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[Aslandus]

I would *strongly* recommend going to Google and using this keyterm:  'dwarf fortress starter pack'

Either the first or second option is going to lead you to the forum post of the starter pack, which is made by Peridexis (something or another along those lines -- I'm much too lazy and at work to get his correct username.  ;P).

After running the launcher, there are some settings you could try.  These are not "the best" settings, they are simply -my personal preference-, and they may or may not help you.

Go to the graphics packs, and install either Obsidian or Phoebus (whichever tickles your fancy the most).  This will save your eyes.

On the first page of options, set 'Starting Labors' to "None."  (I do this so I don't have migrants coming in and immediately taking over jobs; it also lets me to sort them the way I want to sort them with dwarf fortress at a later time, without having to undo all of their pre-selected labors.)

Also on the first page, you may want to drop the population cap.  Don't set it TOO low, but try for a nice number in the middle like 30-50.  When you feel like you can handle larger migration waves or have hit that cap in your game (50 dwarves in your fortress) and you want more, you can raise the cap. 

Turn Sound to 'OFF' and then go to Utilities and let soundsense run automatically at start.  (Unless, you know, you hate awesome sounds.)

Finally, go to DFHACK and turn on any of the bug and feature fixes.  There's some features, like seedwatch, that you should read up on and decide if you want them. 

I posted a link to the starter pack on the 2nd page, so you don't have to do a google search if you don't want to

[dwarf_reform]

Memory is a bit fogged, but I believe I had DF sitting around on my hard drive for two years before I finally figured out how to play DF, instead of being played by it Its been a long while since, and within the past couple months I've learned: nether-cap wood has a natural temperature just above the freezing point of water, that you have to route replenishing water sources through a checkerboard-grid construction to depressurize it, that bronze is actually more beneficial than iron in a lot of cases, and twenty other things I can't remember

After a certain point I'd start DF and think, 'Man.. Its been a while since I played.. going to be tough remembering all the shortcuts..', but it isn't, after you log a couple hundred hours :O
*The most important key in the game is probably 'b' for building ('b-C' for 'C'onstructions, like building your own staircases and walls, 'b-w' for workshops, 'b-e' for furnaces/smelters)
*.. followed by 'd' for designating physical jobs..
*You can use 'view' or 'zoom' options in the 'u'nits, 'r'eports, and 'a'nnouncements screens to quickly move your view to the action..
*The 'z' key holds tons of useful information, and the functions for allowing or forbidding food for cooking, and for quickly butchering animals, are hidden in there..
*The 'n' key lets you assign nobles, 'm' for setting up a military (my least favorite screen in the whole game, bahaha).. 'p' for stockpiles.. 'i' for other zones, 'w' for burrows.. A fort will generally fail without proper usage of all above commands :>

Its really too much info to make a "simple" tutorial, in the end :> And then there are tricky things, like certain zones placed with 'i' that have options hidden in them (hospitals, pen/pastures), knowing what furniture makes an adequate bedroom or barracks, using 'q' to turn statues into statue gardens and restraints/cages into jails, and a hundred other things..

On the other hand, I think the most fun I've had with DF was through that fumbling, uninformed time Now I know how to pile food and drink and lock the front door.. Still, I've never used pipes to move water or magma, I've never used a windmill or watermill, or any pumps or pressure plates.. I use traps ('b-T', I think..) and levers, drawbridges, and floodgates Anyway, there will be no other game that can compete with the magic of DF in our.. or at least my.. lifetime, so learning how to play is well worth it :>

[Parhelion]

On the first page of options, set 'Starting Labors' to "None."  (I do this so I don't have migrants coming in and immediately taking over jobs; it also lets me to sort them the way I want to sort them with dwarf fortress at a later time, without having to undo all of their pre-selected labors.)

I would argue that that's awful advice for someone who's new to the game. You're basically encouraging them to have to micromanage everything they do.

And that's a perfectly valid argument.    I tend to like micromanagement, particularly when I'm learning and dealing with a small number of dwarves, because then I'm more 'aware' of exactly what is going on in my fortress, and it helps "troubleshooting".  Back before I really learned how to manage labors, I often got confused or outright frustrated with auto-labors.  However, I see the value in simply letting the game auto-enable labors until a player has learned what the labor toggles do. 

[JDRX]

The thing is I noticed several games where I did use only few task per dwarf via Dwarf Therapist and the one task I    wanted them to do they never seem to do it, thus becoming more and more miserable.
Or worse yet I got over 300 seeds of something I wanted them to plant but they refuse to plant because I don't have fertilizer

[JDRX]

[/quote]
if the keys are an issue, can you just go to the escape menu and change the key binding? It would be under general - go up/down one z level

What kind of antivirus are you using that thinks of Dwarf fortress as a virus?
[/quote]

I am using Norton 360.

[Putnam]

Yeah, that would explain it.

[JDRX]

Well thanks to someone of the suggestions I did finally figure out how to look underground and up.
Now my main thing is can I some how use mining carts as storage for specific stock piles in Masterworks?

[Foxite]

Also, DO NOT PLAY MASTERWORK BEFORE YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE BASE GAME. IT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA.

I never played masterwork(or any other mod other than DFhack) but why is it not a good idea?

[JDRX]

Actually I am really liking Masterworks

[Leatra]

Yeah, Masterwork is pretty awesome. It doesn't change the core of playing as dwarves in the fortress mode. I think newbies can try it. Playing as necromancers or succubuses is a whole another thing though.

[Aslandus]

Well thanks to someone of the suggestions I did finally figure out how to look underground and up.
Now my main thing is can I some how use mining carts as storage for specific stock piles in Masterworks?

Use a track stop set to dump a cart out and a minecart set to take in what you want to create an infinite pile of stuff

[Putnam]

Also, DO NOT PLAY MASTERWORK BEFORE YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE BASE GAME. IT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA.

I never played masterwork(or any other mod other than DFhack) but why is it not a good idea?

It's general advice for any mod, really. Play vanilla first. Masterwork especially should be ignored until you're at least somewhat familiar with other mods, but that's my annoyance with it showing through. The idea that people would play it before vanilla makes me angry as shit, especially since it's running on an old version of DF.

[LMeire]

Also, DO NOT PLAY MASTERWORK BEFORE YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE BASE GAME. IT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA.

I never played masterwork(or any other mod other than DFhack) but why is it not a good idea?

It adds a lot more general complexity like processing ores to get the most out of smelting, alchemy and magic, powered work shops, etc. Bad idea to jump into the mod before knowing how to at least survive in vanilla. Especially since not knowing what's modded and what isn't screws with bug-reporting and such.

...

It's general advice for any mod, really. Play vanilla first. Masterwork especially should be ignored until you're at least somewhat familiar with other mods, but that's my annoyance with it showing through. The idea that people would play it before vanilla makes me angry as shit, especially since it's running on an old version of DF.

No offense, but it's just a game, dude. Getting legitimately angry over how some people choose to play a game can't possibly be healthy.

[Putnam]

Sorry if I'm somewhat invested in the single hobby that I've spent the most time of my life on :I

[JDRX]

Well  I did figure out how to do the whole up and down thing.
Still bit confused with how things are going on in human mode.
Bit   frustrated because good portion of the ongoing red error messages because I don't understand why they cancel builds or refuse to go get water.
Some of my humans are sick  because they are thirsty but I got lots of drinks they just don't seem to want to get the water.