Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

Training weapon

2016-05-23T23:57:47Z

Quicksketch: Adding note that training axes may no longer cut trees.

{{Quality|Superior|12:22, 18 May 2015 (UTC)}}
{{av}}
Training spears, swords and axes are edgeless [[wood]]en [[weapon]]s created at a [[carpenter's workshop]].

Dwarves won't harm each other (or themselves) during [[combat drills]], or [[sparring]] while using metal weapons, so training weapons are only useful when you have no metal weapon of the kind you'd like your soldiers to train with, and in a few specific circumstances.

Training weapons are useless in [[combat]], so make sure that your soldiers have exchanged them for real weapons before sending them into battle, even if it means using a weapon they are totally unfamiliar with. Their utter uselessness can prove useful for [[live training]], however.

Note that soldiers equipped with training weapons can grow attached to their worthless wooden weapons. Congratulations, you now have a legendary stick.

Training weapons also have a few specific applications: poor-[[quality]] training spears are a prime component in [[danger room]] design. Training axes can be used as [[equipment]] for [[tree cutting]], freeing up [[embark]] points for other supplies (this bug was [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/index.html#2016-05-22 fixed in 0.43.03]). Training weapons can also render your [[fortress guard]] harmless to any [[Mandate|unfortunate]] criminals.

{{Category|Military}}

Bronze

2016-04-02T07:50:43Z

Quicksketch: Removing incorrect magma-safe information (had referenced Cassiterite's temp, not Tin).

{{Quality|Exceptional|23:44, 9 October 2014 (UTC)}}
{{Alloy|name=Bronze|color=6:4:0|color1=7:3:0|color2=6:4:0
|uses=
* [[weapon|Melee Weapons]]
* [[Crossbow]]s
* [[Bolt]]s
* [[Pick]]s
* [[Armor]]
|recipe=
* 1 [[tin]] [[bar]]
* 1 [[copper]] [[bar]]
- or -
* 1 [[cassiterite]]
* 1 [[copper]] [[ore]]
|properties=
* [[Material value]] 5
* [[Melting point]] 11868
* [[Boiling point]] 14140
* [[Ignition point]] none
* [[Solid density]] 8250
* Liquid [[density]] 8020
* [[Specific heat]] 435
}}{{av}}

'''Bronze''' is an [[alloy]] of [[tin]] and [[copper]]. Bronze can be forged into [[weapon]]s and [[armor]], and has [[Weapon#Material|material qualities]] very close to [[iron]]. Bronze can also be used to make [[furniture]] and ''other objects'' at a [[metalsmith's forge]].

Bronze can be made at the [[Smelter]] or [[Magma smelter]] using one of the following recipes:

*[[Tin]] bar + [[Copper]] bar = 2 Bronze bars
*[[Cassiterite]] + [[Native copper]], [[Malachite]] or [[Tetrahedrite]] = 8 Bronze bars

Bronze has a [[value]] of 5 and uses the same ingredients as [[fine pewter]] (which also has a value of 5). If you find yourself short of [[tin]], use this metal to make your objects of art instead of using [[fine pewter]].
If you are using ores to smelt Bronze, you can produce 8 bars of weapon-grade metal with one unit of [[fuel]], making it an extremely useful material.

{{Translation
| dwarven = kilrud
| elvish = dagi
| goblin = susäl
| human = zobsha
}}

{{gamedata}}
{{metals}}

Bronze

2016-04-02T07:48:59Z

Quicksketch: Adding (non) magma-safe info.

{{Quality|Exceptional|23:44, 9 October 2014 (UTC)}}
{{Alloy|name=Bronze|color=6:4:0|color1=7:3:0|color2=6:4:0
|uses=
* [[weapon|Melee Weapons]]
* [[Crossbow]]s
* [[Bolt]]s
* [[Pick]]s
* [[Armor]]
|recipe=
* 1 [[tin]] [[bar]]
* 1 [[copper]] [[bar]]
- or -
* 1 [[cassiterite]]
* 1 [[copper]] [[ore]]
|properties=
* [[Material value]] 5
* [[Melting point]] 11868
* [[Boiling point]] 14140
* [[Ignition point]] none
* [[Solid density]] 8250
* Liquid [[density]] 8020
* [[Specific heat]] 435
}}{{av}}

'''Bronze''' is an [[alloy]] of [[tin]] and [[copper]]. Bronze can be forged into [[weapon]]s and [[armor]], and has [[Weapon#Material|material qualities]] very close to [[iron]]. Bronze can also be used to make [[furniture]] and ''other objects'' at a [[metalsmith's forge]]. Unlike its tin component, bronze is not [[magma-safe]]. At a melting point of {{ct|11868}}, it is just shy of the {{ct|12000}} needed to be magma-safe.

Bronze can be made at the [[Smelter]] or [[Magma smelter]] using one of the following recipes:

*[[Tin]] bar + [[Copper]] bar = 2 Bronze bars
*[[Cassiterite]] + [[Native copper]], [[Malachite]] or [[Tetrahedrite]] = 8 Bronze bars

Bronze has a [[value]] of 5 and uses the same ingredients as [[fine pewter]] (which also has a value of 5). If you find yourself short of [[tin]], use this metal to make your objects of art instead of using [[fine pewter]].
If you are using ores to smelt Bronze, you can produce 8 bars of weapon-grade metal with one unit of [[fuel]], making it an extremely useful material.

{{Translation
| dwarven = kilrud
| elvish = dagi
| goblin = susäl
| human = zobsha
}}

{{gamedata}}
{{metals}}

Sunshine

2016-03-30T03:05:39Z

Quicksketch: Redirected page to DF2014:The Sun

#REDIRECT [[cv:The_Sun]]

Armorsmith

2016-03-28T05:36:26Z

Quicksketch: Adding armorsmith human-race information.

{{Skill
| color = 0:1
| skill = Armorsmith
| specialty = Armorer
| profession = [[Metalsmith]]
| job name = [[Armoring]]
| tasks =
* Forge [[armor]]
| workshop =
* [[Metalsmith's forge]]
* [[Magma forge]]
| attributes =
* Strength
* Agility
* Endurance
* Creativity
* Spatial Sense
* Kinesthetic Sense
}}
{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional|09:35, 9 June 2010 (UTC)}}

The '''armorsmith''' skill is used to make all [[metal]] [[armor]] and [[shield]]s at a [[metalsmith's forge]] (or [[magma forge]]). The corresponding [[labor]] is [[armoring]]. The construction of [[leather]] armor is done by a [[leatherworker]].

Like all artisans in Dwarf Fortress, skilled armorsmiths make armor more quickly, and of a higher [[quality]], than unskilled dwarves. The higher the quality of armor, the more damage it can block, which helps to minimize casualties in [[combat]]. A [[legendary]]+5 armorsmith is potentially the most valuable dwarf any fortress could hope to have. This makes armorsmith skill a very popular choice in [[starting builds]].

== Training armorsmiths ==

To train an armorsmith to legendary (or legendary+5, better still), you must have him or her make hundreds of pieces of armor. Use [[iron]] for this (or [[copper]], if you have a lot of it): save your precious steel or bronze for after the training is done (though you may opt to make a few steel suits early on for your soldiers to wear).

These hundreds of pieces of armor will rapidly [[clutter]] the forge, greatly slowing down the smithy's progress. To keep up with a high-skill armorsmith, you must employ several full-time [[hauler|haulers]] to clear out the shop: either item haulers, to drag the pieces to nearby armor [[stockpile]]s, or refuse haulers, to drag the items to a nearby [[dump]]. (Dumping, however, requires periodically redesignating the area over the forge ({{k|d}}-{{k|b}}-{{k|d}}) in order to mark its contents for dumping.) Setting up several forges and having the smith move from one to the next when they get cluttered works well in concert with multiple haulers. You can also employ a spare metalsmith of any sort to keep destroying and rebuilding the forges to clear them out.

Alternatively, you can have some of your farmers, fishers, and hunters (or anybody else who has no moodable skills) forge a single piece of armor and hope that one of them enters a [[strange mood]], as producing a piece of [[artifact]] armor will instantly push them to Legendary+1 (unless they were unlucky and got Possessed).

== Notes ==

* An armorsmith will create armor suitable for their own race. That is, a human armorsmith that has joined your fortress through a [[Citizenship]] application will product "large" armor that is suitable for other humans but not dwarves.
* Gauntlets, gloves, high boots, and the like, despite what may be implied by the job name (e.g., "Forge iron high boot"), are forged in pairs.

{{Skills}}

DF2014:Dehydration

2016-03-15T01:29:38Z

Quicksketch: Redirected page to DF2014:Food#Mechanics of Eating and Hunger

#REDIRECT [[cv:Food#Mechanics_of_Eating_and_Hunger]]

Gypsum plaster

2016-03-09T03:19:55Z

Quicksketch: Adding simple alternative of maxing your hospital storage.

{{Quality|Superior|00:32, 25 August 2014 (UTC)}}

{{av}}

[[File:Gypsum Only.jpg|Thumb|right|350px]]
Gypsum plaster powder is produced at a [[kiln]] or [[magma kiln]] from [[gypsum]], [[alabaster]], [[selenite]], or [[satinspar]] (but '''not''' [[anhydrite]]) and an empty [[bag]]. The production of gypsum plaster powder requires the [[Furnace operating]] skill. It is used in the production of [[plaster cast]]s, an item used by [[bone doctor]]s to immobilize the broken bones of injured dwarves.

Bags of plaster powder are automatically stored in [[container]]s located in [[hospital]] zones, provided there is room.

At a kiln, if the option to produce it is unavailable despite meeting all requirements, the command "make plaster powder" in the manager menu should be used.

==Gypsum plaster stockpiles==

No [[stockpile]] options exist for controlling the storage of gypsum plaster - although it is listed under the "Stone/Clay" material groups for Furniture, Blocks, and Finished Goods, these settings have no effect because such objects will never actually be made '''of''' gypsum plaster; gypsum plaster bags are always stockpiled in the "Furniture/Siege Ammo" category as "boxes and bags", as though they were empty.

If you only have a small amount of gypsum plaster (<15 bags), simply maximizing the amount of plaster stored in your main [[hospital]] to 15000 is a simple solution.

If you have a larger amount of gypsum plaster (15+ bags), you may make a dedicated stockpile containing '''only''' Gypsum plaster, by exploiting the Hospital storage to force dwarves to move gypsum plaster to a particular location.

# Make a new activity zone (with {{k|i}}), a 3x3 square works well for a small stockpile.
# After placing the activity zone, inspect ({{k|i}}) and then specify it as a hospital ({{k|i}})
# Set the hospital information ({{k|i}}
# Use {{k|Shift}} + {{k|4}} to reduce the Thread, Cloth, Splints, Crutches, Buckets and Soap to 0.
# Use {{k|Shift}} + {{k|6}} to increase the Powder for casts to the maximum (15000).
# Place an empty container (either bag or chest) in the middle of the hospital area (with {{k|b}} {{k|h}}).
# Dwarves should now automatically move any available gypsum bags into the new hospital area. You can inspect the building contents with {{k|t}} to confirm the gypsum bags are placed inside the container. Oddly a bag as a building can hold up to 11 bags of gypsum powder.
# Remove the container (using {{k|q}} {{k|x}}). The gypsum bags will explode out of the building in a 3x3 grid.
# Before the dwarves remove all the powder bags elsewhere. Make a stockpile (using {{k|p}}) under the gypsum bags. Specify the stockpile as only allowing "Furniture/Siege Ammo". Remove all types except for "boxes and bags".
# You may remove the hospital area if desired (using {{k|i}} {{k|x}} {{k|X}}).

{{gamedata}}

{{Category|Healthcare}}

Gypsum plaster

2016-03-09T03:14:26Z

Quicksketch: Adding more information on stockpiling gypsum plaster.

{{Quality|Superior|00:32, 25 August 2014 (UTC)}}

{{av}}

[[File:Gypsum Only.jpg|Thumb|right|350px]]
Gypsum plaster powder is produced at a [[kiln]] or [[magma kiln]] from [[gypsum]], [[alabaster]], [[selenite]], or [[satinspar]] (but '''not''' [[anhydrite]]) and an empty [[bag]]. The production of gypsum plaster powder requires the [[Furnace operating]] skill. It is used in the production of [[plaster cast]]s, an item used by [[bone doctor]]s to immobilize the broken bones of injured dwarves.

Bags of plaster powder are automatically stored in [[container]]s located in [[hospital]] zones, provided there is room.

