Editing Dwarf fortress mode

{{Quality|Exceptional|09:26, 7 May 2015 (UTC)}}

'''Fortress mode''' is the more popular of two modes of gameplay in Dwarf Fortress, with the other mode being [[Adventurer mode]]. It is often the mode implied when one talks about Dwarf Fortress. In fortress mode, you pick an embark location, and then assign your seven initial [[dwarves]] some starting [[Skill | skills]], equipment, provisions, and [[animals]] to bring along. After preparations are complete and your hardy explorers [[embark]], they'll be faced with the fortress site you picked down to every little detail, from geologically appropriate stone types to roaring waterfalls to ornery [[Hippo | hippopotami]]. Rather than control individual dwarves, you design everything and your dwarves will go about implementing your designs on their own.

The Dwarf fortress mode is considered a [[wikipedia:Construction_and_management_simulation_games|construction and management simulation game]]. This entails that few goals are imposed upon the player by the game.  

Another goal of sorts, programmed into the game, is creating a fortress that attracts the king of your civilization. Therefore players typically, but by no means necessarily, choose to expand into a thriving community with skilled [[Labor|workers]], [[military|battle-ready warriors]] and [[nobles]], creating ridiculous amounts of [[wealth|wealth]] like fine [[finished goods|crafts]], excellent armor, valuable [[furniture]], decorated with precious [[gem]]s, all the while protecting them from [[siege|foes]] with deadly [[trap]]s and a trained [[military]]. Avoiding imminent death also requires providing the dwarves with plenty of [[food]] and [[alcohol]], by way of [[farming|farms]] above and below ground, while [[clothing]] from [[leather]] or [[cloth]] will keep them happy.

Of course, every dwarf loves precious [[metal]]s, but the only way to find them is to [[mining|dig]]. Make sure you don't dig too greedily, or too deep, for many creatures dwell in the [[caverns]] below...

To play Dwarf Fortress in fortress mode you must generate a world that includes a dwarven civilization. See [[World generation]] for detailed instructions. After at least one world has been generated you will be able to start the game. Only one game may be going on in a world at the same time.

=== Geographic features ===

The main features of a world are [[biome]]s on the surface and [[stone layer]]s under the surface, some of which may contain [[aquifer]]s. Other surface features that are significant, but which aren't biomes strictly speaking, are [[river]]s, [[volcano]]es, and [[cave]]s.

Given that your world includes creatures and civilizations capable of independent action, it also has a history that is viewable in [[legends mode]]. Historical events will show up in [[engraving]]s and other artwork created by your dwarves. Historical dates are expressed in terms of the [[Calendar|Dwarven Calendar]].

You will also be making history as events occur in your fortress and these events will be recorded for all time in the annals of your world, even if you'd rather that they not be. These events may later become the subject of various [[engraving]]s and [[decoration]]s created by your dwarves or those in a later fortress.

[[File:FlowchartDF.png|thumb|200px|right|[[::From Caravan to Happy Dwarves|From Caravan to Happy Dwarves]] – a flowchart showing approximately what sequence of actions most people will take after embarking.]]

Before starting to build a fortress you must pick a site, assign skill points to dwarves, and buy starting equipment. This is the embarking process and is a major subject in and of itself. See the [[Embark]] guide for all of the details. Also see [[Starting build]] for more information on outfitting your expedition.

 

After you embark, the real game begins.

| Zoom in and out

Assuming you are at the top level of the user interface looking at the map, you can hit {{K|Esc}} to enter the options menu. This allows you to do things like save or abandon your game.

*{{DFtext|Return to Game}} – Exit the options menu. You can also just press {{K|Esc}}.

*{{DFtext|Save Game}} – Saves the game, unloads the fortress, and returns to the main menu screen. There is no "save and continue" option, but saves can be [[saved game folder|backed up and reloaded]].

*{{DFtext|Key Bindings}} – A UI for changing the [[Key bindings]].

