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[JelloSnark]

The only one I can come up with is to never trade with elves. They are tree-hugging crazy people, and hate it when you try to trade them something made of wood. They end up pissing you off to the point where you will drown them, burn them with magma, turn their ashes into charcoal, and use them to fuel your furnaces with. But, in all srsness, don't trade with elves.

[Sarda]

Actually, trade with elves and rip them off as much as possible. From what I've heard, they think caged animals are worthless due to their actual monetary value being low and their volume being high. They think that ropereed cloth is the most valuable thing they have, due to its small size. If you rip them off, they bring their worst stuff, caged animals. Animals= fun.

[obeliab]

I used these tutorials to learn the basics, and searched the wiki for stuff when I didn't understand it (how long it took me to figure out how to get magma forges working is pretty embarrassing).  The tutorials are somewhat outdated, and info on the wiki can be somewhat fragmented, but you want to take the time to learn stuff, to get yourself from "Goddamnit why isn't it working?!" to "Ohhhhh so you can do that with that if you set that like that."  Accept incompetence as a temporary state, with faith in the knowledge that, yes, you are actually learning things from your mistakes, and every failed fortress gives you insight into how you should be playing to attain some degree of success.

With all that no-content bullshit I just said out of the way, (1) prioritize food and booze first, (2) build lots of traps, especially cage traps, at your entrance, (3) reference "tech tree" (AKA industry) articles and diagrams until you know them by heart, and (4) don't get too attached to your dwarves or fortresses.

[dude_ftw@live.com]

I just stuck GARNETS and about 10 EMERALDS, but the problem is its in a cave, I have the routes and right after I mine them I will wall them off, but I will ask, is there any way else for them to get in? (I will post screenies of my base and emeralds in about 10 min.)

[Hammerstar]

I just stuck GARNETS and about 10 EMERALDS, but the problem is its in a cave, I have the routes and right after I mine them I will wall them off, but I will ask, is there any way else for them to get in? (I will post screenies of my base and emeralds in about 10 min.)

So long as there's not open path, it should be fine. Be aware that swimmers can get in through water channels if there is an open one to a well or something, and simple grating can stop all but the worst (the building destoyers). Same goes for magma. If you don't use some magma safe grating, you'll have fire imps and magma monsters leaping out of your forges. So long as you take care to block all the incoming paths, the only stuff that will get it will be the nightmares that nothing can really stop short of a good military or some clever trap/pit setups.

[Jake]

Actually, trade with elves and rip them off as much as possible. From what I've heard, they think caged animals are worthless due to their actual monetary value being low and their volume being high. They think that ropereed cloth is the most valuable thing they have, due to its small size. If you rip them off, they bring their worst stuff, caged animals. Animals= fun.

Don't underestimate the usefulness of cloth. It's second only to stone in ubiquity and ease of access, worth more and can be turned into trade goods without either magma or an endless supply of coke or charcoal.

And come to think of it, magma is best left alone until you have a handle on the military, as the creatures living in it are nasty.

[dude_ftw@live.com]

Its hard to describe the gut-wrenching terror when I discovered that I left a dwarf outside when I locked the place. I barely saved him, discovering that he survived 30 days with nothing, no food or drinks. WHEW. Anyways, the screenies:










Edit: 2 of my livestock of have died from those badgers! I don't want to attack, because there is atleast 10 of them.

[dude_ftw@live.com]

Shameless bump.

[Newbunkle]

Aye, badgers are awesome. Giant badgers are even better!

[Sarda]

Bump, and get a magma cannon or some such. Or at least xbowdorfs.

[Hammerstar]

Giant badgers are cool. Unless you embark right in the middle of a group of ten.

Those seven never even saw it coming...

[Reelyanoob]

I'm just starting on a new base after 2 failed. Any advice on how to better protect my fortress? E.G. Don't flood your base ETC. (I have only been playing DF for 3 days,Including today).

Walls are your friend. I have an entrance or two with a few cage traps behind raisable drawbridges -  a no-brainer as they capture plenty of animals and act as an early warning system for goblin thieves etc.

When sieges come, I raise the bridges, forcing invaders through my trap entrance. I now have a bank of compact automatic drowning chambers (driven by river water / gravity) which fill up with dead goblins. Down below, one lever per chamber dumps remains into a level with storage and magma forges for melting objects nearby. I set it up so I can use one of the drowning machines units to dispose of caged enemies too, with only one lever pull to release the cage.

