Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Centigrade]

I was just perusing the Wiki and going over the formulas for item value. From what I can see, the default value of any decoration is 10, prior to material multipliers and quality multipliers. This value for the decoration is then added to the value of the item it decorates; so, for example, you might have a masterwork (×12) steel (×30) wheelbarrow (50), worth 18,000☼, with masterwork (×12) gold (×30) studs (10), worth 3,600☼, for a resulting ☼«☼steel wheel barrow☼»☼ worth 21,600☼. That looks like a good deal, but for the same materials we could instead build two masterwork quality wheel barrows, one gold and one steel, each worth 18,000☼; thereby, we would gain 36,000☼ from our two bars of material rather than merely 21,600. I have looked through a few combinations of materials, and it seems like there is generally something more profitable than decorations to use for a given material. So why would you make them, except during strange moods? Not only do you get more total wealth from making items rather than decorations but also you get more individual stuff: more bins to store things in, more clothes for dwarfs to wear, more weapons to hit things with, or whatever.

If there are some examples I have overlooked of materials for which using them as decorations (base item value 10) is more profitable than to use them to create individual items, then please let me know!

Thanks in advance.

[Tirion]

You use stuff you wouldn't use otherwise. Encrust with gems, decorate with bone, decorate with hoof. Especially gems, since the rest can be made into crafts.

[Centigrade]

You use stuff you wouldn't use otherwise. Encrust with gems, decorate with bone, decorate with hoof. Especially gems, since the rest can be made into crafts.

Gems make sense, since you can't turn them into anything else besides decorations (10) and windows (×25 for 3, so approx. ×8.3).

Another thing that potentially makes sense is Obsidian, since you can either turn it into a rock (×3) short sword (10), also requiring a log (×1) to yield an item worth 30☼; or, you can turn it into a rock (×3) cabochon (10), also worth 30☼ but saving you a log.

[BLurghh]

I have been wondering this as well, and my conclusion was that when you decorate, you get less items. For bins and wheelbarrows, you would want more items, it's better to have a lower quantity of items with the same total value. If you only want to make bedrooms four tiles big, but you still want those bedrooms to be legendary, you're going to need to decorate your furniture. Another issue is weight. A trade caravan has a limited amount of weight it can carry. Since decorations add no weight, it is sometimes more useful to have your trade goods decorated instead of using the same materials to make more cinnabar crafts. Less hauling, too.

[Oaktree]

Decorating will also change "ownership" status and thus fortress wealth values.  That goblin robe worth a few dwarfbucks counts as "imported".  Sew on a leather design and it is fortress-made and thus adds to fortress wealth and export value when you trade it to the elves.

[Gentlefish]

And with obsidian, you can turn them into obsidian goblets, with a guaranteed 3 goblets (30*3) for a total of 90 DB, each decoratable.

[Button]

Since decorations add no weight

Has this been confirmed?

I was going to do some science with studding war hammers with slade, but if it's already known...

[joeclark77]

So why would you make them, except during strange moods?

Because they're glorious?

[slothen]

Fortress wealth is boring.  Its more fun to get individual items to a high value.  There are a few reasons for this.  Maximizing the value per raw material input can be nice, but most of the time its not very important.  Besides, decorations have the chance to show elves being killed by Rocs and such, and that's fun.

[Akura]

Fortress wealth is boring.  Its more fun to get individual items to a high value.  There are a few reasons for this.  Maximizing the value per raw material input can be nice, but most of the time its not very important.  Besides, decorations have the chance to show elves being killed by Rocs and such, and that's fun.

"On the item is an image of Elfy McPansy the elf and Fluffy Disembowelabbeys the Roc in obsidian. Elfy McPansy is petting Fluffy Disembowelabbeys. Fluffy Disembowelabbeys is ripping out Elfy McPansy's chest. The artwork relates to the killing of Elfy McPansy the elf by Fluffy Disembowelabbeys the Roc in the year 353 because Elfy McPansy was dumb enough to think it's a good idea to pet a Roc with over 200 elf kills and over 500 total."

Decorating will also change "ownership" status and thus fortress wealth values.  That goblin robe worth a few dwarfbucks counts as "imported".  Sew on a leather design and it is fortress-made and thus adds to fortress wealth and export value when you trade it to the elves.

Also note that the ownership change also lets you offer the item as a gift, a pointless act unless you're trying to get a king.

[Loud Whispers]

Another thing that potentially makes sense is Obsidian, since you can either turn it into a rock (×3) short sword (10), also requiring a log (×1) to yield an item worth 30☼; or, you can turn it into a rock (×3) cabochon (10), also worth 30☼ but saving you a log.

Rock => Mechanisms

Mechanisms are always useful and they're worth loads. Turning rocks into cabochons is useful for three reasons:

• Windows
• Storage
• Decoration

[Larix]

Statues also have an increased base value (25 before multipliers) and are quite useful for prettying up your fort.

Other than gems, i only decorate with materials i just want to get rid of. When i have easily enough bolts and clothes for a full year, i might just decorate with bones and cloth (turning bones into crafts is boring and doesn't really generate that much wealth), but i also like to create single high-value objects, either furniture for legendary rooms or some kinds of finished goods for hoarding. It's always nice to be able to finish the mill using an artefact millstone with a heavily encrusted door that takes a full page to describe.