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Author Topic: Newbie farming problem  (Read 1483 times)

Wicked

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Newbie farming problem
« on: July 22, 2013, 03:30:24 am »

Hi.  I keep getting messages saying "whoever" has cancelled planting for want of plump helmet spawn, but when I look in (z) Inventory(?) -> stocks  -> seeds it says I have over 60 of them.   I don't know how to look for them I think they might be in a barrel in my food pile.
 How do I get them planted, anyway?                   
« Last Edit: July 29, 2013, 01:49:28 am by Wicked »
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matskuman5

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2013, 04:07:20 am »

This is a very common bug.

A dwarf takes the entire sack of seeds to pick up one.
A dwarf who is trying to get seeds to plant them, can't use them because the first dwarf is usíng the sack.

Just build a farm plot, press "q" on it, select plump helmets in every season.
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Laurin

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2013, 04:20:07 am »

You can lessen the cancellation spam by making extra seed stockpiles with no barrels allowed. Otherwise the seeds are stored in bags which are stored in barrels. A hauler grabs the barrel with all your seed bags to collect a single seed in your dining room or whereever. While this happens, no seeds can be planted.

Make a small new stockpile near your farming plots. Disable anything but seeds. Set maximum barrels to zero.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2013, 04:23:34 am by Laurin »
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Grokii

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Re: Newbie farming problem (fixed - thanks)
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2013, 06:45:03 am »

It is also useful to link the no-barrel seed pile to the barrel seed pile.  Then set the barrel seed pile to accept from links only.  Assuming you have enough bags, then a no-barrel seed pile of 2x1 or 1x2 is sufficient.

I do this on every embark now and I rarely have seed cancel spam.
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Wicked

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2013, 02:03:32 am »

I did what Laurin suggested, but forgot to set barrels to zero, and got a barrel of seeds in my seed only pile, and still planting cancelled spam. So I set that pile to zero barrels, someone came and took the barrel away, and I am back where I started.
I do not know how to link stockpiles :(
I don't know how to get the seeds out of a barrel either. I have bags
Any further advice appreciated
>
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0cu

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2013, 02:08:44 am »

Set up two stockpiles near your farm plots.

Set the closer one to "Take from links only" with [a] and let it take from the other stockpiles with [t]. Set its barrels to 0 with the [e]? (not sure, could also be c). Leave the farther one untouched,it should have max barrels, "Take from everywhere" and should give to stockpile #1.
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Laurin

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2013, 05:16:41 am »

You don't have to link the stockpiles necessarily.
I allow seed only on seeds stockpiles and forbid them on any other food stockpiles.
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fricy

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2013, 01:29:45 pm »

You don't have to link the stockpiles necessarily.
I allow seed only on seeds stockpiles and forbid them on any other food stockpiles.

The linked only setting is to stop any dwarf from picking up the seed bag and waltzing over to the dining room to fetch that one seed laying on a table. This is what causes the message spam.

WhimsyWink

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2013, 02:59:31 pm »

I had farming problems for the longest time ... ultimately I think volume is the answer ... have 2 or 3 bags of each kind of seed that you need ...I make my seed stockpiles a row of 1x1's ... now a days if I am running low on seeds I probably need to brew some booze to get seeds
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KingBacon

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2013, 05:12:08 pm »

Each bag holds 10 seeds, if you embark with 11 of each seed you want to plant you can get an extrabag (or you can just bring a bunch of sand bags and dump out the sand.)
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AutomataKittay

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #10 on: July 29, 2013, 05:16:55 pm »

Each bag holds 10 seeds, if you embark with 11 of each seed you want to plant you can get an extrabag (or you can just bring a bunch of sand bags and dump out the sand.)

10 seeds? That seems too little, unless it's unique to embarking. I know it used to work that way for barrels back in 40d, but I've not actually checked current version. Bags of sands works well enough, though.

Getting leather and making bags out of them would a cheap and non-exploity way of doing it if above advice feels too 'cheap'. It's cheaper than plant and silk material in any case, I misses being able to buy pigtail plants on embark, haha.
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WanderingKid

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #11 on: August 01, 2013, 04:12:06 am »

One bag, after embark, will hold a LOT more than 10 seeds.  If there's doubt I'll provide screenshots.  Neat trick for embarking though, I usually start with 9 because I make 3x3's to begin with.

AutomataKittay

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Re: Newbie farming problem
« Reply #12 on: August 01, 2013, 04:28:21 am »

One bag, after embark, will hold a LOT more than 10 seeds.  If there's doubt I'll provide screenshots.  Neat trick for embarking though, I usually start with 9 because I make 3x3's to begin with.

My doubt's in that embarking only allow 10 seeds to a bag. Not difficult to check, though. I just embarked with 11 seeds of various kind and only get one bag for each specie.

I does have plenty of bags full to max allowed seed in most of my fortresses, I was doubtful about the embarking part :D
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