A good basic to know is the hatch/pressure plate combo :-

Code: [Select]

XHX - Hatch over channelled ground (make sure there's no ramp there though)
XPX - Pressure Plate

X = Wall

I guarantee nothing that walks on the ground will get past that (from the south), even stopped forgotten beasts (though they broke the hatch, leaving a hole in the ground), but your dwarves will go straight over it (set to trigger by creatures, minimize low weight setting and make sure it's set to no citizens trigger)


EDIT : Can't help myself - this is my drowning machine design (one tunnel worth) each line has walls to left and right:-

Code: [Select]

O - outside / entrance to trap
R - a ramp up (goes to the 'O" outside / entrance to trap). Enemies enter down ramp
H - a hatch
P - a pressure plate set to trigger by creatures, set minimum weight to lowest.
H - a hatch
B - a 1x1 raising bridge
G - a floor grate, for drainage
I - path leading inside base, more cage traps here just as a precaution.

Directly above the pressure plate is another hatch which holds back a torrent of river water. All 3 hatches and bridge are linked to the single pressure plate. 1 level below the hatches/pressure plate is a 3x1 retractable bridge (lever operated). the goblin drowns here. and the lever dumps the goblinite remains down another level into the workshop. There are grates in strategic locations to let the water flow away.

This design has killed 40 goblins in a row without fail. They hit the pressure plate, opening the floor hatches so they can't path back or forward, water instantly dumps on them washing them into the hatches. The raising bridge so far is just a precaution to drown them even if they are not washed away, while ensuring the water drains away. So far not one goblin has managed to stay on the pressure plate.

[dude_ftw@live.com]

I'm running low on food, and for some reason I'm not able to grow any.. (It never announced it was autumn and its not). And I don't have a butcher, and my migrants refuse to do so. Any ideas on how to gain food?

[dude_ftw@live.com]

I'm just starting on a new base after 2 failed. Any advice on how to better protect my fortress? E.G. Don't flood your base ETC. (I have only been playing DF for 3 days,Including today).

Walls are your friend. I have an entrance or two with a few cage traps behind raisable drawbridges -  a no-brainer as they capture plenty of animals and act as an early warning system for goblin thieves etc.

When sieges come, I raise the bridges, forcing invaders through my trap entrance. I now have a bank of compact automatic drowning chambers (driven by river water / gravity) which fill up with dead goblins. Down below, one lever per chamber dumps remains into a level with storage and magma forges for melting objects nearby. I set it up so I can use one of the drowning machines units to dispose of caged enemies too, with only one lever pull to release the cage.

A good basic to know is the hatch/pressure plate combo :-

Code: [Select]

XHX - Hatch
XPX - Pressure Plate

X = Wall

I guarantee nothing that walks on the ground will get past that (from the south), even stopped forgotten beasts (though they broke the hatch, leaving a hole in the ground), but your dwarves will go straight over it (set to trigger by creatures, minimize low weight setting and make sure it's set to no citizens trigger)


EDIT : Can't help myself - this is my drowning machine design (one tunnel worth) each line has walls to left and right:-

Code: [Select]

O - outside / entrance to trap
R - a ramp up (goes to the 'O" outside / entrance to trap). Enemies enter down ramp
H - a hatch
P - a pressure plate set to trigger by creatures, set minimum weight to lowest.
H - a hatch
B - a 1x1 raising bridge
G - a floor grate, for drainage
I - path leading inside base, more cage traps here just as a precaution.

Directly above the pressure plate is another hatch which holds back a torrent of river water. All 3 hatches and bridge are linked to the single pressure plate. 1 level below the hatches/pressure plate is a 3x1 retractable bridge (lever operated). the goblin drowns here. and the lever dumps the goblinite remains down another level into the workshop. There are grates in strategic locations to let the water flow away.

This design has killed 40 goblins in a row without fail. They hit the pressure plate, opening the floor hatches so they can't path back or forward, water instantly dumps on them washing them into the hatches. The raising bridge so far is just a precaution to drown them even if they are not washed away, while ensuring the water drains away. So far not one goblin has managed to stay on the pressure plate.

To be quite honest, I have ABSOLULY no idea what you are talking about. I'm not experienced with the physics of this game, let alone traps. I'm not particularly interested in traps though, That flaw will probably lead me to death. Just put it like this, the closest I have to trap is Minecraft traps.

[dude_ftw@live.com]

OH FUCK NO!! I'm out of alcohol!!!!