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[sumusiko]

I tried to get into this and it seemed really fun but I lost interest quickly because it was a bit hard to learn back in 2011, however I really wanna get into this now as I keep hearing about the game.

Anyone got any tips and help for a new player?

Also a few questions:

1- What's the objective? Conquer the world? Just survive?

2- Should I read the whole tutorial that is stickied even though I might forget about the commands later on? Also should I use the save world they also suggest in order to learn or you recommend me to learn on my own?

3- Which game type to play?

4- Should I make big worlds or are medium generally preferred?

[Codyo]

I like playing the game because it was a society simulator some what, except it's in a fantasy world and you quite actually have a lot of control over the dwarves and fortress.
I've made fortresses where all the dwarves lived on the inside of a volcano, so the first thing they saw in the morning was a lava pit of death. Or you could construct a large gate of pure gold to show off your wealth. I've made a spartan program for dwarf immigrants where they would pick up a weapon of their choice and immediately go into the caverns deep below the fortress to mine, kill stuff and survive with minimal niceties. I also made a pit to throw down goblin prisoners for them to kill.

To have fun with the game, it's all about imagination and creativity.

1. Just survive

2. I've grown used to the commands over time and they are second nature to me now, so it's hard to forget them. I never read any tutorial for the game, I enjoy reading the wiki though. Which should always be used as a reference and it's all you need to know. So I learned the game on my own and my motivation has been the awesome stories people come up with.

The biggest thing to worry about is learning how to farm, since irrigation is confusing at first. So I suggest embarking on sites with Clay then when you dig below the surface you can "b"uild farm plots right away and set them to make plump helmets. Then you don't have to worry about water, floodgates, rivers and whatever. Once you have a food supply you can practice doing everything else in the game.

3. I enjoy fortress mode much more than adventuring. People tend to prefer one over the other, and personally I feel adventurer is a bit messy right now.

4. Since there has been frame rate problems in this .40 version, you should stick with Small and Medium worlds. The world is simulated in real time now while playing the game.

[sumusiko]

Thanks for the tips! I am the kind of strategic player, I came from Mount and Blade Warband where you control your own army, make your own strategies, choose your own troops and such, would love to know if it would be possible to actually train your dwarfs and make an "army" would love to go around and kill other villages and perhaps conquer a whole area etc


Also is it recommended to make a fortress in the wilderness, mine down and make it underground or mine towards the inside of a mountain?

[Codyo]

No you can't control armies yet. That will come in the far, unknown future.

You should definitely embark on at least half a mountain and half whatever else. Mountains tend to have a lot of minerals. Don't go inside a mountain range though or no civilizations will be able to reach you.

[sumusiko]

So what make a fortress entrance in the wild and the other half of the fortress goes inside the mountain which is where I'll keep the most important rooms?

Also that means I can't be in a place too hidden right?


A few more things, I have a lot of idlers, how do I get woodcutters to go and cut trees, I've clicked "d" choose cut trees and selected which ones with double enter and such but none of htem ever go, they stay idle, so far can only get a miner and plant collector working.

Also is there a way to make them search around for the kind of material they are after? Woodcutters will look for tress, plant collectors will search for plants etc

[LMeire]

Conquest is out of the question unless you play adventurer mode, fort mode can't support that stuff yet. (The game is still barely in alpha, after all.) Playing adventurer mode gives you the freedom to become anything from a two-bit bandit to a dragon-slaying hero to a psychopathic serial killer; so if you build up your in-game reputation and skills right, you very well can recruit yourself an army and forcefully takeover some towns.

As for fortress designs, depends on your play-style. I'm quite fond of building on rocky coastlines or on flat tundras, other people swear by straight-to-cavern embarks and such. If you're just beginning, I'd go with a warm forest with a river and no aquifer; then you can practice things like setting up wells, dining halls, bedrooms, and defensive structures and not have to worry as much about food or drink as long as you can figure out plant-gathering. (<d p>, then <enter>, and drag the cursor over an area with plants, then <enter> again.)

