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[martinuzz]

So, how does everybody deal with parties?

Personally, I won't allow parties in the first 1-2 years of the fortress, when labour is short. After that, I start designating personal statue gardens from nice shiny platinum statues. Not big, just 4 or 5 tiles, enclosed with some shiny doors. This way, I can manage the extent to which parties are thrown pretty decently. One party room assigned to a single dwarf will yield about 1 party per season (might vary with dwarf's preference for merrymaking).
Parties in such small, 4-5 tile rooms seem to restrict the number of dwarves that attend, while at the same time ensuring that dwarves that do attend, always socialize, and have a good chance to get a happy thought for admiring statue / doors / engravings (close proximity).
I don't think I have designated a large communal meeting hall for years now. That can really kill production.

Do you allow parties in your fortress? Does anyone use big communal partyable rooms?

[Solon64]

Many people on here seem to do everything they can to keep dwarves from socializing whatsoever.  A dwarf with friends is a ticking time bomb when he inevitably gets decapitated by some goblin later.

Myself, I always scatter a few meeting areas (using 'i' to designate a zone) all over the fortress.  Dwarves that are idle will split up amongst all the meeting areas.  This leads to a bunch of dwarves in groups of two or three standing in hallways, chilling on balconies, relaxing in the dining room, in other words making the fortress look lived in.  To me, having one and only one giant meeting hall looks totally unrealistic, and it makes all of the hallways look empty and deserted.  I can't have that, this isn't just a fortress, this is the dwarves' home!

TL;DR: many small meeting areas all over the fortress, to make it look more lived in and vibrant.  As a plus, the small meeting areas means they only socialize with a few other dwarves, and not be friends with everyone at the same time.

[Romegypt]

I don't actually get parties that often, even when my dwarves are maxed out on happiness, and I've NEVER got one until year three, so I don't really care if they party. I've never had a tantrum spiral before either, even though I've had lots of events that should have triggered one. Only one dwarf in any of games has EVER gone melancholy or whatevs.

Is this unusual?

[martinuzz]

Nah not really. Once you know what you are doing, and have a well-run fort, it can actually be quite difficult to get a real, fortress crumbling tantrum spiral.

[therahedwig]

Many people on here seem to do everything they can to keep dwarves from socializing whatsoever.  A dwarf with friends is a ticking time bomb when he inevitably gets decapitated by some goblin later.

Myself, I always scatter a few meeting areas (using 'i' to designate a zone) all over the fortress.  Dwarves that are idle will split up amongst all the meeting areas.  This leads to a bunch of dwarves in groups of two or three standing in hallways, chilling on balconies, relaxing in the dining room, in other words making the fortress look lived in.  To me, having one and only one giant meeting hall looks totally unrealistic, and it makes all of the hallways look empty and deserted.  I can't have that, this isn't just a fortress, this is the dwarves' home!

TL;DR: many small meeting areas all over the fortress, to make it look more lived in and vibrant.  As a plus, the small meeting areas means they only socialize with a few other dwarves, and not be friends with everyone at the same time.

You can combine this with wells as bathing areas, and it should serve a useful purpose as well.

[Mishrak]

I don't have designated meeting areas anymore.  The only place the dwarves socialize frequently is when they're eating in the kitchen.  But I even avoid declaring things as statue gardens because everyone likes to congregate there.  Tantrum spirals are far too nasty.

[Edmus]

I don't care about it, it's a game about dwarves after all. So I just let them party and try to avoid getting unhappy thoughts by not letting my dorfs die in the first place.

[Button]

I've been getting a lot more parties in 0.40 than I did in 0.34; or at least, a lot more dwarves attending each party. I think making partying a dwarven cultural value upped its priority quite a bit.

I never used to invest in party-breaking-up measures, but I may need to now.

[Urist McVoyager]

I've been working with bedroom designs, slowly making larger ones. I might have to add a small 1x2 "shrine" for each bedroom, as a tiny meeting area to limit the size of parties.

[Aisher]

Since i changed statue garden to slab garden they stop throw party at all

[Agent_Irons]

Since i changed statue garden to slab garden they stop throw party at all

I wonder why...

On a similar note: I used to break up parties(.40 is still so new I only managed to try it once) by leaving Troll body parts in the dining room. Once the flesh rots away, the bones just sit there and terrify people. They don't seem very unhappy about this, but you do get a fair bit of announcement spam.

[Melting Sky]

Nah not really. Once you know what you are doing, and have a well-run fort, it can actually be quite difficult to get a real, fortress crumbling tantrum spiral.

Agreed, I never understood the crazy lengths people go to isolate their dwarves since it seems like it would be FAR easier just to keep the entire fort's happiness level extremely high so as to prevent tantrums when inevitable deaths happen. I have yet to see a trantrum spiral but then again I am extremely ocd about my dwarves happiness. Perhaps, I have just been lucky.

As far as parties go I don't do anything to try and effect them in any way. I do find it annoying when one of my master craftsman and his back up decide to go party at the same time but its never bugged me enough to take away my dwarves happy drunk time. I tend to be pretty lame in that I only provide one big open party room in the central dining hall. Having everything centralized in this way makes it easy to boost happiness for everyone since they all path to the same place to chill. I usually install waterfalls or misters along with artifact constructions etc. in the central dining hall.

[Tally]

Many people on here seem to do everything they can to keep dwarves from socializing whatsoever.  A dwarf with friends is a ticking time bomb when he inevitably gets decapitated by some goblin later.

Myself, I always scatter a few meeting areas (using 'i' to designate a zone) all over the fortress.  Dwarves that are idle will split up amongst all the meeting areas.  This leads to a bunch of dwarves in groups of two or three standing in hallways, chilling on balconies, relaxing in the dining room, in other words making the fortress look lived in.  To me, having one and only one giant meeting hall looks totally unrealistic, and it makes all of the hallways look empty and deserted.  I can't have that, this isn't just a fortress, this is the dwarves' home!

TL;DR: many small meeting areas all over the fortress, to make it look more lived in and vibrant.  As a plus, the small meeting areas means they only socialize with a few other dwarves, and not be friends with everyone at the same time.

This seems like an interesting idea for flavor/thematic's sake. Would also work out well for my ideal fortress setup, were I to ever get a fortress far enough to flesh it out. Burrows set for particular industries, especially metalworking, where everyone within that profession lives, sleeps, drinks in that compartmentalized area of the fortress.

Of course, I also like the idea of using this combined with burrows to emulate certain social classes and even cliques within. All your nobledwarfs have their own wing of the fortress, and political intrigue may follow. Add in as many devious lever traps as you want to create an elaborate murder mystery should you decide that a noble is reaching too far with their mandate.

[Bartholomew The Pious]

I've been getting a lot more parties in 0.40 than I did in 0.34; or at least, a lot more dwarves attending each party. I think making partying a dwarven cultural value upped its priority quite a bit.

I never used to invest in party-breaking-up measures, but I may need to now.

This is no surprise, for with the advent of creature emotions along with party being culture, one can assimilate much more easier with the surrounding party goers. If one noticed in the relationship screen new status's besides friendzoning and grudges, there is more often than not, friendly relations and less and less of 'passing and long-term acquaintance' within the populace. That is, if thine dwarfs are idling and partying. Yea this is a grave matter we all must take control of!

[therahedwig]

Still though, having a fort with legendary dining hall(s), good quality food, an emphatic expedition leader/mayor is still an easier way to prevent tantrum spirals than trying helplessly to have your dwarves not be friends.