Firstly: Hello, all! I've been gone for quite a while from the forums due to a lack of a decent computer, so I'd like to start out by saying I'm glad to be back! I've got a new rig that actually gives me excellent FPS on just about every map I've tried, bless its electronic heart. Despite being able to play all the shiniest new games with my 512mb graphics card, I find myself continuously wanting to go back to DF.. so here I am. Go figure.
On to the topic:
Coming back to playing the game after a long absence has forced me to rethink some of my methods, especially pertaining to industry, goods production, and storage.
In the past, I have been continuously infuriated by the lack of material selection with masonry, carpentry, et cetera. Most experienced players will already be familiar with the problem of their mason ignoring the perfectly good obsidian stockpile five squares away, only so they can make an epic cross-country trek across the entire map to get something two Z-levels above them.
Now, I've tried solving this problem by means of a large 'workshop' with several sealed-off stockpiles (example: http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-2348-templemine - see Z-level 15). This works to some degree, but only if you're willing to micromanage the entire process extensively. After much experimentation, I've honestly found that a lot of the time it's more trouble than it's worth.
Today, though, something came to me. The problems with the solution as shown above are the following:
-- Despite having access to intended stockpiles on their current Z-level, dwarves will still favor stockpiles 'nearer' to them on the surrounding Z-levels, even if that means walking across the entire map several times to access different stairs/ramps.
-- In order to try and solve the above-mentioned problem, the player is forced to continuously lock the offending dwarf in/out of their workshop.
-- Because of the above solution, restocking the workshop frequently becomes, in layman's terms, a pain in the arse because it is impossible to restock the workshop while the dwarf is present (because allowing haulers access to the shop allows the idiot craftsdwarf access to the outside world and, thusly, the 'nearby' materials on adjacent Z-levels).
-- Even if you have this system fine-tuned, you can never entirely prevent the dwarf's 'first' item in a work order from being made out of something other than what you want (since they'll grab the nearest item when they GET the work order by default, not when they arrive at their shop).
After considering all of this, I came up with the following solution. It does not entirely solve the conundrum, and in fact creates some complications of its own, but :
1.) Dig out a workshop complex suiting your personal needs on a subterranean Z-level. This Z-level should ideally be located BETWEEN the area where you're getting your raw material (above) and the area where you will be depositing the finished product (below). Within this complex you will need living quarters for your worker dwarf, small food/drink stockpiles, and probably a way back to the rest of your fortress that can be sealed off (I'll go into this further in a moment).
2.) Create 'onloading' and 'offloading' areas within the complex by digging channels on the above Z-level and the complex Z-level. These 'chutes' should have dumping zones next to them so that your dwarves will throw D-designated items into the channels. These chutes should be in passages that can be locked off to prevent dwarves from dumping undesirable objects into them.
3.) Get your dwarven worker into the complex and seal the little bugger in. Theoretically you should be able to actually wall him in if your system is properly set up, but it might be a good idea to install a locked door to allow for fine-tuning (at least at first).
4.) From now on, your dwarf should never see their bearded brethren. When you need the dwarf to produce an item, unlock the door to the incoming chute, designate raw materials for dumping, unforbid them once they're dumped, and let him/her go to work. When the order is finished, have the dwarf dump the finished product in the outgoing chute, where (after being unforbidden) hauler-dwarves on the stockpile level will bring it to its proper destination. Food, drink, and any other items the dwarf may need will all be provided through the incoming chute.
Pros:
- If you don't accidentally forget to re-lock a chute passage, the worker dwarf should NEVER have access to improper items. This means you'll never end up with a single incorrectly-colored piece of furniture that will never be used (damned microcline!), thus taking up space in one of your stockpiles for the entire history of your fortress.
- A shop complex with input/output chutes has the unique advantage that new raw materials can be provided while the worker-dwarf is still performing their work order.
- You'll never have to figure out a way to get the dwarf into the shop to begin with to avoid creating the first 'random'-material item; s/he'll always be in the shop.
- Your craftdwarves will never be off doing some inane hauling job when you need them to be producing something, and you'll never have to wait for them to walk all the way from the great hall to their shop, etc.
Cons:
- When dumping raw materials into the shop it will be necessary to de-queue all other dumping tasks to avoid dumping, for instance, 'junk' rocks from mining operations into your carpentry shop. This CAN, however, be circumvented by keeping a hauling dwarf/dwarves in the area with all the incoming chutes along with a selection of appropriate stockpiles and locking off the chute area when you're performing menial dumping tasks elsewhere in the fortress.
- You'll still have to micromanage the locks on the doors leading to each dumping chute.
- You'll have to remember to keep your craftdwarves fed/drunk, since they won't have access to the main food stockpiles.
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This is just the rough draft version of the idea, mostly written down so I can better go about my designs when I start them.
Input, suggestions, or alternatives are welcomed! I realize this is certainly not a perfect methodology, but the aim was to lessen some of the problems I personally consider incredibly infuriating at the expense of a slight increase in some aspects of micromanagement.
[ June 07, 2008: Message edited by: Lord Dullard ]
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Topic: Idea: The Dwarven Terrarium (Read 1670 times)