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[Melting Sky]

Ouch, those evil biomes are no joke.

[Ledi]

Monday’s Steam recap: New land, Cold land, but at least no ooze!

Well tonight’s stream was fun, and had much less doom! A few screenshots to summarise - please forgive the quality but I had to take them from the saved stream. Mostly setting up a small fort to try and get some safety for the future, creating workshops etc.

Spoiler:  The earth has been struck! (click to show/hide)

 

Spoiler:  It took me a while to decide where to dig first (click to show/hide)

.

Spoiler:  First rooms completed, moving things inside (click to show/hide)

Spoiler:  More digging! (click to show/hide)

Spoiler:  Traders! They brought useful things, I traded crafts and meals (click to show/hide)

Spoiler:  New friends! (click to show/hide)

As I mentioned in my last post, there will be no Tuesday stream this week, so I will see you all again on Saturday. Thank you to those who came to watch me play!

[Melting Sky]

Looks like a nice solid start this time. 

[Ledi]

Looks like a nice solid start this time. 

It does, far better than the last. XD

Since there's a bit of a break before the next stream, does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on what I should focus next? I feel I need more migrants before I can start up too many industries or a military, but military has ALWAYS been my weak point. I'd also like to roof and wall off a 'verandah' to plant some outside crops for variety while it's safe, but again, lack of dwarfpower for masons.

I think I realised why the brook never thawed - I have temperature off. I'll turn it back on and see how my FPS goes, hopefully I can create a cistern underground if the brook starts up again after that to use as a well and hospital resource.

[Melting Sky]

Leaving temperature on is pretty important particularly in cold or extremely hot biomes where it has a real effect on day to day play. You might as well leave on all the various game effects until you start to actually suffer FPS loss at which point you can start culling the less important ones. The one exception to that rule might be the population cap since once you have too many dwarves for the CPU to handle there really is no easy way to "turn it off."

A lot of people neglect the military until its too late mostly due to the horrendously poor user interface in the menus that handle it. It takes quite a while to master that interface and even after you have its still a real clunky pain in the rear. Better to bite the bullet early and get at least a bare bones squad put together so they can start training. Marksmen are cheap and easy to equip.

You could also carve out a little bunker with some fortifications overlooking the entrance to your fort so you have a good spot for marksdwarves to rain death down upon unwelcome visitors that are bound to come knocking at some point.

It's a bit hard to tell from the photos but you don't seem to have a well yet so that would also be a great early project. You could cut an underground aqua duct out to the river and even install a couple of water wheels along it for future power generation with a cistern and well at the end. Just be very careful to make sure that it all stays underground because once its been opened to the sky I think your icy climate will cause it to freeze which will cause all sorts of havoc.

[Ledi]

Saturday 15th March Recap

Well, it was mostly an uneventful stream.

Last time we had just traded with the dwarven caravan and were working on enlarging some of the rooms.

Spoiler: Where we left off (click to show/hide)

 

We had a content and mostly busy group of thirteen dwarves after two migration waves.

Spoiler: Who we left off with (click to show/hide)

 

Things went quietly - and turning temperature on again meant that the brook has slightly thawed (currently my highest priority is to get some liquid containment up and running so it won’t freeze again), until this happened.

Spoiler: Migrants have arrived! Let’s see how ma -- OH DEAR LORD (click to show/hide)

 

Yes, that’s 27 migrants in one wave, effectively tripling our workforce. As one viewer remarked, it seems like the entire mountainhome decided to move in at once. After the cistern, bedrooms are definitely high on the list. And a military, at least of marksdwarves - I made a little pillbox area over the entrance with fortifications (while managing to strand three workers up there) for when they are trained.

Elven traders arrived and I bought a giant hedgehog from them because I could. I’d like to make an outdoors farm at some stage but not sure how safe that would be.

Just before they left and I was wrapping things up, this happened.

Spoiler: Wait, more of you?! (click to show/hide)

 

I have not yet checked how many migrants arrived. That’s something we all learn tomorrow night!

[Ledi]

Monday 17th March Recap

We had gobbos today! Annoying gobbos that killed some of my dwarves. But they got routed or bored, and the one that fell into the pit was shot by my hastily cobbled together marksdwarf squad.

But first… the migrant wave from Saturday. Thankfully only numbering nine souls in all, so much much more manageable. They were put to work.

