Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

v0.31:Farming

2012-10-31T08:08:26Z

Hrtrey: /* Farm plots in action */

{{quality|Exceptional|19:03, 16 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
[[Image:Df-crops-diagram.png|thumb|200px|General farming flowchart.]]

'''Farming''' is the action of growing [[crops]] for [[food]], [[alcohol]] production and [[cloth]] manufacturing. While small forts can easily be sustained by plant gathering, [[hunting]] and trading, farming is vital to large settlements.

Farming is done at a '''farm plot''' building ({{k|b}}-{{k|p}}, resize with {{k|u}}{{k|m}}{{k|k}}{{k|h}}). It requires [[seeds]] and a worker with the "Farming (Fields)" [[labor]] enabled.

Depending on where the farm plot is constructed, different crops may be planted. Farm plots built [[above ground]] are not suitable for the crops grown on [[subterranean]] farm plots and vice versa. Note that the attributes {{DFtext|Inside|6:0:0}}, {{DFtext|Outside|3:0:1}} are of no relevance. You can grow surface plants indoors by channelling out the roof above the desired plot and then constructing a floor ({{k|b}}-{{k|C}}-{{k|f}}) over the open space. Doing this changes the tile from {{DFtext|Dark|0:0:1}} to {{DFtext|Light|6:0:1}}, despite there being a roof (you do not need to make the roof out of glass for this to work).

See the article on [[crop]]s for details on the conditions needed to grow the available plants.

== Introduction to Farming ==

After building a farm plot building ({{k|b}}-{{k|p}}, resize with {{k|u}}{{k|m}}{{k|k}}{{k|h}}) on [[soil]] or [[irrigation|muddy]] rock, you must select which crops to plant there.

Press {{k|q}} and move the cursor over the farm, you will see a list of crops you can select to grow in the current season. You can change which season is displayed by pressing {{k|a}},{{k|b}},{{k|c}}, or {{k|d}}. Move the blue selector up and down with {{k|-}} and {{k|+}}, and press {{k|Enter}} to choose a crop to plant during that season (highlighted in white).

You must have the appropriate [[seed]]s to plant a crop there. To easily see how many of each seeds you have you can go to the Kitchen menu ({{k|z}} {{k|right}} {{k|Enter}}). [[Plump helmet]]s are a good beginning crop for a first cave farm, and [[wild strawberries]] are a good choice for outdoor fields. Check the [[crop]]s page for details on different seeds. Only some plants are edible so make sure the seeds you're using will produce food. It's often a good idea to pick a seed which produces a plant which can be [[brew]]ed. This will create [[alcohol]] and also give you a seed to plant again next season.

Instructing a plot to remain fallow {{k|z}} during a particular season will instruct dwarves not to plant in that plot during that season.

=== Fertilization ===
<Table BORDER=1 align="right"><tr><td align="center">Farm Size</td><td>Potash</td><td>Per Square</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">1.000</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">0.500</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">1</td><td align="center">0.333</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">4</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">0.500</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">5</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">0.400</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">6</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">0.333</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">7</td><td align="center">2</td><td align="center">0.286</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">8</td><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">0.375</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">11</td><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">0.272</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">15</td><td align="center">4</td><td align="center">0.266</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">19</td><td align="center">5</td><td align="center">0.263</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">23</td><td align="center">6</td><td align="center">0.260</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">27</td><td align="center">7</td><td align="center">0.259</td></tr></table>

Pressing {{k|f}} lets you toggle fertilization on or off. To fertilize a farm plot, one needs [[potash]], which is produced by processing [[ash]]. It greatly increases the yield of a plot (approx. multiplied by four). However fertilization only lasts for one season, and requires plot size / 4 (round down) + 1 of [[potash]] for saturation. Therefore fully fertilizing a farm would require burning a large amount of trees each season. The table on the right illustrates the effect of the formula on potash needed per square. Generally, larger farms use less, approaching a limit of 1/4 bar per square. The worst sizes are multiples of 4, it's better to have plots one or two less than a multiple of 4. While costly, fertilization enhances productivity of not only farmers, but many industries down the line, e.g. brewing, cooking, milling and threshing, due to the large increase in stack size of the plants, which are still processed in a single action. Fertilizing grants 30 XP of farming experience for each unit of potash used.

