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Author Topic: Suggestions for new Dwarf Fortress player  (Read 925 times)

starmano1

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Suggestions for new Dwarf Fortress player
« on: December 21, 2013, 04:50:38 pm »

I'm a fairly new player, having only played for about a week at this point and i am not shockingly having some issues
I looked up some tutorials online and have gotten some of the very basics down (farming, stockpiles, workshops and whatnot) but every time i play i still seem to reenact the events of Jamestown, especially if i have a population of over 20 Dwarves.
Any suggestions on how to avoid this? How do i keep my dwarves from starving to death and/or going certifiably insane ?
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stabbymcstabstab

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Re: Suggestions for new Dwarf Fortress player
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2013, 05:30:24 pm »

Have the best dining room possible that should keep them from going insane and the starving should fix itself due to your population evening out.
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itg

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Re: Suggestions for new Dwarf Fortress player
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2013, 09:59:27 pm »

Learn to use the butchery and slaughter the free animals you get with your wagon. Those will keep your beards fed for a season or two, giving you some leeway on getting your farms up and running.

In case you're unaware (I sure was when I started), you don't need to muddy the ground to build a farm on soil; you can build a farm there immediately.

gtaguy

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Re: Suggestions for new Dwarf Fortress player
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2013, 11:18:11 pm »

Make a mist generator. These might kill FPS but they are essential for cleaning and good thoughts.

Always build your mess hall in a stone layer, smooth everything, and engrave it. Add high value furniture. A good dining room (with a mist generator) makes their chances of going insane near zero. They will be smiling even as they are horribly ripped limb from limb.

Alcohol is more important than food, because starvation doesn't cause slowdown on farming, and as such the grown crops will still be harvested.

Individual bedrooms (even if shitty) are still x10 better than dormitories. It's acceptable if you have an amazing dining room and/or mist generator.

Don't assign meeting halls and deconstruct the wagon if you anticipate deaths, because stronger relationships lead to worse bad thoughts upon Urist McFriend's death.
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Mushroo

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Re: Suggestions for new Dwarf Fortress player
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2013, 11:49:39 am »

Start with the basics (food, drink, shelter, protection). Simplify. Don't panic! :)

Food is arguably the easiest industry in DF. A simple 5x5 plot of plump helmets will supply your fort with plenty of food and drink for the first couple of years. With irrigation currently disabled, just slap a farm plot in the first soil layer.
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Garath

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Re: Suggestions for new Dwarf Fortress player
« Reply #5 on: December 22, 2013, 05:13:31 pm »

to improve farming efficiency, don't use barrels for the seed stockpile and disable other labors from your farmers. Possibly set it to 'only farmers harvest' to train their skill at planting faster
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