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[Steinbeisser]

Hello thar,

I just recently started playing DF (as of yesterday actually) and have learned more and more by watching some videos and just plain trial and error playing some rounds.

Usually I get up to the point where I got underground living quarters, basic workshops and stockpiles and around 50 dwarfs. I know how to farm, make stuff, dig deeper, assign stuff to dwarfs etc. but some things I just can't figure out:

1) How do I produce meat? I built kennels, butchers, traps and assigned hunters. They would bring back all kinds of vermin, cage them and put them in my animal holdings but nobody seems to do anything with them? Can anyone explain to me how this works?

2) How to make dwarfs more happy so they don't go apesh*t? I made 3x3 rooms with beds and cabinets, smoothed and engraved the stones but happiness often drops quickly anyway. What else is affecting this? I was thinking it's probably my lack of meat.

3) Once the map is out of fish - is there a way to repopulate it?

I've looked in the online wiki but am either too blind or too stupid to figure out how to do it as they say.

Any help appreciated.

[Sphalerite]

1) How do I produce meat? I built kennels, butchers, traps and assigned hunters. They would bring back all kinds of vermin, cage them and put them in my animal holdings but nobody seems to do anything with them? Can anyone explain to me how this works?

Animal Traps can only be used to capture vermin-sized creatures.  Vermin-sized creatures can't be made into meat, and are pretty much useless.  To get meat you have to butcher a non-vermin creature.  You can do this by selecting one of your animals for butchering:  either go to the animals tab under the (z) screen, or view that animal directly and select it for butchering.  You can also send out Hunters to kill wild animals, which should be automatically returned to your butcher shop and butchered.

2) How to make dwarfs more happy so they don't go apesh*t? I made 3x3 rooms with beds and cabinets, smoothed and engraved the stones but happiness often drops quickly anyway. What else is affecting this? I was thinking it's probably my lack of meat.

This is a complex question.  Take a look at their thoughts, see what's making them unhappy.

In addition to the nice bedrooms, make a nice dining hall, and make sure that you never, ever run out of booze.

3) Once the map is out of fish - is there a way to repopulate it?

Nope, wild fish population never comes back once fished to extinction.

[Steinbeisser]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I shall look into the hunter thing right now then. I don't even need kennels then I suppose?

[kardwill]

2) How to make dwarfs more happy so they don't go apesh*t? I made 3x3 rooms with beds and cabinets, smoothed and engraved the stones but happiness often drops quickly anyway. What else is affecting this? I was thinking it's probably my lack of meat.

You can read the thoughts of your dwarves in their status screen : what they were unhappy or happy about. That can give you some indications of the problem : No proper dining room, a friend's corpse rotting in the hallway, etc...

[Dutchling]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I shall look into the hunter thing right now then. I don't even need kennels then I suppose?

Kennels are for training animals. If you train a hunting animal it can assist your hunter. You can also build cage traps outside and when you catch something you can tame it with the kennel so you cab butcher it.

[MenacesWithSpikes]

1) How do I produce meat? I built kennels, butchers, traps and assigned hunters. They would bring back all kinds of vermin, cage them and put them in my animal holdings but nobody seems to do anything with them? Can anyone explain to me how this works?

2) How to make dwarfs more happy so they don't go apesh*t? I made 3x3 rooms with beds and cabinets, smoothed and engraved the stones but happiness often drops quickly anyway. What else is affecting this? I was thinking it's probably my lack of meat.

3) Once the map is out of fish - is there a way to repopulate it?

Any help appreciated.

1)  Meat:  I always start an embark with one hunter.  Make sure this guy has Ambusher as his/her highest skill.  (The hunter gets a free crossbow and some ammo this way.)  Put a few points in Crossbowman and Archer as well.  The hunter will go hunt whatever hunt-able land animals appear on the map.  Create a refuse pile outside and set dwarves to gather outdoor refuse (I think it's o -> r -> o).  Create a butcher shop underground, near your entrance, and make sure someone has the Butchery labor enabled.  (I bring a Proficient Butcher with me on embark.)  You may want to give someone a point in either wood carving or bone carving (or both), so that your hunter has a continual supply of bolts.

