https://dwarffortresswiki.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=FennecDwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]2026-04-06T17:22:09ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.35.11https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1077840d:Important advice2009-07-01T05:33:27Z<p>Fennec: tweaks and tips</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
** Don't cook all your alcohol or all your [[seed]]s (or all the things that leave seeds). ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen).<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps. Cage traps are also easy (you can make cages out of wood).<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* [[Chain]]ing some [[dog]]s by your front door may deter thieves.<br />
<br />
* Remember that dwarves can be assigned new [[labor|jobs]] at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than sleeping on the ground.)<br />
<br />
* Idle carpenters? It's hard to have too many [[barrel]]s (or too many [[bin]]s... [[bed]]s for the next wave of [[immigrant]]s are pretty handy too). Idle masons? You can fit a lot of [[door]]s into your fortress.<br />
<br />
* Too many [[immigrant]]s? Don't know what to do with them? Have you started an [[army]] yet?<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for tasks such as (for example) building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop.<br />
** If you bring [[bauxite]] to a [[magma]] map, you can build the workshop next to the wagon and get your magma-proof grates/floodgate/mechanisms immediately.<br />
** Lock your [[gem setter]] in a room with some cut [[gem]]s and a [[stockpile]] set to gather quality [[furniture]], so that he doesn't waste time (and valuables) encrusting stupid things like barrels.<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a siege, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific [[quality]] (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a cheap door for the garbage room).<br />
<br />
* If you're scanning the outdoors for your next swath of [[tree]]s, move your view up one level. They will appear as little rectangles on a field of dots and will be easier to spot.<br />
** Speaking of timber, try designating some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside radiating away from your front door to the trees. Your dwarves will stick to the paths somewhat, and probably trample fewer saplings. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
* Bring along a few [[turtle]]s or [[lobster]]s when you start the game. Make sure the dwarves eat them raw ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen). This way you will have a [[shell]] - useful in case you ever run into a [[fey mood|(spoiler)]].<br />
<br />
* Fell free to [[trade]] for basic items like [[meat]] and [[wood]]. They're cheap, and it's easier than gathering them yourself.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1077740d:Important advice2009-07-01T05:22:01Z<p>Fennec: </p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
** Don't cook all your alcohol or all your [[seed]]s (or all the things that leave seeds). ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen).<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* [[Chain]]ing some [[dog]]s by your front door may deter thieves.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new [[labor|jobs]] at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
* Idle carpenters? It's hard to have too many [[barrel]]s (or too many [[bin]]s... [[bed]]s for the next wave of immigrants are pretty handy too). Idle masons? You can fit a lot of [[door]]s into your fortress.<br />
<br />
* Too many immigrants? Don't know what to do with them? Have you started an [[army]] yet?<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a siege, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
* If you're scanning the outdoors for your next swath of [[tree]]s, move your view up one level. They will appear as little rectangles on a field of dots and will be easier to spot.<br />
** Speaking of timber, try designating some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside radiating away from your front door to the trees. Your dwarves will stick to the paths somewhat, and probably trample fewer saplings. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
* Bring along a few [[turtle]]s or [[lobster]]s when you start the game. Make sure the dwarves eat them raw ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen). This way you will have a [[shell]] if you ever need it.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1077640d:Important advice2009-07-01T05:20:41Z<p>Fennec: /* Tricks */</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
** Don't cook all your alcohol or all your [[seed]]s (or all the things that leave seeds). ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen).<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* [[Chain]]ing some [[dog]]s by your front door may deter thieves.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
* Idle carpenters? It's hard to have too many [[barrel]]s (or too many [[bin]]s... [[bed]]s for the next wave of immigrants are pretty handy too). Idle masons? You can fit a lot of [[door]]s into your fortress.<br />
