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[seanb]

I've been playing DF a few months now, and the only thing i really hate (other than the lack of an endgame or point) is the immigration. Damn immigrants keep ruining things. They come too fast, too unskilled, or with skills i don't need. I'm building a fortress, not a damn refugee camp. OKay i lied, there are two things i don't like. The other is the fact that comodities are basically useless. The traders never show up with anything i want. and when they do, it's soo damn cheap i end up with piles of loot i don't need.

Before i go to far, i do wan't to point something out. i'm suggesting this as an ALTERNATIVE to the immigration system. NOT AS A REPLACEMENT. It may be more in line with a MOD, but i'm not sure. If you don't like the suggestion, keep in mind that YOU WON'T HAVE TO USE IT. Don't badmouth something just because it is not your particular cup of tea.

So, here are some of my thoughts, in no particular order.

-- Embark would be normal. The only immediate change would be that a wave of useless random dwarves wouldn't show up after a couple of months.
-- All of these ideas might actually fit within the capacity of the future planned "inn". I'm not sure. If so, substitute Inn into the next line
-- Eventually a man with a pack animal and the title "headhunter" or "Contract Broker" would show up at the fortress. He would look for a trade depot, just like caravans do.
-- If he found one, the player would be permitted to move items for trade to the depot, just like when trading.
-- The major difference in the trade screen would be that, rather than a list of trade commodities, the trader would have a list of names. Pressing "V" on the names would reveal the skills and talents that dwarf would offer. Novice Diagnostician, Expert Miner, etc etc.
-- The player would be permitted to trade items in return for the contracts, and the trader would leave with his pack animal complaining.
-- The dwarves who's contracts were purchased would arrive maybe a month later.

Hopefully this makes as much sense reading it, as it does me thinking it.

Let me know what you think.

[Karnewarrior]

Maybe we could mix the two, just slow down the normal immigrants and use this guy to get any dwarves that are really needed. Maybe a mature fortress would only get two or three massive waves of migrants, maybe five or six small ones, and the rest are "imported".

[seanb]

I like that even better. Get a few waves of immigrants early in the game, get your fort up to 20'ish or so, then you need to "buy the contracts" of the rest once the Inn is built?

[IT 000]

I've been playing DF a few months now, and the only thing i really hate (other than the lack of an endgame or point) is the immigration. Damn immigrants keep ruining things. They come too fast, too unskilled, or with skills i don't need.

Magma

OKay i lied, there are two things i don't like. The other is the fact that comodities are basically useless. The traders never show up with anything i want. and when they do, it's soo damn cheap i end up with piles of loot i don't need.

I assume that when the caravan arc is over items will be fairly priced. But I do agree with you, a masterpiece stack of biscuits can easily be worth over 7000 db's

i'm suggesting this as an ALTERNATIVE to the immigration system. NOT AS A REPLACEMENT. It may be more in line with a MOD,

Toady doesn't release mods, that is a Modder's job.

That said, seriously speaking I like this idea and I would prefer if it replaced the current system, I have contemplated a similar idea myself but have never been able to actually find a way to pull it off. It would be nice to pick how many migrants you want, and specific migrants as you have suggested, if the 'Contract Broker' (I like this name better) gets killed you don't get immigrants. When the economy kicks in, you may need to pay for higher skilled immigrants, while peasants will be dirt cheap. When supply/demand kicks in (presumably during the caravan arc) you won't be able to mint thousands of coins to buy a legendary axe dwarf without massive internal inflation.

I also propose you can put some of your dwarves 'up for hire', in the beginning of your fortress, you really needed those fifteen novice fisherdwarves, but now, your fortress has 5000+ food and fifteen legendary fisherdwarves that can suck the river dry of lifeforms within five minutes. You can send most of them away and they will leave along with the Contact Broker, who will leave a modest sum of coins/exchange for more migrants/more basic supplies such as logs, food, stone, or metal.

[Silverionmox]

The only thing we need is the ability to refuse immigrants. Let them congregate in a meeting hall or on the embark spot, the mayor can receive them and the player can refuse them.

That also opens the way for a different way of punishment than always the boring hammering: exile.

