So, yeah, I'm getting back into DF after a long bout of not playing,and something that's annoying the crap out of me is the dwarven habit of throwing long LONG parties.
Basically the notion is this: that players have control over parties. Dwarves get progressively more and more unhappy the longer they go without a party, and you throw them parties to keep them entertained.
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When you throw a party at a designated Meeting Place, you have the following options:
1.) Dwarves invited: All / Non-Critical / On Break / Idle / Invite-only
"All" invites every dwarf in the fort regardless of what their job is or what jobs come up after the party starts. Dwarves may wander away from the party if they are specially "bound by duty" (personality type), but most will not. Pretty much the way it works now.
"Non-critical" means that dwarves will party unless a time-critical event comes up, for example, harvesting plants or pulling levers. Dwarves involved with food processing are also considered critical.
"On break" means that all dwarves who go on break will hit the party instead of wandering around being bored. When their break is over, they go back to regular work. Their break starts when they reach the party, not when they stop working. Includes dwarves who are idle.
"Idle" includes only dwarves who have no job to do. If they find a job, they will leave the party.
"Invite-only" allows you to set up a whitelist of dwarves that the party is for. Only these dwarves are allowed to be at the party, and they are considered to be under the effect of the "All" setting (i.e., they won't wander away to pull levers, it's their party and they're staying as long as possible).
Basically this setting controls who is allowed to be at the party at a given time, NOT who is allowed to start the party. In other words, if you set the party to be only for Idle dwarves, then anybody who finishes their work and becomes idle after the party starts will attend the party.
2.) Refreshments: *2 / *1.5 / *1
Exactly as it says. If you set this to *1.5 or *2, your dwarves consume beverages and food faster than normal.
Also, once the party has begun, you will get a data line that shows how many weeks it's been going on.
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The purpose of the party is to generate happy thoughts. Dwarves must attend a party at least once per year for a cumulative week, or they get an unhappy thought. Having more and longer parties than this will make make them happier. The amount of happiness they get depends on...
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Things that make a good party for all dwarves:
- Offering more food and drink
- A party area just large enough for all attendees
- An opulent/impressive party area
- Running the party longer
Things that make a bad party for all dwarves:
- Party is too short
- Party is too crowded (dwarves standing on eachother)
Things that make a party better for a single dwarf:
- Staying long spans of contiguous time instead of having to wander in and out a lot
- Party is attended by friends or spouse
Things that make a party worse for a single dwarf:
- Party is attended by dwarves they dislike
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Parties begin mainly as a player action. "Begin party". Easy enough. Once you decide that the party has run long enough, you "End Party" and everybody gets back to do whatever they were doing.
Dwarves who are very unhappy and have not attended a party lately may take matters into their own hands, and throw a party with the "On break" criteria. They end the party when they are no longer unhappy. They get a significant unhappy thought if you end the party before they are ready to leave.
Another special case is dwarves who become married may decide to throw a short invite-only party for their friends.
The party also ends if you run out of food or alcohol.
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That's about it. Begin discussion.