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[CrucibleofWords]

I'm working on an above-ground fort, and now that I've got a wall and a gatehouse I think it's about time to start building actual buildings.  Apart from walkable battlements added to the walls, I have three potential strategies i mind:

1) completely separate buildings for most things, with dwarves living in a main "keep" and going to work elsewhere
2) workshops connected to the keep by walled walkways, only entrance point to anywhere is via the keep
3) everything built within a central building, no attempt to modularise

What do people think? Any other suggestions?

[WoobMonkey]

[shameless plug]

You might like to watch this thread.

Not only are my personal (and somewhat uninspired, tbh) designs there - there are others working their magic on the same embark, with pictures and stories to come!

[/shameless plug]

[Guvnah]

I ran wallless topside for 5 years until I got a 100ish goblin siege and finally built a wall.
Still running now at year 7 with less attack angles. 
It is more or less a village set up with all buildings separate and paved between. Each building type handles its own industry exclusively (except cloth,leather,gems,bone ~ which share a larger multipurpose craft shop) Also added some underground roads (the only thing underground) so we can stay active in a siege.


What I have learned and some design stuff:

If you like roads, make floors instead so you can put stuff on them later.
Disregard clay, it is undwarfly.
Longland grass is king.
Being on a tropical shore is super cool to watch since you will actually be topside to see the waves and sealife.
Fishing and hunting seem actually worthwhile topside.
Kobolds are super annoying with separate buildings.
Duplex cottages are criminally inefficient housing. A well designed condo facility (take note of walls between z-levels going up  ) is much nicer.



I vote separate buildings for you, otherwise what is the point of being topside really ? A bunker is a bunker right ?

[lwCoyote]

I know, the thread is a couple of months old, but I figured I'd chime in..

I've been working on some top-side ideas, specifically one that kinda has a tattooine feel; I channel out an area but leave some earth areas untouched for housing.. so its kinda like underground but at the same time above ground. I was somewhat inspired by the ancient temples in eithiopia actually, they're really quite fascinating. Of course, they're less so in dwarf fortress, heh. And unfortunately you can't smooth or engrave dirt :\

Actually, for that matter why can't you engrave constructed walls? That seems like an oversight

[Kipi]

Actually, for that matter why can't you engrave constructed walls? That seems like an oversight

Not an oversight, but something that is likely to be implemented later. IIRC the issue with engraving constructed walls is the case of deconstruction; what happens to engravings at that point? Would the engravings be saved in stone/block? Or should the game consider the deconstruction as carvings being destroyed (unhappy thoughts)?

I remember reading somewhere that Toady hasn't decided how to handle those situations yet, so that's why it hasn't been implemented.