I've tried something similar, though not with too much dedication. Here's what I learned (40d, so not all of it might apply):
1. Don't embark on a town with a river full of carp passing through the center. It's doable, but irritating.
2. Townspeople seem very vulnerable to things like thieves, ambushes, wild animals, etc. You'll need to take a pretty proactive role if you want anybody to survive long enough to see their new town. Make walling off the town your first priority. (or alternatively, wall up all the inhabitants where they stand until you are finished.
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3. Walling off such a large area can become counterproductive very quickly. Immigrants, liaisons, etc. will spawn utterly without regard to where the entrances are, and I don't even want to think about the comedy of errors I've seen that turn into. Leave ample room outside the walls for people to maneuver. It might even be worth expanding the embark area to have a nice big wilderness around your town, otherwise you end up constantly having to rescue friendlies trapped between two herds of wild animals.
and then having to rescue the rescuers from an ambush...
and then having to rescue those rescuers... and then having to clean up the mess... and then having to rescue the haulers... so much blood...Anyway, suggestions:
1. Secret passages between important buildings. The more secret passages the better. Mark them as restricted traffic so they stay secret.
2. If the temple doesn't already have a lava pool, make one.
3. A large outdoor marketplace containing shops and the trade depot, as well as a nearby warehouse to store trade goods.
4. Leave at least one layer of caverns untouched by dwarven hands, except for maybe a few completely sealed shafts passing through it. This really isn't specific to your situation, it's just generally good style to always leave a few wild frontiers lying around.
5. At least one good old fashioned
abandoned mine shaft on the outskirts of town, leading deep into the caverns. You know, so the children can have adventures!
6. Have I mentioned secret passages yet? Let the
complete graph be your inspiration!
7. Seconding catacombs.
8. If the town is in a hot climate, don't just give them cellars, give them well-furnished, smooth, livable basements to retreat to in the hot months, with the cellar below that.
9. If the town is in a cold climate, central heating. You know what to do.
10. Remember those secret passages? Make sure they connect in some indirect way to the deepest unexplored caverns. When humans go down to the cellar, let them glance briefly at the heavy iron lid leading to the catacombs, and remember in the back of their minds, just for a moment, that there is good reason to be afraid of the dark.
EDIT: You know what, you've inspired me! I think I'm going to try this too.
Author
Topic: A Town Renovation Project (Read 2225 times)