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[Wanderer1]

Hey,

alright i just got the game the other day and it certainly seems interesting.

So first thing is, is it possible to move to other regions than my starting fortress without starting a new game? At first i thought i could build many fortresses around the large world and explore the regions around my starting region. Or am i stuck to the starting region?

Another thing, how to supply food in an region without water? Nor underground water, any animals fit for that or something? Besides is it even possible to populate a region without water, because my dwarfs will dehydrate?
Guess thats all for now.

[weenog]

Exploring the world is more of an Adventurer mode thing.

It's difficult, but you can do without water completely.  Plants will grow anywhere there is a substrate which is soil (without irrigation, even if it seems like it would be dry... you can farm on Sand just fine).  Most plants can be brewed into booze at a Still workshop.  Dwarves aren't like humans, they don't become more dehydrated from alcohol, it's how they quench their thirst and stay healthy and productive.  Drinking water is a last resort for them, and drinking non-alcohol, non-water liquids doesn't happen at all.

If you have booze supplies managed, you'll only need water for injured dwarves.  Wounds that need washing will only be washed with water, and dwarves who are resting off an injury will only be brought water to drink.  You can obviate this need by being very careful to avoid dwarves getting injured, or more realistically by putting your hospital zone near to your coffin site and building a lot of them.

Water is also useful to allow you to farm on natural rock -- "a dusting of mud" is sufficient soil to get things growing.  You won't need this at all if you embark somewhere with sufficient sand, clay, or other soil forms to support your farm plots.

You should also know that many regions which seem to be without water, actually don't lack it.  Try digging deeper.  Water tends to collect in low places.

[Wanderer1]

Alright,
so now i have the problem to make the farm, the ground is black sand above ground, outside in the light next to the entrance of my fortress.

If i build the plot it says, ,,no mud/soil for farm. Mud is left by water. "
But the plot can be placed and i read that i can make farms on black sand ground and i also have some different kinds of seeds available, if i try to plant them though, it says,  ,,no seeds available for this location."

Also i havent found the water yet.

[weenog]

Ignore the no mud/soil message, it is in error.  If there is no mud or soil, you can't build the farm plot in the first place.  You can plant on black sand just fine, no water required.

However, you can't plant the subterranean plants (plump helmet, pig tail, cave wheat, sweet pod, quarry bush, and dimple cup) in a lighted location.  This means you can't plant them on the surface.  You also can't you plant them in any underground location which has ever been exposed to the open sky, because for some reason if a tile has ever been lighted, it will remain lighted permanently.  This might be the problem.

The once lit == always lit thing means you can grow surface crops underground, by channeling above where you want to dig and then re-sealing the area with a roof (a floor constructed on the level above, which you channeled open).  You can get surface plants or their seeds by trading (mainly with elves), but you can also sometimes find them by enabling the plant gather labor and then gathering local plants from the surface.  The "no seeds available for this location" message may be another meaningless error you can ignore, at least in .34.07 I tried planting on that and it worked just fine.  Be aware though that if your biome is Mountain or Ocean, no surface plants should grow on farm plots whether or not you got that message.

How deep have you dug in the search for water?  I've seen it as low as 38 levels down, and heard of it being much lower than that.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Once you find a big, open area underground, water will be near. Things will also get fun soon, in all probability.