Spoiler: The New Nine (click to show/hide)

 

Even with more hands, unfortunately we didn’t manage to get the cistern working before autumn froze the brook again. We did set up some fortifications so that all will be needed come spring is a few channels dug and we’ll be filling up. Must remember to dig well holes before that.

Spoiler: Still no water (click to show/hide)

 

This was bad news when the goblins ambushed us, as it meant no washing or giving water. Not that we have soap either… Note to self, make soap.

We had a second mood, a double blech since it was both a craftdwarf and a possession.

Spoiler: Behold, the uselessness! (click to show/hide)

 

Due to work orders taking too long, we missed the human traders, but managed to catch the dwarves again.

We also had a few births, including a named dwarf becoming a mother!

Spoiler: ...Squidlet? (click to show/hide)

Thank you to those who watched, and there will of course be another stream tomorrow, where hopefully we’ll get bedrooms sorted and possibly sort out some military to deal with future goblins. I wonder if I should put some water wheels down there just in case I ever want the power. Must research water wheels… and soap…

As useful as the Blood of Armok would be, I’m still not willing to open up the caverns. Not without at least a functioning fortress with things where they need to be.

[Ledi]

Tuesday 18th March Recap

It was a quiet stream tonight. Although we did get a migrant wave. Another LARGE migrant wave. I guess four deaths isn’t quite enough to deter the hordes.

Spoiler: We’re Popular! (click to show/hide)

 

I made a rather large mistake, in making uniforms for the military ‘replace clothing’ before having enough leather clothes. The military got rather irate. I think clothing is also starting to wear out, so I need to *shudder* start working with the cloth industry and refuse stockpiles for old worn out clothes to rot in.

Spoiler: Oops. (click to show/hide)

 

We had another useful mood, a new chain for one of the wells! I was worried when the dwarf claimed a craft shop. -.-

Spoiler: Sokansefol Ocig Talul (click to show/hide)

The biggest achievement of the stream was… utilising the stream! Yes, the cistern was finally completed and when the brook thawed we breached it. Progress!

Spoiler: Let the water flow! (click to show/hide)

The last thing that happened before I stopped streaming was a visit from some pointy eared friends. We’ll see what they’ve brought (hopefully not an ambush) on Saturday.

Spoiler: Elves! Also, that should be “An” (click to show/hide)

[Melting Sky]

Looking good. Having a working well is a an important step. It ensures that no matter how bad things get outside you can at least close the gates and hunker down and properly prepare to deal with the threat without dwarves dying of thirst and going mad.

[Ledi]

Saturday 22nd March Recap

Today is a treat for you - Stonesense screenshots! I also managed to tweak OBS (my streaming software) so that it shows Stonesense as a picture-in-picture on the stream. If you like this new feature, I’ll keep it, it gives you something else to look at while I’m micromanaging bedrooms. XD

A short tour of the main Fortress areas

The entrance and the common use rooms. Many dwarves think that their dining rooms are ‘fantastic’. I’m not sure what’s wrong with them, they’re sharing tables with the common dorm and the metalworks…

Spoiler: Entrance and Common Rooms (click to show/hide)

 

Bedrooms thus far have come a little further in furnishing. Thanks to the soil on the NE side I’m going to have to dig deeper for the next set of pods I think. If it won’t run into the plumbing I might do that on the levels directly below and join them up via stairs in some of the central areas instead of making them dining rooms.

Spoiler: Bedrooms and Dining (click to show/hide)

 
 

The level above the entrance holds the major non-farming workshops I’ve needed extra of, although I still find that my hunters are (annoyingly) cancelling tasks due to no ammo. I really need that leather, guys, there’s a moody dwarf screaming about it downstairs. >.>

Spoiler: Workshop Rooms (click to show/hide)

 
 

Above that are rooms for farms and farming workshops. The northernmost room has now been opened to the sky and is in the process of being floored over again so I can grow some aboveground crops safely.

Spoiler: Farming Floor (click to show/hide)

   

We had elven traders from whom we purchased much cloth, then an ambush which was successfully fought off/goblins captured (I’m trying to strip them of their armour to melt down… seriously, silver axes? No wonder we won…) although one dwarf is still in the hospital (which at least has a working well now, with an artifact chain!). The migrant wave was only ten, but I’m thinking I may need to allocate some more dwarfs to the military just to be on the safe side. The issue is arming them… with no magma I have to rely on charcoal for fuel. Just before I ended the stream human traders arrived, we’ll see what they’ve brought on Monday!

