Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

v0.34:Armor

2012-06-05T00:11:57Z

GoldenShadow: /* Upper Body */ mail shirt changed in 34.11

{{quality|Exceptional|14:29, 21 November 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

Armor is the protective equipment used to reduce/deflect damage during [[combat]]. It comes in several pieces, each one protecting a certain area. The purpose of each piece is pretty much self-explanatory. Note that breastplates only protect upper/lower torso areas, while mail shirts also cover the upper arms. Ears, nose, lips and teeth are exposed, even in full armor, whilst robes and capes tend to cover the throat.

'''The actual effectiveness of a given piece of armor depends on the weapon(s) being used against it.'''

Keeping in mind the armored enemies you are likely to meet, it is advisable to equip your military dwarves with at least iron armor. Testing in the arena shows that armored dwarves have a huge advantage over the unarmored ones, usually taking no casualties while making short work of their enemies. (But you shouldn't need this wiki to figure that out.)

== Basics ==
=== Purpose ===
Armor's purpose is simple: to allow your dwarves to better withstand damage in combat. Where an unarmored dwarf hit by a weapon would invariably suffer damage, well-armored dwarves have a good chance of blunting the damage or bouncing it off altogether, reducing major strikes to mere bruises and grave wounds to serious ones. [[Clothes]], though not specifically recognized by the game as armor, nonetheless also functions in that sense, often blocking weak attacks (and rendering a clothed dwarf a better fighter than a naked one).

A clothed dwarf takes little more than a few seconds to die to a [[goblin]] [[ambush]]. One clad in a full set of exceptional steel armor, meanwhile, can expunge a goblin squad of most of its ammo and a half a minute of its time before finally dying. Dwarves armed only with weapons might be a sufficient response to thieves and local wildlife, but a serious [[military|army]] requires equally serious armor.

=== Types of armor ===
In terms of classifications, armor can be classed into three different types. The first is [[clothing]], made of [[leather]] or [[cloth]]. Clothing can only deflect very weak attacks - say, a [[raven]] bite - but nonetheless can dampen damage. Most dwarves will be wearing clothing; those that aren't will usually be very [[tantrum|unhappy]], [[baby|babies]], or [[insane]]. The second type is [[leather]] annd [[bone]] armor, which is specialized for the purpose from clothing; it is very weak, but still better than nothing. The last type is true [[metal]] armor, made at a [[metalsmith's forge]]; it is this armor that is made by an [[armorer]], and should be used by a serious military.

Though all clothes can protect from damage, a "true" suit of armor consists of the following pieces:
*'''Leather armor''': Protects upper body, leather only.
*'''Mail Shirt''': Protects upper body and upper arms, made of chain mail (slightly weaker, but cheaper to produce).
*'''Breastplate''': Protects upper body, can be worn over a mail shirt.
*'''Helms''': Protect the head.
*'''Gauntlets''': Protect the hands and wrists.
*'''Leggings''': Protect upper and middle legs, made of chain mail.
*'''Greaves''': Protect upper and middle legs, made of plate mail.
*'''Low boots''': Protects feet.
*'''High boots''': Protects feet and lower legs.
*'''Buckler''': Can be used to block attacks.
*'''Shields''': Can be used to block attacks (better than a buckler).

=== Armor skill ===
Armor use trains the [[armor user]] [[skill]]. The exact way in which this skill is applied in combat is poorly understood; in testing the movement speed and armor penetration were the same for untrained dwarves as for legendary ones. Nonetheless, arena testing indicates that more novice armor users are injured far more often than more skilled dwarves, leading to the theory that the skill modifies armor block change.

Every time a dwarf reflects an attack with their armor ([[reports|report]]ed as "the attack was deflected by his/her <armor>"), they will receive 30 [[experience]]. The skill can trained with a [[danger room]], by attacking local wildlife, or through [[live training]] schemes.

=== Shield skill ===
Likewise, shield use trains the [[shield user]] [[skill]]. Shields are a special piece of armor that can be worn on one arm (and cannot be worn with two-handed weapons) and can be used to block attacks better than equivalent armor can (a difference amounting to deflection instead of broken bones), greatly increasing dwarven survivability. The skill modifies how often the dwarf will be able to block an attack with the shield, and is likewise trained every time the shield is used to block an attack, at 30 experience apiece. It can be trained in the same ways.

=== Material ===
:''See also: [[Metal#Weapon and armor quality]]''

{|border="1" cellpadding="5" style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;text-align:left"
! Material !! Workshop !! Labor !! Notes
|-
| [[Metal]] || [[Metalsmith's forge]] || [[Armorsmith|Armoring]] || Best choice; see notes below
|-
| [[Bone]] || [[Craftsdwarf's workshop]] || [[Bone carver|Bone carving]] || Leggings, greaves, gauntlets and helms only
|-
| [[Leather]] || [[Leather works]] || [[Leatherworking]] || Light and unencumbering but weak protection.
|-
| [[Cloth]] || [[Clothier's shop]] || [[Clothier|Clothesmaking]] || Limited protection, nearly useless against metal.
|-
| [[Wood]] || [[Carpenter's workshop]] || [[Carpentry]] || Shield/buckler only (except [[Elf|Elves]])
|}

Armor material is extremely important to combat; fully [[iron]]-armored dwarves with iron short swords stand no chance against those clad in [[steel]]. In general, slashing weapons will have difficulty piecing armor made of the same weapons-grade material as the weapon, piercing weapons will be increasingly blunted, and blunt weapons will break bones through armor almost regardless of its material. Rigid armor provides limited blunt protection, and the chain mail shirts and leggings provide next to none. Even adamantine armor only prevents an estimated 13% of blows, demonstrating the utility of the slow but sure war hammer.

{|border="1" cellpadding="5" style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;text-align:center"
! colspan=5|Metal armor comparison
|-
! Poor !! Good !! Excellent !! Best
|-
| Copper || Iron/Bronze<nowiki>*</nowiki> || Steel || Adamantine
|}

* [[Copper]] armor is the lowest-grade type of metal armor, but also the easiest to get, requiring one of [[native copper]], [[malachite]], or [[tetrahedrite]] (next-to-guaranteed on any embark containing more than one metal).
* [[Bronze]] is an [[alloy]] of copper and [[tin]], requiring [[cassiterite]]. It is much improved over copper armor, and has slightly better material properties than iron, but also weights more.
* [[Bismuth bronze]] is just bronze alloyed with [[bismuth]], fancier colored but more expensive to produce and with the same material definitions.
* [[Iron]] is a fairly commonly found as [[hematite]], [[limonite]], or [[magnetite]]. It is comparable to bronze.
* [[Steel]] is the best non-candy armor material, and requires [[fuel]], [[flux]], [[iron]], and [[pig iron]] in its manufacturing. Note that steel is worth its weight in [[gold]]; making lots of armor is a sure way to attract attention, but at least it's going into shiny armor, right?
* [[Adamantine]] is only found beneath the third [[cavern]] layer, plumbing the depths of the [[magma sea]]; it can be used to create unparallelled armor, but is very time-consuming to produce, in addition to being hazardous to mine. It is immensely valuable to boot.

A detailed breakdown can be found [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=53571.0 here].

=== Quality and strange moods ===
Quality is an important modifier on armor. Armor gets a deflection bonus based on quality level, but its effect is only known for regular (1x), masterwork (2x), and artifact (3x) armor; presumably, the quality ranks in between are progressive.

{{DF2012:Item quality/Table}}

This means that, effectively, masterworks produced by legendary [[armorer]]s cut damage done by as much as half. This, combined with the need to produce a lot of armor, makes armorers far and away the most desired dwarves for [[strange mood]]s, and various schemes exist for influencing such an event.

Dwarves in strange moods can produce legendary artifacts, which benefit from a 3x multiplier, three times as good as a more mundane piece of armor. However, artifacts can be made of totally inappropriate materials, and the spectacularly low defensive values of a [[rainbow trout]] [[bone]] mail shirt vastly outweigh any bonuses it gets. This can be problematic when your [[militia commander]] drops everything to retrieve himself his new piece of candy. Nonetheless, artifact-quality weapons-grade armor are very strong defensively.

Strange moods are an exception to the number of bars rule; only one bar is required for the item itself, although additional materials may be gathered for decoration.

=== Attachment ===
Dwarves that have used a particular piece of armor for an extended period of time may grow attached to it, becoming unhappy if it is taken away. This is fine if it is a pair of ☼Steel Greaves☼, but a major problem if they are using what is meant to be interim armor. This happens less often with armor than it does for weapons. These events generate announcements.

=== Mechanics ===
There is no hard difference between clothing and armor, something accentuated by regular clothing's ability to block attacks. Armor can be thought of as metal clothing, thicker and made of materials that have a much better chance of blocking attacks. Armor is, however, different in that it is not subject to [[wear]], and the fact that only non-clothing garments increase the armor user skill.

The availability of specific articles of clothing varies by [[civilization]], and each has its own set of clothing that it can produce. In Fortress mode, shoes and sandals are in the same clothing class, but only the latter can be produced by dwarves, where the former must be stripped off of dead enemies. It is important to understand that dwarves are gender-insensitive; a male dwarf may well put on a dress.

Non-armor clothing can provide some defense, most importantly to areas that are not covered by regular armor. The ears, nose, lips, and teeth are always exposed, even in full armor. Robes and capes will protect the cover the throat and provide a bulwark of low-level protection, making them useful for military dwarves, especially those you plan to send through the [[danger room]].

== Layers ==

The layers are, in order from inner to outer:
*Under
*Over
*Armor
*Cover

==Types of Protection==
The number of regular metal bars needed to make a piece of metal armor is equal to the material size divided by 3, rounded down with a minimum of one. The number of adamantine wafers or stacks of cloth required to create armor is equal to the material size.

===Headgear===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Clothing Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor Level*
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Material Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Materials
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Size]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Permit]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Layer
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Coverage %
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Bars
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cap[S]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|+
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L,M
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1

|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Helm[S]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1+
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|L,B,S,M
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|30
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Hood
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cover
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Mask†[S]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Turban†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Head Veil†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Face Veil†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Headscarf†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|}

===Upper Body===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Clothing Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor Level*
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Material Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Materials
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Size]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Permit]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Layer
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Coverage %
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Coverage|UBSTEP]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Coverage|LBSTEP]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Bars
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Dress
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Shirt
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|3
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Tunic
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|3
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Toga
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|30
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Vest
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Robe
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|6
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Coat
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Leather Armor[S]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|6
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Mail Shirt
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|6
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|M
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Breastplate[S]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|3
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|9
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|M
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|3
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cloak
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|150
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cover
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cape†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|300
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cover
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|}
[[Quiver]] and [[Backpack]] are also worn on upper body, counting towards layer permit size.

===Hands===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Clothing Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor Level*
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Material Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Materials
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Size]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Permit]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Layer
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Coverage %
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Coverage|UPSTEP]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Bars
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Gloves
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Gauntlets[S]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|B,S,M
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Mittens
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cover
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|150%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|}

Each crafting job produces a pair of gloves, gauntlets or mittens -- one right-handed and one left-handed. The items from a single job may have different quality levels.

===Lower Body===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Clothing Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor Level*
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Material Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Materials
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Size]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Permit]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Layer
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Coverage %
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Coverage|LBSTEP]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Bars
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Trousers
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|4
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|30
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Leggings[S]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1+
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|L,B,S,M
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|30
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Greaves[S]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|3
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|6
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|B,M
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|30
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Loincloths†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|30
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Thongs†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|30
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|25%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Skirts (Short)†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Skirts†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Skirts (Long)†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Braies†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|3
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|30
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|}

===Footwear===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Clothing Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor Level*
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Material Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Materials
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Size]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Permit]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Layer
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Coverage %
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Coverage|UPSTEP]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Bars
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Socks
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Sandals†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|25
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Shoes
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|C,L
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Over
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|N/A
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Low Boots
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|L,M
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|25
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|High Boots
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1+
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|L,M
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|25
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Chausses (sockmail)†
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|3
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|L,M
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Under
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|100%
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|MAX
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|}

Each crafting job produces one pair of footwear. Unlike gloves, footwear items are interchangeable (they are not right- or left-footed). The two items from a single crafting job may have different quality levels.

===Shield===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Clothing Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Armor Level*
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Material Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Materials
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Size]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|Permit]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Layer
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Coverage %
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Armor#Coverage|UPSTEP]]
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Bars
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Buckler
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|L,M,W
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|NA
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|NA
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|NA
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Shield
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|4
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|L,M,W
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|NA
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|NA
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|NA
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|2
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|1
|}

* * {{=}} Items without an armor rating are considered clothing. Armor levels 1-3 were referred to as 'leather', 'chain' or 'plate' in earlier versions.
* + {{=}} The armor level of an item with a "+" can be increased by one if made from metal.
* † {{=}} This article cannot be crafted by dwarves (except for [[artifact]]s), but may be purchased in trade.
* [S] {{=}} shaped item, max one [S] per body slot (e.g. plate mail cannot be worn with leather armor, but can be worn with chain mail, and greaves and leggings cannot be combined).
* Materials can be Cloth, Leather, Bone, Shell, Metal, or Wood.

==Equipping Clothing==

Items in Dwarf Fortress must be equipped in a specific order. A dwarf must equip a layer type of Under before he equips a layer of type Over, for example. The complete order goes: Under, Armor, Over, Cover. It is common among civilians to see a dwarf equip pants with no undergarments due to this restriction, even when an undergarment is available. This is typically not an issue with soldiers, however.

There is no restriction on wearing multiple items of the same type ''(Unless the item is shaped [S])''. You can, for example, wear 3 cloaks without penalty.

===Process for equipping a new piece of clothing===

The following variables will be used in the logic below:
:'''Current Item''' refers to the specific item being equipped.
:'''Total Size''' refers to the [[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|size]] of all items equipped on that body part, excluding the item to be equipped (while including those on a different [[Armor#Size, Permit, and layering armor|layer]]).
:'''Permit''' refers to the maximum allowable size of items equipped on the same or lower level as the item to be equipped.

In order to equip a new item, the dwarf (or other creature) ...
:*will determine if he is eligible to wear the item in question (Perhaps the body part is missing/severed).
:*must start with the lowest layer first, continuing to the next layer when no other items of that layer need to be equipped
:*checks if the item is shaped [S], and will only equip the item if no other shaped items are equipped '''on that body part'''.
:*will equip items with lowest permit level first. If two items share the same permit value, the highest size item will be equipped first{{verify}}.
:*then checks if his total size (excluding the current item) is less than the current item's permit.
:*If all above logic is true, the dwarf will equip the item.

===Equipment process example===

Each item is listed in order of being equipped, the primary focus of this example is that the total size must be equal to, or less than the permit size of the item being equipped. Like above, the total size ''excludes the size of the item being equipped''.

{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"

!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Item Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Permit
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Total Size*
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Breastplate [S]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|0
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Mail Shirt
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|20
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Mail Shirt
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|35
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Mail Shirt
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|50
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;color:#F00;"|Mail Shirt
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;color:#F00;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;color:#F00;"|50
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;color:#F00;"|65
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cloak
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|150
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|65
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cloak
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|150
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|80
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cloak
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|150
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|95
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cloak
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|150
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|110
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cloak
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|150
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|125
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Cloak
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|150
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|140
|-

|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;color:#F00;"|Cloak
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;color:#F00;"|15
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;color:#F00;"|150
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;color:#F00;"|155
|}

* * = Total Size include the size of all equipped items, but does not include the item being equipped
*Red Text = This item cannot be equipped, because the total size is larger than the item's permitted size.

==Size, Permit, and layering armor==

The '''Size''' and '''Permit''' values govern how much clothing or armor can be worn.

Under the old system the lowest "permit" value for any given body part is used: for instance, if a dwarf is wearing a dress (permit value: 50) and a total of 50 or more ''size'' worth of clothing on the upper body, it cannot put any more clothing on the upper body. (This explains why the old [[40d:dungeon master|dungeon master]]s tend to wear several cloaks: they arrive at the fortress wearing only a cloak on the upper body (permit 150), and can put on a total of 10 of them, at 15 size each.)

Unfortunately, [LAYER:COVER] items are the only items playing by the old rules. This much is certain from testing in arena mode.

:*If the item to be add is a [LAYER:COVER] item, add the total item size on the body part, if this sum is '''less than or equal to''' the item's permit value then evaluate as true.
:*If a [LAYER:ARMOR] item is present or to be added and if the sum of the non [LAYER:COVER] items would be '''less than''' the sum of the [LAYER:ARMOR] size+permit values then evaluate as true.
:*If one or more items of the same non-[LAYER:COVER] layer as the one being added are present and if the sum of their size values is '''less than''' the smallest permit value then evaluate as true.
:*If the sum of the size values for all items on the body part are '''less than or equal to''' the permit value of the item about to be added then evaluate as true.

The item is allowed if all rules either evaluate to true or are not applicable. This is in addition to the rule allowing only one shaped item on a given body part at a time.

Example: A helm (30 size,20 permit) means you can put on a mask (20,10) or two caps (10,20), but only two head veils (10,100). Any of these configurations can fit 6 additional hoods if desired.

Example: Wearing a cap (10,15) allows only one face veil (10,100), because they are both [LAYER:UNDER], but an additional combined total of up to 9 head veils and hoods is possible.

Note that the armor value of socks and other clothing is unknown under the new system - however, wearing them under "armor" such as boots is recommended for an adventurer.

'''[[Adventurer mode]]''' follows the arena rules so it is possible to have three chain mail shirts (15,50), a breastplate (20,50), and 25 capes (10,300) on ones upper body plus a helm and six hoods on ones head. Confirmation is needed to see if [[fortress mode]] follows the old rules or the new arena rules. (I tested this and found that Urist McNopants follows a totally different set of rules than either of these. His rules tell him to forget both caps all of the hoods both socks and his trousers, and each sucessive time he gets dressed he feels the need to do it differently.)

===Some more workaround about Size, Permit and Layering===

* You can only have one shaped armor piece (marked with '''[S]''') per body part.
* The total size of non-cover items must be ''lower'' than any armour piece's permit + size total.
* The total size of all items of any layer on any body part must be lower than the lowest permit value (excluding that item).
* The total size of all items on any body part must be lower than the size + permit value of any cover item.
* All items are put on in order of their layer.

As an example, lets say you want to kit out your soldiers upper body. Try walking through this in arena mode to get a feel for it.

You start off with a [[steel]] breastplate. This has a size of '''20''' and a permit of '''50'''. It is also '''shaped''', so you can't add any other shaped items; no more breastplates and no [[leather]] armor.

Now you want to add mail shirts. Each one has a permit of '''50''' and a size of '''15'''. You can add three of these if you want. It checks the size against each of the armour pieces permit + size (or rather, the permit value ignoring that items size in the calculation), like so;
* Against each of the mail shirts, you have '''2 x 15 = 30''' total size in mail shirts, '''+ 20''' from the breastplate, matching the '''50''' permit.
* Against the breastplate you have '''3 x 15 = 45 < 50''', fine.
Now if you add a fourth mail shirt these test will fail. However, because of the layering order (mail shirts being armour layer 2, the breastplate armour layer 3) the breastplate is added after the shirts. This results in the breastplate being dropped.

Because this reaches the '''50''' permit limit for the mail shirts, you can't add more non-cover items without substituting them for existing items. If you want a robe (size '''20'''), for example, you need to remove two of the mail shirts to clear a total size of '''30''', which then lets you add an extra size '''10''' shirt, vest or whatever.

However, you can add cover layer items. In this case, cloaks. Each cloak has a size of '''15''' and a permit of '''150'''. Taking into account the '''50''' size already on the upper body, we can add '''100''' size worth of cloaks. This lets us add '''6''' ('''x 15 = 90''') cloaks over the existing armour.

Going through like this for the rest of the body (most of it is simpler) gives you a final setup of;

'''Head''' 
1 x helm 
6 x hood

'''Upper Body''' 
1 x breastplate 
3 x mail shirts 
6 x cloaks

'''Upper Body (cheap)''' 
6 x dress 
3 x robe 
3 x cloak 

'''Lower Body''' 
3 x long skirts 
1 x greaves

'''Lower Body (no foreign items)''' 
2 x trousers 
1 x greaves

'''Lower Body (cheap)''' 
2 x trousers 
1 x leggings

'''Hands''' 
1 x pairs of gauntlets 
1 x pairs of mittens

'''Hands (cheap)''' 
2 x pairs of gloves 
1 x pairs of mittens

'''Feet''' 
1 x pairs of chausses 
1 x pairs of high boots

'''Feet (no foreign items)''' 
1 x pairs of socks 
1 x pairs of high boots

'''Feet (cheap)''' 
1 x pairs of socks 
1 x pairs of shoes

Of course, so long as the bugs are still around, we are likely to see dwarves wearing more than this or refusing to put parts on because they found their boots before their socks.

''Note: "Cheap" implies the set can be made from secondary materials such as bone and cloth with item types not overlapping with the other, more combat oriented set which use metal, leather and cloth (for socks). As a rule of thumb, combat sets provide better protection but cheap sets are lighter and easier to mass produce.''

==Coverage==

There are three tags that govern how far coverage reaches.

:'''[UBSTEP]'''
This token, when applied to torso armor, controls how far 'up' the body an item of armor reaches. Basically you can think of it as going out in stages along the body. It doesn't cover legs. It doesn't cover body parts with certain tags (notably [HEAD], [GRASP] and [STANCE], or the head). It can cover the children of such body parts (such as parts of the face) if it extends beyond them. The upper body and lower body are counted as 0 steps away, and so both always covered.

Breastplates have a default of 0, meaning they only cover the torso. 
Mail shirts have [UBSTEP:1], so cover the upper arms and throat.

A number of clothing items have [UBSTEP:MAX]. What exactly this covers depends on a certain bug, but unless you are making adamantine robes you probably won't get that much extra protection this way anyway. This would mean, for example, they would cover the upper arm, lower arm, skip the hand, then cover the fingers. The same goes for facial features (and, oddly, the throat) after skipping the head and the toes after skipping the entire legs and feet. 
The clothes with these properties seem to be robes, cloaks, coats, shirts and dresses. However, of these only robes and dresses also have [LBSTEP:MAX] (see below) and so I'm not sure if anything else would actually cover toes or not. Needs additional testing.

Testing in arena: in three 15x15 dwarves battles where both sides was equiped with iron battle axes and iron full armor and one of the teams was enforced with leather robes, team with robes was a victorious (2-3 survivors).

:'''[LBSTEP]'''
This token, when applied to torso armor or pants, controls how much of the legs an item covers. Legs in this case are defined as [LIMB] body parts that end in a [STANCE] body part (eg, foot). Arms are [LIMB]s, but end in a [GRASP] hand instead. Because the upper and lower body are effectively zero steps from each other, torso armor can extend this way easily.

Both greaves and leggings have [LBSTEP:MAX] and so cover the entire leg to the best of their ability. 
Mail shirts have [LBSTEP:1] and so can protect the upper legs. A range of other clothes (including cloaks) and leather armor also have this.
As mentioned above, robes and dresses have [LBSTEP:MAX] and so cover the entire legs. These also have [UBSTEP:MAX] and so cover the entire body. Although not the strongest armor, a leather (or maybe adamantine?) robe or dress gives you maximum coverage.

:'''[UPSTEP]'''
This token, when applied to gloves or shoes, determines how far up the limb the armor protects. As with [LBSTEP], this doesn't cover anything but the [LIMB] tag body parts, but it does cover arms as well as legs.

Low boots literally only cover the foot. 
High boots have [UPSTEP:1], so cover the lower leg. If you consider the upper legs can covered by [LBSTEP] from above, you can effectively have an entire layer of chain armor on the legs from high boots and a mail shirt even before adding leg armor. This is why I go with greaves for a plate layer.
Gauntlets have [UPSTEP:1], so cover the lower arms. Because there is no other protection for arms as there is for legs, you need gauntlets and mail shirts to protect your arms fully.
Chausses are a very rare sock substitute, but they are the only items to have [UPSTEP:MAX] and so offer full leg coverage while being exactly the same size as regular socks. The perfect undergarment.

The whole method is pretty nifty with just two problems. 
* Faces can't be covered by head armor.
* Throats cannot be protected by metal armor (except adamantine cloth).

In previous versions toes and fingers were not protected by armor. However as of 31.17 both are now protected by the relevant armor type, e.g gauntlets cover fingers and boots cover toes.

== Other Restrictions ==

In fortress mode, "under" layers cannot be put on over "over" layers, so, for instance, a dwarf cannot put on socks unless it first removes its shoes. They can wear over layers without putting an under layer on first, which explains their fondness for "going commando" (trousers without loincloth). Dwarves will only put on the specific armor they are told to put on -- unless they are not told what to wear.

Also, if you do not tell dwarves to replace clothing with a uniform, they will wear it alongside the uniform and possibly come into conflict with layering and sizes/permits, making them unable to wear assigned items.

In adventurer mode, you have direct control over what armor you put on, and are only limited by permit and "one only" (shaped) restrictions. This means you can wear three suits of chain mail (total size 45) plus another suit of chain or plate on top of them. On top of this, you can add six cloaks.

== Bugs ==

In adventurer mode, putting a pair of socks (or any under-layer foot wear) on before putting on a pair of boots (or any over-layer foot wear) will keep you from putting on the last boot. So the order sock, sock, boot, boot doesn't work, but changing the order to sock, boot, sock, boot does. This is a very minor bug.

Another bug report suggests that in fortress mode items may be equipped in the order that they are produced, instead of in the order that they are listed on the dwarf's equipment selection screen.{{bug|4932}}

v0.34:Ambusher

2012-06-03T04:25:51Z

GoldenShadow: /* Postprocessing */ rewrite

{{Quality|Exceptional|10:50, 12 July 2010 (UTC)}}
{{Skill
| color = 2:0
| skill = Ambusher
| specialty = Hunter
| profession = [[Ranger]]
| job name = [[Hunting]]
| tasks =
* Hunt
| attributes =
* Agility
* Focus
* Spatial Sense
* Kinesthetic Sense
}}
{{av}}

[[Dwarves]] with the '''hunting''' [[labor]] enabled automatically use the '''ambusher''' skill while hunting outside of the fortress, which allows them to sneak up on their prey. The ambusher skill is listed among the 'misc' skills. Dwarves using the ambush skill move more slowly, but, if successful, cannot be seen by enemies. Once close enough, the ambusher skill is no longer relevant, and the hunter will engage in standard [[combat]] with their prey using their crossbow.

Since hunting is employed by players with varying success and your military will go after any game that looks at them funny anyway, you might be better off doing the good old 'hunt with your military'. After all, your military can be told to pick a specific target, and, more convenient, to ''stop'', too. One must remove the hunting labor from the hunter to get them to stop.

==Caveats==
A dwarf with the hunting labor enabled will sleep outside, causing unhappy thoughts. It may thus be necessary to watch the mood of a full-time hunter and take him off the job in time.

Animals will appear randomly on the edge of a map, especially once the map is cleared of all wildlife. This can result in your [[hoary marmot|marmot]] hunter suddenly having an unpleasant chitchat with an [[elephant]], [[giant eagle]], or worse. That said, a seasoned and well-equipped hunter is more than a match for a giant eagle, and can be a good preemptive defense for your above-ground workers.

Hunters using crossbows must have a [[quiver]] to hold their bolts. Due to this change of behavior in version 0.31.x, the standard load for embarking now includes 3 quivers.

An unskilled hunter will crawl in ambush mode, making the hunter unable to reach fast animals like badgers. Fortunately, an experienced one will be able to rapidly bring down even swift prey.

Ten novice hunters working together can take down even very large, very fast animals.

A highly skilled and agile hunter will be able to single-handedly take down nearly anything.

== Adventurer mode ==
In [[adventurer mode]], ambusher skill is gained by moving around while {{key|S}}neaking, during which hostile [[creatures]] will not target you. Sneak mode remains active until toggled off, until detected by an enemy, or during sleep and fast travel (so it's impossible to sneak against a random encounter.) At lower skill levels, speed is greatly reduced, but the penalty gradually reduces until negated at Legendary skill, and it's possible to sneak at full movement rate. Chance of detection is also reduced, and a more skilled ambusher can remain in close combat for longer without being detected. The yellow announcement text "You have been spotted!" indicates that sneak mode is no longer active against any hostiles in range.

== Hunting ==
A hunter picks a mark at random, which he then pursues. Hunters seem to switch marks under certain circumstances. As an ambusher gets closer to his prey, there is a greater and greater chance he or she will be spotted by the animal and stop ambushing. Higher skill allows dwarves to get closer before being spotted, and also increases the speed at which a dwarf can move while sneaking.

Generally, when the dwarf is within shooting range the dwarf will move to engage. From there, the ambusher skill has no effect, and only combat skills are used.

Upon killing the prey, a hunter will usually carry it home to the [[butcher's shop]]. A hunter may kill other [[creatures]] that are closer to them than the fleeing mark he is intent on catching. They will ignore the accidental carcass and only bring home a carcass they have marked beforehand. This means that sometimes multiple dead critters per hunt will be lying about and start rotting around the map if you do not set the refuse orders to 'gather refuse from outside' ([[corpse|corpses]] count as refuse). If you do this and have a good system of [[stockpile|stockpiles]], available dwarf [[hauling|haulers]] and a map free of menacing critters (like with calm [[surroundings]]), then you should have the outside of your fort just as tidy as the inside, and will be able to salvage the corpses. If you do that on the wrong map, you will see some dwarf carcasses added instead.

A hunter armed with a [[crossbow]] will increase his [[Marksman|marksdwarf]], ambusher and [[archery]] [[skill|skills]].

After a period of time, most hunters will eventually cause the extinction of the wild animals in the biomes where your fort is located. There are two ways to prevent this. The first is to ensure that some animals always escape; many animals spawn on the map in groups or herds, and as long as at least one member of this group survives to leave the map later, the population of that creature will not decrease. Another method is to capture the wild animals, breed them, and then either release them back into the biome or hunt the offspring.

==Postprocessing==
Hunters will drop carcasses directly into the [[butcher's shop]]. A [[butcher]] will then take over and process the game animal to create many [[butcher's shop|byproducts]]. If your butcher is not fast enough, a hauler may take the corpse from the butcher's shop and put it in the refuse [[stockpile]], your butcher will have to haul it back before he can process it. Eventually, the butcher's shop may become [[clutter|cluttered]] if it fills up with too many byproducts. Clutter slows down butching speed which may lead to corpses rotting while waiting to be butchered. Rotten non-sentient corpses and skeletons can be processed, but will not yield meat, fat or raw hides. Rotten corpses and some byproducts will create [[miasma]] if left to rot underground.

==Dogs==
You can assign [[Dog#Hunting_Dogs|hunting dogs]] to your [[hunter|hunters]], which can sneak alongside their masters and attack the hunter's prey. You can also assign [[Dog#War_Dogs|War dogs]], which are much stronger and can help take down bigger game, but cannot sneak and may rush into combat early.

== Weapons and Tactics ==
You should consider training hunters in wrestling in order for them to defend themselves. Wrestling will help them to break the jaw-grips that the enemy critter places on him, and will help the dwarf wrestle on his own and even place his own jaw grips if both of his hands are incapacitated, and is the only option if a weapon is dropped or stuck in the animal. You should also consider training them in the [[Weapon skill|hammerdwarf]] skill, as a crossbow is used with this skill if an animal engages in melee against a marksdwarf. Hunters will fight to the death if engaged, but get a job cancellation if they run out of [[bolt|bolts]]. Without bolts assigned, he must fight with the butt of the crossbow, which functions similarly to a [[Dwarven_weapon#War_hammer|hammer]].

Using your military to hunt can be safer and more efficient than using hunters, particularly if they are agile enough to simply outrun the creatures.

Be warned that hunters will not stop their current hunt if you disable their hunting labor; hence, your dwarf may end up hunting whatever creatures spawn next, with potentially suicidal results. This may be avoidable by disabling the labor while hunting or returning the kill.

== Free equipment ==
Any [[immigration|immigrating]] hunters will receive a full set of proper equipment.

==Bugs==
*Weapons of hunters might not be assigned properly. Even if a hunter has a quiver and bow, and assigned ammo, he may not have the ''right'' bow. Disable his hunting skill so he stockpiles his equipment, then re-enable hunting when he's done.

{{Skills}}

v0.34:Minecart

2012-05-29T02:32:33Z

GoldenShadow: /* Capacity */ typo

{{quality|Fine|22:04, 14 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
A '''minecart''' is a [[tool]] used mostly for [[hauling]]. It is made of [[wood]] or [[metal]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]] or a [[metalsmith's forge]]. Minecarts store five times as many items as [[wheelbarrow]]s, but have the disadvantage of requiring a dedicated track system along with micromanagement. Minecart tracks take up a lot of space, may be complicated to construct, and often will require substantial resources to complete. Since you can only engrave tracks in natural stone, minecart routes are especially expensive when built above-ground or in artificial structures.

The interface for selecting minecart usage can be accessed from the {{k|h}}auling menu.

