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Stockpile

2014-11-05T05:26:52Z

Khym Chanur: /* Bugs */ Removed fixed bug

{{Quality|Exceptional|20:29, 24 July 2014 (UTC)}}
{{Migrated_article}}
{{av}}

:''For information on "quantum stockpiles", see [[DF2012:Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|Exploit]].''

'''Stockpiles''' are where [[dwarf|dwarves]] store items of various types, usually in a safer, closer or more convenient place for the consumers. Dwarves with the corresponding "[[hauling]]" job on will seek out items that aren't already on a stockpile that accepts them and carry them to an appropriate stockpile, if available. It's important to place your stockpiles carefully to minimize the amount of time spent carrying items to and fro. Items in a stockpile may be stored in [[container]]s such as [[bag|bags]], [[barrel|barrels]] or [[bin|bins]] (see [[Using bins and barrels]]). Seed bags, flour bags, and dye bags can go inside barrels. Empty bags, however, cannot be stacked.

== Allocating stockpiles ==

To allocate an area as a stockpile, use the {{key|p}} menu. The right-hand menu pane will list all the stockpile categories, and the appropriate key to press to begin allocating that type. Allocating an area works exactly the same as designating an area. Press {{k|Enter}} to specify the first corner of the stockpile, use the primary movement keys to move the cursor to the opposite corner, and press {{k|Enter}} again. (Alternatively, it is possible to use the mouse at this stage to select individual tiles) This will create a stockpile of the chosen type that occupies the area between the two corners specified. If the chosen area has parts that cannot be made into a stockpile, like a [[wall]], a [[workshop]], or an already existing stockpile, a stockpile will be created but they will not be part of it.

When creating a stockpile, any movable items (e.g. loose [[stone]], unbuilt [[furniture]], etc.) currently occupying the designated tiles will automatically be considered part of the stockpile, even if the stockpile settings disallow those particular items. These items also mark the tile as "full", so no new items will be stored in that tile until all the original items in the tile are moved. To handle unwanted items, you can specify that the stockpile "gives" to a workshop or stockpile that will accept those items, or use a [[dump]] command to have them carried off to a garbage [[zone]].

Removing a stockpile works exactly the same, but choose {{key|x}}: Remove Designation. This will un-designate the specified area. It is possible to create a single stockpile with a shape other than a rectangle by using the Remove Designation tool to remove only part of the stockpile.

Stockpiles cannot be expanded once created; you must delete the pile and create a new one. [[Utility:DFHack|DFHack]] provides a command to copy an existing stockpile's settings, which can make moving and resizing stockpiles much less tedious.

== Using stockpiles ==

Once a stockpile has been allocated, by default dwarves will automatically move items to the stockpile when they are available, and as long as the stockpile has available space. Note that the dwarves will place the item into the empty spot that is nearest to the item, ''not counting any obstructions''{{verify}}. Additional behavior also includes the fact that dwarves will stockpile the ''newest'' item first, which may not necessarily be the nearest item to the stockpile. You can disable automatic stockpiling by setting the stockpile to "take from links only" using {{k|q}} {{k|a}}. Tiles, within a stockpile, containing only forbidden items are considered available space, and can accumulate another item without exploiting [[Quantum_stockpile#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiling]].

One method to ensure a workshop has raw material on hand is to place a small stockpile next to the workshop. This will speed up production as the crafter in question only has to take a few steps to obtain the material (this also prevents the crafter from dragging material across the entire map when a new job order is issued). Whenever a crafter picks up material from the stockpile, your hauling dwarves will automatically fetch more material to refill the stockpile. This speeds up a queue of jobs, as other dwarves perform the time-consuming distant haul whilst the crafter concentrates on actually making items.

It's not necessary to place stockpiles for all types of objects. If no storage is available for a certain item type, dwarves will seek out items wherever they might lie as mentioned earlier. This can be advantageous — if you don't have a stockpile for [[gem|gems]], your [[jeweler]] will go pick up fresh gems without waiting for them to be carried to a pile first. However, this also means your jeweler has to spend a lot of time fetching the gems. If you have enough haulers available, it's generally more advantageous to designate stockpiles than not. Also remember that your workshops will get [[clutter]]ed and suffer production slowdowns if you let ridiculous numbers of items pile up in them, so it's important to occasionally clear out workshops if they get cluttered. This can be done either by having a stockpile available so that haulers will remove the items, by [[DF2012:Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiling]] the accumulation, or by removing and rebuilding the workshop, which will empty its contents onto the ground.

== Take from a stockpile/workshop ==

Another feature of stockpiles allows you to tell dwarves to transfer items from one stockpile to another. To specify such a flow, use the {{k|q}} menu, and highlight the ''destination'' stockpile. Press {{k|t}}, and, using the cursor, highlight another stockpile and press {{k|Enter}}. Your chosen stockpile will now list the stockpile it will take from. This will cause items in the second stockpile to be hauled to the first stockpile. To stop the first stockpile from taking items from the second, use the {{K|q}} menu on the first one, highlight the unneeded stockpile in the list using {{K|+}} and {{K|-}} and press {{K|d}}'''elete Selected'''.

Each stockpile can take from any number of other stockpiles. You can't make two stockpiles feed into each other, although larger loops (e.g. 3 stockpiles that feed into each other in a circle) are allowed.

Stockpiles may also take from a workshop, using the same interface ({{k|q}}-{{k|t}}, then select a workshop instead of a second stockpile). In this setup, any items produced inside the workshop (visible with {{k|t}}) become eligible to move to the stockpile. Be aware that any items produced in the workshop that ''aren't'' accepted by the linked stockpile will not be moved anywhere at all. They will sit inside the workshop until a linked stockpile accepts them.

Enough micromanagement will allow for effective and (relatively) streamlined supply chains. Here are some examples:

*You can speed up [[wood cutting|lumber harvesting]], [[carpentry]], ''and'' [[ash]] and [[charcoal]] production by putting several wood stockpiles near the various [[Chop_down_trees|tree-felling areas]], then one large "primary" stockpile near the [[carpenter's workshop]] that takes from those small ones, and then finally, a small stockpile near the [[wood furnace]] that takes from the primary one.
*A smallish [[plant]] stockpile near your farms, disallowing barrels, will allow harvesters to spend very little time stockpiling the crops they just picked. A larger stockpile near the [[still]] (this one possibly allowing barrels), taking from the smaller stockpile, lets your general purpose haulers do most of the grunt work of getting plants in place for the brewer. The larger stockpile should be set to "take from links only", so the harvesters do not waste their time.
*A [[clothier's shop]] produces high-quality new [[clothing]]. There is currently no way to stockpile only new clothing, as opposed to [[wear|worn]] clothing, except for the fact that the new clothing is sitting in its workshop. A stockpile can be set to take from the clothier's shop (and to "take from links only"), so that it only gets new clothing produced in that workshop. If another stockpile with "take from anywhere" and no links is created, that one will accept all the worn clothing. It will never take from the linked clothier's shop. This worn-clothing stockpile may be placed near the [[trade depot]], if you plan to sell the used clothing, or near the [[magma|garbage disposal]], if you do not.

