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[Puck]

Wiki doesnt have any information about "sub"squads. You know, when you promote dwarfs you can create squads within squads.

I toyed around a bit, but I never really had enough patience to actually check whether or not it does make any difference. I was hoping I could use the subsquad feature to prevent the "leader is hungry - everbody go off duty" behaviour.

Sooooo.... doeth that worketh?

[Skorpion]

Far as I know, it only compounds the problem. When the sub-leader is hungry, everyone below follows him.

The only way to keep someone on station is to have lots of small squads.

[Stargrasper]

Well, assuming that they stay with whomever is their immediate commander, you still lose everyone if the guy at the top of the chain gets hungry/thirsty/tired.  As to that behavior, I don't think subsquads will do anything of benefit to you.  May as well have one leader and if anyone else leaves, they have no chance to take anyone with them and only one guy per squad that can take the entire squad with them.

You'll be happy to know that Toady has said he's fixing this behavior for the next version.

[Puck]

First of all, thanks for the answers. Basically, having subsquads just raises the frequency of "yay- free break for everbody".

Soooo.... something else, will dwarves only spar within their own squad or will they do so with soldiers from other squads, too? I plan on having some barracks near the entrance, with a few squads off duty, hoping there will always be a few guys sparring/standing guard.

I just like the idea of having my military off duty 

[lordcooper]

As far as I can tell, it is only wth their squad.

By that I mean my axelords are yet to kill a newbie recruit.

[Eater of Vermin]

Dunno.  I know I've been notified that one of my military has become a Champion, only to scroll to them - to ensure they have rent-free rooms, a tomb, etc.  I spoil my champs.  - and discover 'em in a barracks full of Guards.  So, who were they sparring with?

I'm pretty sure they'll spar with anyone that's available...  but that the biggest risk of harm to a recruit is another recruit.  Especially one who has just picked up a weapon for the first time.  [shudder]

It seems to me that the more weapon skill a dwarf has, the less damage they'll do to an opponent when sparring. 

Unless they want to.   

[zooeyglass]

As far as I can tell, it is only wth their squad.

By that I mean my axelords are yet to kill a newbie recruit.

my experience is directly the opposite - dwarfs will spar with any other dwarf who is enabled to spar in the barracks. so i often watch as my swordsdwarfs get embroiled in mass-spar-session with axedwarfs and hammerdwarfs. it's brutal.

also i've seen my champions butcher new recruits because the newbies aren't tough enough to take a gentle knock from champsmashalot. even with the champ's skill with his weapon the newbie runs off crying with broken upper left arm and no lower right leg...

[LegacyCWAL]

the newbie runs off crying with...no lower right leg...

Promote that newbie to Supreme Badass now!

[MrFake]

As far as I can tell, it is only wth their squad.

By that I mean my axelords are yet to kill a newbie recruit.

my experience is directly the opposite - dwarfs will spar with any other dwarf who is enabled to spar in the barracks. so i often watch as my swordsdwarfs get embroiled in mass-spar-session with axedwarfs and hammerdwarfs. it's brutal.

also i've seen my champions butcher new recruits because the newbies aren't tough enough to take a gentle knock from champsmashalot. even with the champ's skill with his weapon the newbie runs off crying with broken upper left arm and no lower right leg...

I can confirm that.  I've had squads set exclusively to swords level up wrestling because some of my guards are wrestlers.  With everyone set to weapons (no unarmed) then no wrestling professions improve.  Thus I have to ensure everyone has their proper weapon or I get dwarfs of the wrong color (what? I just hate that).

Sub-squads would make it easier to partition your forces into weapon groups for proper combat control, (i.e. move into position then break up and command separately; squad balance; etc) but with the current "follow the leader" antics, that just doesn't work.  If you give all squads backpacks, waterskins, and tell them to sleep on the floor, you can alleviate the effect, but it's still safer to avoid sub-squads, in my opinion.

[Albedo]

The problem is that combat is more complex than "I attack you, you attack me, repeat".  The only defense to Wrestling is Wrestling - so if one dwarf is grappled, they have to wrestle to counter that, even if they have a sword.  If the wreslter misses, then the swordsdwarf is free to swing, and gain experience in sword.

It seems that many "problems" in DF stem from assumptions that the game model is far simpler than it is.