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[Mimodo]

I know there's good and bad thoughs, and they affect how happy a dwarf is etc. But... Ive seen this a few times and have no clue what it actually means, what causes it, and how to fix it... "dwarf complained about the draft lately" anyone know?

And while we're talking about unhappy dwarves, what do you do to try and make a dwarf happy again? I've noticed a few dwarves (most notably in my military) which are telling me they are unhappy. Of course, the first thing I do is relive them of their duties in the military (the last thing I want is to have a fully armed dwarf running round the fortress killing his friends and family because he's sad... I guess it's another one of those paradoxical things the dwarves like to get themselves into... "I'm sad... I'm gonna go round killing my family... OH NO! My family is dead! That is so depressing") anyway... Bit off track there :p

I'm just not sure why they all seem so unhappy, from maybe one or two incidents. I've got them a legendary dining room, lavish meals, and a variety of quality booze. Each of them has a bedroom with at least 3*3 room, smoothed walls and floor, a chest and a cabinet. Soon they'll have an armour stand and weapon rack too (just cause I can). What's the easiest way to make them at least content, without going through the trouble of making special items and changing colours and stuff?

[Michaelsoftman]

Complaining about the draft happens if you stick them into the military or militia.

[imperium3]

It happens when dwarves are drafted into the military without any significant military skill. I think it goes away once they reace the level of (IIRC) Novice in a weapon skill.

[Naryar]

It's just one average unhappy thought. Just give them good food, a good bedroom and communal dining room, and they'll be fine.

[Mimodo]

That's what it meant! Thanks for that I now even remember reading that!

That reminds me... I should probably have em training with practice weapons... Give them some exp there too

[geail]

That reminds me... I should probably have em training with practice weapons... Give them some exp there too

You don't have to use practice weapons.  You can use regular weapons.  In sparring, they will "lightly tap (target)."  However, training weapons are good for if A) you can't make metal weapons yet but are starting military regardless and B) increasing the lifespan of training dummies (goblins you have captured and thrown in your arena)

[Werdna]

Standard "make a sad dwarf happy" trick - if you've made noble rooms before, you simply make an extra 1-2 rooms for unhappy dwarves.  Fill it with your decent but not best furniture - bed, table, chair, lever at a minimum but also semi-high quality statues, chests, cabinets, and what not.  Designate two small 2 square food piles - one accepting only drinks (turn off everything but Plant Drinks, and also turn off (u) prepared meals) and one accepting only high quality prepared meals.  Adjust the settings for each to "take from" your main stockpile, to ensure they are filled.  And add a door.  Do not use masterwork furniture.*

Once the "happy room" is built, and you have a sad dwarf, simply go to the lever, add a pull lever job, and hit (P)rofile to select the unhappy dwarf (he turns green, everyone else red).  Go to the bed, chair, and table and (a)ssign the unhappy dwarf ownership of the room.  Once they enter the room to pull the lever, lock the door. 

Give them time, and the happy thoughts will accumulate from the nice furniture and meals.  When they are no longer flashing the red arrow, you may unlock the door (they are unlikely to tantrum and harm the populace).  Leave them assigned to the room and they will eventually become ecstatic, at least until you have a new unhappy dwarf to replace them.

* Why not masterwork or your best furniture?  Two reasons.  Because the room needs to be of lesser value than your noble rooms, or your nobles will receive massive hits to their happiness ("... was utterly traumatized by a lesser's living arrangements")  Second, a miserable dwarf may tantrum and destroy things, and a destroyed masterwork is traumatizing to the craftsman that made it.  So save the good stuff for nobles' rooms.

[martinuzz]

The first time I encountered that thought, I think it was back in the 2d version, I frantically started placing doors everywere, in hopes of keeping out the draft. I thought they were complaining about stiff necks from a cold draft. Then I found out that draft had another meaning as well. I guess that's what you get when you're not a native english speaker.

[Mushroo]

Good advice above, I will add:

1. Don't draft Peasants into your military. Train them up to Novice in some civilian skill (pump operator is a classic) before recruiting them, or else they will get a bad thought about "being relieved from duty."

2. Construct 1 each of a bunch of semi-useless stuff in your common areas: cages, animal traps, floor grates, floodgates, etc. Dwarfs who like that stuff will get a happy thought when they walk past.

[robertheinrich]

I frantically started placing doors everywere, in hopes of keeping out the draft. I thought they were complaining about stiff necks from a cold draft.

Haha, same here.

On the topic... what I get pretty often are complaints about the lack of chairs. Even though I usually have a giant legendary dining hall with sometimes double the amount of tables and chairs that I have dwarves.  I wonder if they would all like a chair in their bedrooms as well.

[Mushroo]

"Complains about lack of chairs" sometimes means that your table:chair ratio is not 1:1.

[AWdeV]

Ofcourse, they wouldn't object to having tables and chairs in their room either.

[martinuzz]

Ofcourse, they wouldn't object to having tables and chairs in their room either.

They wouldn't exactly complain.. But they wouldn't get the 'dined in a legendary dining room' thought when they dine in their private dining room, unless it is pimped up like a central dining hall.

[AWdeV]

Well, true. But the value of their bedroom is better.

[Mushroo]

If they like querns then put a quern in their bedroom; if they like floodgates then put a floodgate, etc.