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[Drawde]

I usually build 2X3 rooms for each dwarf with a bed and bag, though I'll be adding cabinets now that I know the difference between them.  It takes time to designate them but I usually don't need my miners for much so it's not a problem to dig them out.

Bags usually seem to be more expensive than chests to me.  And they're pretty common if you have a good cloth industry.

The few nobels I allow get individual multi-room apartments.  Which is usually trivial to build by the time you actually get nobles that require their own room.

[Roflcopter5000]

I thoroughly enjoy my modular bed-room set-up. I use a series of six 3e/wX2n/s rooms, doors opening into a central n/s hallway, and one tile of hallway encompassing the unit. Then everything is really easy to just tack on as I get more dwarves, and travel to/from the central staircase up to the rest of my fort is unrestricted. I also like to make a large room around the staircase, and make that into a statuary, just so that every dwarf must pass by a display of fabulous wealth before he goes to his room. Each room gets a bed, cabinet, coffer, and a door. This is done less for dorf happiness and more so that I can feel like my mason is being productive while he grinds his way up to legendary. Between the nicely out-fitted rooms, the statuary, and the enormous engraved dining hall, I rarely have any dwarves below ecstatic.


I know that fractal designs are more space efficient, but given that you'll never need more beds than you have dwarves, I don't find this to be an issue. And honestly, I don't like embarks that make me struggle to fit my fortress into a tiny space. Sort of defeats the point for me. Also, given the hallway encircling every unit, it's never going to be much beyond 40-50 tiles from bed to staircase, even if all of the rooms are on the same z-level.

[Buttery_Mess]

Dwarves with rooms and access to a legendary dining room are usually ecstatic. That's a good baseline happiness level and keeps tantrum spirals away despite the odd death. Although I normally go for 3x1 rooms (4x1 if you include the door), which leaves space for an bed, and coffer, and an cabinet, I tend to think that 3x3 rooms just look nicer. Plus, when dorfs noble up, you have enough space to throw in some nicer furniture without having to bother carving out special noble bedrooms. Also, 3x1 rooms are good, but stones on the ground can make it hard for dwarves to place cabinets and coffers, and clearing out all stones can be a pain. With 3x3 rooms, there's usually enough space for dwarves to shift stones aside to place furniture, so you don't have to bother tidying.

[The Dog Delusion]

okay, I'm now knee-deep in a new fort, and I opted for a dorm only policy for any non-noble dwarves. I actually got pretty lucky, however, in that one of the early strange moods produced an artifact bed, which the dorm is now designated from. This means that the dorm is legendary, and along with other typical fortress luxuries (good food/drink and a legendary dining hall), everybody is ecstatic, without exception. I just figured I'd put that out there for the sake of science and whatnot.

[Cassicotca]

I usually do dorms, cant be bothered to micro manage them. Dont even make the dorms fancy 

[rephikul]

I usually do dorms, cant be bothered to micro manage them. Dont even make the dorms fancy 

Same. Dorm needs only like 15x15 for 200+ dwarves. They are all ecstatic anyway.

[slothen]

do dorms even work correctly in the current version?

[rephikul]

do dorms even work correctly in the current version?

They do. So does 225 1x1 bedrooms neck to neck to each other.

[Naros]

In the first two years, I have a dormitory for immigrants and for the first settlers to live while their rooms are dug.
My appartment-block is usually near the back of my fort, waaaaay back, so they spend their first year there, usually.
It's the easiest way to deal with it, and it also feels natural, roleplay wise.

For the final bedrooms, I usually go with nice 3x3 rooms for most dwarves, 5x5 for important dwarves. Like my main Mason for example.
If you find a layout/pattern that pleases you and that is easy to designate even without an automated tool doing the work for you, it's not that much work really.

Room disadvantages:
[snip]
LOTS of doors, beds, chests, etc. required

Dwarves will be making stuff anyway. Raises their skills, keeps them busy!

The dormitory is always somewhat close to my main entrance, so it is later transformed into my main barracks.

[Funk-Tech Operative #3]

I will take functionality of my fortress over happy thoughts every time. I haven't thought of making dormitories. So far I just make apartments, 2x2 rooms for everyone arranged diagonally. A dormitory would make it 50% faster for my dwarves to dig out the living floor. I'll have to try making a dorm on my next fort then...

[The Dog Delusion]

I will take functionality of my fortress over happy thoughts every time. I haven't thought of making dormitories. So far I just make apartments, 2x2 rooms for everyone arranged diagonally. A dormitory would make it 50% faster for my dwarves to dig out the living floor. I'll have to try making a dorm on my next fort then...

Yeah, like I said, if you deck it out nicely, it'll make everyone happy enough, and it is WAY easier than digging out and furnishing individual rooms. I don't think I'll be going back to individual rooms unless I feel that it's particularly warranted, or if I need a new project.