== Track ==
Tracks are [[Engraver|carved]] with designations, with {{K|d}} {{k|T}}, or alternatively built from the [[construction]] section, with {{K|b}} {{K|C}}, in where you can not only build tracks (with {{K|T}}), but also build stops (with {{K|S}}). While engraved tracks can only be carved on natural [[stone]] floors, they are much more convenient and can be smoothed for refurbishing.

Engraved tracks have corners added automatically, while constructed tracks let you decide exactly what type of segment to build. Tracks can move up or down [[z-level]]s by means of [[ramp]]s, but not [[stair]]s. Tracks on ramps change their designations (their "names") depending on how they are viewed, but are always labelled for their upper end. For example, a ramp track when viewed from its own Z-level may be called "Rough Quartzite Block Upward Track (W)," but be called "Rough Quartzite Block Downward Track (W)" when viewed from the upper Z-level. In both cases, though, the "(W)" means that the upper end of the track is to the left (the West), and the lower end is right, or East. Track carved from the bottom up will incorrectly orient on ramps, making them impassable unless they are re-built.

Any tracks, when constructed, will designate the square as a low-priority [[traffic|traffic order]]. This reduces the odds of dwarves walking into a high-speed minecart, however it should be noted that pets and livestock ignore traffic orders.

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

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

=== Track stop ===
Place a track stop on a track that has already been carved or constructed to set friction and dump controls. In the {{K|b}} {{K|C}} {{K|S}} menu, set the friction level of the stop and/or if a cart should automatically dump out its contents at the stop. If set to dump, select the direction to dump in. Once you proceed to build the track stop, these settings cannot be seen or changed. Note that a minecart on a dumping track stop cannot be filled by a dwarf. Track stop can be linked to a [[pressure plate]] or a [[lever]], which will toggle friction upon its activation.

Use {{K|h}} to set up routes. This allows you to place route stops on top of the track stops themselves (or just the bare track). Place the route stops and assign the vehicle (minecart) that will be used. For each route stop, you can tell the dwarves exactly what items to take, where to take them from, when to transport them, etc.

Then set up the [[stockpile]]s nearby, link them accordingly, set up the give or not give so everything moves where you want, then wait for them to be guided or pushed!

A track stop is not needed in every tile that has a route stop; in fact, track stops are ''completely'' unnecessary to all basic minecart designs, rather being useful for automated designs. Track stops are commonly built at the beginning and end of a track.

=== Roller ===
A '''roller''' is built by a [[mechanic]] with one or more [[mechanism]]s and a [[rope]] in the {{K|b}} {{K|M}} menu by selecting {{K|r}}. Rollers must be [[power]]ed, and they serve the purpose of moving a minecart without [[dwarf]]-power. Rollers may apparently be placed on ramps to help pull carts up Z levels. Currently rollers can only be placed on ramps if there is a power connection for it allready built (gears/axels/pumps), else it will not want to build on a ramp.
If minecart routes are set to ''push'', rollers may be very useful to maintain the cart's momentum. Rollers are variable-length, variable-direction, and variable-power, all traits that can be set at construction time.

A cart cannot travel up a ramp on its own when being pushed or ridden in. If a cart attempts to do this, it will bounce back the direction it came, at best this is a waste of time and at worst it will give your cart-pushing dwarf a [[fun|fun surprise]]. The only way to avoid this is to place a roller before the ramp to provide the additional momentum necessary.

At the highest speed, a roller uses two units of power per tile it is long.

Rollers can be frozen if exposed to cold [[temperature]]s. If they are in that state, they will not operate.

Because of their one-way nature, rollers are unsuitable for most two-way minecart tracks. However, a minecart set to be ''guided'' is not affected by rollers at all — this allows a one-way track to be used in both directions.

=== Removal ===
Constructed tracks can be removed like any other [[construction]] with {{k|d}} {{k|n}}. Engraved tracks can be removed by simply smoothing the track, with {{k|d}} {{k|s}}, or by building a floor and subsequently removing it.

Counter-intuitive to their construction method, track stops are also considered [[building]]s and must be removed by {{k|q}} {{k|x}}. Rollers are, as one would expect, buildings and must be deconstructed in the same manner.

== Physics ==

When '''pushed''', minecarts will move along the track in a straight line, until they either run off the tracks or encounter a turn. Behavior at T-intersections has not yet been conclusively determined. This behaviour is not present if the minecarts are '''guided'''.

Some samples with behavior:

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

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

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

=== Stacking ===
If a minecart lands on another minecart in exactly the perfect orientation and time, they may form a stack (effectively a pillar) of minecarts. This pillar, aside from the [[megaprojects|megaproject]] uses possible, is also useful for [[trap design]] with minecarts as the weaponry.

The location of the upper minecarts, above what seems to be thin air, can be confusing. These minecarts generally need to be struck with another minecart to move out, or have their support removed. The latter option can be somewhat dangerous, however.

== Hauling route ==
From the {{k|h}}auling menu, minecart routes can be set up, and [[stockpile]] links set. Navigate the list with the {{k|+}}, {{k|-}}, {{k|*}} and {{k|/}} commands.

Note that if you set up lots of routes and stops and then resize your screen, the list will scroll off-screen in the hauling menu. You can still navigate the list with the keyboard commands listed above, but cannot see the stop/route name. This will be fixed in the next release.

=== Route ===
A new route is created with the {{k|r}}oute key. An existing route can be removed (without confirmation) with the {{k|x}} key. A route can also be {{k|n}}icknamed. Before operating, the route must have at least one {{k|v}}ehicle assigned to it (this can be done from the route or from a stop; it does not seem to matter which).

=== Stop ===
The {{k|s}} key is used to create a new stop. Like routes, stops can be removed with {{k|x}} or nicknamed with {{k|n}}. Stops can also be reordered with the {{k|p}}romote key. Without a definition, however, a stop is fairly useless. The {{k|Enter}} key accesses the stop definition screen, which has two modes: advanced and basic.

== Stop definition ==
The Stop Definition screen shows the 'orders' for a certain track stop.
There are two types of orders: departure conditions, and stockpile links.

==== Stockpile links ====
By moving the cursor and using {{k|p}}, you can create a new stockpile link for a track stop.

==== Departure condition ====
Departure conditions involve setting conditions in which the minecart will leave on the route. Each condition includes:
# A departure mode (Guide, Ride or Push)
# A departure direction (NSEW)
# A timer, before which the departure condition cannot be met
# Conditions on the amount of items in the cart
The "Advanced" screen allows you to have precise control over No. 4, as a percentage from 1 to 100.
Departure conditions are created with the {{k|n}} key. A new departure condition will read: "guide north immediately when empty of desired items". This condition can be changed with {{k|c}} in the basic screen, or {{k|f}}, {{k|F}}, {{k|m}}, and {{k|l}} specific to the advanced screen. Common to both screens are the {{k|p}}, {{k|d}}, {{k|t}}, and {{k|T}} options.

=== Troubleshooting ===

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

'''Symptom:''' ! Set dir/connect track message appears to the right of one or more stops
 '''Possible Causes:'''
* The departure direction of the stop might be invalid. Edit the stop using {{k|Enter}} and press{{k|d}} until it is pointing in a valid direction.
* The track stop might not be built on top of a track. The track stop must be deconstructed to remedy this issue.
* Your track might not be built correctly. Make sure all connected tracks between destinations are not one-way tracks.
** This can be especially confusing with ramps. To carve a two-way track on a (natural) ramp, you must designate the ramp and one square beyond in the direction you want the track to go.
* The desired/kept items might not be configured correctly.

'''Symptom:''' The status '''0% V''' always appears to the right of one stop.
 '''Possible Causes:'''
* The stop may not be set to take from a stockpile. Edit the Stop using {{k|Enter}} and make sure you see a message like "Take from Stockpile #1".
* The take conditions must correspond with the contents of the stockpile.
* The track stop may be set to dump. A track stop set to dump cannot be filled. You must either set the stop to a time-based departure or deconstruct the track stop and rebuild it without dumping.

== Capacity ==
Minecarts have five times the capacity of [[wheelbarrow]]s, which is an enormous amount. A single minecart can carry 2500 rolls of [[cloth]], for example, or even a hundred stone [[block]]s. Unfortunately, loading 2500 [[stone|boulder]]s onto a minecart is not possible.

[[Water]] and [[magma]] can also be loaded to and dumped from minecarts, the former from passing through the fluid and latter via a track stop. A minecart must be submerged in water or magma of 6/7 or 7/7 depth in order to be filled up. A minecart submerged in 5/7 or less depth will stay empty. Loading these onto minecarts can be difficult because the fluids' weight can slow the minecart down greatly. Curiously, a minecart filled with magma does not injure a dwarf set to ''ride'' the minecart.

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

=== Rider ===
Minecarts can be set to ride in the {{k|h}}auling routes screen. This setting encourages a [[dwarf]] to board the minecart, and will make the minecart move faster down ramps. Interestingly, a dwarf will drop its [[child|baby]], if it has one, when boarding the minecart.

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

== Danger ==
Minecarts are not without [[Fun|danger]]. Although designating a track automatically sets the [[traffic]] designation to low, dwarves may still walk on them. If an unlucky dwarf fails to [[dodger|dodge]] a minecart, he or she can be injured. Most of this danger can be avoided by setting the minecart {{k|h}}auling commands to guide instead of push or ride. Minecarts can still be guided by dwarves in restricted traffic areas.

Minecarts can careen off tracks. If this occurs, the [[item]]s may be scattered; this can cause even more hauling jobs than the minecart aimed to eliminate. Even <s>better</s> worse, scattered items, especially [[weapon]]s, can injure passing [[dwarf|dwarves]] or other [[creature]]s.

=== Animals ===
Animals will ignore the automatic "Low" traffic order set by constructing minecart tracks, and will therefore tend to block minecarts. This can be bad for the animal if it fails to dodge the minecart and if the minecart is moving at a fast speed. Most of this problem is resolvable by [[pasture|pasturing]] the animals.

== As an item ==
Minecarts are also a type of [[item]], similar to [[wheelbarrow]]s but unlike [[wagon]]s, which are [[creature]]s. They are stored in a [[furniture]] [[stockpile]]. Although they hold five times the amount wheelbarrows do, they are only one third larger. A no-quality minecart is identical in [[item value|value]] to a no-quality wheelbarrow of the same [[material]], however, the value may differ due to the [[item quality]].

When falling, a minecart appears to cause no damage upon collision with a creature, possibly to allow cart "stacking" across Z-levels. {{verify}}

As items, [[thief|thieves]] or even mischievous animals can steal minecarts, even when moving on a track. If a minecart is moving fast enough, or if it has a rider, these thieves will be unable to steal the minecarts.

[[ru:Minecart]]

v0.34:Minecart

2012-05-29T01:46:26Z

GoldenShadow: /* Capacity */

{{quality|Fine|22:04, 14 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
A '''minecart''' is a [[tool]] used mostly for [[hauling]]. It is made of [[wood]] or [[metal]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]] or a [[metalsmith's forge]]. Minecarts store five times as many items as [[wheelbarrow]]s, but have the disadvantage of requiring a dedicated track system along with micromanagement. Minecart tracks take up a lot of space, may be complicated to construct, and often will require substantial resources to complete. Since you can only engrave tracks in natural stone, minecart routes are especially expensive when built above-ground or in artificial structures.

The interface for selecting minecart usage can be accessed from the {{k|h}}auling menu.

== Track ==
Tracks are [[Engraver|carved]] with designations, with {{K|d}} {{k|T}}, or alternatively built from the [[construction]] section, with {{K|b}} {{K|C}}, in where you can not only build tracks (with {{K|T}}), but also build stops (with {{K|S}}). While engraved tracks can only be carved on natural [[stone]] floors, they are much more convenient and can be smoothed for refurbishing.

Engraved tracks have corners added automatically, while constructed tracks let you decide exactly what type of segment to build. Tracks can move up or down [[z-level]]s by means of [[ramp]]s, but not [[stair]]s. Tracks on ramps change their designations (their "names") depending on how they are viewed, but are always labelled for their upper end. For example, a ramp track when viewed from its own Z-level may be called "Rough Quartzite Block Upward Track (W)," but be called "Rough Quartzite Block Downward Track (W)" when viewed from the upper Z-level. In both cases, though, the "(W)" means that the upper end of the track is to the left (the West), and the lower end is right, or East. Track carved from the bottom up will incorrectly orient on ramps, making them impassable unless they are re-built.

Any tracks, when constructed, will designate the square as a low-priority [[traffic|traffic order]]. This reduces the odds of dwarves walking into a high-speed minecart, however it should be noted that pets and livestock ignore traffic orders.

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

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

=== Track stop ===
Place a track stop on a track that has already been carved or constructed to set friction and dump controls. In the {{K|b}} {{K|C}} {{K|S}} menu, set the friction level of the stop and/or if a cart should automatically dump out its contents at the stop. If set to dump, select the direction to dump in. Once you proceed to build the track stop, these settings cannot be seen or changed. Note that a minecart on a dumping track stop cannot be filled by a dwarf. Track stop can be linked to a [[pressure plate]] or a [[lever]], which will toggle friction upon its activation.

Use {{K|h}} to set up routes. This allows you to place route stops on top of the track stops themselves (or just the bare track). Place the route stops and assign the vehicle (minecart) that will be used. For each route stop, you can tell the dwarves exactly what items to take, where to take them from, when to transport them, etc.

Then set up the [[stockpile]]s nearby, link them accordingly, set up the give or not give so everything moves where you want, then wait for them to be guided or pushed!

A track stop is not needed in every tile that has a route stop; in fact, track stops are ''completely'' unnecessary to all basic minecart designs, rather being useful for automated designs. Track stops are commonly built at the beginning and end of a track.

=== Roller ===
A '''roller''' is built by a [[mechanic]] with one or more [[mechanism]]s and a [[rope]] in the {{K|b}} {{K|M}} menu by selecting {{K|r}}. Rollers must be [[power]]ed, and they serve the purpose of moving a minecart without [[dwarf]]-power. Rollers may apparently be placed on ramps to help pull carts up Z levels. Currently rollers can only be placed on ramps if there is a power connection for it allready built (gears/axels/pumps), else it will not want to build on a ramp.
If minecart routes are set to ''push'', rollers may be very useful to maintain the cart's momentum. Rollers are variable-length, variable-direction, and variable-power, all traits that can be set at construction time.

A cart cannot travel up a ramp on its own when being pushed or ridden in. If a cart attempts to do this, it will bounce back the direction it came, at best this is a waste of time and at worst it will give your cart-pushing dwarf a [[fun|fun surprise]]. The only way to avoid this is to place a roller before the ramp to provide the additional momentum necessary.

At the highest speed, a roller uses two units of power per tile it is long.

Rollers can be frozen if exposed to cold [[temperature]]s. If they are in that state, they will not operate.

Because of their one-way nature, rollers are unsuitable for most two-way minecart tracks. However, a minecart set to be ''guided'' is not affected by rollers at all — this allows a one-way track to be used in both directions.

=== Removal ===
Constructed tracks can be removed like any other [[construction]] with {{k|d}} {{k|n}}. Engraved tracks can be removed by simply smoothing the track, with {{k|d}} {{k|s}}, or by building a floor and subsequently removing it.

Counter-intuitive to their construction method, track stops are also considered [[building]]s and must be removed by {{k|q}} {{k|x}}. Rollers are, as one would expect, buildings and must be deconstructed in the same manner.

== Physics ==

When '''pushed''', minecarts will move along the track in a straight line, until they either run off the tracks or encounter a turn. Behavior at T-intersections has not yet been conclusively determined. This behaviour is not present if the minecarts are '''guided'''.

Some samples with behavior:

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

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

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

=== Stacking ===
If a minecart lands on another minecart in exactly the perfect orientation and time, they may form a stack (effectively a pillar) of minecarts. This pillar, aside from the [[megaprojects|megaproject]] uses possible, is also useful for [[trap design]] with minecarts as the weaponry.

The location of the upper minecarts, above what seems to be thin air, can be confusing. These minecarts generally need to be struck with another minecart to move out, or have their support removed. The latter option can be somewhat dangerous, however.

== Hauling route ==
From the {{k|h}}auling menu, minecart routes can be set up, and [[stockpile]] links set. Navigate the list with the {{k|+}}, {{k|-}}, {{k|*}} and {{k|/}} commands.

Note that if you set up lots of routes and stops and then resize your screen, the list will scroll off-screen in the hauling menu. You can still navigate the list with the keyboard commands listed above, but cannot see the stop/route name. This will be fixed in the next release.

=== Route ===
A new route is created with the {{k|r}}oute key. An existing route can be removed (without confirmation) with the {{k|x}} key. A route can also be {{k|n}}icknamed. Before operating, the route must have at least one {{k|v}}ehicle assigned to it (this can be done from the route or from a stop; it does not seem to matter which).

=== Stop ===
The {{k|s}} key is used to create a new stop. Like routes, stops can be removed with {{k|x}} or nicknamed with {{k|n}}. Stops can also be reordered with the {{k|p}}romote key. Without a definition, however, a stop is fairly useless. The {{k|Enter}} key accesses the stop definition screen, which has two modes: advanced and basic.

== Stop definition ==
The Stop Definition screen shows the 'orders' for a certain track stop.
There are two types of orders: departure conditions, and stockpile links.

==== Stockpile links ====
By moving the cursor and using {{k|p}}, you can create a new stockpile link for a track stop.

==== Departure condition ====
Departure conditions involve setting conditions in which the minecart will leave on the route. Each condition includes:
# A departure mode (Guide, Ride or Push)
# A departure direction (NSEW)
# A timer, before which the departure condition cannot be met
# Conditions on the amount of items in the cart
The "Advanced" screen allows you to have precise control over No. 4, as a percentage from 1 to 100.
Departure conditions are created with the {{k|n}} key. A new departure condition will read: "guide north immediately when empty of desired items". This condition can be changed with {{k|c}} in the basic screen, or {{k|f}}, {{k|F}}, {{k|m}}, and {{k|l}} specific to the advanced screen. Common to both screens are the {{k|p}}, {{k|d}}, {{k|t}}, and {{k|T}} options.

=== Troubleshooting ===

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

'''Symptom:''' ! Set dir/connect track message appears to the right of one or more stops
 '''Possible Causes:'''
* The departure direction of the stop might be invalid. Edit the stop using {{k|Enter}} and press{{k|d}} until it is pointing in a valid direction.
* The track stop might not be built on top of a track. The track stop must be deconstructed to remedy this issue.
* Your track might not be built correctly. Make sure all connected tracks between destinations are not one-way tracks.
** This can be especially confusing with ramps. To carve a two-way track on a (natural) ramp, you must designate the ramp and one square beyond in the direction you want the track to go.
* The desired/kept items might not be configured correctly.

'''Symptom:''' The status '''0% V''' always appears to the right of one stop.
 '''Possible Causes:'''
* The stop may not be set to take from a stockpile. Edit the Stop using {{k|Enter}} and make sure you see a message like "Take from Stockpile #1".
* The take conditions must correspond with the contents of the stockpile.
* The track stop may be set to dump. A track stop set to dump cannot be filled. You must either set the stop to a time-based departure or deconstruct the track stop and rebuild it without dumping.

== Capacity ==
Minecarts have five times the capacity of [[wheelbarrow]]s, which is an enormous amount. A single minecart can carry 2500 rolls of [[cloth]], for example, or even a hundred stone [[block]]s. Unfortunately, loading 2500 [[stone|boulder]]s onto a minecart is not possible.

[[Water]] and [[magma]] can also be loaded to and dumped from minecarts, the former from passing through the fluid and latter via a track stop. A minecart must be subermged in water or magma of 6/7 or 7/7 depth in order to be filled up. A minecart submerged in 5/7 magma will stay empty. Loading these onto minecarts can be difficult because the fluids' weight can slow the minecart down greatly. Curiously, a minecart filled with magma does not injure a dwarf set to ''ride'' the minecart.

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

=== Rider ===
Minecarts can be set to ride in the {{k|h}}auling routes screen. This setting encourages a [[dwarf]] to board the minecart, and will make the minecart move faster down ramps. Interestingly, a dwarf will drop its [[child|baby]], if it has one, when boarding the minecart.

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

== Danger ==
Minecarts are not without [[Fun|danger]]. Although designating a track automatically sets the [[traffic]] designation to low, dwarves may still walk on them. If an unlucky dwarf fails to [[dodger|dodge]] a minecart, he or she can be injured. Most of this danger can be avoided by setting the minecart {{k|h}}auling commands to guide instead of push or ride. Minecarts can still be guided by dwarves in restricted traffic areas.

Minecarts can careen off tracks. If this occurs, the [[item]]s may be scattered; this can cause even more hauling jobs than the minecart aimed to eliminate. Even <s>better</s> worse, scattered items, especially [[weapon]]s, can injure passing [[dwarf|dwarves]] or other [[creature]]s.

=== Animals ===
Animals will ignore the automatic "Low" traffic order set by constructing minecart tracks, and will therefore tend to block minecarts. This can be bad for the animal if it fails to dodge the minecart and if the minecart is moving at a fast speed. Most of this problem is resolvable by [[pasture|pasturing]] the animals.

== As an item ==
Minecarts are also a type of [[item]], similar to [[wheelbarrow]]s but unlike [[wagon]]s, which are [[creature]]s. They are stored in a [[furniture]] [[stockpile]]. Although they hold five times the amount wheelbarrows do, they are only one third larger. A no-quality minecart is identical in [[item value|value]] to a no-quality wheelbarrow of the same [[material]], however, the value may differ due to the [[item quality]].

When falling, a minecart appears to cause no damage upon collision with a creature, possibly to allow cart "stacking" across Z-levels. {{verify}}

As items, [[thief|thieves]] or even mischievous animals can steal minecarts, even when moving on a track. If a minecart is moving fast enough, or if it has a rider, these thieves will be unable to steal the minecarts.

[[ru:Minecart]]

v0.34 Talk:Armor

2012-05-18T05:09:43Z

GoldenShadow: /* Foreign high boots */ new section

== Layers ==
In different parts of the article, we have two different orderings of layers:
#Under < Over < Armour < Cover
#Under < Armour < Over < Cover
I'd assume the first is correct, but I've never played adventure mode, and I don't pay that close attention to see what my dwarves are wearing. If someone could confirm which order layers actually occur in, the incorrect line should be changed. --[[User:Timrem|Timrem]] 02:13, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

== Bars ==

Since .34 some metal weapons/armour take more than one bar to forge. Would it be suitable for someone to add the costs to the respective tables?

From my own experience (smelting done in game without mods right now);

:Weapons: 1 bar
:Gauntlets: 1 bar (for a matching pair)
:High Boot: 1 bar (for two)
:Shield: 1 bar
:Mail Shirt: 2 bars
:Greaves: 2 bars
:Breastplate: 3 bars
Others (namely low boots, leggings, caps, bucklers) unknown at the moment, but I can't imagine the less-covering counterparts taking more.

These values can probably be determined from the raws by someone more skilled than I, though i'm happy to experiment more to gather data. 
::"The number of bars needed to make a piece of metal armor is equal to the material size divided by 3."
:It's covered already in the article. Thanks, though. --[[Special:Contributions/74.102.139.234|74.102.139.234]] 12:49, 8 March 2012 (UTC)
::: It seems to me that most people who are looking at this wiki for some quick advice won't want to determine material size or divide by three. Might be a useful to write it out explicitly for us dolts. [[Special:Contributions/174.1.230.63|174.1.230.63]] 04:30, 22 March 2012 (UTC)
::::Partly because I agree with you, but mostly because I long for your affection, I've added the cost in bars to appropriate pieces of armor. I think that it's only fair that you begin returning my letters now. -- [[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] 07:28, 22 March 2012 (UTC)

== Armor comparison ==

The armor page says that copper > iron > bronze > steel, but unless major changes have been made, I'm pretty sure bronze is worse than iron. Anyone confirm that bronze indeed outshines iron?
:A short session of testing in the arena of equally-skilled, equally-armed dwarves, one squad in bronze armor and the other in iron armor, ended with all bronze-wearing dwarves alive, and all iron-wearing dwarves dead. The order indicated on the page seems correct. --[[User:Timrem|Timrem]] 17:22, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

:Group tests with large control groups are not the best way to test materials, due to the outnumber snowball effect. I just did a 20-group test with 4vs4 per group, all competent with iron swords. It seems to be mostly a tie, with a <s>slight leaning</s> more major leaning* toward iron. It seems that both bronze and iron are near equal materials, with iron having a slight advantage due to its lighter weight. * I just tallied a few more tests that were in an unconsious-deflect deadlock and iron took the cake on all of them. 70% iron over bronze wins.--[[User:Acetech09|Acetech09]] 19:45, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
::Alright, thanks. I've not really done any arena testing before, and I wasn't really trying that hard to test this. I threw together a 1v1 and a 5v5 is all, sounds like you know better what you're doing. --[[User:Timrem|Timrem]] 21:45, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

:K. I'm about to rework the armor comparison chart a tiny bit to better reflect defensive properties.

== Shaped headgear and armor limits ==

With the changes to caps and masks, some of the examples of calculating armor limits have become invalid. Perhaps some Urist McEditor more prone to adventuring than myself and more enlightened on the subject could provide new examples? [[User:Earthfiredrake|Earthfiredrake]] 10:13, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

== Foreign high boots ==

34.09 - I just discovered that my civ can not make high boots. In the equipment screen, it says (foreign) next to the high boot entry. I double checked by abandoning and choosing another civ to embark with. I found they had high boots on the embark list. I aborted and checked the first civ's embark and they didn't list high boots. --[[User:GoldenShadow|GoldenShadow]] 05:09, 18 May 2012 (UTC)

v0.34:Water

2012-05-17T20:14:36Z

GoldenShadow: obsolete info

{{av}}
{{Quality|Exceptional|19:08, 6 July 2010 (UTC)}}

'''Water''' is a fluid found all over the world. It [[flow|flows]] from mountain springs, forming the world's [[ocean]]s, [[lake]]s, [[river]]s, and [[brook]]s. Water falls as [[rain]] and [[snow]], and freezes into [[ice]]. Water is home to a variety of [[creature|aquatic creatures]]. Many creatures can [[Swimmer|swim]] in deep water. Air-breathing creatures that are submerged in water can [[Swimmer#Drowning|drown]] in it. Water comes in two varieties: '''freshwater''', which makes up almost all inland water, and '''saltwater''', which fills the seas. In this version, some brooks and murky pools can be saltwater even if the fortress site is partially mountainous. It is not known if this is a bug. To tell the difference, attempt to set up a drinking zone including some of the water in question. If there are zero tiles of water source available, the water is saltwater.

Mud is a [[contaminant]] which is created any time water covers an area. Any tiles that contain mud may be used for [[Agriculture|farming]].

Water is displayed with the symbols {{Tile|≈|1:7:1}} and {{Tile|~|1:7:1}}, sometimes colored different blues, and white, showing ripples. Water can also take on other colors indicating [[contaminant|contaminants]] such as '''blood''', '''ichor''', or '''goo'''. (The game can be [[Technical tricks#The look of the game|configured]] to show the depth instead).

Dark-colored water symbols indicate the water is one [[Z-level]] below the camera level. Water has 7 depth levels per tile, with 1 being a shallow puddle, and 7 filling the tile completely. [[Dwarf|Dwarves]] can safely walk through water up to a depth of 4. Dwarves finding themselves in water at a depth of 5 or greater are at risk of drowning unless they are skilled at [[swimming]].

Interestingly, water can slow falls with deep enough water and short enough falls. If the water is deep enough relative to the height of the fall, dwarves can be less injured or even completely uninjured (from a 4 level drop to a 3 level deep pool, for example)

== Processes ==
===Evaporation===
Evaporation occurs when water or [[magma]] is at a depth of 1/7. Simply having 2/7 standing water is enough to prevent evaporation. Water or magma at 1/7 depth will even evaporate if it is on top of 7/7 depth water as shown in the example below.
{| style="border-spacing: 0"
|-
|{{000}}
|{{000}}
|{{000}}
|{{000}}
|{{000}}
|-
|{{CCC}}
|{{RT0|1|#00F}}
|{{RT0|1|#00F}}
|{{RT0|1|#00F}}
|{{CCC}}
|-
|{{CCC}}
|{{RT0|7|#00F}}
|{{RT0|7|#00F}}
|{{RT0|7|#00F}}
|{{CCC}}
|-
|{{CCC}}
|{{CCC}}
|{{CCC}}
|{{CCC}}
|{{CCC}}
|}
[[Murky pool|Murky pools]] are an exception. In '''hot''' or '''scorching''' environments a murky pool can evaporate even when it is completely full. Murky pools also generate water to simulate seasonal accumulation from rainfall. This sometimes makes it possible for a murky pool to replenish itself even when it has been completely drained.

=== Freezing and thawing ===
Many environments get cold enough for water to freeze in winter. When this happens, any water that is exposed above ground will [[ice|freeze into ice]]. However, water a single tile away that is in an underground tunnel will not freeze. When ice walls thaw, they always leave a 7/7 water tile regardless of how much water may have been present when the ice formed.

When outdoor water freezes or thaws it does so instantly. Any dwarf [[swimming]] in water when it freezes will die, and any dwarf standing on a frozen pond will fall into it when it thaws, most probably leading to [[swimmer|drowning]].

Mining ice can produce chunks of ice. Taking these chunks into a stone layer will cause it eventually melt, turning it into a "water" item (much like those hauled in [[bucket]]s) which can't be used for anything. {{Bug|360}}

[[Glacier#Cave-in_some ice_|Caving in an ice wall]] into a stone layer will cause it to instantly melt into water (provided it does not become exposed to the outdoors), which can be used to get water near the surface in a [[glacier]] biome without having to use a [[pump]] stack to pump water up from a [[cavern]] pool.

If you constructed a [[well]] or a [[Grate|floor grate]] right over top of water and it freezes, the item will be deconstructed to its original parts, but some may fall into the water.

==== Freezing point ====
The freezing point of water, {{ct|10000}}, is an important, if not the most important, [[temperature]] in Dwarf Fortress. Below this point, water freezes into ice, and above this point ice will melt into water. A [[biome]] that never dips below this temperature will make obtaining ice next to impossible, and a biome that never rises above this temperature will require underground storage, [[magma]], or an alternative heating method to obtain liquid water.

Although it is most commonly known as the freezing point of water, {{ct|10000}} is also the freezing points of standard [[blood]], ichor, goo, slime, pus, [[milk]], egg white, and egg yolk. [[Nether-cap]]s are naturally constantly at this temperature, but will cause neither water to freeze or ice to melt. The temperature also acts as the condensation point of [[cave floater]] gas, at which it becomes cave floater juice. As a result of these dependencies, many [[creature]]s will die if they cannot keep their internal body temperature above the freezing point of water.

Below this point, many machine components will not work, instead displaying "Frozen here". This includes [[screw pump]]s, [[windmill]]s, and [[minecart]] rollers. In colder environments, these machines must either be kept indoors or heated with nearby [[fire]] or [[magma]].

== Properties ==
===Sourced water===
Water that comes from [[river]]s, [[brook]]s, [[ocean]]s, [[aquifer]]s or springs is considered to be '''sourced water'''. Any sourced water is an endless supply of water that can never run dry, although it can freeze for part of the year in colder biomes.

When using sourced water you should strongly consider installing [[floodgate]]s and be aware of how [[pressure]] works or you could easily end up [[flood]]ing your fortress and having a lot more [[fun]] than anticipated.

==Flow==
Water and [[magma]] are both [[flow|fluids]] which are constantly trying to '''[[flow]]''' into adjacent tiles until they have filled all available space or until they run out of fluid. Fluids technically move in 9 directions: down, and to the sides. Fluids cannot move diagonally up or down. Fluids at a depth of 1/7 no longer attempt to move unless they can move down. Fluids under [[pressure]] can appear to travel upward until the pressure equalizes, though in reality they are moving downward and/or sideways relative to their source.

If the flow is strong enough, it can move objects such as dwarves, pets, stones, weapons or corpses.

Fluids in Dwarf Fortress act like a fairly thick, viscous material. This makes it possible to do highly implausible things like [[pump]] out a dry hole in the middle of a [[river]] or [[ocean]].

== Contamination ==
Water can be contaminated in different methods, both natural and artificial. This contamination can have a negative effect on the water's quality, and can even harm dwarves that ingest it.

===Salt water===
Dwarves can not use salt water directly; while healthy dwarves will usually prefer to drink [[booze]], wounded dwarves can only be given water to drink.

To check to see if water is salty, use the {{k|i}} menu to see if the game shows the pond/pool as a water source. If the "water source (x)" is (0), then the source is salty. If not, then your dwarves will drink it.

A [[screw pump]] can be used to desalinate water.

Dwarves will drink water from a well over salt water, give it to sick dwarves and use it to clean wounds. You cannot designate the well as a water source, but the dwarves will still use it.{{verify}}

=== Stagnant water ===

Water taken from a murky pool or wetlands biome will be stagnant, just as water taken from near the ocean will be salty. Dwarves get an unhappy [[thought]] if they have to drink stagnant water, and a [[doctor]] cleaning a [[wound]] with stagnant water will likely cause an [[Health care#Infection|infection]].