At a kiln, if the option to produce it is unavailable despite meeting all requirements, the command "make plaster powder" in the manager menu should be used.

==Gypsum plaster stockpiles==

No [[stockpile]] options exist for controlling the storage of gypsum plaster - although it is listed under the "Stone/Clay" material groups for Furniture, Blocks, and Finished Goods, these settings have no effect because such objects will never actually be made '''of''' gypsum plaster; gypsum plaster bags are always stockpiled in the "Furniture/Siege Ammo" category as "boxes and bags", as though they were empty.

In order to move '''only''' Gypsum plaster, you may use the Hospital storage to force dwarves to move gypsum plaster to a particular location.

# Make a new activity zone (with {{k|i}}), a 3x3 square works well for a small stockpile.
# After placing the activity zone, inspect ({{k|i}}) and then specify it as a hospital ({{k|i}})
# Set the hospital information ({{k|i}}
# Use {{k|Shift}} + {{k|4}} to reduce the Thread, Cloth, Splints, Crutches, Buckets and Soap to 0.
# Use {{k|Shift}} + {{k|6}} to increase the Powder for casts to the maximum (15000).
# Place an empty container (either bag or chest) in the middle of the hospital area (with {{k|b}} {{k|h}}).
# Dwarves should now automatically move any available gypsum bags into the new hospital area. You can inspect the building contents with {{k|t}} to confirm the gypsum bags are placed inside the container. Oddly a bag as a building can hold up to 11 bags of gypsum powder.
# Remove the container (using {{k|q}} {{k|x}}). The gypsum bags will explode out of the building in a 3x3 grid.
# Before the dwarves remove all the powder bags elsewhere. Make a stockpile (using {{k|p}}) under the gypsum bags. Specify the stockpile as only allowing "Furniture/Siege Ammo". Remove all types except for "boxes and bags".
# You may remove the hospital area if desired (using {{k|i}} {{k|x}} {{k|X}}).

{{gamedata}}

{{Category|Healthcare}}

v0.34:Fortification

2013-05-11T08:22:13Z

Quicksketch:

{{Quality|Exceptional|00:42, 8 May 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}{{Buggy}}

'''Fortifications''' are a special type of [[wall]]. They allow the passage of [[ammunition|projectiles]] [in and out] and liquids, [[mist]], [[steam]], [[web|webs]], [[fire]] and [[smoke]], but not [[creature]]s, making them an important part in a fortress's [[defense guide|defense]]. An archer must have a skill level of accomplished or higher to shoot through fortifications from a distance; otherwise they must stand directly next to the fortification to shoot through it.

Fortifications allow liquids to pass through in any direction except vertically -- they are open at the top, allowing liquids to be poured in from above, but they implicitly include a floor (even when constructed over empty space) so liquids will not fall out their bottom.

Creatures with a [FLIER] tag can of course fly over fortifications (but not through). If there is open space above your defense positions, you can build [[floor]] tiles on the Z-level above that act as a roof against flyers. This is generally sound advice as dwarves don't like rain anyway and strange accidents can cause the weirdest things to fall from above.

Note that enemy archers may also fire back through your fortifications. Enemies that stand directly next to your fortifications can fire inward, therefor it's recommended to build a moat around your fortifications, or elevate them from the ground level. Enemy '''elite''' bowmen and crossbowmen have sufficient skill to fire through your fortifications from any distance within their range and they will shoot right through every time and (likely) decimate your forces. Elite bowman can be defended against without compromising the usefulness of a fortification network by constructing a thin 1-tile wide raising [[bridge]] just outside the fortification. Attach each bridge to a [[lever]] and pull the lever if an elite goblin poses a threat. The blocking bridge will cut off line of sight and prevent bolts from penetrating your defenses.

Curiously, a fortification carved into a tile at the very edge of the map will allow water or magma to drain through it and off of the map.

In [[adventurer mode]] you can throw any item (such as bows, arrows, axes, hammers, shields, body armour, severed limbs, corpses, etc.) through a fortification, but you cannot climb through them.

== Building Fortifications ==

Fortifications can be built one of two ways. Firstly, they can be carved from [[construction|constructed]] walls or [[smoothing|smooth]]ed natural walls by pressing {{K|d}}esignation and then C{{K|a}}rve Fortifications. The second way is through the [[construction]] [[menu]]: First press {{K|b}}, then {{K|C}} followed by {{K|F}}ortifications. As with most [[building]]s, this will require one unit of [[wood]], [[stone]], [[metal]], or [[glass]]. Note that constructed fortifications do ''not'' have walkable [[floor]]s above them, while carved fortifications do.

Carved fortifications must be carved by a dwarf with the [[Stone detailing]] [[labor]] enabled. Constructed fortifications must be built by a dwarf with a corresponding labor to the material used.

== Bugs ==
* Fully submerged (i.e. 7/7 depth) fortifications will '''not''' block the passage of creatures that swim in water (or magma) - wall [[grate]]s and vertical [[bars]] work, but they are vulnerable to [[building destroyer]]s.{{Bug|3327}}
* A partially-submerged fortification (even with 6/7 depth) completely blocks the passage of creatures, despite the fortification being invisible, however if the water is flowing, it can push creatures through fortifications, even if they are not fully submerged (that is at least true at 2-3/7 depth). {{Bug|5458}}
* Additionally, there are other conditions that may allow a creature to pass through a fortification, such as being thrown by a wrestler, tossed by a bridge, or dropped from above. Should a creature end up in a fortification tile, it can path and move out of the fortification to any adjacent passable tile. If a creature is killed by an attack which knocks it into a fortification, its corpse and equipment will become lodged inside, requiring mining or deconstructing the fortification to remove the items.

{{buildings}}

v0.34:Fortification

2013-05-11T08:20:48Z

Quicksketch: Adding notes about regular enemy archers firing back through fortifications.

{{Quality|Exceptional|00:42, 8 May 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}{{Buggy}}

'''Fortifications''' are a special type of [[wall]]. They allow the passage of [[ammunition|projectiles]] [in and out] and liquids, [[mist]], [[steam]], [[web|webs]], [[fire]] and [[smoke]], but not [[creature]]s, making them an important part in a fortress's [[defense guide|defense]]. An archer must have a skill level of accomplished or higher to shoot through fortifications from a distance; otherwise they must stand directly next to the fortification to shoot through it.

Fortifications allow liquids to pass through in any direction except vertically -- they are open at the top, allowing liquids to be poured in from above, but they implicitly include a floor (even when constructed over empty space) so liquids will not fall out their bottom.

Creatures with a [FLIER] tag can of course fly over fortifications (but not through). If there is open space above your defense positions, you can build [[floor]] tiles on the Z-level above that act as a roof against flyers. This is generally sound advice as dwarves don't like rain anyway and strange accidents can cause the weirdest things to fall from above.

Note that enemy archers may also fire back through your fortifications. Enemies that stand directly next to your fortifications can fire inward, therefor it's recommended to build a moat around your fortifications, or elevate them from the ground level. Enemy '''elite''' bowmen and crossbowmen have sufficient skill to ignore the distance from your fortifications; they will shoot right through every time and (likely) decimate your forces. Elite bowman can be defended against without compromising the usefulness of a fortification network by constructing a thin 1-tile wide raising [[bridge]] just outside the fortification. Attach each bridge to a [[lever]] and pull the lever if an elite goblin poses a threat. The blocking bridge will cut off line of sight and prevent bolts from penetrating your defenses.

Curiously, a fortification carved into a tile at the very edge of the map will allow water or magma to drain through it and off of the map.

In [[adventurer mode]] you can throw any item (such as bows, arrows, axes, hammers, shields, body armour, severed limbs, corpses, etc.) through a fortification, but you cannot climb through them.

== Building Fortifications ==

Fortifications can be built one of two ways. Firstly, they can be carved from [[construction|constructed]] walls or [[smoothing|smooth]]ed natural walls by pressing {{K|d}}esignation and then C{{K|a}}rve Fortifications. The second way is through the [[construction]] [[menu]]: First press {{K|b}}, then {{K|C}} followed by {{K|F}}ortifications. As with most [[building]]s, this will require one unit of [[wood]], [[stone]], [[metal]], or [[glass]]. Note that constructed fortifications do ''not'' have walkable [[floor]]s above them, while carved fortifications do.

Carved fortifications must be carved by a dwarf with the [[Stone detailing]] [[labor]] enabled. Constructed fortifications must be built by a dwarf with a corresponding labor to the material used.

== Bugs ==
* Fully submerged (i.e. 7/7 depth) fortifications will '''not''' block the passage of creatures that swim in water (or magma) - wall [[grate]]s and vertical [[bars]] work, but they are vulnerable to [[building destroyer]]s.{{Bug|3327}}
* A partially-submerged fortification (even with 6/7 depth) completely blocks the passage of creatures, despite the fortification being invisible, however if the water is flowing, it can push creatures through fortifications, even if they are not fully submerged (that is at least true at 2-3/7 depth). {{Bug|5458}}
* Additionally, there are other conditions that may allow a creature to pass through a fortification, such as being thrown by a wrestler, tossed by a bridge, or dropped from above. Should a creature end up in a fortification tile, it can path and move out of the fortification to any adjacent passable tile. If a creature is killed by an attack which knocks it into a fortification, its corpse and equipment will become lodged inside, requiring mining or deconstructing the fortification to remove the items.

{{buildings}}

v0.34:Minecart

2013-05-05T07:06:21Z

Quicksketch: Adding note that rollers must be built on top of existing track.

{{quality|Masterwork|22:56, 17 March 2013 (UTC)}}{{av}}{{Buggy}}
A '''minecart''' is a [[tool]] used mostly for [[hauling]]. It is made of [[wood]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]], or [[metal]] at a [[metalsmith's forge]] (using the [[Metal crafter|Metalcrafting]] labor.) Minecarts store up to five times as many items as [[wheelbarrow]]s and are quite a bit faster than hauling dwarves, but have the disadvantages of requiring a dedicated track network, a complex route planning phase, and the possibility of dwarves [[fun|blundering into the path of carts filled with lead ore]]. Above-ground tracks are possible, but more difficult due to their additional [[building material|material requirements]].

Just like wheelbarrows, minecarts are considered [[item]]s and are stored in a [[furniture]] [[stockpile]]. Despite their five times greater capacity, they are only one third larger than wheelbarrows and are identical in base [[item value|value]] when made from the same [[material]] (the value may differ due to the [[item quality]]). As items, [[thief|thieves]] or even mischievous animals can steal minecarts, even when moving on a track. If a minecart is moving fast enough, or if it has a rider, thieves will be unable to steal the minecarts.

Although most of the utility of minecarts is in [[fortress mode]], an [[adventure mode|adventurer]] can also ride in a minecart. Adventurers can also pick up and relocate minecarts.

Since their introduction in version 0.34.08, a new [[hauling]] [[labor]] preference was added to all dwarves, called "Push/Haul Vehicles", turned on by default.

The invention of minecarts revolutionized the [[minecart logic|Science of Dwarfputing]] by enabling smaller, faster logic systems to be built.

== Tracks ==
Tracks can be built in two ways:
*A single-tile wide strip of natural stone can be designated to be [[Engraver|carved]] (with {{K|d}} {{k|T}}), which will create a straight two-way track. The creation of corners, crossings, and T-junctions is as simple as designating another strip of track that overlaps an existent or newly-designated track. Engraved tracks are removed by [[smoothing]] the rock they're on, which results in a smooth floor (that can be re-engraved if necessary), or by building a [[floor]] on top and subsequently removing it.
**The carving of natural ramps is a little more confusing: to carve a two-way track on a ramp (natural only, does not work on constructed ramps), you must designate the ramp '''and one square beyond''' in the direction you want the track to go. For the side of the ramp square you want to head upward, there '''must''' be either a natural or constructed wall in the square next to it, otherwise the game assumes you are trying to carve it on the same level -- this can result in the track being carved underneath a door or other object. If you have accidentally done this, you can correct it by smoothing the ramp and constructing a single square of wall next to it, then re-carving the ramp correctly. (However, the wall must stay there permanently; removing it will disconnect the track.)

*Tracks can also be built as regular [[construction]]s (through {{K|b}} {{K|C}} {{K|T}}). This method is resource-expensive, since each track tile requires one stone, [[bar]], or [[block]] for construction, and time-consuming, since you can't designate strips larger than 10 tiles at a time. Corners, crossings, T-junctions, and ramps also have to be designated individually. However, it is usually the only way to build tracks above ground or on soil (barring the [[Obsidian farming|creation of obsidian]]), and the only way to create one-way tracks. Constructed tracks are designated for removal like any regular construction; be aware that removing track ramps built on top of natural ones will also remove the original ramp, leaving a flat floor.