== Give to a stockpile/workshop ==
Conversely, the {{k|g}} key allows a pile to give [[item]]s to another pile, or to a workshop. When giving to a stockpile, an equal and opposite "take from stockpile" is created in the other direction (and vice versa). Deleting one of these inter-stockpile links also deletes the other link.

Specifying that a workshop or furnace will only get its materials from a certain stockpile provides a way to make sure everything that workshop produces is of a specific material. For example, setting a granite stockpile to give to a mason's workshop ensures that the workshop will only use granite as its material. This is also extremely important when the workshop's input materials are heavy (e.g. [[stone]]s); linking a nearby stone stockpile to the workshop prevents the mason from hauling an enormous rock from hundreds of tiles away.

This option is quite powerful, but should be used '''very''' carefully as the linked workshop will now ''only'' take from the stockpiles set to give to that workshop. Make sure that the workshop gets ''all'' of the materials needed for its jobs there if you use this feature. For example, if you link your ore stockpile to a non-magma [[smelter]], but don't also link a stockpile that includes a [[fuel]] source, then your dwarves will be unable to smelt your ores at that smelter due to a lack of fuel. If you set a fuel stockpile to give that smelter, it will still be unable to [[melt]] down items marked for melting, because it only takes from the ore and fuel stockpiles. Another common mistake is setting a plant stockpile to give to a [[still]], but forgetting to also link a [[furniture]] stockpile to the still so that it has access to [[barrel]]s.

==Max bin/barrel ==
The ''max bin'' and ''max barrel'' settings control the number of barrels and bins that are used for organisation of items inside the stockpile. It can be useful to disallow bins and barrels from some stockpiles, for example stockpiles used to store seeds or for [[Exploit#Quantum stockpiles|quantum stockpiles]], by reducing this setting to 0.

Increasing these numbers is not usually needed - they are set to the number of tiles in the stockpile when it is created, which is the maximum number of bins or barrels the stockpile can hold anyway. Which of bins or barrels is turned on is determined by the item type selected when the stockpile is designated - food stockpiles allow barrels, for example, and bar stockpiles allow bins. However, these settings are not updated if the types of items allowed in the stockpile are changed. If you change the types of items allowed in the stockpile, it may also be useful to change the number of bins and barrels that are allowed in it to allow your dwarves to store those items more efficiently.

== Max wheelbarrow ==
Another feature of the stockpile system, ''max wheelbarrow'' allows the player to control the number of [[wheelbarrow]]s assigned to the stockpile. It can be set to 0, 1, 2, or 3.

If set to 0 (which is the default for all stockpiles other than stone stockpiles), the stockpile will generate a separate hauling job for each item that needs to be placed in it -- potentially one job per tile in the stockpile, simultaneously.

If set to non-0, then that number of wheelbarrows will be brought to the stockpile. Once a stockpile has wheelbarrows assigned and moved to it, the number of wheelbarrows will act as a limit on the number of simultaneous hauling jobs for moving items to that stockpile. Each hauling job will be performed using a wheelbarrow, rather than by hand.

Unfortunately, wheelbarrows are currently rather buggy, and may actually reduce the efficiency of your stockpiles; see [[Wheelbarrow]] for more information.

[[Minecart]]s can also be used for efficient hauling, although they require a much greater infrastructure investment.

== Will take from anywhere ==
A stockpile that will take from anywhere does not restrict the source of its goods. Stockpiles with "take from links only" enabled will only accept goods from its assigned [[workshop]]s and linked stockpiles. You can use {{k|q}} {{k|a}} to toggle this setting on a stockpile.

Setting your [[seed]] stockpiles to "take from links only" will prevent your haulers from carrying your vital seeds back and forth across the map to pick up each new seed in the [[dining room]]. When your stockpiled seeds run low you can temporarily toggle to "anywhere" to collect the loose seeds in bulk.

== Stockpile categories ==

===[[Ammo]]===
This stockpile contains ammo for all forms of ammunition-requiring weaponry (except [[siege engine]]s). It can use [[bin]]s to consolidate stacks, but, due to a bug, marksdwarves may refuse to use ammo stored in bins.{{bug|2706}}

===[[Animal]]===
[[Creature|Animals]] stored in [[cage|cages]] that are not affixed to a location will be stored in these stockpiles. [[Animal trap|Traps]] used for capturing wild animals and empty [[cage|cages]] are also stored here.

This type of stockpile cannot use bins or barrels.

===[[Armor]]===
Armor of all types is stored here. There is no preference for specific body parts, but usable/unusable armor may be specified. All types of armor can be stored in [[bin]]s.

===[[Bar]]/[[Block]]===
Bars of smelted [[metal]] and blocks of cut stone and [[glass]] are kept here after being processed by the [[smelter]], [[mason's workshop|mason's workshops]], and [[glass furnace|glass furnaces]], before being used for other purposes. Weirdly, [[ash|ashes]], [[potash]], [[soap]], [[charcoal]], and [[coke]] from the [[wood furnace]], [[ashery]], [[soap maker's workshop]] and smelter will also be stored here. As with all stockpiles, this can be changed to allow for specific blocks and bars to be stored with custom settings. [[Bin]]s can be used to consolidate up to 5 bars/blocks.

===[[Cloth]]===
Woven cloth and [[thread]] are stored here (plant fiber, animal hair, and silk). [[Bin]]s can be used to consolidate items.

===[[Currency|Coins]]===
Minted coins are kept here. Bins can be used to consolidate up to 3000 coins{{verify}}, which is equivalent to six new coins stacks.

===[[Corpse | Corpses]]===
Dead dwarves and [[pet|pets]] that have no burial location will be placed here. If placed indoors, decaying bodies will generate [[miasma]], but [[bone]]s will not be removed at the end of the season. Rotting [[pet]]s or [[friend]]s gives dwarves unhappy [[thought]]s unless they are given a proper burial in a [[Coffin|burial receptacle]].

===[[Finished goods|Finished Goods]]===
Finished goods created by the [[craftsdwarf's workshop]], as well as the [[clothier's shop]] and the [[leather works]], are placed here before being used in trade or other uses. This type of stockpile can use [[bin|bins]] to consolidate up to 25 items{{verify}}.

Since this stockpile can also contain supplies that player might not want to trade away ([[splint]]s, [[crutch]]es, [[rope]]s, [[waterskin]]s...), it is wise to make separate custom stockpiles for these goods.

Note that if refuse is enabled on the stockpile, clothes and armor will incur wear over time.

=== [[Food]] ===
As one would assume based on the name, food is stored here. In addition, a wide variety of inedible plant and animal products are stored here -- [[seed]]s, [[lye]], [[giant desert scorpion]] venom, bags of [[dye]], and [[liquid fire]], to name a few. Raw [[fish]] is brought here before being processed by a [[fishery]] and turned into edible [[meat]]. Drinks are always stored in [[barrel]]s or [[large pot]]s. Seeds are stored in [[bag|bags]] (which may in turn be stored in barrels/pots); other food items can be stored in barrels or pots.

