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[ed boy]

I've been guiding a friend in DF for a short while, and it's given me an itching to make some DF tutorials. I'd want to make a tutorial that's aimed at the extreme newcomer, and explain the mechanics of DF. It'd be a rather slow-paced tutorial, starting out with the extreme basics (what is world generation, how do I feed my dwarves) and then take a modular approach to other aspects of the game, covering common design aspects (pump stacks, bridges, etc) but nothing too complicated.

The plan for the first few parts would be as such:
1-explanation of workshops, rooms and buildings. Demonstration of carpenter's workshop and how to set up a dormitory.
2-explanation of mining, constructions and dwarven sustenance. Demonstration of setting up of a basic fort with access to water and underground farms.
3-explanation of rock, the mason's and craftsdwarf's workshops, smoothing and engraving, and quality levels. Demonstration of production and installation of doors, and brewing plants.
4-explanation of trading, wagon access, migrants and stockpiles. Demonstration of wagon access and a trade, and setting up stockpiles.
5-Traps and basic mechanics. Demonstration of setting up a trap corridor and a retracting bridge to seal off the fortress.
6-explanation of world generation and features of a site. Explanation of the effects of cold temperatures and hot temperatures. Explanation and demonstration of irrigation.
7-Explanation of the military menu. Demonstration of setting up a squad with a varied schedule and uniform.

However, I would not be posting this now if I was not asking for feedback. More specifically:
-What do people think of the order that I cover things? I'm aware that the tutorial would not cover rock until the third part, but I want to limit the amount of information that they have to process. Since wood can be used for everything, the plan is to simplify what they have to know about while they're getting to grips with the basic aspects of the game.
-Would people prefer this do be done as a video with explanation as narration/subtitles, or as a text and images?
-What would people like to see covered in this? What areas of the game cause the most headaches to newbies?

[itg]

-What do people think of the order that I cover things? I'm aware that the tutorial would not cover rock until the third part, but I want to limit the amount of information that they have to process. Since wood can be used for everything, the plan is to simplify what they have to know about while they're getting to grips with the basic aspects of the game.

-Maybe it was implied, but there should be a basic "getting started" segment, explaining how to generate a basic world and pick a site. Don't get into the details, just make sure a new player can successfully start a fort on a site that won't kill them.
-My first thought would be do mining before any workshops, since the first thing most people do is dig out an entrance and a few basic rooms.
-You can probably push back smoothing, engraving, and constructions. They're non-essential for a basic newbie fort.
-I would put brewing in the same segment as farming.
-There should be some basic discussion of clothing fairly early on, since all your dwarves will go insane if you run out.

-Would people prefer this do be done as a video with explanation as narration/subtitles, or as a text and images?

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Personally, I prefer written tutorials, since it's so much easier to refer back to them when you need to, and well-chosen pictures are just as effective a visual aid as a video.

If you're going to do a video, rehearse what you're going to say, maybe write a script for yourself, and keep it short and to the point. There's nothing worse than watching a tutorial where the narrator, umms, uhhs, and rambles until a 3-minute video becomes 10 minutes long.

[ed boy]

-Maybe it was implied, but there should be a basic "getting started" segment, explaining how to generate a basic world and pick a site. Don't get into the details, just make sure a new player can successfully start a fort on a site that won't kill them.

I've actually found this a quite complicated topic, and one that can be hard for people I've introduced to the game. How is a new player supposed to know if a site is good or not unless they've seen the implications in fortress mode? I was planning to include in each segment a "before" save, an "after" save and possibly an intermediate save so they can play the game and follow the tutorial while being exposed to as little outside information as possible.

-My first thought would be do mining before any workshops, since the first thing most people do is dig out an entrance and a few basic rooms.
-I would put brewing in the same segment as farming.

There are reasons why I divided it like that. I wanted to be able to bring the player from nothing to a fort that meets the basic needs of the dwarves as soon as possible. The reason for this is that new players like to take things slow and can take a lot of time trying out new things and getting to grips with them. It's hard enough for a new player to understand things like barrel shortages and balancing workshop flow without all the dwarves starving to death.

Brewing is not necessary for a fort. Yes, it's important, and in an established and successful fort the dwarves will mostly be drinking booze, but a dwarf can survive indefinitely on water, and therefore a new player doesn't need to know about brewing right away. Farming, however, is the simplest form of sustained food production, so it is being given high importance. Similarly, although most forts take place entirely underground, it is simpler to build workshops out in the open, and a fort can survive indefinitely out in the open (I plan to provide an example download that has invasions turned off). The plan is to cover the absolutely necessary first, and then the important but can be done without.

-There should be some basic discussion of clothing fairly early on, since all your dwarves will go insane if you run out.

Good call, I'll probably do a tailoring segment that covers the process from plant to clothes.

[Octobomb]

A tutorial series? Might help me work out how to farm? Great! I vote text. A picture paints a thousand ASCII characters. Plus a thousand words is referable to in a way videos just aren't. Godspeed!

[ed boy]

What are people's opinions on things like HFS and caverns? I'm not going to explain the HFS, but should I mention it (i.e. you can find some interesting things if you dig deep enough)? Should I give warnings (E.g. make sure your fortress is secure before digging to deep)? Similarly, how should I approach caverns?

Also, what do people think of the DF tutorials that are currently in existence? What concepts did y'all find difficult to learn at first?