=== Subterranean Farming ===

To grow the six "dwarven" plants, including the [[plump helmet]], you will need an underground farm plot. The seeds and spawn available to your dwarves at embark will only grow underground. Underground farm plots must be placed on soil or [[mud]]dy stone.{{version|0.31.19}}

Muddying a stone floor requires temporarily covering it with water: common methods include a bucket brigade or '''controlled''' flooding (see: [[Irrigation]]) by temporarily diverting a river or pool, using a floodgate or door to stop the flow. You may also find a muddied area in a [[cavern]], but note that each tile underneath the farm plot must be muddied. Most caverns have entire open areas which will be permanently covered in mud, but if you dig into the walls of a cavern or chisel away a pillar, the freshly cut floor area will not be muddied until you get it wet. Underground caverns are dirty, and frequently contain [[Mud|piles of mud]] that are perfect for quickly setting up farms. However, given the wide variety of creatures found in caverns, you may want to take precautions. Consider keeping a [[squad]] close at hand to guard the farm, or walling off a muddied area for your dwarves' exclusive use.

Underground farming is not restricted to soil layers and caverns: underground floor of any material -- rough stone, smoothed stone, ore, gem -- can support subterranean farm plots once there is a layer of mud covering it. See [[irrigation]] for tips on getting the right amount of water to the farm plots.

=== Above Ground Farming ===
*Above ground crops farming is impossible in [[Ocean]] and [[Mountain]] biomes, even if the farm is built on mud.

Above ground farming is basically the same as underground farming, with the simplifying distinction that above ground plots typically do not require preparatory work. However, there are some complications.

The first complication is that seeds cannot be chosen at embark, as dwarven civilizations do not have access to those sort of plants. They can be bought from [[Elves|elven]] and [[human]] caravans; above-ground plants can be gathered using the [[Plant gathering]] designation, and then [[brewer|brewed]], [[mill]]ed, [[thresher|threshed]] or [[dining hall|eaten]] directly (depending on the plant) to produce seeds.

The second complication is that the farming must be done on [[soil]] or muddied rock, being [[above ground]]. Typically, it is done on the surface, which is dangerous (due to aggressive animals, ambushes and sieges). However, any land which has ever been exposed to sunlight becomes permanently marked as "above ground". So, if you have multiple Z-layers of soil, you can channel some above-ground land, remove the resulting ramps, then construct a floor above, where the surface once was. The (now inside and protected) lower soil will still be suitable for farming outdoor plants like [[wild strawberry|wild strawberries]], [[longland grass]], [[rope reed]], and anything else you may find. If your soil is not thick enough, you may still get a secure above ground farm by doing the same with any rock and muddying it. Alternatively, you may build a greenhouse around some soil.

Above ground farms built on unmuddied rock layers will show the message "No seeds available for this location", and you ''will not'' be able to plant anything in them.

Some crops require a particular temperature range to grow; so although it may be possible to plant them in any season, to obtain optimal usage of farm plots it may be necessary to coordinate planting with seasonal temperature variations.

== Farm plots in action ==

Once a farm plot has been built and crops have been selected for the current season, dwarves with the labor enabled will begin planting the selected seed. Farmers will not start planting if the tile they would start on is not muddy, even if all other tiles in the plot are.The higher a Dwarf's grower skill in planting, the more plants will be harvested from each seed planted. The farming labor is fairly low in priority, so if you want a full time farmer, it is best to disable all other labors.

Plants take time to grow, depending on their type. Once a plant is fully grown, a dwarf will harvest it. By default, any dwarf will do this. Harvesting plants is not affected by any skill, although it provides a small amount of grower experience. So it's a good idea to set only your planters to harvest, not anyone. To do that, set option "Only Farmers Harvest".

Plants that remain in the field for too long will wither. These [http://www.saleshermes.com/Hermes-Scarf-replica-c43.html Hermes Scarf Replica]will eventually rot away. There's no use for withered plants.
Also any plants that are still growing when their growing seasons end will be removed. As in DF 2010 farmers will plant up until the last day of the growing season, it might be a good idea to disable the last season of each crop so that seeds are not lost.