Similar to salt water, [[pump]]ing stagnant water will make it clean. Also, if clean water touches stagnant water, it will kill it.

The game will described stagnant water as stagnant if it was in a [[bucket]] or [[flask]]/[[waterskin]]; or looking at standing or flowing water with {{K|k}} will indicate whether or not it is stagnant.

=== Water laced with mud ===
If a water source is only one z-level deep and its floor is covered by "a pile of mud" (like most [[cavern|underground pools]]), then any water taken from it will be "water laced with mud". Drinking water laced with mud will give your dwarves an unhappy thought. It might also cause [[Health care#Infection|infection]] if used to clean a [[wound]].

Unlike stagnant water, merely moving the water with flow or gravity will take care of the problem, since it only occurs if the water source tile contains "a pile of mud", and water coming into contact with a clean floor only creates "a dusting of mud".

===Contaminants===
Contaminants that get into water currently can do very strange things. A pool of blood that gets covered by water will be pushed out of the water as the water flows creating more pools of blood at the edge of the water. Overflowing a large reservoir that contains contaminants of blood will generate a large amount of blood very quickly. This behavior is thought to be a bug.

==Getting rid of unwanted water==
Water will flow off the edge of the map, endlessly, which is one way to get rid of large amounts of water (evaporation works better with small amounts). Underground, there are at least two ways to accomplish this. One is to channel your excess water into a dry cavern that is open to the map edge, as the water will flow out (depending on slopes and such). The other, probably easier method, is to mine to the map edge (since you cannot mine the map edge itself, just up to it), then smooth the edge and then carve [[fortification]]s into it. Water will flow through the fortifications and off the edge of the map. Make sure your exit flow is equal to or, for safety, greater than your input. One approach that may not work well is to dump your excess water into an underground lake that is open to the map edge, as such lakes have some sort of equilibrium built into them, and your excess water can cause the lake to flood.

Draining lakes and oceans from underneath can be a finicky task, but there's a bit of dwarven magic for it: build a retractable bridge on the level beneath the sea bottom, with ramps directly underneath it. Link this to a lever to control the flow as you desire. Now evacuate the dwarves and wall off the area above the bridge. Then, with the bridge in place, designate ramps around the bridge leading up - breaking through to the sea bottom. Now how can the dwarves dig these squares out? Yep, from beneath the bridge. In this way they get the water flow started without ever getting their little feet wet. This is a great way to set up channels one square in from the map edge near a water source, so that you can properly wall off the baddies from getting into the fort.

{{gamedata|{{raw|DF2012:hardcoded_materials.txt|MATERIAL|WATER}}}}

{{Category|Physics}}

v0.34:Minecart

2012-05-16T04:39:14Z

GoldenShadow: /* Roller */

{{quality|Fine|22:04, 14 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
{{ombox|text='''Excuse the cave-ins.''' This page is under construction.|type=content}}
A '''minecart''' is a [[tool]] used mostly for [[hauling]]. It is made of [[wood]] or [[metal]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]] or a [[metalsmith's forge]]. Minecarts store five times as many items as [[wheelbarrow]]s, but have the disadvantage of requiring a dedicated track system along with micromanagement. Minecart tracks take up a lot of space, may be complicated to construct, and often will require substantial resources complete. Since you can only engrave tracks in natural stone, minecart routes are especially expensive when built above-ground or in artificial structures.

The interface for selecting minecart usage can be accessed from the {{k|h}}auling menu.

== Track ==
Tracks are [[Engraver|carved]] with designations, with {{k|d}} {{k|T}}, or alternatively built from the [[construction]] section, with {{k|b}} {{k|C}}, in where you can not only build tracks (with {{k|T}}), but also build stops (with {{k|S}}). While engraved tracks can only be carved on natural [[stone]] floors, they are much more convenient and can be smoothed for refurbishing.

Engraved tracks have corners added automatically, while constructed tracks let you decide exactly what type of segment to build. Tracks can move up or down [[z-level]]s by means of [[ramp]]s, but not [[stair]]s.

=== Track stop ===
Place a track stop on a track, and set the friction and how it stops things. In the {{k|b}} {{k|C}} {{k|S}} menu, setup if and where a stop dumps things before the stop is built.

Use {{k|h}} to set up routes, this allows you to mark the stops and put the vehicle that'll be used, then for each stop explain exactly when to take things, where to take them from, etc.

Then set up the [[stockpile]]s nearby, link them accordingly, set up the give or not give so everything moves where you want, then wait for them to be pushed!

=== Track Physics ===

'''When pushed,''' minecarts will move along the track in a straight line, until they either run off the tracks or encounter a turn. Behavior at T-intersections has not yet been conclusively determined.

Some samples with behavior:
<pre>
A <-> B A <-> C A <-> B
B╥ B╥ B╥
║ ║ ║
A╞══╝ A╞══╩══╡C A╞══╬╗
You can only go A->B ╚╝
Works when the cart Works
is in Guide mode.
</pre>
In the second example above, if you attempt to "Push" from B to A or C, [[Fun|''the cart will go careening off of the tracks'']].

=== Roller ===
A '''roller''' is built with one or more [[mechanism]]s and a [[rope]] in the {{k|b}} {{k|M}} menu by selecting {{k|r}}. Rollers must be [[power]]ed, and they serve the purpose of moving a minecart without [[dwarf]]-power.

== Hauling route ==
From the {{k|h}}auling menu, minecart routes can be set up, and [[stockpile]] links set.

== Danger ==
Minecarts are not without [[Fun|danger]]. Although designating a track automatically sets the [[traffic]] designation to low, dwarves may still walk on them. If an unlucky dwarf fails to dodge a minecart, he or she can be injured. Most of this danger can be avoided by setting the minecart {{k|h}}auling commands to guide instead of push or ride.

v0.34:Sparring

2012-05-16T04:31:53Z

GoldenShadow: /* Injury */

{{av}} {{Quality|Fine}}

== Introduction ==
'''Sparring''' is a form of non-lethal melee [[combat]], led by the [[Militia captain]] in charge of the respective [[squad]], to train [[soldier]]s in their [[combat skill]]s in [[fortress mode]]. Sparring takes place at a [[barracks]]; on-duty soldiers will engage in training activities such as sparring and [[observer|watching]] combat demonstrations while off-duty soldiers will primarily conduct [[combat drills|individual training drills]]. Training is a safe way to get experienced soldiers.

== Equipment ==
The weapon you wish for a squad to use can be chosen through the {{K|m}}ilitary screen, and then the {{K|e}}quip selection. When soldiers spar, they practice (and thereby gain experience) with whatever [[weapon]] and [[armor]] they have been assigned, including [[shield]]s. Your soldiers will put on their [[uniform]]s and grab their weapons once they are assigned equipment in a squad (and don't have any other civilian jobs).

==Organized squad training==
You cannot directly assign a soldier to spar. Instead, you need to [[schedule]] his or her squad to train. This is accomplished by opening the {{k|m}}[[military interface|ilitary screen]]. Open the {{k|a}}lerts panel, then assign the squad to Active/Training (or establish a more complex schedule of alerts). Now {{k|q}}uery the [[bed]], [[weapon rack]], and/or [[armor stand]] to designate a barracks. Highlight which squad you wish to train and press {{k|t}}. A {{Tile|T|3:0:1}} should appear on the right side of the screen beside that squad's name. Now your squad is set to be training, and has a place to train in. A squad set to the default Active/Training alert level (or a more complicated schedule using the advanced calendar system) will predominantly train in their training barracks and occasionally engage in their civilian lives. A squad with active orders delivered through the squad menu will first carry out those orders, taking breaks to eat or sleep, but will not train. To change the number of dwarves assigned to train in a squad, open the {{k|m}}ilitary screen, go to the {{k|s}}chedule screen, then {{k|e}}dit the order for each month by pressing {{k|+}}{{k|*}}{{k|-}} or {{k|/}} to change the minimum number of dwarves assigned for that month.

#Define a squad with members (equip with whatever armor and weapons you like)
#Designate a [[barracks]] and have the squad set to train there
#Have an active training order for the squad
#Lower the minimum required dwarves for the order to be equal or less than your squad

==Individual Training==
Your soldiers will continue to do jobs outside the military if they don't have a place to spar or an active schedule. [[Personality_trait|Motivated]] dwarves will also conduct individual training. This happens if:
* the dwarf squad has no scheduled orders
* the squad has a designated barracks to train at
* the dwarf is on break (dwarfs with no job do not go on individual combat drill)

==Other Notes==
=== Injury===
Dwarves are very unlikely to hurt each other directly while sparring with any type of weapon. They can however have accidents due to certain wrestling move(s), namely throwing. A thrown dwarf will skid along the ground and sustain injury. It can be lethal to a dwarf if his head skids on the ground, so have your wrestlers wear helmets.{{verify}}  Also make sure they have a safe environment to train in. Avoid having your barracks near high cliffs or open water, because dwarves have a habit of dodging off of cliffs and injuring themselves or dodging into water and becoming stunned, which leads to drowning. Also, dwarves can dodge up one level if they are next to a wall. Make sure they can walk back down or build a roof, because otherwise you risk a military dwarf trapping himself and starving to death.

===Default Schedule===
The default Active/Training alert requires a full 10 member squad. This can be changed from the [[Scheduling]] menu. If you have a dwarf die, remember that another member must be appointed or the minimum number required to train lowered to accommodate the new squad count.

===Happy Soldiers===
Be kind to your soldiers. Civilians with no military experience will get bad thoughts from going on duty. Soldiers will get a bad thought if they don't have any civilian experience. Having the wrong number assigned to train in a squad can also generate bad [[Thought|thoughts]].

=== Training on disarmed prisoners ===
A very effective way to train your dwarves is to let them fight stripped prisoners while heavily armored and carrying training weapons themselves. Keep in mind that a dwarf needs be attacked to increase his or her defensive skills up. In other words: if you're interested in having your dwarves quickly train as Dodgers, Armor Users and Shield Users, it'll be far more efficient to set-up multiple small pits where dwarves can train one on one against disarmed prisoners.

See [[Cage#Remotely_Opening_Cages|Remotely Opening Cages]] for more information.

== See also==

[[Archery]]

[[Military]]

[[Danger_room|Danger Room]]

{{Military FAQ}}

v0.34:Minecart

2012-05-15T00:05:09Z

GoldenShadow:

{{quality|Fine|22:04, 14 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
{{ombox|text='''Excuse the cave-ins.''' This page is under construction.}}
A '''minecart''' is a [[tool]] used mostly for [[hauling]]. It is made of [[wood]] or [[metal]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]] or a [[metalsmith's forge]].

== Track ==
Tracks are [[Engraver|carved]] with designations, with {{k|d}} {{k|T}}, or alternatively built from the [[construction]] section, with {{k|b}}, {{k|C}}, in where you can also build stops.

When designating a track, it puts it in a straight line and automatically makes corners. When building manually you can decide exactly what segment to build.

== Track stop ==
Place a track stop on a track, and set the friction and how it stops things. You setup if and where a stop dumps things before the stop is built.

Use {{k|h}} to set up routes, this allows you to mark the stops and put the vehicle that'll be used, then for each stop explain exactly when to take things, where to take them from, etc.

Then set up the [[stockpile]]s nearby, link the accordingly, set up the give/not give so everything moves where you want, then wait forthem to be pushed!

v0.34:Wealth

2012-05-12T18:50:24Z

GoldenShadow: fixed a few red links. Finished goods page doesn't exist

{{av}}
{{Quality|Exceptional|03:04, 12 May 2012 (UTC)}}
Your '''created wealth''' is the sum product of all the labors of your fortress. It is visible on the {{k|z}} [[status|status screen]] once you have a [[broker]] with the [[appraisal]] [[skill]] and a [[bookkeeper]] maintaining your records, and will update with the continual maintenance of your [[stocks]] by the bookkeeper.

Wealth is sum of everything of [[value]] in your fortress: basically, everything except corpses and remains, which have absolutely no worth whatsoever. This includes [[stone]]s, [[building]]s, engravings, and any and every kind of created good, all of which contribute to your total wealth to various degrees. [[Artifact]]s are usually one of the largest influences of fortress wealth. Artifacts made of precious resources and heavily [[decorate]]d can easily be worth thrice the value of the rest of your fortress in the early years.

The display of your wealth on the main status screen is broken up into several categories: [[weapon]]s, [[armor]] and [[Clothing|garb]], [[furniture]], other objects (like [[finished goods]]), [[architecture]] ([[building]]s and such), displayed, and held/worn (items created internally claimed by certain dwarves, like clothing).

== Imports and exports ==
Items made off-site are not counted in your total fortress wealth, and are instead listed as imports. This only applies so long as the object is unchanged; a decorated imported object will be made your own, and its value will be moved from imports to wealth. This is important when trading with caravans, as they will not accept goods stolen or lost by a previous caravan of that civilization. It is listed under "Imported Wealth".

Similarly, items made in the fortress that leave the map on a [[caravan]] are counted as exports, listed under "Exported Wealth." 5k in ''offerings'' (not trades) to dwarven caravans is one of the prerequisites for the [[monarch]] to arrive.

== Influences ==
Wealth influences various game features, some of them good, some of them bad.

On the plus side, it increases the amount of [[migrant]]s you get per wave. Assuming that you are equipped to handle the new dwarves, this is usually a good thing, except when you are producing so much wealth that your migrant arrivals outstrip your ability to house them and give them useful things to do. Drowning in migrants is a very real danger - make sure you are always equipped with surplus beds.

A certain level of exports and overall wealth is required to go up the [[noble]] ladder: a [[baron]] requires 100k of wealth, a [[count]] 200k, and a [[duke]] 300k; the [[monarch]] has some fairly complicated requirements based on a few different categories.

On the negative side, more wealth attracts more attacks. At first this will be an above-average amount of [[thief|thieves]], but as the game progresses and your wealth continues to grow, this will develop into [[ambush]]es, [[siege]]s, and visits from [[megabeast]]s, all of which are attracted to increasing amounts of wealth. This keeps the game from being boring, but too much [[fun]] is also a bad thing; if you have a hard time dealing with the numerous waves of immigrants, you're certainly not equipped to deal with a full-on siege.

== Building and limiting wealth==
Building wealth is simple - just commit more people to useful industries and continue growing.
You will want to establish a major [[industry]] and commit a dwarf to it (producing [[finished good]]s is the easiest way), allowing you to spend grand sums on caravans and get everything you absolutely need quickly and painlessly. If you intend to go this route, be sure to create tons of extra [[bin]]s and [[bed]]s, as your dwarves will make short work of both. It also requires you be very quick with your mining, as you will need a lot of digging designations to keep everyone busy and productive.

On the opposite side there are the fortresses that would much rather establish a baseline of sorts before embarking on an expansionist binge - getting a full defensive grid up, for instance, or penetrating the [[aquifer]] without having to waste precious reserves on more dwarves and more enemies. These players concentrate on low-value activities like carpentry, masonry, and mining, and only produce enough trade goods to get what is necessary from the caravans. Although they are slower to grow, they also afford their players more time to plan and to lay the groundwork for the future of the fortress. Note that no matter what you will have to deal with some growth - besides the natural expansion of your mountainhome, there's also the issue of [[artifact]]s. Do what you will, but every once in a while a dwarf will claim a workshop and produce a valuable trinket, and all you can hope for is that it's not worth much.

Most players chose to walk the middle line, getting together the necessary industries but concentrating on the [[metal industry]] early on to get together their arms and armor. Although [[steel]] is worth its weight in [[gold]], it is much more useful in deflecting goblin arrows from your fortress' defenders then would be a statue looking pretty in your lobby.

[[Category:Economy]]

v0.34:Item

2012-05-09T23:51:05Z

GoldenShadow: linked magma flow to magma sea

{{quality|Fine|22:13, 9 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
An '''item''' is any object that is tangible, easily movable, and not a [[creature]]. Items can include [[stone|boulders]], [[bucket]]s, [[furniture]], [[weapon]]s, [[craft]]s, and other similar or even completely different objects. Most items can be stored in [[stockpile]]s via [[hauling]], and a subset can additionally be stored in various containers, such as [[bag]]s, [[bin]]s, or [[barrel]]s. Containers are, themselves, also items.

All items have a [[Item value|value]], item type, [[material]], and volume. From these, the [[weight]] of the item can be determined. Some items additionally have a [[Item quality|quality]]. Many items can participate in [[reaction]]s, and all but the raw materials and some animal extracts are the product of a reaction.

Items differ from contaminants in that they are not bound to a tile; an item can be stored on the ground, in a creature's inventory, in a container, in a workshop, [[cabinet]], or [[chest]], or even as a building material for [[building]]s and even [[construction]]s. Because of the multitude of methods in which items can be used, the only methods of destroying them is by waiting for [[rot]], consuming them (either through ingestion or through a reaction), [[wear]]ing them out, [[fire|burning]] them, moving them off-screen, dropping them into a [[chasm]] or [[magma sea|magma flow]], or using a [[dwarven atom smasher]].

== Named items ==
:''See also: [[Legendary artifact]]''
An item that is named in either [[fortress mode]] or [[adventure mode]] can arise from two circumstances: being a [[legendary artifact]], or being a weapon named for a notable kill list. In fortress mode, these items will be listed in the artifact screen accessed from the {{k|l}} key.

== Fortress mode ==
Items can be viewed in fortress mode from the loo{{k|k}} screen. They will, most of the time, be displayed in [[color|brown]] (yellow when highlighted as the currently active item). When selected, {{k|Enter}} can be used to view a brief description of the item, one that includes the [[weight]], contents (if any), and name of an item. From there, {{k|v}} can be used to obtain a detailed description of the item written in prose; this information includes the item type, any [[decoration]]s, and other information.

[[Caravan]]s will bring items to trade, and [[thief|thieves]] will steal items. Using fluids or dumping into the pits [[hell|deep down]] are the only other methods of moving items off-screen.

== Adventure mode ==
Items are also tangible in adventure mode, where they are picked up with the {{k|g}} key into either a free grasp or a [[backpack]] or other suitable container. All items can be thrown with the {{k|t}} key as well. An item that is not a proper weapon can still be used in combat; the misc. object user [[skill]] is trained by this activity.

The adventurer's inventory can be viewed through the inventory screen, accessed with {{k|i}}. [[Armor]] and [[clothing]], special types of item, can be interacted with through the {{k|w}} and {{k|r}} screens.

== Object testing arena ==
In the [[object testing arena]], items are appointed from the creature creation screen, accessed through {{k|k}} then {{k|c}} in the non-controlling view. There, {{k|n}} is used to add an item, and after selecting an appointed item {{k|r}} used to remove it and {{k|+}}, {{k|-}}, {{k|*}}, and {{k|/}} keys used to control the amount.

Items in the arena are displayed according to whether or not a creature is currently controlled; in the controlling view, the display is similar to that of adventure mode and in the non-controlling view similar to fortress mode.

== See also ==
* [[Item token]]

v0.34 Talk:Adder

2012-05-09T18:32:27Z

GoldenShadow:

==This should get moved==
As there's now a snake with this name in the game, this article should get moved somewhere else to make room. [[User:Gentgeen|Gentgeen]] 01:08, 14 March 2012 (UTC)
:Agreed, and done.--[[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] 19:55, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

==Butchering Returns==
I would edit the page, but I can't figure out how to do so. (I'm inept at this kind of thing.) But Butchering an Adder gets you 1 skull. That is all.[[User:Kaiguy|Kaiguy]] 15:56, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

Look at other finished pages to figure out what to add to an incomplete pages. --[[User:GoldenShadow|GoldenShadow]] 18:32, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

v0.34:Adder

2012-05-09T18:11:53Z

GoldenShadow: skull

{{Quality|Tattered|12:50, 14 March 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|wiki=no
|skull=1
|contrib=yes
}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

'''Adders''' are [[syndrome|venomous]] snakes found in many [[temperate]] biomes.

''If you are looking for logical designs related to the addition of numbers, see [[Adder (Computing)]].''

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Animals}}

v0.34:Controls guide

2012-05-09T17:59:50Z

GoldenShadow: Added burrow and notes, filled in designations, lots of fixes

{{quality|Fine|02:55 08 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
This is a beginner's guide to Fortress Mode interface [[controls]]. This page assumes the default [[key bindings]].

As a beginner it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the '''(View Unit - Preferences - Labor)''' submenu, the '''Query buildings''' menu, the '''Designate''' menu, and the '''Build''' menu.

==Viewing menus==
There are four menus for gaining more information about the map and the creatures that inhabit it. When used a yellow X-shaped cursor appears which you can move around the map using the numberpad to gain information.

===Look Around, k===
The loo{{k|k}} command shows you individual map tiles and what is standing/resting upon them. The menu displays [[Creatures]], Objects, [[Building|Buildings]], [[Map tile]]s in that order. You can use the {{k|+}} {{k|-}} keys to browse these things and press {{k|Enter}} to gain more detailed information.

You can also designate an item to be [[forbid|forbidden]], [[dump|dumped]], or [[melt|melted]] from this menu, if it is allowed (You can't designate a loaf of bread to be melted, for example!).

===View Units, v===
The {{key|v}}iew command gives detailed information on creatures: a [[dwarf]], an [[creature|animal]], a [[goblin]], etc. You do not need to place the cursor directly over the creature, information is given on the nearest creature. If multiple creatures are the same distance from the cursor (usually due to occupying the same tile), use {{key|v}} to cycle through them.

This command has several different menu views:
* {{key|g}} General - Name, occupation, and [[skill|skills]].
* {{key|i}} Inventory - Shows all the items the creature is carrying. Also shows the bloodstains, mud and goo that accumulates on creatures.
* {{key|p}} Preferences - This menu includes two sub-menus:
** {{key|l}} Labor - This lists which types of [[job|jobs]] the dwarf will accept. Very important for controlling their behavior.
** {{key|e}} Work Animals - Assign [[Animal training|trained]] animals to this dwarf.
* {{key|w}} [[Wound|Wounds]] - Shows the creature's health. Bright white means the body part is unharmed. Effects like "Thirsty" and "Unconscious" are also listed here.
* {{key|z}} View Profile - Views a dwarf's profile. From here, you can view [[thought|thoughts]] and [[preference|preferences]], view his [[relationship]]s, and give him a custom nickname or profession title.

===Query Rooms/Buildings, q===
The {{k|q}}uery command allows you to {{k|s}}uspend construction of a room or object, mark it for {{k|r}}emoval, or interact with its specific functionality.
*If you query a [[workshop]] you can change what tasks are being worked on, set a particular task to repeat or be suspended, or change who is allowed to use the workshop.
*If you query a piece of [[furniture]] you can define a [[room]] from it (e.g. a [[bed]] into a [[bedroom]], a [[chair]] into an [[office]], etc). Depending on the type of furniture there are additional options (e.g. a [[door]] can be locked, a [[coffin]] can be used for either [[pet]] or citizen burial).
*You can also assign a [[room]] to belong to a specific dwarf.
*If you query a [[farm plot]] you can change what crops are being planted.
*If you query a [[stockpile]] you can change what types of objects are stored there, how many [[barrel|barrels]] are used, etc.

===View items in buildings, t===
The i{{key|t}}ems command is used to see items that are inside buildings, such as [[workshop|workshops]], [[Trade depot|depots]], and [[trap|traps]].
=Order your Dwarves=
These commands affect what your dwarves do.
===Build, b===
Use this command to {{key|b}}uild rooms, place [[furniture]], start [[Farm plot|farm]] plots, and such. In addition to a long list of items which can be scrolled through with the {{k|+}}/{{k|-}} keys, there are also a few sub-menus:
*{{key|w}} '''[[Workshop|Workshops]]'''
*{{k|e}} '''[[Furnace|Furnaces]]'''
*{{key|C}} '''[[Construction]]'''
*{{key|T}} '''[[Trap|Traps]]'''
*{{key|M}} '''[[Machine component|Machine components]]'''
===Designate, d===
{{key|d}} [[Designations]] menu
*{{k|d}} Mine - Mark solid walls to [[mining|mine]]
*{{k|h}} Channel - Mark to solid walls or floors to [[channel]] downwards. This will create a ramp on the Z-level below the miner.
*{{k|z}} Remove Upstairs/Ramps - Mark stairs and ramps to remove them.
*{{k|u}} Upward Stairway - Mark to dig up [[stairs]] into solid wall.
*{{k|j}} Downward Stairway - Mark to dig down stairs into either a solid wall or a floor.
*{{k|i}} Up/Down Stairway - Mark to dig up/down stairs into a solid wall.
*{{k|r}} Upward Ramp - Mark to dig a [[ramp]] into a solid wall
*{{k|t}} Chop Down Trees - Mark trees to be [[wood cutter|cut]]
*{{k|p}} Gather Plants - Mark [[plant|plants]] to be [[herbalist|gathered]]
*{{k|s}} Smooth Stone - Mark walls or floor for an [[engraver]] to smooth. This must be done before you can engrave or carve fortifications.
*{{k|e}} Engrave Stone - Mark smoothed walls or floors to [[engraving|engrave]] art into.
*{{k|a}} Carve Fortifications - Mark smoothed walls to carve [[fortification]]s into.
*{{k|V}} Toggle Engravings - Mark engraved tiles to toggles their display.
*{{k|x}} Remove Designation - Removes any designation that was made with the {{k|d}} menu
*{{k|n}} Remove Constructions - Marks constructions for removal.

*{{k|b}} Set Building/Item Properties - Used to mass designate entire areas for the following:
**{{k|c}} Claim Items/Buildings
**{{k|f}} Forbid Items/Buildings
**{{k|m}} Melt
**{{k|M}} Remove Melt
**{{k|d}} Dump
**{{k|D}} Remove Dump
**{{k|h}} Hide Items/Buildings
**{{k|H}} Unhide Items/Buildings

*{{k|o}} Set Traffic Areas - Set [[traffic]] areas.

===Stockpile, p===
{{key|p}} Used to create [[stockpile|stockpiles]].
*{{k|a}} Animal
*{{k|u}} Furniture Storage
*{{k|y}} Corpses
*{{k|s}} Stone
*{{k|e}} Gem
*{{k|h}} Cloth
*{{k|z}} Ammo
*{{k|g}} Finished Goods
*{{k|p}} Weapons
*{{k|f}} Food
*{{k|w}} Wood
*{{k|b}} Bar/Block
*{{k|l}} Leather
*{{k|n}} Coins
*{{k|d}} Armor
===Zones, i===
{{key|i}} Mark an [[activity zone]] for drinking [[water]], [[fishing]], [[dump]], [[pasture|pen/pasture]], [[Activity zone#Pit/Pond|pit/pond]] , [[sand]] collection, [[clay]] collection, [[meeting hall]], [[hospital]], [[animal training]]. This interface is the reverse of designate and stockpile commands: you mark out the rectangular area first, and define what it does afterward.
===Squads, s===
{{k|s}} This command is used to control your military squads. The options are:
*{{k|k}} Attack - Selected squad will attack the selected enemies.
*{{k|m}} Move - Selected squad will station to a specific location you choose.
*{{k|o}} Cancel orders - Cancels a station or kill order.
*{{k|z}} Center on Squad - Zooms to the commander of the squad.
*{{k|s}} View Schedule - Brings up the military scheduling screen.
*{{k|t}} Sched - Toggles between all available schedules.
*{{k|p}} Select Individuals - Lets you issue orders to individual soldiers instead of the entire squad.
===Burrows, w===
{{k|w}} Opens the [[burrow]]s menu:
*{{k|a}} Add - Creates a new burrow.
*{{k|d}} Delete - Deletes the selected burrow.
*{{k|Enter}} Define this Burrow - Creates a new burrow.
**{{k|n}} Name burrow - Give your burrow a name.
**{{k|c}} Change symbol selector - Used in conjunction with numpad {{k|-}}{{k|+}} to customize the color and symbol used for this burrow.
**{{k|Enter}} Start Rectangle - Use the keyboard to designate a rectangular area.
**{{k|b}} Mouse brush - Used to toggle mouse brush sizes. Useful if you use the mouse to click and drag to define a large irregular burrow.
**{{k|r}} Currently painting/erasing - Changes the action of the rectangle and mouse brush to add or subtract from the burrow.
**{{k|z}} Center on burrow - Self-explanatory.
*{{k|c}} Add citizens to burrow - displays a list of your entire population. Press {{k|Enter}} to add dwarves to the burrow.
*{{k|z}} Center on burrow - Self-explanatory.
===Notes, N===
{{k|w}} Displays the [[note]]s menu. One of the main uses is to setup patrol routes for your military. You need to place some points and create a new route, then add the points to the route, which become waypoints.
*{{k|p}} Place - creates a new point at the cursor.
*{{k|d}} Delete - Deletes the selected point.
*{{k|n}} Name - Give a point a name.
*{{k|c}} Change symbol selector - Used in conjunction with numpad {{k|-}}{{k|+}} to customize the color and symbol used for new points.
*{{k|s}} Adopt selected symbol - Changes the symbol for an existing point.
*{{k|t}} Note text - Add text to a point.
*{{k|r}} Routes - Opens the routes menu.
**{{k|a}} Add route - Creates a new route.
**{{k|d}} Del route - Removes selected route.
**{{k|c}} Center - After you add waypoints, allows you to center the view over them.
**{{k|n}} Name route - Change the name of the selected route.
**{{k|p}} Back to points/notes - Returns to the main notes menu.
**{{k|e}} Edit Waypts - Opens a new menu used to add waypoints to the selected route.
***{{k|a}} Add waypt - Adds the nearest waypoint from the cursor to the route list.
***{{k|d}} Del waypt - Removes selected waypoint from the route list.
***{{k|c}} Center - After you add waypoints, allows you to center the view over them.
***{{k|n}} Name route - Change the name of the selected route.
***{{k|p}} Back to points/notes - Returns to the main notes menu.
***{{k|e}} Edit routes - Returns to the routes menu.

=Fortress Information=

These commands take you away from the map, to an informational screen. Some of them also let you give orders.
==Announcements, a==
{{key|a}} This screen logs the announcements that appear at the bottom of the screen. Use it to see any you missed, or scroll up the early history of your fortress.

==Civilizations, c==
{{key|c}} A list of other civilizations that you have personally encountered (and thus within distance for [[trade]] or [[siege|war]]). Civilizations are marked with a ''P'' if you are at peace with them, or with a ''W'' if you are at war. Pressing {{key|Tab}} lets you check total exports and imports, and standing trade agreements.

==Unit List, u==
{{key|u}} A list of every creature on the map. Dwarves are listed first, then [[tame]] animals, then hostile creatures, then wild animals. Even dead creatures are listed here, so you can track your fallen dwarves.
* {{key|c}} '''Zoom to Creature''' This takes you to [[#View_Units.2C_v|View Creature]] mode, with the cursor centered on the selected creature.
* {{key|v}} '''View Profile'''
* {{key|b}} '''Zoom to Building''' Takes you to the [[building]] associated with the the dwarf's current task. For hauling tasks, this is the destination [[stockpile]].
* {{key|m}} '''Manager''' Takes you to the [[Manager#Setting_up_work_orders|job manager]] screen.

==Military, m==
{{key|m}} Access the [[military]] screen
* {{key|p}} '''Positions''' Create and remove squads and assign dwarves to them.
* {{key|a}} '''Alerts''' Create configure alerts. Used in conjunction with burrows to define a '''CIV Alert''', a safe place that dwarves will be forced to go when turned on. Can also be used to change the active alert schedule for your squads.
* {{key|e}} '''Equip''' Assign armor and weapons to military squads.
* {{key|n}} '''Uniforms''' Create or modify uniform templates which can be assigned using the Equip screen.
* {{key|u}} '''Supplies''' Controls if a squad carries food and drink.
* {{key|f}} '''Ammunition''' Assigns ammunition to squads.
* {{key|s}} '''Schedule''' Used to modify the [[schedule|orders]] for an alert.

==Room List, R==
{{key|R}} Lists all [[Room|Rooms]], [[Building|Buildings]], [[Stockpile|Stockpiles]], and even [[Activity zone|Activity zones]] in the fortress. For rooms, it includes the room's quality and the owner's name. It includes quick access to each room's {{k|q}} and {{k|t}} menus.

==Artifacts, l==
{{key|l}} A list of the [[artifact|artifacts]] your fortress has produced.

==Nobles & Administrators, n==
{{key|n}} Access the [[Nobles screen]]

==Fortress Overview, z==
{{key|z}} This screen is filled with useful information, like your fortress's net worth, and how much food and drink you have left.
* '''Animals''' A list of all tame [[creature|animals]] in your fort.
* '''Kitchen''' From here you can specify what [[food|foods]] can be [[cook|cooked]] or [[brew|brewed]].
* '''Stone''' Controls the use of [[ore|ores]] and [[economic stone|economic stones]]
* '''Stocks''' This is an in-depth listing of every item, down to every rotting rat corpse. The accuracy of the your item count depends on your [[bookkeeper]].
* '''Justice''' Shows the details of the dwarven [[justice]] system, once you have a [[Sheriff]].
* '''Health''' Shows an overview of the health status of the fortress, once you have a [[Chief medical dwarf]].
See [[Status]] for more details.

