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[Domicrow]

I know this seems like a lot to ask but oculd someone who i can talk to throughout this please try to help at least get me started in fortess mode because i simply cant get my head around it (i r dum) and the tutorials just make no sense at all to me =P i will post pictures and stuff of what im doing but i literally need help right from the kind of world to generate to embark to EVERYTHING else because i have an IQ of -onion

[MonkeyHead]

You need the wiki.

[Spectrelight]

http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2012:Quickstart_guide

also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuation

[Domicrow]

Thanks Spectrelight, that last link was... yeah  i guess i could try the wiki again but that is still to complex for my retarted kobold brain to understand

[Dorftrottel]

Have you tried the video-tutorials from captn duck? They have helped many a players get into dwarf mode.
If you use the lazy noob pack, you can even start with a very similar embark profile to the tutorials.
They start at absolute newcomer level and even show you the keyboard commands.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL06686270DA5FF439
 

[Domicrow]

Thanks i'll have a look at that when i  get a chance

[Lich180]

Don't worry so much about not understanding things about Dwarf Fortress, I think everyone here can attest to the fact that they were in the same boat at one point, and even the Great !!Science!!-ers started out as novices.

Hell, we all probably have parts of the game we don't fully understand, and that is in part what causes so many great (and many more minor and often overlooked) Science projects to crop up.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, even if it seems minor or silly. Quite a few game behaviors WILL be caused by something you told the game to do!

[Lida_Brainbroken]

My two cents... You WILL have many failed fortresses.  Don't let that bother you, it's part of the fun.  Dwarf Fortress has one of the steepest learning curves ever.  Also, do what I wish I did when I first started, don't regen a new world each time.  All those failed fortresses will make for a great adventure mode world later.

[weenog]

Once you've got the controls and menus sorted out, just try to learn one useful thing from every failure, and you'll be on your way.

Here's some info for free: for doors, Forbidden means locked. Typical enemies will be stopped by a forbidden door just as surely as your dwarves will.  Thief-like enemies can pick the locks and get through, however, and some of the bigger meaner monsters will just break the door down.

[Domicrow]

good lord not even my doors will be safe! but stuff like that isnt even the problem, when i embark all i know to do is dig out part of a mountain then im totaly lost =P im sure i will work it out though, eventually...

[vjek]

I think the most valuable tasks for new players are:

Required:

• Embark with plump helmet spawn (seeds)
• Embark with a river.
• Use 'd,j' to designate a downward staircase from the starting surface right next to your wagon.
• use 'd,i' to designate at least 5 up/down staircases below the embark level, below that first downward staircase
• use 'd,d' to mine out an underground living space in one of the stone levels.
• use 'd,d' to mine out a small farm area in one of the soil levels.
• use 'p,f' to designate a food stockpile in the underground living space.
• use 'q' to modify said stockpile to accept everything, including bins and barrels
• use 'i' to create a new meeting area, in the underground living space.
• use 'i,n,N' to designate and populate a pasture with/for animals, above ground.
• use 'b,p,u,k,u,k' to create a farm.
• use 'q' on the farm to start planting plump helmets

Optional:

• Don't embark where there is an aquifer.
• Learn how to safely divert the river and build a well, underground. (a safe water source and a plump helmet farm will keep your dwarves safe and alive for years, while you learn everything else)
• Learn how to create a locked door defense and/or seal yourself in from the surface.

--
That would get most players past the wall of frustration, imho.  I know it's all I really needed to know, starting out, and it took many many hours to get to that point.

[weenog]

good lord not even my doors will be safe

I was mainly meaning to point out that the term used is misleading. Forbidden sounds like anything under your control will refuse to use it, but that's all.  That's not actually the case.  A forbidden door stops nearly everything under normal circumstances, it's locked. Only thief types can bypass it, and building destroyers can essentially tear it off the hinges, but they're not nearly so common as enemy soldiers and aggressive wildlife, which will be stopped.

[Mushroo]

Tips from a lazy noob:

1. Embark wherever the cursor randomly lands (unless it has an aquifer)
2. Choose the "play now" option (rather than obsessing over how many plump helmets to bring)
3. Lose
4. Repeat

Don't get bogged down in the details at first, but rather focus on the long-term process of how a fortress is born, lives, thrives, declines, and dies. Your first fortress might die after a few seasons, your 2nd fortress might last a year, your 3rd fortress 2 years, your 4th fortress 10 years, etc.