EDIT:

Your wood cutters need battleaxes, they also need a place to stand while they chop so make sure to only designate the bottom zlevel of the trees or they won't do anything.

[sumusiko]

adventurer seems to be the kind of thing I'm looking for although I also enjoy the building part of the game, is there any building stuff at all in adventurer mode?

[LMeire]

... is there any building stuff at all in adventurer mode?

Not yet, but if campfires and the "knapping rocks into sharper rocks" features are anything to go by crafting and building are definitely planned.

[Codyo]

So what make a fortress entrance in the wild and the other half of the fortress goes inside the mountain which is where I'll keep the most important rooms?

Also that means I can't be in a place too hidden right?


A few more things, I have a lot of idlers, how do I get woodcutters to go and cut trees, I've clicked "d" choose cut trees and selected which ones with double enter and such but none of htem ever go, they stay idle, so far can only get a miner and plant collector working.

Also is there a way to make them search around for the kind of material they are after? Woodcutters will look for tress, plant collectors will search for plants etc

as long as you're doing 'd' 't' and using enter to select and confirm an area then you should have trees designated
your woodcutter does have an axe right with the woodcutting labor active?

[sumusiko]

Yes he does apparently at the start I can only get 2 workers to do something apparently. Always 5 iddle..

[Codyo]

can you confirm there are trees around? use 'k' to look at stuff

[Magnumcannon]

I tried to get into this and it seemed really fun but I lost interest quickly because it was a bit hard to learn back in 2011, however I really wanna get into this now as I keep hearing about the game.

Anyone got any tips and help for a new player?

Also a few questions:

1- What's the objective? Conquer the world? Just survive?

2- Should I read the whole tutorial that is stickied even though I might forget about the commands later on? Also should I use the save world they also suggest in order to learn or you recommend me to learn on my own?

3- Which game type to play?

4- Should I make big worlds or are medium generally preferred?

1- Objective? What do you mean ? There is no such thing as a fixed objective at dwarf fortress, you can make your own!

2- Yeah, learning the commands might be kinda hard when you're new. Reading isn't enough, pratice then. After using them a lot, you will be able to use them just like any other kind of game.

3- Dwarf Fortress is city management, Adventurer is...well, adventures using your adventurer! I like the Adventurer mode better, because you can just go out, explore the world, slay giant tortoises and strangle people with their own socks. Dwarf Fortress, on other hand, is all about strategy and resource management. You have to care about the food, the booze, the happiness, the health and the safety of your little dwarfs. Choose which one you like!

4- I think medium are recommended for begginers.

[sumusiko]

also what do I do with wood? Where to store it? it occupies so much space since I cant store it in containers

[Magnumcannon]

also what do I do with wood? Where to store it? it occupies so much space since I cant store it in containers

`

Wood is really useful to make beds, and beds are really useful to make non-tantrumring dwarfs happy dwarfs. You might want to create a wood stockpile (Press 'p') and select the wood stockpile. If you're going to create one, do it right on the side of the carpenter's workshop, so he won't have to take a 420 mile trip to get the logs.

Also, as you mentioned storing, you might want to assign dwarfs to do all the hauling job. Wait until you get migrants and then unassign some and have them to do hauling. I, personally, assign some to do the item hauling (And all the other stuff) and others to do the furniture hauling (Beds, doors, coffers, cabinets). Assign manually your dwarfs professions might be a real pain in the ass. This, my friend, is the Dwarf Therapist, it helps a lot to assign the jobs of your dwarfs.

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=122968.0

I think you might have some more questions about everything (Dwarf Fortress is sorta complex, but not hard).

Read the wiki page about Quickstarter on Dwarf Fortress. It really helped a lot. And, the best way to truly understand the game is to test. Don't be afraid if it will lead to your dwarves' death. Remember:

Losing is FUÑ

If you still have any other questions, just ask. The community at this forum has really helped me a lot and i'm sure they will help you as well.

[sumusiko]

Thanks! How big do you recommend me to make my wood storage?