=Miscellaneous=

==Options & Orders, o==
{{key|o}} Access the [[Standing orders]]

==Hot keys, h==
{{key|h}} Define or redefine [[Hotkeys]]

{{Game Interface FAQ}}

v0.34:Controls guide

2012-05-09T06:27:54Z

GoldenShadow: updating for 2012

{{quality|Fine|02:55 08 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
This is a beginner's guide to Fortress Mode interface [[controls]]. This page assumes the default [[key binding|key bindings]].

As a beginner it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the '''(View Unit - Preferences - Labor)''' submenu, the '''Query buildings''' menu, the '''Designate''' menu, and the '''Build''' menu.

==Viewing menus==
There are 5 menus for gaining more information about the map and the creatures that inhabit it. When used a yellow X-shaped cursor appears which you can move around the map using the numberpad to gain information.

===Look Around, k===
The loo{{k|k}} command shows you individual map tiles and what is standing/resting upon them. The menu displays [[Creatures]], Objects, [[Building|Buildings]], [[Map tile]]s in that order. You can use the {{k|+}} {{k|-}} keys to browse these things and press {{k|Enter}} to gain more detailed information.

You can also designate an item to be [[forbid|forbidden]], [[dump|dumped]], or [[melt|melted]] from this menu, if it is allowed (You can't designate a loaf of bread to be melted, for example!).

===View Units, v===
The {{key|v}}iew command gives detailed information on creatures: a [[dwarf]], an [[creature|animal]], a [[goblin]], etc. You do not need to place the cursor directly over the creature, information is given on the nearest creature. If multiple creatures are the same distance from the cursor (usually due to occupying the same tile), use {{key|v}} to cycle through them.

This command has several different menu views:
* {{key|g}} General - Name, occupation, and [[skill|skills]].
* {{key|i}} Inventory - Shows all the items the creature is carrying. Also shows the bloodstains, mud and goo that accumulates on creatures.
* {{key|p}} Preferences - This menu includes two sub-menus:
** {{key|l}} Labor - This lists which types of [[job|jobs]] the dwarf will accept. Very important for controlling their behavior.
** {{key|e}} Work Animals - Assign [[Animal training|trained]] animals to this dwarf.
* {{key|w}} [[Wound|Wounds]] - Shows the creature's health. Bright white means the body part is unharmed. Effects like "Thirsty" and "Unconscious" are also listed here.
* {{key|z}} View Profile - Views a dwarf's profile. From here, you can view [[thought|thoughts]] and [[preference|preferences]], view his [[relationship]]s, and give him a custom nickname or profession title.

===Query Rooms/Buildings, q===
The {{k|q}}uery command allows you to {{k|s}}uspend construction of a room or object, mark it for {{k|r}}emoval, or interact with its specific functionality.
*If you query a [[workshop]] you can change what tasks are being worked on, set a particular task to repeat or be suspended, or change who is allowed to use the workshop.
*If you query a piece of [[furniture]] you can define a [[room]] from it (e.g. a [[bed]] into a [[bedroom]], a [[chair]] into an [[office]], etc). Depending on the type of furniture there are additional options (e.g. a [[door]] can be locked, a [[coffin]] can be used for either [[pet]] or citizen burial).
*You can also assign a [[room]] to belong to a specific dwarf.
*If you query a [[farm plot]] you can change what crops are being planted.
*If you query a [[stockpile]] you can change what types of objects are stored there, how many [[barrel|barrels]] are used, etc.

===View items in buildings, t===
The i{{key|t}}ems command is used to see items that are inside buildings, such as [[workshop|workshops]], [[Trade depot|depots]], and [[trap|traps]].

===Squads, s===
{{k|s}} This command is used to control your military squads. The options are:
*{{k|k}} Attack - Selected squad will attack the selected enemies.
*{{k|m}} Move - Selected squad will station to a specific location you choose.
*{{k|o}} Cancel orders - Cancels a station or kill order.
*{{k|z}} Center on Squad - Zooms to the commander of the squad.
*{{k|s}} View Schedule - Brings up the military scheduling screen.
*{{k|t}} Sched - Toggles between all available schedules.
*{{k|p}} Select Individuals - Lets you issue orders to individual soldiers instead of the entire squad.

=Order your Dwarves=

These commands affect what your dwarves do. These also use the cursor.

==Build, b==
Use this command to {{key|b}}uild rooms, place [[furniture]], start [[Farm plot|farm]] plots, and such. In addition to a long list of items which can be scrolled through with the {{k|+}}/{{k|-}} keys, there are also a few sub-menus:
*{{key|w}} '''[[Workshop|Workshops]]'''
*{{k|e}} '''[[Furnace|Furnaces]]'''
*{{key|C}} '''[[Construction]]'''
*{{key|T}} '''[[Trap|Traps]]'''
*{{key|M}} '''[[Machine component|Machine components]]'''

==Designate, d==
{{key|d}} Use this to mark stone to be [[mine|mined]] out, trees to be cut, [[plant|plants]] to be gathered, walls and floors to be smoothed or [[engraving|engraved]], and so on. You can also [[forbid]], [[dump]], [[melt]] or hide items and rooms.

==Stockpile, p==
{{key|p}} Used to create [[stockpile|stockpiles]].

==Zones, i==
{{key|i}} Mark an [[activity zone]] for drinking [[water]], [[fishing]], [[dump]], pen/pasture, pit/pond, [[sand]] collection, clay collection, [[meeting hall]], hospital, animal training. This interface is the reverse of designate and stockpile commands: you mark out the rectangular area first, and define what it does afterward.

=Fortress Information=

These commands take you away from the map, to an informational screen. Some of them also let you give orders.
==Announcements, a==
{{key|a}} This screen logs the announcements that appear at the bottom of the screen. Use it to see any you missed, or scroll up the early history of your fortress.

==Civilizations, c==
{{key|c}} A list of other civilizations that you have personally encountered (and thus within distance for [[trade]] or [[siege|war]]). Civilizations are marked with a ''P'' if you are at peace with them, or with a ''W'' if you are at war. Pressing {{key|Tab}} lets you check total exports and imports, and standing trade agreements.

==Unit List, u==
{{key|u}} A list of every creature on the map. Dwarves are listed first, then [[tame]] animals, then hostile creatures, then wild animals. Even dead creatures are listed here, so you can track your fallen dwarves.
* {{key|c}} '''Zoom to Creature''' This takes you to [[#View_Units.2C_v|View Creature]] mode, with the cursor centered on the selected creature.
* {{key|v}} '''View Profile'''
* {{key|b}} '''Zoom to Building''' Takes you to the [[building]] associated with the the dwarf's current task. For hauling tasks, this is the destination [[stockpile]].
* {{key|m}} '''Manager''' Takes you to the [[Manager#Setting_up_work_orders|job manager]] screen.

==Military, m==
{{key|m}} Access the [[military]] screen
* {{key|p}} '''Positions''' Create and remove squads and assign dwarves to them.
* {{key|a}} '''Alerts''' Create configure alerts. Used in conjunction with burrows to define a '''CIV Alert''', a safe place that dwarves will be forced to go when turned on. Can also be used to change the active alert schedule for your squads.
* {{key|e}} '''Equip''' Assign armor and weapons to military squads.
* {{key|n}} '''Uniforms''' Create or modify uniform templates which can be assigned using the Equip screen.
* {{key|u}} '''Supplies''' Controls if a squad carries food and drink.
* {{key|f}} '''Ammunition''' Assigns ammunition to squads.
* {{key|s}} '''Schedule''' Used to modify the [[schedule|orders]] for an alert.

==Room List, R==
{{key|R}} Lists all [[Room|Rooms]], [[Building|Buildings]], [[Stockpile|Stockpiles]], and even [[Activity zone|Activity zones]] in the fortress. For rooms, it includes the room's quality and the owner's name. It includes quick access to each room's {{k|q}} and {{k|t}} menus.

==Artifacts, l==
{{key|l}} A list of the [[artifact|artifacts]] your fortress has produced.

==Nobles & Administrators, n==
{{key|n}} Access the [[Nobles screen]]

==Fortress Overview, z==
{{key|z}} This screen is filled with useful information, like your fortress's net worth, and how much food and drink you have left.
* '''Animals''' A list of all tame [[creature|animals]] in your fort.
* '''Kitchen''' From here you can specify what [[food|foods]] can be [[cook|cooked]] or [[brew|brewed]].
* '''Stone''' Controls the use of [[ore|ores]] and [[economic stone|economic stones]]
* '''Stocks''' This is an in-depth listing of every item, down to every rotting rat corpse. The accuracy of the your item count depends on your [[bookkeeper]].
* '''Justice''' Shows the details of the dwarven [[justice]] system, once you have a [[Sheriff]].
* '''Health''' Shows an overview of the health status of the fortress, once you have a [[Chief medical dwarf]].
See [[Status]] for more details.

=Miscellaneous=

==Options & Orders, o==
{{key|o}} Access the [[Standing orders]]

==Hot keys, h==
{{key|h}} Define or redefine [[Hotkeys]]

{{Game Interface FAQ}}

v0.34:Cage

2012-05-09T05:17:33Z

GoldenShadow: /* How to disarm hostiles in cages */

{{quality|Exceptional|22:58, 6 January 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

{{furniture|name=Cage
|tile=‼|col=0:6:0
|wood=y
|metal=y
|glass=y
|rooms=
* [[Jail]] (if metal)
}}
For cage traps, see [[Trap#Cage_Trap|traps]].

'''Cages''' are used in [[cage trap]]s, [[jail]]s, and zoos, [[pit]]s and aquariums.
A glass cage is called a terrarium or, if filled with water for holding [[Captured live fish|captured]] live [[fish]], an aquarium.

Cages are stored on the Animal Stockpile. Dwarves will attempt to collect and store cages in stockpiles if the {{k|o}}rders - dwarves haul {{k|a}}nimals option is set.

==Building and using a cage==
Cages can be constructed from [[wood]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]], from [[metal]] at a [[metalsmith's forge]], and from [[glass]] at a [[glass furnace]].

You can then either build them to a tile via {{k|b}} - {{k|j}} (this is needed for linking a lever to them, or assigning a pet to it) or simply keep them stockpiled so they can be used to load cage [[trap]]s.

When building a cage, you can use a cage that already has something inside. To precisely choose which cage to use, you can expand the list of the cages of a certain type via {{k|x}}.

===Creature containment===

To assign creatures to a cage, press {{k|q}} and move the cursor over the cage. Use {{k|+}} and {{k|-}} to scroll up and down the list of [[creatures]], and {{k|Enter}} to assign them to the cage. A major change in version .31.19 is that grazing creatures will starve if left in cages. Grazing creatures require access to [[grass]], [[moss]] or [[floor fungus]] for survival, which can be achieved by assigning them to a [[zone|pasture]] that has plenty of tasty grass/moss.

Multiple creatures can be assigned to the same cage with no penalty. It is completely possible to fit hundreds of [[dog|puppies]] in a cage with dozens of [[blind cave ogre]]s with no ill effects or a [[dragon]], a thousand cats plus more, leading some players to conclude that cages include some sort of hidden "cage space" that allows infinitely tight packing of creatures.

There is no particular labor for releasing creatures in cages. Use {{k|q}} to examine the cage (it must first be "built," not just stored), {{k|a}} to assign, and then use {{k|enter}} to toggle the animal(s) currently inside (animals assigned to the cage will have a green "+" next to them). Any available dwarf will perform the job, so beware of pitting untamed or hostile creatures with a weak dwarf. For more information, see [[captured creatures]].

You can get details about the creatures which are in a built cage by pressing {{k|t}} and then {{k|enter}}. There, you can scroll the list of creatures and get details, for example, you can tell whether a Donkey is male or female, which is interesting if your intention is to keep milkable animals near a farmer's workshop.

[[Vermin]] can also be assigned to cages, to save space or [[animal trap]]s. However, if you try to release them ({{k|q}} and then {{k|a}}), the dwarf will pickup an animal trap and put the poor creature in it. You must have a triggered (linked to a [[lever]]) cage to release tamed small creatures (like most birds).

Bees shows up in the list of creatures that can be assigned to a cage, but dwarfs will not start the task, and it will not be shown in the {{k|j}}obs list.

===Prisons===

To set a cage as a [[jail]], {{k|q}}uery the cage, designate it as a {{k|r}}oom, and then set it to be used for {{k|j}}ustice. Only [[metal]] cages may be used in this way, despite [[wood]]en cages being strong enough to hold [[dragon]]s.

Dwarves in cages must be fed by other dwarves.

===Remotely Opening Cages===

A built cage can be linked to a [[lever]] to remotely open it. When the cage opens, the occupant(s) inside are released, the cage and [[mechanism]] deconstruct and can be returned to their respective stockpiles. Note that you have to use a "built" cage as described above, it won't work with cages on your stockpile. Also note that the mechanism attached to the lever will '''not''' automatically deconstruct; you have to manually deconstruct the whole lever to get back the mechanism used to open the cage.

===Alternate way of Opening Cages===

When traders are around, you can select "move good to trading depot" and select the cage of choice.
When a hauler takes the cage, the creature inside will be released. Be sure to disarm the creature beforehand...

Another way to get creatures out of cages which are not built, is to assign the creatures to pastures (which is possible for any living thing except dwarves). The same precautions as for trading the cage should be taken first.

===Cages and Fluids===

A cage will protect a creature inside it from [[swimmer|drowning]], so if you want to drown a creature in a cage, you must open it remotely, as explained in the above section (as a corollary, if your fortress is drowning in water, you can cage your dwarves and rescue them later). However, built cages will not protect caged creatures from [[magma]], making this a somewhat faster option, as it doesn't require linking each cage to a lever. Cages which are not [[magma-safe]] will be degraded and/or destroyed by this process, and cages which are made of flammable materials (such as wood) may be set on [[fire]]. Any items the creature had equipped will teleport {{verify}} to wherever the creature was caged, typically a tile with a [[cage trap]] on it. These items may or may not be on fire; no case of teleporting !!large cave spider silk sock!!s have yet been observed, but this doesn't prove it can't happen. Exercise caution.

===Buying Cages ===
Traders may bring cages for sale. If these cages contain a [[tame]]d [[creature]], the item will be listed as (creature) cage, and will not describe the material the cage is made out of. However, the cage may contain a tamed [[vermin]], in which case it will be listed in the trading dialogue as by the material the cage is made out of. In such cases, the expanded cage description will list the contents of the cage. You can often infer that trained vermin are in a cage by noting the cage's value compared to other cages of identical quality in the list.

However, once you have bought the cage the item name will list the material of the cage; ie: Wolf Cage (Oaken).

=== How to disarm hostiles in cages ===
An easy way to take away all prisoner-held armor and clothing is via the mass designation tool. Designate an area with {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|c}} to claim and {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|d}} to dump an area (i.e. your animal [[stockpile]], filled with caged prisoners). Afterwards, hit {{K|k}}, and go over each cage and press {{K|d}} for each of them - this stops the dumping on the cages themselves. You will need a [[DF2012:Activity zone#Garbage Dump|garbage dump]] set up already for the dwarves to take the dumped items to. The dwarves will strip the prisoners naked and haul the items away. The cages themselves (and the creatures within) will remain in place. The items will end up in the garbage dump zone. If you want to to reuse the items, you need only to designate claim {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|c}} on your garbage dump zone to reclaim the items after they are dumped there. If your animal stockpile is outdoors, you need to have the "Dwarves Gather Refuse from Outside" {{K|o}}-{{K|r}}-{{K|o}} order set.

An easier way to selectively disarm prisoners is to designate mass forbid {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|f}} and mass dump {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|d}} on all of the caged prisoner stockpile. You will need a [[bookkeeper]] for this. Press {{K|z}} and go to the [[stocks]] screen. Find an item category with items marked '''F''' and '''D'''. Press {{K|f}} to remove the '''F''' for those items, but don't remove the '''D'''. This will unforbid them, but they will remain marked for dumping. When you exit the stocks screen, the dwarves will haul those items from the cages and drop them into the garbage dump. When the dwarves have finished the hauling tasks, designate a mass claim {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|c}} and mass undump {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|D}} on the same area as earlier to remove the forbid and dump designations from the cages and the rest of the contents.

This method can be used to confiscate specific items from caged prisoners, like weapons, armor or bags containing stolen property or kidnapped children. It can be more useful to just remove their weapons if you want to use your caged prisoners for target practice. They will be more durable with their clothes and armor equipped, but not very dangerous without their weapons.

=== How to get seeds out of a cage ===
If you [[animal trainer|tame an animal]] while it is inside a cage (a process which involves feeding a plant to the caged animal), you may leave seeds inside the cage. To get these out, you must mark them for [[activity zone#Garbage_Dump|dumping]], designate a garbage zone, and wait for a dwarf to dump the seeds in the garbage zone. Then you can reclaim them.

Marking a seed for dumping can be done by pressing {{k|k}}, then pressing {{k|Enter}} on the cage, then pressing {{k|Enter}} a second time on the seed, and finally pressing {{k|d}} to mark the seed (rather than the cage) for dumping. Or if there are a lot of seeds, you can use {{k|d}}-{{k|b}}-{{k|d}} to mass-dump everything in the tile, and then un-mark the cage itself.

=== How to quickly empty out many cages ===
If you have many [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage traps]] then you may have trouble emptying out cages quickly enough at times. See [[Mass pitting]] for suggestions on how to quickly recycle cages.

Another easy way to quickly empty cages is to simply send the imprisoned creatures to a pasture, where your squad can slaughter them.
(Your dwarfs can drag every goblin except thieves).
The easiest way is to place the pasture right next to the cages and let our dwarfs shoot them down. This way you can kill the thieves and monsters too.

{{buildings}}

==Bugs==

Creatures in cages that come from dead merchants can only be freed by assigning them to a [[Zone#Pen/Pasture|pen/pasture zone]] and then when they have been put there, deassign them from the pen/pasture.

When bringing a cage to the Trade Depot in order to trade it, any wild animals inside the cage will be freed. Tamed animals can be safely traded. {{Bug|4065}}

{{Category|Justice}}
{{Category|Buildings}}

v0.34:Cage

2012-05-09T05:14:25Z

GoldenShadow: /* How to disarm hostiles in cages */

{{quality|Exceptional|22:58, 6 January 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

{{furniture|name=Cage
|tile=‼|col=0:6:0
|wood=y
|metal=y
|glass=y
|rooms=
* [[Jail]] (if metal)
}}
For cage traps, see [[Trap#Cage_Trap|traps]].

'''Cages''' are used in [[cage trap]]s, [[jail]]s, and zoos, [[pit]]s and aquariums.
A glass cage is called a terrarium or, if filled with water for holding [[Captured live fish|captured]] live [[fish]], an aquarium.

Cages are stored on the Animal Stockpile. Dwarves will attempt to collect and store cages in stockpiles if the {{k|o}}rders - dwarves haul {{k|a}}nimals option is set.

==Building and using a cage==
Cages can be constructed from [[wood]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]], from [[metal]] at a [[metalsmith's forge]], and from [[glass]] at a [[glass furnace]].

You can then either build them to a tile via {{k|b}} - {{k|j}} (this is needed for linking a lever to them, or assigning a pet to it) or simply keep them stockpiled so they can be used to load cage [[trap]]s.

When building a cage, you can use a cage that already has something inside. To precisely choose which cage to use, you can expand the list of the cages of a certain type via {{k|x}}.

===Creature containment===

To assign creatures to a cage, press {{k|q}} and move the cursor over the cage. Use {{k|+}} and {{k|-}} to scroll up and down the list of [[creatures]], and {{k|Enter}} to assign them to the cage. A major change in version .31.19 is that grazing creatures will starve if left in cages. Grazing creatures require access to [[grass]], [[moss]] or [[floor fungus]] for survival, which can be achieved by assigning them to a [[zone|pasture]] that has plenty of tasty grass/moss.

Multiple creatures can be assigned to the same cage with no penalty. It is completely possible to fit hundreds of [[dog|puppies]] in a cage with dozens of [[blind cave ogre]]s with no ill effects or a [[dragon]], a thousand cats plus more, leading some players to conclude that cages include some sort of hidden "cage space" that allows infinitely tight packing of creatures.

There is no particular labor for releasing creatures in cages. Use {{k|q}} to examine the cage (it must first be "built," not just stored), {{k|a}} to assign, and then use {{k|enter}} to toggle the animal(s) currently inside (animals assigned to the cage will have a green "+" next to them). Any available dwarf will perform the job, so beware of pitting untamed or hostile creatures with a weak dwarf. For more information, see [[captured creatures]].

You can get details about the creatures which are in a built cage by pressing {{k|t}} and then {{k|enter}}. There, you can scroll the list of creatures and get details, for example, you can tell whether a Donkey is male or female, which is interesting if your intention is to keep milkable animals near a farmer's workshop.

[[Vermin]] can also be assigned to cages, to save space or [[animal trap]]s. However, if you try to release them ({{k|q}} and then {{k|a}}), the dwarf will pickup an animal trap and put the poor creature in it. You must have a triggered (linked to a [[lever]]) cage to release tamed small creatures (like most birds).

Bees shows up in the list of creatures that can be assigned to a cage, but dwarfs will not start the task, and it will not be shown in the {{k|j}}obs list.

===Prisons===

To set a cage as a [[jail]], {{k|q}}uery the cage, designate it as a {{k|r}}oom, and then set it to be used for {{k|j}}ustice. Only [[metal]] cages may be used in this way, despite [[wood]]en cages being strong enough to hold [[dragon]]s.

Dwarves in cages must be fed by other dwarves.

===Remotely Opening Cages===

A built cage can be linked to a [[lever]] to remotely open it. When the cage opens, the occupant(s) inside are released, the cage and [[mechanism]] deconstruct and can be returned to their respective stockpiles. Note that you have to use a "built" cage as described above, it won't work with cages on your stockpile. Also note that the mechanism attached to the lever will '''not''' automatically deconstruct; you have to manually deconstruct the whole lever to get back the mechanism used to open the cage.

===Alternate way of Opening Cages===

When traders are around, you can select "move good to trading depot" and select the cage of choice.
When a hauler takes the cage, the creature inside will be released. Be sure to disarm the creature beforehand...

Another way to get creatures out of cages which are not built, is to assign the creatures to pastures (which is possible for any living thing except dwarves). The same precautions as for trading the cage should be taken first.

===Cages and Fluids===

A cage will protect a creature inside it from [[swimmer|drowning]], so if you want to drown a creature in a cage, you must open it remotely, as explained in the above section (as a corollary, if your fortress is drowning in water, you can cage your dwarves and rescue them later). However, built cages will not protect caged creatures from [[magma]], making this a somewhat faster option, as it doesn't require linking each cage to a lever. Cages which are not [[magma-safe]] will be degraded and/or destroyed by this process, and cages which are made of flammable materials (such as wood) may be set on [[fire]]. Any items the creature had equipped will teleport {{verify}} to wherever the creature was caged, typically a tile with a [[cage trap]] on it. These items may or may not be on fire; no case of teleporting !!large cave spider silk sock!!s have yet been observed, but this doesn't prove it can't happen. Exercise caution.

===Buying Cages ===
Traders may bring cages for sale. If these cages contain a [[tame]]d [[creature]], the item will be listed as (creature) cage, and will not describe the material the cage is made out of. However, the cage may contain a tamed [[vermin]], in which case it will be listed in the trading dialogue as by the material the cage is made out of. In such cases, the expanded cage description will list the contents of the cage. You can often infer that trained vermin are in a cage by noting the cage's value compared to other cages of identical quality in the list.

However, once you have bought the cage the item name will list the material of the cage; ie: Wolf Cage (Oaken).

=== How to disarm hostiles in cages ===
An easy way to take away all prisoner-held armor and clothing is via the mass designation tool. Designate an area with {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|c}} to claim and {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|d}} to dump an area (i.e. your animal [[stockpile]], filled with caged prisoners). Afterwards, hit {{K|k}}, and go over each cage and press {{K|d}} for each of them - this stops the dumping on the cages themselves. You will need a [[DF2012:Activity zone#Garbage Dump|garbage dump]] set up already for the dwarves to take the dumped items to. The dwarves will strip the prisoners naked and haul the items away. The cages themselves (and the creatures within) will remain in place. The items will end up in the garbage dump zone. If you want to to reuse the items, you need only to designate claim {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|c}} on your garbage dump zone to reclaim the items after they are dumped there. If your animal stockpile is outdoors, you need to have the "Dwarves Gather Refuse from Outside" {{K|o}}-{{K|r}}-{{K|o}} order set.

An easier way to selectively disarm prisoners is to designate mass forbid {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|f}} and mass dump {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|d}} on all of the caged prisoner stockpile. You will need a [[bookkeeper]] for this. Press {{K|z}} and go to the [[stocks]] screen. Find an item category and with items marked '''F''' and '''D'''. Press {{K|f}} to remove the '''F''' for those items, but don't remove the '''D'''. This will unforbid them, but they will remain marked for dumping. When you exit the stocks screen, the dwarves will haul those items from the cages and drop them into the garbage dump. When the dwarves have finished the hauling tasks, designate a mass claim {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|c}} and mass undump {{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|D}} on the same area as earlier to remove the forbid and dump designations from the cages and the rest of the contents.

This method can be used to confiscate specific items from caged prisoners, like weapons, armor or bags containing stolen property or kidnapped children. It can be more useful to just remove their weapons if you want to use your caged prisoners for target practice. They will be more durable with their clothes and armor equipped, but not very dangerous without their weapons.

=== How to get seeds out of a cage ===
If you [[animal trainer|tame an animal]] while it is inside a cage (a process which involves feeding a plant to the caged animal), you may leave seeds inside the cage. To get these out, you must mark them for [[activity zone#Garbage_Dump|dumping]], designate a garbage zone, and wait for a dwarf to dump the seeds in the garbage zone. Then you can reclaim them.

Marking a seed for dumping can be done by pressing {{k|k}}, then pressing {{k|Enter}} on the cage, then pressing {{k|Enter}} a second time on the seed, and finally pressing {{k|d}} to mark the seed (rather than the cage) for dumping. Or if there are a lot of seeds, you can use {{k|d}}-{{k|b}}-{{k|d}} to mass-dump everything in the tile, and then un-mark the cage itself.

=== How to quickly empty out many cages ===
If you have many [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage traps]] then you may have trouble emptying out cages quickly enough at times. See [[Mass pitting]] for suggestions on how to quickly recycle cages.

Another easy way to quickly empty cages is to simply send the imprisoned creatures to a pasture, where your squad can slaughter them.
(Your dwarfs can drag every goblin except thieves).
The easiest way is to place the pasture right next to the cages and let our dwarfs shoot them down. This way you can kill the thieves and monsters too.

{{buildings}}

==Bugs==

Creatures in cages that come from dead merchants can only be freed by assigning them to a [[Zone#Pen/Pasture|pen/pasture zone]] and then when they have been put there, deassign them from the pen/pasture.

When bringing a cage to the Trade Depot in order to trade it, any wild animals inside the cage will be freed. Tamed animals can be safely traded. {{Bug|4065}}

{{Category|Justice}}
{{Category|Buildings}}

v0.34:Semi-molten rock

2012-05-08T19:47:33Z

GoldenShadow: tested: Dwarf miner with level 7 swimmer skill in a 3 deep, 1x1 shaft with an escape ramp at the top could not path out and drowned.

{{quality|Fine|18:18, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

{{spoiler}}

'''Semi-Molten Rock''' (SMR), represented by the tile {{Tile|░|4:0:1}}, is generally found at the bottommost edges of [[Magma sea|Great magma seas]]. Anywhere that [[magma]] is found rests on layer after layer of semi-molten rock, with no normal material to be found beneath it. There is also a layer near the bottom of the map composed almost entirely of semi-molten rock even where magma does not overlie it. Freestanding formations are possible, though less common. Though its name suggests the rock is hot, it is not dangerous to nearby dwarves. SMR acts as a barrier, and cannot be mined through by conventional means, nor smoothed. Unlike magma, SMR does not react with water, producing no steam or obsidian.

The top of semi-molten rock, or its ''floor'' when observed from the layer above, is described as a '''magma flow''', appearing in blue text when examined, and appearing as a dark red fluid indistinguishable from blood or magma as seen from open space above.

The floor of the stone layer above the SMR at the bottom of the map is ''not'' a magma flow when stone is dug into, but appears as the same type of rock as the tile dug into. However, if a channel is dug down into the SMR from this tile, a magma flow floor is revealed; ''under'' this intact floor the unusable ramp will appear, if and only if the tile of SMR was previously unrevealed. Otherwise it will be unchanged. (As a result no two of these ramps can adjoin) A magma flow also cannot be dug into, nor smoothed. However, [[construction]]s can be built on top of it, and these convert the magma flow into some other kind of stone or soil, which is sometimes useful [[sand]] or [[clay]], appearing when the construction is removed.

Curiously, water dumped onto a magma flow with magma on top of it will '''not''' turn it into obsidian; rather the magma is simply removed. At the bottom of a magma reservoir with only small amounts of water falling in, such a tile can change from 7/7 to 0/7 and back in a few single step increments with the "." key. A construction (such as a stairway up) can be designated atop the magma flow when it is momentarily is free of magma due to water falling from above. Strangest of all, once designated, a dwarf can build this construction unhindered, without any job cancellations. Once the construction is present, magma and water can react in the square, destroying the construction and converting the square into unmined obsidian.

These odd exceptions to the normal rules means that dwarves on a level partially filled with water can (with much effort) completely wall off the region surrounding some [[adamantine|special point of interest]], eventually removing ''all'' the magma from a large area despite the failure of the usual magma-water interaction.

If the stone floor which replaces a magma ramp under a built and removed construction is channeled into a second time, the ramp below becomes visible from above. Unfortunately, for some reason dwarves still cannot descend into this square with the ramp, nor can they ascend out of it should they find themselves somehow there. A dwarf dumped into the space, say, by a remote controlled hatch "accident", cannot construct anything because the adjacent squares remain semi-molten rock, and won't turn to ramps if channelled from above. Therefore an up/down stairway ''cannot'' be constructed in this space, even if it is beneath another up/down stairway.

Semi-molten rock is ''not'' synonymous with [[Main:digging designation canceled|warm stone]], although any given tile of SMR may in fact be warm if it adjoins magma. If you're looking for magma and you find SMR rather than warm stone, your best bet is to do some exploratory mining several Z levels up.

You can also dig ''up'' into semi-molten rock just fine (by designating an up/down staircase accessible from below). This also works ''only'' if the tile is still unrevealed. But often (but not always) you can't get down there without encountering hidden fun stuff first.

Channelling down into unrevealed SMR may open it into an [[Hell|Eerie Glowing Pit]].

== Tunnelling down through multiple layers of Semi-molten rock ==

[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 Original Thread]

Magma flows have very peculiar behavior. If you build a construction such as a floor, wall or upstair on a magma flow and then remove it, it will change into it into a stone or soil cavern floor. If the layer beneath is still unrevealed, you can then channel this new cavern floor to dig down through one layer of SMR. Doing so creates a unusable ramp below, and recreates the magma flow again.
If you collapse a floor from a higher Z-level onto a magma flow that has a unusable ramp under it, it will destroy the unusable ramp and collapse the magma flow down one level. If you find a way to build a construction down the shaft and repeat the process, you can tunnel down through semi-molten rock.

This process consumes dwarves. Every layer of Semi-molten rock you dig will kill one dwarf. Choose some useless peasants and enable just the labors for mining, masonry and carpentry. Use locked doors to keep them in the room so the wrong dwarf doesn't get themselves killed. The dwarf can always escape the shaft as long as the upstair at the bottom of the shaft has not been removed yet. Be ready to engrave slabs, because the corpses will be incinerated by all of the [[magma]].

1. Dig a channel over the unrevealed SMR. This will reveal the layer underneath with an unusable upward ramp and create a magma flow floor tile where the channel designation was.

2. Collapse a constructed floor into the shaft. This collapses the magma flow tile to the bottom and destroys the unusable ramp. Use materials which will burn or [[magma safe|melt in magma]] to build the collapsing floor. The dwarf miner who channelled the floor from step 1 will be crushed and killed.

3. Fill the bottom of the shaft with magma. The magma is used to melt and destroy all items present, including the dwarf corpse. If there is too much magma in the shaft, use a pond zone to pour water in one bucket at a time to cast obsidian and then carve up/down stairs. Remove the obsidian stones this creates because they will not melt in magma.

'''Don't proceed with step 4 until all items at the bottom have melted and dispersed. The only thing on the tile when you loo(k) should be Magma flow and Magma 7/7. Any molten magma globs (differs from Magma Liquid) will suspend constructions for the next step.'''

4. Use a [[Activity_zone#Pit.2FPond|pond]] designation and wait for a dwarf to pour a single bucket of water to remove the 7/7 magma at the bottom. Remove the pond zone.