*When constructing track ramps, the stated direction is the upper edge of the ramp. For example, a track going up from West to East would require, starting from the West, a Track (EW), a Track/Ramp (E) and a Wall behind the ramp. Incorrectly placed ramps result in minecarts ignoring the ramp and crashing into the supporting wall. They will not, however, display as unusable.

*Ramps on their own cannot be used to make turns for tracks, so it is impossible to build a track system that spans Z levels on turning ramps alone; flat sections must always be added for turns.

Every track, when complete, will designate the tile with a low-priority [[traffic|traffic order]]. This reduces the odds of dwarves walking into a high-speed minecart; however, it should be noted that pets and livestock ignore traffic orders. Note that removing the track doesn't reset that tile back to normal traffic priority, so you may wish to manually clean up traffic designation afterward. Also note that bridges that are used as tracks don't have their traffic priority changed automatically (since they're just normal bridges), which could cause dwarves to pathfind normally through dangerous minecart entrances in your fort's walls if you're not careful.

As constructions or tile features, [[door]]s and other furniture can be built on tracks. A [[door]] or [[floodgate]] can be turned on or off by a [[lever]], effectively controlling the flow of automated minecarts. This may be <s>dangerous</s> [[fun]], however. 

[[Bridge]]s can also act as tracks, but only if they're lowered or not retracted. This property can enable levers to turn tracks on and off. However, care should be taken to ensure that such bridges are never operated while a cart is on top of them, as the cart will be flung off the track. It's worth noting that it's often faster, and cheaper, to construct large bridges than long sections of constructed track.

== Hauling route ==
The proper setting up of routes is essential for a working rail system. Routes, stops, departure conditions and stockpile links are managed from the {{k|h}}auling menu.

=== Route ===
New routes are created with the {{k|h}}auling key. Existing ones can be removed (without confirmation) with the {{k|x}} key, and also {{k|n}}icknamed. Before operating, the route must have at least one {{k|v}}ehicle assigned to it (this can be done with either the route or a stop selected). Assigning a full minecart to a route may result in a slow hauling job if the contents are heavy.

=== Stop ===
Stops are designated by moving the cursor on top of the desired tile and pressing the {{k|s}} key afterwards. They can be removed with and nicknamed with the same hotkeys as routes. Stops can also be reordered with the {{k|p}}romote key. Without a definition, however, a stop is fairly useless: pressing the {{k|Enter}} key with a stop selected in the route menu opens its stop definition screen, from which departure conditions and stockpile links can be set up.

==== Stockpile links ====
By placing the cursor on top of a stockpile and using {{k|s}}, you can create stockpile links for a track stop. Links can also be redefined by selecting them, placing the cursor over a different stockpile, and pressing {{k|p}}.

==== Departure condition ====
Departure conditions involve setting conditions in which the minecart will leave on the route. Each condition includes:
# A departure mode (Guide, Ride or Push).
# A departure direction (NSEW).
# A timer, before which the departure condition cannot be met.
# Conditions on the amount of items in the cart.
Departure conditions are created with the {{k|n}} key. A new departure condition will read: "guide north immediately when empty of desired items". This condition can be changed between basic presets with {{k|c}}. "Advanced" mode ({{k|C}}) allows for more precise control over departure conditions: fine tuning the percentage from 0 to 100 in 25% steps ({{k|f}} and {{k|F}}), switching it being either the maximum or the minimum amount of items for the condition to be met ({{k|m}}), and whether the cart accepts all or only a specific set of items ({{k|l}}). Common to both screens are the departure mode ({{k|p}}, Push, Ride or Guide), {{k|d}}irection, and timer ({{k|t}} and {{k|T}}) options.

To have a cart only carry a specific set of items, the stop can be set to only carry "desired" items, opening the selection screen with the {{k|Enter}} key while having said stop condition selected, and toggling as desired, or it can simply be linked to a restricted stockpile and set to depart with any items.

== Physics ==


Minecart physics depend greatly on the departure mode set in the route stop conditions.

When set to "Push" or "Ride", minecarts will move according to the regular laws of momentum, gaining speed when going downhill, losing it slowly due to friction when on a flat plane, and more quickly when going uphill. In these modes, minecarts will move along the track in a straight line until they either run off the tracks or encounter a turn. A minecart will continue straight at a T junction if possible but if it is not possible the track is treated as a dead end and may jump track. The cart's behavior also depends on the weight of its contents (including fluids and dwarves): heavily loaded carts are harder to accelerate and to stop, and gain more momentum when going downhill. In either case, dwarves can not push nor ride an unpowered cart up a ramp, bouncing back the direction it came. At best, this is a waste of time; at worst, it will give your cart-pushing dwarf a [[fun|fun surprise]]. To solve this, the player can either use Rollers (see below) or set the cart to be Guided.

When set to "Guide", minecarts seem to ignore all laws of physics. They:
*Ignore the weight of any and all items inside. Therefore:
**Move at the speed of the dwarf that is guiding them. It is thus recommended to pick the most [[attribute#Agility|agile]] of your dwarves for cart-guiding tasks.
*Ignore working rollers.
*Will ''not'' collide with other guided carts even when a full frontal collision would be expected.
*Will go up ramps like nobody's business.
This is therefore the recommended method of transport for simple non-powered rail systems, despite it diverting a dwarf from other, potentially more important tasks.

Some samples with behavior:

A <-> B A <-> C A <-> B
B╥ B╥ B╥
║ ║ ║
A╞══╝ A╞══╩══╡C A╞══╬╗
You can only go A->B ╚╝
Works when the cart Works
is in Guide mode.

In the second example above, if you attempt to "Push" from B to A or C, [[Fun|''the cart will go careening off of the tracks'']].

=== Skipping ===
If a minecart is moving fast enough, it can skip over [[water]] or [[magma]], making splashes of [[mist]] (or [[magma mist]]) as it attempts to move on them horizontally. This horizontal movement is independent of the minecart and its content's [[weight]].

=== Track Jumping ===
If a minecart encounters the end of the track or a T junction where it can not continue straight it may jump off of the track if it is going fast enough. The minecart will now continue in a straight line until in encounters an obstacle, slows to a stop, or encounters another (properly aligned) Track. An escaped minecart will follow another track even if it is a corner.

=== Falling ===
When falling, a minecart appears to cause no damage upon collision, possibly to allow cart "stacking" across Z-levels. [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/#2012-04-06] A dwarf riding in a minecart that is dropped multiple z-levels suffers normal fall damage. Minecarts can fall through up/down stairs.

=== Stacking ===
If a minecart lands on top of another minecart, they may form a stack, with the upper cart on the z-level above the lower. Subsequent carts do not form a stack, but rather quantum stockpile in the same space. This behaviour is useful for [[megaprojects]] and [[trap design]] with minecarts as the weaponry.

These minecarts on the upper level generally need to be struck with another minecart to move out, or have their support removed. The latter option can be somewhat dangerous, however.

=== Numbers behind the scene ===

According to [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=112831.msg3536975#msg3536975 this post]:

The minecart has a variable for speed. Speed is measured in tiles/100000 per tick, so a speed of one hundred thousand means one tile per tick. The maximum speed is 270,000. You can hit it exactly by going down enough ramps.

Every tick accumulate distance units, as well as slows down depending on current title (speed is reduced by "friction" of the tile). Once cart accumulates 100000 distance units, it moves to the next tile (or several tiles in case of great speed).

When cart is pushed, it will start in the middle of the next tile (so it takes only half of 100.000 to get past it), with the speed of 20000-10 = 19990.

Friction of tiles:

*Tracks: 10
*Ground/Floor: 200
*Unusable ramp: 10
*Going up a ramp: 4910 = 10 + 4900
*Going down a ramp: -4890 = 10 - 4900
*Corner tracks are 10, but on leaving the corner tile, you get penalized another 1000 (in addition to the friction of the next tile).
*Track stop
**Highest: 50000
**High: 10000
**Medium: 500
**Low: 50
**Lowest: 10
*Water: Additional (WaterLevel - 1) * 100
*Magma: Additional (MagmaLevel - 1) * 500
*Empty space is entirely frictionless.

=== Impulse ramps ===
Carts can be given momentum without rollers or changing z-level through a phenomenon called "impulse ramps". If a cart derails onto an upward ramp, the ramp accelerates the cart as though it was dropping a z-level, even if the cart doesn't actually change z-level at all.

Example:

<pre>
═ : Normal track ╚ : N/E Track/Ramp
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
═╚╚╚╚╚╚╚╚╚╚═
</pre>

If a cart enters from the left, it will speed up on every track/ramp and exit to the right going very very fast.

The other crazy thing about impulse ramps is that they produce slightly more acceleration than it takes to move a cart up one ramp. So you can just make an upward spiral alternating impulse ramps and regular upward ramps. It takes no power, is quick and cheap to build, requiring only channeling and track carving, and the cart goes up fast, but not so fast that it launches its contents.

Here's one way (of many) to build one.

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
z +0 z +1 z +2 z +3
░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░
░╔░░░ ░▼╚╗░ ░░▼▼░ ░░░░░
░╝░░░ ░▼░░░ ░░░╔░ ░░░▼░
░▼▼░░ ░░░░░ ░░░╝░ ░╚╗▼░
░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░ ░░░░░

░{{=}}Wall
╔,╚,╗,╝{{=}}Track/Ramp
▼{{=}}Down Ramp (empty space)
}}

=== Danger ===
Minecarts are not without [[Fun|danger]]. Although designating a track automatically sets the [[traffic]] designation to low, dwarves ''may'' still walk on them, and [[creature]]s ignore traffic designations altogether. If an unlucky dwarf or creature fails to [[dodger|dodge]] a minecart, they can be injured. Most of this danger can be avoided by setting the minecart {{k|h}}auling commands to guide instead of push or ride, as dwarves guiding minecarts will ignore traffic restrictions, by [[pasture|pasturing]] domestic animals, and preventing the access of other creatures to the tracks.

Danger does not always involve living victims: careless route designation can also result in minecarts careening off tracks or colliding with each other. If this occurs, the [[item]]s may be scattered; this can cause even more hauling jobs than the minecart aimed to eliminate. Even <s>better</s> worse, scattered items, especially [[weapon]]s, can injure passing [[dwarf|dwarves]] or other [[creature]]s; in the words of Toady One the Great, "Accidental grapeshotting of the dining room should be possible now."

Of course, the danger of using minecarts means they can also be [[Trap_design#Minecart_launcher|used as weapons]] by imaginative players.

== Automation ==
Minecart-specific effects are implemented via track stops, rollers and [[pressure plate]]s with "track" condition set. Since all three are considered [[building]]s, they can't be built on the same square (however convenient track stop + pressure plate would be) nor a simple ramp, and are removed by {{k|q}} {{k|x}}.

=== Track stop ===
Track stops are constructions that allow further automation of minecart systems via adjustable features such as braking by friction and automatic dumping of contents. They can be built from logs, bars and blocks through {{K|b}} {{K|C}} {{K|S}}; friction amount, dumping toggle and dumping direction must be set '''before''' construction, and these settings can be neither changed nor seen thereafter; however, track stops can be linked to [[pressure plate]]s or [[lever]]s to toggle friction and dumping On or Off (trigger state is inverted: switch On = track stop Off). Take care not to set track stops at a loading site to dump their contents, or dwarves will never be able to fill the cart.

Track stops are not mandatory; in fact, their main use is in automated rail systems, to stop and hold extremely fast-moving minecarts or to dump contents mid-way without stopping. However, even in basic rail systems it can be useful to set a track stop to dump items: this saves time that dwarves would otherwise spend in removing items from the cart, time that is better spent driving the cart back to where it's needed.

If a [[stockpile]] is placed on the tile that a track stop is set to dump to, it can act as a [[Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpile]] and any items dumped from a minecart that match the storage settings of the stockpile will remain there and accumulate. Normally trackstops are built on top of existing track to operate on moving minecarts, but they can also be used without tracks to create [[Exploit#The_Minecart_Stop|automatic quantum stockpiles]] (see also [[#Example|route example]]). It is not always desirable to collect ALL of certain items into one quantum stockpile, such as when distributing a material to multiple separate industries. You can link your quantum stockpile to various other stockpiles, ensuring that your dwarves will keep them supplied as necessary. Because quantum stockpiles never fill up like regular stockpiles, it may be a good idea to add a switch to turn them off.

