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[Bo-Rufus CMVII]

On a new embark, how much layout do you do before you start the game?

[Urist Imiknorris]

I usually try to designate a small protofortress in the soil layers, with specific sections of hallway undesignated so I can control what my miners carve out first.

[Sutremaine]

None, I just build on the surface. While that's going on I'll be digging out a temporary fortress / main corridor, but the fort starts out under the sky.

[Darkweave]

Usually at least 80% of the fort but I start off with a small temp fort in the soil because digging out the main fort takes a very long time, even with 10-15 experienced miners, I'm far too fond of my 40x40x10 smoothed dining halls. As above I cut out main corridors to get more important areas dug out first.

[Avo]

I usually designate out my entire fortress, but i leave 1 tile wide gaps in large sections of it so i can keep my miners from carving out the stupid stuff untill i have some spare time.

[greenskye]

I used to designate as much of my fortress as I could think up, but that led to starvation as I never worried about food till it was too late. Now I designate 11x11 rooms at the top and put my fortress there at the beginning. This later gets turned into stockpile rooms.

[Trekkin]

Since I build above the magma sea, I designate a ramp down until I hit cavern one, then the same to cavern two, and so on; once the sea is found, I designate the entire fort.

[mwanafalsafa]

I usually designate a mini-fortress in the soil layers first to get the economy rolling... once the fort is going and I've got some immigrants I'll create a proper fort much deeper in the rock, then abandon the mini-fort, turning into a maze of death for would-be invaders.

[Jazzeraint]

Most of it within the first season.

I start out with three proficient miners these days.

[xordae]

I start with the real fortress. But the first couple of 3-tile hallways become stockpiles and so on. I'll just make a simple wall-in on the surface which may later turn into something else.

Your dwarves are fine without beds for a while, as long as you have enough booze and food you can take your time mining and building.

[Blade Master Model 42]

None of it. I have a system where I always lay out my fortress a certain way, and I never really take into account natural geography.

[Lytha]

Nothing. I start without picks anyway, so the first few workshops need to be built and destroyed on the surface anyway. Once I got the pick, the moat takes precedence over everything else. Only after that is done, I dig the central ramps. The fortress will remain on the surface a lot longer, and I probably will get bored or frustrated by the stupid military interface before I move them downstairs.

[StreetPizza]

I generally have an idea as to what to always put where--main entrance dug into a hill side, farm next to the water source (old habit ), workshop/dormitory/storage/dining areas close together for great ergonomics, y'know.

[Jororked Forgefire]

1. Hobbit Hole
2. Temp Fort which becomes the military area
3. Fort Fort.  Housing, wells, the whole sha-bang
4. Getting bored, dig over there....

[ThirdSpartacus]

1x3 Staircase and a small corridor with a 10x10 room attached to it. Food stockpile goes in the 10x10 room, and small stockpiles for anvils,bags, etc. are in the hallway.

Using either the stone mined out or surrounding trees, I throw up a preliminary wall around the staircase outside.
Bam! In only about 1 month, I've secured my position and supplies in an airtight fortress from all outside threats.

I usually start out in terrifying environments, though.