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[Walkaboutout]

While I'm sure this can't be the first time someone has discovered this, I didn't see anything specifically related to doing this in any threads, so I thought I'd just drop a comment here about it.

So I had a bowyer strange mood, and of course he was trying to make a wooden bow/crossbow/blowgun. I wanted to make it out of highwood, so I forbid all but highwood before he started, but he wouldn't take any wood. He wanted a specific type, in this case tower-cap.

So, being the sometimes spiteful overseer I am, I let him gather his materials, which consisted of two tower-cap logs, some dolomite, and rough and cut gems, and start work on his creation. As soon as he started, I hit "t" and looked at the materials he was working on in the workshop, and promptly forbid the two tower-cap logs. "Make your crossbow now, mr. tower-cap user!!"

I figured he'd just go insane, and that the job would not complete at all. Or at least, something along those lines. But, loe and behold, Urist McTower-cap did indeed finish his creation. Except, we ended up with an iron bow.

Iron, while it is in my fort, wasn't even one of the materials he gathered for the job. I would have thought that, if he didn't go insane and did indeed complete the job, that at the least it would have used one of the other materials he gathered for the job (even if not normally available for whatever craft being made, such as a bow).

This has made me very curious. Thanks to this guy, the next several strange moods I get, those poor dwarves are going to have the main material for their item forbidden by me, after they begin construction, in the name of Science. I would like to see if it just chooses a random appropriate material when the strange mooder loses the main material once the job has started, or whether its always iron by default, etc.

[Loam]

Probably iron by default. Iron is the first material defined in the raws; as such, it appears a lot when proper materials aren't available, etc.
Now, if you change the raws to define adamantine first...

[Walkaboutout]

Ahhhhh! I wondered if perhaps it would always be iron, and if so, I figured it might be for exactly the reason you just stated; that it was probably the first definition in the raw file. Thanks a ton for the info Loam! Because as you said, it's time to consider putting something exotic, like Adamantine, at top. Just for giggles and all really. I like the game's challenge and don't generally want to make things easier on myself within the game, but there's still some fun to be had there .

[MonkeyHead]

Yeah, the "everything turns to iron bug" has reared its head in some funny places over the years, my favourite one being egg layers producing iron chairs...

Of course, there is nothing stopping you putting a really silly material first in the RAW's to end up with an artefact make from something properly bonkers.

[Walkaboutout]

LOL, classic Dwarf Fortress. I was thinking exactly that. Adamantine would be fun in certain super material ways, but something else like eggs or play-doh or something ridiculous will certainly contribute to further giggles while waiting impatiently for the new release.

[slothen]

im sure you already know this, but the best way to control mood materials is through burrows.

[Yaur]

LOL, classic Dwarf Fortress. I was thinking exactly that. Adamantine would be fun in certain super material ways, but something else like eggs or play-doh or something ridiculous will certainly contribute to further giggles while waiting impatiently for the new release.

Or slade in the hopes of some crazy warhammer...

[Ravendarksky]

IF you let him pick the first thing and then forbid it after he has picked the second thing then he would have gone and gotten the desired wood type.

Doing this allows you to control exactly what they use to make something... although it is a bit more fiddly for the last ingredient.

[AwesomenessDog]

FloppyBlade
"This is a leather short sword. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It menaces with spikes of Elf Tallow soap, and is adorned with goblinite. On the item is an image of a dwarf in the fetal position. The artwork relates to the death of Urist McDwarf by StompyHooves, the elephant."