Print

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

[SimRobert2001]

Allright, i have a child that went into a strange mood, and he took over a mason's shop. he made an artifact. Since then he's helped me take down a wall that i built, and has helped build another. is this a known bug, and do i need to do anything further? If Its a known bug, then i really don't need to do anything, do i?

[MrWiggles]

Well, there no skill associated with taking down walls. Children have been known to do. I've witness my kids take down walls, generally with more gusto then the adults.

As for building. I don't know.

[SimRobert2001]

Maybe i'm just imagining the kid building things, then. i dont' pay THAT much attention, usually.

[SimRobert2001]

OKay, i changed my mind. this kid is definitly building things. It doesn't say it in the dwarf manager, but the kids working on a throne right now.  He's stuck in the middle of the workshop, and a throne is currently "tasked."

[assimilateur]

I wouldn't view this as a bug per se. I mean, it probably was unintended, but if you ask me, this should be kept as a feature and not getting rid of as a bug.

Why? Child prodigies. The kid went into a strange mood, ergo they were obsessed with something and possibly talented, they've succeeded and made something grand. If anything, not continuing in their craft wouldn't make a lot of sense. It's comparable to if Mozart (or which ever historical child prodigy you wanna name) had been told "you're too young for the piano, come back when you're an adult" after having shown that he had a talent for it.

[Footkerchief]

OKay, i changed my mind. this kid is definitly building things. It doesn't say it in the dwarf manager, but the kids working on a throne right now.  He's stuck in the middle of the workshop, and a throne is currently "tasked."

What job is he listed as doing?  Have you waited to see if somebody else grabs the throne, or does he seem stuck?

[sunshaker]

Yes Children do work, sometimes they end up with serious skills, usually though the highest rank skills they have are social ones. Basically it comes down to the phrase "Children do what they want." So what happens is that there is a "Child Job program" which assigns them tasks usually the equivalent of "play" (70%) but sometimes socialize (20%) and sometimes (say 10%) actual work (I've had them gather plants, even when I had not designated any plants for gathering, help with building/demolition, haul objects, do work in workshops; I've not seen them hunt, mine, chop down trees or soldier (so I think they can't do tasks that require equipment), they also will not use assigned workshops).

[Derakon]

Typically children will only do things that don't require jobs to be turned on. That means things like harvesting plants, deconstructing buildings, pulling levers, and the like. I've never seen a child work in a workshop, build something, or haul an object.

It sounds like having finished his mason mood, this child dwarf now has the masonry job enabled, which explains why he's doing actual useful work. Makes sense to me for basically the same logic that assimilateur posted.

[SimRobert2001]

OKay, i changed my mind. this kid is definitly building things. It doesn't say it in the dwarf manager, but the kids working on a throne right now.  He's stuck in the middle of the workshop, and a throne is currently "tasked."

What job is he listed as doing?  Have you waited to see if somebody else grabs the throne, or does he seem stuck?

He's not listed as doing anything, but he's clearly working in the workshop, building a throne. (as evidence by him being IN the workshop, and the throne being tasked. 

And yet, his name is blank, (essentially doing "child stuff" ) Like every other child in my fortress.

[Footkerchief]

He's not listed as doing anything, but he's clearly working in the workshop, building a throne. (as evidence by him being IN the workshop, and the throne being tasked. 

Well, it's not actually that clear.  He could be trying to do something as simple as pick it up.  I think legendary children in fortresses with a running economy tend to get their own bedrooms and lay claim to various items.  There are lots of other reasons a child could be standing in a workshop, too.  Could you upload the save to DFFD so we can investigate beyond the superficial?

[King Doom]

Sounds more like unintended side effects than a bug - Children will do tasks that don't require skills, as has been said. I think knocking down walls gives you a tiny bit of masonry experience though, So that means it becomes the default skill to use when the kid gets a mood, and yeah, legendary mason when finished.  Wish this would happen to me.

[Lav]

He's not listed as doing anything, but he's clearly working in the workshop, building a throne. (as evidence by him being IN the workshop, and the throne being tasked.

If the throne is being tasked then the child cannot build it. It is already built, eh?

So the throne is tasked for either stockpile hauling or furniture installation.

Also he cannot do anything in the workshop if there are no active tasks.

[Bouchart]

Building a stone road, which requires no special profession, gives experience towards masonry.  That may be it.

[Leafsnail]

One of my children had a whole list of [no tag] skills (other than social).  It was weird.

[wendigo]

Hey, usually by this point in the thread some DF uber-guru has jumped in and explained what's what.  But since it's the blind leading the blind...

I think I might be able to explain what's going on here.  Here's why it's not really a bug:

As mentioned above, children do indeed "do as they please," but they still have skills just like any adult dwarf.  You just aren't able to assign/restrict their duties until they mature.

Assume that, instead of having no jobs turned on, children have *all* jobs turned on.  And, all things being equal, dwarves tend to work on the tasks that they have the highest skill in.  Children start off without rank in ANY skill, so at first they can only perform tasks that have no prerequisites-- social skills, road building, building deconstruction, harvesting plants, maybe some hauling.  They're seldom useful, often trapped in a spiral of social skill leveling, but a couple of these tasks can actually improve more meaningful skills.  Harvesting = grower.  (De)construction = masonry.  They move on up to "dabbler".

And then- BAM - they'll often really work the hell out of whatever they're improving in.  I usually have several professional-grade farmers that happen to be of primary school age.  Real tough little bastards, too.  I never forced 'em to do anything and they're not exactly prodigies, just regular dwarves except that we're unable to direct their efforts.

In the OPs particular case, I'd bet that the kid attained his "dabbler" rank in masonry from performing a generic, unrestricted task (removing a wall) which was all he needed to catch a strange mood.  He assembled the items he wanted, completed the artifact, and got a whole crapload of experience in masonry, just like any adult dwarf.  Ouila, instant professional stonemason.  (what's that kid's skill level in masonry, anyway?  Legendary?)  Since he's now following the task queue for the mason's workshop, this is one rare runt that you can actually sort-of-kind-of order around.


Sorry to explain that to death, but it's an interesting question.  Double sorry if someone who actually knows what they're talking about posts below and explains why I got it all wrong.