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Author Topic: Clan of the Care Bear  (Read 1319 times)

VerdantSF

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Clan of the Care Bear
« on: May 23, 2013, 03:14:18 pm »

DF is a harsh world for our dwarves, with many a tale of tragedy well-spiced with magma.  What are some of the nicer, though unnecessary, things you've done for the denizens of your forts to balance out the (often hilarious) doom and gloom?  For me, I've carved out palatial jails that have become regular hang out spots, despite being a restricted traffic zone.  I've also made a day care center with less dog chomping and more parties for the kids ;).   
« Last Edit: May 23, 2013, 03:18:24 pm by VerdantSF »
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Aspgren

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Re: Clan of the Care Bear
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2013, 03:27:25 pm »

hm...

I don't kill cripples, instead I make a special "cripple ward" where they're allowed to hang out. Just laying around and being fed and watered every day.
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Russell.s

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Re: Clan of the Care Bear
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2013, 03:36:02 pm »

DF is a harsh world for our dwarves, with many a tale of tragedy well-spiced with magma.  What are some of the nicer, though unnecessary, things you've done for the denizens of your forts to balance out the (often hilarious) doom and gloom?  For me, I've carved out palatial jails that have become regular hang out spots, despite being a restricted traffic zone.  I've also made a day care center with less dog chomping and more parties for the kids ;).   

How do you get your kids to stay in one place?
I'm personally a very caring overlord. I felt terrible when poor little Doduk was kidnapped just recently! I always ensure that every room is smoothed before allowing dwarves to live there, and anyone who visits their friends in hospital are rewarded with an upgraded bedroom for their compassion. I also installed an indoor fishing pond so that all those dwarves who have a fishing hobby can do so in safety.
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VerdantSF

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Re: Clan of the Care Bear
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2013, 03:58:35 pm »

I don't kill cripples, instead I make a special "cripple ward" where they're allowed to hang out. Just laying around and being fed and watered every day.

I don't recall ever having a completely crippled dwarf, but I'd be inclined to do the same :).

How do you get your kids to stay in one place?

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=126178.msg4256498#msg4256498

Sometimes they do run around for a bit, but as soon as they get thirsty, hungry, or in the mood for a party (which is often), they scurry back to the day care center :).  I usually have around 10 children in there and at any given time, only 2 max are wandering.  A cool bit about their parties is that adults are very rarely invited.  I have a population of 78 dwarves, and I've seen at most 2 adults attending the kids' parties.  There can be over 20 haulers standing by without jobs, but they'll leave the party to the kids for the most part.
 
I'm personally a very caring overlord. I felt terrible when poor little Doduk was kidnapped just recently!

Yeah, I HATE kids getting snatched, but at the same time, some of my strongest, most military-minded migrants are female.  In a previous world, there were more than enough migrants with military training that I only drafted males, but in my current one, military skills are relatively uncommon.  That's what put me on a quest to figure out a more benign child care option for military dwarfettes.  These days, when they have a baby, I change their profession to "Maternity Leave," then add them to the day care center (sometimes extending the burrow to a workshop or two).  Once a year passes, their babies are added to the day care burrow and the moms are sent back to the barracks without having to worry about their kids following them into battle. 

anyone who visits their friends in hospital are rewarded with an upgraded bedroom for their compassion.

Oh, I like that idea!  Might start doing that, too.
« Last Edit: May 23, 2013, 04:04:53 pm by VerdantSF »
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Russell.s

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Re: Clan of the Care Bear
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2013, 07:52:25 pm »

How do you get your kids to stay in one place?

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=126178.msg4256498#msg4256498

Sometimes they do run around for a bit, but as soon as they get thirsty, hungry, or in the mood for a party (which is often), they scurry back to the day care center :).  I usually have around 10 children in there and at any given time, only 2 max are wandering.  A cool bit about their parties is that adults are very rarely invited.  I have a population of 78 dwarves, and I've seen at most 2 adults attending the kids' parties.  There can be over 20 haulers standing by without jobs, but they'll leave the party to the kids for the most part.

