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[Old Skool]

Just a couple really quick questions this time..

Are there any reasons why I should or should not build the entrance to my fortress at the end of a little valley? This should clarify..

The Ground Slopes Upward Here To the North     
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This is flat land with some boulders and upward slopes here             |   Entrance
Flat land with a few boulders                                                          |   Tunnel
This is flat land with some boulders and upward slopes here (south)  |   Here
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The ground Slopes Upward here to the South

So, what I envision is clearing and smoothing the area in front of and up to the entrance with enough room for trade caravans. This will create an entrance path with cliffs on the north and south sides with the actual entrance to the east with my refuse pile somewhere outside of this area. The valley area between the slopes is about 20 or so tiles long. I hope that this is clear to anyone.

Is there a reason I should just to find a long face of upward slope to build into??

If I decide to try my valley idea, can I build rooms into the cliffs to the north and south? (barracks and a place for a trade depot, for example) or should I just stick with one hole into the ground??

Do people actually make multiple entrances / exits to their fortresses? Or is just one entrance best??

Thanks again for all the help. I am really close to actually starting my first attempt.

[Albedo]

People don't like to make multiple entrances for several reasons:

1) They have to defend every one, somehow.
2) One good entrance is "good enough"
3) They are afraid they'll forget and leave the back door open... like last time... 

If you don't buy in to that logic, then there's no reason not to have more than one entrance.

I have multiple entrances, but I'll admit I only feel perfectly safe with the additional ones if they're a "controlled area" - walls or (more often) terraces that have been sculpted to remove all slopes and access.


Imo, a long straight valley is a great entrance for a couple reasons. First, it looks cool - yeah, but there is an element of aesthetics in this game. But more, it gives you great control over your entrance, especially if you reserve the first couple z-layers under that valley for tricks and traps. 

Siege engines can only fire along their z-level, and they shoot far, and ballistae shoot thru multiple enemies - so, you're creating an easy funnel that channels all the enemy into a thick mass that engines can fire into - nice.  The side walls are perfect for fortifications and x-bow stations, and since there are levels within those "walls" you have areas to build barracks and practice ranges and whatever - convenient.

(The path will take a dive into your fortress at the end of that valley, under a "balcony" that has the siege engines watching over it, and shooting down the length of the valley.  There are other threads and some good wiki articles on this.)

If you're going to build a death-trap, you have both an area above the target for the liquid, and the containment pre-built - handy.

The only drawback is that, when you send dorfs out into the wild world to cut trees or hunt or mine distant hills or whatever, the entrance is not where it comes out of the ground, but where the valley exits.  Which gets us back to your question of multiple entrances.

Lots of approaches, lots of solutions.  Have fun!

[pushy]

Is there a reason I should just to find a long face of upward slope to build into??

Personal preference, nothing more. So long as your entrance can be defended, doesn't really matter where it is.

If I decide to try my valley idea, can I build rooms into the cliffs to the north and south? (barracks and a place for a trade depot, for example) or should I just stick with one hole into the ground??

One entrance to the fort should be enough, with maybe a second nearby for the trade depot. I'd personally make use of the cliffs to the north and south by removing the upward slopes, building a wall around the valley on the level above, and turning those cliffs into fortifications with 1- or 2-wide rooms, maybe with the barracks underneath the valley. This gives you marksdwarf-friendly defences for your fortress. The wall on the level above should prevent goblin/orc/whatever archers from walking along the top of the valley and shooting your dwarves from an elevated position, and goblins walking between the fortifications are as good as dead.

Do people actually make multiple entrances / exits to their fortresses? Or is just one entrance best??

Personal preference again. I tend to have two, with one being heavily trapped and the other being defendable with dwarf cannon fodder soldiers (and that entrance always being closable in case my soldiers are not good enough to defend the fort - the secondary entrance can have minimal attention due to how overpowered traps are)...in one case I think I had no fewer than four entrances.


You'll learn to experiment with things as you go, and do things that suit your own personal tastes. This is far from being a game where one option for any given situation is "the best", so do things your own way, take things as they come and every new fort you start will give you a chance to improve on your old designs for try to discover new, 'better' designs.

[Old Skool]

Coolio!

Thanks for the answers and ideas!

[dornbeast]

Do people actually make multiple entrances / exits to their fortresses? Or is just one entrance best??

I've done fairly well with a two-entrance fortress.  The rule is simple:  One entry is defended against thieves, with restraints and expendable animals to detect rogues, and can be closed off at need.  The other entry is the military defense area, with traps, siege engines, crossbow firing points, and anything else I think will make attackers into corpses.

The first area offers quick access at the price of low security.  The second area offers slow access and high security. 

[Aspgren]

Do people actually make multiple entrances / exits to their fortresses? Or is just one entrance best??

I've done fairly well with a two-entrance fortress.  The rule is simple:  One entry is defended against thieves, with restraints and expendable animals to detect rogues, and can be closed off at need.  The other entry is the military defense area, with traps, siege engines, crossbow firing points, and anything else I think will make attackers into corpses.

The first area offers quick access at the price of low security.  The second area offers slow access and high security. 

I built an elaborate system of small entrances and large, trapped entrances. I had over 15 entrances in total so my dorfs ran around everywhere without trouble... and I had levers. So many levers. I pulled them and the fortress shut down.

[MrWiggles]

I have three entrances, one of them is the main entrance.

The other two side entrances have manually resettable pressure plates that close off the doors, so I don't have to baby sit them as much.

But for defense reasons, I would say one entrance in and out is the best.

[Captain Xenon]

well, you can do a one-entrance fort very well. that one entrance is your trade depot- its best to keep it underground, so you can trade during a siege.

i have done two-entrance forts before. the 'main' entrance was an ever-growing kill-zone of traps. the 'back' entrance was a trade depot, which raised bridges at any sign of danger- even it it leaves the elves to a horrible death, with dwarven judges in the fortified watchtower above. pity dwarves dont have popcorn.

done right, you only need one door, but 2 doors allows for a closed depot without blocking the invaders paths. the worst part of multiple doors is a larger 'flood the world' area to worry about. if i have a 'back door' these days, its a constructed wall so the dwarves can escape with no picks.