Note that [[prepared meal]]s in stacks larger than about 30{{verify}} (☼Dwarven Beer Roast [200]☼ is possible) will not fit in a barrel, but will still only take up one space. To free up barrels, you may decide to have separate prepared food stockpiles that do not accept barrels. If you cook larger meals, this shouldn't be a problem.

Food will never [[wear|spoil]] while in a stockpile, although it may attract and be eaten by [[vermin]].

Food stockpiles should in most cases be restricted to desired types (e.g. [[seed]] stockpiles or meat stockpiles or unprepared fish stockpiles); there are simply too many things that go in them.

Fat and tallow go in the same list and are listed by animal, meaning that manual separation of fat and tallow takes a ''long'' time. Because fat will only ever enter your fortress at a butcher's shop, it is possible to link a general fat/tallow stockpile to the butchers' and have it take only from links. It may be necessary to link the butchers' to the stockpile you want the other butchery products to end up in.

===[[Furniture]] Storage===
Completed items from the [[carpenter's workshop]], mason's workshop, and [[mechanic's workshop]] will be stored here, along with furniture created from other shops, until placed or used in another building. Bags filled with [[sand]] can also be stored in furniture stockpiles.

Since this is a very broad category, it may be useful to create stockpiles for a specific type of item (like barrels, bags, bins, mechanisms) via the stockpile settings.

Furniture cannot be stored in barrels or bins.

===[[Gem]]===
This stockpile stores gems and raw [[glass]], both cut and uncut, before being used in a construction. It can use [[bin]]s to consolidate gems.

===[[Leather]]===
Leather, which is produced at a [[Tanner's shop]], will be kept here. Like most stockpiles, it can use [[bin]]s to consolidate items.

===[[Refuse]]===
Since dwarves hate rot because of the [[miasma]] it spreads when in an enclosed place like a [[cave]], any garbage item that can rot will be stored in a refuse stockpile. Also, any [[wear|XXdamaged itemsXX]] will be moved to the refuse stockpile. Many players prefer to place this stockpile outside their cavern, usually a small distance from the entrance, as rottable items on tiles that are {{DFtext|Outside |3:1}}{{DFtext|Light |6:1}}{{DFtext|Above Ground|2:1}} do not generate miasma.

If placed on a {{DFtext|Subterranean|0:1}} tile, decaying items will generate miasma, which will spread through your fortress and generate a small unhappy thought in any dwarf passing through it. For this reason it is sensible to build [[door|doors]] (preferably several, separated by a few tiles to create an airlock) to all of your indoor refuse stockpiles. Miasma won't spread through a closed door, so only dwarves with business in the room will be bothered by the rot.

An alternative to this is to dig [[channel|channels]] down from the surface, creating an area of tiles considered to be {{DFtext|Light |6:1}}{{DFtext|Above Ground|2:1}}, yet still located within your fortress. You can place your refuse stockpile here, and although it will be in your fort, rotten items on those tiles will not generate miasma. If you choose to cover them with walls or floors for security and/or aesthetic reasons, it will convert them to {{DFtext|Inside|6:0}}, but they will remain {{DFtext|Light |6:1}}{{DFtext|Above Ground|2:1}} tiles, which again do not generate miasma in rotten items. (For even more creative methods to restrict the spread of foul rotting stench, see the [[miasma]] page.)

[[Bone]]s, [[skull]]s, and [[shell]]s are also stored here, whether they be from defeated enemies or raw food processing. If left in an area with high [[vermin]] levels, these will randomly disappear. Refuse stockpiles can be restricted to store only [[bone]]s, [[skull]]s, [[shell]]s, teeth, and horns/hooves.

Note that a refuse stockpile is not the same as a [[Activity_zone#Garbage_Dump|garbage dump]]. A garbage dump is only for things manually marked to be dumped. Additionally, refuse types specifically marked as '''Dwarves Dump '''''refuse type'' in {{k|o}}-{{k|r}} will be hauled to the garbage dump instead of the refuse stockpile.

Also note that if you allow bins to be used on your refuse pile, damaged clothing will be stored in it, allowing for more efficient use of your pile.

===[[Stone]]===
Rough stone will be stored here, as well as [[ore]]. These stockpiles cannot use bins or barrels, but the use of [[wheelbarrow]]s is strongly advised.

[[Stone management]] is a complex topic; in simplest terms, stones are extremely heavy, so you want to minimize the distance they are [[hauling|hauled]] by hand (e.g. from the stone [[stockpile]] to the [[mason's workshop]] or [[smelter]]) by putting such stockpiles very close to the workshops that they feed.

===[[Weapon|Weapons]]===
Weapons of all types are stored here by default, including picks, trap components, and weapons too large for dwarves to use. [[Bin]]s can be used to consolidate weapons of any type.

===[[Wood]]===
Chopped trees are brought to the wood stockpile before being used by the carpenter's, woodburner's or siege workshop. Because wood takes a long time to haul and tends to travel a long way, the stockpile should be rather close to a fortress entrance (which does not necessarily mean on the upper z-levels - moving down one z-level is only one tile), unless you have an [[Tower-cap|underground tree farm]]. It is a good idea to position this stockpile close to your carpenter's workshop (or the other way round) since he is likely to be the main "customer".

Note that traders consider amount of wood in stockpile to judge whether to bring logs for trade or not and in case of [[elves]], amount of wood you logged.

This type of stockpile cannot use bins or barrels.

=== Custom stockpiles ===

With custom stockpiles you can change which types of materials, goods, etc., can be stored in that pile. Any types of things can be mixed, so you could have a stockpile that will hold raw [[turtle]], [[mechanism|mechanisms]] and all stone types apart from [[onyx]] if you wanted, or only high-quality steel crossbow bolts (Ammo), all quivers (a Finished Good), and metal Crossbows (a Weapon) - the combinations are endless, and can be finely tuned. Highlighting a stockpile with {{key|q}}, then pressing {{key|s}} will allow you to adjust the stockpile settings or in the {{key|p}} menu you can press {{key|t}} to adjust a custom stockpiles settings before placing it with {{key|c}}. Note that many sub-menus consist of several pages ( the 'other' menu of stone e.g. consists of several pages while 'metal [[ore|ores]]' and 'economic' consist of only one ).

Note that any custom stockpile that accepts any type of [[refuse]] will cause automatic [[wear|degradation]] to all [[clothing]] and [[armor]] stored in that stockpile. It is highly advisable to store your [[shell]]s and [[bone]]s in a separate stockpile.

== Stockpile Settings ==
The '''Stockpile Settings''' screen is weird to use. In the first column are the major categories. In the second column there may or may not be subcategories. In the third you will see the individual items. The second and third columns are only visible when a category is enabled and selected.

You navigate this screen with {{key|+}} and {{key|-}}, and left and right on the arrow keys. {{key|e}} and {{key|d}} are used to enable and disable the categories. {{key|a}} and {{key|b}} are used to allow or disallow all the subcategories. {{key|p}} and {{key|f}} will permit or forbid individual subcategories. These six keys work no matter which column you have selected, though the last 4 will not always be available. {{key|Enter}} will toggle individual item types.