Fantastic! Thank you! I'll definitely have to make a child care centre soon. Work on the second level of the grand dining room can wait while I prepare that and assign some beds.
That's another thing I do 'for the dwarfs' that they actually have no appreciation for: grand rooms with tall ceilings. I know they can't look up (unless it's to scream about Giant Keas) but I like to imagine them walking with awe into a giant hall.

I also like to do my seasonal 'survey', which is where I scroll through the list of dwarves and check the thoughts of a random 5-6 dwarves, then dedicate myself to fixing whatever it bothering them (lack of chairs is a common one).
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VerdantSF

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Re: Clan of the Care Bear
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2013, 08:07:28 pm »

I also like to do my seasonal 'survey', which is where I scroll through the list of dwarves and check the thoughts of a random 5-6 dwarves, then dedicate myself to fixing whatever it bothering them (lack of chairs is a common one).

I do something similar, though instead of random dwarves, I arrange them in order of happiness in DwarfTherapist.  I try to address whatever's wrong with the most depressed.

CaptainLambcake

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Re: Clan of the Care Bear
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2013, 08:59:06 pm »

everyone gets nice bedroom, frequent parties, lots of booze and food.  i don't treat dwarves like shit, and i thorougly enjoy having a happy, drunken, productive fort.  people with injuries are monitored around the clock until they are fine
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CriticallyAshamed

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Re: Clan of the Care Bear
« Reply #7 on: May 23, 2013, 09:11:16 pm »

Oversized bedrooms, I make them high quality for everyone not just the nobles. That and grand feasting halls. I try to make sure everyone's furniture is exceptional or better.

I hate my dorfs dieing/being hurt in general. More out of a sense of failure than affection.
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slothen

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Re: Clan of the Care Bear
« Reply #8 on: May 24, 2013, 09:36:19 am »

I've built some REALLY nice hospitals.  My favorite design so far has been the hospital above the well-room.  The 6 wells in the hospital use the same 6 holes the well room uses (well auto-fills from my cistern via pressure plate).  The central room of the hospital also has all the supplies.  Then there is a decontamination pool en-route to the hospital.  The patients are treated in around 12 3x3 isolation rooms, with doors/windows insuring they're viewable from the main room and also lockable (if someone wants to crash windows down, thats fine, just more fun).  Each room has a surgery table and traction bench.  There's also a wing with living quarters for the doctors, so in an emergency I can burrow them to the hospital only.  Oh yeah, and just about everything is made of glass (except the doors, the phoebus tileset icon for glass portals looks dumb).
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Reudh

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Re: Clan of the Care Bear
« Reply #9 on: May 24, 2013, 11:29:26 am »

I don't kill cripples, instead I make a special "cripple ward" where they're allowed to hang out. Just laying around and being fed and watered every day.

I don't recall ever having a completely crippled dwarf, but I'd be inclined to do the same :).


I've had a dwarf with no arms and half a leg. The amount of 'cannot clean self: too injured' spam got so excessive I ordered the triple amputee to go fight a goblin squad.

Thing is, he was a legendary fighter before being so badly crippled. Push push push push through goblin skulls.

Aspgren

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Re: Clan of the Care Bear
« Reply #10 on: May 24, 2013, 06:31:12 pm »

I don't recall ever having a completely crippled dwarf, but I'd be inclined to do the same :).

Granted. This was mostly before crutches were implemented.. but whenever a fort grows enough there will be dwarves who lose the functions in both of their hands or generally just become so hurt that they're a message-spamming burden on society rather than anything else.
Hilarity ensued once when a forgotten caused a syndrome that blinded 10 dwarves and then wailed on them in melee. Most survived and many of the survivors could continue working regular jobs despite their blindness but ... there was the handful who could do absolutely nothing.

Cripple ward, here they come!
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