Items dumped from a minecart at a track stop (or dumped by any other means) into open space fall through z-levels until they land on a solid surface. Items falling onto a designated [[stockpile]] will automatically be considered part of that stockpile, even if the stockpile is set to disallow those items (they will, however, be automatically moved to a more appropriate stockpile, if available). Items falling on top of a minecart will '''not''' fall "inside" the minecart. Use with caution; dwarves have fragile skulls.{{bug|5945}}

Counter-intuitive to their construction method, track stops are considered [[building]]s and must be removed by {{k|q}} {{k|x}}.

=== Roller ===
{{Machine component|name=Roller|key=r
|construction=
* 1 or more [[Mechanism]]s
* 1 [[Rope]]
|construction_job=
* [[Mechanic|Mechanics]]
|power=Uses 1 to 2 power per tile (depending on speed).
}}

A '''roller''' is a [[power]]ed [[machine component]] for the automated propulsion of minecarts. They are built over the top of existing tracks with {{K|b}} {{K|M}} {{K|r}}, requiring a [[mechanic]], one or more [[mechanism]]s and a [[rope]]. Rollers are very useful to maintain a cart's momentum along long routes, to get them to climb Z-levels without dwarfpower involved, and to get them to reach speeds unattainable by guiding dwarves. These devices are variable-length, variable-direction, and variable-power, all traits that can be set at construction time; at the highest speed, a roller uses two units of power per tile it is long.

Rollers may be placed directly on ramps to help pull carts up Z levels. Currently rollers can only be placed on up or down ramps or open spaces if this results in being connected to existing powered components (gears, axles, or pumps). For that matter, rollers themselves transfer power along their sides but not from their front or back (the edges on the track) - the opposite of how horizontal [[axle]]s work. Care must be taken in [[glacier]]s and other extremely cold [[biome]]s, since rollers can be rendered inoperable when exposed to freezing [[temperature]]s.
The effects of floorless rollers on carts are not yet documented.

Because of their one-way nature, rollers are unsuitable for most two-way minecart tracks. However, a minecart set to be ''guided'' is not affected by rollers at all — this allows a one-way track to be used in both directions. In addition, rollers do not affect minecarts when disengaged: switching mechanisms (such as a [[pressure plate]] attached to powering [[gear assembly]]) can be used to create complex paths.

Rollers cannot be powered from above.

{{buildings}}

=== Switching ===


A rudimentary track switch can be constructed by building a T-junction as illustrated below.

B╥ B╥
║ ║
║ -> ║
║ ║
A╞════╚════╡C A╞════R════╡C

The 'R' is roller pushing from East to West.
If the cart is pushed East from the stop at 'A' while the roller is activated, it will arrive at 'B'. If the roller is not running, it will arrive at 'C'.

This switch has a disadvantage - it requires power. An alternative non-powered solution uses controlled derailment, or a connecting bridge.

B╥
║
║
A╞════╝D ════╡C

Here the track between A and C is not continuous. The only continuous track is A->B, with a corner (not a T section). Fast moving carts will tend to derail at D and rejoin the track to C. Placing a door at D will prevent the derailment, so the cart continues to B. The door is operated by mechanisms elsewhere (typically, a lever, but some fun can be had with pressure plates).

If carts are moving too slowly to reliably derail at the corner, a retractable bridge may be used as a connector between A and C.
B╥
║
║
A╞════bbb════╡C
The bridge must overlap the corner so that it acts as if a T junction track when extended. When retracted, the corner reappears, so the slower carts will continue to B.

=== Controlling Speed ===


Minecarts can reach extremely high speeds, especially when descending multiple Z-levels. A minecart will derail at a track corner if its speed exceeds 0.5 m/s (here m/s really means tiles per step), '''unless''' the route in the direction of travel is blocked:

Will derail at > 0.5 m/s:

in ═╗->
out

Will not derail at > 0.5 m/s:

in ═╗O
|
v
out

O is wall.

This behavior can be used to build a "speed limiter", that will ensure that when a minecart exits it is traveling below derail speed:

OOOO
in ═╔═╗O
out ═╬═╝O
O╚S╝O
OOOOO

O is wall, S is a Track Stop set to High Friction or lower. If the minecart is traveling below derailment speed it will not be affected.

== Example ==

Let's construct a simple minecart route. This route will move stone blocks from an input stockpile to an output stockpile. We'll begin by creating the stockpiles:

[[File:minecart-example-1.png|Stockpiles designated.]]

The input stockpile is on the left; the output stockpile is on the right. We'll be moving blocks from left to right. Disable bins in both stockpiles, and set the input stockpile to accept only from links. Then make the stockpile take from the mason's workshop where the blocks are being produced.

Next, carve the track:

[[File:minecart-example-2.png|Track carving designation.]]

Note that the ends of the designation are uniquely shaped; this is automatic, and not anything you need to control. Now, wait for your engravers to come along and carve the track into the stone. (Your haulers will probably also fill up the input stockpile while you wait.)

In addition, while we're waiting for that to happen, we'll build an iron minecart in the forge.

[[File:minecart-example-3.png|Track carved.]]

When the track has been carved, it will look like the above (the track will be solid instead of flashing). Now, order a track stop to be constructed next to the output stockpile:

{|
| [[File:minecart-example-4.png|Track stop designation.]]
| [[File:minecart-example-5.png|Select dumping direction.]]
|}

You must press {{k|d}} three times to select the dumping direction ''before'' placing the track stop. We want our blocks to be dumped into the output stockpile east of the track stop. Then wait for a mechanic to come along and build the track stop.

[[File:minecart-example-6.png|Track stop constructed.]]

Now we'll define the actual ''route''. This is done in the {{k|h}}auling menu. Press {{k|r}} to begin defining a route. Next, move the cursor to the input end of the track, and then press {{k|s}} to define the first stop:

{|
| [[File:minecart-example-7.png|Stop 1 designation.]]
| [[File:minecart-example-8.png|Route definition, in progress.]]
|}

Move the cursor again, to the output end of the track, and press {{k|s}} again to define the second stop:

{|
| [[File:minecart-example-9.png|Stop 2 designation.]]
| [[File:minecart-example-10.png|Route definition, two stops.]]
|-
|
| [[File:minecart-example-11.png|Stops are not defined yet.]]
|}

There are several user interface features to note at this point. The stops have been positioned, but they haven't been ''defined'' yet, so there is a warning ! symbol by each of them. In the lower right corner, we see what the ! means. Also, note that the second stop is labeled in white, while the other two lines are grey. The white text is a selection indicator, and can be moved up and down by pressing {{k|+}}/{{k|-}}.

Next we need to define what our stops do. We want the minecart to be filled with blocks at the first stop, then travel to the second stop where it will dump its cargo, and then return. Press {{k|-}} to move the selection up to stop 1, and {{k|Enter}} to open it up. By default, the stop has three conditions:

[[File:minecart-example-12.png|Default stop definition.]]

We don't want any of these, so press {{k|x}} three times to delete them. This leaves us with a blank stop. Now we can add the conditions we actually want. Press {{k|n}} to begin adding the first condition, then {{k|d}} twice to change the direction from north to east. Then press {{k|c}} to change the condition from empty to full. This will instruct the minecart to be guided east when full of desired items.

To set the desired items, we create a stockpile link. Press {{k|s}}, then move the cursor to the input stockpile, then press {{k|p}} to select that stockpile. Now press {{k|Enter}}; this opens up a selection screen that resembles the stockpile customization screen. Move down to Blocks, {{k|e}}nable them, then (if you wish) restrict it to stone blocks.

When you've done all that, stop 1 should look like this:

[[File:minecart-example-13.png|Stop 1, defined.]]

Stop 2 is much simpler. All we need to do is have the minecart return to the input stop. So, make a condition and change the direction:

[[File:minecart-example-14.png|Stop 2, defined.]]

Finally, we just have to assign our minecart. Go back to the route definition screen, and press {{k|v}}. Select the minecart, and press {{k|Enter}}.

Now we've got everything set up:

[[File:minecart-example-15.png|Route, fully defined.]]

The V is red because the minecart hasn't been moved onto the track yet. Some dwarf will have to haul it from the forge to the first stop, by hand; this will take a while, especially if the forge is far away.

Once the minecart is in place, dwarves should fill it with blocks from the input stockpile, which will in turn be filled with blocks from the workshop where your mason has been toiling dutifully. When the minecart is full, the blocks will be dumped into the 1x1 stockpile on the right. Automatic quantum dumping!

== Troubleshooting ==

Because of the complexity of the system, all but the most careful and experienced minecart users will encounter issues. Most route issues can be diagnosed and fixed from the {{k|h}}auling menu.

'''Symptom:''' {{DFtext|! Set dir/connect track|6:1}} message appears to the right of one or more stops

'''Possible Causes:'''
* The departure direction of the stop might be invalid. Edit the stop using {{k|Enter}} and press{{k|d}} until it is pointing in a valid direction.
* The track stop might not be built on top of a track. The track stop must be deconstructed to remedy this issue.
* Your track might not be built correctly. Make sure all connected tracks between destinations are not one-way tracks.
** This can be especially confusing with ramps. To carve a two-way track on a (natural) ramp, you must designate the ramp and one square beyond in the direction you want the track to go.
** Ramps '''must''' have a solid block on the side opposite to the track, or they will neither work nor be marked as "unusable". The solid block can be natural or constructed.
* The desired/kept items might not be configured correctly.

'''Symptom:''' The status '''0% V''' always appears to the right of one stop.

'''Possible Causes:'''
* The stop may not be set to take from a stockpile. Edit the Stop using {{k|Enter}} and make sure you see a message like "Take from Stockpile #1".
* The take conditions must correspond with the contents of the stockpile.
* The track stop may be set to dump. A track stop set to dump cannot be filled. You must either set the stop to a time-based departure or deconstruct the track stop and rebuild it without dumping.
* Make sure the minecart itself has not been designated to be dumped (such as when using mass-dump).

'''Symptom:''' A dwarf picks up the minecart and carries it to its destination.
* See [[#Quirks|Quirks]]

== Quirks ==
This little quirk concerns dwarf managed minecarts and may or may not apply to automatic minecarts. If a track which was previously open becomes blocked (ex. flipping a switch connected to a floodgate you've built on the track to raise it) and the conditions for departure are met, instead of refusing to ride/guide the minecart or ride/guide it until it reaches the obstacle, the dwarf will pick up the minecart off the tracks and haul it to its scheduled destination on foot. If the distance is long enough and the weight of the cart heavy enough (due to being filled with heavy items such as stones), the dwarf may drop the cart because of fatigue/hunger/thirst before reaching the destination. This will cancel that vehicle setting job and make another dwarf come by and attempt to haul the cart to the nearest appropriate stockpile where another dwarf will pick up the cart and attempt to haul it to its initial stop. If the stockpile is far enough from initial stop, this second dwarf who is attempting to place the minecart on its tracks may also drop the minecart out of fatigue/hunger/thirst creating a loop that will go on until a dwarf with enough endurance manages to place the minecart where it belongs.

In fact, it seems dwarves are more than happy to attempt to carry a minecart from one stop to another even if just waiting until the track is open again would be the more sane option.

Dwarves will also carry a minecart to its next stop if the direction specified is incorrect (or invalid). This can often occur when using the default departure settings and forgetting to set the direction of each condition.

== Capacity ==
Minecarts have five times the [[Weight|capacity]] of [[wheelbarrow]]s. A single minecart can carry 5 [[stone]]s, or 10 [[wood|log]]s, or 83 [[block]]s or [[bar]]s, 500 [[Kitchen|prepared meals]] or 2500 rolls of [[cloth]]. Calculating by the [[weight|item size]] (dividing the cart capacity by the item size), one cart also should be able of carry 500 [[Trap_component#Spiked_ball|spiked balls]], 625 maces or 1250 [[Weapon#Native_weapons|spears]].

A glumprong minecart filled with 5 pitchblende stones weighs 3848Γ (the cart alone weighs 48Γ). 
A gold minecart weighs 772Γ, filled with gold bars it weighs 10398Γ. 
A platinum minecart weighs 856Γ. 

[[Water]] and [[magma]] can also be loaded into minecarts by submerging them to a depth of at least 6/7, and dumped by a constructed track stop. Loading fluids onto minecarts can be difficult because their weight can slow the minecart down greatly. Curiously, filling a minecart with magma does not injure a dwarf ''riding'' it. A minecart will hold enough magma to increase the depth of a single tile by 2. This amount is listed as 833 units, which weigh 999Γ. An iron or steel cart filled with magma weighs 1313Γ. An adamantine one weighs 1007Γ.