[seanb]

The only thing we need .....

Personally i like options. This is an awesome idea as well, but I still don't like the idea of people just showing up. Still too easy. I want some way of having to work for them, which is why i came up with the idea of "buying contracts".

[DrKillPatient]

I am beginning to get quite annoyed with, very literally, a grand master fish cleaner / cheese maker / tanner in the same wave. I tossed them all to the ravenous pandas.

An option to select dwarves would be really nice, although I do also support an upgrade in migrant skills. Maybe they'd come with skills regarding what your fort is best known for? Miners, say, if you exported a lot of stone.

[NW_Kohaku]

I am beginning to get quite annoyed with, very literally, a grand master fish cleaner / cheese maker / tanner in the same wave. I tossed them all to the ravenous pandas.

An option to select dwarves would be really nice, although I do also support an upgrade in migrant skills. Maybe they'd come with skills regarding what your fort is best known for? Miners, say, if you exported a lot of stone.

According to Toady, the game actually checks to see what jobs you don't have on any dwarves, and sends specialists in those skills in - killing off your fish cleaners makes your game go "Oh my God! The player's all out of fish cleaners! Send another!  No, send three!"

If you want the game to stop sending you fish cleaners, train a couple to ward off the "replacements".  Then kill off armorsmiths until you get a migrant grand master.

[Mister Always]

I am beginning to get quite annoyed with, very literally, a grand master fish cleaner / cheese maker / tanner in the same wave. I tossed them all to the ravenous pandas.

An option to select dwarves would be really nice, although I do also support an upgrade in migrant skills. Maybe they'd come with skills regarding what your fort is best known for? Miners, say, if you exported a lot of stone.

According to Toady, the game actually checks to see what jobs you don't have on any dwarves, and sends specialists in those skills in - killing off your fish cleaners makes your game go "Oh my God! The player's all out of fish cleaners! Send another!  No, send three!"

If you want the game to stop sending you fish cleaners, train a couple to ward off the "replacements".  Then kill off armorsmiths until you get a migrant grand master.

Oh. Well, this explains why I got ten fisherdwarves a wave on a map that didn't have any water until I breached the caverns.

Maybe I shouldn't have put all the useless migrants in an oubliette...

Ah, fuck it. Life is cheap. Into the pit with you!

[GamerKnight]

Slavery I say! Slavery is the answer! Slavery alongside magma! (Maybe Goblins could sell you slaves as well, if you didn't mind being going to war with the slaves home civs)

[bp1986]

Only if I can trade for elven slaves!

Would also love a system of turning away unwanted immigrants rather than killing them.

[Waparius]

Speaking of slavery, it would be kind of cool, once the Hill Dwarves and other out-of-the-fortress activities come in, to be able to send out a press gang for dwarves to work in your fetid tanneries/join the army/pump magma. I would be very in favour of that.

Also, this would be a great use for an "Agent" - that is, a minor noble who can be sent out of the fortress to do diplomatic things on your behalf. Need migrants? Send the agent with a heap of stuff to the poorest nearby fort you can find, to entice some people to come your way.

[Naryar]

I wish immigration was influenced by the jobs you want/do, or a system of request migrant skill like you are thinking about, rather than getting loads of fisherdwarves in a desert or way too many woodworkers.

Not to mention about the legendary lye makers or dyers or cheese makers or other useless haulers. But even lye making and cheese making is useful now... Fish Dissectors and Animal Caretakers however...

[Reelyanoob]

I like that even better. Get a few waves of immigrants early in the game, get your fort up to 20'ish or so, then you need to "buy the contracts" of the rest once the Inn is built?

The contracts (and some immigrants) should include guys from any fortress you abandoned in that world. The trade aspect would make the trade depot / goods a little more useful too. And knowing a certain profession is going to show up would help with preparing the right buildings on time.

A couple of related ideas I just had is it would be good if you could have a screen for the liason telling him that you're not accepting any immigrants. And if you could send out trade caravans / emmigration of your own (maybe in the caravan arc?). Build wagons and take your best to resettle a new fortress. This would give more life to worldgens.

[flieroflight]

Definitely approve.