<br />
* Too many immigrants? Don't know what to do with them? Have you started an [[army]] yet?<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a siege, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
* If you're scanning the outdoors for your next swath of [[tree]]s, move your view up one level. They will appear as little rectangles on a field of dots and will be easier to spot.<br />
** Speaking of timber, try designating some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside radiating away from your front door to the trees. Your dwarves will stick to the paths somewhat, and probably trample fewer saplings. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
* Bring along a few [[turtle]]s or [[lobster]]s when you start the game. Make sure the dwarves eat them raw ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen). This way you will have a [[shell]] if you ever need it.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Fire&diff=203040d:Fire2009-07-01T04:40:50Z<p>Fennec: /* Preventing forest fires */</p>
<hr />
<div>A border of exclamation marks (!!) on an item or [[dwarf]] name indicates that it is on '''fire'''.<br />
Items on fire also release smoke and ignite adjacent items. The color of the name of burning dwarves will alternate between yellow and red (it may do so forever after the dwarf died).<br />
<br />
==Previous behaviour==<br />
This had problems in the old version, in that the burning items set other nearby items on fire. A good example:<br />
<br />
#Dwarf gets hit by fireball from [[fire imp]] at the [[magma forge]]<br />
#Dwarf runs around his business, as he takes burning damage he goes for a rest, and heads for the [[barracks]]<br />
#The dwarf dies on the way. Someone comes and picks up his !![[giant cave spider]] [[silk]] [[shoe]]!! and puts it on. His clothing catches on fire<br />
#This dwarf also feels hurt and heads for the barracks, but this one gets on the [[wood]]en [[bed]], lighting that up.<br />
#Nearby beds light up; dwarves sleep on that [[bed]] and the others near it and get lit up themselves, as well as the dwarves going for the !![[cave spider]] [[silk]] [[robe]]!!<br />
#Some of these dwarves go past the [[alcohol]] stores for a drink, these light up. now a fair portion of the fortress is on fire.<br />
#Remaining dwarves will have other barracks to sleep in, and some of them have rooms. they go back and set more of their stuff on fire<br />
#Three months later: everything is burning and all your dwarves are dead because none of them fell in the [[river]](Which in the old version wouldn't actually put your dwarves out).<br />
#Wasn't that [[fun]]?<br />
<br />
==Forest fires==<br />
<br />
===Origins===<br />
Creatures such as [[Fire imp]]s can cause a forest fire by igniting a creature with a fire attack. If grass also ignites, the fire will slowly spread to all connected grass, generating smoke as it burns. Fire turns [[grass]] into ashes, but not usable [[ash|ashes]]. Anything that is flammable and stands on burning grass (if you loo{{k|k}} at it you will see "A fire") has a chance to catch fire each turn.<br />
<br />
===Preventing forest fires===<br />
It is recommended to guard the surroundings of an exterior [[magma]] pool with [[Marksdwarf|Marksdwarves]] so that creatures don't have a chance to light anything up (except the Marksdwarves themselves, but this is unlikely if they are well trained). Having walls or better yet fortifications all around the pools is likely to prevent all possible forest fires. Strangely [[grizzly bear]]s seem to be ineffective against such a threat.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, pour water on top of the pool to turn it to [[obsidian]], sealing it. (But what a waste of magma!)<br />
<br />
===Protecting from forest fires===<br />
Since dwarves will not pay attention to fires , and dwarves will rush to move their dead friends to the graveyard, you may end up very quickly with heavy casualties if you do not {{k|o}}rder all dwarves to stay {{k|i}}nside. If you have precious items and buildings outside, it is also possible to dig a [[channel]] to stop the fire from spreading any more (they are cheaper then walls, offer the same protection and, most importantly, are much faster to create).<br />
<br />
Know however that merchants will not pay anymore attention to the fire than your own dwarves, so you may also want to protect them in the same fashion, even if it should change their path, otherwise they could all happily walk into flames when leaving the region (or worse, stand for days on "A fire").<br />
<br />
===Irregularities===<br />
Forest fires present certain irregularities that you should take in consideration {{version|0.28.181.40d}}:<br />
*[[Trees]], [[plants]] and other [[map tile]]s will '''not''' be destroyed in the fire. That makes them very easy to spot after a forest fire, and also a possible (if unlikely) natural defense. [[Items]], however, may burn.<br />
*Grassy slopes will not catch on fire, thus preventing the fire from spreading across z-levels.<br />
