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[TeDDD]

I, for one, wanted a Gem-Encrusted Obsidian throne.  

[Karlito]

They'll take the object nearest to them, so the trick is to place a bunch of obsidian next to the masons workshop.  But I agree that we need a "mark for decorate" option.

[Sappho]

Actually they don't always choose the closest material.  I'm making thousands of marble blocks for a construction, and I decided to move my microcline wayyyy far away from the masons so that they wouldn't keep making blocks out of that.  The workshops are literally surrounded by a large marble-only stockpile, and yet now and then they still go to the far-away one to get microcline.

[Torak]

Whatever happened to [Make Dark stone xxx] [Make light stone xxx] [Make rock xxx]?

[Bouchart]

I'd just like it if my dwarves didn't use my valuable obsidian to fire out of catapults.

[ZrO4]

Workshop.///(stones)....................\obsidian..   (with workshop task)

-->

  Workshop.///(stones)......................

[Ziusudra]

Seems like they pick the stone closest to them when they take the job which may be nowhere near the workshop.  They don't go to the workshop and then take the job.

There are plans for picking the material for workshops (Req27) and auto-forbid mined rock (Req74 - maybe, reading it again, haulers aren't the same as workmen, but just setting the forbid flag would be easiest.)

So, don't worry, you are not alone in your disappointment. Until then you'll have to try to keep your masons near their workshops and away from the mechanic's workshop with all the cheap stone.

[Fenrir]

Until Toady remedies this problem, put your valuable stone behind locked doors.

EDIT:
Or better yet, lock your masons in with the stone you want them to use.

[ December 04, 2007: Message edited by: Fenrir ]

[Darktongue Breakbone]

A stockpile can be designated to exclude certain rocks, just forbid obsidian in the stockpile by the catapults.

[Geofferic]

I always find this frustrating.

Like I think it's super obnoxious that I have to Encrust like 50 things before I get the gem encrusted table I'm waiting for.

[Name Lips]

I'd love at least the option to do this. Like you could either leave a workshop on "auto-choose items" or designate the specific items yourself.

[SmileyMan]

The nicest option would be that you have to mark items as decorate in the same way as melt or dump.  Then when a nice quality throne was created, you could think "Ooh, I'll turn that into somehting really nice to keep a noble happy" and mark it as ready for decoration.  If nothing is marked, then a workshop could give a "No items designated for decoration" message.

Just like when you order "melt an object" at the smelter, it doesn't just grab the nearest metal item.

[Paul]

Just forbid all your stone except for the ones you want them to use. Thats what I do.

I forbid all of my stone with the designation, then I go and reclaim the stone that I want to make things out of.

[HJ]

Since the dwarves seem to ignore Z-axis when calculating distance to nearest stone, a 3*3 stone stockpile of the desired material directly above or below the workshop is the best bet if you don't want to go around forbidding all your stone. There's still the problem of them picking up the nearest stone when they initially head to the workshop, but it works reasonably well.

[Lord Dullard]

quote:Originally posted by HJ:
<STRONG>Since the dwarves seem to ignore Z-axis when calculating distance to nearest stone, a 3*3 stone stockpile of the desired material directly above or below the workshop is the best bet if you don't want to go around forbidding all your stone. There's still the problem of them picking up the nearest stone when they initially head to the workshop, but it works reasonably well.</STRONG>

This is what I thought, too, but I've noticed some really illogical (and irritating) behavior from my masons in my latest fort. They've got a 3x3 stone stockpile right below their workshop with a set of stairs two steps away from the shop, so Round Trip = 8 steps. I've got a stockpile a few floors up with a round trip of about twenty steps. Guess which one they go to?   :roll:

Looks like I'm going to have to go with the lock-up method.