Spoiler: Alerts (click to show/hide)

 


 

[Ledi]

Monday 24th March Recap

So many thieves and snatchers got killed tonight. Usually spotted by my hunters, who are also my marksdwarves. They don’t last long.

The traders had a lot of leather, which allowed my moody dwarf to finish his artifact before going nuts (phew)

Spoiler: Yay, legendary mechanic! (click to show/hide)

Somewhere along the way we also got a mayor. I have no clue when, just that I now need to make him rooms. Siiiigh.

Spoiler: At least bucklers are easy to make (click to show/hide)

 

More friends! This let me make another set of military squads, best of luck to them. Mind you, weapons and armour are still an issue.

Spoiler: Only another ten, thank goodness (click to show/hide)

 

Possession. :\ At least the last mood gave me a legendary mechanic, this one...

Spoiler: Craftdwarfshop claimed. I haven’t high hopes (click to show/hide)

 

Apart from that, I finished flooring over the ‘light’ farms, so I can now grow aboveground crops in one place safely. I’m planning to create another area like that, hopefully without ANY cave ins this time. I’m finding myself short on things to trade out, which is annoying me somewhat as I’d really like more cloth and leather from the dwarves that showed up just before I ended the stream.

Meanwhile, some more Stonesense screenies for you! You’ll probably notice not much infrastructure has changed, although there’s plans to create another level of bedrooms and hope not to hit soil with them.

Spoiler: Stonesense! (click to show/hide)

Entrance/common areas (plus traders)


Cistern!



Bedrooms, now with more beds


Workshops

[Ledi]

Tuesday 25th March Recap

My dwarfs are now starting to live in Interesting Times. This stream was rather more silent than usual as I have a cold and didn’t want to annoy viewers with my sniffling XD

First, leather from the caravans allowed my moody dwarf to finish his… useless trinket of uselessness.

Spoiler: Earring. Woo. No skill either. (click to show/hide)

 

The traders departed after letting me know what would be in demand for next year - it was easy enough to switch over from crafts to mugs, although I hope to be able to make more green glass serrated blades and mechanisms or meals over finished goods.

Spoiler:  Let there be mugs! (click to show/hide)

 

Then things started happening. My hunters came upon...friends. MANY friends.

Spoiler: Triple Ambush, friends and aftermath (click to show/hide)

 


 

We lost 13 adults from that ambush and I believe there’s a couple of dwarfs still in hospital, although at least we now have wells and soap. Saturday’s stream I try and rebuild the military without losing too much more of the workforce. I’ve started using copper to make armour, it’s not the best but it’s metal and I have yet to find any iron-bearing ore.

Apparently the deaths were too much for this dwarf to handle. Either that or the ghosties of carpenters past were talking to him suddenly.

Spoiler: Well, no skill-up from this... (click to show/hide)

 

While he busily gathered materials, a steady stream of thieves and snatchers were attempting entry.

Spoiler: Honestly I’m not too upset. (click to show/hide)

 

Before the end of the stream, the mysterious construction was finished. I’m saving it until we get a baron, although I’m tempted to put it in one of the dining rooms to try and keep everyone happy.

Spoiler: At least it’s useful! (click to show/hide)

 

I’m not sure how much military might is going to be useful to me as I’m woefully under equipped but at least if they’re training now they may stand a better chance once they’re kitted out.

[Melting Sky]

Your fort is looking nice.

Those pesky ambushers did some damage. Maybe you could train some hunting dogs or use pretty much any superfluous animals you have in the fort and assign them to pastures near the edges of the map. Although the critters don't often survive the encounters they do make a pretty good early warning system and they can buy your dwarves precious moments to get underground where its nice and safe.

[Ledi]

Your fort is looking nice.

Those pesky ambushers did some damage. Maybe you could train some hunting dogs or use pretty much any superfluous animals you have in the fort and assign them to pastures near the edges of the map. Although the critters don't often survive the encounters they do make a pretty good early warning system and they can buy your dwarves precious moments to get underground where its nice and safe.

That's a good idea. I remember seeing a.... watchtower pillbox type design floating around the forums some time ago, maybe I should build some near the edges of the map and shove dogs or turkeys in them for a little added protection.

[Ledi]

Unfortunately, something has come up and I'll be unable to stream tonight. My apologies to any potential viewers. I plan to stream again on Monday barring any other unexpected events.