*Forest fires, no matter how big, will never cross a [[channel]] or a non-wooden [[road]].<br />
*In you start a fire in adventure mode, it will not spread if temperature is turned off.<br />
<br />
Note that actively making use of these irregularities may be considered an [[exploit]].<br />
<br />
==Use as a weapon==<br />
This is not recommended, although some success has been reported with the Booze Bomb trap (which consists of a [[fire imp]] in a [[cage]] linked to a [[lever]], standing near an [[alcohol]] stockpile so that it can be released when the enemy get near). It should be noted that this is a criminal waste of good liquor.<br />
<br />
== [[Adventure Mode]] ==<br />
In adventurer mode, it's possible to ignite trees and shrubs with {{k|g}}. The possibilities for killing wolves with the burning corpses of other wolves should not be overlooked. (It should be noted that the {{k|T}}ravel function puts out any inconvenient fires on yourself and your collection of "!!wolf head!!"s, which will probably end up as "Xwolf headX" after your trip). Since steel items do not burn, it is possible to kill friendly guards by setting the right location on fire, and when the hapless speardwarf perishes, heading back and taking his spear to use as a throwing weapon.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1077540d:Important advice2009-07-01T02:24:48Z<p>Fennec: /* Tips */ guard dogs</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
** Don't cook all your alcohol or all your [[seed]]s (or all the things that leave seeds). ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen).<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* [[Chain]]ing some [[dog]]s by your front door may deter thieves.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
* Idle carpenters? It's hard to have too many [[barrel]]s (or too many [[bin]]s... [[bed]]s for the next wave of immigrants are pretty handy too). Idle masons? You can fit a lot of [[door]]s into your fortress.<br />
<br />
* Too many immigrants? Don't know what to do with them? Have you started an [[army]] yet?<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a siege, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
* Designate some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside leading away from your doors, leading to your timber. Your dwarves will trample fewer saplings, so you'll have more trees. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
* Bring along a few [[turtle]]s or [[lobster]]s when you start the game. Make sure the dwarves eat them raw ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen). This way you will have a [[shell]] if you ever need it.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1077440d:Important advice2009-07-01T01:57:10Z<p>Fennec: /* Tips */ seeds, either</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
** Don't cook all your alcohol or all your [[seed]]s (or all the things that leave seeds). ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen).<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
* Idle carpenters? It's hard to have too many [[barrel]]s (or too many [[bin]]s... [[bed]]s for the next wave of immigrants are pretty handy too). Idle masons? You can fit a lot of [[door]]s into your fortress.<br />
<br />
* Too many immigrants? Don't know what to do with them? Have you started an [[army]] yet?<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a siege, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
* Designate some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside leading away from your doors, leading to your timber. Your dwarves will trample fewer saplings, so you'll have more trees. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
* Bring along a few [[turtle]]s or [[lobster]]s when you start the game. Make sure the dwarves eat them raw ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen). This way you will have a [[shell]] if you ever need it.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1077340d:Important advice2009-06-30T22:34:00Z<p>Fennec: /* Tips */</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
** Don't cook all your alcohol. (({{k|z}} >> Kitchen).<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
* Idle carpenters? It's hard to have too many [[barrel]]s (or too many [[bin]]s... [[bed]]s for the next wave of immigrants are pretty handy too). Idle masons? You can fit a lot of [[door]]s into your fortress.<br />
<br />
* Too many immigrants? Don't know what to do with them? Have you started an [[army]] yet?<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a siege, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
* Designate some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside leading away from your doors, leading to your timber. Your dwarves will trample fewer saplings, so you'll have more trees. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
* Bring along a few [[turtle]]s or [[lobster]]s when you start the game. Make sure the dwarves eat them raw ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen). This way you will have a [[shell]] if you ever need it.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1077240d:Important advice2009-06-30T22:08:03Z<p>Fennec: move 'too many immigrants?' to 'tips'</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
