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[ral]

I don't quite get the point of sleeping in barracks. What's the difference between "sleep in barracks at will" and "sleep in barracks at need"?

I'm assuming that sleeping in barracks will make dwarves less happy unless maybe you give them individual fancy barracks or something.

[Girlinhat]

I think the main purpose, is to make them sleep closer to the door, instead of tucked all the way back in the bowels of civilian housing.  It also gives you the option, and options are good.  You may not ever use the option, but it's nice to know you're not limited.

As for need/want, I think need makes them stay on-duty longer, so if you know you've got a siege coming and want your men stationed longer, switch to need.  If they're just training or patroling for trogs/crundles, want will work.

[bobhayes]

I don't quite get the point of sleeping in barracks. What's the difference between "sleep in barracks at will" and "sleep in barracks at need"?

I'm assuming that sleeping in barracks will make dwarves less happy unless maybe you give them individual fancy barracks or something.

Titan smashes through your outer defenses, heads towards the fort entrance.

"Crap! Call up the militia!"

"OK! We'll come from our individual bedrooms, scattered throughout the fort...so of course, we'll arrive one at a time, giving the Titan plenty of time to crush us each one by one."

vs.

"OK! We were all sleeping/training/hanging out in the barracks, so here we come as one seething mass of steel and aggression!"

That's the point

[BigD145]

Why not make individual bedrooms right off the barracks? I know I try to put my doctors right off the hospital.

[PopeRichardCorey]

Sleeping in barracks also allows your dwarves to train more easily and constantly, rather than, again, flood into the barracks every time they wake up.

[krenshala]

While the posts above have things right, I thought I'd point out something that happened to me.

I believe the "... at will" vs "... at need" has to do with when the dwarves sleep, and not necessarily where they sleep.

I had a kobold and goblin thief pair approach my fortress.  They were spotted, and my (single squad of) soldiers were activated and told to form up outside the entrance to fight them (yay! on-the-job training for those six!)  Well, one guy was off getting food, so he didn't show up right away, but the rest came out side and almost immediately charged into battle.  When the guy getting food finally decided to join the battle, most of my soldiers were already engaged in melee with one of the two thieves.  Suddenly, I noticed that my second best soldiers was still asleep in his room!

I don't know if the fact I had the "... at will" option set (they dwarves sleep then they want to) was why he kept sleeping while I was assigning orders via the squad screen, but that is what it looked like.  As soon as he woke up he joined the fun (poking thieves with spears, six training spears and two steel spears because the metalworker hadn't gotten around to going back to work to make the other six now that I had flux  )

[Savolainen5]

I find that it's easier and space-save-ier to just make rooms for the soldiers off the barracks rather than putting them down in the common housing.  Plus, I give 'em a gold statue and engrave their walls if possible.  This'll dampen the effects of unhappiness for those who aren't so skilled.
tl;dr: I don't bother with that.  Give them a room next to the barracks.