Editing Need

{{Quality|Superior|01:25, 31 October 2016 (UTC)}}

'''Needs''' affect a creature's focus. Needs that are unmet for long enough will cause [[DF2014:Stress|Stress]], become bad [[thought]]s, and increasingly damage the creature's '''focus'''. Sufficiently well satisfied needs will improve the focus.

The need system replaces the generalized [[on break]] feature of previous versions. Dwarves will sometimes perform jobs that satisfy their personal needs, instead of working for the betterment of the fortress. These personal fulfillment jobs generally come in two varieties: low-priority (indicated by green text, e.g. {{DFtext|Listen to Poetry|2:1}}), or high-priority (magenta text with an exclamation point, e.g. {{DFtext|Pray to Lorsïth!|5:1}}).  Low-priority jobs may be cancelled to undertake a fortress job.  High-priority jobs will not be cancelled for fortress jobs.

Focus affects a dwarf's ability to perform. The better focused a dwarf is, the swifter she finishes all her tasks. Unfocused dwarves take longer to do everything. Focus is separate and independent of overall mood; a dwarf can be happy even with largely unmet needs. However prolonged insufficiency in meeting needs is a cause for both low focus and bad thoughts. Thus Focus can, with prudence, be used to predict future mood developments.

Focus represents the percentage of the combined totals of met over unmet Need values. The ratio of 1:1 (100%) represents a neutral state.

An individual creature's set of Needs and their weights (levels) are affected by [[personality trait]]s. For instance, a dwarf that values romance will be unfocused "after being unable to make romance", while a dwarf that personally values nature will be unfettered "after seeing animals". Unreligious dwarves will have no need to pray or meditate; dubious and casual worshippers will have low or medium level needs to pray; committed believers will have high level need; and dwarves following multiple deities will have a separate prayer need with a separate level for each of their deities. Proposed weights per need level are 1, 2, 5, and 10.

As expected, high-level needs hold a much heftier sway in a dwarf's overall focus than low level needs. Curiously, the large majority of dwarves seems to only have low level need for [[alcohol]] and functioning quite well without it as long as they are otherwise satisfied. A small percentage have no need for alcohol at all, in effect being immune to alcohol withdrawal.

Needs are shown in a dwarf's [[thoughts and preferences]] description page, which can be accessed by {{k|v}}iewing that dwarf then {{k|p}}, {{k|z}}, {{k|Enter}}, or from the {{k|u}}nit menu with {{k|v}}iew, {{k|Enter}}.

{| class = "wikitable sortable"

| {{DFtext|Unfettered|2:1}}|| 300 - 400

| {{DFtext|Level-headed|2:0}}|| 200 - 299

| {{DFtext|Untroubled|7:1}}|| 100 - 199

| {{DFtext|Not distracted|7:0}}|| -999 - 99

| {{DFtext|Unfocused|6:0}}|| -9999 - -1000

| {{DFtext|Distracted|6:1}}|| -99999 - -10000

| {{DFtext|Badly distracted|4:1}}|| < -100000

When a Need is satisfied, its value is refreshed to maximum (400), regardless of previous value. There is no minimum to how {{DFtext|Badly distracted|4:1}} a need can get. A deeper negative value won't further reduce total Focus, which is based on a ratio of all Need's Focus rating.

|(assumedly a sufficient amount of fortress tasks)

|ARTWORK

|Varied; including at least being in danger

|(Socialize with close family members?)

|(Perform any improvisational form?)

|read anything, compose song or poetry (automatically self-indulgent), craft a figurine of yourself (?)

|(Recite any poem?)

|(interacting with spouse/partner?)

|Animal must also see the dwarf.

|Acquire any item (usually replace a worn piece of clothing)

|Unknown, possibly eating a preferred food

|Complete a Fish, Return kill (hunt) or Gather plants job

|Bring water or food to patient/prisoner; bring wounded units to rest.

|Read or write any written content, or compose music or a poem. Possibly using Architect skill?

|Exposure to artful furniture, artistic crafts, or engravings.

|Spea{{k|k}} to anyone or reply to greeting

|drink alcohol

|Spea{{k|k}}, Pray to <Deity>

|ARTWORK

|Unimplemented

|Use any Skill

|Unknown

|Uncertain, possibly encounter LARGE_ROAMING?

|Unknown, possibly eating a preferred food

|Wear any item with a quality modifier

|Move to/from any site or region tile / completed fish, hunt(return kill) and gather plants in fort mode

Satisfying any need will result in a good thought and a decrease in stress.

Upon creating your adventurer you may want to avoid having any of the non-fulfillable needs: romance, family, friends. Otherwise, you will suffer never-ending [[focus]] disadvantages. Immoderation too is only technically fulfillable for the itinerant adventurer without a fortress' industry to reliably produce her preferred food.

Some precaution is necessary in sacrifice/altruism -> helping capability is not available as long as you're quite weak (fighting; companions), and maybe in martial prowess if you're not constantly fighting and so increasing your stats. To fulfill your booze needs you'll have to visit human towns' taverns or dwarven fortresses quite often (and fill your extra water storage containers with ale from the barrels for on the road).