*{{DFtext|Export Local Image}} – Use this to export each level of your map as .BMP files for use on such things as the [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ Dwarf Fortress Map Archive].

*{{DFtext|Music and Sound}} – Options related to the [[Music | Music]].

*{{DFtext|Abandon the Fortress}} (or {{DFtext|Succumb to Invasion}})   This permanently [[abandon]]s the fortress, saves the map to the world's data files for later use, and returns to the main menu. Once you abandon a fort, all of your dwarves leave the site, all of your livestock dies, and all items including corpses will be scattered around the map before it is saved. This is how you "give up" on a fortress. You might later [[Reclaim fortress mode|reclaim]] the fortress with a new group of dwarves or visit it with an adventurer in [[Adventurer mode]].

*{{DFtext|Retire the Fortress}} <!-- TODO look up exact label --> &ndash; This ends the game without destroying the fortress, with citizens, livestock, and items continuing to exist. You may start new games in any mode and can later [[Reclaim fortress mode|unretire]] the fortress.

 

Notably lacking is an "exit without save" option. Players who wish to quit and leave their previous save unchanged may manually kill the Dwarf Fortress process using the "die" command in DFHack, Windows Task Manager, or the Linux "kill" command.

| {{k|8}} {{k|2}} {{k|4}} {{k|6}} {{k|7}} {{k|9}} {{k|1}} {{k|3}} (keypad)

The main map window is what you will be looking at the majority of the time. This is where all of the action happens.

In the upper left corner of the screen you may see some '''report flags''' indicating that new combat-related [[Reports]] have been generated. The flags are:

Press {{K|r}} to view the new reports in the [[#Combat Reports|reports screen]] and once you do the flags will be reset.

Your [[Dwarf|dwarves]] are the creatures who implement your designs in-between periods of drinking, eating, partying, drinking again, sleeping, and entertaining themselves. While you do not have full control of your dwarves, you have more control over them than any other creatures. Be aware that it is not necessarily always the case that a dwarf is friendly; [[Insanity|insane]] dwarves, [[Werebeast|weredwarves]] or [[Vampire|vampires]] are anything but.

While going about their day, dwarves will get happy and unhappy [[thought]]s depending on what sorts of things happen to them. This will nudge their happiness levels up or down each time one occurs to them. If they become too unhappy they may throw [[tantrum]]s or go completely [[Insanity|berserk]], killing and destroying things.

Periodically, new dwarves from the outside world will [[Immigration|migrate]] to your fortress, drawn by tales of, and looking to share in, your wealth and success. Female dwarves will also get pregnant and have [[children]] if they are [[Marriage|married]].

Any adult dwarf can perform any [[labor]] even if they have no [[skill]] in that area. Unskilled dwarves will simply be slow and not very good at what they are trying to do. With practice, dwarves will acquire skill, become faster and better at their jobs. A lack of practice for long periods leads to skill "rust".

[[Noble]]s are dwarves who have special positions within your organization. Some of these are appointed such as your broker and bookkeeper, but others such as [[Mayor]] are essentially forced on you by conditions in the game. See the main article on [[Noble]]s for more information.

Assuming they somehow manage to avoid starving, dehydrating, freezing, drowning, burning, falling, being crushed, or otherwise suffering fatal [[wound]]s or [[soap|infections]], your dwarves will inevitably [[Death|die]] of old age. Unfortunately they are a bit picky about how they are [[Coffin|buried]] or otherwise [[Memorial|memorialized]], and they will [[Ghost|cause trouble]] if they are unsatisfied with their remembrance. Corpses lying around also pose a hazard if there are [[Necromancer|necromancers]] in the area.

All of the '''digging''' operations are considered [[Mining]]. Even if your goal is simply to dig out a passage and you don't care about extracting ore, your miners will be generating [[stone]] as a byproduct unless they are digging through [[soil]]. See [[Stone management]] for ways to deal with all the unwanted stone.