5. The bottom of the shaft should be clear of all items, with no magma and no water down there. Construct a staircase down if there isn't already obsidian stairs, one layer at a time. At the bottom, build an upstair construction. '''Make sure the dwarf has a pick that will melt in magma.''' Then have him remove the staircase from top to bottom, one layer at a time. Use channel designations to remove obsidian stairs and remove construction designations for constructed stairs. When the bottom upstair construction is removed, the magma flow tile will be changed into a normal stone or soil cavern floor.

6. The magma flow tile has been transformed into normal stone or soil floor. Go to step 1 to start on the next layer down.

There may be many layers of semi-molten rock to dig through. For example, on the site I used, there were seven layers of SMR. Also, if you get really unlucky, your final floor collapse can break through into Hell and land in an Eerie Glowing Pit. If it does, your FPS will be [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCNt8zFnyvM ruined]. Make sure you have a backup save before starting this procedure. What happens is that the magma flow tile gets stuck in the middle of the Eerie Glowing Pit, but it is unsupported by any walls or floors and will perpetually collapse every single frame. Your FPS drop to the low single digits even on a modern gaming PC.

v0.34:Meat industry

2012-05-07T05:16:25Z

GoldenShadow: /* Internal pastures */ rephrasing and tidying

{{quality|Exceptional|02:40, 25 October 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

This article is a quick guide to running a '''meat and related goods industry'''. If you decide to base your economy on such then keep in mind that the amount available depends on the breeding rate of your tame animals (how long the offspring takes to be born and mature), the spawning of wild animals, and/or the amount of meat and leather that traders bring.

Note that the meat industry involves many materials which can [[rot]] and so requires slightly more micromanagement than other [[industry|industries]].

'''Summary''': Obtain some animals; kill and [[butcher]] them to obtain [[bone]]s, (organ-)[[meat]], [[fat]], [[skull]]/[[horn]]s and [[skin|raw hide]]s; the meat can be used immediately but the hide needs to be [[tanner|tanned]] into [[leather]] and the fat needs to be processed into [[tallow]]; finally [[cook]] the tallow into a meal (or make [[soap]] with it), and craft the bones, skull, horns and leather into an end product.

== Acquisition ==
The basic units of the meat industry are its [[Animals|animals]], and there are a number of methods to acquire said animals (note that the related [[fishing industry]] is its own matter).

===Embark===
You can buy animals on [[embark]], and doing so even allows you to chose from male and female animals. Since you need only one male to [[#Breeding|breed]], an example way to kick-start your meat industry is to embark you could embark with one bull and 3 cows. Note, though, that with the exception of cats, dogs and poultry, buying animals on embark is extremely expensive. You also get two random [[Domestic animal|draft animal]]s on embark for each wagon (usually one wagon with two draft animals). These can be butchered when needed, or be kept in the hopes that [[Trade#Liaisons|traders]] or [[Immigration|immigrants]] will supply matching animals for breeding. This doesn't necessarily mean that you need to buy one: If you happen to have a female, chances are that sooner rather than later it will meet a companion among the traders' many pack animals; see [[#Breeding|breeding]], below.

=== Trading ===
As with most industry goods, you can purchase both animals and processed [[meat]] and [[leather]] from [[caravan]]s, allowing you to vary your dwarves' diet without having to establish a meat industry proper. Note however that trading will never give you [[hair]], [[horn]]s, [[skull]]s, or [[bone]]s in general. If you want to keep your [[leatherworker]]s constantly occupied, buying up caravans' (often vast) collections of leather is cheap way to get your fort [[clothing|clothed]] quickly.

It might be necessary that you request every type of leather at low priority in order to ensure the merchant comes back with a large quantity next year (they usually bring excessive amounts even if you don't). You can only buy leather from [[human]] and [[dwarf|dwarven]] caravans. [[Elf|Elven]] caravans are interesting in that they often bring a small number of tame caged animals with them, which may be useful as [[pet]]s (such as [[silvery gibbon]]s) or for defense purposes (such as [[grizzly bear]]s).

=== Hunting ===
In all but the most inhospitable of places, there will be some <s>running food</s> wildlife frolicking in the biome. An [[ambusher]] armed with a [[crossbow]] and a [[quiver]] full of [[bolts]] can and will attack these animals, cautiously approaching them ("ambushing", their speed and chances of not being noticed being dependent on their skill) before opening fire at their query with crossbow bolts. Hunting is a very outdoorsy activity, and will take your hunters well past where you can establish reasonable defenses; in addition hunters will occasionally do stupid things that will get them maimed, such as hunting [[lion]]s, or worse still, killed in grisly ways, such as attacking [[elephant]] families.

Upon a successful kill the dwarf will return the kill, carrying the [[corpse]] back to the nearest [[butcher's shop]] to be torn apart, or the nearest refuse stockpile if no shop has been built yet. Hunters are rather single-minded; when hunting, they will ignore other animals besides their quarry, even if others are more easily attacked or less dangerous to do so against. Although multiple kills happen, hunters generally only return their quarry, or quit when they run out of bolts. To avoid wasting perfectly edible corpses, you need to change your [[standing orders]] ({{k|o}}) to Gather refuse from outside, although this will enable much more then ambusher kill returning.

Hunting makes an erratic but, when done by a skilled ambusher, very worthy meat source. It takes the bother of pasturing animals away, but comes at the trade off of defensibility. Many players on mature fortresses are simply too concerned with enemy sieges and the like to send dwarves out too far, and will thus disable hunting jobs on their dwarves.

=== Military ===
You can order your soldiers out to kill wild animals by selecting their squads or the soldiers individually (for a basic outline of such actions, see [[attack]]). This takes some management, but is particularly useful if a large herd appears and you want to get them all before they emigrate to less blood-soaked pastures; be prepared to process them all, however, as you do not want your potential foodstuffs to rot away if your butcheries are overloaded. Soldiers will not kill or butcher [[Domestic animal|domestic]] or [[tame]] animals. Take note that soldiers will attack animals regardless of the target you've given them, as they will attack the nearest non-friendly creature in sight when told to move somewhere or kill a target.

Your soldiers must generally be very [[Attribute#Agility|agile]] to catch up with a running animal before it leaves the edge of the map, and attacking with melee always carries the risk of getting your soldiers maimed or killed, so as you might expect military hunting is mainly for the crossbow dwarves.

=== Trapping ===
It is also possible to catch animals through judicious use of [[cage trap]]s. Building cage traps where animals will walk will ensure that some of them will be caught; [[trapper]]s can then haul the occupied [[cage]]s away and reset them with fresh cages. You can increase your chances of catching something by baiting the trap.

Cage traps should be built where animals will walk, not where they are when you decide to trap them. Any dwarves sent out to create and arm traps in the animals' midst will scare them away or (worse) trigger their aggression. As such most of the animals that you will end up caging will be small [[vermin]], which cannot be turned into meat and, besides low-value pets, cannot be turned into anything particularly useful, except for the few that can be processed into extracts - see below.

To successfully trap large animals you need to build choke points into your map. The destruction of ramps to create sheer cliffs is the easiest way to force them to go down a particular route; with the construction of walls, ponds, channels, and so forth, you can force them to walk right through your cage traps. This is additionally interesting for defense, which is probably your primary goal: anything that will funnel animals will funnel invaders too, and caged goblins make good target practice once [[mass pitting|pitted]].

Leave a small gap one or two tiles wide (depending on how many of the critters you want to trap) and build your cage traps there. If the animals haven't moved off or been scared off by the time you're done, and they're docile enough to not attack once they see your dwarves, use military orders to send a dwarf (or several) around behind the animals and herd them toward the choke point.

Note that when using channels and ponds together to create a choke point, connecting the channel all the way up to the pond's edge will end up draining the pond. If this is undesirable for your fort's water supply plans, be sure to leave a tile between the edge of the pond and the edge of the channel, and build a cage trap or wall instead.

Note also that cage traps cannot be built within a certain number of tiles of the map edge, so when planning your funnels and choke points, be sure to leave four or five tiles as a buffer zone.

=== Breeding ===
When a male and a female of the same species are present on the map, sooner or later the male will impregnate the female. Animal reproduction requires absolutely no contact between them, and in fact will occur regardless of distance, physical obstacles such as walls or locked doors, number of each gender, and even ownership. This has been jokingly refereed to by players as spore-based breeding; even a male in a herd of wild animals outside the fortress walls can impregnate a female locked deep in the lowest level, and females can get pregnant again immediately after giving birth (much like dwarves). The only thing that has been reported to prevent pregnancy is caging, but females that are already pregnant can give birth while caged (also much like dwarves).

Some [[immigrant]]s will bring [[pet]]s or stray animals with them, often to the effect of forming or completing breeding pairs. Remember that you only ever need one male: the only non-butchering product male animals produce, besides reproduction, is [[wool]], and only a few of them. For this reason having one male bull and ten female cows is a good idea.

Using [[cage trap|cage traps]] judiciously (or taking advantage of the animals [[elf|elves]] trade) can sometimes snag you a breeding pair of wild animals. These can be used to establish crazy schemes, like [[alligator]] farms and [[giant eagle]] [[egg production|hatcheries]]. Tame something unusual and start something crazy if you get lucky enough! All tamable creatures can be tamed, but it can take a long time for exotic animals and they will slowly revert to wild state if left unattended; a skilled [[animal trainer]] is a real blessing in this regard.

There is currently a per type population cap, currently observed to be around 50, past which animals will not get pregnant; existing pregnancies will mature to term, and once some adults are slaughtered, the population can begin moving up again.

== Management ==
=== Pastures ===
Tame animals with the [GRAZER:<value>] token (most herbivores) need to constantly munch on grass to survive, and as such require a [[pasture]] containing [[grass]], [[cave moss]], or [[floor fungus]] to graze upon, or they will starve to death. [[Elephant]]s and [[rhinoceros]]es in particular are bugged at the moment; they cannot eat fast enough to keep up with their grazing needs, and as such will slowly starve to death if tamed.

Pastures are simple enough to build (unless the location you embarked someplace where it [[evil weather|rains]] [[fun]]). Designate a grassy area as a pasture [[activity zone]] ({{k|i}}-{{k|n}}), set ({{k|N}}) the animals to be released onto the pasture, and your dwarves will haul the designated animals to it - this does not require any specific labor, and much like harvesting food, will be performed by all dwarves, even those with all hauling jobs disabled. Once in the pasture, the animals will munch on all the grass they need, as long as there is enough of it.

Pastures can be easily depleted if the herd of animals on it is large enough; in addition, having too many animals on a pasture at once will lead to fights, which can seriously maim and injure your livestock. Since an above-ground pasture requires a significant plot of land, it is a major security concern - having enough grazing land for your animals while also keeping them protected from invading goblins is an important concern. A solution is to use the fact that livestock can graze on [[floor fungus]] and the like as easily as on regular old grass, and wall off a pasture inside of a [[cavern]] layer or set them loose in your underground [[tree farm]].

Animals that don't require a constant stream of plant matter, like poultry, can be put in any pasture and do fine in them. The basis of [[egg production]] is a pasture with [[nest box]]es in it.

=== Pens ===
A strategy to improve your framerate is to [[restraint|restrain]] most of your livestock near your [[butcher's shop]], as a large number of free-roaming animals will reduce your game speed. Additionally it reduces the amount of time it takes butchers to track down and retrieve animals they are to slaughter.

Animals on [[restraint|restraints]] still can [[path]] (1 tile in any direction from the chain/rope), and that can hurt your [[Maximizing framerate|framerate]]. By making a series of 1x1 rooms with doors set to "non-pet-passable", and restraining the animals there, the animals have nowhere to go and so [[path|pathing]] is not a problem. The door keeps them from wandering; the restraint is necessary to get them into the room in the first place. (see [[restraint]] for proper removal technique.) [[Activity zone#Pit/Pond|Pits]] can also be adapted for this purpose, without the restraint and with multiple animals.

The pens idea would be a good idea if pets actually understood non-pet-passable during calculation of paths. Instead they believe they can get through during mental calculations. Cold, hard, reality stops them at the door, but they continue to path as if they could get through, so, they just stand there (until a dwarf comes by and opens the door, at which point they gleefully run past). Pets in cages helps framerate the most, followed closely by restraints, since the search space bottoms out after only 2 moves (corner to corner). Pits, with no access besides (raised) bridges and (closed) floodgates, are also very effective, as pathing will stop as soon as the space of the pit is exhausted, so it's like a restraint with a slightly longer leash. Pens using floodgates would work, although loading the pets in would be nigh impossible without dropping them in from above, as anything in the way of a closing floodgate stops it from closing. It would be quite extreme, but such a collection of 1x1 pits could be an effective way of stopping pathfinding while retaining breeding. One could even use bars instead of floodgates, and have a really proper zoo/cage.

A common strategy is to cage all your young until matured because they do not give the same amount of bones, meat, and fat as adults. Some tamed wild species take more than 1 year to mature, unlike most domestic animals; this makes it excusable to butcher, for instance, elephant calves right away, as they take ten years to mature.

Furthermore:
* Cages can hold an unlimited number of animals, so you only need one.
* Caged animals do not path, and therefore, do not consume a lot of processor speed.
* Distinguishing between breeding animals and butcherable livestock is easier when clearly separated.
* Caged cats cannot adopt owners (thus decreasing the chances of a [[catsplosion]]).
* You can define a [[zoo]] from a cage, increasing overall fortress wealth, dwarven happiness, and so on.

=== Internal pastures ===
The livestock of a large meat industry requires a lot of pasture space that might not be safe on the surface. Creating an underground pasture is more secure and relatively simply after discovering the [[cavern]]s. [[Floor fungus]] and other such underground "grass" will begin to grow anywhere there is [[soil]] or [[mud]]. You can take advantage of this by digging out a large room in a soil layer and waiting for floor fungus to grow. You can also create pastures in stone layers, but it will need to be cleared of all excess stone and irrigated to create mud. Drain the water and wait for the floor fungus to grow. Keep your dwarves away from that level to prevent plant trampling, and then wait a bit for it to grow dense enough to support your livestock. Forbidden doors and hatches or a restricted area [[traffic]] designation can be helpful for this. Once ready, make a new pasture and move the livestock underground.

== Processing ==
=== Slaughtering and butchering ===
Animals can be marked for slaughter in the [[Status#Animal Status Screen|animal status screen]]. Animals marked for slaughter will queue a "Slaughter animal" task at a [[butcher's shop]], be dragged to there by an idle dwarf and put down; this is instant and doesn't require a butcher.

Once an animal has been killed (be it by slaughtering or hunting) you only have a limited amount of time to butcher the corpse before it rots. If your butcher is distracted by other tasks it is quite possible to lose the foodstuffs, so make sure to keep a number of [[butcher]]s ready. An animal corpse or body part is available if it is taken to the butcher's shop or in a refuse stockpile within a certain distance of the shop; it is not available if it is merely lying around, so a corpse stockpile near your butcher's shop may be necessary. The skill of the butcher only affects the time taken for the butcher animal task, not the amount produced, nor the quality.

To keep your animal population growing you should preferably butcher the males except for one of each species you are breeding, because one male is enough to impregnate all the females. The number of males does not affect how frequently the females give birth as long as you have at least one (which can also be a pet).

Once butchered the animal will yield one skull (though [[hydra|hydras]] produce more than one), one raw hide and depending on the animal type a number of (prepared)(organ-)meat pieces, bones, and potentially [[horn|horns]], [[hoof|hoofs]], [[fat]] and [[cartilage]]. Meat and fat goes to your food stockpile. Bones, horns, hoofs, hair, cartilage and raw hides go to the refuse stockpile. Cartilage has no use and should be disposed of, but you would be well put to create custom stockpiles for hides next to your tanner's shop (see [[#Tanning|''Tanning'' below]]), for bones/horns/hoofs next to your craftsdwarves workshop (see [[#Bone carving|''Bone carving'' below]]), and changing the settings on your main refuse pile to not accept bones, horns/hoofs and hides. Hair can be weaved into low-value thread, but not into cloth, so it is useless outside hospital (note that it doesn't rot, so it has to be dumped manually).

If it takes too long for the butchered parts to be hauled into the stockpile, the food will rot and miasma spread. To prevent this, it is advisable to build the butcher's workshop outside of the fortress, near refuse piles (you may want it inside the walls though). The fresh air prevents miasma spreading. Miasma doesn't spread through diagonal openings, so a clever architect might isolate the smell in a 3x3 room with the shop.

If the animal is butchered just before it rots, the products of the animal MAY not rot. It is unknown whether the time of rotting for butchering products is based on the time of death of the animal or the time of production of the butchering returns.{{verify}}

==== Overdrive ====
In some instances - most notably, after [[rhesus macaque]] or [[mandrill]] invasions, or killing some other large herd with your soldiers - you may find yourself with more bodies and [[severed body part|severed body parts]] than you can process. In this case it is a good idea to set up some temporary extra butcher and tanners' shops (and butcher and tanner workers) to process them all before they rot. Butchers are more important because these workshops have a tendency to get [[clutter|cluttered]] quickly. Setting up a new workshop takes but a moment, so one might even construct a whole chamber of them and suspend the butchering job in all the cluttered shops.

== Animal products ==
The [[value]] of an animal product is multiplied by the species' [[multiply value]]; items from common domestic animals like [[cow]]s and [[horse]]s have a multiplier of 1x, which pales in comparison with those made from more exotic wild animals (usually between 2x and 4x, although some, like [[elephant]]s, hit 5x); the distinction for the highest value multiplier goes to the [[dragon]] and the [[roc]], whose meat is worth 15 times that of an ordinary cow's. An animal's value multiplier can be found in the creature raw files.

===Meat===
The primary output of the meat industry is the titular [[meat]]. Mean comes in two flavors: meat proper, that is the muscle tissue removed from the animal, and [[prepared organs]] like prepared brain, tripe, sweetbread, and so on. Both can be either eaten raw or [[cooking|cooked]] into a meal.

===Fat===
Butchering an animal also produces some number of units of [[fat]], which can be cooked into a proper meal, or processed into [[tallow]] at the butcher's shop, a very valuable input in the making of [[soap]]. Soap plays an important role in staving off [[infection]]s when performing operations and cleaning wounds in your [[Healthcare|hospital]], as well as increasing happiness from dwarves being able to clean themselves; it's recommended to stock your hospitals and baths with at least some bars of them. See [[soap]] on the exact details of processing.

Tallow can also be cooked, however, tallow is a small unit of food and as such will reduce the size of the resultant stacks, and is more useful as a soap input anyway. For this reason you're usually better off turning cooking off in the kitchen [[status]] screen.

===Bones===
Butchering an animal produces a number of [[bone]]s. Craftsdwarves with [[bone carving]] enabled can turn these into bone [[craft]]s or bone [[bolt]]s at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]], or a bone [[crossbow]] at a [[bowyer's workshop]]. These in turn can be traded, used to equip your [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]], and used for practice, respectively (bone bolts are better than wooden ones, but inferior to metal bolts, and thus should not be used extensively militarily).

===Skull===
[[Skull]]s are special in that unlike bones, they can only be used to make [[totem]]s at a craftdwarf's workshop, for [[trading]]. Virtually all animals produce a single skull when they die; the only exception is the [[hydra]], which produces seven. Totems do not fall under any category in the "Move trade goods to depot" screen, so you need to {{k|s}}earch for them. Usually however they will be in a [[finished goods]] [[bin]], so just transport the bins to the depot.

===Hooves and horns===
Animals with hooves and/or horns will produce generic "[[horn]]" once butchered. These can be used to either create horn trade goods or decorated finished goods with horn at a craftsdwarf's workshop.

===Raw hides===
Butching produces a [[skin|raw hide]], or scales or chitin (currently unusable), depending on the animal. Raw hides can be [[tanner|tanned]] at a [[tanner's shop]] and made into usable [[leather]], an input into the leather industry. It's quite difficult to have a meat industry large enough to keep a leather industry fully occupied, and caravans arrive with tons of it for cheap anyway, so your meat industry will be at best a supplement in that regard. As with the butcher's shop, the tanner's shop will queue a "tan raw hide" job automatically; the tanner's skill has no affect on quantity nor quality of the leather produced, and the task is time-sensitive because of rot.

It is quite sensible to have a single dwarf as both the butcher and tanner, as you will never need to begin tanning until you finish butchering. You could also make this same dwarf your leatherworker. However, there is no outstanding reason to do this. It may be advisable (or not) to simply ensure that there are ''no'' stockpiles that will accept Fresh Raw Hides and to have the tanner's shops in the immediate area of the butcher's shop - if fresh raw hides can be stored in any refuse stockpile, they will instantly be designated for hauling and cannot be tanned until they have been stored. Ensuring that raw hides will not be stockpiled means that they will be available for tanning fresh off the former owner.

===Hair===
Some animals drop [[hair]] when butchered, which can be [[weaving|woven]] into [[thread]] at a [[farmer's workshop]]. However, animals hair cannot be used to make cloth, which means that the only use of hair thread is for [[suturing]] in [[hospital]]s and stitching decorative images on clothing. Hair thread can be [[dye]]d.

===Cartilage and nervous tissue===
[[Cartilage]] and [[nervous tissue]] are both butchering byproducts with no current uses, and should be dumped as garbage once stripped of their former owner.

==Secondary products==
You don't necessarily have to slaughter your animals to get something useful out of them, as specific creatures can also produce some products while alive.

===Eggs===
Tame female egg-laying animals will produce [[egg]]s at intervals, which in turn can be used to feed your fortress on a more interim basis then butchering. [[Egg production]] is a viable way to keep a fortress fed, and in areas where setting up a farm will be difficult, starting out with some poultry can be essential to survival. Animals that can lay eggs are [[poultry]] (easily acquired), reptiles like [[alligator]]s (only if you're particularly [[elf]]ish), and some more exotic animals like [[dragon]]s and [[giant eagle]]s (only if you're very lucky). Female egg-laying animals will claim a nest box, and lay a clutch of [[egg]]s. These can be allowed to hatch into young animals (to replace the ones sent to the butcher), or collected into [[food]] stockpiles and [[cook]]ed into [[prepared meal|meals]] at a [[kitchen]].

=== Milk ===
You can also [[milking|milk]] tame female mammals such as horses, cows, and so forth at the [[farmers workshop]] with an empty [[bucket]] and a dwarf with the milking labor enabled. The resulting [[milk]] can be used as a cooking ingredient, eaten as is, or turned into high-value edible [[cheese]] at the farmers workshop by a dwarf with cheesemaking enabled.

===Wool===
[[Wool]] can be produced by [[shearing]] one of three animals: [[llama]]s, [[alpaca]]s, and [[sheep]] (also [[troll]]s, but only goblins can do so). It can be woven into wool [[thread]] and then wool [[cloth]]; for a full discussion on the uses of wool, see the [[textile industry]].

== Summary ==
''Worker type / Labor''

*[[Ambusher]] / [[Hunting]]
** A [[crossbow]] or other [[weapon]]
** [[Bolt|Bolts]], [[quiver]]
** Leather [[armor]]
** [[Cross-training|Stats buffing]]
** [[Archery target|Archery practice]]

*[[Soldier|Soldiers]]/[[Military]]
**[[Soldier|Soldiers]]
**Some form of [[armor]]
**Any [[weapon]]

*[[Cage trap]]ping
** [[Mechanic]]
** [[Mechanic's workshop]]
** [[Mechanisms]]
** [[Cage|Cages]]

*Breeding
** [[Animals]]
** [[Cage|Cages]]
** [[Restraint|Restraints]]

*Processing
** [[Butcher]] / Butchery
*** [[Butcher's shop]]
** [[Tanner]] / Tanning
*** [[Tanner's shop]]
** [[Leatherworker]] / Leatherworking
*** [[Leather works]]
** [[Bone carver]] / Bone carving
*** [[Craftsdwarf's workshop]]
** [[Cook]] / Cooking
*** [[Kitchen]]
*** [[Barrel]]s

==See also==
*[[Leather]]
*[[Industry]]

{{Workshops FAQ}}
{{Category|Guides}}
{{Category|Industry}}
[[ru:DF2012:Meat industry]]

v0.34:Drowning chamber

2012-05-07T04:54:24Z

GoldenShadow: Can't do anything without screwing up...

{{quality|Exceptional|04:04, 7 May 2012 (UTC)}}
Drowning chambers are multipurpose rooms which can rapidly fill up with and be drained of [[water]]. An effectively built drowning chamber linked up to a [[dam]]med [[river]] or open to the [[ocean]] can be used to drown and dispose of [[ambush|invader]]s or [[elf|other]] [[noble|irate]]s [[megabeast|nuisances]] (as part of your [[defense guide|defense strategy]]), or to capture large [[fish]] for [[butcher]]ing (as part of your [[fishing industry]]). As such it can be considered one very large, very effective [[trap design|trap]]; drowning chambers are indiscriminate, and will kill anything land-bourn from above that can't breath in water, making it a fantastic defense against [[megabeast]]s and the like.

== Construction ==
=== Water flow ===
The first prerequisite of a drowning chamber is a large source of water (or, in the last case, magma) that can be easily rerouted, be it a river, a natural body of water, or a constructed [[reservoir]]. This can be achieved in a few ways. The easiest way is to simply construct [[floodgate]]s leading into an [[ocean]] or [[lake]], if one is on the map; simply dig a channel through to one tile away from the body of water, put a floodgate there, link it to a lever, pull the lever, dig a hole, and then pull the lever again to plug the hole for when it's needed. Repeat for increasing amounts of flow.

If you have a [[river]] on the map, you can [[dam]] the river to redirect its flow into your chamber. The difficultly of this is trivial if your river freezes over in the winter, but generally quite difficult otherwise, requiring either magma tricks or a lot of idle hands and a large collapsible chamber underneath; see [[dam]] for more information on that. You can always build a series of one-tile floodgates into the river wall as well, although this tends too have decreased flow.

A [[pump stack]] can bring water from a [[cavern]] lake up to the surface for use, although this would require a [[cistern]] to be effective. An even larger pump stack can bring [[magma]] up to the surface, and allowing you to convert your drowning chambers into melting chambers. After all, who needs water when you can turn your enemies into carbon fumes? Simply build a magma reservoir, link it to your chamber, and marvel in how it quickly disposes of anything foolish enough to enter. Note that if you build a magma death chamber you will need to do so with [[magma-safe]] materials.

=== Trapping ===
Once you have worked out your water supply, you need to work out the room. A military drowning chamber can be a simple secondary hallway leading into your fortress with [[bridge]]s on both sides. Upon seeing the enemy, close down your main entrance while leaving the secondary open. Enemies will path to your fortress using the shortest route possible and walk in, at which point you can close the bridges, trapping them inside for the ensuing flood. [[Building destroyer]]s like [[titan]]s and [[werebeast]]s are unable to destroy the walls created by erect bridges, so this design works against most everything, even otherwise unassailable megabeasts.

Note that ambushes sneak onto the map in ambush, and must be spotted first. Leaving an entrance wide open to them into the heart of your fortress unwatched can spell your doom. Keep a sacrificial animal or watchtower or something near the entrance, to keep eyes on enemy ambushes.

A fishing drowning chamber is much simpler; simply cover the room in cage traps and open it up to your water flow. Note that a military death chamber can easily be adapted into a fishing chamber, but the reverse is not necessarily true.

=== Drainage ===
The final piece of a drowning chamber is its pumping mechanisms. You want to be able to empty out a drowning chamber for reuse and for making use of what the unfortunate victim were carrying upon their deathbeds. What's the point of a trap that only works once?

The simplest way to pump off excess water is a battery of wind-powered [[screw pump]]s. Simply build a [[windmill]] one tile above your pump to power it. Since it's going to be off most of the time (or not, if it's for catching fishies), build a floor hatch over the input tile and attach it to a lever for easy on/off commands. If you don't have any wind on your map, a [[water wheel]] can be substituted instead, but if there is no running water on your map this can be quite complicated.

Where the screw pumps drain off to is your decision. If you are using a cistern, run the water back into your water supply. You can dig a tunnel through to the map edge and funnel it out of your game. You can build a small waterfall and drop it back into the water source it had come from in the first place.

When draining the pit, items and corpses will be pushed through fortifications or wall grates by moving water. This could get them stuck into an inaccessible location on the wrong side of the filters. Instead of draining the water on the same Z-level as the drowning chamber, drain the water downward through floor grates or stairs to a lower Z-level, because items cannot be pushed downward through floor grates or stairs by moving water.

When used for fishing, the object is to filter water through, not fill and drain it all at once, although you will want to be able to drain it completely as well to.

v0.34:Drowning chamber

2012-05-07T04:53:02Z

GoldenShadow: water draining.

{{quality|Exceptional|04:04, 7 May 2012 (UTC)}}
Drowning chambers are multipurpose rooms which can rapidly fill up with and be drained of [[water]]. An effectively built drowning chamber linked up to a [[dam]]med [[river]] or open to the [[ocean]] can be used to drown and dispose of [[ambush|invader]]s or [[elf|other]] [[noble|irate]]s [[megabeast|nuisances]] (as part of your [[defense guide|defense strategy]]), or to capture large [[fish]] for [[butcher]]ing (as part of your [[fishing industry]]). As such it can be considered one very large, very effective [[trap design|trap]]; drowning chambers are indiscriminate, and will kill anything land-bourn from above that can't breath in water, making it a fantastic defense against [[megabeast]]s and the like.

== Construction ==
=== Water flow ===
The first prerequisite of a drowning chamber is a large source of water (or, in the last case, magma) that can be easily rerouted, be it a river, a natural body of water, or a constructed [[reservoir]]. This can be achieved in a few ways. The easiest way is to simply construct [[floodgate]]s leading into an [[ocean]] or [[lake]], if one is on the map; simply dig a channel through to one tile away from the body of water, put a floodgate there, link it to a lever, pull the lever, dig a hole, and then pull the lever again to plug the hole for when it's needed. Repeat for increasing amounts of flow.

If you have a [[river]] on the map, you can [[dam]] the river to redirect its flow into your chamber. The difficultly of this is trivial if your river freezes over in the winter, but generally quite difficult otherwise, requiring either magma tricks or a lot of idle hands and a large collapsible chamber underneath; see [[dam]] for more information on that. You can always build a series of one-tile floodgates into the river wall as well, although this tends too have decreased flow.

A [[pump stack]] can bring water from a [[cavern]] lake up to the surface for use, although this would require a [[cistern]] to be effective. An even larger pump stack can bring [[magma]] up to the surface, and allowing you to convert your drowning chambers into melting chambers. After all, who needs water when you can turn your enemies into carbon fumes? Simply build a magma reservoir, link it to your chamber, and marvel in how it quickly disposes of anything foolish enough to enter. Note that if you build a magma death chamber you will need to do so with [[magma-safe]] materials.

=== Trapping ===
Once you have worked out your water supply, you need to work out the room. A military drowning chamber can be a simple secondary hallway leading into your fortress with [[bridge]]s on both sides. Upon seeing the enemy, close down your main entrance while leaving the secondary open. Enemies will path to your fortress using the shortest route possible and walk in, at which point you can close the bridges, trapping them inside for the ensuing flood. [[Building destroyer]]s like [[titan]]s and [[werebeast]]s are unable to destroy the walls created by erect bridges, so this design works against most everything, even otherwise unassailable megabeasts.

Note that ambushes sneak onto the map in ambush, and must be spotted first. Leaving an entrance wide open to them into the heart of your fortress unwatched can spell your doom. Keep a sacrificial animal or watchtower or something near the entrance, to keep eyes on enemy ambushes.

A fishing drowning chamber is much simpler; simply cover the room in cage traps and open it up to your water flow. Note that a military death chamber can easily be adapted into a fishing chamber, but the reverse is not necessarily true.

=== Drainage ===
The final piece of a drowning chamber is its pumping mechanisms. You want to be able to empty out a drowning chamber for reuse and for making use of what the unfortunate victim were carrying upon their deathbeds. What's the point of a trap that only works once?

The simplest way to pump off excess water is a battery of wind-powered [[screw pump]]s. Simply build a [[windmill]] one tile above your pump to power it. Since it's going to be off most of the time (or not, if it's for catching fishies), build a floor hatch over the input tile and attach it to a lever for easy on/off commands. If you don't have any wind on your map, a [[water wheel]] can be substituted instead, but if there is no running water on your map this can be quite complicated.

Where the screw pumps drain off to is your decision. If you are using a cistern, run the water back into your water supply. You can dig a tunnel through to the map edge and funnel it out of your game. You can build a small waterfall and drop it back into the water source it had come from in the first place.

When draining the pit, items and corpses will be pushed through fortifications or wall grates by moving water. This could get stuck them into an inaccessible location on the wrong side of the filters. Instead of draining the water on the same Z-level as the drowning chamber, drain the water downward through floor grates or stairs to a lower Z-level, because items cannot be pushed downward through floor grates or stairs by moving water.

When used for fishing, the object is to filter water through, not fill and drain it all at once, although you will want to be able to drain it completely as well to.