** Don't cook all your alcohol. (({{k|z}} >> Kitchen).<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
* It's hard to have too many [[barrel]]s (or too many [[bin]]s).<br />
<br />
* Too many immigrants? Don't know what to do with them? Have you started an [[army]] yet?<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a siege, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
* Designate some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside leading away from your doors, leading to your timber. Your dwarves will trample fewer saplings, so you'll have more trees. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
* Bring along a few [[turtle]]s or [[lobster]]s when you start the game. Make sure the dwarves eat them raw ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen). This way you will have a [[shell]] if you ever need it.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1077140d:Important advice2009-06-30T22:07:37Z<p>Fennec: /* Tricks */</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
** Don't cook all your alcohol. (({{k|z}} >> Kitchen).<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
* It's hard to have too many [[barrel]]s (or too many [[bin]]s).<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a siege, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
* Designate some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside leading away from your doors, leading to your timber. Your dwarves will trample fewer saplings, so you'll have more trees. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
* Bring along a few [[turtle]]s or [[lobster]]s when you start the game. Make sure the dwarves eat them raw ({{k|z}} >> Kitchen). This way you will have a [[shell]] if you ever need it.<br />
<br />
* Too many immigrants? Don't know what to do with them? Have you started an [[army]] yet?<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1077040d:Important advice2009-06-30T21:50:56Z<p>Fennec: /* Tips */ don't cook all the beer.</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
** Don't cook all your alcohol. (({{k|z}} >> Kitchen).<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
* It's hard to have too many [[barrel]]s (or too many [[bin]]s).<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
* Designate some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside leading away from your doors, leading to your timber. Your dwarves will trample fewer saplings, so you'll have more trees. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1076940d:Important advice2009-06-30T21:48:54Z<p>Fennec: /* Tips */ barrels and bins.</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
* It's hard to have too many [[barrel]]s (or too many [[bin]]s).<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
* Designate some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside leading away from your doors, leading to your timber. Your dwarves will trample fewer saplings, so you'll have more trees. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1076840d:Important advice2009-06-30T21:47:12Z<p>Fennec: /* Tricks */</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
* Designate some high-traffic lanes ({{k|d}} {{k|o}} {{k|h}}) outside leading away from your doors, leading to your timber. Your dwarves will trample fewer saplings, so you'll have more trees. (They also won't mess up the ground and leave a bunch of ugly [[sand]] spots scattered around on a sandy map.)<br />
<br />
* Build a walled [[statue]] garden outside your fortress so that your dwarves don't get [[cave adaptation]].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1076740d:Important advice2009-06-30T19:57:29Z<p>Fennec: /* Tricks */</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
* Hitting {{k|x}} when building a building expands the list of items, so you can pick one with a specific quality (a nice bed for a noble's bedroom, or a good door for your dining hall).<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1076640d:Important advice2009-06-30T19:41:07Z<p>Fennec: /* Tips */ workshop traps</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy). Also keep in mind that workshops block certain squares, so if ever notice that your jeweler dies after constructing a workshop with a door on the east side, that's why.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1076540d:Important advice2009-06-30T19:11:39Z<p>Fennec: /* Tips */</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy).<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