 

All digging operations are done using the {{K|d}}esignations menu.

 

This is what you use to dig out tunnels and larger spaces underground. See [[Mining#Designating_the_area_to_be_mined|designating an area to be mined]]. Note that you can not mine constructions. Instead you must remove them with {{K|d}}-{{K|n}}. (See below.)

 

A [[Channel]] is a hole dug in the floor which will mine out the [[z-level]] below too. Channeling an area will dig out the designated tile (if it hasn't been dug out already), the floor of that tile, and the tile below, possibly leaving a [[Ramp]] on the tile below. See [[Channel]] for more information.

 

See [[Stair]] and [[Ramp]]. Note that digging a stairway will not automatically create a stairway on the z-level above and/or below, but it will make it possible to dig another stairway immediately above and/or below.

 

These allow you to dig away upward ramps and stairs, and demolish constructed walls and floors. See [[Remove]] for full details.

While digging around you may encounter [[Water]] or [[Magma]], so be on the lookout for '''damp stone''' and '''warm stone'''. Digging into water or magma in the wrong place can completely flood your fort to the point where it is unrecoverable, so be careful where you dig.

To remove one of these, use the {{K|q}} command, place the cursor on the item to remove, and hit {{K|x}}. This will mark the item for removal and a hauling job will be queued. Eventually a dwarf will show up and haul the item off to a [[stockpile]] if one exists.

| {{K|b}}-{{K|a}}

| {{K|b}}-{{K|b}}

| {{K|b}}-{{K|c}}

| {{K|b}}-{{K|n}}

| place Burial Receptacle (coffin)

| {{K|b}}-{{K|f}}

| {{K|b}}-{{K|h}}

| place Container

| {{K|b}}-{{K|r}}

| place Weapon Rack

| {{K|b}}-{{K|s}}

| {{K|b}}-{{K|Alt}}+{{K|s}}

| place memorial Slab

| {{K|b}}-{{K|t}}

| place Table

| {{K|b}}-{{K|R}}

| place Traction Bench

Assuming that dwarves have already made a piece of [[Furniture]], they can install it somewhere using one of these commands.

Certain types of furniture placed in an area can allow the area to be defined as a [[Room]] using {{K|q}}. The {{K|q}} command can also be used to undefine rooms, with or without removing the associated furniture.

| {{K|b}}-{{K|d}}

| place Door

| {{K|b}}-{{K|x}}

|-

| {{K|b}}-{{K|H}}

| place floor Hatch

These commands allow you to place already created [[Door]]s and [[Hatch cover]]s assuming that you have an adjacent wall.

 

These commands allow you to install [[Window]]s, [[Grate]]s, and [[Bars]] over openings, assuming that you have already created them.

[[Construction]]s are features that are built in place rather than created in a workshop and installed or carved out of existing rock. Constructions are how you build above-ground structures or structures in any other place where there's no rock or soil to carve them out of.

Constructions are usually built out of, and thus require, [[Stone]] or [[Wood]], but you can also use a variety of materials (such as metal) to build them. Possible constructions include [[Floor]]s, [[Wall]]s, [[Stair]]s, [[Ramp]]s, and [[Fortification]]s.

| {{K|b}}-{{K|C}}

| {{K|b}}-{{K|C}}-{{K|w}}

| {{K|b}}-{{K|C}}-{{K|f}}

| {{K|b}}-{{K|C}}-{{K|r}}

| {{K|b}}-{{K|C}}-{{K|u}}

| build Constructed Up [[Stair]]

| {{K|b}}-{{K|C}}-{{K|d}}

| build Constructed Down [[Stair]]

| {{K|b}}-{{K|C}}-{{K|x}}

| build Constructed up and down [[Stair]]

Walls, Floors, and Stairs are removed with {{K|d}}-{{K|n}}. Bridges and roads are removed with {{K|q}}.