Be careful when selecting 'block all' on the subcategories as it can make your stockpiles useless. For example, if you block all the furniture subcategories and then re-enable beds under types, the stockpile won't actually accept anything because it still registers all materials and all quality levels as forbidden. The correct way would be to 'forbid types' and then re-enable beds.

== Notes ==
Some categories will have a special extra type of item(s) that can be toggled with {{key|u}} and sometimes {{key|j}}.

{| border="1" cellpadding="4"
|+
! Categories
! Item type
|-
| Animals
| Empty cages and Empty animal traps
|-
| Food
| Prepared food
|-
| Weapons
| Usable and unusable
|-
| Armor
| Usable and unusable
|}

If you disable an item or items that are already sitting in a stockpile then they become loose items and your dwarves will move them to a more suitable stockpile should one exist.

== Uses for Custom Stockpiles ==

A custom stockpile is most useful for food, furniture, and bar/block stockpiles, to prevent your lye and venom sitting next to the [[kitchen|kitchens]], your [[floodgate|floodgates]] and mechanisms near the [[room|rooms]] that need [[statue|statues]] and doors, your stone blocks next to the forges, and your metal bars by the farms.

When setting up a custom stockpile to hold more than one type of raw material, it is often best to set up multiple custom stockpiles, one for each type. Otherwise your stockpile will invariably fill up with the lesser-used items, rendering your custom stockpile nearly useless.

One use for this is to have an outdoor stockpile next to your gate that will accept all refuse except bones, shells, skins and skulls, and then one or more indoor pile(s) near your craftsdwarf's workshop that will '''only''' accept these things. If you have set the option for dwarves to gather refuse from outside, the bones will be brought in once all the meat has rotted off of any carcasses outside. This means added risk to your dwarves if they try to gather refuse that is far from your gate, and additional hauling.

Another effective use of custom stockpiles is Elven trading. Make a stockpile just for elf-safe trade goods: most categories where it's relevant have a 'materials' option. Note, however, that items with [[wood]]en [[decoration]]s will '''not''' be excluded. Similarly, [[noble]]s who frequently [[mandate]] restricted trading can have their preferred goods stored separately, far away from the [[trade depot]].

A highly efficient method is to have wood burning furnaces feeding into a '[[charcoal]] only' bar/blocks stockpile, which in turn is near the smelting furnaces and forges. Bonus points if you also place a small wood stockpile near the wood furnaces.

Other good uses:
* Planter's stock: [[seed|seeds]] and [[potash]]. If your [[ashery]] is nearby, include ashes and lye.
* Smelter stock: [[ore|ores]], [[flux]] and, unless you're using [[Magma smelter]], [[coal]].
* Sandpile: [[sand]] bags.
* Dyer's stock: a food stockpile that only includes [[dye|dyes]].
* Food Plus: a food stockpile that includes barrels. This spares your dwarves from carrying empty barrels to and from the furniture stores.
* Skins: a refuse stockpile limited to [[skin|skins]], a bit like the bone & shell stockpile above. Place near the tannery.
* Brewer's stock: [[List of crops|brewable plants]].
* Miller's stock: [[List of crops|millable plants]]. (An empty [[bag]] stockpile will also speed up milling.)
* Refreshment stand: Since dwarves drink twice as often as they eat, having several small food stockpiles that only accept [[Alcohol|drinks]] scattered strategically through your fort can minimize [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoko smoko breaks]. The usefulness of this kind of stockpile is often disputed as dwarves go to the fullest barrel first, so if you can't keep your stockpile constantly filled with new full barrels of alcohol your masons might decide to run all the way over to the alcohol stockpile you have setup for your brewers or your metalsmiths. If you can keep each stockpile constantly being filled with fresh supplies of full barrels of alcohol then this can increase productivity greatly. A simple way of doing this is by keeping a brewery near each separate alcohol stockpile, or [[burrow]]ing dwarves so that local stockpile is the only one they can [[path]] to.
* Artifact materials: The massive value and effectiveness of [[artifact|artifacts]] means the materials used in them can have drastic effects, sometimes even into the ''[[Value|millions]]''. Having special stockpiles for high-value metals, stones, gems, and other such materials will make it that much easier to ensure that you will get the most out of each [[strange mood]]. (However, even with materials-specific stockpiles, it can take a fair amount of micromanagement to get a moody dwarf to use a specific material.)
* Artifact storage: Artifacts add a great deal to the created wealth of the fortress. Keep valuable artifacts safe in a special "treasure" stockpile.
* Ingredients: Store things that are cookable but not edible, like milk and quarry bush leaves, near [[kitchen]]s. Also, more [[rot|volatile]] foods (such as [[meat]]) can be stored closer to your kitchen to encourage your cooks to use them quickly.
* Mason's Stone: Linking a single- or limited-type stone stockpile to a mason's workshop allows you to specify exactly which [[stone]] your masons will use, providing consistent output (and increased [[value]] if using [[economic stone]]). Additionally, if your mason has a [[preference]] for a particular stone, you can increase output [[quality]] by having him work with that stone.

==Bugs==
* Stockpile options don't work for cloth {{Bug|4380|workaround=http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=122782.0}}.
* Marksdwarves may refuse to use ammo stored in bins.{{Bug|2706}}
* Any 'metal' in second column have stones, oozes, jewels in third column. Very unexpectedly.
* [[Hauling]] [[container]]s back and forth is currently quite inefficient; consider creating container-less "feeder" stockpiles linked to your storage stockpiles.
* Recent [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.msg3276117#msg3276117 research] has suggested that stockpiles are a significant cause of [[Maximizing framerate|lag]]; see [[Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|Quantum Stockpiles]] for designs that minimize stockpile tiles.

{{Category|Stockpiles|*}}
{{Category|Items}}

Brewer

2014-11-05T05:17:23Z

Khym Chanur: /* Troubleshooting */ Typo fix

{{Migrated_article}}
{{Quality|Superior|01:01, 3 November 2013 (UTC)}}
{{Skill
| color = 6:0
| skill = Brewer
| profession = [[Farmer]]
| job name = [[Brewing]]
| tasks =
* Brew [[alcohol|Drink]] from Plant
* Brew [[alcohol|Drink]] from Fruit
* Make Mead
| workshop = [[Still]]
| attributes =
* Strength
* Agility
* Kinesthetic Sense
}}
{{av}}

Every [[dwarf]]'s best friend, and indeed the equivalent of rock stars in the fortress! '''Brewers''' brew various [[crop|plants]] and [[honey]] into [[alcohol|alcoholic]] beverages, such as ale, beer and mead.

Brewers need a [[still]], a brewable [[crop|plant]], and one empty [[barrel]] or water-tight [[pot]] per job in order to brew drinks.