Depending on the number of growers and their experience and the rate at which the plant grows, not all squares of large plots may be used. {{verify}}

Any farm plot that has both Above Ground and Subterranean tile attributes within the plot will only be partially planted, if at all. Verify using {{k|k}} over each square of the plot and remake as needed to follow the proper attributes.

== Management ==

Create a custom [[stockpile]] near your [[farm]] which will only accept [[seed]]s. This will consolidate your seeds into one place, instead of having them littered all through the [[dining room]]. As a single barrel can hold up to 10 seed [[bag]]s (each of which can hold 100 seeds of a specific type), this stockpile can be only three or four tiles. Alternately, you can make a more traditional sized custom stockpile, which only accepts seeds and bars of [[potash]] for fertilizing. It may also be a good idea to set aside a few seeds from each type of crop and [[forbid]] them, as a seed bank in case of catastrophe.

You can also create a custom stockpile that will only accept [[plant]]s, to avoid having it all mixed up with your [[meat]] and [[drink]]s. It would be a good idea to have this stockpile near your [[still]], [[farmer's workshop]], [[kitchen]], etc. If you suffer from plump helmet overflow, create a plump-helmet-only stockpile, forbid plump helmets from all other food stockpiles, and let the crops in the field die if they can't be picked. It is worth noting that withering crops in the field do not produce miasma.

Use the [[stocks]] menu, and go to the Kitchen tab. From here you can see how many of each kind of food you have. If you're running out of a certain kind of seed, toggle the corresponding plant "Cook" setting to red. [[Cooking]] plants doesn't leave a seed. If you have too many of a certain kind of seed, toggle the seed "Cook" setting to blue. Just make sure you check on the stocks and toggle it back before you run out, or use the seed bank idea above.

{{Farming FAQ}}

== See also ==
* [[Irrigation]]
* [[Tile attributes]]
* [[Crops]]

{{Category|Buildings}}

v0.31:Design strategies

2012-10-31T08:03:25Z

Hrtrey:

{{quality|Exceptional|02:53, 3 May 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

There are many factors to consider when designing your fort.
* '''Security:''' Every fort needs some basic security measures. Otherwise you won't survive the first [[elephant]] attack, much less a full-blown [[Siege|goblin siege]].
* '''Productivity:''' Proper rves spend walking.
* '''Aesthetics:''' Hey - everybody wants a fortress that looks good.

In addition to the considerations above, it's also important to remember that long-term design strategies can easily be disrupted by the discovery of underground terrain features. Don't plan ''too'' far ahead, as you might need to adapt to unforeseen obstacles.

Also, there are several [http://www.saleshermes.com/Hermes-Scarf-replica-c43.html Hermes Scarf Replica].

==Security==
Everyone will have their own preferences regarding fortress defense and how to deal with undead, wildlife, hostiles and goblin invaders. Regardless of specifics, it's important to have a plan for dealing with the several different types of inevitable attacks. A few security tips are given below.

===Lockdown===
Have a way to lock down your fortress. In the event of an attack by hostiles you can't handle, you need a way to lock them out. This can buy you some time while your dwarves prepare their defenses.

For small forts, this could be as simple as placing [[door]]s at all the entrances to your fort. Doors can be locked instantly in an emergency. Don't rely on doors alone for security, though, as you'll eventually encounter enemies that can break down doors and pick locks.

For more security, place [[Bridge|drawbridges]] at all the entrances. You don't need a moat, the bridge itself is sufficient since it functions as a wall when closed. Just be sure to connect it to a [[lever]] that your dwarves can access quickly ''and safely'' in an emergency. Unfortunately, even drawbridges can be rendered inoperable in rare circumstances...

Finally, don't forget about attackers from above and below! Flying attackers might use skylights to bypass your doors and drawbridges.

===Scouts===
Ambushes and thieves can sneak up on your fortress. A party of goblin archers might sneak past your main gate before being spotted, or a kobold could make off with your masterpiece crafts when nobody is looking. The way to avoid these unfortunate events is to use scouts / lookouts.

For small forts, effective scouting could be as simple as [[Restraint|tying]] a [[Dog|war dog]] (or even a donkey) up near the entrance of your fort. In the event of an ambush the animal will spot the attackers (shortly before dying). If your scouts are far enough from your main gate then you ought to have enough warning to lock down the fort, activate the militia, etc...