User talk:Chaos

2012-05-03T20:05:04Z

GoldenShadow: Created page with "Just read your changes to the Vampire page. Look at this quote from the Dwarf Fortress Talk #18 [http://www.bay12games.com/media/df_talk_18_transcript.html transcript]. ''"Yeah...."

Just read your changes to the Vampire page. Look at this quote from the Dwarf Fortress Talk #18 [http://www.bay12games.com/media/df_talk_18_transcript.html transcript].

''"Yeah. I mean, your fortress should eventually get marked as a death trap if you keep murdering your migrants and then since you'll have no one come to your fortress your vampires would start to slow down. They don't ever die from not drinking, they just get really slow. If they're at maximum slowness they might still be better overall than a regular dwarf in terms of their combat abilities and stuff because they have resistance to damage and higher attributes and stuff like that. There's not really a reason not to do it. I mean, you would have an evil fort, it would be bad to be a vampire. I guess you'd be more immune to zombie attacks because the zombies wouldn't attack your vampires."''

I think he is implying that vampires won't slow down if they can regularly feed on other dwarfs. --[[User:GoldenShadow|GoldenShadow]] 20:05, 3 May 2012 (UTC)

v0.34:Adamantine

2012-05-02T23:26:38Z

GoldenShadow: /* Processing */ removed bed, cannot forge adamantine beds.

{{quality|Exceptional|15:44, 30 September 2010 (UTC)}}{{Minorspoiler}}
{{Metal|name=Adamantine|color=3:3:1
|ore=
* [[Raw adamantine]]
|properties=
* [[Material value]] 300
|uses=
* [[Weapon|Melee Weapons]]
* [[Crossbow]]s
* [[Bolt]]s
* [[Pick]]s
* [[Armor]]
* [[Anvil]]s
* [[Metalsmith's forge|Metal crafting]]
* [[Clothing]]
|wiki=Adamant}}
{{av}}

'''Adamantine''' is processed from raw adamantine into strands which can then be made into various items; these items are impossibly lightweight, strong, and valuable. Armor made from adamantine is absurdly valuable and wonderfully effective.

For more information on its whereabouts and other [[Losing|Fun]] information, see '''[[raw adamantine]]'''.

== Processing ==

Adamantine strands are extracted from [[raw adamantine]] at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]]. The [[Strand extractor|strand extraction]] labor must be enabled for a dwarf to perform the extraction. The process is extremely slow for an unskilled laborer.

The strands must then be either woven into cloth at a [[loom]] (for metal clothing and other related objects) or smelted into [[bar|wafer]]s at a [[smelter]] (for adamantine armor, crafts, weapons and so on). Fortunately, these tasks are performed just as quickly as any other weaving or smelting jobs. Once smelted into wafers, it is used much like any other bar of metal.

Given this extra step of extraction before the smelting phase, most players will want to build additional craftsdwarf's workshops and stockpiles near the smelters and forges. Note that the strands of adamantine are stored in cloth/thread stockpiles.

Take care to note that clothing made from adamantine will suffer wear, just as normal clothing does.

Goods forged from adamantine require approximately 3 times as many materials as with other items:
* [[weapon token|Weapons]], [[armor token|armor/clothing]], and [[trap component token|trap components]] require the item's MATERIAL_SIZE in wafers/units of cloth
* Most types of furniture ([[door]], [[floodgate]], [[throne]], [[coffin]], [[table]], [[chest]], [[bin]], [[armor stand]], [[weapon rack]], [[cabinet]], [[statue]], [[anvil]], [[barrel]], [[pipe section]], [[hatch cover]], [[grate]], [[quern]], [[millstone]], and [[slab]]) require 9 wafers
* [[Cage]]s require 6 wafers
* [[Block]]s, [[chain]]s, and [[Siege engine|ballista]] arrowheads require 4 wafers
* [[Animal trap]]s, [[bucket]]s, [[mechanism]]s, and [[crutch]]es require 3 wafers
* [[Backpack]]s and [[quiver]]s require 2 units of cloth, and [[splint]]s require 2 wafers
* All other items require 1 wafer

== Use in Weaponry ==

One of the many beneficial qualities of adamantine is that it is both nigh weightless and extremely sharp. This makes it an excellent choice for edge [[Weapon|weapons]] such as [[short sword]]s and [[battle axe]]s, but does not benefit, and in fact hinders, the effectiveness of blunt weapons. Therefore, adamantine is a terrible choice for blunt weapons (roughly equivalent to making the weapon out of [[wikipedia:Cork (material)|cork]]), though it makes a great tool for your hammerer as a hammering will not kill your dwarves (although you may wish to consider if using adamantine to acheive this is a good investment).

== Use in Armor ==

In addition to its low weight, adamantine has the highest strength values of any material. [[Armor]] made of adamantine provides unmatched protection against slashing and piercing attacks. Blunt attacks and ranged attacks partially bypass armor, so a full kit of adamantine armor is not a recipe for combat invulnerability.

{{gamedata}}
{{metals}}

{{spoiler}}

Unfortunately, breaching any of the tubular veins leads to the [[Hell|HFS]], for lots of [[Losing|Fun]]. Reports have been made of there being ''surface'' deposits, but this is incredibly rare and should not be trusted as anything other than a bug for the moment.

==Origins of Adamantine and Slade==
{{D for Dwarf}}
Back in the mists of time, the Gods decided to create the World. To do so they had to find a way to heat it in the cold voids of space. Demonkind had already forged their own world out of the vile substance [[Slade]], a stone anathema to all creation and only able to be worked through the vile rituals they had created, for slade was truly "dead" stone, with no life in it at all.

Deciding both to imprison their greatest enemies and to create a home for their creations, the Gods poured into the skies of the Demons' world "living" stone (known to mortals as [[semi-molten rock]] - rock burning hot with the fresh life of Creation). The Gods knew that if it were not constantly heated, this living rock would cool, and yet the Demons, fools that they were, constantly attacked the living rock, not realizing that their attacks simply heated the rock again and again, keeping it alive. Unfortunately, as the Gods began to pour more and more of the rock onto their creation, they found it quickly lost its life when removed too far from the Demons. It would only remelt once it touched the living rock, creating vast seas of magma that heated the tunnels above. Worse, the living rock itself had been disturbed by this process, creating gaping holes through which the Demons escaped, killing and maiming the first creations of the Gods, warping those they could find into the terrible Forgotten Beasts, leaving the [[Titan]]s safe on the surface.

Knowing this state of affairs could not last if their weaker creations, the first mortals, were to survive, the Gods created a new substance, imbued with their power: Adamantine. The beautiful aqua-colored ore was poured into the holes, sealing the entrances that the living rock could no longer seal, preventing the Demons from escaping, for its power totally repelled Demonkind.

Unfortunately, as time passed and the first mortals began to carve their civilization from both the surface and the underworld, they discovered the vast shafts of this amazing substance and began to mine it, instantly realizing its divine potency. In doing so, they removed the great barriers the gods had placed in order to keep the Demons sealed. The Demons rose up, slaughtering thousands and escaping into the World, often rising to lead mortal civilizations, such as that of the Goblins. Upon these sites they raised towers carved from the vile Slade that only they could work. Brave adventurers and champions of the Gods forged special swords made from the divine Adamantine and ventured into these dark places to seal the Demons within hell once more. Leaving their swords buried in these places, those who survived swore to defend them for all eternity, binding themselves with oaths of such might that they surpassed death itself. They remain, even today, as zombies and skeletons, driven by their undying thought "none must take the sword!" and nothing more. These undead are totally obsessed with their duty to defend the ancient demonic structures from all interlopers and have been the death of many an unwary explorer.

In retrospect, all this could probably have been avoided if the Gods had bothered to make their all-powerful metal capable of withstanding the swing of a copper pick.

==The Great Adamantine Space Elevator==
{{D for Dwarf}}
[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=61507.0]
In a great fluke, a new world was created in the midst of Armok shaving. No one quite understands why this happened, but the whisker of the holy one landed vertically. The material can only be described as a super adamantine. It is over 2000 z-levels high. And the map continues on.

Year after year, the dwarves of [SUBJECT CIVILIZATION HERE] send an expedition out into the world in order to ascertain the fate of last year's expedition. It has long-since been forgotten exactly when this series of fruitless expeditions started, but the dwarves are a sort that demand an answer.

It happens year after year, when they head northeast to the ominous shrubland that has been known only in name: "The Hill of Spit." The hill lies beyond a ruined elven settlement, a stone's throw away from a brook that has come to be known as "Troublemysteries." By the time they arrive, it is already too late.

They embark year after year, and there they stand, awe-struck with their implements of dwarven duty left undisturbed at their feet. All about them are the decrepit wagons and bleached bones of those who heralded their grim arrival -- barrels filled with rot and worm, picks covered in rust and dust. There they stand with their eyes open wide and jaws agape, and they stare upward into the dome of the heavens. What they see is beyond the ken of mortal beard. It reaches from the ground higher than any bird has flown; higher than any cloud has drifted; higher than any man, dwarf, beast or monster has ever or will ever ascend, twisting and writhing upward in ways that can only transfix the gaze of unwary observers in their fundamentally impossible geometries -- a spiraling needle of pure adamantine, ascending beyond the vanishing-point into the sky.

They stand there, motionless and breathless, and wait only for time to wear them down into the dust of the earth from whence they came, leaving that siren spire standing amidst a graveyard of wagons and barrels to call more of their bearded kind to an emaciated doom.

Another year, another expedition unheard of, another question unanswered, another expedition prepared.

v0.34:Bucket

2012-05-02T22:56:52Z

GoldenShadow: bug has been fixed.

{{quality|Exceptional|22:23, 10 November 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
{{furniture|name=Bucket
|tile=û|col=6:0:0
|wood=y
|metal=y
|glass=N
|rooms=
* [[Well]]
* [[Soap maker's workshop]]
* [[Ashery]]
* [[dyer's shop]]
}}

'''Buckets''' are made of [[wood]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]] or [[metal]] at a [[metalsmith's forge]] or [[magma forge]]. They are used by dwarves to carry [[water]], when making [[lye]], milking [[animals]] and for cleaning wounded dwarves. Milk and lye can also be ''stored'' in buckets, but dwarves will prefer to empty the buckets into suitable [[barrel]]s. A bucket is also needed for the construction of a [[well]], a [[soap maker's workshop]], an [[ashery]] or a [[dyer's shop]]. To make an bucket, push {{k|q}} and highlight the carpenter's workshop. Then push {{k|a}} to add a new task, and push {{k|e}} to make a wooden bucket. A suitable dwarf will fulfill your request when he has time.

They are stored on the furniture [[stockpile]].

{{buildings}}

v0.34:Lye

2012-05-02T22:52:50Z

GoldenShadow:

{{quality|Fine|00:34, 14 April 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Lye''' is made by a dwarf with the lye making [[labor]] enabled at an [[ashery]], and requires 1 [[bar]] of [[ash]] and 1 [[bucket]]. Ash is made from [[wood]] by a wood burner at a [[wood furnace]].

Lye is used to make [[soap]] and [[potash]], though potash can also be made directly from ash. Lye is moved from buckets into a [[barrel]] if you have a food stockpile with "misc. liquid" enabled, and a spare barrel. A Barrel can hole 100 units of lye. However, a bucket of lye can also be used directly to make soap too. Lye freezes in cold weather. You'll have to wait until it thaws in order to make soap. Magma helps unfreeze lye.

Lye is located under Food -> Misc. Liquids in the Stocks screen.

{{gamedata|{{raw|DF2012:hardcoded_materials.txt|MATERIAL|LYE}}}}

{{Category|Materials}}

v0.34:Starting build

2012-05-02T21:13:47Z

GoldenShadow: changed buckets back to barrels. buckets are only used in production. Milk and lye are already in barrels if brought as an embark item or purchased from a caravan.

{{quality|Exceptional|10:09, 24 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

:''This is not a tutorial, a FAQ, or a new players guide. This is a mildly advanced theoretical treatment for someone ready to take the plunge and make all the decisions about their own fortress. The following are intended for beginners:''
::*[[Quickstart guide]]
::*[[Main:From Caravan to Happy Dwarves|Beginner Flowchart]]
::*[[User:Calite#Jumping_into_Dwarf_Fortress_Mode|Beginner Checklist]]
:''For an explanation of the interface for starting out, see [[Embark]].''

A '''starting build''' is a personal strategy for choosing the initial supplies, equipment, and [[skill]]s of your initial seven dwarves when starting a new game in [[fortress mode]]. (See [[Sample Starting Builds]]). These skills and items which you assign to your dwarves will have a large impact on life in your new fortress, especially in its first year.

This page attempts to provide a discussion about how and why you make the choices on what you bring with you. This page is not an explanation of the mechanics of doing so, see the [[embark]] page for an explanation of the interface itself. This page assumes you have already made certain decisions, such as where you plan on settling, and that you are looking at the [[Embark#Prepare_Carefully|Prepare Carefully]] screen.

One thing should be made clear - there is no "best" build, no "perfect" or "clearly superior" final mix of skills and items, if only because there isn't any one goal of play. The goals you have for a fortress will dictate which sets of items and skills are best suited to achieving that goal - in your opinion. And then there is the environment, where your dwarves will arrive, the creatures, the resources available, and so forth. Finally, some people do things solely because it is hard, and that makes it more fun for them.

__TOC__

== Components of a Starting Build ==
There are two main components of a starting build: skills and items.

Skills for your initial dwarves determine how quickly they will work early on, what industries you are guaranteed to be able to start with skilled workers, how well you can defend your dwarves early on, and what the quality of various goods they produce will be, and possibly many other considerations. This page considers in detail how you might go about choosing skills for your starting dwarves, and examines the multiple competing perspectives from which you can make that decision.

The items that your dwarves bring with you can be tailored a number of ways. There are trade-offs to cheaper and more expensive alternatives, and reasons why you might choose either. This section explores the nature of these trade-offs and the reasons for making a decision. It also looks at optimizing goods brought in more general contexts.

Starting builds can and should vary based upon a number of other variables. [[location|Where you choose to settle]] will give you a fortress that supplies different raw materials and thus require different skill sets to utilize, not to mention different threats from native wildlife based on [[biome]], [[surroundings|savagery]], and [[surroundings|alignment]]. Which dwarven civilization you come from will restrict the materials with which you can start. Making choices about these variables is not part of a starting build. What you choose for skills and items because of these choices is part of your starting build, and so some general guidelines about different environments is given last.

This page does not cover the interface for accomplishing these tasks. Please see the [[embark]] page.

== Skill Optimization ==
With only 7 dwarves, you can't take every [[skill]], so you have to balance what you do take. At this starting phase, each dwarf can only be assigned a maximum total of 10 skill levels, with no single skill starting higher than "5". Actual skill distribution is thus constrained to be something between 1 level in each of 10 skills, or 5 levels in each of two skills, or something in between. Because dwarves can [[experience|learn]] any and all skills once your fortress starts, these initial choices do not dictate what the dwarves can do, opening up incredible latitude to choose skills for reasons other than survival.

:''(* Note that an unskilled dwarf starts with all Skills at Level '''0'''. Adding +5 Levels is then Level '''5'''. This is true regardless of how many "points" a level costs when first buying skills at embark.)''

A brief list of considerations governing skill choice:
:* Maximizing starting skill ranks vs. generalizing and having more skills covered at lower levels.
:* Balancing multiple skills for a single dwarf, so they aren't constantly needed for two different tasks at critical periods
:* Military vs economic needs
:* Your goals vs "basic survival needs" to keep your fortress healthy and happy.
:* Speed that a skill can be trained in game
:* Demand for a skill during a game
:* Whether quality or speed are significant considerations for tasks/final product
:* Balancing the desire to create [[wealth]] ''(with high-value products)'' with the need to maintain [[thought|morale]] ''(with low-value but commonly used products, like [[bed]]s, which normally are made from [[wood]])''.
:* most importantly - ''your playstyle'' - what '''you''' think is "[[fun]]"!

==== Breadth vs. Depth ====

A dwarf with only 2 starting skills at 5 ranks each is pretty good at 2 tasks, but untrained at anything else. A dwarf with nothing higher than level 1 is passable at many tasks, but not good at anything. Each dwarf in your party is going to be somewhere along this continuum, and you'll need to choose where.

Level in a skill dictates how fast a dwarf completes a task (most of the time), and how well he completes it (if applicable). On one extreme, [[butchery]] has no time variance for slaughtering a tame animal, and has no quality associated with the outcome. On the other extreme, [[Metal industry|metalworking]] tasks can take a long time for an untrained worker to complete and their high material value means the quality multiplier has a large impact on the end value.

Dwarves who complete tasks faster can do more total [[job]]s within a given timeframe. The rate at which speed increases with level varies with skill, so some skills will benefit more than others.

Dwarves who make items of higher quality will contribute more to fortress wealth and may have a large impact on fortress happiness if their work is readily available to be seen by other dwarves. Items which typically contribute to happiness are low value but common public items, like beds and tables. Items which contribute the most to fortress wealth often cannot be displayed, but make useful trade goods or equipment for your military.

A dwarf highly skilled in few areas will work faster at those tasks and produce higher quality work than his more generalized counterpart. However, he will do worse at any other task he is set to.

Aside from the obvious trade off, there is another reason to prefer depth - dwarves can obviously only complete so many total jobs within a given timespan. If a dwarf is busy doing one thing, he can't simultaneously be doing something else. So a dwarf who is highly skilled in a few skills may not actually experience any disadvantage thereby if he is kept doing those things in which he specializes. The generalist dwarf, on the other hand, may be able to do many more different tasks adequately, but he can still only do one type of task at a time. A dwarf with one highly used skill (such as Mechanics or Mining) can feasibly spend all his time using only his primary skill and thus has no need to generalize. In effect, the generalist is wasting more skill points whenever he does jobs than the specialist, so long as the specialist tends to do jobs he has levels in. Specializing your initial skill investment is therefore superior if you specialize the division of labor in your fortress.

Of course, you can still only bring 7 dwarves with 10 total levels of skills each, so covering everything you want to do in 14 skills may be hard, if not impossible. A generalist or two can cover more bases that have little quality need or are otherwise fast even without a high level. The generalists real problem arises from the fact that any dwarf can do any task, and having 1 level isn't much better than having no levels. Which isn't to say there isn't a situation where a 1/1/1/1/1/5 dwarf is the right solution (indeed, the typical recommended leader/broker takes 1/1/1/1/1 in appraiser/judge of intent/negotiator/+2 social skills because none of these skills have a time or quality component), but most less-specialized dwarves are more likely to fall in the 5/3/2 or 4/3/3 end of the spectrum solely because there is a minimum investment necessary to be noticeably better than not having any levels at all.

==== Design Constraints: Which skills do I need, really? ====

The only thing that you absolutely must do in the first year is get your food supplies into a food stockpile, preferably inside, or your food will rot on the ground and your dwarves will starve. Anything else you want to do can be accommodated by sufficient investment in initial supplies and/or skills. This means the options for possible starting builds are vast because virtually any set of starting skills for your dwarves is viable (and that's before you even think about equipment, which adds more variables). So the short answer is: none.

That said, there are some skills which will be '''used''', to one extent or another, by virtually every fortress - but that doesn't mean you '''need''' or even want to invest points in them to start. You could even manipulate the fortress (see [[challenge]]) to completely avoid one or more of the following, but these are the skills you will find it exceptionally hard to avoid creating jobs for:

*[[Mining]] - to dig your fortress, and gain stone for projects. Only possible to avoid using if you're secretly an elf.
** Inexperienced [[miner]]s work very slowly and are less likely to recover mined gems or valuable ores. Mining can be leveled up quite quickly by mining [[soil#soil|soil]], but taking two dwarves with at least some points in mining is recommended in most cases.
*[[Carpentry]], [[wood cutter|Wood cutting]] - [[bed]]s can only be produced from [[wood]] (rare [[mood]]s aside). This skill can also be used to make [[bin]]s without having to have an [[anvil]], use any metal [[bar]]s, or use any [[fuel]].
** It's best not to have your carpenter and your wood cutter be the same dwarf. Doing that would create a bottleneck, as your carpeter would have to stop working to go cut down some trees.
*[[Masonry]] - to build walls and stairs, and fashion dwarven furniture from stone. Possible to work around, but incredibly hard and annoying to do.
*[[Grower|Growing]] - your farmers' work echoes throughout so many other tasks, it's stunning.
** Skilled planters produce larger stacks of crops, which means more food, more booze, more cloth, more dye, ....
** While it's possible to feed your fortress on nothing but caravan goods, you'll never come by enough alcohol that way, so you'll eventually need to grow or gather plants for brewing. Dwarves will literally go crazy if forced to drink nothing but water for long periods. Thus you'll want to plan for farming eventually - not that you need to bring a highly skilled [[Grower]], but it'll certainly be ''very'' helpful.
*[[Brewer|Brewing]], [[Cook|Cooking]] - A skilled brewer produces [[alcohol]] more quickly. Likewise, a skilled [[cook]] prepares [[prepared meal|meals]] more quickly (and more appealingly). However, most food can be eaten raw, and so long as they are not starving there is life.
*[[Mechanics]] - If you want traps, and most people will. Also needed for most machinery. Mechanisms sell for a high price as a bonus.
*[[Architecture|Building Designer]] - Mandatory for some buildings and constructions, but skill only improves speed a tad and increases structure [[value]]
*[[Appraiser]] - you will use this whenever you trade with a caravan. Without it, you won't know how much anything is worth, making trading difficult. It's highly recommended to start with a dwarf with Novice (1 pt) Appraiser skill.

The very fact that you ''will'' use these skills can make many of them desirable to choose as starting skills for your dwarves. Of the above, Mining, Masonry, Growing, Cooking, and Mechanics are generally worth considering as "highly desirable". However, '''any skill can be used untrained, and/or get trained on the job''' - it just means a slower process and/or average lower quality product than if done by a dwarf with a higher [[experience|skill level]]. Some skills (e.g. Record Keeper) are rarely worth investing initial points in even though you will almost always use them; you can simply let the dwarf learn on the job. Others (e.g. Mining, Carpentry) may be worth investing points in depending on your goals or the tempo with which you want to achieve them. (Mining is easy to train so you could forgo initial investment and just train on the job, but this could force you to spend longer on the surface, increasing your exposure to dangers. A skilled carpenter can contribute a lot to fortress mood, but won't produce much value; see the discussion of Quality below.)

Many other skills are optional as to whether they'll get used or not. You need to deliberately want to use them. The skills above are essential to basic aspects of the game, and avoiding one requires a deliberate choice ''not'' to use it (and likely a lot of effort spent to avoid doing so). A fortress could make its wealth by smithing fine weapons, weaving quality cloth, encrusting precious stones onto furniture, or crafting quality trinkets. Or all of those. But it doesn't have a compelling reason to do any one in particular. A fortress that never designates a tile for mining, however, requires exceptional effort to achieve.

This means there is no universal design constraint on which skills to start with. Ultimately the answer to "What skills do I need?" is "Whichever ''you'' want". Choosing a mixture of these commonly used skills and your desired specialized skills will make starting up your fortress easier and more efficient, but you don't need to start with any of them. Choosing to avoid some skills may force you to use some others, but nothing compels you to invest in any skill in particular.

A common skill list (Just as a general quick start):
*2 Miners
*1 Woodcutter
*1 Grower/Cook
*1 Grower/Brewer
*1 Carpenter
*1 Mason

This is not the be all end all, of course; it all depends upon your location, your goals, and what you consider fun.

==== Balancing military and economic needs ====

Not all embarks will require a military presence in the first year, but anyone planning an expedition to a sinister, haunted, or terrifying biome would be foolish not to be prepared for nasty dwarf-killing creatures. The solution doesn't strictly need to be military skills; quick delving and a skilled mechanic may be sufficient; but starting with a military dwarf will give you the earliest possible protection and a lot more versatility in where that protection can be applied. Whatever you choose to do, understand the risk and be prepared for it.

==== Training considerations ====

Some skills are harder to gain experience in than others - requiring valuable resources or taking an extended period of time, and thus inconvenient to train from the ground up. Investing in some of these extensively in your initial dwarves can make those industries much less painful to start. For example, metal-related skills generally eat metal bars, and thus the less time you spend training metal workers up to a decent level, the faster they'll be churning out high-quality items for you, and the fewer bars they'll waste becoming skilled. On the other hand, despite its importance, skills like mining train relatively quickly and barring extenuating circumstances (expected need to accomplish particular digging projects in the first month or you'll get mauled by a Giant for example) there's little need to actually invest your starting skills in it - they can learn on the job.

==== Quality, value, and happiness ====

[[Quality]] is an important part of Dwarf Fortress. Higher quality items produce better and more frequent happy thoughts and are worth more money. Valuable commodities will trade for more goods from caravans that visit. When choosing skills that produce objects of quality, the desire to produce valuable goods for trade will often conflict with the desire to produce objects that will make your dwarves happy. Built items that are frequently encountered tend to be things like furniture, especially beds, which tend to have low material values and thus low total value no matter how high the quality of the work. Further, these things tend to be inconvenient to trade. It is often best to strike a balance between dwarves who produce valuable trade goods and dwarves who produce quality items that will make your population happy - and thus be able to achieve both goals simultaneously.

It's worth noting that built furniture and worn clothing counts its value twice -- once under the appropriate category and once for displayed value. If you're trying to maximize your created wealth total, a good metalsmith producing furniture from high-value metals is optimal. A mason or stonecrafter can also build furniture from ore such as gold nuggets, if these are enabled in the stocks screen. Presently there is no disadvantage in doing so, as the furniture is just as valuable as if it had been made by a metalsmith from metal bars, and masonry is much easier to train.

==== Moodable skills ====

[[Strange mood]]s can give a dwarf Legendary skill in his/her highest-level "moodable" skill, and moods take hold of dwarves with different professions at different rates. Some skills are "moodable" where others are not. You might choose to take a certain skill solely because it opens up moods for that skill with that dwarf. Some moodable skills are more valuable than others - a legendary weaponsmith is both valuable and useful. A legendary tanner is generally a waste of a mood since tanned hides have no quality.

Because a dwarf can only have a strange mood in one skill, pairing a moodable skill with a non-moodable skill can ensure that if the dwarf has a mood it will be in the skill you desire. See the section on combining skills below for more details on ways to pair skills.

Dwarves with no moodable skill can be allowed to do one task using a moodable skill to give them a moodable skill with no starting build investment, so moodable skill considerations should not be considered a primary reason to choose particular skills - you should also want to make use of them for other reasons.

==== Combining Skills ====
Every dwarf is going to have 2 or more [[skills]]. This means that even once you know which skills you want, you're going to need to pair them up before assigning them. Not all skill combinations are equally functional.

Some skills are highly time-consuming, either because the skill is in frequent demand (eg, [[mining]]) or because it takes a long time to do an individual job (eg, [[strand extraction]]). If a dwarf is spending most of their time using that skill, they aren't making much use of their other skill. Pairing two time-consuming skills together therefore tends to be a bad idea, as one or both jobs are not going to get the attention they need or deserve. Similarly, pairing a skill with time-critical jobs with a time-consuming skill also tends to be a bad idea. If your [[grower]] is also mining, he may not stop to plant crops one season. Or he might neglect to harvest your crops in a timely fashion and they could rot on the ground (if you only let your growers harvest). Arranging your skill combinations to avoid these situations is generally beneficial. For example, Masons, miners, growers, and any craft that your fortress will base their economy off of (glass, stonecrafts, armour, etc) will take a lot of time, so plan accordingly.

Instead, pairing relatively time-intensive tasks with less time-intensive tasks will let your dwarf accomplish all such tasks adequately. Once you get a metal industry rolling, an armorer/weaponsmith will need to make a lot fewer weapons to outfit your soldiers than he will armor components. Thus he can usefully do both jobs without hurting your productivity overly much. Similarly, a mason might also be your architect, since building designer is a very infrequently used skill.

Working at different jobs levels up specific [[attribute]]s. One could level up a miner until he becomes mighty and ultra-tough - and then turn him into a soldier, or retire him to haul stone. If you plan on doing so, it may not be a good idea to give this guy a second critical job that will demand a lot of time away from their focus.

Since tasks will take place in specific areas, another approach is to combine tasks into dwarves who will take care of a specific industry, or spend all their time in one generally narrow part of the fortress - the forges, or the kitchens, or outdoors, for instance. So combining Farming with cooking, rather than mining, for example, and turn on only Haul Food, not Haul Stone. Metalworkers spending their time in the forge can easily handle more than one type of metalworking skill, and are also well-situated to be furnace operators.

Similarly, you can also make the craftsmen of your finished products also responsible for the production of intermediate products from raw ingredients. This way when they run out of materials to make into finished goods they can immediately switch over to working raw products into intermediate products so they'll have more to work with later. This works better in some industries than in others. A single butcher/tanner/cook trying to process multiple animals simultaneously will likely result in rotten food, carcases, or skins. But a weaponsmith who doubles as a furnace operator can usefully ensure he has material to work with when you want him to. Later on, however, a highly skilled craftsdwarf is often better suited at sitting in their [[workshop]] and having others deliver raw materials to them than going out and obtaining their own raw materials themselves, but in the early game dwarf-time is limited, and a single dwarf who can work an entire production chain can do so relatively efficiently and let your other dwarves be used elsewhere.

There is no requirement that a dwarves job combination needs to look 'right' or logical. A weaponsmith will most probably not spend nearly 100% of their time creating weapons - what they do with the other part of their time may have nothing at all to do with forges or smithing. Jobs which require little time in general, or little time early even if time-intensive later, may well be paired with any time-intensive task solely to provide the dwarf with something to usefully and skillfully do with most of their time, and freed from that duty as needed for the other tasks.

Another constraint you can impose on your skill combinations is to try to limit dwarves to [[moodable]] skill and one non-moodable skill (or a moodable and a less desired moodable skill at lower level), so any mood will improve the desired one. For example, pairing craft skills with farming skills gives you dwarves that will perform useful food production or raw good processing services while also getting their mood in a valuable finished goods skill. Example: Clothier/Grower.

==== Which dwarf should have which skill? ====
Dwarves who craft goods they prefer, or work materials they prefer, gain a bonus to the quality of the finished work. This can inform your choice of which skills you choose, for example by choosing a weaver because you notice a preference for sheep wool yarn, or you might choose the skills you want and then try to find a suitable dwarf to use that skill. In the latter case, since all dwarves have one metal preference you might assign an armorsmithing skill to a dwarf with a preference for iron, steel, or adamantine.

The dwarf with the most social skills will end up being the [[Expedition leader]], who will then become the [[mayor]] and start making [[mandate]]s. Thus you should avoid giving the most social skills to dwarfs who have [[preferences]] for things like [[adamantine]].

Dwarves have physical and mental attributes that affect the performance of certain skills. You may wish to give a socially adept and patient dwarf the leadership/broker skills, or a dwarf who doesn't tire easily a skill which will be in frequent use like mining. You can also try to match skills to [[personality]], some of which have obvious implications for their willingness to work long hours or how frequently they might take breaks.

Of course, all combined these represent a lot of possible constraints on where you assign particular skills, and it would be impossible to apply them in total to your entire desired skill load. Use these as a guide, but don't be upset if all your dwarves are anti-social psychopaths - someone still needs to be the leader, after all.

==== Other considerations ====
Migrants can and will arrive with a wide selection of decently trained skills. While it is a gamble, chances are pretty decent that migrants will arrive with a highly trained skill that is also highly desirable and would usurp the job of one of the seven starting ones. The first few migration waves are likely to give you a much better talent pool than what you can assign at embark. On the other hand, you may never get the skill you really want if you don't start with it.

Skills atrophy if not used (they are marked "rusty" and later "very rusty"), and they can eventually decrease in level. Consider that skills which you will use years after embark are going to be rusty or even deleveled. Embark to the first caravan is long enough for a skill to start rusting, so you might want to make sure you'll use every skill you embark with before the first year ends to avoid catastrophic rusting.

Remember that you need to survive in order to accomplish any goals. Have a plan for lasting to at least the first caravan, if not one for longterm sustainability.

== Items ==

The items you choose to bring with you will need to satisfy a number of needs. Most importantly, you need to keep yourself alive - at least until the caravan arrives in the fall to resupply yourself. You probably also want to plan on some way of making a shelter, whether that be the traditional delved hall, a majestic castle, a log cabin, or something even more exotic. You may want to plan for mishaps by bringing essential medical supplies, especially those which may be hard to acquire on site. And you might bring items which will assist in creating items for trade to that first caravan, should you need anything for the skills you're planning on.

For the purposes of this article, livestock are considered items.

All embarks get the following items without paying for them: 2 animals (who pulled the wagon), and the 3 wood that make up the wagon.

=== Motivations ===

==== Survival ====

A single dwarf eats about 2x/season, and drinks about 4x/season. With 7 dwarves that's ~approximately~ 14 meals per season and 28 alcohol per season, or ~42 meals and ~84 alcohol until the end of Fall. The dwarf caravan tends to arrive in the third month of fall, so you will probably need to plan on a full 3 seasons. You are also likely to get at least one if not two small waves of migrants before the caravan arrives.