Regardless of [[skill]], a brewer produces five units of alcohol for each unit of brewable plant, as well as [[seed]]s of that plant. Because of crop [[stack]]ing, this allows brewers to synergize well with highly talented [[herbalist]]s and [[grower]]s (who are more likely to produce larger plant stacks), and can quickly lead to [[clutter]]ed stills. A brewer will turn "[[Plump helmet]]" into "[[Dwarven wine]] [5]", and will turn "Plump Helmet [5]" into "Dwarven Wine [25]". Both actions fill one empty barrel (despite their different quantities), and presumably take the same amount of time to brew.

Unlike many farming labors, brewing cannot be done without a barrel or pot. This can become an issue if your fortress has more food than barrels, as any spare barrels will be immediately filled with food. Limiting the number of barrels that your food [[stockpile|stockpiles]] can store can help keep some barrels empty for brewing.

Brewing plants always produces seeds, so you won't have to worry about being unable to replant your crop next season.

== Skill, Quality and Thoughts ==
Dwarves with a [[preference]] for a particular type of booze get a happy thought from drinking it. A dwarf whose preference can not be met will never have a happy thought from drinking. Booze has no [[quality]] level, but the varied happy [[thoughts]] from drinking (had a fine/pretty decent/wonderful/truly decadent/legendary drink lately) are derived from the value of the entire stack of alcohol{{cite forum|120870.msg3901346#msg3901346}}. It has also been speculated that drinking home-brewed booze is preferred over imported booze of the same type, influencing the thought.{{verify}}

== Troubleshooting ==

If you are having difficulty brewing drinks, then check that:

# You have materials that are considered brewable. Type z (status), "kitchen" tab to check on this.
# You have free barrels or glazed pots. Make some more if unsure.
# If the still is linked to one or more [[stockpile]]s, make sure they contain all the needed components (including barrels). Add more links, remove the current links, or just rebuild the still.
# If the still is inside a [[burrow]], brewing jobs may not be available in the workshop menu. Either remove the still from all burrows, or add the jobs via the [[manager]] screen.
# Embark bought [[fruit]]s come in [[bag]]s, and hence cannot be brewed as-is {{bug|7423}}. To brew them, you must first [[Garbage dump|dump]] them and then reclaim them.

{{Skills}}

Brewer

2014-11-05T05:16:11Z

Khym Chanur: /* Troubleshooting */ Embark-bought-fruits bug

Pasture

2014-09-19T06:48:34Z

Khym Chanur: /* Bugs */ Top-left clustering bug fixed in 0.40.13

{{Migrated_article}}
{{Quality|Exceptional|15:35, 21 April 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}{{buggy}}

Pastures are [[activity zone]]s that the player creates to hold tame animals, especially [[grazer|grazing animals]]. Herbivorous animals require [[grass]], [[cave moss]], or [[floor fungus]] to graze upon, and larger herbivores need a greater amount of these to feed themselves. [[Panda]]s and their relatives require bamboo rather than other types of grass. Using pastures allows herbivorous animals to be restricted to areas where they will have plenty to eat.

A pasture is defined using {{K|i}}-{{K|n}} to draw a rectangle, and then animals are selected to graze. Having pressed {{K|i}} to define a zone, highlight the pasture and press {{K|N}} ({{K|Shift}}+{{K|n}}), select the animal(s) you wish to pasture using {{K|+}}/{{K|-}}, and press {{K|Enter}}. Animals currently assigned to this pasture will have a green plus symbol to the left of them. Animals assigned to ''some'' pasture, this one or otherwise, will have a green triple-line symbol to the right of them. If the brackets surrounding this triple-line are white, the animal is currently pastured; if they're grey, the animal has not yet been brought to pasture, or still needs to be moved to a different pasture. If the brackets contain the 'cage' symbol (‼), it means that animal is currently caged. If that animal is selected for this pasture, they will be automatically uncaged and brought to the pasture by a dwarf (this is actually a good way to get animals you bought from a merchant uncaged quickly, without having to actually build the cage somewhere first).

Once all animals are selected, finish by pressing {{K|Esc}} and idle dwarves will lead the animals to pasture. Contrary to a common misconception, this task is '''not''' an animal hauling job and will be performed by any adult civilian regardless of labors enabled.

Any tame animal may be assigned to a pasture. You can also create pastures inside (on rock) and use them to confine animals that do not need to eat (like [[pig]]s) in certain areas. If there is fungus or moss on your indoor floors (e.g. on soil after breaching the caverns), the animals will consume that in place of grass.

[[Grass]] on your pastures will replenish at different speeds, depending on [[biome]]; if, on embark, the biome read "Thick" on "Other Vegetation", it will regrow fast, if it read "Scarce", it may not regenerate at all. Care should be taken to ensure that grass is not consumed more quickly than it can replenish, lest your livestock begin starving - if more than half of the pasture is devoid of grass, it's probably overloaded. Of special note is the fact that [[mountain]] biomes start covered with grass (and numerous boulders), but said grass will ''never'' regrow once eaten, so when placing pastures, ensure that there are shrubs and saplings nearby, as their presence ensures that the environment is hospitable to plant (re)growth.

Baby animals born to pastured mothers will automatically be assigned to their mother's pasture, but those hatched from [[egg]]s will not.

If you need to get animals inside quickly when a [[siege]] or [[ambush]] hits, a quick way to do this is to simply make the pasture inactive (''before'' the animals see the invaders, if possible.) Animals without a pasture tend to gravitate to a meeting area, so most of them will head to your [[dining hall]] or other rest area. An inactive pasture retains its occupant list, so all you have to do is make it active again and your dwarves will return them to their correct areas.

==[[Overcrowding]]==
When a pasture is overcrowded, animals may become enraged and start fights. This behavior is similar to a dwarf throwing a [[tantrum]], and can be prevented by enlarging your pasture or keeping fewer animals in it.

Another possibility is to split a large pasture which holds many animals into several smaller pastures, with the pasture size reflecting the amount of grazing the animal needs to survive. Animals will only fight each other if their pasture is sharing the same tiles as the creature they are fighting with.

==Other Applications==
Pasturing a [[cat]] in a food [[stockpile]] will make it more effective at keeping [[vermin]] away from your food.

A pasture can serve as a quick limited replacement for a [[rope]] or [[restraint]], as it allows you to "tie" multiple animals to the same spot and even allows you to place [[pet]]s and animals assigned to dwarves. It does however not actually tie animals; see below.

Lots of 1x1 pastures each with a chicken and a net box is a way to make a battery farm.

This can be used to (not very safely) get rid of immigrant pets or cat infestations by pasturing them outside the fortress to serve as an early warning system and meatshield or by pasturing them inside a room that then gets accidentally filled with <s>[[magma]]</s> [[fun]]. This procedure will cause unhappy thoughts in owners and spam "assign to pasture" jobs when you want them least: When the animals are running away from invaders or even a meager [[thief]], most of them escaping death:

While a pasture is a quick way of placing animals exactly in one defined area, it does not restrict the movement of an animal--if they are threatened by an enemy, the animal will flee as normal, and will trigger a task to re-pasture the animal once it leaves the border of the pasture. This is important as the announcement of an ambush may trigger a flood of civilians rushing to the pasture and into the face of the enemy. Since the labor has no associated skill, you cannot govern who will take such a job, but you can cancel those jobs by e.g. temporarily deactivating the pasture zone.

