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[PencilinHand]

I have a problem with my stockpiles, in that I have lots of them(about half or more of my floor space).

This is ok with  me.  What I have a problem with is where my manufacturing is and were the goods are needed.

I have tried to setup the "Take from a pile" feature to help with the logistics but it seems to be rather limited.  Although you can setup one pile to take from several other piles, I can't seem to set multiple piles to take form the same pile.

Is this a bug or just a limitation and is there a nice way around it?

I can chain multiple piles together to get them all filled but what I end up with is as soon as someone uses something from one of the piles every pile before it in the chain creates a haul job.  I have 40 something dwarfs(about a third of my workforce) who do nothing but carry stuff from point A to point B plus most of my others are set to haul most stuff and even then they all can't always keep up.  Not to mention the lag this causes, I regularly dip below 20 FPS with a Core2Duo 2GHz machine with 2 gigs of ram(and in case you ask, no, I don't have any loops creating circular hauling jobs).

[Stromko]

It sounds like the system has just gotten too complex to be worthwhile then?

Pathing is of course the cause of the lag, and that's exacerbated by bottlenecks and pathing between height(Z) levels.

If you made all the source stockpiles smaller, this would limit how many spots can be unfilled and creating hauler jobs at a time. Of course it's already reached equilibrium with how fast they're being consumed (IE, all spots are filled except what's just been taken) that won't help much.

If anyone is spending time hauling crafts and blocks and other worked goods through the fortress, you might try giving them the opportunity to place them in bins before they're taken to the depot or wherever you want them. That would cut down a lot on how many hauling jobs it takes.

You might want to turn off temperature and weather as well as limiting dwarf population and reducing the % number of children. At this point, we all have to accept limitations if we want a good framerate.

[PencilinHand]

The sub 20 FPS was with sound, temperature, weather, and cave-ins already turned off.

Barrels and Bins are a problem as the local I settled has trees only in one small corner of the map and it is sparsely forested at that.  Almost all of my wood is imported which makes for an inconsistent supply as it doesn't last long.  I have been making some barrels and bins out of metal but it seems like a real waste of good metal that I would rather use to make armor and weapons.


I am afraid I am going to have to redesign my fortress and stockpiles to flow better, which is exactly what I was hopping not to due.

[slMagnvox]

What kind of industry are you running where you need so many of the same stockpile so far distant from one another?  20fps with 40 something dwarves is horrible with that CPU.  You might want to check around for something else causing that lag, pathing in particular (tame animals behind locked doors is one such culprit).

Good layout is your friend.  Keep like industry in the same area.  The only long distance hauling jobs that should be required are distant ores and specialty stone types.  If wood is scarce, don't store food in barrels.  Cook everything edible into meals which are often stacked larger than 10 (the max allowed in a barrel).  And don't bin up intermediates.  Leave the thread at the Farmer's workshop and the cloth at the loom.  And have both those buildings next to the clothes shop.  No sweat if they get *CLT*, your clothes maker needs a chance to catch up anyway.

[PencilinHand]

If you re-read my post you will find that I said I had about 40 haulers and about 120 dwarfs(I now have about 140 thanks to births and the arrival of some nobles).

As for why my industry is spread out, that is because there is a chasm running through the middle of my fortress starting at z-2 that I have to span and dig on the north and south sides.

[slMagnvox]

I have 40 something dwarfs(about a third of my workforce) who do nothing but carry stuff from point A to point B

1/3 * x = 40 ... That requires algebra to solve, sorry if I didn't get your total population on a casual read.

All my advice still applies however.  If you have too many stockpiles, you probably have too many stockpiles.  Or else you have very productive workshops.  And if you do have very productive workshops, then good job keeping all those haulers busy, mine spend way too much time idling anyway.

[Eater of Vermin]

Although you can setup one pile to take from several other piles, I can't seem to set multiple piles to take form the same pile.

Is this a bug or just a limitation and is there a nice way around it?

Yes.  Only Toady knows whether it's a bug, but it's definitely a limitation.  Nice way around it?  Plan ahead better.  [shrug]

It can be bloody frustrating though, as ideally I'd like my workshops to dump into a common "finished goods" stockpile (for example) close to the Industrial Area, and have custom stockpiles near my Trade Depot, Barracks, Residential Areas and Shops. 

Then have the haulers move from Finished Goods to the appropriate pile based on type, material & quality.

It'd be sooo much simpler to manage.  [sigh]