It is possible to bring enough food and drink to make it to the caravan - indeed, bringing enough food isn't especially hard (especially once you factor in slaughtering the animals who hauled your wagon. Bringing sufficient alcohol is harder, although bringing plump helmets to brew can significantly cut the cost.

The likely best way to keep your dwarves in drink is also the most labor intensive - setting up farming in the first season or two is perfectly plausible, allowing to grow your own [[plants]] from seeds and brew the products. (Keep in mind not all plants can be brewed - don't plant dimple cups and expect to make alcohol). In addition to the necessary seeds, starting your own farming operation is going to require either some [[soil]] or [[irrigation|some way to get the ground muddy]]. While sometimes simple digging can accomplish this, many times you're going to need a screw pump. Basic construction requirements are discussed under shelter.

It is possible to make all your alcohol by harvesting aboveground plants, if highly inefficient. It also only works in biomes with collectable plant life. Notably evil biomes and glaciers are unlikely to provide.

==== Shelter ====
Bar a convenient cave, you're going to have to do something for shelter. Shelter is your first defense against roving creatures, keeping them away from where your dwarves are working so they don't spam job cancellations and strew items all over the place. (As you might guess, most 'convenient caves' aren't actually that convenient, as they tend to have residents). Basic walls that allow you egress won't stop a dedicated invader, but you don't expect to see those until year 3, so you have time to develop more elaborate defenses.

Food outside will also spoil a lot faster than food inside, so making a cellar of some sort to store your food in will increase the longevity of your food supplies. The rate at which food spoils depends on ambient temperature, so the urgency of making a cellar will depend on where you settled. It might be possible to go without a cellar in a freezing biome.{{verify}} The only way you can avoid thinking about food storage in the first year is if you collect food and make alcohol as needed - ie, by using an herbalist to collect local plants - which can avoid needing to mine at all.

Delving a shelter requires mining, which means having picks to dig with. One can always bring one or more picks at embark, but its also possible to bring the supplies necessary to make them. See [[Starting build#Finished product or do it yourself|finished product or do it yourself]].

An aboveground shelter can be made with stone or wood or possibly more exotic materials. Stone of course requires mining, and thus picks. Wood can be had with an axe assuming trees are present, and axes, like picks, can similarly be brought at embark or made on site. It is of course possible to bring sufficient raw materials to build walls with, but this is far less efficient than just bringing a pick or an axe, although it could make a fun challenge. Building your initial fort out of soap, while possible, is not recommended, although possibly hilariously entertaining.

==== Industry ====
Most industries require little more than materials you can collect at the site and a workshop. So long as you can get stone, you won't need to bring anything for these. However, if you want to get an industry going immediately, it does help to bring a few building materials along (or be willing to use the wood from the wagon, if only temporarily).

Some industries require fire-safe materials to build with. All stone qualifies, as does metal. Wood can be converted to a fire safe material by burning it to ashes in a wood burners workshop, but of course that workshop requires a fire-safe material. If you're mining, this condition is easy to satisfy, but if you intend to run any of these industries right away you will need to plan on bringing appropriate materials.

Some industries require plant or animal matter to work with. Clothiers ultimately need cloth, which comes from certain plants or animals. Leatherworkers need tanned skins. (And while you can get 2 off your pack animals, this isn't sufficient to run an industry). If you plan on running these types of industries you will need to have a plan for providing suitable raw materials. Hunting can cover leatherworking needs (although this requires a hunter and hunting implements), and foraging can find rope reed plants, but its usually better to bring enough appropriate animals or plant seeds to have a good shot at getting started in a predictable and sustainable way. Similarly, milking and cheese making require milkable animals, and bonecarving requires a dependable source of bones.

Metal industries require metal and an anvil. You cannot make an anvil on site without already having an anvil, so if you plan on doing any forging before the first caravan you will need to bring one with you. Metal can be brought as bars or as ores to be smelted in a smelter into bars, or can be mined yourself. You will need to provide fuel or magma to run these workshops, so bringing some coal can make the operation run smoother.

Soap requires a lot of wood consumption and a source of tallow to be done in a sustainable way. Lye can be bought at embark to skip the first steps and make soap more directly. You will still need to bring or make buckets and have an empty barrel to actually produce soap though, but fortunately this is just a matter of having sufficient wood.

Jewelers require gems. Cut gems can be brought at embark, but are too expensive to bring in quantity. Generally a jeweler requires mining to find sufficient gems or a glassworker to produce raw glass to work with.

Glassmaking and Pottery requires sand or clay and fuel - pay attention to your site report before embarking. Its hard to run a viable industry solely off imports in these cases. Like metal workshops, coal can be brought to substitute for fuel fairly efficiently.

As is probably obvious, certain industries depend on similar inputs. Planning on a set of industries which require similar complementary inputs can let you more efficiently spend your starting points at embark or more efficiently plan your digging during the first year. If you plan on a lot of fuel-dependent industries, it may be worthwhile to prioritize finding a source of magma.

=== Optimization ===

==== Container mechanics and free items ====

Many items come in containers such as barrels and bags, including food, liquids, seeds, and powders. The cost to embark with these items can be cheaper than the cost of the container itself. Each different type of item for each category will come in its own container. Furthermore, you'll get a new container after every 10th instance for food, most liquids, and seeds, and after every item of powders.{{verify}} Alcohol gets a new barrel after every 5th unit. (Food actually groups by animal type, so if you get horse tripe and horse meat they'll combine them, but they won't combine horse meat and donkey meat). Thus diversifying your initial food supply with 1 of each low-cost food item will net you a large number of barrels. Similarly, it is worth taking 1 of each seed you weren't planning on taking more of solely for the bags. Taking some sand or gypsum powder is also a cheap way to get bags. Lye (for soap) and milks can be brought for more barrels - and milk can be made into cheese for a low-cost embark option that becomes food.

As stockpiling and some jobs are container limited, getting as many free containers as you can will free up labor (and possibly valuable materials) that would otherwise be used making containers.

==== Finished product or do it yourself ====
Bringing raw materials and making the finished product yourself is often easier on your embark points than bringing the finished product. On the other hand, making it yourself takes time during which you aren't making use of the finished product.

The most common scenario involves [[Make your own weapons|forging your own metal tools and weapons]]. While not usually too much of a hardship, it can be dangerous to make your own weapons or picks if you expect possible hostile creatures. Furthermore, you will lose time - possibly 1/4 to 1/2 the first month - if you forge your own picks.

Of special note regarding weapons is that a training battle axe is perfectly capable of chopping trees, and is made with nothing more than a carpentry workshop and a log. While the delay in acquiring one is minimal, a wood battle axe is not a good weapon, and so it loses utility for doing anything other than acquiring more wood.

You can also easily plan on making all or most of one's own booze, as plump helmets can be bought at embark and brewed at a still.

Any finished good can of course be made from raw materials that you bring, but most of them are not essential like the above, and thus you can generally wait until you find suitable resources on site or buy them from caravans.

==== Biome considerations: dude, where's my wood? ====
Some environments have a shortage of trees. While you can direct production of a lot of item types to other materials, beds need to be made out of wood. In addition, it is difficult to make barrels and bins out of non-wood materials early in the game, especially without ready magma (since otherwise you'll probably need to burn wood to make metal equivalents). If you have an aquifer it can be even worse - stone may be difficult or impossible to access easily. While you can ultimately ask for wood from your liaison and buy whatever the humans and elves happen to bring, and eventually you can create a tree farm underground, tight wood will limit storage and sleeping arrangements for at least the first year if not longer. You may wish to plan accordingly if embarking in a site with sparse or no trees.

==== Items for moods ====
When a dwarf is taken by a [[strange mood]], he often needs obscure material or he will go insane and die, possibly with severe consequences to an entire fortress. Bringing along some of the harder-to-find ores ([[cassiterite]], [[sphalerite]], [[bismuthinite]], [[garnierite]]), and putting those aside, forbidding their use "just in case", is spending a few points on an insurance policy. Many players also choose to bring a few items like pig tail cloth and cave spider silk just in case.

Alternately, if you're otherwise being minimalistic on gear you're bringing you can choose to bring a few valuable components to try to maximize the value of mood items. That artifact animal trap will be worth a lot more if your woodcarver grabs a blue diamond instead of moss agate.

==== Free Equipment ====

Unfortunately, no free equipment is available when embarking in Dwarf Fortress mode. This is in contrast to [[Adventure mode]], in which the only equipment available on starting is free equipment.

==Site considerations==
Each fortress [[location]] offers particular challenges and opportunities, and can make different demands on your starting build. Your starting build may need to be adjusted depending on the [[region]] your fort occupies, the specific vision you have of your fortress, and what it will take to [[losing|stay alive]] where you're going!

The differences include what [[biome]]s, [[region]]s and likely [[metal]]s are present in your chosen embark site.

=== General Surroundings ===
Simply put, if your [[surroundings]] are [[evil]] or [[savage]], your dwarves have a higher risk of suddenly facing personal combat before they are safely behind their defenses. Consider bringing extra weaponry, in the form of axes, picks or crossbows (see [[Starting_builds#Free_Equipment|free equipment]]). Hand in hand with those, consider skill mixes that include [[axedwarf]], [[mining]] (the skill used to wield a pick), [[marksdwarf]], or [[wrestling]] (a solid unarmed-combat skill).

The same is true if you are embarking near an exposed magma vent or an open chasm - these features can be seen on the embark map, but it's impossible to tell if they are "open" to the surface or not, until you are there in person.

Be sure to include some source of [[water]] on the map, preferably running [[water]]. Water is (almost) essential for any fortress. In Cold and Freezing climates streams and [[lake]]s will often be frozen year-round and your dwarves may quickly die of exposure, in Hot climates [[murky pool]]s will dry up, and in Dry ones rain will only rarely re-fill them, if ever. Choose Temperate or tropical zones for an easier game.

===Aquifers===
If an [[aquifer]] is present in the first soil or stone layers (visible on the pre-embark menu), it may bar all access to [[stone]] and [[ore]] until you find a way through the water barrier. Consider bringing some stone for building, and ore for your first basic needs. This may be critical to getting your fortress running smoothly.

=== Mountains ===
Mountains often have abundant [[ore]]s, but at the loss of trees and plants. In previous versions lacking [[cavern]]s, this was a serious drawback. Brave pioneers can dig down into the caverns to find essentials like water, mud, and plants. However, players should be aware that above-ground crops will not grow in mountain biomes, no matter how muddy you may make the surface.

Depending on the exact layers, it's common to find exposed [[vein]]s of useful [[ore]]s that can be immediately mined for [[Make your own weapons|DIY]] weapons and tools.

=== Wooded/Plains ===
Flatlands with at least some trees and gatherable plants can also make for highly successful fortresses. Advantages over mountain zones include abundant trees and plants and (unless frozen) more abundant water. There are even (rare) magma vents. More water also means a high likelihood of an [[aquifer]] being present. Make sure to check on embark.

The greatest disadvantage is the potential lack of exposed [[stone]] to mine. The first level(s) below the surface is often [[soil]] of some type, which offers no building materials. However, soil is mined much more quickly than stone (x3-x4 faster), and expansive accommodations (rooms) can be achieved quickly even by untrained miners. You will find stone, you just have to go down a bit for it - but that's what dwarves do, isn't it?

[[Experience|Training]] a [[Miner]] from No Skill to Proficient takes less than a month (~20 days with hauling disabled) in soil, and to Legendary in just under a season after. {{version|0.31.12}} From embark, this means you should have legendary miners in early summer if you dig only in soil. Times increase slightly for each additional miner used.

=== Oceanside ===
With many features in common with some of the above locations, [[beach]]es are often a mix of ease intermingled with bouts of extreme difficulty. Minerals and trees are often abundant, as well as farmland and sand, but there is often no drinking water unless the biome has a flowing [[water]] of some sort.

By definition, the settlement will fall between (at least) two [[biome]]s (one land, one water), potentially hazardous if the player expects a peaceful oceanside meadow, without realizing the [[terrifying]] ocean is full of amphibious zombie [[whale]]s.

=== Desert, Glaciers, and Barren ===
Treeless (or near-treeless) [[biome]]s are challenging sites for a fortress: you get most of the disadvantages of a flatland site without having access to nearly as many trees and plants. However, near-lifeless zones such as [[glacier]]s are wonderful for players with slower computers, as there's little to burden the CPU but your dwarves and livestock. [[Desert]]s and barren areas often have sand; with a sufficient source of energy (preferably magma), you can build almost anything out of unlimited glass.

Hunters should be replaced with fisherdwarves and a fish cleaner (although the latter can be easily trained). Depending how much water vs. land, more starting wood and ores might be helpful. Swimming is rarely useful in Fortress mode, even at the beach, and can be trained.

==Sample starting builds==
See [[Sample Starting Builds]]

{{Starting FAQ}}
{{Category|Guides}}
{{Category|Fortress mode}}

v0.34:Utilities

2012-05-02T19:00:31Z

GoldenShadow: /* Dwarf Therapist */

{{quality|Tattered|00:57, 21 February 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

:''You may also like to see the [[DF2012:Tileset repository|Tileset repository]] or [[DF2012:Graphics set repository|Graphics set repository]].''

Here are third party applications useful for Dwarf Fortress players and modders.

__TOC__

==Dwarf Fortress filesharing services==

=== [http://dffd.wimbli.com/ Dwarf Fortress File Depot] ===
The Dwarf Fortress File Upload Service - an excellent place to store mods, community games, tilesets and other files. Courtesy of [[User:Janus|Janus]]; for files related to Dwarf Fortress only.

=== [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ DF Map Archive] ===

* http://mkv25.net/dfma/

The Dwarf Fortress Map Archive is a large collection of user-submitted maps and a nice flash viewer for perusing them.
Maps are uploaded, stored, and downloaded in a special compressed format created by the DF Map Compressor (see below).

Read more about the [[User:Markavian/DF_Map_Archive|DF Map Archive]] on [[User:Markavian|Markavian]]'s User page.

== 3D Visualizers ==

=== [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=3882/ Fortress Overseer] ===
Fortress Overseer has been the only 3d visualizer since DF 2010, It has been completely rewritten and is currently updated to support DF 2012 (currently supporting versions 34.07 and 31.25).

Read more on the [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=63484.0/ bay 12 forum post]

== Music and Sounds ==

=== [[Utility:SoundSense|SoundSense]] ===

SoundSense is a tool that parses game logs and reacts to game events with sound effects, incidental music and dwarfy comments.

[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=60287 forum thread], download at [http://df.zweistein.cz/soundsense/ homepage].

== Interface tools ==

== Game manipulation tools ==

===[http://code.google.com/p/dwarftherapist/ Dwarf Therapist]===

Dwarf Therapist gives you an advanced GUI to manage and check dwarf job allocations, military assignments (40d), statistics (such as attributes, personality traits and happiness), plus sort dwarves by various criteria (eg. profession, migration wave, happiness, number of assigned jobs etc.) and generally manage the Dwarven Resources of your fortress in a very convenient way.

Version 0.6.12 is out. This version supports DF builds up to 0.34.02 by default, but with the auto-update it supports up to 0.34.07.

Read the full changelog here: http://code.google.com/p/dwarftherapist/source/browse/CHANGELOG.txt

Discussion on Bay 12 Games forums: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=66525

====For Mac users====
A DT version for natively running it on OSX is in the works by DwarfEngineeer and beta versions compatible with 34.03+ are now available on [http://code.google.com/p/dwarftherapist/downloads/list the dwarftherapist downloads page]. A mac version of this utility (built by ghalidrim) is outdated and is compatible with DF version 31.25. It is free for download at [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=4463 the DF file depot]. It is also possible to use DT with the latest version of DF by using Wine.

=====Dwarf Therapist and Dwarf Fortress on Mac using Wine=====
# Download latest windows versions [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ DF] and [http://code.google.com/p/dwarftherapist/downloads/list DT].
# Download winebottler http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/. It should also download wine. Launch them both.
# Click the Wine icon on your taskbar and find Change Prefix.
# From there, create a prefix (it may auto-detect some other games and create prefixes for them, don't bother with that) in a convenient directory, call it 'generic' or something.
# Click Change Prefix again after it's done configuring and make sure Wine is using that one.
# Move DF and DT to the Program Files associated with the *general* prefix. DT won't find any running versions of DF otherwise. Mine was located in *username*/documents/generic/drive_c/program files.
# When launching DF and DT a small window pops up asking which prefix you want to use, choose general.
# Strike the earth.

If Dwarf Therapist in Wine starts running slow or gets really laggy, find it's preference file, "Dwarf Therapist.ini," and trash it.
It is located in *username*/documents/generic/drive_c/users/*usernameagain*/application data/UDP Software/.

===[[Utility:DFHack|DFHack]]===

DFHack is a Dwarf Fortress memory access library and a set of basic tools using this library. The library is a work in progress, so things might change as more tools are written for it. Releases support versions up through 0.34.07 (as of March 30th, 2012). Runs on both Windows and Linux.

DFHack has an [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=91166.0 official forum thread].

Code and binary releases are available from the [https://github.com/peterix/dfhack/downloads Github site].

== Fortress layout tools ==
=== [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=87731 DF Designator] ===
DF Designator helps you build fortresses from either image files or Quickfort .CSV files. It also has a user interface that allows you to assign hotkeys to blueprints and to combine blueprints in multi z-level designs. Windows, Mac and Linux versions are available.

== Modding tools ==

== Raw tile tools ==

== World Map / World Gen Tools ==

== Other/miscellaneous ==

= Tools under development =
'''The tools listed below are under development for DF 2012, but cannot perform the task they are intended for at this time.'''

v0.34:Slade

2012-05-02T16:26:06Z

GoldenShadow: /* Mining Slade */

{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{Buggy}}
{{Spoiler}}

{{stonelookup/0|wiki=no}}

'''Slade''' is the stone that makes up the surrounding layers of [[Hell|eerie cavern]]s. After dwarves dig deep enough down into [[adamantine]] veins, large, demonic caverns made of slade will open up and spew forth demons. [[Demonic fortress|Curious structure]]s are also made entirely of slade.

Slade is '''very''', '''''very''''' heavy - according to the density specified in the raws (200 grams per cubic centimeter), a single half-meter diameter boulder weighs around '''14 metric tons'''; by comparison, an equivalent volume of freshly mined [[native platinum|platinum nuggets]] weighs around only 1.5 metric tons (but can somehow still be picked up by a dwarf) - making slade around ''9.348 times as dense as platinum'', and thus the heaviest material in the game.

In Fortress Mode, it is not possible to mine through revealed slade walls, however, if it is unrevealed, a miner can dig up into it from below by designating an up/down stair and standing on an appropriate up stair. Normally, there is no way to get underneath slade to do this. However, a [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 method] has been discovered (see below) to allow tunnelling through an eerie pit by exploiting collapsed magma flows and getting under the slade cavern floor of Hell. It appears to be like any other stone when mined. Due to the extreme weight, dwarves hauling it move very slowly.

It is possible to use weapons made out of this extremely dense material in Arena mode - tests show that weapons and armor made out of this superdense rock are at least comparable to if not stronger than even adamantine.

It may be interesting to note that our friends at Wikipedia also believe [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slade] Slade to be a hard rock and a heavy metal.

== Mining Slade ==

'''How to mine Slade:'''

[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 Original Thread]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urM19dQrsJ4 Video Demonstration Part 1]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcalni8h8Ak Video Demonstration Part 2]

The exact mechanics at work here are not fully understood. When a dwarf descends through the an opening in the Eerie Glowing Pits, the game seems to generate new stone layers in the unrevealed area below. These generated stone layers are a copy of the stone type directly above them. The unrevealed layer will change to become the same as a construction built directly above. Testing has shown that this transformation may only occurs once, the first time a dwarf descends below the surface of the Eerie Glowing Pit. A diorite block floor constructed on the slade cavern floor will create diorite rough hewn walls beneath the slade layer. It is also possible to use rare or useful stone to duplicate them. If you build a rough raw adamantine floor over the slade cavern floor, you will find raw adamantine below.

Step 1. Find a location with accessible unrevealed SMR above Hell and an Eerie pit tile adjacent to a slade cavern floor. You'll want the magma flow tile directly above it. You'll need enough room to engineer a cavern collapse to drop a floor down and land it in the Eerie Pit tile.

Step 2. Prepare the drop site in Hell. Construct a normal floor over the Eerie pit tile. The Magma Flow tile will land here.

Step 3. Prepare the drop shaft in the SMR. Unlike the long difficult method of [[semi-molten rock|tunnelling]] through SMR, once you are in the underworld, you can construct scaffolding up to the unrevealed ceiling and dig staircases from bottom to top through Semi Molten Rock with no problems. Don't mine through the magma flow tile. You need it for the next steps. Channel out the stairs from top to bottom to to leave an open shaft with nothing in it. Remove all scaffolding in the way between the Magma flow tile on top and the constructed floor over the [[Hell|Eerie Glowing Pit]].

Step 4. Prepare a Cave-in above the Magma flow tile. Build a support directly on the Magma Flow tile and construct a floor on top of it. Then make sure its disconnected and supported only from underneath. Link the support pillar to a lever.

Step 5. Prepare the mining area. This is the most important step. You'll only be able to mine slade and duplicate stone in area that have constructed floors. You need to build constructed floors over the slade cavern floor over the entire area you plan to mine slade from. Floor over the entire area before you continue. It may not be possible to convert anymore unrevealed tiles after you begin. Use High value materials like iron ore or raw adamantine to pave the floors with. They will be duplicated and can be mined out for profit.

Step 6. Pull the lever to trigger the cave-in. the Magma Flow tile will fall down and crash through the constructed floor above the Eerie pit. This will punch an 'open space' hole in the Eerie Pit.

Step 7. Get a miner in there. Do whatever you can to get a miner to drop into that open space. I have him stand on a constructed staircase and remove it while standing on top. He will fall one Z-level and be stuck below.

Step 8. Use the stuck miner to build a constructed floor on an adjacent Eerie pit tile. This gives him a place to stand.

Step 9. Make him build an upstair on the magma flow tile then remove it. the magma flow tile will be gone and replaced with a normal stone or soil cavern floor

Step 10. Make him channel straight down from where that magma flow was. Go as deep as you want, the bottom Z level of the map should be very close though. Start to mine out the area. You'll find you can only mine out as far as you've built the constructed floors from Step 5..

Step 11. Mine or build upstairs every other tile. Extend those stairs upward to just under the floor above. The upper Z-level, just under the cavern floor will not be changed into natural stone. It will remain slade and can be mined from below.

==Bugs==
* Although slade is not intended to be diggable, it can be channeled through floors from above, leaving the wall underneath it.{{bug|708}}
{{gamedata}}
{{stones}}

v0.34:Semi-molten rock

2012-05-02T07:25:17Z

GoldenShadow: /* Tunnelling down through multiple layers of Semi-molten rock */

{{quality|Fine|18:18, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

{{spoiler}}

'''Semi-Molten Rock''' (SMR), represented by the tile {{Tile|░|4:0:1}}, is generally found at the bottommost edges of [[Magma sea|Great magma seas]]. Anywhere that [[magma]] is found rests on layer after layer of semi-molten rock, with no normal material to be found beneath it. There is also a layer near the bottom of the map composed almost entirely of semi-molten rock even where magma does not overlie it. Freestanding formations are possible, though less common. Though its name suggests the rock is hot, it is not dangerous to nearby dwarves. SMR acts as a barrier, and cannot be mined through by conventional means, nor smoothed. Unlike magma, SMR does not react with water, producing no steam or obsidian.

The top of semi-molten rock, or its ''floor'' when observed from the layer above, is described as a '''magma flow''', appearing in blue text when examined, and appearing as a dark red fluid indistinguishable from blood or magma as seen from open space above.

The floor of the stone layer above the SMR at the bottom of the map is ''not'' a magma flow when stone is dug into, but appears as the same type of rock as the tile dug into. However, if a channel is dug down into the SMR from this tile, a magma flow floor is revealed; ''under'' this intact floor the unusable ramp will appear, if and only if the tile of SMR was previously unrevealed. Otherwise it will be unchanged. (As a result no two of these ramps can adjoin) A magma flow also cannot be dug into, nor smoothed. However, [[construction]]s can be built on top of it, and these convert the magma flow into some other kind of stone or soil, which is sometimes useful [[sand]] or [[clay]], appearing when the construction is removed.

Curiously, water dumped onto a magma flow with magma on top of it will '''not''' turn it into obsidian; rather the magma is simply removed. At the bottom of a magma reservoir with only small amounts of water falling in, such a tile can change from 7/7 to 0/7 and back in a few single step increments with the "." key. A construction (such as a stairway up) can be designated atop the magma flow when it is momentarily is free of magma due to water falling from above. Strangest of all, once designated, a dwarf can build this construction unhindered, without any job cancellations. Once the construction is present, magma and water can react in the square, destroying the construction and converting the square into unmined obsidian.

These odd exceptions to the normal rules means that dwarves on a level partially filled with water can (with much effort) completely wall off the region surrounding some [[adamantine|special point of interest]], eventually removing ''all'' the magma from a large area despite the failure of the usual magma-water interaction.

If the stone floor which replaces a magma ramp under a built and removed construction is channeled into a second time, the ramp below becomes visible from above. Unfortunately, for some reason dwarves still cannot descend into this square with the ramp, nor can they ascend out of it should they find themselves somehow there. A dwarf dumped into the space, say, by a remote controlled hatch "accident", cannot construct anything because the adjacent squares remain semi-molten rock, and won't turn to ramps if channelled from above. Therefore an up/down stairway ''cannot'' be constructed in this space, even if it is beneath another up/down stairway.

Semi-molten rock is ''not'' synonymous with [[Main:digging designation canceled|warm stone]], although any given tile of SMR may in fact be warm if it adjoins magma. If you're looking for magma and you find SMR rather than warm stone, your best bet is to do some exploratory mining several Z levels up.

You can also dig ''up'' into semi-molten rock just fine (by designating an up/down staircase accessible from below). This also works ''only'' if the tile is still unrevealed. But often (but not always) you can't get down there without encountering hidden fun stuff first.

Channelling down into unrevealed SMR may open it into an [[Hell|Eerie Glowing Pit]].

== Tunnelling down through multiple layers of Semi-molten rock ==

[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 Original Thread]

Magma flows have very peculiar behavior. If you build a construction such as a floor, wall or upstair on a magma flow and then remove it, it will change into it into a stone or soil cavern floor. If the layer beneath is still unrevealed, you can then channel this new cavern floor to dig down through one layer of SMR. Doing so creates a unusable ramp below, and recreates the magma flow again.
If you collapse a floor from a higher Z-level onto a magma flow that has a unusable ramp under it, it will destroy the unusable ramp and collapse the magma flow down one level. If you find a way to build a construction down the shaft and repeat the process, you can tunnel down through semi-molten rock.

This process consumes dwarves. Every layer of Semi-molten rock you dig will kill one dwarf. Choose some useless peasants and enable just the labors for mining, masonry and carpentry. Use locked doors to keep them in the room so the wrong dwarf doesn't get themselves killed. The dwarf can always escape the shaft as long as the upstair at the bottom of the shaft has not been removed yet. Be ready to engrave slabs, because the corpses will be incinerated by all of the [[magma]].

1. Dig a channel over the unrevealed SMR. This will reveal the layer underneath with an unusable upward ramp and create a magma flow floor tile where the channel designation was.

2. Collapse a constructed floor into the shaft. This collapses the magma flow tile to the bottom and destroys the unusable ramp. Use materials which will burn or [[magma safe|melt in magma]] to build the collapsing floor. The dwarf miner who channelled the floor from step 1 will be crushed and killed.

3. Fill the bottom of the shaft with magma. The magma is used to melt and destroy all items present, including the dwarf corpse. If there is too much magma in the shaft, use a pond zone to pour water in one bucket at a time to cast obsidian and then carve up/down stairs. Remove the obsidian stones this creates because they will not melt in magma.

'''Don't proceed with step 4 until all items at the bottom have melted and dispersed. The only thing on the tile when you loo(k) should be Magma flow and Magma 7/7. Any molten magma globs (differs from Magma Liquid) will suspend constructions for the next step.'''

4. Use a [[Activity_zone#Pit.2FPond|pond]] designation and wait for a dwarf to pour a single bucket of water to remove the 7/7 magma at the bottom. Remove the pond zone.

5. The bottom of the shaft should be clear of all items, with no magma and no water down there. Construct a staircase down if there isn't already obsidian stairs, one layer at a time. At the bottom, build an upstair construction. '''Make sure the dwarf has a pick that will melt in magma.''' Then have him remove the staircase from top to bottom, one layer at a time. Use channel designations to remove obsidian stairs and remove construction designations for constructed stairs. When the bottom upstair construction is removed, the magma flow tile will be changed into a normal stone or soil cavern floor.

6. The magma flow tile has been transformed into normal stone or soil floor. Go to step 1 to start on the next layer down.

The may be many layers of semi-molten rock to dig through. For example, on the site I used, it was 7 layers thick. Then, if you get really unlucky, your final floor collapse breaks through doesn't land on the [[slade]] cavern floor. Instead, if it lands in one of the Eerie Glowing Pits, your fort will be [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCNt8zFnyvM ruined]. Make sure you have a backup save before starting this procedure. What happens is that the magma flow tile gets stuck in the middle of the Eerie Glowing Pit, but it is unsupported by any walls or floors and will perpetually collapse every single frame. Your FPS drop to the low single digits even on a modern gaming PC.

There is an untested theory that by using a dwarf with a highly trained swimming skill, he or she might be able to swim up and out if you flood the shaft with water at the end of step 1. The top of the shaft will need an access ramp and no stairs, as staircases are impassable while flooded. Step 2, the cavern collapse would be done while the shaft is full of water. You would then use magma to cast obsidian and dig stairs through it one layer at a time. Remove the obsidian stones before channelling the stairs, as they will not melt in the magma.

v0.34:Semi-molten rock

2012-05-02T07:19:41Z

GoldenShadow: more editing and cleaning up. sorry, new at this.

{{quality|Fine|18:18, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

{{spoiler}}

'''Semi-Molten Rock''' (SMR), represented by the tile {{Tile|░|4:0:1}}, is generally found at the bottommost edges of [[Magma sea|Great magma seas]]. Anywhere that [[magma]] is found rests on layer after layer of semi-molten rock, with no normal material to be found beneath it. There is also a layer near the bottom of the map composed almost entirely of semi-molten rock even where magma does not overlie it. Freestanding formations are possible, though less common. Though its name suggests the rock is hot, it is not dangerous to nearby dwarves. SMR acts as a barrier, and cannot be mined through by conventional means, nor smoothed. Unlike magma, SMR does not react with water, producing no steam or obsidian.

The top of semi-molten rock, or its ''floor'' when observed from the layer above, is described as a '''magma flow''', appearing in blue text when examined, and appearing as a dark red fluid indistinguishable from blood or magma as seen from open space above.

The floor of the stone layer above the SMR at the bottom of the map is ''not'' a magma flow when stone is dug into, but appears as the same type of rock as the tile dug into. However, if a channel is dug down into the SMR from this tile, a magma flow floor is revealed; ''under'' this intact floor the unusable ramp will appear, if and only if the tile of SMR was previously unrevealed. Otherwise it will be unchanged. (As a result no two of these ramps can adjoin) A magma flow also cannot be dug into, nor smoothed. However, [[construction]]s can be built on top of it, and these convert the magma flow into some other kind of stone or soil, which is sometimes useful [[sand]] or [[clay]], appearing when the construction is removed.

Curiously, water dumped onto a magma flow with magma on top of it will '''not''' turn it into obsidian; rather the magma is simply removed. At the bottom of a magma reservoir with only small amounts of water falling in, such a tile can change from 7/7 to 0/7 and back in a few single step increments with the "." key. A construction (such as a stairway up) can be designated atop the magma flow when it is momentarily is free of magma due to water falling from above. Strangest of all, once designated, a dwarf can build this construction unhindered, without any job cancellations. Once the construction is present, magma and water can react in the square, destroying the construction and converting the square into unmined obsidian.

These odd exceptions to the normal rules means that dwarves on a level partially filled with water can (with much effort) completely wall off the region surrounding some [[adamantine|special point of interest]], eventually removing ''all'' the magma from a large area despite the failure of the usual magma-water interaction.

If the stone floor which replaces a magma ramp under a built and removed construction is channeled into a second time, the ramp below becomes visible from above. Unfortunately, for some reason dwarves still cannot descend into this square with the ramp, nor can they ascend out of it should they find themselves somehow there. A dwarf dumped into the space, say, by a remote controlled hatch "accident", cannot construct anything because the adjacent squares remain semi-molten rock, and won't turn to ramps if channelled from above. Therefore an up/down stairway ''cannot'' be constructed in this space, even if it is beneath another up/down stairway.

Semi-molten rock is ''not'' synonymous with [[Main:digging designation canceled|warm stone]], although any given tile of SMR may in fact be warm if it adjoins magma. If you're looking for magma and you find SMR rather than warm stone, your best bet is to do some exploratory mining several Z levels up.