==Bugs==

* During a [[civilian alert]], only tiles within the defined burrow are eligible for grazing. Animals confined to pastures outside the civilian alert burrow will starve to death while standing on dense grass.{{bug|6240}}
* Assigning creatures to a [[restraint]] does not automatically de-assign them from a pasture, leaving your dwarves to haul the hapless animal back and forth indefinitely.{{bug|4475}}
* Baby animals hatched from [[egg]]s are not automatically assigned to the mother's pasture.{{bug|5990}}

Note

2014-08-27T07:46:24Z

Khym Chanur: /* Suggested Uses */ Links

{{Migrated_article}}
{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional}}

'''Notes''' are comments that you can leave around your fortress, each attached to a single tile. They are both placed and read using the {{k|N}} key, the Notes showing up as custom symbols on the map, with the full text in the Notes menu, much the same way that [[zone]]s and their information are visible only when you enter the zone function ({{k|i}}). They are also used to predefine stations and patrol routes.

Activating the menu also allows one to find the closest Note, including across [[z-level]]s, by +/- x,y,z coordinates. By navigating the cursor nearest a particular symbol, you can read or edit the text of that particular note. The currently active note will flash when selected - if you move the cursor, you'll see the nearest note symbol flashing on the tile where it was placed. The flashing indicates that it is the currently displayed note, and you can see distance and direction with the x,y,z coordinates at the top of the notes screen. The coordinates and menu always display the ''closest'' note, even if it's off-screen or on a different level.

==The Notes menu==
Press {{k|N}} to bring up the notes screen.

The default selection determines the single symbol that will mark that note. One note is attached to one tile - one note per tile max. There are 3 parts to the sub-menu - at the top is the list of available symbols to mark your note, and below are (in order) 8 possible background colors and 8 more (16 total) possible font colors. One and only one symbol will mark your note in each selected tile.

==Adding a Note==
When you first open the Note function*, you will notice 3 flashing X's - one bright and two greyed out. You will be changing between these sub-menus using the {{k|c}}hange key. The contrast is not great, and the flashing doesn't help - look closely to make sure you've selected the desired sub-menu.

:''(* If you already have Notes in place anywhere on the map, the text of the nearest Note will be visible at the top along with the symbol for that Note - see [[Note#Finding/Reading existing Notes|Finding/Reading]], below.)''

In order, the steps are 1) select a symbol, 2) select the location tile, and 3) type the note itself.

====Symbol selection====
The first step is to select what symbol you want to use to mark the tile you will select. This only a single-character "marker" - the text will be chosen in a moment. This selection is made on the top line, the long list of symbols. Hit {{k|c}}hange to get that X bright, and then use the {{k|+}}/{{k|-}} (or {{k|/}} and {{k|*}}) keys to scroll across and choose your symbol - you have 256 symbols to choose from.

To change the text color, hit {{k|c}}hange again and use the same selector keys to choose your desired color. The X will go all across all 16 colors.

Then select the background color, by hitting {{k|c}}hange again and doing likewise. For background, you only have the 8 thicker colors on the left to choose from.

If you change your mind, cycle through symbols and colors until you're happy with the combination. Later, this symbol will flash when you are close to it with the Note reader, or be solid if you are closer to another that is also visible on the map screen.

Depending on your selection of symbol, color and text, your symbol could be invisible to view (by blending in with the chosen tile location), but you can still find it if you remember the general area and other Notes are not surrounding it.

====Placement====
The next step is to select where the Note will be placed. Move the cursor using the standard navigation keys (the {{k|↑}}, {{k|↓}}, {{k|←}}, & {{k|→}} keys) to the tile you want to label with this Note. Once you have the symbol, colors, and location you want, press {{k|p}} to place it. This changes the menus, disabling 'place' until you move to a new location (only one note per tile).

The symbol you selected will be flashing in that location - unfortunately, if the cursor is over it, you will not be able to see this - trust that it's there, or look in the upper left corner of the Note screen for the symbol you chose, and that there is a distance/direction of 0,0,0.

''(If no other Notes are nearby, you can move the cursor to see the note you have just placed - if they are, you will still see it, but another might be flashing, indicating that now that one is selected.)''

====Typing the Note itself====
Once you have placed the symbol you can type the note itself. Hit the "Enter {{k|n}}ote text" key, and type your message. You have 100 characters to work with, 4 lines (on that screen) -hardly limitless, but should be ample for most purposes. Press {{k|Enter}} when done typing.

Then move the cursor and place another Note (with a new or the same symbol), or hit {{k|space}} to exit.

=====Second thoughts=====

To change the selected note symbol or colors (now or later) when in the Notes menu, first select a new symbol (as above when selecting the original symbol), and press the {{k|s}} key to "Adopt selected symbol". The flashing symbol will change to your new selection.

===Editing/Deleting===

First, always remember that the function edits the ''closest'' note, which will be flashing when it's automatically selected as such. You cannot see the symbol flash when the cursor is directly on the symbol, but the Note's symbol and distance will appear at the top of the Notes menu.

To select an existing Note, just open the Note menu, and move the cursor to the Note you want - the nearest one will flash and be seen in the upper left corner of the Note menu, and that is close enough. The numbers at the top of the screen show the distance in the x, y and z direction to that nearest note. Distance 0,0,0 means your cursor is directly over the Note.

To edit, just hit {{k|n}} again - it's a painfully simple program, so you can either add or erase and retype, no proper text editing.

To edit a symbol, use {{k|c}} and the {{k|+}}/{{k|-}} keys to select the symbol, then use {{k|s}} to adopt the new symbol to the note.

To delete that Note, just hit {{k|d}}. CAUTION - each time you hit {{k|d}}, you will delete the ''nearest'' Note on that [[z-level]] - use with care, or other nearby Notes will get deleted. You cannot recover a deleted Note.

==Finding/Reading existing Notes==
Just as in Editing, above, open the {{k|N}}otes menu and all Notes on the map will become visible. Navigate close to the Note you want to read (or edit) - it will begin to flash, and the text will be visible in the sub-menu, along with the symbol and exact distance and direction (in terms of x,y,z) at the top. Once you are closer to your desired Note than any others, it will flash and you can read, edit or delete it.

==Patrol Routes==
Once you've defined at least two Notes, you can define patrol routes between them. In the Notes menu, press {{k|r}} and you'll be able to manage routes and waypoints within a route.

===Managing Routes===
Here, you can {{k|a}}dd new routes, {{k|d}}elete unnecessary routes, {{k|n}}ame them, {{k|c}}enter the view on the currently-highlighted waypoint, switch to {{k|e}}diting waypoints, or back out by pressing {{k|p}}.

You can also switch the currently-visible route by pressing {{k|+}}{{k|-}}{{k|*}}{{k|/}}.

===Managing Waypoints===
As with the route manager, you can {{k|a}}dd new waypoints, {{k|d}}elete waypoints from the route, {{k|n}}ame the route, {{k|c}}enter the view on the chosen waypoint, switch back to {{k|e}}diting routes, or leave the manager by pressing {{k|p}}.

