Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[JoshBrickstien]

Or at least, planning to. I'm really rusty, at the moment, so I ask you, the DF junkies, Where I should put a fortress for getting me back into things? I think I disables Aquifers last time I played, so they aren't an issue.
More than anything though, Can somebody run over the essentials for me? Like, trading, military, etc? Any help is appreciated.

[Urist Imiknorris]

- Gen a "--- Region" type map, as opposed to "--- Island." They (the island worlds) seem to have quite ridiculously deep maps, and magma is more fun at z-30 than z-130.

-If you haven't played DF2010 yet, make a fort specifically to familiarize yourself with the cavern systems and their various features/properties. End it by Digging Too Deep.

-As for biomes, can't go wrong with a forest. Unless it has skelephants.

[Zenatsu]

Skelephants: the remains of boatmurdered whom haunt every world you create.

[JoshBrickstien]

It's currently genning a new world. Does anyone have any tips for fortress design? I always want my fortresses to look cool, but they always end up sprawling everywhere, just a mish-mash of rooms here and there, not very sightly I must say. I usually delve into the mountain without much forethought.
Oh, also, does anyone have any tips as far as entrances go? just going straight into the ground isn't very decorative. (In the back of my mind, I want every fortress to be like UnderGrotto) Also, has trading animals been fixed since 31.03? There was an.... incident with a blind cave ogre in my best fortress once... I'd not like a repeat.

Also, what materials are best for armor and weapons? I heard that silver hammers are especially good in 31.12, but what about slashing weapons? And armor? Is steel still the equivalent of wearing Kraft singles?

[Vercingetorix]

I want to say animals have been fixed, at least with what merchants bring to you, but I believe the quirks with them being traded by you are going to be resolved in .13, which should be out pretty soon based on the  bug tracker.  There's something like 19 fixes coming up, including all of the major ones involving trade.

It's a little tougher to design fortresses, imo, these days because of the caverns; depending on the depth of your map, you might break in to them too early and wind up throwing off your fortresses' entire design.  Mountains are generally safer in this regard since they have more z-levels above ground.  However, some of the caverns you can get are pretty amazing on their own and building a fort in them can be a major aesthetic achievement if you're careful.  I for one usually aim for a mix of pragmatism and realism in order to make my forts look more like settlements.

Steel is pretty much now the incomparable leader of the common materials, although I've heard that silver is of course good for warhammers due to its density (although I generally use steel myself).  It'll deal with anything else except steel/adamantine quite well, but a challenge is that the armor system still makes it possible for weaker blunt weapons like copper maces to inflict damage on armored targets.  The only creature I've had trouble dealing with is the bronze colossus because of the nature by which it's killed (presumably I needed more spears and battle axes).  I believe ranged attacks are also still pretty ridiculous, although this can be mitigated by good armor layers.

[Vercingetorix]

Honestly, though, since 0.31.13 is so close to release it might be best to just wait until then in case there's any problems with moving saves (not that there should be, but losing a good save for that reason sucks).

[cyks]

Steel armor is useful if your enemy has anything less.  Silver hammers are more dense and I believe that currently deals more damage than steel hammers.  I have two dwarfs providing melee in a squad that I allow to choose their own weapons.  I built all weapons available and one dwarf always chooses to be a wreastler every time I give him orders.  This is odd because he sometimes chooses a short sword and has recently become attaced to it (the sword in particular and I was given an announcement on screen).  I mostly deal with undead/zombie critters and my wrestler has full iron armor (moderate quality) so he has nothing more than a few wrist and leg injuries that I mostly account for his time defending the fort before I had an entire iron suit for him.

[Urist Imiknorris]

Once you get a moody weaponsmith, give him platinum as a base material and savescum until it's a whip (see sigquote 4) or hammer. You'll thank him. Numerous hundreds of times.

[Xenos]

I suggest volcanoes.  embarking near one lets you get glass industry going...(this is how i survive.  selling glass sawblades.  that and selling elephant and quarry bush and syrup roasts )

[Urist Imiknorris]

Oh yeah, sawblades. Best moneymaker in the game.

[Xenos]

oh yes they are...them or prepared meals...(if you mod elephants to have fast growing children and multiple litters food ceases to be an issue if you embark in elephant territory )

EDIT:  There is no such thing as too much booze.  Remember that...

[JoshBrickstien]

On the subject of booze and farming.
I always have trouble in my forts with farming/brewing. Should I grow a crop in huge quantities for nothing but Booze? (example: Sweet Pods) I always have trouble balancing Plump helmet supply for eating, Plump Helmet supply for Brewing, and barrel supply. Also, can you grow Plants on dry stone, or must it still be muddied? If so, how do I make a good irrigation system?

Also, what should I bring on Embark/What skills should my dorfs have?

[fivex]

On the subject of booze and farming.
I always have trouble in my forts with farming/brewing. Should I grow a crop in huge quantities for nothing but Booze? (example: Sweet Pods) I always have trouble balancing Plump helmet supply for eating, Plump Helmet supply for Brewing, and barrel supply. Also, can you grow Plants on dry stone, or must it still be muddied? If so, how do I make a good irrigation system?

Also, what should I bring on Embark/What skills should my dorfs have?

It must be muddied even if it's soil now

[Zaerosz]

Only for underground crops, though - growing on the surface doesn't need mud. The caverns are always muddy except on reclaim, so wall off a chunk of cavern to farm in.

[Gnauga]

Alternatively, you can position your farm next to a muddy pool. once it drains, go over and plug it with a door or floodgate.