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Author Topic: Any advice for a 2010 starting builds?  (Read 1326 times)

aurora

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Any advice for a 2010 starting builds?
« on: June 10, 2010, 02:12:02 pm »

Hey all! I'm new to DF 2010 and watched captn ducks videos and looked at the 2010 wiki. I've seen advice on starting in the 40d version but with the new features of 2010, what starting builds do you all use? I tried doing a search for starting builds 2010 but didn't come up with much.

So what skills did u assign to each dwarf and what gear and how much of it did u take on embark?
Thanks!
« Last Edit: June 10, 2010, 02:15:02 pm by aurora »
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Psieye

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Re: Any advice for a 2010 starting builds?
« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2010, 02:58:47 pm »

Hmm yeah, general search isn't being very bright, here's something I dug up from an advanced search: 6 page long thread.
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Military Training EXP Analysis
Congrats, Psieye. This is the first time I've seen a derailed thread get put back on the rails.

SpacemanSpiff

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Re: Any advice for a 2010 starting builds?
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2010, 03:05:18 pm »

Hey all! I'm new to DF 2010 and watched captn ducks videos and looked at the 2010 wiki. I've seen advice on starting in the 40d version but with the new features of 2010, what starting builds do you all use? I tried doing a search for starting builds 2010 but didn't come up with much.

So what skills did u assign to each dwarf and what gear and how much of it did u take on embark?
Thanks!

The wiki has a pretty good page on 2010 starting builds: http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Starting_build

Everyone is different, with their own play styles, so "it depends".  Here's my last starting build, for a terrifying glacier/untamed tundra biome, where I wanted to hunker down and survive by trading bone and gems.  If you're just starting out, stone crafts are easier, but seem a bit too easy after a while :)

  • Carpenter-5 / Leader-1 / Appraiser-1 / Judge of Intent-1 / Consoler-1 / Architect-1.  Not many wooden goods get made, so the leader is available for building design and meeting caravans.
  • Miner-5 / Armorsmith-5.  By the time I need to start cranking out armor, this guy is near-legendary and I can recruit new migrants as miners.
  • Miner-5 / Weaponsmith-5.  Ditto.
  • Mason-5 / Diagnostician-1 / Wound Dresser-1 / Suturer-1 / Bone Setter-1 / Butcher-1.  Generally very busy making stone stuff, but on call for injuries early in the fort's existence.  I threw in "Butcher" just to scare the other dwarves about his skills :)
  • Grower-5 / Bone Carver-5.  Gets lots of crops per seed, and carves skeletal elk bone in his spare time.
  • Brewer-2 / Woodcutter-1 / Axeman-1 / Fighter-1 / Gem Cutter-5.  Early militia captain, then transfers to brewing (slowly) and cutting gems (high skill gets you better quality).  He's also cut a few trees that grow underground.
  • Cook-3 / Axeman-1 / Fighter-1 / Metalsmith-4 / Mechanic-1.  Backup militia, then gradually builds up to a master chef.  I didn't need many mechanisms, but he may be useful for metal goods later.

The rather odd skill arrangement gives everyone a moodable skill, and stops any one dwarf from being overloaded at the start.  Later you won't care so much with more migrants coming in.  If you're just starting, then cage traps may be the easiest defense, so you'd want to put more skill levels into the mechanic.  Ditto for the woodcutter if you're anywhere with lots of trees.  Try to keep the armorsmith and weaponsmith, since you rarely get those skills in new migrants, and it's a pain to have to train them up.   You can sacrifice brew skills since that only affects speed, and the cook if you don't care about making amazing meals. 

I took 21 of each booze, one of every unique 2-point meat, a cat, four dogs (1 male + 3 females), three ropes (for two dogs + well), ~20 logs, a little thread and cloth for early injuries (you can save a lot of money by ditching the expensive pig-tail fiber thread/rope/cloth and replace with cheap cave-silk stuff), 10 of every seed, and a bunch of plump helmets (maybe 20?  I forget what the math works out to).  As soon as I set up I got a water source as my first priority and irrigated a farm.  Meanwhile my cook converted all the meat into lavish meals to free up barrels.  Then I brewed the plump helmets into more booze before the dwarves could eat them all.

This mix worked well for me.  In particular, the dogs were useful distractions for skeletal wildlife while I was struggling to get underground, and having two fighters was crucial for killing anything that got through (if one dwarf goes down the other one can often save it).  And the doctor knew just enough to treat their injuries.  Everyone survived and is now thriving two years in.
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aurora

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Re: Any advice for a 2010 starting builds?
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2010, 04:16:18 pm »

Wow ok great! Thanks for the advice. I didn't realize the wiki is updated for .06 now.
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Hyndis

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Re: Any advice for a 2010 starting builds?
« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2010, 05:42:34 pm »

I go with 7 miners/masons/stonedetailers to start with. I also load up my wagon almost entirely with food and booze.

The reasoning being that at first I want to start digging and building as my highest priority.

Later migrants get turned into other professions, but my first 7 all get digging right away to speed things up.
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culwin

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Re: Any advice for a 2010 starting builds?
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2010, 05:50:46 pm »

This is my most recent start... but it depends on my location and mood.

Leader
 Leader x2
 Consoler x1, Pacifier x1
 Appraiser x1, Intimidator x1, Persuader x1, Negotiator x1, Judge of intent x1, Conversationalist x1
Miner x5, concentration x4
Mason x5
Wood Burner x5, Concentration x1  [crank out charcoal]
Wood Cutter x3, Herbalist (Plant Gathering) x3, Axedwarf x1, Concentration x2
Grower x4
Stonecrafter x5

I also make my leader an architect, miner, and broker.
As far as stuff, I always run out of bags so I like to get bags at embark.

Take away:
All splints
All crutches
-1 axe

+1 to each of the alcohol (21)
+1 of every type of sand [free bags]
11 pig tail
11 rope reed
8 bags
male dog
female dog
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FuzzyDoom

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Re: Any advice for a 2010 starting builds?
« Reply #6 on: June 10, 2010, 07:15:32 pm »

Mine is this:
2 lvl 5 Miners
Lvl 5 Woodcutter
Lvl 5 Carpenter
Lvl 5 Mason
Lvl 5 Grower/Lvl 5 Brewer
Lvl 1 Appraiser + Lvl 1 in all of these

2 Dogs, 2 Cats, some extra Plump Helmet Spawn.
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Also bear in mind that dwarves have their heads at a perfect height for a good face-kicking.
That's the great thing about this forum. We can derail any discussion into any other topic.

hatcher

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Re: Any advice for a 2010 starting builds?
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2010, 03:04:07 pm »

I Have used the following method and it has seemed to work for me well.
  3miners- 5 mining 4 engraving 1 mason.
  2 woodworkers- 5 wood cutting, 4 carp 1 bower.
  1 farmer- 5growing 4 brewing 1 plant gathering.
   1 leader- 1 in leader type ability.(will be 1st noble.)

   My fort will have roughly 7 total classes of characters.
   Miners- mining masonry engraving. I will go for a total or 5 of these.
   Carpenters- wood cutting, carp, crossbow making. will have 5 total.
   farmers- they will all have every job in the farming tab highlighted. i will go for 10 of these.
   crafters- they will have every job in the metal working, crafting, jewelry highlighted. I will go for 10 of these as well.
   Nobles- assign as needed
   peasants- mainly the haulers 1/2 of unassigned laborers will act as haulers.
   troops- the other 1/2 of unassigned laborers.
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