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Difference between revisions of "40d:Losing"
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| − | # | + | <span style="background-color: #000; color: #5f5; font-family: monospace">Losing is fun!</span> |
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| + | Most new players will lose their first few forts; if you lose a fortress, don't feel like you don't understand the game. Dwarf Fortress has a steep learning curve, and part of the appeal is discovering things for yourself. However, this Wiki serves as an excellent place to speed up the learning process. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Autopsy== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Various things can cause you to lose a fortress. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Losing your miners=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | If your [[miner]]s are killed in a collapse and their equipment destroyed, chances are good that you will no longer be able to continue your efforts. Consider abandoning your fortress. Alternatively, you can try to keep your fortress running long enough to request additional picks from your Outpost Liaison, who will arrive with the next dwarven trade [[caravan]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Starvation=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | A serious danger, generally in the more inhospitable climates, is the loss of your dwarves due to starvation; if you are in the heart of a mountain with no soil to build on, it is possible you will not be able to establish farms. As dwarves begin to starve, they will become Hungry, then Starving. This will cause them to become very angry. When they die, their friends will become upset and will become even angrier, potentially causing the remainder of your fortress to break out in a terminal brawl. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Don't forget your alternative sources of [[food]]. Try [[butchering]] your animals, [[plant gathering|gathering plants]], or resorting to [[hunting]] of local wildlife. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Dehydration=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | One of the biggest problems with a fortress that has no [[brook]], [[stream]], [[river]], or other source of fresh [[water]]. Water must be rapidly gathered from stagnant pools and stored into an indoor basin or water tower, with sufficient depth before it [[evaporate]]s. If this fails, all of the water on the map will evaporate and your dwarves will be left without any water. | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Brewing]] can alleviate these problems, but in the future brewing will also require water. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Flooding accidents=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The opposite side of the dehydration spectrum is having too ''much'' water. Remember that water can [[flow]] in all eight directions: if you dig a hole in a wall diagonally to a water source, water can come spurting out even without you receiving a warning about [[damp stone]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | If your fortress is beginning to flood from [[sourced water]], abandon all of the levels the water can reach immediately—drafting dwarves into the [[military]] and stationing them onto the surface if need be. You will never be able to recover those areas unless you can manage to pump out the water faster than it floods in, which can take over a year or two of game time to establish a functioning automated pump system. Generally, a flooding accident spells doom for your fortress. | ||
Revision as of 00:50, 1 November 2007
Losing is fun!
Most new players will lose their first few forts; if you lose a fortress, don't feel like you don't understand the game. Dwarf Fortress has a steep learning curve, and part of the appeal is discovering things for yourself. However, this Wiki serves as an excellent place to speed up the learning process.
Autopsy
Various things can cause you to lose a fortress.
Losing your miners
If your miners are killed in a collapse and their equipment destroyed, chances are good that you will no longer be able to continue your efforts. Consider abandoning your fortress. Alternatively, you can try to keep your fortress running long enough to request additional picks from your Outpost Liaison, who will arrive with the next dwarven trade caravan.
Starvation
A serious danger, generally in the more inhospitable climates, is the loss of your dwarves due to starvation; if you are in the heart of a mountain with no soil to build on, it is possible you will not be able to establish farms. As dwarves begin to starve, they will become Hungry, then Starving. This will cause them to become very angry. When they die, their friends will become upset and will become even angrier, potentially causing the remainder of your fortress to break out in a terminal brawl.
Don't forget your alternative sources of food. Try butchering your animals, gathering plants, or resorting to hunting of local wildlife.
Dehydration
One of the biggest problems with a fortress that has no brook, stream, river, or other source of fresh water. Water must be rapidly gathered from stagnant pools and stored into an indoor basin or water tower, with sufficient depth before it evaporates. If this fails, all of the water on the map will evaporate and your dwarves will be left without any water.
Brewing can alleviate these problems, but in the future brewing will also require water.
Flooding accidents
The opposite side of the dehydration spectrum is having too much water. Remember that water can flow in all eight directions: if you dig a hole in a wall diagonally to a water source, water can come spurting out even without you receiving a warning about damp stone.
If your fortress is beginning to flood from sourced water, abandon all of the levels the water can reach immediately—drafting dwarves into the military and stationing them onto the surface if need be. You will never be able to recover those areas unless you can manage to pump out the water faster than it floods in, which can take over a year or two of game time to establish a functioning automated pump system. Generally, a flooding accident spells doom for your fortress.