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[Brent Not Broken]

to the OP: Where is your planter? I nearly always bring a proficient planter along to deal with food early on (though I also use a mod that significantly increases plant grow times), and I think that the engravers/miners is really a waste: Even in savage evil areas three miners has always been enough for me, and I deal with engraving by keeping a bunch of migrants on smoothing duty until three or four of them break proficient, then disabling it for the rest of them.

I don't set up a "dedicated" planter until the first wave of immigrants hits. I generally ditch the anvil and one of the axes from the starting item loadout, which gives me plenty of points with which to bring food.

In a pinch, the armorsmith/mechanic/architect/general scientist dwarf does a little dabbling in applied botany, as well.

[Christes]

We should make a compilation of good starting builds and write them all in this format:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

[PROFILE]
[TITLE:DEFAULT]
[SKILL:1:MINING:5]
[SKILL:1:MASONRY:5]
[SKILL:2:MECHANICS:5]
[SKILL:2:DESIGNBUILDING:5]
[SKILL:3:WOODCUTTING:5]
[SKILL:3:CARPENTRY:5]
[SKILL:4:MINING:5]
[SKILL:4:JUDGING_INTENT:2]
[SKILL:4:APPRAISAL:1]
[SKILL:4:ORGANIZATION:1]
[SKILL:4:RECORD_KEEPING:1]
[SKILL:5:MASONRY:5]
[SKILL:5:FORGE_ARMOR:5]
[SKILL:6:BREWING:3]
[SKILL:6:COOK:2]
[SKILL:6:PLANT:5]
[SKILL:7:PLANT:5]
[SKILL:7:HERBALISM:5]
[ITEM:2:WEAPON:ITEM_WEAPON_PICK:METAL:COPPER]
[ITEM:1:WEAPON:ITEM_WEAPON_AXE_BATTLE:METAL:STEEL]
[ITEM:46:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_ALCOHOL:MUSHROOM_HELMET_PLUMP]
[ITEM:46:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_ALCOHOL:GRASS_WHEAT_CAVE]
[ITEM:20:SEEDS:NONE:MUSHROOM_HELMET_PLUMP:NONE]
[ITEM:5:SEEDS:NONE:GRASS_TAIL_PIG:NONE]
[ITEM:15:MEAT:NONE:DOG:NONE]
[ITEM:15:PLANT:NONE:MUSHROOM_HELMET_PLUMP:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:HORSE:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:DONKEY:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:MULE:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:CAT:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_PERCH:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_MOLLY_SAILFIN:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:MARMOT_HOARY:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:RACCOON:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_TROUT_RAINBOW:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_CHAR:NONE]
[ITEM:100:FISH:NONE:TURTLE:NONE]
[ITEM:46:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_ALCOHOL:GRASS_TAIL_PIG]
[ITEM:46:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_ALCOHOL:POD_SWEET]
[ITEM:20:SEEDS:NONE:GRASS_WHEAT_CAVE:NONE]
[ITEM:10:SEEDS:NONE:POD_SWEET:NONE]
[ITEM:100:WOOD:NONE:WOOD:GIANT_SHROOM]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:DEER:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:FOX:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_BULLHEAD_YELLOW:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_BULLHEAD_BROWN:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:MACAQUE_RHESUS:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:GROUNDHOG:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:GOAT_MOUNTAIN:NONE]
[ITEM:50:STONE:NONE:STONE:COAL_BITUMINOUS]
[PET:3:DOG:STANDARD]

Then we can save them all in the init\embark_profiles.txt file and have a good range of embark profiles to choose when starting a fortress.

QFE

If I had a solid embark profile, I'd start.  However, I always wing it.

[Hectonkhyres]

I flat out ignore any skill involved in the production of anything without quality levels (woodcutting, growing, etc) or anything that will be quickly consumed (I can afford to train up my cooks and brewers in the first few years of my fort: the dwarves won't complain about a few meals of -plump helmet roast- in their legendary dining room). Nor do I bother with things that are trade goods only: I go for the things I need done right the first time I ask for them. Furniture production, armor and weapon crafters, decorators, a mechanic, architects, glassworkers. Its hard to get rid of fifty -Green Glass Portals- and -Flint Mechanisms- that are next to worthless to me.

I make sure that I also have one dwarf fully trained as a miner for use in *ahem* delicate situations such as when I need to excavate ore or gems. I can not afford to ruin a platinum or aluminum deposit with my damn novice rockmonkeys. Everyone will mine from time to time... but the second I hit anything important I turn off mining for them and leave it to the expert.