You can also change the currently-selected waypoint by pressing {{k|+}}{{k|-}}{{k|*}}{{k|/}}.

===Creating a Route===
So you've got a bunch of notes, and you want to create a patrol route between some of them:
# Go to the route screen by pressing {{k|N}}->{{k|r}}.
# Switch to editing routes (if necessary) by pressing {{k|e}}.
# {{k|a}}dd a new route. Your newly created route will be selected automatically.
# Give it an informative {{k|n}}ame.
# Switch to editing waypoints by pressing {{k|e}}.
# Add the starting waypoint, by moving the cursor to the correct note and pressing {{k|a}}.
# Continue adding waypoints in the order you want them visited.

===Using a Route===
Once created, your military dwarves can be scheduled to patrol a route. Go into the military scheduler ({{k|m}}->{{k|s}}), choose a squad and month, give an {{k|o}}rder, then rotate through the {{k|o}}rders until it says "Patrol route". The screen will display a list of your routes, allowing you to choose one.

==Suggested Uses==
It's recommended that all important [[lever]]s are labeled, and possibly anything they are connected to, to remind you which lever activates exactly which items, and how, and what the result will be, and anything else that might possibly be of concern. The more complex the fortress, the more important this can be. You never know when you'll walk away from a fortress for a few weeks, come back and not know how to do anything - or, worse, only ''think'' you do.

Consider color coding your notes (and levers), to know approximately what they do - maybe red can injure dwarves, dark red controls [[magma]], dark blue controls [[water]] at the source, light blue at the function - whatever works for you.

This becomes even more important in a [[Main:Succession Games|succession game]], where the next player has no idea what the previous one(s) built. Also for comments on future plans, ongoing projects, or perceived trouble spots.

===Squad Movement===
Notes can act as predefined destinations for squad movement. Within the {{k|s}}quad manager, select a squad, and start giving it a {{k|m}}ove order. The next screen will show a list of your notes, allowing you to easily boss your squad without having to move the viewing cursor.

===Scheduled Movement===
Notes can also be used to position military dwarves on a scheduled basis. Within the military scheduler ({{k|m}}->{{k|s}}), choose a squad and month, give an {{k|o}}rder, then rotate through the {{k|o}}rders until it says "Station". The screen will display a list of your notes, allowing you to choose one for a destination.

{{Category|Interface}}

DF2014:Zone

2014-08-27T07:42:37Z

Khym Chanur: Redirect to DF2014:Activity_zone

#REDIRECT [[DF2014:Activity_zone]]

Corpse

2014-08-24T05:19:49Z

Khym Chanur: Dwarfs become horrified of corpses of sapients

{{Quality|Superior|18:26, 23 August 2014 (UTC)}}
{{Migrated_article}}
{{av}}

A '''corpse''' is what is left of a creature once dead. The corpses of vermin are called '''remains'''.

A corpse has several levels of decay, it will begin as "(creature or name) corpse", progress to "rotten (creature or name) corpse", "(creature or name) partially decayed corpse", and then to "(creature or name) skeleton", and will remain a skeleton indefinitely. If the creature had had parts ripped or cut off before death, the corpse will be described as "mutilated corpse" and "partial skeleton" in respective descriptions, and the parts (if still on the map) will decay into a type of bone depending on the part. A creature with parts that were pulped (i.e. exploded into gore, cloven asunder, torn into shreds, etc.) before death will be described as a "mangled corpse".

Letting corpses naturally rot is the only way to get usable bones from creatures that dwarves refuse to butcher (such as [[goblin|goblins]], [[elves]], and other [[DF2012:Learns|sentient]] creatures), according to their ethics (unless you modded the ethics). Cutting a live goblin up using serrated blade traps or throwing them down extreme heights (such they explode) will generate usable goblin bones and skulls. Already-dead corpses can be reanimated with the help of a [[necromancer]], or naturally if you are in any type of evil embark, and then dissected. Remains of vermin, however, simply progress from "(vermin) remains" to "rotten (vermin) remains" before simply vanishing.

[[Butcher]]ing a corpse produces quantities of [[meat]], [[prepared organs]], [[bone|bones]], a [[skull]], [[skin]], and nails/hoofs, as well as cartilage, nervous tissue, and other byproducts. Body parts can be butchered, presumably for whatever tissues/organs were in the part. "Butchering" a skeleton produces only a skull, bones, cartilage and other non-decaying tissues. The corpses of very small animals, such as of [[raven]]s, currently cannot be butchered. Also, corpses of tamed (not stray) animals can't be butchered.

Rotting corpses will produce [[miasma]] in subterranean areas, but not above ground.

If a corpse of a dwarf is left unburied, it will cause unhappy [[thought]]s in surviving family and friends. The soul of a dwarf that has not been properly put to rest may [[ghost|return for vengeance]], which can lead to even more [[Tantrum spiral|Fun]].

Seeing body parts and corpses of sapient creatures can cause dwarfs with insufficient [[discipline]] to become horrified, leading them to canceling their current task and running away.

Corpses can be [[Undead|raised from the dead]]. This will occur in some [[Surroundings#Evil|evil]] biomes if the creature is killed inside an evil biome. On an embark location between an evil and a non-evil biome, corpses killed on the non-evil side will not rise. Corpses may also be raised by a [[necromancer]] into a slave, or resurrect themselves as [[mummy|mummies]] and themselves gain the power to raise corpses, though mummies will only be encountered in [[tomb]]s in adventure mode. Mangled corpses with pulped heads or upper bodies will never become undead. Severed body parts will be able to rise if they have either a grasp tag (hands and possibly other body parts) or if they still have a head attached, so it may be advisable to kill risen corpses with blunt weaponry to avoid swarms of body parts and to permanently pulp them to death. Corpses and severed body parts will not rise again if they have been [[butcher]]ed, their skin [[tanner|tanned]] and their hair [[spinner|spun into thread]], or if they have been exposed to [[magma]]. The zombies themselves will also be destroyed by magma.

Refuse

2014-08-24T05:18:01Z

Khym Chanur: Links

{{Migrated_article}}
{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{av}}

[[Image:RefuseStockpile.png|right|thumb|240px|A refuse stockpile of a dwarven fortress after a goblin siege. The pond turtle shells ({{Raw Tile|²|2:0}}) suggest that the fisherdwarves may have been the first victims of it.]]

'''Refuse''' is everything which can be stored in the predefined refuse [[stockpile]] ({{k|p}}-{{k|r}}). Such stockpile will accept:

* [[Corpse]]s, bodyparts and bodily remains of [[creatures]] (heads, teeth)
* By-products of the [[meat industry| meat]] and [[fishing industry]] ([[bones]], raw hide, raw fish)
* Things which are rotten (rotten food, rotten meals, rotten raw hide)
* Things the dwarves have no further use for (withered plants, [[Wear|tattered]] clothes)

Clothes or armor in a stockpile with refuse enabled will cause them to wear out very quickly.
 

