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[Cespinarve]

I don't ever use my metal. Like Ebenezer Scrooge, I bury it in stockpiles in the depths on the vague idea that I am saving it "for later", only occasionally using it for mandates or yearly memorial coins. When flux and iron are plentiful, I take the time to make steel, but other than that, just a massive stockpile of unused metal that I don't want to "waste" because it is non renewable. Does anyone else have this problem? And anyone have any idea how I can change my hoarder ways?

[Hivemind]

Just realize that the "crafting" metals, like gold and native aluminum and copper are all saleable for decent prices as crafts. Sell them off. Buy more flux and iron, and kill any noble that gives you lip.

You're their God, and you'll do as you damn well please, unless they want to take a hotrock bath.

Keep in mind, it's more akin to waste if it's not made use of. Making weapons and armor is always, always an investment.

[Jingles]

Make things you can melt down again?

[Rolan7]

I do experience the same feeling!
I try to get over it by remember how many fortresses I've played where I actually mined out 50% or more of the map (none) or figuring that I can theoretically import ores and metals later.

Oh, and I'm thinking of 40d - in the new version, mining out the map is *far* less of a concern.

But yeah, I do a lot with glass and magma simply because they're so renewable, even if other resources are practically unlimited.

[Bryan Derksen]

I'm the same way as the original poster, I often wind up with enormous stockpiles with thousands of metal bars stashed away. The problem, IMO, is the ridiculous 2/3 wastage when melting down metal for recycling. Does the missing metal evaporate, or what? The end result is that I rarely make anything out of metal until one of my metalcrafters has a mood and becomes legendary. Then I'm somewhat willing to "waste" metal on masterwork stuff.

A while back I had a fort where I wound up building the surface fortress and surrounding walls almost entirely out of steel, since using metal bars for construction is the only thing that allows proper recycling.

[assimilateur]

Just realize that the "crafting" metals, like gold and native aluminum and copper are all saleable for decent prices as crafts. Sell them off.

That fails hard once you realize that there are so many other things you can sell, including prepared meals which are not only insanely valuable, but also a renewable resource. At any rate, you can get that precious iron or steel much cheaper than by using up metals you value so highly.

What I do is make furniture out of metal. I'm even making barrels and bins out of iron and lead because I don't know what to do with those anymore, but I only did so once every item in my dwarves' rooms (excluding beds, of course) was made out of metal. The result is royal or grand size 4x4 bedrooms for everyone. You can't get that with only stone or wood.

[gtmattz]

I tend to do the same. however I prefer to 'store' my metal in the form of statuary and furniture and the like.  If I am going to keep the stuff on my map, I might as well make some use of it.  The more valuable metals become statues and furniture for my more valuable rooms, the cheaper stuff like copper and such usually tends to get made into more common things like bins, barrels, mechanisms, etc... stuff which I tend to make a LOT of.  I see no purpose to simply squirreling the stuff away.  If it is going to sit around on my map, I am going to get some value out of it.

[Urist McTaverish]

Nope I don't have this problem.  You may want to see a psychiatrist; I think that's a sign of psychosis.

[K17U]

You could just build a massive megaconstruction out of them. That way they won't just lie around somewhere, and if you really need them you can just deconstruct a part of it.

[RedWick]

Set a nearby stockpile to accept only exceptional and masterwork finished goods and set a metalcrafter to stud and decorate them.  You can work up some phenomenal decorations that way.  I have gem encrusted goods that rival some artifacts.

[Cespinarve]

Set a nearby stockpile to accept only exceptional and masterwork finished goods and set a metalcrafter to stud and decorate them.  You can work up some phenomenal decorations that way.  I have gem encrusted goods that rival some artifacts.

But having a few legendary engravers, which isn't hard, renders the need for legendary artifacts obsolete. Palace rooms are pretty easy to do with very little effort once you have masons who crank out exceptional furniture every time. And I avoid megaconstructions at the moment because I find the construction system so annoying. Only able to designate one floor at a time of a tower is just a hassle. And at 222 dwarves, my FPS is poor.

[Funtimes]

I recommend some confrontation therapy. Make a fortress where you never stockpile more than 100 bars. All the rest have to be used before you can smelt or trade for more.

It's not necessarily going to be a better way to play, but it should help you find a balance.

[Girlinhat]

I usually push all my weak weapon's grade materials into training.  Like, I have a legendary armorsmith, but a sub-par weaponsmith, so I'm using a lot of copper, bronze, and silver to make weapons to get his level up, because I let him enjoy some steel or adamantine.  I've also started studding trade goods.  Like, a totem studded with 15 different kinds of metal.  It gets rid of skulls AND gives me tasty trade power.

I also realized that, pretty much, adamantine is the only non-renewable resource, at least so long as you don't have a king.  You can always request a load of steel from next year's caravan.  Or better yet, request bars of steel, iron, and pig iron, and request rocks of magnetite and limonite, and you've got a good bit of metal there.

I personally have trouble with non-masterwork things.  I'll set a forge producing full sets of armor on repeat, and only remove one item if the last production was masterwork.  So, I've got a LOT of Exceptional steel armor sets.  I should mod in an armor display that requires a head, chest, hands, legs, and feet type of armor for construction.  Like those displayed suits of armor in English castles.  With exceptional steel armor costing upwards of 3k each, even for a single glove, that could make some expensive rooms very quickly.

[assimilateur]

Like, a totem studded with 15 different kinds of metal.  It gets rid of skulls AND gives me tasty trade power.

You can always request a load of steel from next year's caravan.  Or better yet, request bars of steel, iron, and pig iron, and request rocks of magnetite and limonite, and you've got a good bit of metal there.

Yeah, that should almost be enough to sell them another multiple-studded totem next year.

[Girlinhat]

Hey, a master elephant totem with good quality studdings...