[Foa]

Skills

• Miner
• Lumber Jack
• Constructor ( Mason,Carpenter,Architect )
• Fisher
• Cleaner
• Chef/Produce
• Trader

Supplies

• 26 of each mead
• 25 of each Mead Bearing Seeds
• 1 of each Food ( cost of 2 )
• Cage
• 4 dogs
• Axe
• Pick
• Wood

And I don't really like the fact that the Produce guy has too many jobs.

[Onlyhestands]

Varies depending on whether or not I take an anvil, have wood ect.
2 miners/masons
2 growers/brewers
1 carpenter/woodcutter
1 mechanic/furnance operator
1 stonecrafter/weapon designer

[Fossaman]

I flat out ignore any skill involved in the production of anything without quality levels (woodcutting, growing, etc)

Growers don't have quality levels, it's true. But you'll get more plants from each seed with more skilled growers, which means less hauling jobs, brewing jobs, processing jobs, or cooking jobs for the same quantity of food.

[juanoleso]

I usually don't give my dwarves any starting skills (am i the only one?).  They will learn everything within the first couple months or they will be hauling.

-Miners will be legendary by the time they are finished mining out the fort.
-Clerk will be legendary by autumn when he has maxed out the record keeping and manage jobs isn't yet affected by skill or at least not noticeably for me.
-Mason/stonecrafter doesn't need any skill or I will have a legendary one after the first peasant goes fey.
-By the first Immigrant wave I usually have a ton of farmers and after the second year my food stockpiles are usually maxed out anyway.

[Hectonkhyres]

Growers don't have quality levels, it's true. But you'll get more plants from each seed with more skilled growers, which means less hauling jobs, brewing jobs, processing jobs, or cooking jobs for the same quantity of food.

Hauling jobs slow things down a little bit, but its going to be a bitch in those first few seasons no matter what. First you have to haul all your food into a hastily built underground stockpile, then the booze, then you have to drag off anything remotely stealable. I'm not even going to notice those extra few tasks in the unholy maelstrom of backbreaking labor that fills that dread time.

And for Armok's sake, seven dwarves can live perfectly adequately on a diet of vermin and the occasional dribble of booze to wash the horrible taste of water from their mouths. One untrained grower crapping out plump helmets with the odd sweetpod for variety simply will not run out of seeds unless you are doing something stupid like cooking before you have a stockpile and booze takes but a few minutes of your time every year until the immigrants come in... at which time I have fresh help with the hauling.

[Martin]

Hmm. I choose around fey moods.

The starting skills really don't matter since they level up so quickly anyway, but I set 3 of the 7 to skills that are too hard to level up:

Armorer
Weaponsmith
Metalsmith

Those guys don't raise skills in any area that would cause a fey mood to bring them to a different building (they never do crafts, etc.). Basically, they haul stuff, trade, clerk, and perform either rare or professionless tasks.

As a result, in each of my last 3 fortresses, I've gotten both a legendary armorer and weaponsmith without banging any metal. I got a metalcrafter in my current one, but my metalsmith is still hauling junk after a decade. I might have to do that one the hard way...

The other skills I generally ignore in favor of embark items and I have the other 4 dwarves do all the real work. I also pick embark items largely around fey moods.

[Demonic Gophers]

I usually give all seven at least one level of some military skill, so I can draft them without causing bad thoughts.  If there's a lot of open water on the map, I usually give them novice swimmer, as well.

I'll pick a trader, who gets some of the more useful social skills, and usually one point in woodcutter so (s)he'll carry an axe.  I generally have a skilled weapon and armor smith, who will make most of the starting tools.  I usually have a brewer/herbalist, and a grower with other food related skills.  Others will be decided by the terrain and my plans for the fortress, but I like to have a skilled carpenter and a skilled mason for high quality furniture, and somebody to make some decent trade goods of one sort or another.  A good mechanic is also nice, and sometimes I'll give someone some skill at architecture.

I often trade in my starting axes and a pick or two for a few pieces of metal or ore and a pile of logs.

