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[RedKimchi]

So i basically started. I've gotten the bare minimums from various guides and videos, but i still have a lot of questions.

1. When making a channel connecting to a river, say to make a moat, how does my dwarf run the heck out?

EX:
                         cccccccccccc
                         c                c
                         
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought to myself, "I could make floodgates next to the river, have them open, allow my dwarf to run the heck out and close them so he won't drown. But what then? How does said dwarf get out?

If there is something i missing in this, please do tell.

2. I made a ton of barrels, but i'm not exactly sure how i'm supposed to use them. I thought they were like beds where i could simply place them onto stockpiles and the dwarves would place them there. Do dwarves automatically take out the barrels in my carpenter workshop and use them?

3. How do i place buckets? Or are they autouse? I read that i was supposed to place the buckets in all the rooms i had, but again, couldn't find the build command.

4. I had a stockpile next to a river. I didn't think much of it, until i was attacked by messages of "Interrupted by carp (or other fish)" and finally, my brewer died ._.

So, dwarves will die if i have them do tasks like stockpiling next to rivers?

5. I've seen vids where dwarves simply walk through rivers (rpgenie vids) If they can, what good is a moat?

I will have more things to ask as i play o.o

[Hyndis]

1) Use stairs as an access for any water/magma projects.

2) Barrels are primarily used in food stockpiles. They're used for storing food, booze, and seeds. Empty barrels and bins are stored in your furniture stockpile, but dorfs will automatically move them to your food stockpile and back as needed.

3) Buckets are used automatically if a dorf is injured and is given water. Buckets are also used to make wells. A well needs a mechanism, a rope/chain, a bucket, and a block. Always keep a few extra buckets on hand laying around in a stockpile so that injured dorfs don't die of thirst.

4) Don't have dorfs work in dangerous areas, such as near rivers with dangerous critters or near magma or chasms that haven't been cleared out. Send in your military, preferably armed with crossbows, to go clear out the area before having workers do stuff there. If you can't clear out the area, have the marksdorfs stationed there to guard the workers.

5) Brooks are a special case. They're a source of water that has no depth, so anyone can walk over it. Larger bodies of water, such as rivers, have depth to them. Channels filled with liquid, such as water or magma, also have depth to them. The only way a creature can pass over/through this is to swim or fly.

[Reasonableman]

1 - Most of the time, a dwarf will try to dig channels from above, not at the same level. He may accidentally undermine another dwarf, if he happens to stand on the wrong tile at the wrong time. So, you shouldn't have to worry about trapping them.

2 - Barrels will autmatically be used as needed to hold food, alcohol, and seeds (which also have to be in bags - the seeds, not the alcohol and food)

3 - Buckets are used for very particular structures and tasks - hauling water into designated ponds, wells, and, erm, nothing else I can think of. So I can't imagine why you'd think you'd need em in every room.

4 - Carp, and certain other fish, are waaaaay overpowered and can kill dwarves at a distance for no apparent reason at the moment. So, if you see any messages about them, it's best to avoid whatever body of water they inhabit.

5 - Brooks can be traversed by any creature, but most other water features, particularly ones you make yourself, cannot be crossed. A simple pit usually works just as well, water is pretty unnecessary.

Hope that helps!

EDIT: DARN YOU HYNDIS AND YOUR FASTER TYPING!

[RedKimchi]

Thanks reason for the quick replies.

@hyndis
Just a bit confused on the channel bit though. Stairs? for a moat? Like, a ramp?

@reasonable
Well, i was digging a moat, and to get out of the incoming water, my dwarf had to swim its way out through the river. When it dug out the last portion, does it drop into the same level as the channel?

[Hyndis]

Thanks reason for the quick replies.

Just a bit confused on the channel bit though. Stairs? for a moat? Like, a ramp?

If you're digging a moat via channeling, and its only a single Z level deep, you don't need stairs at all. Just do the digging from above with the channel designation.

If you want access to the moat for some reason, such as there's some gems or ore down there, or perhaps to collect the remains of dead things, then you will need stairs. Also, stairs or some other access is needed if you're going to do a sewer system, bringing water from a source into your fort without having the top exposed. Alternatively, you could find an expendable dorf and have him channel out a magma duct without having to bother with an escape route.

Though if you're just building a moat, you don't actually need to fill it. A simple 1 tile wide gap in the ground is enough to stop anything that walks.

[Hyndis]

2 - Barrels will autmatically be used as needed to hold food, alcohol, and seeds (which also have to be in bags - the seeds, not the alcohol and food)

Seeds don't actually need to be in bags. They'll automatically be stacked in bags if some bags are available, but if no bags are available they're just put the seeds directly into a barrel.

[Reasonableman]

2 - Barrels will autmatically be used as needed to hold food, alcohol, and seeds (which also have to be in bags - the seeds, not the alcohol and food)

Seeds don't actually need to be in bags. They'll automatically be stacked in bags if some bags are available, but if no bags are available they're just put the seeds directly into a barrel.

Didn't know that. Is there any way to get the bags out of the barrels?

[Hyndis]

Thanks reason for the quick replies.

@hyndis
Just a bit confused on the channel bit though. Stairs? for a moat? Like, a ramp?

@reasonable
Well, i was digging a moat, and to get out of the incoming water, my dwarf had to swim its way out through the river. When it dug out the last portion, does it drop into the same level as the channel?

