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[joihnsonlee]

how do u build buildings

[Starver]

Ah, hello.  I was going to respond on another thread of yours (and welcome you to the game, while I was at it), but someone pointed you at the wiki before I got chance to say anything any more useful.

There are several walk-throughs linked there which might help with a lot of your questions, so if you've not lost the general URL for that, already, I'd check that out.


But the specific answer to your question is to use the "b" key, then you get a menu ("c" for constructions, such as walls, "w" for various workshops, other letters for other things, it's all written down on the screen, but you may have to wander in and out of various sub-menus when you're still learning how it's organised) and then you get to choose which particular materials you have at hand that want to make them out of.  Which, as long as you're not too fussy and have mined out some rock/cut down some trees already, is probably the first item on the list.  (It will tell you if there are no materials available, or there's some other issue like the site being blocked by something like a tree.  You may also need things like buckets, barrels and anvils for various workshops, but the principle is the same once you have them.)

Later on, you may decide to make sure you don't use your wood or certain types of rock for a given workshop, because you want to use that type of material for something else (or for use within this or another workshop), but you'll sort out all your own preferences for that sort of thing as you play the game over and over and over, making mistakes and deciding whether you're going to play according to any particular aesthetic or practical policies.

Really, though, the main page of the wiki has (IIRC) a whole box-out containing links to its pages that are specifically guides for starting out, and they'll answer this type of question better than I know I can.

Not that you can't ask here, but I think you'll move more quickly between one puzzling issue and another if you try the guides.  And probably find answers to questions you didn't even know you might have had to ask.  And we can always help try clarify anything that's unclear, or inexplicably not even covered.


Anyway, again, nice to see you.  I also spotted you in the Suggestions thread, which shows enthusiasm that I admire (albeit that you probably need to first check to make sure that what you're suggesting isn't an oft-mentioned thing ).  I'm sure that playing the game will be interesting, and don't be afraid of making mistakes, because by the next fort or twenty you'll have worked out how not to make those mistakes (and be making some others, from which you'll also learn).  Remember: Losing is fun!!!

[joihnsonlee]

how do u make an underground base?

[Phantom of The Library]

"d"  then "j" and select a single square or a row to create downward stairways, then press "d" and then "d" again and select an area to mine out.

[Starver]

Phantom is right (though he doesn't mention the up or up/down stairwell you need on the level below).  But I can see several other questions arising from this (perhaps even that of how to change the world level you're viewing), and so I hope you'll be well served if I point you directly at http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/DF2010:Quickstart_guide.  It would have helped with several of the questions so far, in particular the sections Strike The Earth for the latest question and Workshops for at least some of the aspects of the first question in this thread.

It's a lot of reading if you are going to treat it just as stand-alone bedtime reading, (and you can ignore, for now, that possibly intimidating but definitely useful flowchart on the right hand side, and come back to it later), but I would scroll up and down it (and also search for other pages on something you're particularly trying to understand) while actually playing.  This way you'll find out a lot more of the information you're going to need, and can relate it to what's in front of you.

Some other link or other from that red-bordered "New to Dwarf Fortress?" box of the main page might also be useful.

Alternatively, there are youtube demos, I happen to know, although I'll let you search them out.  (You can do so either within Youtube itself or go via their URLs, as collated by their creators in various easily searched-for threads in these forums.)

[joihnsonlee]

the "j" command only makes a small hole.

do i need a up/down stairwell to go underground?

and how do u view underground?

[i2amroy]

Alternatively, there are youtube demos, I happen to know, although I'll let you search them out.  (You can do so either within Youtube itself or go via their URLs, as collated by their creators in various easily searched-for threads in these forums.)

The threads are sort of stickied to the top of this board after all...
And yeah, the quick start quite should have a lot of what you are looking for in the early stages of your fortress.

[Starver]

the "j" command only makes a small hole.

do i need a up/down stairwell to go underground?

and how do u view underground?

Yes, up/down (or "up-only" stairwell set below the down-stairs gives you access to that level, and you can set that by...

...using the ">" and "<" keys to navigate down and up through the slice-based view of the world.  Those keys (as symbols, assuming you're not using a tileset that eschews the original appearance for something more fancy but unrelated in appearance) are also what your down and up stairway ends look like, with "X" being what the up/down looks like.  (Also archery butts, but that's for later.)

Anyway, if you're embarking on a location with hills, you can get the idea by wandering 'up and down' the slices and seeing how the up and down ramps and solid areas (or at least the visible bits the solid areas) change.  If you're on a flat plain it's not as easy to get the experience, but you once you start digging you can work out what the warren that you are making looks like.

Please look at that guide, though, as it covers all this.  (Better than me.)

[Triaxx2]

A slightly more organized guide:

Digging into the earth for an underground fortress can be accomplished at it's most simply by pressing the 'd' key to access the digging menu on the right hand side of the screen. Each action is listed there and it's appropriate key. If key presses are not working, check your caps lock key.

Getting below the earth requires one of two things. Either a 'j' down stair or a suitable hill side. 'd' for dig is default only if the cursor is below the earth. 't' for chop down trees is the above ground default. A 'j' down stair case requires a matching 'u' up stair, or 'i' up/down stair. These should be placed one level below the 'j' stair, the simplest method is to place the cursor over the 'j' stair, and press 'shift+,' to descend, or 'shift+.' to ascend.

If you dig into a hill side, the 'j' stair is not necessary, because an 'i' stairway can be carved into the dirt instead. The rules are a tad odd. If the area has been mined, then the 'j' stair is necessary, because there's no material to be carved up to the level above. The 'j' stair only digs down to the level below, and can be carved down through the floor.

There's an alternate, and both more advanced and more useful technique is to use the 'd' 'h' technique to channel the surface to create ramps. Once the initial ramps have been dug, you must then descend using 'shift+,', and dig to ONE side of the ramp. Ramps require the ramp and a solid wall to function. The top of the solid wall must be available. Thus a ramp at the end of a flat wall will allow access, but a ramp built at the end of a flooring tile one z-level up will not.