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[assimilateur]

Getting a guarunteed source of meat, fat, leather, bones, and skulls from the beginning can be worth it for some builds, especially if you're playing a modded race that is carnivorous or can't use cloth for whatever reason, or if you're doing a no-digging challenge where stone is too useful to waste on crafts.

It's not just for some builds. I mean, isn't setting up a varied food industry pretty mainstream?

Regardless, if you want to raise livestock at all, it's best to start with at least one breeding pair of your favorite species. That is, unless you can be sure that your caravans won't be passing through terrain with extreme weather. Embarking in a freezing biome last time I played, I had most of my imported livestock arrive dead.

[The Architect]

It isn't mainstream at all. It's entirely, absolutely unnecessary. Just like magma in a forest. Doesn't make it less desirable for some.

[Garrie]

I mean, isn't setting up a varied food industry pretty mainstream?

Although this is the Little Questions Thread and so more directed to newbies, the point of a sandbox is nobody has to do it any way.

I have a couple of builds which I never did food in at all - I bought food, I ate raw food, I bought grog & drank what I bought till it ran out. I still got to 100 dwarfs and found FUN due to things other than food. Things like insane dwarf spirals following a massacre of dwarfs by goblins. FUN, especially for the goblins.

[assimilateur]

Although this is the Little Questions Thread and so more directed to newbies, the point of a sandbox is nobody has to do it any way.

I didn't exactly say anyone had to do it a certain way, only that I thought most people did do things as hassle-free and profitable as running a food industry.

It's entirely, absolutely unnecessary.

So you're saying most people prefer to import food and drink? It is my understanding that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself; for example, the best booze is brewed by your own guys, assuming they've got some skills.

[The Architect]

Nah, you're mixing two posters together. I said bringing animals at embark is absolutely unnecessary to a meat, leather, tallow and bones industry. Not only that, but all of those industries are absolutely unnecessary.

[vorpal+5]

leather is unnecessary? For a veteran player I guess 

[The Architect]

Gah, I can't speak anything but English! Just read the posts carefully! It's not that difficult! <end rant>

It says that bringing animals on embark is unnecessary to the industries, not that the industries are unnecessary. Anyone want to not understand it further so someone can explain what the individual words mean, now that we've done the phrases

[Suds Zimmerman]

...not that the industries are unnecessary.

...bringing animals at embark is absolutely unnecessary to a meat, leather, tallow and bones industry. Not only that, but all of those industries are absolutely unnecessary.

[The Architect]

You are reading the same thing I am, right?

"unnecessary to a ... industry". It's English, I'm sure of it. It doesn't say anything about the necessity of the industries. Though no, they are not at all necessary. They're fluff right now.

[Suds Zimmerman]

It doesn't say anything about the necessity of the industries.

all of those industries are absolutely unnecessary.

[assimilateur]

I said bringing animals at embark is absolutely unnecessary to a meat, leather, tallow and bones industry.

I can think of an exception to that, so while I more or less agree with the above statement, I'd probably rephrase it to say "generally" and not "absolutely" unnecessary.

There's potential situations where you won't be able to trap any potential livestock (when in an evil biome) nor get any from caravans (when you're in a freezing [and, I think, scorching] biome, or have one between you and your caravans).

Even in less extreme circumstances, if you care about the quality of your livestock, embarking with things like camels is the only reliable way of obtaining them unless you embark in just the right biome.

Not only that, but all of those industries are absolutely unnecessary.

What is and what isn't necessary is hardly an argument if you keep in mind that you could theoretically, though perhaps not very reliably, sustain your dwarves by only foraging and/or hunting.

You could say the same about almost every industry, namely that it's unnecessary and that you could rely on importing its products (or ignore it altogether), but that says little about the merits of running such an industry yourself.

It doesn't say anything about the necessity of the industries.

all of those industries are absolutely unnecessary.

Cut the crap, he posted the latter part after the supposed misunderstanding initially arose. You're beating a dead horse.

[NecroRebel]

I feel I should clarify my original statement, though The Architect seems to have understood my intent. I meant starting with a breeding pair of large food animals is useful for some embark builds, not that breeding large food animals is useful for only some forts. As assimilateur mentioned, if you're in a freezing biome embark may be the only time when you can get large food animals since they otherwise can freeze to death in the cages.

Also, given that leather is cheap and easy to import in large amounts, invaders can provide bones and skulls, and farming can provide a decent variety and plenty of quantity of food, I'll agree with The Architect; animals are not really necessary for animal-product industries. And, if one so desires, one can do without bone and leather works, so while they are of course useful they aren't, strictly speaking, necessary as such.

Anyway, back to actual questions!

Without me looking at the new version thread - is pack animals for use within your fort coming this version?

I don't believe so. I'm pretty sure that's part of the Caravan development arc, which will involve making caravans actually move about the world map instead of just appearing at your fort as well as allowing you to create caravans from your own fort. Use of pack animals, minecarts, and other material-carrying aids is suggested fairly often because of how useful and realistic it would be, but hasn't been done yet.

[vorpal+5]

War Dogs:

How to unassign them from  a dwarf?

Will they engage an enemy if not assigned?

[Sphalerite]

How to unassign them from  a dwarf?

You don't.

Will they engage an enemy if not assigned?

Only if they happen to come withing line of sight of the enemy.  Otherwise they'll either follow your animal trainer around, or hang out at the meeting room.

[vorpal+5]

thanks!

Do I need to leave space around my workshops? If yes, there is a specific entry/exit point into the workshop which must be clear?

How do you handle the massive amount of rocks excavated? Should I designate exterior stockpiles for all of the low end stuff?

And if I create a custom stockpile for some rocks, while some stockpiles are for all rocks, will the special rocks be placed preferably in their custom stockpile, or not?