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[Sajiky]

So got one guy, just one, who won't eat apparently. I keep getting messages that he's starving. Go looking for him, and find him hunting. He's not a hunter. He ends up eating rats. I'm guessing he get's hungry enough to eat anything than does that.

The question is, who won't the little bugger eat any actual meals?

Got plenty of them, plenty of raw food. Lot's of stuff to eat other than vermin. But that seem's to be his diet. He's not proud of it either, lol.

The only thing I see that set's him apart, is that he's my militia commander. They're completely inactive though.

[Capntastic]

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=7.0

[Sajiky]

Or you could have, http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Food.

But it would have made less of a point, and been much less likely to annoy a newb and make him give up playing the game altogether, so I get why you didn't. On the other hand, it still wouldn't have answered why he isn't eating, so it would have made a valid choice for your purposes anyway.

[Sajiky]

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?board=7.0

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=174947.0

[PatrikLundell]

The reason he's hunting vermin is that he can't get to the food, i.e. he's trapped somewhere. You need to restore a path for him, and at that point he'll rush to get food/drink (and possibly meet other dorfs eager to bring him food and water).

(Something that's really frustrating is to suddenly find you're out of food because work has stopped as everyone is chasing vermin and you order the slaughter of an animal to get food, and they ignore that order because they're busy hunting vermin...).

[Starver]

(Regardless of more positive information given in the three links just ninjaed, (and the fourth ninja just happened, post-pre-post-edit) here's my version of the reply.)

edit: Of course, on checking, the link-replies did not directly ninja me, it turns out. Though Patrik summarises what I say very well indeed. . Still, the subforum pointed to is good to know of, the Wikilink has loads of Food info and if you can help indicate where you're going wrong (as an uninformed new player, once you have become informed enough to know where that was) your input in that thread might be invaluble.

I used to get "Urist McHunter cancels hunting: (because they are now) Hunting for vermin" a lot. Hence the forum name.

i.e. I'd done such a bad job of feeding the (whole) fortress that even my hunter had found themselves beyond being able to produce anything quickly enough. The desperation drags them away from (the initial stage of one form of) food production.


Obviously, it seems your example is not suffering from total lack of food, fortresswide. And hunger will override/ignore Burrow limitations, and I'm fairly sure even military service (as might be applicable). It's been so long since I've needed anything other than drink-giving (I sometimes have miners get thirsty when restricted to a priority job area by burrow that another dwarf goes and 'waters' them, though full dehydration should cause them to break off) that I'm not certain that available food is similarly given under such circumstances, but I'm sure it is. And if all food is 'owned' by someone else then this won't be your only unfortunate, even if he's the worst.

So we're probably talking physical separation from your food-stocks, and anyone who has access to those stocks.

Have you drawn up your drawbridges/locked the entry-doors/walled off the entry+exit corridor/accidentally deramped a vital pathing-ramp? Check for that (maybe try to use a random but identifiable stone inside your fortress as a material in building a prospective wall right next to where Commander McHungry currently is?) and remove the cause immediately if that's the case. If it's that he should head off to food (or maybe the reverse).

You could also set up a food (prepare meal) stockpile next to him, in case that snaps him out of the vermin-hunting, but you don't get the immediate "that aint gonna happen", and forcing the food movement is not going to help on its own (especially as it's not really abailable while being hauled).

If there are other issues, we can look for them after ruling out the above, though.

[Sajiky]

Maybe I locked him off outside actually. I had an undead scare. I'd already lost the same fortress to the unded by failing to remember to lock the door I carefully placed to keep them out lol.

Thanks guys.

[Starver]

Sounds the more obvious answer. Unlock the door and either he'll immediately race in (to food) or someone else will shortly race out (with food), if you're lucky.

It's a learning process.

[Sajiky]

Yeah I just checked though, it was passable. He is spending his time outdoors though maybe another path finding issue.

And to everyone but the guy who didn't just politely tell me I was in the wrong forum, I'm sorry I posted it here. Had two windows open, thought I was in the one for asking those question.

Forum's in general seem to attract the condescending sort. But when Toady is trying so hard to get a game that is I think the greatest game I've seen in 35+ years of gaming out to be appreciated by the masses (good for him getting to finally cash in on steam btw, made me really happy to see that) every little bit of friendly kindness will help him a lot.

As I said, it's the greatest, but not very accessible. And in this day and age of hand holding, and making sure the player feels that quick pointless reward sensation for meaningless achievement, he needs all the help he can get.

[Sajiky]

bah quoted myself