The load of a minecart affects whether a [[pressure plate]] triggers or not, based on the pressure plate's setting.

Weight does not affect the initial velocity received from pushing or launching from a roller.

== Bugs ==

*If you set up lots of routes and stops and then resize your screen, the list will scroll off-screen in the hauling menu. You can still navigate the list with keyboard commands, but cannot see the stop/route name. This will be fixed in the next release.
*A dwarf will drop its [[child|baby]], if it has one, when boarding a minecart set to be ridden.
*Tracks block wagon access to trade depots.{{bug|6040}}
** How to circumvent: bridges double as tracks.
*Dwarves cannot guide a minecart through an unlocked door unless another dwarf opens the door{{bug|6056}}

{{Category|Fortress mode}}
{{Category|Interface}}

[[ru:Minecart]]

v0.34:Slab

2013-04-25T08:29:52Z

Quicksketch:

{{quality|Fine|2012-05-11}}{{av}}

{{furniture|name=Slab
|tile=∩
|stone=y
|metal=n
|glass=n
|rooms=
* [[sculpture garden|Sculpture Garden]]
}}

'''Slabs''' are buildings which can serve as an alternative to a [[coffin]] in the event that a dwarf's body cannot be retrieved, thus preventing the dwarf from haunting the fortress as a ghost. Slabs must be constructed at a [[mason's workshop]] {{k|Alt}}+{{k|s}}lab using one [[stone]].

In order to dedicate a slab to a particular dwarf, a slab must be carved into [[memorial]]s at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]] by an [[Engraver]]. Slabs can only be carved ''before'' they are built in a particular location. The engraver will retrieve the slab, engrave it, then return it to storage. After which, the slab may be built from the {{k|b}}uild menu under {{k|Alt}}+{{k|s}}lab. In order to prevent placing slabs which have not yet been engraved, make sure to E{{k|x}}pand the list when selecting which slab should be placed.

You can create a [[sculpture garden]] from a slab's {{k|q}}uery menu. Unlike [[statue]]s, slabs do not block movement.

In [[adventurer mode]], slabs may be used as signs, or be engraved with the secrets of life and death in [[necromancer]] [[tower]]s, guarded by an [[undead]] army. To read them, you need to pick them up with {{k|g}}, enter advanced interaction menu with {{k|Shift}}+{{k|I}}, select the slab, select {{k|a}} to read it and voila! You can raise the dead too. Basic [[Reader|reading]] [[skill]]s are required to do this, so make sure to start your adventurer with some reading skill.

An engraved slab can be read in fortress mode using {{k|t}} {{k|enter}} {{k|v}} and contains information on the arrival and death of the creature. If it slew any important figures or fortress dwarves, it may be noted on the slab as well.

Note: If you're not sure how a dwarf or creature died, engraving and placing a slab may reveal it. In the case of military action, the killer is listed at the end of the entry. If, for example, a drawbrige atom smasher squashed your dwarf, that will be the engraved folly.

{{Buildings}}
{{Category|Furniture}}

v0.34:Slab

2013-04-25T08:29:22Z

Quicksketch:

{{quality|Fine|2012-05-11}}{{av}}

{{furniture|name=Slab
|tile=∩
|stone=y
|metal=n
|glass=n
|rooms=
* [[sculpture garden|Sculpture Garden]]
}}

'''Slabs''' are buildings which can serve as an alternative to a [[coffin]] in the event that a dwarf's body cannot be retrieved, thus preventing the dwarf from haunting the fortress as a ghost. Slabs must be constructed at a [[mason's Workshop]] {{k|Alt}}+{{k|s}}lab using one [[stone]].

In order to dedicate a slab to a particular dwarf, a slab must be carved into [[memorial]]s at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]] by an [[Engraver]]. Slabs can only be carved ''before'' they are built in a particular location. The engraver will retrieve the slab, engrave it, then return it to storage. After which, the slab may be built from the {{k|b}}uild menu under {{k|Alt}}+{{k|s}}lab. In order to prevent placing slabs which have not yet been engraved, make sure to E{{k|x}}pand the list when selecting which slab should be placed.

You can create a [[sculpture garden]] from a slab's {{k|q}}uery menu. Unlike [[statue]]s, slabs do not block movement.

In [[adventurer mode]], slabs may be used as signs, or be engraved with the secrets of life and death in [[necromancer]] [[tower]]s, guarded by an [[undead]] army. To read them, you need to pick them up with {{k|g}}, enter advanced interaction menu with {{k|Shift}}+{{k|I}}, select the slab, select {{k|a}} to read it and voila! You can raise the dead too. Basic [[Reader|reading]] [[skill]]s are required to do this, so make sure to start your adventurer with some reading skill.

An engraved slab can be read in fortress mode using {{k|t}} {{k|enter}} {{k|v}} and contains information on the arrival and death of the creature. If it slew any important figures or fortress dwarves, it may be noted on the slab as well.

Note: If you're not sure how a dwarf or creature died, engraving and placing a slab may reveal it. In the case of military action, the killer is listed at the end of the entry. If, for example, a drawbrige atom smasher squashed your dwarf, that will be the engraved folly.

{{Buildings}}
{{Category|Furniture}}

v0.34:Slab

2013-04-25T08:28:49Z

Quicksketch: Describing how to build slabs to individual dwarves.

{{quality|Fine|2012-05-11}}{{av}}

{{furniture|name=Slab
|tile=∩
|stone=y
|metal=n
|glass=n
|rooms=
* [[sculpture garden|Sculpture Garden]]
}}

'''Slabs''' are buildings which can serve as an alternative to a coffin in the event that a dwarf's body cannot be retrieved, thus preventing the dwarf from haunting the fortress as a ghost. Slabs must be constructed at a [[Mason's Workshop]] {{k|Alt}}+{{k|s}}lab using one [[stone]].

In order to dedicate a slab to a particular dwarf, a slab must be carved into [[memorial]]s at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]] by an [[Engraver]]. Slabs can only be carved ''before'' they are built in a particular location. The engraver will retrieve the slab, engrave it, then return it to storage. After which, the slab may be built from the {{k|b}}uild menu under {{k|Alt}}+{{k|s}}lab. In order to prevent placing slabs which have not yet been engraved, make sure to E{{k|x}}pand the list when selecting which slab should be placed.

You can create a [[sculpture garden]] from a slab's {{k|q}}uery menu. Unlike [[statue]]s, slabs do not block movement.

In [[adventurer mode]], slabs may be used as signs, or be engraved with the secrets of life and death in [[necromancer]] [[tower]]s, guarded by an [[undead]] army. To read them, you need to pick them up with {{k|g}}, enter advanced interaction menu with {{k|Shift}}+{{k|I}}, select the slab, select {{k|a}} to read it and voila! You can raise the dead too. Basic [[Reader|reading]] [[skill]]s are required to do this, so make sure to start your adventurer with some reading skill.

An engraved slab can be read in fortress mode using {{k|t}} {{k|enter}} {{k|v}} and contains information on the arrival and death of the creature. If it slew any important figures or fortress dwarves, it may be noted on the slab as well.

Note: If you're not sure how a dwarf or creature died, engraving and placing a slab may reveal it. In the case of military action, the killer is listed at the end of the entry. If, for example, a drawbrige atom smasher squashed your dwarf, that will be the engraved folly.

{{Buildings}}
{{Category|Furniture}}

v0.34:Trading

2013-03-02T08:01:52Z

Quicksketch: Fixing broker links.

{{quality|Exceptional|07:56, 19 January 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Trading''' in Dwarf Fortress first occurs in the first [[Calendar|autumn]] after establishing your fortress, with the arrival of the [[dwarf|Dwarven]] [[Trading#Caravans|caravan]]. Trading is a good way to acquire resources that are not available or are rare in the local area. It also allows for more freedom in selecting starting gear or purchase of additional skills for the expedition party, because items can always be obtained through trade later.

'''Trader''' is the term used at your Trade Depot to refer to your fortress [[Broker]] when dealing with merchants in a visiting caravan ({{key|r}} - "''Trader requested at Depot"''). As a [[profession]], the term usually only applies to visiting merchants, or to a dwarf whose highest [[skill]] is [[Appraiser]].

== Trade Depot ==
Building a [[Trade depot]] is a requisite for trade with caravans that arrive at your fortress.

While it may be convenient to build a Trade Depot outside at first, it is usually a really good idea to move it inside or build walls, bridges and other fortifications around it to protect caravans and your goods from animals (guzzlers), [[thief|thieves]] and [[goblin]]s.

Everything that is on your map belongs to you, except:
* the items of non-fortress members (only if they are alive, when they are dead they belong to you if you claim the items),{{Verify}}
* the items that are on merchant animals{{Verify}}
* the items that are on the trade depot (they belong to the caravan until they are moved out of it)

See the [[Trade depot]] article for more information on how to interact with it.

==Trading Flowchart ==
{{:Trading/Flowchart}}
Before you can begin trading, your trade [[Broker]] must be at the [[Trade depot]]. Open the [[Trade depot]] by opening the building prefs {{K|q}} and then requesting the trade [[Broker]] at the depot {{K|q}}. Once the trade [[Broker]] has arrived, open the trade menu {{K|t}}. In the trade menu select the items to offer from the right and the desired items from the left. All caravans have a weight limit which cannot be exceeded, and the allowed additional weight is displayed in the lower right corner. If the acting broker has at least Novice or better [[Appraisal]] skill, the value of all items will be displayed. Once the proposal is ready, press {{K|t}} to propose the trade, but merchants will not agree unless they make adequate profit. Be sure to use '''trade''', not '''offer''' {{K|o}}, as this will make a gift of the selected items. The amount of acceptable profit is determined by the broker's [[Broker skills|skills]] and the merchant's mood, described below. Merchants may attempt to propose counteroffers if they do not accept the proposal, which can then be accepted, rejected, or further amended by the broker.

With more experienced brokers or pleased merchants, even marginally profitable trades can be successful, and counterproposals can be rejected safely, offering the same trade again. Note however that a low profit margin for the traders may not be desirable - it has been suggested that both export and profit numbers influence the size of next years caravan and, in the case of the dwarven caravan, immigration numbers.{{Verify}}

Goods brought by caravans rarely have base quality higher than superior, but decorations on a good may be of any quality.

== Trading cue colors ==

* {{DFtext|Brown|6:0}} Items have been created (or modified) by your fortress. They can be traded away or offered as a gift.
* {{DFtext|Gray|7:0}} Items were created by another source. They can be traded, but if one of these items has been selected, the entire selection cannot be offered as a gift.
* {{DFtext|Purple|5:0}} Items are under a no-export mandate. If they are traded away it will result in disciplinary action (see [[justice]]) against the dwarf that brought the item to the depot.
* {{DFtext|Green|2:0}} Items have just been gifted to the caravan and they will not trade it back.
* {{DFtext|Red|4:0}} Items have been seized from another caravan and cannot be traded as is; you will need to decorate them or turn them into other items for them to become "valid" trading items.

Note that containers (barrels, bins, etc) will be displayed according to the origin of the ''container'', not the contents. So a foreign barrel holding locally-produced beer will display as foreign (white). Once you {{k|v}}iew the container, the locally-made contents are displayed as local (brown).

== Merchant mood ==
If your broker has Novice or better [[Judge of intent]] skill, there will be a line added below the merchant's dialogue describing the caravan's attitude. Their attitude rises with successful trades (especially if they get lots of profit) and falls when you propose deals they don't like.

* (trader) seems ecstatic with the trading
* (trader) seems very happy about the trading
* (trader) seems pleased with the trading
* (trader) seems willing to trade (Default, at least for humans)
* (trader) seems to be rapidly losing patience
* (trader) is not going to take much more of this
* (trader) is unwilling to trade

The happier you make a merchant, the less profit margin he will demand in a trade. If merchants reach the lowest level, no further trade will be possible, and they will immediately pack up and leave your depot. Since annoyed traders are more likely to reject deals, you should be generous in initial negotiations. Skilled negotiators seem less likely to offend traders with unsuccessful deals.

An easy way to capitalize on this mood system is to perform several partial trades. First trade for a few items, offering goods twice the value of the items you ask for (e.g. offer 2000☼ for 1000☼ of his stuff). This will likely make the merchant ecstatic about trading with you. Exit the trade screen, unpause briefly, and then return to trading with a vengeance. With the merchant in such a good mood, he is more likely to counteroffer than reject a trade outright.

