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[Scorpiana]

Hi,

A few years ago (might be more than just a few...) I tried out Dwarf Fortress but never really got the hang of it. Once I got more then a few dwarves, I found it hard to get a feel for what was going on. So, after a bit, I deleted it from my PC and moved on, but I kept on checking in once in a while.
Recently I decided to try it out again as I found a nice tutorial series on youtube which guided me through the installation, configuration and play using the LNP.
So, long story short, I'm just started playing again and would like some feedback on the feasibility of the first real fortress I'm planning...

I've been able the generate a map with a major river flowing through a deep canyon. Using DF Hack, I filled up part of the canyon the create a two tier waterfall.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=19jLrSTYdqI83TXYBwWdqf5V5kGc6izxW
My plan is building a walkway to the cliff in the waterfall and then hollow out an Ironforge (World of Warcraft) inspired fortress.

I've been planning out my fortress using Paint.net, I'm afraid it might not be completely clear like this but the major idea is the following:

Level 1 - 3: Entrance with trade-post, some drawbridges to close of the outside from the fortress itself. The ways inside the castle are surrounded by fortifications one level up so marksdwarfs can shoot down at unwanted guests.

Level 5: Training area's and barracks for the military

Level 8: The plush quarters for the noble dwarves, meeting area's, temples.

Level 10: Quarters for the rabble.

Level 12 - 15: Workshops (Level 14) with an abundance of stockpiles on the other levels.

The red pixels in the plan are meant to be completely channeled out creating a large hollow area throughout the whole fortress. Black are walls, white is dug out. The other colours (if you can see them :-)) are staircases, fortifications, bridges.

The lowest two levels will probably be filled up with magma (If the fortress is still alive that long...) so I can use magma forges and smelters. I'm still not clear on how / where I will add the farming plots. Probably some staircases on the 'unsafe' part of level 3 with access to the outside for the farm animals.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cMRPnjYlRh7zBmJv1venRNzCeeLkYats

As the fortress is located below a major river, I feel I have to do something with water as well... any suggestions are certainly welcome. I would also like some feedback on the structural integrity of my plans as there are various walkways and pillars that are rather daring I think. As I haven't played much yet, I don't really have a feeling about what's doable and what will collapse when the first dwarf looks at it the wrong way.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this and look into it. Any feedback would be really nice.

[Grand Sage]

I find that I often run into unexpected needs when preplanning a fort. Like needing a military before I set up lvl 5. You can accommodate things like that with temporary facilities of course, or you could opt to adjust your plan whenever needed.

[GPeter]

There's this kind of idea that I tested once and It wasn't terrible. Embark with 7 skilled miners, lotsa food and booze, picks and nothing else. Use all these miners to dig the foundation of the fortress. All the workshops, and stockpiles, and rooms, offices, Meeting hall, zoo, temple, library, barracks. Dig everything (Or the most you can) and them abandon the fortress to ruin. Now come back and Reclaim it with a normal pack. Usually people go with 2 miners, but as you've already made all the digging for now, you could take just one and have an extra mason.

[OmahaMH]

There's this kind of idea that I tested once and It wasn't terrible. Embark with 7 skilled miners, lotsa food and booze, picks and nothing else. Use all these miners to dig the foundation of the fortress. All the workshops, and stockpiles, and rooms, offices, Meeting hall, zoo, temple, library, barracks. Dig everything (Or the most you can) and them abandon the fortress to ruin. Now come back and Reclaim it with a normal pack. Usually people go with 2 miners, but as you've already made all the digging for now, you could take just one and have an extra mason.

Interestingly, this is the opposite of the embark I thought of this morning that I want to try:  seven peasants with no skills.  Let them learn everything on the job.  Suboptimal as all hell, but I get my enjoyment out of Dwarf Fortress by trying various odd loadouts.  For example, I'm on a 2x2 fort right now (just for kicks) where I started with only raw materials and no tools (except for an anvil).  I had to build a forge, smelt some brought-along tetrahedrite and forge picks before I even started digging.  Also I I'm in the desert so there is no water and no lumber so the wagon was basically two rocks to build the smelter and forge, two chunks of tetrahedrite, some booze, some food, and a $(*$)(*^ton of logs.  Oh, and two delicious breeding pigs.

The fortress is now 100 strong, doing acceptably well.  I was late to get a military set up so I was sure I was boned.  Sure enough, right after I start training, a cyclops shows up.  Now I have level 0 and below fighters with armor scattered around the fortress furiously trying to get ready to fight and...  wait.  He stumbled into a cage trap.  We're good.  He's in storage now, right next the goblin snatcher that tried to break in.

[GPeter]

There's this kind of idea that I tested once and It wasn't terrible. Embark with 7 skilled miners, lotsa food and booze, picks and nothing else. Use all these miners to dig the foundation of the fortress. All the workshops, and stockpiles, and rooms, offices, Meeting hall, zoo, temple, library, barracks. Dig everything (Or the most you can) and them abandon the fortress to ruin. Now come back and Reclaim it with a normal pack. Usually people go with 2 miners, but as you've already made all the digging for now, you could take just one and have an extra mason.

Interestingly, this is the opposite of the embark I thought of this morning that I want to try:  seven peasants with no skills.  Let them learn everything on the job.  Suboptimal as all hell, but I get my enjoyment out of Dwarf Fortress by trying various odd loadouts.  For example, I'm on a 2x2 fort right now (just for kicks) where I started with only raw materials and no tools (except for an anvil).  I had to build a forge, smelt some brought-along tetrahedrite and forge picks before I even started digging.  Also I I'm in the desert so there is no water and no lumber so the wagon was basically two rocks to build the smelter and forge, two chunks of tetrahedrite, some booze, some food, and a $(*$)(*^ton of logs.  Oh, and two delicious breeding pigs.

The fortress is now 100 strong, doing acceptably well.  I was late to get a military set up so I was sure I was boned.  Sure enough, right after I start training, a cyclops shows up.  Now I have level 0 and below fighters with armor scattered around the fortress furiously trying to get ready to fight and...  wait.  He stumbled into a cage trap.  We're good.  He's in storage now, right next the goblin snatcher that tried to break in.

The idea of bringing 7 miners first has a weakness. You can't hit the caverns. Becaus, when you Reclaim a fortress, all the visible mud on the map disappears and leave behind the common rock floor, so you basically lose all the cavern mud, thus no trees and no farming on that cave level.

[sketchesofpayne]

No fortress plan survives contact with the entropy.

[Scorpiana]

Thanks for taking the time to look into my idea... I know that effectively succeeding with this fort is up in the air (or in this case, down in the rock) 
I've been digging my way down the cliff side, and making temporary bedchambers and workshops. So, so far, so good... (Not played much DF the last week, AC Odyssey is taking up much of my playtime.)
Anyone some ideas on the structural integrity of my plans? No use trying this out if everything will collapse anyway.