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[FuzzyZergling]

I just encountered my first case of insanity.  I had a dwarf take a strange mood and claim the leatherworks workshop.  He sat there for seemingly forever, until finally he snapped and went crazy.  What should I have done to prevent him from going nuts?  What should I do with him now?  I had a couple pieces of leather sitting around for him to work with.  I checked his moods and it seemed like he didn't require anything.  Confused

If a dwarf in a mood is just sitting in the workshop, it means they're missing something they need.
[q] over the workshop to see everything the dwarf needs for their artifact, then [t] over it to see what they have already gathered. Compare the two lists to see what the dwarf wants next.

[Nil Eyeglazed]

Advice required...

Here's my problem.  I can never get very far with my forts because I eventually end up with a ton of dwarves and seemingly nothing for them to do.  I usually designate and area for dumping or smoothing just to keep them busy.  Am I doing it wrong? 

Not really-- it's a common problem, caused by high levels of efficiency, so in a way, you're doing it right.  (From another perspective, idle dwarves are dwarves that are making friends with each other, so idlers increase the risk of a tantrum spiral-- maybe that's a reason somebody might say you're doing it wrong.)  If you want to keep your idlers busy somehow, dumping stuff is perfectly reasonable (sieges always leave behind tons of crap, and a clean fortress is one with a decent framerate), but you could very easily put all those idlers into military squads, or begin a massive tower or computer.  Once you begin a megaproject, there never seem to be enough idlers.

[ClawlessVictory]

Okay, thanks dudes.  I haven't gotten as far as mega-projects yet, I'm still trying to find coal for my metalworkers.  Guess I have to keep digging deep.

Whenever there are idle dwarves, isn't it true that they will throw parties and hold up production?

[FuzzyZergling]

Whenever there are idle dwarves, isn't it true that they will throw parties and hold up production?

Only if you have a meeting place created from furniture.

[Stormfeather]

It's probably (well, almost definitely) better to just use wood to make charcoal, since I've very rarely ever even *seen* coal itself as a dug mineral in my maps.

[alondite1010]

Will my Dwarves use this bridge instead of walking straight into this river (The frozen part)? When it unfroze last game, they all got swept off the cliff and drowned.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

[ClawlessVictory]

It's probably (well, almost definitely) better to just use wood to make charcoal, since I've very rarely ever even *seen* coal itself as a dug mineral in my maps.

Oh wow, I wasn't aware that it was so rare.  According to that quickstart guide on the wiki, it says to just keep digging exploratory tunnels until you find coal or lignite.  I've got plenty of wood, so I'll just burn it down to charcoal.

I'm starting to think the best way to learn this game is to just play with all of the setting and menus until it clicks.  All of these guides I've been reading are putting me to sleep...

[FuzzyZergling]

I'm starting to think the best way to learn this game is to just play with all of the setting and menus until it clicks.  All of these guides I've been reading are putting me to sleep...

That's how I learned to play.

[Werdna]

Will my Dwarves use this bridge instead of walking straight into this river (The frozen part)? When it unfroze last game, they all got swept off the cliff and drowned.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

No, they'll still path over the river when it is ice.  To make them use the bridge, use d-o-r and paint the entire surface of the river with the "Restricted" traffic setting.  Now when they try to find a path to the other side of the river, they will favor the bridge.  To be safe, you might also want to paint the bridge with the "High" traffic setting.  It's a pain to do this, but you only have to do it once.

[alondite1010]

If I restrict the river, can I still use it for fishing?

[Werdna]

Thanks, I am going to try that, because after I had built it, I tested it without the commands and the dwarfs just went into the river still.

Just be aware that 'Restricted' roughly means "this costs a ton of movement points to enter", and not "don't go here".  So a dwarf a hundred+ squares away from your bridge may calculate its faster to cross the river there, instead of going to the bridge.  For the most part, it will still drastically reduce the chances of dwarves walking on water at the wrong time.

BTW - Just in case you weren't aware, there is a simpler way to make a bridge - explore the b-g option sometime!

[alondite1010]

Oh, I thought you could only use the bridges if there were to be retracted later, thanks!

[ClawlessVictory]

Holy.....

I'm trying to build a wall.  This dumbass wants to wall himself in and will not do it any other way!

?!?!

[Sphalerite]

I'm trying to build a wall.  This dumbass wants to wall himself in and will not do it any other way!

Designate a wall to be built on the spot you don't want him to stand on.  Suspend the construction of that wall.  Now designate the construction of the wall you actually want him to build.  Dwarves won't stand on a spot where a wall has been designated for construction while building.

[Garath]

I'm trying to build a wall.  This dumbass wants to wall himself in and will not do it any other way!

Designate a wall to be built on the spot you don't want him to stand on.  Suspend the construction of that wall.  Now designate the construction of the wall you actually want him to build.  Dwarves won't stand on a spot where a wall has been designated for construction while building.

usually, sometimes they just act stupid