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[Corak]

I suppose the topic pretty much covers it. Is it a big disadvantage to force Dwarves to share tables (for example, I put four chairs around each table). Would I be better off setting up a bunch of individual chair and table pairs in my dining room?

[Worldwaker]

I can't see any harm from it, if anything you'd just be killing the 'lack of chairs' thought. Plus any bad thoughts would be reversed just by having the dining room.

[Aqizzar]

Actually, despite what you see in human towns, it doesn't work that way.  Any dwarf using a table uses the whole table.  That being said, since I've rarely seen more than 5% of a fortress' population in the dining room at once, you could save alot of space on tables.  Might want to make it about two chairs to each.

[Skanky]

The disadvantage in game-terms is that if more than one dwarf sits at that table, the second (and potentially third and fourth) will not get to use that table and will get a negative thought from this.

The advantage is the need to produce less tables.

As the main happy thought in my fortresses is the legendary dining room, I would be reluctant to make dwarves share a table and give them less happy thoughts.

[Brian]

Could someone please second this idea... It appears to me that if your dining room is too small-- don't know if it's by tables, chairs, or pairs, they will simply not use it at all and only eat in the stash area.

For example I'll make a beginning dining room with ten chairs and tables.  They'll use them just fine.  It seems that as soon as the first migration comes in, they won't even touch the room until I expand it.

[Cryten]

Dwarfs will use a dining room first if: it is defined as a meeting room with no other tables set up not to be a private dining room or if all the tables fall under a dining room designation from a table.

Number of chairs should have no effect as a dwarf take control or 1 chair and 1 table to eat.

[LostEnder]

I've had good luck with an alternating setup, thus:

Code: [Select]

c c c c c c c
TTTTTTTTTTTTTT
c c c c c c c

Avoids the crowded room bad thought, and the lack of chairs/tables bad thought once I have about a 1:3 ratio.

[Doppel]

Strange, i'm at 35 some dwarfs, still have the same obsidian 4 table 4 chair dining room made into loam or whatever, rarely (never) do i see dwarfs "filling up" the dining room and rarely (never) do i see them eating elsewhere, yet they are all incredibly inpressed with eating in this "legendary" dining room.

[Tcei]

I've noticed that if you put 4 chairs around a table then dwarves will complain of crowded tables, if you keep it to two or so they seem to only rarely complain of crowding

[Corak]

Upon further review...

Yes, four chairs around a table does tend to make a "crowded tables" thought. One problem is that the AI seems to look for empty CHAIRS, not tables. So, if a dwarf is sitting already at a chair (and using the table to eat), other dwarves will sit next to him anyway (because it is the next-nearest chair to the door).

This happens despite the fact that I have an enormous dining room with lots of other empty tables available. Perhaps the AI should be changed to look for an empty table first, and chair second?

(on a side note... my Dungeon Master just put a dwarf-corpse on his personal dining room table... I'm not sure why...)

[Samyotix]

I remember a hint from another thread saying that you should always build tables and chairs in such a manner that no table can be accessed from two chairs at once.

AFAIK hungry dwarves look for a food item, get that, path to a chair (which is in a table-designated in a dining room), go there, and use the table. Another dwarf is using the same table at that moment? Unhappy thought.

So (just like the one Lostender posted), these should be okay ... each dwarf can grab a chair, and will have access to only one table and not have to share it:

Code: [Select]

cccccccccc     ccc     cT cT
TTTTTTTTTT  or TTT  or  Tc Tc
TTTTTTTTTT               cT cT
cccccccccc                Tc Tc

but these could cause unhappy thoughts if dwarves decide to share a table:

Code: [Select]

ccccccc     c       TccT
TTTTTTT or cTc  or  cTTc
ccccccc     c       TccT

I'd actually used that last layout in my first fortress, but switched to just making large dining rooms surrounded by bedrooms.

If you're placing them next to a wall ... Note that the chair needs to be accessible, and if I remember right, they don't like to jump over tables... so place them like 'cTW' (chair, table, wall), not "TcW".
W=Wall, T=Table, c=chair, .=floor

Code: [Select]

good  notgood
WWWWW WWWWW
TTTTT ccccc
ccccc TTTTT
..... .....
WWWWW WWWWW


[KrataLightblade]

Upon further review...

Yes, four chairs around a table does tend to make a "crowded tables" thought. One problem is that the AI seems to look for empty CHAIRS, not tables. So, if a dwarf is sitting already at a chair (and using the table to eat), other dwarves will sit next to him anyway (because it is the next-nearest chair to the door).

This happens despite the fact that I have an enormous dining room with lots of other empty tables available. Perhaps the AI should be changed to look for an empty table first, and chair second?

(on a side note... my Dungeon Master just put a dwarf-corpse on his personal dining room table... I'm not sure why...)

He probably can't read and think "Master" means "Keeper".

[Cthulhu]

The Dungeon Master goes around pantsless, wearing like fifty cloaks, he's clearly unstable, and I wouldn't ask him too many questions.  You might set him off.

[Miriage]

I tend to go the route of 100+ chairs and 100+ tables, even if I only have 50 dwarves. Why the hell not this is dwarf fortress, go big or go home. It also has the benefit of leveling up your mason.

[Garath]

watch out, necromancer!

seriously, the last post before you 2 was from 2008, that's one hell of a long time to wait to answer the guys question