Oh, digging out the last tile to connect the trench to the liquid. You can do this simply by digging a channel from the Z layer above, or if you want you can do it with regular mining from inside the trench. This preserves the ground above if for some reason you want to preserve it.

Usually the easiest way is to dig out the entire moat/channel/trench/sewer and leave 1 square undug. Then dig out that final square from the layer above and you don't have to worry about losing dorfs to water or magma. You can build a floor over that tile to seal it off again. You can also build/carve a fortification inside the conduit to keep out swimming critters. I dont think it will work for vermin, but it definitely works for goblins and other large creatures. Fortifications also cannot be destroyed, unlike bars/gates/doors/floodgates.

For water flow control, its always a good idea to install a floodgate just behind the fortification, then connect it to a lever. You may never use it, but its always a good idea to have an off switch just in case.


Here's a diagram, viewed from the side:

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX....[channel]......[brook].....
[floodgate]  [fortification]     [water]         [water]
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Install the fortification first, either by simply carving it from native rock, or by constructing a wall and then carving the wall. Or, more directly, build a fortification outright from the same menu.

Behind that, build your door/floodgate. Connect it to a lever. Then once thats done, channel out the square just infront of the fortification. This should be the last undug square in your whole network. By opening the floodgate/door and channeling that out, you'll introduce the liquid into your system with complete safety.


Oh...and magma will melt most things. Water, however, is much safer.

[Hyndis]

2 - Barrels will autmatically be used as needed to hold food, alcohol, and seeds (which also have to be in bags - the seeds, not the alcohol and food)

Seeds don't actually need to be in bags. They'll automatically be stacked in bags if some bags are available, but if no bags are available they're just put the seeds directly into a barrel.

Didn't know that. Is there any way to get the bags out of the barrels?

I don't think there is. But then, having dorfs make bags isn't too difficult. The only possible complication would be from also trying to make stuff from glass and then trying to build lots of chests in rooms. Bags will clutter up that menu, making mass construction of chests a real pain. But thats the only downside.

[RedKimchi]

lots of questions answered, thanks everyone.

More questions though ._. Mainly about being attacked

1. For the 1st year, do i need to draft any dwarves?
2. Should i be worried about an attack on the first year?
3. Will a moat be enough to fend off any attackers?
4. In what sort of area should i put the door of my fortress? I've been usually placing in relatively flat areas, not really thinking about being attacked, but then i began to wonder how prepared i would be to retract my bridges lest i got attacked.
5. How do i call my dwarves into my fortress in case there's an attack?

More questions still to come when i think of them ._.

Again, thanks a lot guys. I'm slowly figuring out this game o.ob

[Bromor Neckbeard]

1 & 2.  You probably shouldn't have to draft any dwarves your first year unless you're building your fortress in a hostile area.  You might see a couple of kobold thieves or goblin babysnatchers, but no big attacks.  Personally I only train a single Marksdwarf until I really feel the need for a larger army.

3.  A moat will work against all attackers except flying ones.  I've personally never been attacked by giant eagles or whatever, the vast majority of stuff that will attack you is goblins and kobolds.  If you have a single decent Marksdwarf firing from behind cover (Fortifications, especially elevated Fortifications), he can hold off a dozen goblins with ease.

Personally I like to wall off a large outdoor area, then build a moat around the wall.  This provides you with a good safe zone to cut trees and/or gather herbs without worrying about your workers being attacked.  You can seal your fort off from the outside world entirely.

4.  In my opinion, it really doesn't matter that much.  A wall and/or moat should prevent any invaders from getting to your front door, but if they do, you can always forbid the door, which locks it.  If your fort has a water source and underground farming, you can just leave the door locked and practically nothing can get in.

5.  Under the "Orders" menu, there's an option that can be switched from "Dwarves can go outside" to "Soldiers can go outside" to "Dwarves stay inside".  However, this isn't a perfect solution, because even if they're forbidden from going outside, they will still go a few steps outside to pick up loot, then realize that they're not supposed to be there, so they go back inside.  This usually results in numerous unnecessary deaths in a hail of goblin arrows, so I use a moat/drawbridge (with the lever deep inside, NOT next to the drawbridge) in combination with the "Dwarves stay inside" option.  This DOES work to get woodcutters, herbalists, etc inside quickly if you spot enemies, though.

[Skanky]

1b. It depends on your area (evil areas are more likely to have creatures to attack you), but in a normal area you are only likely to encounter thieves or such. Peasants can beat these in a fight
2b. No
3b. Yes, although it will also be enough to fend off caravans... A 3-tile wide drawbridge left down can keep you safe in the event of and attack while allowing you to trade with caravans
4b. Shrug. As long as you have a wall between your door and potential attackers, your dwarves should be safe
5b. Options -> only military dwarves allowed outside or no dwarves allowed outside. Note that civilians will still dance around the entrance "Ooh, blood-covered silk sock", "Aii, not allowed outside", "Ooh, theres a sock!", hence my recommendation to have a wall between the entrance and any potential enemies.

[LegacyCWAL]

I personally mass-forbid every corpse and pile of equipment that drops during a battle.  It can be kinda tedious, but it lets dwarves go outside for other tasks, such as firing Ballistae.

[1138]

Just a note: if you're going to rely on a moat for defense, make sure you're not in an area that freezes. Unfortunately, while it's not nearly as cool, an empty ditch is easier and just as effective as a water filled one.

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Once you get the knack of defending down, you then have to decide whether you want to go all the way on defenses or not. Some consider it more dwarfly to hit goblins with hammers.