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[martinuzz]

Since a very long time, I have designed my fortresses using basic 11x11 blocks as a modular size base. Why 11x11? Because being able to use shift for cursor movement as well as measuring distances makes designing a lot easier for me. Anyone else that has a nifty little trick they use when designing their fortress?

I made a dfma map of my current fortress. See the result of my 11x11 base, and tell me what you think of it!

http://mkv25.net/dfma/poi-29850

Also, what should I do next?
Magma minefield?
some silly mega construction?

[Mushroo]

I also use the 11x11 trick. My generic "starter fortress" design is an 11x11x11 cube, plenty of space for the first few years. Much easier now that we can designate in 3D!

[Varnifane]

I do something very similar but do a 21*21*10 with another 21*21*10 down near the magma sea.

After looking at yours I am inspired to shake up my compact/minimalist style.

[Mushroo]

^--- I love that you call 4,410 tiles (21*21*10) "minimalist"!

[Jase]

I'm using as well a fortress design based on the shift mode. 3-Tile wide paths with blocks of 23*23 (= 4 11*11 blocks or 16 5*5 workshop squares), which ist pretty adaptable but sometimes I think i should develope an more aethetic design and not using such cold and practical one

[Mushroo]

Dang, you guys build huge fortresses! What are you doing with all that space LOL?

[Halceon]

Pshah, no! Ease is for elves!

I make all my important rooms circles. Or fractals.

[AutomataKittay]

That's pretty expansive and roomy, my fortresses tend to be cramped mess of localized efficiency

[Jase]

Well, circles are more elfish than easy ones, those round things are remindig me of nature, where everything is round.

[sir_schwick]

Want both architecture and ease of design?  Use Quickfort and designate the whole thing before you start.  In your quickfort design make sure to not designate the beginning parts of rooms.  This allows you to decide what sections of the fort will be mined simply by connecting the missing piece.

[BeserkNINJA]

i create a set of central 3x3 stairways all 20 blocks away from each other they are then joined in seperate ways depending on the floors purpose, dining=double doors on edges  housing=3 tile wide corridors i also try to ensure that it is all symmetrical to look better.

[misko27]

That's pretty expansive and roomy, my fortresses tend to be cramped mess of localized efficiency

This.

I try to utilize 11 whenever making measurements, but For actual sizes Things are reandom and confusing.

[Hans Lemurson]

11x11 rooms are nice because when you take into consideration the perimeter walls, you have a pattern that repeats 12x12.  You can fit 4 5x5 rooms in that area, or 9 3x3 rooms, or 16 2x2 rooms.  It's really quite flexible.

In the beginning, in my first 11x11 room I fit workshops in 3 to a side.  The 1 tile space between them is good for a small material input stockpile.

[Mushroo]

^--- That's a good layout for 11x11. Another good one is a workshop in the exact center, with 1-tile staircases surrounding this workshop in the tiles diagonal to each corner. Then you can build other workshops off the central workshop in a "cross" pattern. The stairs make it super-efficient to move between floors, in fact it is more efficient that building horizontally, I believe. Any extra space on the floor can be used for stockpiles or living spaces, I like to put at least 1 bed and table/chair on each floor so dorfs can take quick breaks from work for a nap or snack!

[Ace_Warbringer]

My Design is a 11x11 central rooom but with a 3x3 room in the center with 4 doorways going out NESW. this is the basis for my fort with 5 wide main hallways and 3 wide secondary halls. The design is repeatable and using stratigicly placed pilliars and doors alows me to seal the fort at selected points when nessesary. rooms are ussually 3x3, however corners tend to have 3x4 rooms and 3x3+2 rooms to make it all fit.