* Having a dwarf with the Appraiser skill to be your [[outpost broker]] will help a lot when [[trading]]. Otherwise, you can't see how much an item is worth.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves can be assigned new jobs at any time. If your carpenter has died, your farmer can start making beds. (He probably won't be very good at it, since he doesn't have the skill, but it's better than nothing.)<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1076440d:Important advice2009-06-30T19:03:11Z<p>Fennec: /* Advice */ tileset link</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, with the default [[tilesets|tileset]], your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy).<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1076340d:Important advice2009-06-30T18:52:16Z<p>Fennec: bold</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that '''losing is [[fun]]!''' Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, by default, your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy).<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1076240d:Important advice2009-06-30T18:51:46Z<p>Fennec: /* Advice */ clarify squareness</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that losing is [[fun]]! Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, by default, your display of the fortress is not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy).<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1076140d:Important advice2009-06-30T18:50:41Z<p>Fennec: /* Tips */ -</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that losing is [[fun]]! Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, by default, things are not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy).<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker --> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1076040d:Important advice2009-06-30T18:50:07Z<p>Fennec: /* Tips */ food is yum</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that losing is [[fun]]! Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, by default, things are not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves thrive on [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
* Dwarves also need [[food]], obviously - and a good [[cook]] (and a nice dining hall) go a long way towards keeping your fortress happy.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves tend to get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case they try something crazy).<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's rest.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
* [[Traps]] can help take care of invaders at no risk to your dwarves. Any fortress can build a <!-- tub style mechanical chicken plucker -> bunch of stone-fall traps.<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Food&diff=790840d:Food2009-06-30T18:47:04Z<p>Fennec: food is yum</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Food''' is anything [[dwarves]] eat to ward off starvation, but if they are not able to attain sustenance then they will eventually die. The most common foods are [[butcher|meat]], [[fishing|fish]], [[farming|crops]], and [[plant gathering|gathered shrubs]]. <br />
<br />
Eating good food will make your dwarves happy, so a good [[cook]] is an excellent investment. Also, each dwarf has a [[preference]] for certain foods.<br />
<br />
For details on the different ways to obtain food, see the [[Food guide]].<br />
<br />
==Types of Food==<br />
<br />
Food comes in two main varieties: [[Meat industry|meat]] and [[plants]], with cooked food possibly mixing the two.<br />
<br />
Plants can be grown [[underground]] or on the surface, and a single dedicated [[grower]]/harvester can produce enough food for all but the largest of fortresses. The advantages of plants are the infinite and readily available supply, and the versatility; plants can be [[alcohol|brewed]], made into [[cloth]]ing and [[dye]], and also used as further ingredients for [[cooking]]. Further processing plants leads to greater amount delivered as an end product. The disadvantage is it's exponential growth; without control, [[seed]]/plant [[stockpile]]s will envelop all available space.<br />
<br />
Meat can be obtained from [[hunting]] and [[fishing]], as well as raising livestock. Uncooked meat and fish is subject to [[wear]] and will eventually rot if it is not cooked, even in [[barrel]]s. The advantages are the additional skills raised during hunting, and there is less mass labor required for [[butchering]] meat or [[fish cleaner|cleaning]] fish than planting a seed, waiting for it to grow, eating it, moving the seed back, etc. Cleaned [[Turtle]]s leave behind [[bone]]s and [[shell]]s. [[Animal]]s, when butchered, leave behind large stacks of [[bone]]s, and usually [[raw hide]]s and [[skull]]s. An export industry devoted to bone [[craft]]s can be profitable, and [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]] always benefit from a cheap supply of [[bolt]]s made from bone. The disadvantages are a limited supply of food; in the current version, animals are eventually depleted from a map, and even though aquatic life restocks, there are limited numbers present at a particular time, so larger fortresses usually cannot be supported with hunting/fishing alone. There is also no way to make alcohol from animals, so without trading some plants are necessary. Finally, even though livestock breeding can be unlimited, the additional units on the map required for this to work put additional strain on the CPU, slowing the game down.<br />
<br />
On occasion, if you have a trapper that has captured a [[vermin]] creature in an [[animal trap]], a [[dwarf]] may eat that creature instead of other food.<br />
