Print

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

[schlake]

Ordinary dwarves are frustrating little beards.  They wander around going to parties, hanging out at the wagon, mass-fighting kea, and generally being lousy at doing what I want them to do.  If they do finally go perform some task I want done, they are slow about it, and keep stopping to drink.

So, foolishly thinking I'd be improving my dwarves, I tried out the cheat for making all of them legendary in every skill.  At least, I though, when they did bother to do something I wanted, they would be good at it.

I chose an embark, 2 picks, one axe, some food and alcohol.  And seven dwarves who were simply perfect at everything they do.

I designated some trees to be cut down, some underground areas to be mined out, some workshops to be built, and I gleefully hit pause, certain that my super-dwarves would get something done sooner than later.

...

It turns out that dwarves who are legendary at everything are retired.  And just like real retired people, dwarves go fishing.  All seven of them leapt out of the wagon and ran to the river where they fished.  No one cut trees.  No one dug the fortress.  No one built any workshops.  All seven of them simply fished and did nothing else.

You just can't win against the dwarves.

[Descan]

I've found that any dwarf with fishing enabled will do practically nothing else, so if that guy has the labour enabled, better not have any other task for him because it'll never get done.

[Albedo]

7 generalists with all labors enabled all the time is going to fail, anyone could tell you that. DF is about specializing in labor, even if not in skill.

On Embark, you don't need or want anyone who Hunts, Fishes, or (pro'ly) Gathers Plants - there are more important things to do, even if they have that skill available to use.

Use Dwarf Therapist and pick and choose the priorities and labors for each dwarf, things will go better.

[NJW2000]

I think this was more of a moral tale or fable, than an actual problem.

[Airgeoff]

Definitely agree about the fishing bit.  I always disable that labor for everyone,  at least until I get the time to construct a safe fishing zone.  I find though that having an herbalist (plant gatherer) to be rather useful as they can immediately gather berries, dye plants, and thread producing plants.  Not that food is a problem but I like the idea of a fort that's established so recently living off the land.  Seems more realistic.

[Shonai_Dweller]

Use Dwarf Therapist and pick and choose the priorities and labors for each dwarf, things will go better.

I know it's the chosen route for many around here, but you can do this without Therapist too. Just saying...

[Pirate Bob]

Also, the same is true for hunting as for fishing.  Although not quite as maniacally devoted to hunting as fishing, hunters won't do much else if you let them hunt.

This story would have been much more !FUN! in the days of !CARP!.

[evileeyore]

Definitely agree about the fishing bit.  I always disable that labor for everyone,  at least until I get the time to construct a safe fishing zone.  I find though that having an herbalist (plant gatherer) to be rather useful as they can immediately gather berries, dye plants, and thread producing plants.  Not that food is a problem but I like the idea of a fort that's established so recently living off the land.  Seems more realistic.

It's also a good source of brewables and seeds for further expanding your farming.