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Author Topic: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?  (Read 828 times)

worldspawn

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How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« on: May 20, 2011, 12:46:00 am »

I built a well inside because I got tired of my dwarves running outside and getting butchered everytime they wanted to clean or give water. However, they only use it occasionally. Most of the time they still run outside to the very distant stream and get smeared by an ambush. Aside from a fortress sized burrow how do I keep my dwarves inside with my nice well?
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Ultimuh

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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2011, 12:49:50 am »

Brew more beer.  :P
But if they are hospitalized..  ??? Hmm.. I have the same problems myself sometimes.
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worldspawn

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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2011, 12:53:43 am »

Oh I've got plenty of booze, about 10,000. It's when they want to clean themselves they keep going outside to do it, then when they die and someone collects the corpse and gets blood on them and then.......
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LuckyLuigi

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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2011, 02:43:27 am »

I take it you sourced it as a water source ? When you k over it it says open space ? There actually is water below ? No grates or hatches or anything like that in the well pit ?

Then it might be a pathfinding issue. Try building a new well on the route the dwarves take to the outside.
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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2011, 03:04:39 am »

Once the squares around the well are (i)zoned as a (w)ater source, use (o)rders, (z) activity zone preferences, (d) zone only drinking.

Torgan

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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2011, 06:53:34 am »

Designate a burrow over your whole fort, set all your dwarves to use it, none should go outside it.  Maybe worth building a couple of wells, I usually build two and never have any problems with dwarves wandering outside to use the brook or underground lakes.

Burrows are also very useful for when sieges or ambushes appear!
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Sphalerite

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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2011, 07:28:54 am »

Dwarves always prefer wells.  If your dwarves are using a non-well water source, it's probably because your wells are in use.  Make more wells.

Water Source zones (created with the (i) tool) don't apply to wells.  Water source zones only apply to gathering water from open surface water like rivers or pools.  Wells don't need a water source zone to be set, and setting a water source zone around a well doesn't make dwarves any more likely to use that well as a source of water.
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gtmattz

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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2011, 08:37:33 am »

Dwarves always prefer wells.  If your dwarves are using a non-well water source, it's probably because your wells are in use.  Make more wells.

Water Source zones (created with the (i) tool) don't apply to wells.  Water source zones only apply to gathering water from open surface water like rivers or pools.  Wells don't need a water source zone to be set, and setting a water source zone around a well doesn't make dwarves any more likely to use that well as a source of water.

This man knows what he is talking about, listen well...
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dwarfhoplite

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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2011, 04:34:21 pm »

use magma.
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Lagslayer

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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2011, 05:32:29 pm »

A well is like anything else in DF. When one dwarf claims it, nobody else gets to use it until he is done. Make more wells. Lots more. Also more booze.

Fredd

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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #10 on: May 21, 2011, 12:39:27 am »

Many filling pond jobs will cause it, too.
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worldspawn

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Re: How do I make my dwarves prefer wells?
« Reply #11 on: May 21, 2011, 01:00:23 am »

Dwarves always prefer wells.  If your dwarves are using a non-well water source, it's probably because your wells are in use.  Make more wells.

Water Source zones (created with the (i) tool) don't apply to wells.  Water source zones only apply to gathering water from open surface water like rivers or pools.  Wells don't need a water source zone to be set, and setting a water source zone around a well doesn't make dwarves any more likely to use that well as a source of water.

This is it. I have 200 dwarves sharing one well.
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