== Seizing items ==

Pressing {{K|s}} from the trade menu will seize the selected items of the merchant's. If you seize goods from a caravan, the merchant will respond "Take what you want. I can't stop you." and then leave immediately without the seized goods. Items cannot be seized from the dwarven caravan, and other races will not buy goods stolen from one of their caravans (then marked in red) unless they are tricked into asking for them via counteroffer, or the items are "laundered" by decoration or used to create other goods. Seizing goods will hurt diplomatic relations, but is not grounds for an automatic [[siege]].{{Verify}}

Pressing the seize button while no goods are selected will result in the merchant interpreting your seizure as a joke. This apparently does nothing to benefit or hinder your trading.{{Verify}}

As a side note, if you deconstruct your trade depot with a caravan in it, all the caravan's items will drop to the ground, to be readily hauled away by your Dwarves. This does not mark the items as stolen, and the caravan will leave. However, ''next'' year's caravan is partly based on the profits from the previous year - so if you are relying on that race's caravans for needed items, you're hurting yourself in the long run.{{Verify}}

Another way to steal without marking as stolen is to forbid the trade depot just before they leave, causing them to leave their goods at the depot.{{Verify}}

Note that the civilization attached to a particular caravan will keep track of the value of items the caravan was carrying when they set out to trade, and they will compare this value with the value of items they return home with. Regardless of what method you use to confiscate items from a caravan, even if you came to possess the goods through no fault of your own (an [[ambush]] killed the caravaners, for example) the parent civilization may decide that you stole from them and send a [[siege]] instead of a caravan the following year. It is prudent to take measures to protect caravans visiting your lands!{{Verify}}

==Offering items==

{{key|o}} You can also give away items, as gifts to the leaders of the [[civilization]] you are trading with. This presumably helps relations between yourself and the other faction, though there is not yet a clear correlation between the value of the offerings and the improvement to relations. The exact effects of offerings on trading are unknown but it is believed due to the offerings' net trade value being counted towards the traders' profit, possibly with a modifier (possibly a multiplier of more than 1 as a bonus or less than 1 to compensate for the improved relations){{Verify}}, which in turn increases the quantity and variety of trade goods brought by next year's caravan. Also the [[King]] requires offerings to be made before his arrival. You cannot offer items that were not made at your fortress; the traders do not want your spare goblin harvest clothes.

Unless you are looking for [[fun]], under no conditions should you offer or trade items which are wooden or used wood in their creation (glass, for example) to [[elves]], as this will insult the traders, and may cause them to leave or even damage relations enough to provoke a war between you and the elven civilization you traded with. They will be equally insulted by you trading back their wood-related items.

== Miscellaneous Trading Advice ==
* Thieves and thieving critters tend to follow caravans. Expect assaults and intruders.
* Be careful about asking traders to bring lots of individual lightweight items (such as meat and fish) as it can result in traders taking a very long time to unload their goods. Unless the path to your depot is extremely long, though, this is unlikely to cause significant problems.{{Verify}}
** On a similar note, if you have sold a large number of low value goods (such as all the loincloths and cloaks scrounged from a siege,) it can take a caravan ''months'' to pack it all up, to the point where they're still on the depot when the next one comes. An incoming caravan can occupy the same depot and trade with you, but if the previous one finishes up and tries to head off while the incoming one is coming down a 3 tile wide entry tunnel, both of them will become gridlocked.
* Create your trading depot inside your fort, preferably in the beginning. Place a 3-tile wide path (which must be free of obstructions such as stairways, traps, minecart tracks and boulders) to the entrance of the fort and position war dogs along it (chains do not block wagons); this will help to protect the traders and keep the depot close to your supplies.
* All caravans will bring extra food (meat and edible plants), wooden logs, and cloth/leather (for making clothes) if the supplies of your fortress are low enough, independent of whether or not you requested them. This does not apply in the case that the weight limit is exceeded by (other) items you requested. The supply situation, as observed by traders, is based solely on the number of unforbidden items in your fortress, stockpiled or not; thus, it is possible to trick caravans into thinking your supplies are low by [[forbid]]ding all of your relevant stocks immediately prior to their arrival.
**In order to '''avoid''' this behavior, you should make sure that, for each dwarf in your fortress, you have the following ''unforbidden'' items:
*** 5 pieces of food - meat, fish, plants, or "other" in your [[Status]] screen (even though "other" includes inedible items)
*** 1 wood log
*** 5 pieces of cloth, pieces of leather, or complete sets of [[wear|pristine]] clothing (shirt+pants+shoe)
* Define your trade depot as a burrow. When traders arrive, you can add your broker or another dwarf, perhaps one you want to train in trading, to the burrow. They will head to the depot immediately, and stay there until you remove them from the burrow.
* Each trade you make (regardless of value) will increase your broker's skills by 50, distributed among Comedian, Flatterer, Intimidator, Judge of Intent, Negotiator, and Persuader. Each skill seems to gain around 5-15 points, but the sum will always be 50. The skill gain occurs as soon as the "t" button is pressed - if the offer is rejected, the dwarf will still gain 50 points. If the same offer is subsequently accepted, no additional skill will be gained.

== Caravans ==
Each friendly race will send a caravan per year, linked to one season, which is autumn for dwarves, summer for humans, spring for elves, and winter for goblins. It is rare for your civilization to be on peaceful terms with goblins, however. In the first year, only a dwarven caravan will arrive, although it will tend to arrive later than mid-autumn, unlike previous versions {{verify}}. Caravans will only show up if that race considers the fortress site accessible (as denoted on the embark screen), with the exception of dwarves, who always arrive unless they are extinct.{{verify}} Caravans appear to enter the map from a random direction which does not coincide with the relative direction of the originating [[civilization]], and they may appear from different directions or z-levels each year. Caravans may leave without trading if it takes too long to reach the trade depot. Caravans will embark on their journey back exactly one month after their arrival, whether they have succeeded in reaching the depot or not.{{Verify}}

Note that if traders or their animals are prevented from leaving, they will eventually go [[insane]].

Also worth mention is the pathing behavior of the entire caravan. If one member of the caravan reaches a block in their chosen path (i.e. a raised drawbridge that was lowered when they entered the map) the entire caravan will re-path, instead of encountering the obstacle one by one. This behavior can be useful when attempting to free "stuck" wagons--a trader on foot encountering an obstacle will cause the stuck wagons to turn around and path to a different exit, if available.

If a caravan has a lot of junk to load up, it can take a while (>=2 months), however another caravan can unload and trade while the first one is still packing.

==== [[Dwarves]] ====
:''"Our fortunes rise and fall together"''

The dwarven caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|autumn]].
* carries metal bars, [[leather]], weapons and armor, food and booze, and more. Dwarves alone may bring [[steel]] and steel goods. They can still bring steel (and steel goods) and [[pig iron]] bars even if they do not have access to [[iron]], but will not bring iron products.
* is well guarded.
* sends a liaison who will speak with the [[Expedition leader]], [[Mayor]], [[Baron]], [[Count]], or [[Duke]] to negotiate an import-export agreement (unless the [[Monarch]] is present).
* influences the number of immigrants received (if the caravan leaves intact).{{verify}}
* will not cause sieges when repeatedly destroyed or lost.
* is the only caravan to arrive during a fortress' first year.
* always arrives regardless of embark location, as long as the dwarven civilization is not extinct.{{verify}}
* cannot have its goods seized from the trade menu.
* may not arrive if your civilization lacks any notable figures.

==== [[elf|Elves]] ====
[[Image:Evil_elves.png|thumb|400px|A typical elven caravan.]]

The elven caravan:
* arrives in the [[Calendar|spring]].
* carries [[cloth]], [[rope]]s, various above-ground seeds, [[plant]]s and their byproducts, [[log]]s, [[wood]]en goods & [[weapon]]s, clothing and [[armor]], and may carry tame exotic [[creature]]s.
* is unguarded.
* does not accept some items in trade:

Elven traders do not like to be offered any tree byproducts. Forbidden items include:

* [[Wood]]en items (including subterranean mushrooms such as [[tower-cap]]s)
* Items derived from wood - [[ash]] and [[charcoal]], as well as [[lye]], [[potash]], and [[pearlash]]
* Items made from clear and crystal [[glass]] (due to the [[pearlash]] used) - green glass appears to be perfectly acceptable
* Items [[decoration|decorated]] with any of the above materials
* [[Obsidian]] shortswords (since they have wooden handles)
* [[Soap]] (made with [[lye]])

Offering or trading forbidden items will cause the mood of the trader to drop rapidly, causing them to refuse to trade any more that season and leave immediately. Additionally you will be called uncouth, crude, and barbaric for not understanding their customs.

However, [[stone]] and [[metal]] items, even when [[charcoal]] is used in production, are acceptable. Items made from [[silk]] are acceptable, as are all non-wooden plant-derived products such as [[cloth]] and [[thread]]. Items made of bone (totems too), horn, shell or leather are acceptable, so are meat and fish. You can also transport your goods to the [[trade depot]] in a wooden [[bin]], as long as you do not try to sell the bin. Living animals are acceptable, as long as the [[cage]] or [[trap]] is not made of [[wood]].

Be especially careful with reselling decorated items from other caravans, as non-wood/glass items may have decorations of wood or clear/crystal glass. All such items that elven caravans sell are also unacceptable to sell back to elves, as the dwarves have no means of proving that they were made in an "elf kosher" way.

==== [[Human]]s ====
The human caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|summer]].
* carries metal bars, sand, [[leather]], cloth, wood, food and booze, ropes, waterskins, quivers, backpacks, metal weapons and clothing and armor, cages and a few domestic animals.
* is moderately guarded.

==== [[Goblin]]s{{Verify}} ====
A goblin caravan ''may'' arrive if your civilization is at peace with the goblins.

The goblin caravan:
*will arrive every season, four times per year{{verify}}
*unguarded
*brings mostly food and cloth
*does not send a liaison or a guild representative
*does not make import/export agreements

== Diplomats ==
[[Diplomat]]s may be sent by other civilizations to speak to your [[noble]] dwarves (and they ''will'' speak to those dwarves, even if they have to wait at their bedside in the hospital for months after the caravan has left). Diplomats generally appear on the map edge around the time that civilization's caravan would arrive. Meeting with a diplomat may allow you to request specific items for the next caravan to bring (at a premium price), take requests for production for the next caravan (for which the merchants will pay a premium), or sign a cease-fire to end hostilities.

Current trade agreements can be viewed through the Civilization menu ({{k|c}}). These trade agreements are cleared when a diplomat of the corresponding civilization enters the screen, so they are generally not accessible after the caravan has arrived.

In the event that your leader is replaced, killed, or taken by a [[strange mood]], the diplomat may decide to leave your fortress [[stymied|"unhappy"]]. Curiously, this will '''not''' occur if your leader is otherwise unable to perform the "conduct meeting" task. You can currently lock a diplomat in a room and he will wait years to attend the meeting your noble is constantly conducting (and all subsequent diplomats appear to wait in line for the first to finish); this behavior is presumably a bug.{{bug|3027}}

An unhappy diplomat will naturally prevent you from creating trade agreements and ending hostilities, however it is not currently known what other effects this has on relations with that civilization. Whether the diplomat successfully met with your leader or just gave up, a diplomat who has decided to leave but is prevented from reaching the map edge will eventually go [[insane]].

== Destruction ==
If caravans are destroyed (intentionally or unintentionally), the items may remain for use. Traders caught in a [[cave-in]] will flee as if they were attacked, but will leave all the items dropped by the caravan behind. Pack animals carrying items are affected just like a normal tamed [[mule]] and must be killed in the cave-in for them to drop items on the ground. It is however much more likely that the pack animals will only be stunned or rendered unconscious, and flee shortly after recovering from the hit.

While caravans can defend themselves, they don't like being ambushed. An encounter with unfriendly creatures resulting in the death of any merchant or pack animal will cause them to retreat and forget about trading with you for the season. Repeated caravan destruction (intentional or unintentional) will strain diplomatic relations and may result in a [[siege]].

Ambushing or seizing a caravan and letting a survivor escape seems to have a more detrimental effect than simply annihilating the whole caravan.

== Caravan Delay ==
If a caravan has arrived at your trade depot and is unable to leave for about six months after they arrived, the merchants and animals will go insane. This can result in a bunch of merchants attacking your dwarves, or just standing around moping until they starve to death. It is not known for certain if this hurts diplomatic relations, but most likely it's the same as any case where the entire caravan fails to return home.{{Verify}}

If you have locked the caravan into your fortress to hold out against a siege, it's a good idea to station a squad of soldiers near the trade depot in case the merchants [[Insanity#Types|go berserk]]. You may also want to make the depot a restricted area to encourage civilians to go around it. Alternatively, you can design the trade depot using drawbridges, so that it can be sealed off from the rest of the fortress during a siege.