You can also dig ''up'' into semi-molten rock just fine (by designating an up/down staircase accessible from below). This also works ''only'' if the tile is still unrevealed. But often (but not always) you can't get down there without encountering hidden fun stuff first.

Channelling down into unrevealed SMR may open it into an [[Hell|Eerie Glowing Pit]].

== Tunnelling down through multiple layers of Semi-molten rock ==

[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 Original Thread]

Magma flows have very peculiar behavior. If you build a construction such as a floor, wall or upstair on a magma flow and then remove it, it will change into it into a stone or soil cavern floor. If the layer beneath is still unrevealed, you can then channel this new cavern floor to dig down through one layer of SMR. Doing so creates a unusable ramp below, and recreates the magma flow again.
If you collapse a floor from a higher Z-level onto a magma flow that has a unusable ramp under it, it will destroy the unusable ramp and collapse the magma flow down one level. If you find a way to build a construction down the shaft and repeat the process, you can tunnel down through semi-molten rock.

This process consumes dwarves. Every layer of Semi-molten rock you dig will kill one dwarf. Choose some useless peasants and enable just the labors for mining, masonry and carpentry. Use locked doors to keep them in the room so the wrong dwarf does get themselves killed. The dwarf can always escape as long as the upstair at the bottom of the shaft has not been removed yet. Be ready to engrave slabs. The corpses will be incinerated.

1. Dig a channel over the unrevealed SMR. This will reveal the layer underneath with an unusable upward ramp and create a magma flow floor tile where the channel designation was.

2. Collapse a constructed floor into the shaft. This collapses the magma flow tile to the bottom and destroys the unusable ramp. Use materials which will burn or [[magma safe|melt in magma]] to build the collapsing floor. The dwarf miner who channelled the floor from step 1 will be crushed and killed.

3. Fill the bottom of the shaft with magma. The magma is used to melt and destroy all items present, including the dwarf corpse. If there is too much magma in the shaft, use a pond zone to pour water in one bucket at a time to cast obsidian and then carve up/down stairs. Remove the obsidian stones this creates because they will not melt in magma.

'''Don't proceed with step 4 until all items at the bottom have melted and dispersed. The only thing on the tile when you loo(k) should be Magma flow and Magma 7/7. Any molten magma globs (differs from Magma Liquid) will suspend constructions for the next step.'''

4. Use a [[Activity_zone#Pit.2FPond|pond]] designation and wait for a dwarf to pour a single bucket of water to remove the 7/7 magma at the bottom. Remove the pond zone.

5. The bottom of the shaft should be clear of all items, with no magma and no water down there. Construct a staircase down if there isn't already obsidian stairs, one layer at a time. At the bottom, build an upstair construction. Make sure the dwarf has a pick that will melt. Then have him remove the staircase from top to bottom, one layer at a time. Use channel designations to remove obsidian stairs and remove construction designations for constructed stairs. When the bottom upstair construction is removed, the magma flow tile will be changed into a normal stone or soil cavern floor.

6. The magma flow tile has been transformed into normal stone or soil floor. Go to step 1 to start on the next layer down.

The may be many layers of semi-molten rock to dig through. For example, on the site I used, it was 7 layers thick. Then, if you get really unlucky, your final floor collapse breaks through doesn't land on the [[slade]] cavern floor. Instead, if it lands in one of the Eerie Glowing Pits, your fort will be [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCNt8zFnyvM ruined]. Make sure you have a backup save before starting this procedure. What happens is that the magma flow tile gets stuck in the middle of the Eerie Glowing Pit, but it is unsupported by any walls or floors and will perpetually collapse every single frame. Your FPS drop to the low single digits even on a modern gaming PC.

There is an untested theory that by using a dwarf with a highly trained swimming skill, he or she might be able to swim up and out if you flood the shaft with water at the end of step 1. The top of the shaft will need an access ramp and no stairs, as staircases are impassable while flooded. Step 2, the cavern collapse would be done while the shaft is full of water. You would then use magma to cast obsidian and dig stairs through it one layer at a time. Remove the obsidian stones before channelling the stairs, as they will not melt in the magma.

v0.34:Semi-molten rock

2012-05-02T06:44:32Z

GoldenShadow: re-structuring and editing

{{quality|Fine|18:18, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

{{spoiler}}

'''Semi-Molten Rock''' (SMR), represented by the tile {{Tile|░|4:0:1}}, is generally found at the bottommost edges of [[Magma sea|Great magma seas]]. Anywhere that [[magma]] is found rests on layer after layer of semi-molten rock, with no normal material to be found beneath it. There is also a layer near the bottom of the map composed almost entirely of semi-molten rock even where magma does not overlie it. Freestanding formations are possible, though less common. Though its name suggests the rock is hot, it is not dangerous to nearby dwarves. SMR acts as a barrier, and cannot be mined through by conventional means, nor smoothed. Unlike magma, SMR does not react with water, producing no steam or obsidian.

The top of semi-molten rock, or its ''floor'' when observed from the layer above, is described as a '''magma flow''', appearing in blue text when examined, and appearing as a dark red fluid indistinguishable from blood or magma as seen from open space above.

The floor of the stone layer above the SMR at the bottom of the map is ''not'' a magma flow when stone is dug into, but appears as the same type of rock as the tile dug into. However, if a channel is dug down into the SMR from this tile, a magma flow floor is revealed; ''under'' this intact floor the unusable ramp will appear, if and only if the tile of SMR was previously unrevealed. Otherwise it will be unchanged. (As a result no two of these ramps can adjoin) A magma flow also cannot be dug into, nor smoothed. However, [[construction]]s can be built on top of it, and these convert the magma flow into some other kind of stone or soil, which is sometimes useful [[sand]] or [[clay]], appearing when the construction is removed.

Curiously, water dumped onto a magma flow with magma on top of it will '''not''' turn it into obsidian; rather the magma is simply removed. At the bottom of a magma reservoir with only small amounts of water falling in, such a tile can change from 7/7 to 0/7 and back in a few single step increments with the "." key. A construction (such as a stairway up) can be designated atop the magma flow when it is momentarily is free of magma due to water falling from above. Strangest of all, once designated, a dwarf can build this construction unhindered, without any job cancellations. Once the construction is present, magma and water can react in the square, destroying the construction and converting the square into unmined obsidian.

These odd exceptions to the normal rules means that dwarves on a level partially filled with water can (with much effort) completely wall off the region surrounding some [[adamantine|special point of interest]], eventually removing ''all'' the magma from a large area despite the failure of the usual magma-water interaction.

If the stone floor which replaces a magma ramp under a built and removed construction is channeled into a second time, the ramp below becomes visible from above. Unfortunately, for some reason dwarves still cannot descend into this square with the ramp, nor can they ascend out of it should they find themselves somehow there. A dwarf dumped into the space, say, by a remote controlled hatch "accident", cannot construct anything because the adjacent squares remain semi-molten rock, and won't turn to ramps if channelled from above. Therefore an up/down stairway ''cannot'' be constructed in this space, even if it is beneath another up/down stairway.

Semi-molten rock is ''not'' synonymous with [[Main:digging designation canceled|warm stone]], although any given tile of SMR may in fact be warm if it adjoins magma. If you're looking for magma and you find SMR rather than warm stone, your best bet is to do some exploratory mining several Z levels up.

You can also dig ''up'' into semi-molten rock just fine (by designating an up/down staircase accessible from below). This also works ''only'' if the tile is still unrevealed. But often (but not always) you can't get down there without encountering hidden fun stuff first.

Channelling down into unrevealed SMR may open it into an [[Hell|Eerie Glowing Pit]].

== Tunnelling down through multiple layers of Semi-molten rock ==

[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 Original Thread]

Magma flows have very peculiar behavior. If you build a construction such as a floor, wall or upstair on a magma flow and then remove it, it will change into it into a stone or soil cavern floor. If the layer beneath is still unrevealed, you can then channel this new cavern floor to dig down through one layer of SMR. Doing so creates a unusable ramp below, and recreates the magma flow again.
If you collapse a floor from a higher Z-level onto a magma flow that has a unusable ramp under it, it will destroy the unusable ramp and collapse the magma flow down one level. If you find a way to build a construction down the shaft and repeat the process, you can tunnel down through semi-molten rock.

1. Dig a channel over the unrevealed SMR. This will reveal the layer underneath with an unusable upward ramp and create a magma flow floor tile where the channel designation was.

2. Collapse a regular constructed floor into the shaft to flatten the shaft to the bottom. This moves the magma flow tile down one level where the unusuable ramp was. Use a magma NON-safe stone or wood for this step.

3. Pour a small amount of magma into the shaft. Just use enough to fill the bottom Z-layer with magma, If too much goes in, you'll just have to perform a few extra steps of turning it into obsidian one layer at a time and mining it out with up/down stairs. Remember to move the obsidian stones out of the shaft before proceeding with step 5. The magma is used to melt and destroy all items present, including the dwarf.

'''Don't proceed with step 4 until all items at the bottom have melted and dispersed. The only thing on the tile when you loo(k) should be Magma flow and Magma 7/7. Any molten magma globs (differs from Magma Liquid) will suspend constructions for the next step.'''

4. Use a pond designation to pour a single bucket of water to remove the 7/7 magma at the bottom. Since it is on a magma flow tile, it doesn't create obsidian. If it did, This whole process would be much faster.

5. The bottom of the shaft should be clear of all items, with no magma and no water down there. Construct a staircase down if you don't already have mined obsidian stairs, one layer at a time. At the bottom, build an upstair. Then use a miner to remove the staircase from top to bottom. When the bottom upstair construction is removed, the magma flow tile will be temporarily converted into a normal stone or soil cavern floor. This is a suicide mission, so choose an expendable dwarf for this task. Make sure he is not carrying anything which won't melt in magma. (No iron or steel picks)

6. The magma flow tile has been transformed into normal stone or soil floor. Go to step 1 to start on the next layer down.

If you get really unlucky and your final floor collapse breaks through and lands in an Eerie Glowing Pit instead of the [[slade]] cavern floor, your fort will be [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCNt8zFnyvM ruined]. Make sure you have a backup save before starting this procedure. What happens is that the magma flow tile gets stuck in the middle of the Eerie Glowing Pit, but it is unsupported by any walls or floors and will perpetually collapse every single frame. Your FPS drop to the low single digits even on a modern gaming PC.

There is an untested theory that by using a dwarf with a highly trained swimming skill, he or she might be able to swim up and out if you flood the shaft with water at the end of step 1. The top of the shaft will need an access ramp and no stairs, as staircases are impassable while flooded. Step 2, the cavern collapse would be done while the shaft is full of water. You would then use magma to cast obsidian and dig stairs through it one layer at a time. Remove the obsidian stones before channelling the stairs, as they will not melt in the magma.

v0.34:Underworld

2012-05-02T03:52:24Z

GoldenShadow: /* Reaching Hell */

{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{spoiler}}

==Reaching Hell==
Upon digging sufficiently deep (usually z-level ~160, but it can vary wildly) you will find huge magma lakes. These are surrounded by semi molten rock, which can not be cleared by digging but seems otherwise stable. Eventually, you will reach a layer which contains nothing but molten rock and little to no possibilities to pass. You can reach the critical layer by digging through solid rock which gets rarer the deeper you dig. There are three ways through the impassible layer:

'''Digging through an adamantine vein:''' [[raw adamantine|Adamantine]] veins are shaped like vertical tubes and breach through any layer of semi-molten rock, right down into Hell. The lower layers of the vein are often hollow and act as a tube, leading straight to your doom. Breaching into the hollow centre of a vein has the same effect as breaching into Hell, so beware. You could easily dig around the hollow core provided you knew where it was, but every vein's hollow centre is located a different height - the risk is all part of the [[fun]].
Note that adamantine veins always seem to end in mid air, so once you breached the final layer you face a horde of demons which hovers directly below your feet.

'''Entering a demonic fortress:''' These fortresses are found once per map tile, as frequent as the old [[40d:Eerie glowing pit|eerie glowing pits]]. They also go right through to Hell, however they are defended by undead creatures and demons on the lower levels. [[Demonic fortress|See the full page for more details]].

'''Tunnelling through semi molten rock:''' A new method has been discovered that allows your dwarfs to engineer a convoluted system involving controlled cavern collapsing and exploiting the odd behavior of a [[semi-molten rock|magma flow]] tile. Not only does it allow access to Hell, you can further exploit the Magma Flow tile to dig through Eerie Pits, duplicate any type of stone (including raw adamantine) and [[Slade|mine slade]]. The whole thing is documented and explained in this [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 Forum Thread].

==Hell itself==

[[File:eerie_cavern.png]]

You will receive the above announcement upon piercing Hell . One frame later, you will get a second announcement ("Horrifying screams come from the darkness below!") and a massive amount of [[demon]]s will be spawned - the amount is variable but can fill many pages on the unit screen, so you'd do well to prepare for the worst. It is yet unclear whether the amount of demons is finite; in information exported from the legends screen, the population of demonic species is listed as "unnumbered," a descriptor usually reserved for ants, worms, and other omnipresent vermin.

Demonic invasion doesn't necessarily happen when there are several adamantine pillars present on the map. The demons spawn under only one of those pillars. If the breached pillar is not the pillar where the demons spawn, the demons will be content to float around in hell, as opposed to causing oodles of [[Fun]].

Hell takes the shape of a large open cavern, seemingly infinitely wide and generally varying between 1 and 4z high, made of [[slade]]. Its rough floor slopes up and down, making it possible to walk around and explore should you get an adventurer down there. Far below that are glowing cracks that shine purple light up into the main cavern of Hell.

v0.34:Slade

2012-05-02T03:46:31Z

GoldenShadow: /* Mining Slade */

{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{Buggy}}
{{Spoiler}}

{{stonelookup/0|wiki=no}}

'''Slade''' is the stone that makes up the surrounding layers of [[Hell|eerie cavern]]s. After dwarves dig deep enough down into [[adamantine]] veins, large, demonic caverns made of slade will open up and spew forth demons. [[Demonic fortress|Curious structure]]s are also made entirely of slade.

Slade is '''very''', '''''very''''' heavy - according to the density specified in the raws (200 grams per cubic centimeter), a single half-meter diameter boulder weighs around '''14 metric tons'''; by comparison, an equivalent volume of freshly mined [[native platinum|platinum nuggets]] weighs around only 1.5 metric tons (but can somehow still be picked up by a dwarf) - making slade around ''9.348 times as dense as platinum'', and thus the heaviest material in the game.

In Fortress Mode, it is not possible to mine through revealed slade walls, however, if it is unrevealed, a miner can dig up into it from below by designating an up/down stair and standing on an appropriate up stair. Normally, there is no way to get underneath slade to do this. However, a [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 method] has been discovered (see below) to allow tunnelling through an eerie pit by exploiting collapsed magma flows and getting under the slade cavern floor of Hell. It appears to be like any other stone when mined. Due to the extreme weight, dwarves hauling it move very slowly.

It is possible to use weapons made out of this extremely dense material in Arena mode - tests show that weapons and armor made out of this superdense rock are at least comparable to if not stronger than even adamantine.

It may be interesting to note that our friends at Wikipedia also believe [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slade] Slade to be a hard rock and a heavy metal.

== Mining Slade ==

'''How to mine Slade:'''

[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 Original Thread]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urM19dQrsJ4 Video Demonstration Part 1]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcalni8h8Ak Video Demonstration Part 2]

Step 1. Find a location with accessible unrevealed SMR above Hell and an Eerie pit tile adjacent to a slade cavern floor. You'll want the magma flow tile directly above it. You'll need enough room to engineer a cavern collapse to drop a floor down and land it in the Eerie Pit tile.

Step 2. Prepare the drop site in Hell. Construct a normal floor over the Eerie pit tile. The Magma Flow tile will land here.

Step 3. Prepare the drop shaft in the SMR. Unlike the long difficult method of [[semi-molten rock|tunnelling]] through SMR, once you are in the underworld, you can construct scaffolding up to the unrevealed ceiling and dig staircases from bottom to top through Semi Molten Rock with no problems. Don't mine through the magma flow tile. You need it for the next steps. Channel out the stairs from top to bottom to to leave an open shaft with nothing in it. Remove all scaffolding in the way between the Magma flow tile on top and the constructed floor over the [[Hell|Eerie Glowing Pit]].

Step 4. Prepare a Cave-in above the Magma flow tile. Build a support directly on the Magma Flow tile and construct a floor on top of it. Then make sure its disconnected and supported only from underneath. Link the support pillar to a lever.

Step 5. Prepare the mining area. This is the most important step. You'll only be able to mine slade and duplicate stone in area that have constructed floors. You need to build constructed floors over the slade cavern floor over the entire area you plan to mine slade from. Floor over the entire area before you continue. It may not be possible to convert anymore unrevealed tiles after you begin. Use High value materials like iron ore or raw adamantine to pave the floors with. They will be duplicated and can be mined out for profit.

Step 6. Pull the lever to trigger the cave-in. the Magma Flow tile will fall down and crash through the constructed floor above the Eerie pit. This will punch an 'open space' hole in the Eerie Pit.

Step 7. Get a miner in there. Do whatever you can to get a miner to drop into that open space. I have him stand on a constructed staircase and remove it while standing on top. He will fall one Z-level and be stuck below.

Step 8. Use the stuck miner to build a constructed floor on an adjacent Eerie pit tile. This gives him a place to stand.

Step 9. Make him build an upstair on the magma flow tile then remove it. the magma flow tile will be gone and replaced with a normal stone or soil cavern floor

Step 10. Make him channel straight down from where that magma flow was. Go as deep as you want, the bottom Z level of the map should be very close though. Start to mine out the area. You'll find you can only mine out as far as you've built the constructed floors from Step 5..

Step 11. Mine or build upstairs every other tile. Extend those stairs upward to just under the floor above. The upper Z-level, just under the cavern floor will not be changed into natural stone. It will remain slade and can be mined from below.

==Bugs==
* Although slade is not intended to be diggable, it can be channeled through floors from above, leaving the wall underneath it.{{bug|708}}
{{gamedata}}
{{stones}}

v0.34:Slade

2012-05-02T03:42:34Z

GoldenShadow:

{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{Buggy}}
{{Spoiler}}

{{stonelookup/0|wiki=no}}

'''Slade''' is the stone that makes up the surrounding layers of [[Hell|eerie cavern]]s. After dwarves dig deep enough down into [[adamantine]] veins, large, demonic caverns made of slade will open up and spew forth demons. [[Demonic fortress|Curious structure]]s are also made entirely of slade.

Slade is '''very''', '''''very''''' heavy - according to the density specified in the raws (200 grams per cubic centimeter), a single half-meter diameter boulder weighs around '''14 metric tons'''; by comparison, an equivalent volume of freshly mined [[native platinum|platinum nuggets]] weighs around only 1.5 metric tons (but can somehow still be picked up by a dwarf) - making slade around ''9.348 times as dense as platinum'', and thus the heaviest material in the game.

In Fortress Mode, it is not possible to mine through revealed slade walls, however, if it is unrevealed, a miner can dig up into it from below by designating an up/down stair and standing on an appropriate up stair. Normally, there is no way to get underneath slade to do this. However, a [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 method] has been discovered (see below) to allow tunnelling through an eerie pit by exploiting collapsed magma flows and getting under the slade cavern floor of Hell. It appears to be like any other stone when mined. Due to the extreme weight, dwarves hauling it move very slowly.

It is possible to use weapons made out of this extremely dense material in Arena mode - tests show that weapons and armor made out of this superdense rock are at least comparable to if not stronger than even adamantine.

It may be interesting to note that our friends at Wikipedia also believe [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slade] Slade to be a hard rock and a heavy metal.

== Mining Slade ==

'''How to mine Slade:'''

[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 Original Thread]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urM19dQrsJ4 Video Demonstration Part 1]

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcalni8h8Ak Video Demonstration Part 2]

Step 1. Find a location with accessible unrevealed SMR above Hell and an Eerie pit tile adjacent to a slade cavern floor. You'll want the magma flow tile directly above it. You'll need enough room to engineer a cavern collapse to drop a floor down and land it in the Eerie Pit tile.

Step 2. Prepare the drop site in Hell. Construct a normal floor over the Eerie pit tile. The Magma Flow tile will land here.

Step 3. Prepare the drop shaft in the SMR. Unlike the long difficult method of [[semi-molten rock|tunnelling]] through SMR, once you are in the underworld, you can construct scaffolding up to the unrevealed ceiling and dig staircases from bottom to top through Semi Molten Rock with no problems. Don't mine through the magma flow tile. You need it for the next steps. Channel out the stairs from top to bottom to to leave an open shaft with nothing in it. Remove all scaffolding in the way between the Magma flow tile on top and the constructed floor over the [[Hell|Eerie Glowing Pit]].

Step 4. Prepare a Cave-in above the Magma flow tile. Build a support directly on the Magma Flow tile and construct a floor on top of it. Then make sure its disconnected and supported only from underneath. Link the support pillar to a lever.

Step 5. Prepare the mining area. This is the most important step. You'll only be able to mine slade and duplicate stone in area that have constructed floors. You need to build constructed floors over the slade cavern floor over the entire area you plan to mine slade from. Floor over the entire area before you continue. It may not be possible to convert anymore unrevealed tiles after you begin. Use High value materials like iron ore or raw adamantine to pave the floors with. They will be duplicated and can be mined out for profit.

Step 6. Pull the lever to trigger the cave-in. the Magma Flow tile will fall down and crash through the constructed floor above the Eerie pit. This will punch an 'open space' hole in the Eerie Pit.

Step 7. Get a miner in there. Do whatever you can to get a miner to drop into that open space. I have him stand on a constructed staircase and remove it while standing on top. He will fall one Z-level and be stuck below.

Step 8. Use the Stuck miner to build a constructed floor on an adjacent Eerie pit tile. This gives him a place to stand.

Step 9. Make him build an upstair on the Magma flow tile then remove it. the Magma Flow tile will be gone and replaced with a normal stone or soil cavern floor

Step 10. Make him channel straight down from where that Magma Flow was. Go as deep as you want, the bottom Z level of the map should be very close though. Start to mine out the area You'll find you can only mine out as far as you've built the constructed floors from Step 5..

Step 11. Mine or build upstairs every other tile. Extend those upstairs to just under the floor above. The upper Z-level, just under the floor will not be changed into natural stone. It will remain slade and can be mined from below.

==Bugs==
* Although slade is not intended to be diggable, it can be channeled through floors from above, leaving the wall underneath it.{{bug|708}}
{{gamedata}}
{{stones}}

v0.34:Semi-molten rock

2012-05-02T03:10:12Z

GoldenShadow: Added SMR tunnelling instructions

{{quality|Fine|18:18, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

{{Minorspoiler}}

'''Semi-Molten Rock''' (SMR), represented by the tile {{Tile|░|4:0:1}}, is generally found at the bottommost edges of [[Magma sea|Great magma seas]]. Anywhere that [[magma]] is found rests on layer after layer of semi-molten rock, with no normal material to be found beneath it. There is also a layer near the bottom of the map composed almost entirely of semi-molten rock even where magma does not overlie it. Freestanding formations are possible, though less common. Though its name suggests the rock is hot, it is not dangerous to nearby dwarves. SMR acts as a barrier, and cannot be mined through, nor smoothed. Unlike magma, SMR does not react with water, producing no steam or obsidian.

The floor under a magma reservoir, above the semi-molten rock, is described as a '''magma flow''', appearing in blue text when examined, and appearing as a dark red fluid indistinguishable from blood or magma as seen from open space above. The floor of the layer above the SMR at the bottom of the map is ''not'' a magma flow when stone is dug into, but appears as the same type of rock as the tile dug into. However, if a channel is dug down into the SMR from this tile, a magma flow floor is revealed; ''under'' this intact floor a ramp will appear, if and only if the tile of SMR was previously unrevealed. Otherwise it will be unchanged. (As a result no two of these ramps can adjoin) A magma flow also cannot be dug into, nor smoothed. However, [[construction]]s can be built on top of it, and these convert the magma flow into some other kind of stone or soil, which is sometimes useful [[sand]] or [[clay]], appearing when the construction is removed. Curiously, water dumped onto a magma flow with magma on top of it will '''not''' turn it into obsidian; rather the magma is simply removed. At the bottom of a magma reservoir with only small amounts of water falling in, such a tile can change from 7/7 to 0/7 and back in a few single step increments with the "." key. A construction (such as a stairway up) can be designated atop the magma flow when it is momentarily is free of magma due to water falling from above. Strangest of all, once designated, a dwarf can build this construction unhindered, without any job cancellations. Once the construction is present, magma and water can react in the square, destroying the construction and converting the square into unmined obsidian.

These odd exceptions to the normal rules means that dwarves on a level partially filled with water can (with much effort) completely wall off the region surrounding some [[adamantine|special point of interest]], eventually removing ''all'' the magma from a large area despite the failure of the usual magma-water interaction.

'''Behavior:'''

If the stone floor which replaces a magma ramp under a built and removed construction is channeled into a second time, the ramp below becomes visible from above. Unfortunately, for some reason dwarves still cannot descend into this square with the ramp, nor can they ascend out of it should they find themselves somehow there. A dwarf dumped into the space, say, by a remote controlled hatch "accident", cannot construct anything because the adjacent squares remain semi-molten rock, and won't turn to ramps if channelled from above. Therefore an up/down stairway ''cannot'' be constructed in this space, even if it is beneath another up/down stairway. ''(Perhaps with some magma and water you might dig one out...)'' A dwarf in this space also refuses to remove the ramp or to dig in any other way... except to channel downward, which can reach [[hidden fun stuff]] by a non canonical route. Suffice it to say that the denizens of the space below seem to have trouble believing that dwarves could make it through semi-molten rock.

'''Tunnelling through multiple layers of solid SMR:'''

[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 Original Thread]

1. Dig a channel over the unrevealed SMR. This will reveal the layer underneath with an unusable upward ramp and create a magma flow floor tile where the channel designation was.

2. Collapse a regular constructed floor into the shaft to flatten the shaft to the bottom. This moves the magma flow tile down one level where the unusuable ramp was. Use a magma NON-safe stone or wood for this step.

3. Pour a small amount of magma into the shaft. Just use enough to fill the bottom Z-layer with magma, If too much goes in, you'll just have to perform a few extra steps of turning it into obsidian one layer at a time and mining it out with up/down stairs. Remember to move the obsidian stones out of the shaft before proceeding with step 5. The magma is used to melt and destroy all items present.
Don't proceed with step 4 until all items at the bottom have melted and dispersed. The only thing on the tile when you loo(k) should be Magma flow and Magma 7/7. Any molten magma globs (differs from Magma Liquid) will suspend constructions for the next step.

4. Use a pond designation to pour a single bucket of water to remove the 7/7 magma at the bottom. Since it is on a magma flow tile, it doesn't create obsidian. If it did, This whole process would be much faster.

5. The bottom of the shaft should be clear of all items, with no magma or water water should be in there. construct a staircase down if you don't already have mined obsidian stairs one layer at a time. At the bottom, build a upstair. Then use a miner to remove the staircase from top to bottom. When the bottom upstair construction is removed, the magma flow tile will be temporarily converted into a normal stone/soil floor. This is a suicide mission, choose an expendable dwarf for this task. Make sure he is not carrying anything which won't melt in magma. (No iron or steel picks)

6. Go to Step 1st for the next layer down to channel the floor.

If you get really unlucky and your final floor collapse breaks through and lands in an Eerie pit instead of the slade cavern floor, your fps will be [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCNt8zFnyvM ruined]. Make sure you have a backup save before starting this procedure. What happens is that the Magma Flow tile gets stuck in the middle of the Eerie pit, but unsupported by any walls or floor and will perpetually collapse every single tick. this took my framerate from a stable 43 FPS to 3 FPS

Semi-molten rock is ''not'' synonymous with [[Main:digging designation canceled|warm stone]], although any given tile of SMR may in fact be warm if it adjoins magma. If you're looking for magma and you find SMR rather than warm stone, your best bet is to do some exploratory mining several Z levels up.

In places where there is a single layer of semi-molten rock on the map, it can be safely dug through by designating a ramp in an unrevealed SMR tile one level down and one tile across from an access square.

You can also dig ''up'' into semi-molten rock just fine (by designating an up/down staircase accessible from below). This also works ''only'' if the tile is still unrevealed. But often (but not always) you can't get down there without encountering hidden fun stuff first.

Digging a ramp into unrevealed SMR may open it into an [[Hell|Eerie Glowing Pit]].

v0.34:Slade

2012-05-02T02:45:48Z

GoldenShadow:

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{{stonelookup/0|wiki=no}}

'''Slade''' is the stone that makes up the surrounding layers of [[eerie cavern]]s. After dwarves dig deep enough down into [[adamantine]] veins, large, demonic caverns made of slade will open up and spew forth demons. [[Curious structure]]s are also made entirely of slade.

Slade is '''very''', '''''very''''' heavy - according to the density specified in the raws (200 grams per cubic centimeter), a single half-meter diameter boulder weighs around '''14 metric tons'''; by comparison, an equivalent volume of freshly mined [[native platinum|platinum nuggets]] weighs around only 1.5 metric tons (but can somehow still be picked up by a dwarf) - making slade around ''9.348 times as dense as platinum'', and thus the heaviest material in the game.

In Fortress Mode, it is not possible to mine through revealed slade walls (although a bug allows channeling through floors from above, it does not actually remove the wall underneath it), however, if it is unrevealed, a miner can dig up into it from below by designating an up/down stair and standing on an appropriate up stair. Normally, there is no way to get underneath slade to do this. However, a [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 method] has been discovered to allow tunnelling through an Eerie pit by exploiting collapsed magma flows and get under the slade cavern floor of Hell. It appears to be like any other stone when mined. Due to the extreme weight, dwarfs hauling it move very slowly.

It is possible to use weapons made out of this extremely dense material in Arena mode - tests show that weapons and armor made out of this superdense rock are at least comparable to if not stronger than even Adamantine.

In worlds generated in version 0.31.12 and earlier, slade was incorrectly classified as both a stone and a metal, permitting [[noble]]s which liked slade to mandate the production of slade items, often leading to [[unfortunate accident]]s.

It may be interesting to note that our friends at Wikipedia also believe [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slade]Slade to be a hard rock and a heavy metal.

{{gamedata}}
{{stones}}

v0.34:Underworld

2012-05-02T02:20:32Z

GoldenShadow: /* Reaching Hell */

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==Reaching Hell==
Upon digging sufficiently deep (usually z-level ~160, but it can vary wildly) you will find huge magma lakes. These are surrounded by semi molten rock, which can not be cleared by digging but seems otherwise stable. Eventually, you will reach a layer which contains nothing but molten rock and little to no possibilities to pass. You can reach the critical layer by digging through solid rock which gets rarer the deeper you dig. There are three ways through the impassible layer:

'''Digging through an adamantine vein:''' [[raw adamantine|Adamantine]] veins are shaped like vertical tubes and breach through any layer of semi-molten rock, right down into Hell. The lower layers of the vein are often hollow and act as a tube, leading straight to your doom. Breaching into the hollow centre of a vein has the same effect as breaching into Hell, so beware. You could easily dig around the hollow core provided you knew where it was, but every vein's hollow centre is located a different height - the risk is all part of the [[fun]].
Note that adamantine veins always seem to end in mid air, so once you breached the final layer you face a horde of demons which hovers directly below your feet.

'''Entering a demonic fortress:''' These fortresses are found once per map tile, as frequent as the old [[40d:Eerie glowing pit|eerie glowing pits]]. They also go right through to Hell, however they are defended by undead creatures and demons on the lower levels. [[Demonic fortress|See the full page for more details]].

'''Tunnelling through semi molten rock:''' A new method has been discovered that allows your dwarfs to engineer a convoluted system involving controlled cavern collapsing and exploiting the odd properties of a Magma Flow tile. Not only does it allow access to Hell, you can further exploit the Magma Flow tile to dig through Eerie Pits, duplicate any type of stone (including raw adamantine) and mine slade. The whole thing is documented and explained in this [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=108189.0 Forum Thread].

==Hell itself==

[[File:eerie_cavern.png]]

You will receive the above announcement upon piercing Hell . One frame later, you will get a second announcement ("Horrifying screams come from the darkness below!") and a massive amount of [[demon]]s will be spawned - the amount is variable but can fill many pages on the unit screen, so you'd do well to prepare for the worst. It is yet unclear whether the amount of demons is finite; in information exported from the legends screen, the population of demonic species is listed as "unnumbered," a descriptor usually reserved for ants, worms, and other omnipresent vermin.

Demonic invasion doesn't necessarily happen when there are several adamantine pillars present on the map. The demons spawn under only one of those pillars. If the breached pillar is not the pillar where the demons spawn, the demons will be content to float around in hell, as opposed to causing oodles of [[Fun]].

Hell takes the shape of a large open cavern, seemingly infinitely wide and generally varying between 1 and 4z high, made of [[slade]]. Its rough floor slopes up and down, making it possible to walk around and explore should you get an adventurer down there. Far below that are glowing cracks that shine purple light up into the main cavern of Hell.