John Gaden]

Well, it's common sense that i wouldnt rename my jeweler to a rock hauler. I'd have someone else be a dedicated rock hauler. But it would be mainly to avoid the amount of "Dwarf Name, Miner" and "Dwarf name, Peasants" that are crowding up my unit list. Because i tend to take all my peasants and just ignore the title, giving each peasant a different set of skills. And yes, they do eventually become renamed after so much use of that skill, it'd be entirely easier to just rename them my self. This way i could have Dwarf Rock Hauler 1, Dwarf Rock Hauler 2, etc., and append anything else important onto the name, or just have an easier way of remembering who does what. And yes, i do name characters in games things like "Rock Hauler/Jeweler #2."   :p

[polpoint]

but it is so much fun trying to remember which of the 8 Kips was your competent blood smearer!

kip dinglhop
or kip doodldknock
or kip dandersnot

I like the level/lack of control we currently have, but I do agree that the names of my dwarves are extremely forgettable

[John Gaden]

Yea, i like the level of uncontrol we have at the moment, thats what really makes fort mode what it is. But, with the current system, its either i haphazardly try and have (blurred)job distinctions between the dwarves and try my bes to remember who does what, or all of my dwarves are forced to play mcguyver.

[Capntastic]

I think that the Unit List should be viewable from different ways.   Being able to have all 50 or so of your guys sorted by how skilled they are at their profession, or being able to make your own groups.

Just imagine having a set of dwarves that acted more or less like a chain gang of miners, and being able to keep track of them at all times and ensure they're always at work.  That would make organization a bit easier.

[Mirsha]

One of the ways to improve the skills as well would be grouping them up under headings letting you flick them on and off more easy to make micro managing somewhat less tedious. These groups could then be shown on a listing screen in a little coloumn abbreviated to simple letters so you could tell at a glance what roles dwarves have set.

[bbb]

just incorporate user assigned nicknames?

[Toady One]

Yeah, I think the nicknames seem reasonable -- especially since some others wanted such a thing to differentiate unnamed foes (or named ones) in adv mode.  There was a req lying around for better profession names, though that could also be typeable without a problem.  So you could have, say,

Aliz Kazandul, Trapper

or

SoonDead, DumbAss

It could also display the nicks along with the actual names.  Simples display options for that maybe.