If you want the merchants to leave safely, you can build four or more tunnels to each corner of the map, connected to your fortress only by drawbridges. As long as there is no other way to enter and exit your fortress, invaders and merchants will both go towards any tunnel that you activate. You can lock the merchants into the trade depot, and then open a tunnel entrance on one side of the map to make the invaders head towards that tunnel. When they get close to it, you can close it, and then open the entrance on the other side of the map, and let the traders out of the depot. If your fortress and depot are in the middle of the map, this will give the traders quite a head-start to get away.{{Verify}}

Merchants can leave the map from any map edge-- including underground map edges. If an unobstructed path through your fortress reaches an edge, then blocking an overland path will cause the merchants to travel underground. This can be useful, if you're suffering a prolonged siege; it can also be dangerous, if your underground regions are less secure than your surface.

Caravan guards cannot be starved, dehydrated, or driven to insanity if prevented from leaving, their employers and animals will however.

If an large amount of items is sold / offered to the caravan, it may take a while to load it all, especially if you chose to keep your precious bins and traded your items individually.

== Bugs ==

*Aggressive, untrainable animals (captured goblins, for example) cannot be traded; when a dwarf attempts to move the caged animal to the Depot, the creature is set free.
*If your [[hospital]] isn't already stocked with the specified amount of thread/cloth, your dwarves will carry off as much from the caravan as they need to fill it. {{Bug|66}}
*Caravans show up very late in the season. {{Bug|1756}}
*One outgoing trade caravan can run into another incoming trade caravan, leading to them getting stuck in the entrance to your fortress, wagons breaking, trade failing, and other problems. Rarely, this can even happen out in the open, when they are surrounded by plenty of space to maneuver. {{Bug|5687}}
*[[Unfortunate accident|Killed]] caravan guards can't be [[slab|memorialized]] {{Bug|5755}}

== Loyalty cascade ==
*If you order your military to kill merchants from your own civilization, a bizarre result of the the way loyalty is handled makes the members of your military who attacked the traders to become enemies of your civilization, but members of your fort's government (Dwarves of this Faction will henceforth be referred to as ''separatists''). As enemies, they attack your other dwarves (''citizens''), but as members of the fort, they still follow orders. Allowing citizen militia dwarves to attack the separatists will give them opposite loyalties of the separatists, (i.e. loyal to civ, not to fort), or ''loyalists'', who do NOT follow orders. And then, if a separatist or loyalist kill a citizen, they become enemies of the civ AND fort, making them ''Renegades'', who are essentially complete enemies of the citizens.

To prevent the cascade from spreading, order the original separatists away from the fortress and let them fight amongst themselves. If the results are renegades, it is okay to allow other dwarves to kill them (by stationing them nearby). If the results are separatists/loyalists, then you will need to separate them somehow.

NOTE: Tame Animals are loyal to civ and fort indefinitely due to a bug, so they can be used to kill off separatists/loyalists without repercussions.

== Exploits ==

*Deconstructing the Depot will cause merchants to leave your fortress and abandon any goods in the Depot because items are not available until the building is fully deconstructed. However any animals they had caged will still belong to the merchants and only become friendly, you won't actually own them.

*If you wait some time (2-3 months{{verify}}), you can "claim" animals by linking a lever to the cage and opening it, the animals will be released in a tamed state. Check the {{k|u}}nit screen before releasing them; if the creatures still show as Merchant creatures, they will wander off the map when released; if they show as Tame creatures, they will stay once released.

v0.34:Trading

2013-03-02T08:00:32Z

Quicksketch: Adding descriptions of how to get to the trade menu.

{{quality|Exceptional|07:56, 19 January 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Trading''' in Dwarf Fortress first occurs in the first [[Calendar|autumn]] after establishing your fortress, with the arrival of the [[dwarf|Dwarven]] [[Trading#Caravans|caravan]]. Trading is a good way to acquire resources that are not available or are rare in the local area. It also allows for more freedom in selecting starting gear or purchase of additional skills for the expedition party, because items can always be obtained through trade later.

'''Trader''' is the term used at your Trade Depot to refer to your fortress [[Broker]] when dealing with merchants in a visiting caravan ({{key|r}} - "''Trader requested at Depot"''). As a [[profession]], the term usually only applies to visiting merchants, or to a dwarf whose highest [[skill]] is [[Appraiser]].

== Trade Depot ==
Building a [[Trade depot]] is a requisite for trade with caravans that arrive at your fortress.

While it may be convenient to build a Trade Depot outside at first, it is usually a really good idea to move it inside or build walls, bridges and other fortifications around it to protect caravans and your goods from animals (guzzlers), [[thief|thieves]] and [[goblin]]s.

Everything that is on your map belongs to you, except:
* the items of non-fortress members (only if they are alive, when they are dead they belong to you if you claim the items),{{Verify}}
* the items that are on merchant animals{{Verify}}
* the items that are on the trade depot (they belong to the caravan until they are moved out of it)

See the [[Trade depot]] article for more information on how to interact with it.

==Trading Flowchart ==
{{:Trading/Flowchart}}
Before you can begin trading, your [[Trade broker]] must be at the [[Trade depot]]. Open the [[Trade depot]] by opening the building prefs {{K|q}} and then requesting the [[Trade broker]] at the depot {{K|q}}. Once the [[Trade broker]] has arrived, open the trade menu {{K|t}}. In the trade menu select the items to offer from the right and the desired items from the left. All caravans have a weight limit which cannot be exceeded, and the allowed additional weight is displayed in the lower right corner. If the acting broker has at least Novice or better [[Appraisal]] skill, the value of all items will be displayed. Once the proposal is ready, press {{K|t}} to propose the trade, but merchants will not agree unless they make adequate profit. Be sure to use '''trade''', not '''offer''' {{K|o}}, as this will make a gift of the selected items. The amount of acceptable profit is determined by the broker's [[Broker skills|skills]] and the merchant's mood, described below. Merchants may attempt to propose counteroffers if they do not accept the proposal, which can then be accepted, rejected, or further amended by the broker.

With more experienced brokers or pleased merchants, even marginally profitable trades can be successful, and counterproposals can be rejected safely, offering the same trade again. Note however that a low profit margin for the traders may not be desirable - it has been suggested that both export and profit numbers influence the size of next years caravan and, in the case of the dwarven caravan, immigration numbers.{{Verify}}

Goods brought by caravans rarely have base quality higher than superior, but decorations on a good may be of any quality.

== Trading cue colors ==

* {{DFtext|Brown|6:0}} Items have been created (or modified) by your fortress. They can be traded away or offered as a gift.
* {{DFtext|Gray|7:0}} Items were created by another source. They can be traded, but if one of these items has been selected, the entire selection cannot be offered as a gift.
* {{DFtext|Purple|5:0}} Items are under a no-export mandate. If they are traded away it will result in disciplinary action (see [[justice]]) against the dwarf that brought the item to the depot.
* {{DFtext|Green|2:0}} Items have just been gifted to the caravan and they will not trade it back.
* {{DFtext|Red|4:0}} Items have been seized from another caravan and cannot be traded as is; you will need to decorate them or turn them into other items for them to become "valid" trading items.

Note that containers (barrels, bins, etc) will be displayed according to the origin of the ''container'', not the contents. So a foreign barrel holding locally-produced beer will display as foreign (white). Once you {{k|v}}iew the container, the locally-made contents are displayed as local (brown).

== Merchant mood ==
If your broker has Novice or better [[Judge of intent]] skill, there will be a line added below the merchant's dialogue describing the caravan's attitude. Their attitude rises with successful trades (especially if they get lots of profit) and falls when you propose deals they don't like.

* (trader) seems ecstatic with the trading
* (trader) seems very happy about the trading
* (trader) seems pleased with the trading
* (trader) seems willing to trade (Default, at least for humans)
* (trader) seems to be rapidly losing patience
* (trader) is not going to take much more of this
* (trader) is unwilling to trade

The happier you make a merchant, the less profit margin he will demand in a trade. If merchants reach the lowest level, no further trade will be possible, and they will immediately pack up and leave your depot. Since annoyed traders are more likely to reject deals, you should be generous in initial negotiations. Skilled negotiators seem less likely to offend traders with unsuccessful deals.

An easy way to capitalize on this mood system is to perform several partial trades. First trade for a few items, offering goods twice the value of the items you ask for (e.g. offer 2000☼ for 1000☼ of his stuff). This will likely make the merchant ecstatic about trading with you. Exit the trade screen, unpause briefly, and then return to trading with a vengeance. With the merchant in such a good mood, he is more likely to counteroffer than reject a trade outright.

== Seizing items ==

Pressing {{K|s}} from the trade menu will seize the selected items of the merchant's. If you seize goods from a caravan, the merchant will respond "Take what you want. I can't stop you." and then leave immediately without the seized goods. Items cannot be seized from the dwarven caravan, and other races will not buy goods stolen from one of their caravans (then marked in red) unless they are tricked into asking for them via counteroffer, or the items are "laundered" by decoration or used to create other goods. Seizing goods will hurt diplomatic relations, but is not grounds for an automatic [[siege]].{{Verify}}

Pressing the seize button while no goods are selected will result in the merchant interpreting your seizure as a joke. This apparently does nothing to benefit or hinder your trading.{{Verify}}

As a side note, if you deconstruct your trade depot with a caravan in it, all the caravan's items will drop to the ground, to be readily hauled away by your Dwarves. This does not mark the items as stolen, and the caravan will leave. However, ''next'' year's caravan is partly based on the profits from the previous year - so if you are relying on that race's caravans for needed items, you're hurting yourself in the long run.{{Verify}}

Another way to steal without marking as stolen is to forbid the trade depot just before they leave, causing them to leave their goods at the depot.{{Verify}}

Note that the civilization attached to a particular caravan will keep track of the value of items the caravan was carrying when they set out to trade, and they will compare this value with the value of items they return home with. Regardless of what method you use to confiscate items from a caravan, even if you came to possess the goods through no fault of your own (an [[ambush]] killed the caravaners, for example) the parent civilization may decide that you stole from them and send a [[siege]] instead of a caravan the following year. It is prudent to take measures to protect caravans visiting your lands!{{Verify}}

==Offering items==

{{key|o}} You can also give away items, as gifts to the leaders of the [[civilization]] you are trading with. This presumably helps relations between yourself and the other faction, though there is not yet a clear correlation between the value of the offerings and the improvement to relations. The exact effects of offerings on trading are unknown but it is believed due to the offerings' net trade value being counted towards the traders' profit, possibly with a modifier (possibly a multiplier of more than 1 as a bonus or less than 1 to compensate for the improved relations){{Verify}}, which in turn increases the quantity and variety of trade goods brought by next year's caravan. Also the [[King]] requires offerings to be made before his arrival. You cannot offer items that were not made at your fortress; the traders do not want your spare goblin harvest clothes.

Unless you are looking for [[fun]], under no conditions should you offer or trade items which are wooden or used wood in their creation (glass, for example) to [[elves]], as this will insult the traders, and may cause them to leave or even damage relations enough to provoke a war between you and the elven civilization you traded with. They will be equally insulted by you trading back their wood-related items.

