Here's a thread for everyone to post your build-up, either go by seasons, years, or real-time days to give people an idea at time line.
For me my first day/year is spent on just making a home with craftworks, carpentry, farming, wood furnace, and smelting going.
Building up a mass stockpile room, with little stockpiles by everyone's workplace.
I also mass murder the forest, build dorms, and noble rooms. Also dwarfs that show extraordinary talent but aren't nobles get there own personal rooms too.
Year 2, now i always start in an evil area, or someplace far away from good places; so usually i'm just now seeing traders; which means the first 2 years my migrations have been 3 or 4 dwarfs each. So i'll start up a 4 man barracks at least, 2 archers and 2 fighters. (everyone get's different weapons)
Once i see my trader, i get all the items i'm not flourishing with; but usually caged animals, leather, cheaper weapons, i usually have around 4000 in crafts by now after it's 2nd year).
Also start on leather armor, but iron weapons, mass smelting, digging deeper seeing if i can score a magma shaft.
Also build my outdoor fortress wall, with rooms and hallways; bridges and cage traps
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Now i'm on to year 3, which is mostly the same in year 2 but just more of everything, start getting into steel even. And if i scored magma I have a mass smelting/ weapon/ armors going on. If not, well i just specialize what i do build and go for quality. At about this point I don't really know how to evolve, so i'm seeing what you guys do.
How does your routine end up being?