When designing your fort, just give some thought to the placement of scouts and be sure to leave room for them.

===Caravan security===
Is your trade depot going to be inside or outside your main line of defenses? This is another factor to consider when designing your fort. Although you don't have to protect the traders, their [[civilization]]s might hold your fortress responsible for any casualties.

===Traps===
[[Trap]]s are a great way to protect your fort from small groups of attackers. When designing your fort, think about where you want to place traps. Choke points at major entrances (including entrances to the [[caverns]]) make good trap locations. Also, be warned that some enemies are immune to traps...

===Staging area===
Many players like to design their forts with a militia staging area at the main entrance. Usually this includes placing [[fortification]]s (possibly in archer towers), ammunition stockpiles, and cover for your melee dwarves to protect them from approaching archers.

Some players also like to place a [[Barracks|training barracks]] near the entrance to the fort so that the militia can quickly respond to attackers.

==Productivity==

Proper placement of [[stockpile]]s is the key to productivity. Almost every workshop job needs raw materials. Is your [[still]] near some empty barrels and plants? Does your mason have easy access to stone? A smelter must have quick access to both ore and fuel.

As a general rule of thumb, each workshop should have at least a 3x3 stockpile area associated with it. Some workshops will need more if multiple raw ingredients are needed. An efficient arrangement is to place output stockpiles directly above or below your workshops and connect them with stairs. If you can spare the space, you can carve out a 5x5 room and place the 3x3 workshop in the center, leaving 16 surrounding tiles for input storage.

When utilizing a large storage stockpile, for food or wood for example, the optimal approach is to place a small stockpile next to the workshop and have the small stockpile "take" from the large stockpile.

==Efficiency==
There are a few things to consider for basic fortress efficiency:
* Major hallways should be at least two tiles wide, maybe even three tiles. Otherwise your dwarves will be constantly running into each other and productivity will be slowed.
* To reduce the amount of time that your dwarves spend walking, common areas should be placed near the center of your fort. Dwarves drink frequently. They also like to throw parties. It's a good idea to store your booze in a centralized location, and to designate a [[meeting hall]] in a similarly centralized place.
* An efficient fortress must make good use of all three dimensions. A dwarf climbs or descends one [[z-level]] in the same time it takes to move one step horizontally, so, for example, when you need to build more bedrooms, it can be a lot more efficient to dig down one level than to place the new rooms 20 tiles farther from the center of your fortress.
* Moving one step diagonally takes about 1.4 times longer than moving one step orthogonally. This matches the real world, where Pythagoras tells us that it should take about √2 (1.414) times longer. You can optimize floor plans for pathfinding by adopting more circular shapes into your design.
* With the new [[burrow]] functionality, it is possible to segregate some dwarves to being permanently in their area, so that they never try to take a task half-way across the map, or haul items a long distance through high-volume corridors. For example, your garbagedwarves can be told to use only service halls, defined by burrows that cover all but the main hallways, and they will then use those back halls to take trash to the dump. Make sure you understand burrows before attempting this - if there is no source of food or drink in the burrows a dwarf is restricted to, they will die!

==Aesthetics==
Aesthetics are completely subjective, of course, but it's still something you may want to consider when designing your fort.
* Use symmetry when possible.
* Conform to either mostly organic shapes or mostly inorganic shapes. A mixture probably won't look very good.
* Prefer digging in stone rather than [[soil]]. Although digging in stone is slower and messier, stone can eventually be smoothed and engraved. Soil, on the other hand, is ugly and much less dwarfy.
* Use stockpile settings to consistently build your furniture from a single type of stone. Bedrooms tend to look nicer when the furniture is uniform.
* ...unless you like lots of color and variety, in which case use the stockpile and workshop settings to make sure your dwarves use lots of different materials.

== Further Reading ==
For an in-depth examination of topics relating to fortress layout, these pages focus on specific aspects, mostly with an eye to improving survivability. Some of these are not directly related to architecture but are useful nonetheless.
* [[Defense guide]]
* [[Security design]]
* [[Trap design]]
* [[Military design]]
* [[Stockpile Design]]
* [[Workshop design]]
* [[Bedroom design]]

{{Category|Design}}
{{Category|Guides}}