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[targetstar]

if i know my area has flux, and also iron, (from found befor) should i or should i not make Iron armor, and go straight for Steel

[GiglameshDespair]

If you are short on fuel or expeieranced metalworkers, use iron. If you can make good stuff without wasting steel, do that instead.

[i2amroy]

Go straight for steel. Iron is only a tiny bit better then bronze for most purposes.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Go straight for steel. Iron is only a tiny bit better then bronze for most purposes.

I've heard that iron is WORSE than bronze.

[vassock]

Only reason to use iron is if you don't have flux. Flux is hard to import. Fuel is renewable (trees) so it's not a limitation.

[Hurkyl]

Only reason to use iron is if you don't have flux. Flux is hard to import. Fuel is renewable (trees) so it's not a limitation.

Trees only grow so fast. And harvesting them costs dwarf time (and dwarves!). And there's time spent hauling trees (and flux) and time smelting. Space to store bars and flux locally. And human time spent managing the process.

If you're in a situation where all those things are 'free', then go ahead and make the steel. But when these costs aren't free, steel is many, many times more expensive, costing 5 times as many smelter tasks and 9 times as many trees, and that can be a deciding factor. If you can do without for the time being, you can always make the steel later when you do have the spare resources, and melt down the old iron stuff.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Magma reduces need for charcoal. So does coal.

[targetstar]

Ok... so go mine and make charcoal... while im w8ting for that, have my metal workers make a SHIZ LOAD OF COPPER STUFF (cause i always have ton from the thankful goblins), but magna... im always to scared to go deep enuff to get it ><, so Coal and charcoal it is... the only thing i always import is Leather so i can see if i can get some extra flux ><

tx for the help guys

[thiosk]

Magma reduces need for charcoal. So does coal.

I just wish I Could find coal around.  Seems to be nowhere.  I've taken to dropping an exploratory shaft in the first year to pierce the magma sea and hopefully as few caverns on the way as possible.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Magma reduces need for charcoal. So does coal.

I just wish I Could find coal around.  Seems to be nowhere.  I've taken to dropping an exploratory shaft in the first year to pierce the magma sea and hopefully as few caverns on the way as possible.

Well, good luck.

[zwei]

If you are short on fuel or experienced metalworkers, use iron. If you can make good stuff without wasting steel, do that instead.

Steel is not wasted even for training. You get one steel bar for one unit of iron ore, so working steel and recycling it by melting gives you exactly same amount of material to work with as if you just used iron. With bonus of actually having steel equipment for milita since day 1 of metalworking industries.