== Miscellaneous Trading Advice ==
* Thieves and thieving critters tend to follow caravans. Expect assaults and intruders.
* Be careful about asking traders to bring lots of individual lightweight items (such as meat and fish) as it can result in traders taking a very long time to unload their goods. Unless the path to your depot is extremely long, though, this is unlikely to cause significant problems.{{Verify}}
** On a similar note, if you have sold a large number of low value goods (such as all the loincloths and cloaks scrounged from a siege,) it can take a caravan ''months'' to pack it all up, to the point where they're still on the depot when the next one comes. An incoming caravan can occupy the same depot and trade with you, but if the previous one finishes up and tries to head off while the incoming one is coming down a 3 tile wide entry tunnel, both of them will become gridlocked.
* Create your trading depot inside your fort, preferably in the beginning. Place a 3-tile wide path (which must be free of obstructions such as stairways, traps, minecart tracks and boulders) to the entrance of the fort and position war dogs along it (chains do not block wagons); this will help to protect the traders and keep the depot close to your supplies.
* All caravans will bring extra food (meat and edible plants), wooden logs, and cloth/leather (for making clothes) if the supplies of your fortress are low enough, independent of whether or not you requested them. This does not apply in the case that the weight limit is exceeded by (other) items you requested. The supply situation, as observed by traders, is based solely on the number of unforbidden items in your fortress, stockpiled or not; thus, it is possible to trick caravans into thinking your supplies are low by [[forbid]]ding all of your relevant stocks immediately prior to their arrival.
**In order to '''avoid''' this behavior, you should make sure that, for each dwarf in your fortress, you have the following ''unforbidden'' items:
*** 5 pieces of food - meat, fish, plants, or "other" in your [[Status]] screen (even though "other" includes inedible items)
*** 1 wood log
*** 5 pieces of cloth, pieces of leather, or complete sets of [[wear|pristine]] clothing (shirt+pants+shoe)
* Define your trade depot as a burrow. When traders arrive, you can add your broker or another dwarf, perhaps one you want to train in trading, to the burrow. They will head to the depot immediately, and stay there until you remove them from the burrow.
* Each trade you make (regardless of value) will increase your broker's skills by 50, distributed among Comedian, Flatterer, Intimidator, Judge of Intent, Negotiator, and Persuader. Each skill seems to gain around 5-15 points, but the sum will always be 50. The skill gain occurs as soon as the "t" button is pressed - if the offer is rejected, the dwarf will still gain 50 points. If the same offer is subsequently accepted, no additional skill will be gained.

== Caravans ==
Each friendly race will send a caravan per year, linked to one season, which is autumn for dwarves, summer for humans, spring for elves, and winter for goblins. It is rare for your civilization to be on peaceful terms with goblins, however. In the first year, only a dwarven caravan will arrive, although it will tend to arrive later than mid-autumn, unlike previous versions {{verify}}. Caravans will only show up if that race considers the fortress site accessible (as denoted on the embark screen), with the exception of dwarves, who always arrive unless they are extinct.{{verify}} Caravans appear to enter the map from a random direction which does not coincide with the relative direction of the originating [[civilization]], and they may appear from different directions or z-levels each year. Caravans may leave without trading if it takes too long to reach the trade depot. Caravans will embark on their journey back exactly one month after their arrival, whether they have succeeded in reaching the depot or not.{{Verify}}

Note that if traders or their animals are prevented from leaving, they will eventually go [[insane]].

Also worth mention is the pathing behavior of the entire caravan. If one member of the caravan reaches a block in their chosen path (i.e. a raised drawbridge that was lowered when they entered the map) the entire caravan will re-path, instead of encountering the obstacle one by one. This behavior can be useful when attempting to free "stuck" wagons--a trader on foot encountering an obstacle will cause the stuck wagons to turn around and path to a different exit, if available.

If a caravan has a lot of junk to load up, it can take a while (>=2 months), however another caravan can unload and trade while the first one is still packing.

==== [[Dwarves]] ====
:''"Our fortunes rise and fall together"''

The dwarven caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|autumn]].
* carries metal bars, [[leather]], weapons and armor, food and booze, and more. Dwarves alone may bring [[steel]] and steel goods. They can still bring steel (and steel goods) and [[pig iron]] bars even if they do not have access to [[iron]], but will not bring iron products.
* is well guarded.
* sends a liaison who will speak with the [[Expedition leader]], [[Mayor]], [[Baron]], [[Count]], or [[Duke]] to negotiate an import-export agreement (unless the [[Monarch]] is present).
* influences the number of immigrants received (if the caravan leaves intact).{{verify}}
* will not cause sieges when repeatedly destroyed or lost.
* is the only caravan to arrive during a fortress' first year.
* always arrives regardless of embark location, as long as the dwarven civilization is not extinct.{{verify}}
* cannot have its goods seized from the trade menu.
* may not arrive if your civilization lacks any notable figures.

==== [[elf|Elves]] ====
[[Image:Evil_elves.png|thumb|400px|A typical elven caravan.]]

The elven caravan:
* arrives in the [[Calendar|spring]].
* carries [[cloth]], [[rope]]s, various above-ground seeds, [[plant]]s and their byproducts, [[log]]s, [[wood]]en goods & [[weapon]]s, clothing and [[armor]], and may carry tame exotic [[creature]]s.
* is unguarded.
* does not accept some items in trade:

Elven traders do not like to be offered any tree byproducts. Forbidden items include:

* [[Wood]]en items (including subterranean mushrooms such as [[tower-cap]]s)
* Items derived from wood - [[ash]] and [[charcoal]], as well as [[lye]], [[potash]], and [[pearlash]]
* Items made from clear and crystal [[glass]] (due to the [[pearlash]] used) - green glass appears to be perfectly acceptable
* Items [[decoration|decorated]] with any of the above materials
* [[Obsidian]] shortswords (since they have wooden handles)
* [[Soap]] (made with [[lye]])

Offering or trading forbidden items will cause the mood of the trader to drop rapidly, causing them to refuse to trade any more that season and leave immediately. Additionally you will be called uncouth, crude, and barbaric for not understanding their customs.

However, [[stone]] and [[metal]] items, even when [[charcoal]] is used in production, are acceptable. Items made from [[silk]] are acceptable, as are all non-wooden plant-derived products such as [[cloth]] and [[thread]]. Items made of bone (totems too), horn, shell or leather are acceptable, so are meat and fish. You can also transport your goods to the [[trade depot]] in a wooden [[bin]], as long as you do not try to sell the bin. Living animals are acceptable, as long as the [[cage]] or [[trap]] is not made of [[wood]].

Be especially careful with reselling decorated items from other caravans, as non-wood/glass items may have decorations of wood or clear/crystal glass. All such items that elven caravans sell are also unacceptable to sell back to elves, as the dwarves have no means of proving that they were made in an "elf kosher" way.

==== [[Human]]s ====
The human caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|summer]].
* carries metal bars, sand, [[leather]], cloth, wood, food and booze, ropes, waterskins, quivers, backpacks, metal weapons and clothing and armor, cages and a few domestic animals.
* is moderately guarded.

==== [[Goblin]]s{{Verify}} ====
A goblin caravan ''may'' arrive if your civilization is at peace with the goblins.

The goblin caravan:
*will arrive every season, four times per year{{verify}}
*unguarded
*brings mostly food and cloth
*does not send a liaison or a guild representative
*does not make import/export agreements

== Diplomats ==
[[Diplomat]]s may be sent by other civilizations to speak to your [[noble]] dwarves (and they ''will'' speak to those dwarves, even if they have to wait at their bedside in the hospital for months after the caravan has left). Diplomats generally appear on the map edge around the time that civilization's caravan would arrive. Meeting with a diplomat may allow you to request specific items for the next caravan to bring (at a premium price), take requests for production for the next caravan (for which the merchants will pay a premium), or sign a cease-fire to end hostilities.

Current trade agreements can be viewed through the Civilization menu ({{k|c}}). These trade agreements are cleared when a diplomat of the corresponding civilization enters the screen, so they are generally not accessible after the caravan has arrived.

In the event that your leader is replaced, killed, or taken by a [[strange mood]], the diplomat may decide to leave your fortress [[stymied|"unhappy"]]. Curiously, this will '''not''' occur if your leader is otherwise unable to perform the "conduct meeting" task. You can currently lock a diplomat in a room and he will wait years to attend the meeting your noble is constantly conducting (and all subsequent diplomats appear to wait in line for the first to finish); this behavior is presumably a bug.{{bug|3027}}

An unhappy diplomat will naturally prevent you from creating trade agreements and ending hostilities, however it is not currently known what other effects this has on relations with that civilization. Whether the diplomat successfully met with your leader or just gave up, a diplomat who has decided to leave but is prevented from reaching the map edge will eventually go [[insane]].

== Destruction ==
If caravans are destroyed (intentionally or unintentionally), the items may remain for use. Traders caught in a [[cave-in]] will flee as if they were attacked, but will leave all the items dropped by the caravan behind. Pack animals carrying items are affected just like a normal tamed [[mule]] and must be killed in the cave-in for them to drop items on the ground. It is however much more likely that the pack animals will only be stunned or rendered unconscious, and flee shortly after recovering from the hit.

While caravans can defend themselves, they don't like being ambushed. An encounter with unfriendly creatures resulting in the death of any merchant or pack animal will cause them to retreat and forget about trading with you for the season. Repeated caravan destruction (intentional or unintentional) will strain diplomatic relations and may result in a [[siege]].

Ambushing or seizing a caravan and letting a survivor escape seems to have a more detrimental effect than simply annihilating the whole caravan.

== Caravan Delay ==
If a caravan has arrived at your trade depot and is unable to leave for about six months after they arrived, the merchants and animals will go insane. This can result in a bunch of merchants attacking your dwarves, or just standing around moping until they starve to death. It is not known for certain if this hurts diplomatic relations, but most likely it's the same as any case where the entire caravan fails to return home.{{Verify}}

If you have locked the caravan into your fortress to hold out against a siege, it's a good idea to station a squad of soldiers near the trade depot in case the merchants [[Insanity#Types|go berserk]]. You may also want to make the depot a restricted area to encourage civilians to go around it. Alternatively, you can design the trade depot using drawbridges, so that it can be sealed off from the rest of the fortress during a siege.

If you want the merchants to leave safely, you can build four or more tunnels to each corner of the map, connected to your fortress only by drawbridges. As long as there is no other way to enter and exit your fortress, invaders and merchants will both go towards any tunnel that you activate. You can lock the merchants into the trade depot, and then open a tunnel entrance on one side of the map to make the invaders head towards that tunnel. When they get close to it, you can close it, and then open the entrance on the other side of the map, and let the traders out of the depot. If your fortress and depot are in the middle of the map, this will give the traders quite a head-start to get away.{{Verify}}

Merchants can leave the map from any map edge-- including underground map edges. If an unobstructed path through your fortress reaches an edge, then blocking an overland path will cause the merchants to travel underground. This can be useful, if you're suffering a prolonged siege; it can also be dangerous, if your underground regions are less secure than your surface.

Caravan guards cannot be starved, dehydrated, or driven to insanity if prevented from leaving, their employers and animals will however.

If an large amount of items is sold / offered to the caravan, it may take a while to load it all, especially if you chose to keep your precious bins and traded your items individually.

== Bugs ==

*Aggressive, untrainable animals (captured goblins, for example) cannot be traded; when a dwarf attempts to move the caged animal to the Depot, the creature is set free.
*If your [[hospital]] isn't already stocked with the specified amount of thread/cloth, your dwarves will carry off as much from the caravan as they need to fill it. {{Bug|66}}
*Caravans show up very late in the season. {{Bug|1756}}
*One outgoing trade caravan can run into another incoming trade caravan, leading to them getting stuck in the entrance to your fortress, wagons breaking, trade failing, and other problems. Rarely, this can even happen out in the open, when they are surrounded by plenty of space to maneuver. {{Bug|5687}}
*[[Unfortunate accident|Killed]] caravan guards can't be [[slab|memorialized]] {{Bug|5755}}

== Loyalty cascade ==
*If you order your military to kill merchants from your own civilization, a bizarre result of the the way loyalty is handled makes the members of your military who attacked the traders to become enemies of your civilization, but members of your fort's government (Dwarves of this Faction will henceforth be referred to as ''separatists''). As enemies, they attack your other dwarves (''citizens''), but as members of the fort, they still follow orders. Allowing citizen militia dwarves to attack the separatists will give them opposite loyalties of the separatists, (i.e. loyal to civ, not to fort), or ''loyalists'', who do NOT follow orders. And then, if a separatist or loyalist kill a citizen, they become enemies of the civ AND fort, making them ''Renegades'', who are essentially complete enemies of the citizens.

To prevent the cascade from spreading, order the original separatists away from the fortress and let them fight amongst themselves. If the results are renegades, it is okay to allow other dwarves to kill them (by stationing them nearby). If the results are separatists/loyalists, then you will need to separate them somehow.

NOTE: Tame Animals are loyal to civ and fort indefinitely due to a bug, so they can be used to kill off separatists/loyalists without repercussions.

== Exploits ==

*Deconstructing the Depot will cause merchants to leave your fortress and abandon any goods in the Depot because items are not available until the building is fully deconstructed. However any animals they had caged will still belong to the merchants and only become friendly, you won't actually own them.

*If you wait some time (2-3 months{{verify}}), you can "claim" animals by linking a lever to the cage and opening it, the animals will be released in a tamed state. Check the {{k|u}}nit screen before releasing them; if the creatures still show as Merchant creatures, they will wander off the map when released; if they show as Tame creatures, they will stay once released.