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[JustinKace]

Hey all, only been playing about a week and happy with the slow pace that I am learning the game at, but I do have one question I'd love to have answered.

When you start and you change the size of the area you are occupying with your fortress, does it actually make a difference? I have chosen big ones, medium ones, small ones and they all seem to be displayed as the same size once it goes in to DF mode. The mini map appears to be the same dimensions no matter what the size and shape of the initial starting location. I have to wonder if it cropped or something, as I am using regional prospector and often when it shows a couple of lava vents the actual map doesn't have any.

Any enlightenment would be great.  

[JustinKace]

Hmph, not just for magma either, chasms that are supposedly included in the playing area are suspiciously absent too. It's getting really frustrating actually. I spend more time looking for a suitable starting location than I do playing the game.  

[Kagus]

The vents are there.  There are two reasons you might not be seeing them:  

1) It is indeed a magma caldera (two squiggles), but there's a shelf over it.  Look down a couple levels and it should show up.

2) It is a magma pocket or pipe (one squiggle), which means it is buried deep underground.  You obviously can't see those.

As for the minimap, the dimensions remain the same.  However, that does not mean the map itself remains the same size.

The map has a certain amount of space it is allowed to use in order to display itself, and it cannot scroll.  Instead, it shows the dominating features of each block, in order to create a general feel for the terrain.  The map most certainly has different sizes, just start looking from one end to the other.  

You'll find that looking from one end of a 2x2 embark area is a significantly shorter trip than between the edges of a 6x6.  Or, test out a 2x6 and see the differences in height versus width.

[JustinKace]

Thank you Kagus. I was scrolling through all Z levels but I assumed that as I can sometimes see magma when it is present, I would always be able to see magma when it is present. So the difference in single and double squiggles is that one is always visible on the starting map and the other is not?

[JustinKace]

Also I read somewhere that there was a way of setting world generation so it made a smaller world, but I cant for the life of me find it again in the forums or wiki. I don't remember which I saw it on either...

[John]

^ It's actually pretty simple, really.  Just go to the front menu and generate a new world with parameters.  One of those will be world size.

[JustinKace]

Not simple enough for me it seems. It could be I'm just intellectually challenged, but all I get is a bunch of esoteric looking options. The only one that I can find that might be headed in the right direction is the 'new param set' option. However that just adds a thing titled NEW that I cant seem to do anything with.

[Ma]

In order to choose the size of a world to generate, you have to use the latest version, i.e. v0.27.176.38c.

Do you ?

[JustinKace]

Ah. No. I have 38a. How often are new versions popped out?

[Anti-Paragon]

Recently, about one every other week.
Keep tabs on the latest development page to find out when a new one pops up.

[JustinKace]

Brilliant, thanks all for your help.  

[Crafty Barnardo]

quote:Originally posted by Anti-Paragon:
<STRONG>Recently, about one every other week.
Keep tabs on the latest development page to find out when a new one pops up.</STRONG>

Actually, if you really want to keep up with new versions, click here.

[ March 04, 2008: Message edited by: Crafty Barnardo ]

[numerobis]

quote:Originally posted by JustinKace:
<STRONG>Not simple enough for me it seems. It could be I'm just intellectually challenged, but all I get is a bunch of esoteric looking options.</STRONG>

Ignore all the esoteric options on the lower-left.  Look up at the upper-right, where it says things like STANDARD and POCKET.

[Oh, and yeah, you need 38b or 38c; that's a very new option.]

[ March 04, 2008: Message edited by: benoit.hudson ]

[Kagus]

Upper-right, not lower-left.