You can also bring livestock with you when you embark.  Birds (geese, turkeys, etc.) are good to start with.  You'll want to create a pasture for your livestock to feed on.  Build nest boxes for your birds so you can collect the eggs.  Ideally you want livestock that doesn't graze too heavily.  Check the GRAZER value here:  http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/DF2010:Pasture

2) You assigned them each an individual bedroom, right?  You definitely want to create a dining hall and make it legendary.  Once your fortress gets more established you can also add a statue garden and a memorial hall.  Dwarves also like fairly varied food and drink.  Once you have a food surplus, start cooking more elaborate meals for your dwarves.  At some point, you will also want to build a well.

3)  I'm not aware of a way to repopulate the fish in a river/lake/muddy pool.  I just buy fish from traders at that point.

[AutomataKittay]

1) How do I produce meat? I built kennels, butchers, traps and assigned hunters. They would bring back all kinds of vermin, cage them and put them in my animal holdings but nobody seems to do anything with them? Can anyone explain to me how this works?

If you have butcherable tame animals, you can do it with {v} over them, or using animal part of {z} screen. Vermin cannot be butchered into meat as far as I know, by your dorfs, despite being importable food items. You want hunters and butcher shops ( and a few dorfs assigned the butchery duty) next to the refuse pile, as well as tanner's shop. As mentioned above, have a craftdwarf churn out the bone bolts for your hunters and marksmen if you're using them.

2) How to make dwarfs more happy so they don't go apesh*t? I made 3x3 rooms with beds and cabinets, smoothed and engraved the stones but happiness often drops quickly anyway. What else is affecting this? I was thinking it's probably my lack of meat.

Give them very nice dining room, very big one too, just plenty of chairs and tables ( you can designate one from the tables) set as meeting hall. And very well-made prepared meal by experienced cook helps, as well as experienced brewers for drinks. I would hope you've set up bedroom designation also, you haven't mentioned if they were assigned or designated, barrack and dormitory don't gives them happiness points, but it does helps to keep their mood fair due to not sleeping on ground.

[Steinbeisser]

Yea I assigned every 3x3 room to a single dwarf. Guess I'll try a larger dining hall next time and all the tipps about hunting/butchering, thanks alot guys.

Haven't really bothered with taming animals etc. at all yet, more to do.

Gonna start a new fortress right away, maybe I can survive long enough to get killed by actual enemies this time. 

[MenacesWithSpikes]

While it doesn't relate directly to food production, you might want to give one of your dwarves a point in Tanning, and construct a Tanner's Shop.  That way you can also get leather from the animals your hunter is hunting, or from your livestock.

[Steinbeisser]

I'm still too dumb for this.   

I have an Ambusher(5), Crossbowman(3), Archer(2) Character with a hunting dog assigned and only Hunting as current labor, yet he just stands in the meeting hall and does nothing. Butcher and Tanner shop are also constructed and operational. What am I missing? :/

[AutomataKittay]

Sounds like you don't have any huntable creatures. Yet. On most maps, you will eventually have some show up, and assuming hunters are free to go out and stalk them down, they'll go to get them.

[Fredd]

 Stein, if you are new, turn down population cap, init/d.init(pop cap).  I set it at 5. Sometimes the migrant waves can overwhelm new players. With the 5 pop cap, I usually wind up with 10 dwarves, with is a good number to experiment with DF's features. Also turn off invasions, same folder as pop cap.
 The advice from the posts above were right on. Nice dining rooms,dorms to initially let them sleep, is sound advice.
 Building a well with a clean water source helps. Embarking with a good farmer(fields)also being a good plant gatherer, can allow you to plant your fields, and after they are planted, he can go harvest outdoor plants.
 Eggs are a great food source. Downside is that I do not think they can be eaten raw. Need to be cooked in a kitchen. Quarry bush is another good food source, but need processing, and bags to store them in. Plus needing to be cooked also.

[VonCede]

I'm still too dumb for this.   

I have an Ambusher(5), Crossbowman(3), Archer(2) Character with a hunting dog assigned and only Hunting as current labor, yet he just stands in the meeting hall and does nothing. Butcher and Tanner shop are also constructed and operational. What am I missing? :/

Hunter need Hunting labor activated, huntable animals in map (check from {u}nits menu). They also need crossbow, quiver and bolts. Select you hunter with {v} and check his {i}nventory. To see is s/he has bolts, select quiver and press {Enter}

[Steinbeisser]

Ok apparently he is out of ammo, at least that's what the error message says. I have loads in my stockroom though, how can I give those to him?

And thanks for the other tipps too, gets kinda overwhelming at first but good fun.