<br />
==Eating==<br />
<br />
A dwarf with the "Eat" task will pick up a unit of food, often according to his or her dietary preferences, then bring it to an available [[table]] or [[chair]] for consumption. A private [[room]] will normally be chosen over a public room; for this reason, note that a dwarf who owns a table-less [[office]] but no [[dining room]] will [[thought|complain]] about the lack of tables, even if a high-quality public dining room is available. This problem is easily solved by adding a table next to such an office-chair (like you would in a dining room). Also note that eating in a high-quality dining room does wonders for a dwarf's [[Thoughts|mood]].<br />
<br />
Dwarves will eat two meals per season on average, and drink four drinks. A fortress of 100 dwarves will thus consume 800 meals (food-units) and 1600 drinks (booze-units) in a single year. Plan your stockpiles accordingly.<br />
<br />
==Storage==<br />
<br />
Food is stored in food [[stockpile]]s and may be placed in barrels. [[Seed]]s (and powders, such as flour or dye) are put in [[bag]]s, which are themselves stored within barrels. [[Meat]] and [[prepared meal]]s will [[rot]] (making it inedible) if not placed on a stockpile within a month or so. Plants not on a stockpile will wither, which also makes them inedible but does not produce [[miasma]]. Food on a stockpile will never rot, nor will food in a barrel even if it is not on a stockpile. Seeds will never rot no matter where they are.<br />
<br />
According to [[Toady]], [[vermin]] can eat your food, even when it is on a stockpile (although the amount they eat appears to be quite minimal). Food in barrels is even less likely to be eaten by vermin.<br />
<br />
==Cooked food==<br />
<br />
Raw food can be [[cook]]ed into meals at a [[kitchen]]. The wider the variety of ingredients that a meal contains, the greater the number of dwarves who will have a preference for that meal. Additionally, some foods must be cooked before they can be eaten. Cooking destroys all seeds, shells and bones.<br />
<br />
See Also: [[Kitchen#Prepared meals|Kitchen]]<br />
<br />
==Obtaining food==<br />
<br />
The possible sources of food are [[farming]], [[plant gathering|foraging]], [[fishing]], [[caravan|trading]], [[butcher's shop|butchering animals]], [[hunting]], and a few exotic [[cheese|processes]]. Farming is by far the most reliable, foraging is perhaps the easiest to manage, and fishing is good early in a fortresses' life. If you are constantly experiencing problems with starvation, you are well advised to look into alternate means of procuring food.<br />
<br />
==Processing food==<br />
<br />
Some food is inedible raw, and needs processing first. For example:<br />
* [[Fat]] must be rendered ([[kitchen]]) into [[tallow]] and then cooked ([[kitchen]])<br />
* Raw [[fish]] must be [[fish cleaner|cleaned]] ([[fishery]])<br />
* [[Sweet pod]]s must be either milled into [[dwarven sugar]] ([[mill]]/[[quern]]), processed to barrels of [[dwarven syrup]] ([[farmer's workshop]]), or brewed into barrels of [[dwarven rum]] ([[brewery]]) before they can finally be cooked ([[kitchen]])<br />
<br />
Unprocessed food and non-food [[crop]]s will be stored in a food stockpile and take up barrel space, the [[bookkeeper]] can tell you how much of each type of "food" you have in the [[stocks]] screen.<br />
[[Category:Food]]<br />
<br />
==Food is essential==<br />
<br />
Food is crucial to the survival of your fortress. Before you know it your 200 population will dive-bomb right down to 10 or even lower. Your population will go on a downward spiral because of all the Miasma and dead bodies, and of course you'll have fewer farmers/hunters to generate new food. If you're very lucky you can start again in another area, or you can get some helpful migrants.<br />
<br />
Remember to keep a large stockpile of food. If you do not have food;<br />
*Dwarves will become unhappy and generate bad thoughts<br />
*Dwarves will start hunting for vermin instead of doing important jobs<br />
*Dwarves will get upset and start breaking things<br />
*Dwarves will get mad and start trying to kill each other<br />
*Dwarves will die from starvation<br />
*The new dead bodies will only make everyone even more depressed</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1075940d:Important advice2009-06-30T18:38:26Z<p>Fennec: reorganize sections to be more consistent</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that losing is [[fun]]! Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<!-- General suggestions and philosophy --><br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, learn how to [[Maximizing framerate|maximize your framerate]].<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, ''all over again''.<br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things will be much closer when they're downstairs one floor then they if they're 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, by default, things are not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
<!-- Little facts about the game to keep in mind --><br />
* Dwarves ''need'' [[alcohol]]. If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no alcohol for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
