Build wells between chained prisoners and dig out a reservoir beneath the jail! Then create food stockpile next to a prisoners.
Jail for 7 clients(2 blocks, 2 mechanisms, 2 ropes(for well), 7 chains):
FSFSF
SoSoS
FSFSF
LEGEND:
S - restraint
o-well
F-food
stockpile, that accept only consumable food of high quality, so prisoners wont become unhappy.
I tried placing prepared food in thier cells. For whatever reason my chained prisoners won't eat anything unless it's brought by another dwarf.
You placed food stockpile on a tile ajacent to a restraint? like in my layout?
can the prisoners stand on the stockpile?
Alright so a few questions for now.
Whats the best way to catch big fish like: Carp, sharks, and gar the big ones that can be made into leather?
I've been telling my dwarfs to train and spar and I had my first ambush in this fort and it was a disaster: out of the seven three had to be hospitalized.
Is sparring just so much garbadge now a days? Am I really going to have to build a danger room in order to get my dwarfs in any kind of fighting shape?
And my last question is: I've noticed that elfs and goblins usually ride animals into battle, can dwarfs ride animals as well?
How to catch big fish - i never tried it, but i guess, that to catch large fish, that isnt a vermin, you need to cach it with a cage. Try to build airlock chamber(with watercontrol system) near the place, where large fish tend to gather. Build some cagetraps in it and open airlock to aqatic area. once some fish was caught, close the airlock, pump out the water and recharge the trap.
Maybe to catch and keep large fish you need glass cage - aquariium.
Training.
Your dwarves use sparring and training to raise their stats and skills.
When demonstrating, one dwarf will
organize and others will
participate.
But, i saw many times, that most of my dwarves was
waiting for demonstration, while other dwarves was running across the fortress, minding their own business.
so, to train military effectively, you shold split them in squads of three. with 2 dwarves training minimum.
There are some threads about it and "effective training in triples".
While one dwarf is sleeping/eating/resting/drinking, two others is sparring or demonstraing.
And about danger room - use it. =)
it still takes 2 or 3 years+lots of micromanagement to make Legendary Dodger + Legendary Shield User+Legendary WeaponUser out of Peasant.