[Vincent]

I usually start with:

Miner/Mason
Miner/Mechanic
Woodworker/Woodcutter
Craftsdwarf/Gemcutter/Leader
Farmer/Cook
Hunter/Marksdwarf
Axedwarf

[Flaede]

We should make a compilation of good starting builds and write them all in this format:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

[PROFILE]
[TITLE:DEFAULT]
[SKILL:1:MINING:5]
[SKILL:1:MASONRY:5]
[SKILL:2:MECHANICS:5]
[SKILL:2:DESIGNBUILDING:5]
[SKILL:3:WOODCUTTING:5]
[SKILL:3:CARPENTRY:5]
[SKILL:4:MINING:5]
[SKILL:4:JUDGING_INTENT:2]
[SKILL:4:APPRAISAL:1]
[SKILL:4:ORGANIZATION:1]
[SKILL:4:RECORD_KEEPING:1]
[SKILL:5:MASONRY:5]
[SKILL:5:FORGE_ARMOR:5]
[SKILL:6:BREWING:3]
[SKILL:6:COOK:2]
[SKILL:6:PLANT:5]
[SKILL:7:PLANT:5]
[SKILL:7:HERBALISM:5]
[ITEM:2:WEAPON:ITEM_WEAPON_PICK:METAL:COPPER]
[ITEM:1:WEAPON:ITEM_WEAPON_AXE_BATTLE:METAL:STEEL]
[ITEM:46:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_ALCOHOL:MUSHROOM_HELMET_PLUMP]
[ITEM:46:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_ALCOHOL:GRASS_WHEAT_CAVE]
[ITEM:20:SEEDS:NONE:MUSHROOM_HELMET_PLUMP:NONE]
[ITEM:5:SEEDS:NONE:GRASS_TAIL_PIG:NONE]
[ITEM:15:MEAT:NONE:DOG:NONE]
[ITEM:15:PLANT:NONE:MUSHROOM_HELMET_PLUMP:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:HORSE:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:DONKEY:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:MULE:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:CAT:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_PERCH:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_MOLLY_SAILFIN:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:MARMOT_HOARY:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:RACCOON:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_TROUT_RAINBOW:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_CHAR:NONE]
[ITEM:100:FISH:NONE:TURTLE:NONE]
[ITEM:46:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_ALCOHOL:GRASS_TAIL_PIG]
[ITEM:46:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_ALCOHOL:POD_SWEET]
[ITEM:20:SEEDS:NONE:GRASS_WHEAT_CAVE:NONE]
[ITEM:10:SEEDS:NONE:POD_SWEET:NONE]
[ITEM:100:WOOD:NONE:WOOD:GIANT_SHROOM]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:DEER:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:FOX:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_BULLHEAD_YELLOW:NONE]
[ITEM:1:FISH:NONE:FISH_BULLHEAD_BROWN:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:MACAQUE_RHESUS:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:GROUNDHOG:NONE]
[ITEM:1:MEAT:NONE:GOAT_MOUNTAIN:NONE]
[ITEM:50:STONE:NONE:STONE:COAL_BITUMINOUS]
[PET:3:DOG:STANDARD]

Then we can save them all in the init\embark_profiles.txt file and have a good range of embark profiles to choose when starting a fortress.

A very simple list on the Wiki would probably be a better place for this. Not that I check that sort of thing often, but the wiki is way too wordy when it comes to starting builds without giving much tangible last I looked.

[numerobis]

A minimal starting build for last-dwarves-in-the-world with no trade:
- 1 novice appraiser
- 2 copper nuggets
- 1 anvil
- 2 dogs, 2 cats
- 1 each underground-crop seeds

[Rysith]

A minimal starting build for last-dwarves-in-the-world with no trade:
- 1 novice appraiser
- 2 copper nuggets
- 1 anvil
- 2 dogs, 2 cats
- 1 each underground-crop seeds

You forgot two units of fuel. Since the first time my wagon exploded on embark, I have never relied on the wagon's wood to get my axe.

[Gorjo MacGrymm]

5 miners (novice)
1 prof hunter/shielduser/marksdwarf/armoruser ( i usually turn off hunting immedaitely upon embark )
1 all trade skills at novice

miners will branch out after they quickly carve out the base camp areas which will sustain the group while the "great endeavor" is under construction.

I used to keep my legendary miners for mining like someone else mentioned, but now just immediately make them haulers and watch those bejillion hauiling jobs go a teeny weeny bit faster.  As fast as I can I rotate peasants into mining and treecutting to get their skills up to legendary for the hauling later.

All the other skills fall into line quite easy, but to be honest I really dont bother with seige engines so i am not worried about having to take time and material to get someone legendary.  I do build a lot of unpowered pumps (pumping nothing) as a place for idle peasants, whom i call "Athletes", to train since they are useless otherwise.

41 each alchohol
10 picks
1 axe (more cutters will arrive anyway)
16 each seed except dimple cup (6)
6 each 2 value food
lots of barrels
lots of charcoal
2 (30) steel bolts
3 cages
some ropes
some tower cap wood (15 - since my tree cutter will start slow or will be mining)
some animals

this usually leaves with with a few hundred starting points, which i place at random or just burn