<br />
* Dwarves get trapped easily. They like [[Digging#Dig_Priority|building and digging things from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case).<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's sleep.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
<!-- Specific little actions the users can take to make their lives better --><br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Guides]]</div>Fennechttps://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php?title=40d:Important_advice&diff=1075840d:Important advice2009-06-30T18:29:18Z<p>Fennec: Separate tips from tricks. New tips (think 3d, Orders screen, injury person).</p>
<hr />
<div>Here are a few things to keep in mind when playing Dwarf Fortress.<br />
<br />
Above all, one must remember that losing is [[fun]]! Be prepared to lose a few fortresses before you get the hang of things &ndash; it can be easy to accidentally kill the entire fortress while playing around with the different mechanics.<br />
But remember: losing means that next time, you'll remember how you lost! In a big way, Dwarf Fortress uses the principle of learning from one's mistakes.<br />
<br />
== Advice ==<br />
<br />
* Keep in mind that Dwarf Fortress doesn't have a "win" condition: It just has a long series of "lose" conditions.<br />
<br />
* Learn the [[controls]]. There's lots of them, and learning them may seem daunting at first, but once you get the basics down (like how to check the status of your dwarves or the hotkeys for building certain structures), you'll find yourself playing much more efficiently. [[Efficient_gameplay|Efficient Gameplay]] offers some time-saving tips.<br />
<br />
* Save often! Although it can be a hassle to have to quit out and get back in, it's a lot better than having to build that long hallway of stone-fall traps, plant the whole bag of plump helmet seeds, and make that shipment of steel battleaxes for the caravan next year, <i>all over again.</i><br />
** In this vein, there is a seasonal auto-save feature which you can turn on by editing your /data/init/init.txt file.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf drinks only water, the rate at which he gets tasks done decreases. If the fortress has no [[alcohol]] for years, things will slow down quite a bit.<br />
<br />
* If your game is running slowly, see [[Maximizing framerate]] for advice.<br />
<br />
* If you cannot find your answer on this wiki, check out the forums at [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php Bay12games.com]<br />
[[Category:Guides]]<br />
<br />
== Tips ==<br />
* Dwarves get trapped easily. They like building things and [[Digging#Dig_Priority|digging from certain directions]], so try to make sure there is a way out (and keep an eye on them just in case). <br />
<br />
* Think three-dimensionally. You have a Z-axis. Things are closer when they're downstairs one floor then they are 20 tiles away down the hallway. Also note that, by default, things are not square, so north/south distances will appear longer than east/west distances -- they aren't.<br />
<br />
* Workshops, construction and combat are [[noise|noisy]]. Keep your sleeping areas away from noise and your dwarves will get a good night's sleep.<br />
<br />
* Plan ahead a little during construction. When building your first couple dozen rooms, consider that in the future you might want to make certain busy hallways wider so dwarves aren't always climbing over each other. This will be a lot easier if you put rooms back an extra tile so you don't have to rebuild everything.<br />
<br />
* If a dwarf gets badly [[Wound|injured]], he'll need a hospital bed and someone to bring him [[water]] in a [[bucket]]. It's probably a good idea to have a set of those sitting around.<br />
<br />
== Tricks ==<br />
* To find a dead dwarf, go under status ({{k|z}}), then select stock>>corpses. Hit tab, and use {{k|z}} to zoom to the particular dwarf to find a hint on where and how he died.<br />
<br />
* Don't like all the stone laying around? Instead of using a stone [[stockpile]] create a 1-square garbage [[zone]] and [[dump]] the stone. Reclaim the stone after it's been dumped. This way, you can store an unlimited amount of stone in just 1 tile! (This is especially useful when the tile in question is next to your mason shop).<br />
<br />
* Usually the closest available material is used for ambiguous tasks such as building a floodgate, but not always. To prevent frustration, you can make a custom stockpile (e.g. for [[bauxite]]) next to your workshop and close the dwarf in. Don't forget theres a z-axis, so make sure there aren't unwanted materials above/below your workshop. (A good start for magma maps is to build the workshop next to the wagon, and get your magma-proof grate/floodgate/mechanisms painlessly)<br />
<br />
* The Standing Orders ({{k|o}}) screen can be used for a variety of useful settings, like having your dwarves temporarily ignore wood, or all hide inside for a seige, or making your weavers stop heading outside all the time to collect spiderwebs and get slaughtered by wild animals.</div>Fennec