== Uses for Refuse ==
Despite the name "refuse", many things that are considered refuse are valuable resource for dwarven industries — especially if you have [[Modding guide|modded]] the dwarven [[ethics]] so that you can butcher sapient creatures.

=== Bolts and Crossbows ===
Many dwarven fortresses survived the early goblin [[ambush]]es and [[siege]]s because their [[bone carver]]s used [[bone]]s to make [[bolt]]s. Where trees are rare, bones can serve for making [[crossbow]]s as well.

=== Armor ===
Bones can be used to make bone [[armor]]. It is better than leather armor, although you cannot craft any bone breastplates, mailshirts or boots.

=== Leather ===
Pieces of armor which cannot be crafted from bones and [[Equipment#Quivers|many]] [[Equipment#Backpacks|other]] [[DF2012:Flask|useful]] [[Armor#Shield|things]] can easily be made out of leather. Leather is made from [[skin|raw hides]] and raw hides are refuse. By the time you have butchered your first animal, you should have a [[Tanner's shop|tannery]] ready. The skin from butchered animals rots quickly and if you just started to butcher your numerous poultry and have a slow-working tanner, you better store raw hides in a refuse stockpile. When stored, they don't rot as quickly.

=== Clothes ===
[[Shearer|Shearing]] sheep, llamas and alpacas is the very beginning of the dwarven wool industry. Their wool is more valuable than any plant fiber and is best stored in a customized refuse stockpile close to a [[farmer's workshop]] where it can be spun into [[yarn]]. The [[hair]] of other (butchered) creatures (e.g. horses or cows) can be spun into [[thread]], too, although such threads can only be used in [[healthcare]].

=== Crafts ===
Many, many kinds of crafts can be made from refuse. If your masons and stonecrafters work so quickly that your miners have to mine out useless space just to supply them with stones, you should consider making more crafts from refuse and refuse-based products. The choice is yours:

* yarn [[cloth]] crafts (yarn is made from wool which is refuse)
* [[leather]] crafts (leather is tanned from raw hide which is refuse)
* [[bone]] crafts
* [[shell]] crafts
* [[ivory]] crafts (teeth are considered ivory, too)
* [[horn]] crafts

=== Totems ===
The skulls of kittens, poultry and other creatures don't need to lie uselessly in your refuse stockpile. Your bonecarver can use them to make [[totem]]s for which any caravan will pay you good money.

=== Decorations ===
The most valuable use for refuse is for [[decoration]]. The value of an item will multiply many times if it is skillfully decorated. Use bones, shells, ivory, and horns to decorate finished goods, clothes, or furniture. Use yarn cloth and leather (refuse-based products) to sew decorative images, too.

=== Training Discipline ===
If a refuse stockpile with sentient corpses is placed near a high-traffic route it will horrify your dwarves from time to time, forcing them to slowly gain [[discipline]] points (and spam job cancellations). However, sentient corpses may also horrify merchants, causing them to scuttle their wagons, drop their merchandise, and flee{{bug|7185}}.

== Refuse Stockpile ==

A thriving refuse-fuelled industry requires many carefully set stockpiles. A refuse stockpile works just like any other [[stockpile]] and is different from a [[Activity zone#Garbage dump|garbage dump]] zone (which only accepts items explicitly marked to be dumped). The standard predefined refuse stockpile (designated by {{k|p}}-{{k|r}}) has a few peculiarities. It can become the source of [[miasma]], if not set up properly. Under [[Surroundings#Evil|certain conditions]], a refuse stockpile may become a source of great [[Siege#Necromancer_sieges| Fun]], too. Therefore be advised to use customized [[stockpile settings]] instead and also be careful to avoid miasma and other potential [[undead|dangers]].

=== Avoid Miasma ===

Since the refuse includes rotten or rotting things, a refuse stockpile is best designated on tiles which are {{DFtext|Light|6:1}} and {{DFtext|Above Ground|2:1}} (see [[tile attributes]]).

Players prefer to place a refuse stockpile outside their cavern, usually a small distance from the entrance. Alternatively, you can also expose any part of your fortres's {{DFtext|Inside |6:0}}{{DFtext|Dark Subterranean|0:1}} tiles to sunlight and then cover them again with constructed floors or walls. Such tiles will become {{DFtext|Inside |6:0}}{{DFtext|Light |6:1}}{{DFtext|Above Ground|2:1}} and thus the refuse stored there will not generate any miasma.

=== Stack and Sell Tattered Clothes ===

A fortress in its more advanced stages will be spammed by many tattered clothes. While some players choose to [[Dwarven atom smasher| atom smash]] them, others still sell them for profit to [[Trading#Caravans|caravans]] as they can be worth one to three quarters of their original value. To minimize the number of tiles needed to store your tattered clothes in a refuse stockpile, simply allow bins (with {{k|c}} or {{k|C}}) in the stockpile's building properties ({{k|q}}). Selling tattered clothes to the caravan is also a good way to solve the problem of legendary clothiers "suffering the travesty of art defacement" when their XX☼pig tail fiber socks☼XX decompose in a refuse stockpile. Note that actually leaving clothes or armor in a stockpile with refuse enabled will cause them to wear out very quickly, so if you do intend to sell these items, it would be wise to disable refuse on the stockpile once items are successfully added, since items on a stockpile tile will be considered a part of it no matter what the settings are.

=== Gather Refuse From Outside ===

Refuse stockpiles restricted to butcherable animal corpses, bodyparts, and fresh raw hides placed next to a [[butcher's shop]] or a [[Tanner's shop|tannery]] will save your butcher and tanner a lot of hauling time. A butcherable animal or bodyparts lying somewhere outside your fortress will be ignored by default unless you order your dwarves to gather refuse from outside. You can set it up in the [[standing orders]] ({{k|o}}-{{k|r}}-{{k|o}}).

Corpse

2014-08-24T05:12:14Z

Khym Chanur: Dwarfs become horrified of corpses and body parts if they have insufficient discipline

{{Quality|Superior|18:26, 23 August 2014 (UTC)}}
{{Migrated_article}}
{{av}}

A '''corpse''' is what is left of a creature once dead. The corpses of vermin are called '''remains'''.

A corpse has several levels of decay, it will begin as "(creature or name) corpse", progress to "rotten (creature or name) corpse", "(creature or name) partially decayed corpse", and then to "(creature or name) skeleton", and will remain a skeleton indefinitely. If the creature had had parts ripped or cut off before death, the corpse will be described as "mutilated corpse" and "partial skeleton" in respective descriptions, and the parts (if still on the map) will decay into a type of bone depending on the part. A creature with parts that were pulped (i.e. exploded into gore, cloven asunder, torn into shreds, etc.) before death will be described as a "mangled corpse".

Letting corpses naturally rot is the only way to get usable bones from creatures that dwarves refuse to butcher (such as [[goblin|goblins]], [[elves]], and other [[DF2012:Learns|sentient]] creatures), according to their ethics (unless you modded the ethics). Cutting a live goblin up using serrated blade traps or throwing them down extreme heights (such they explode) will generate usable goblin bones and skulls. Already-dead corpses can be reanimated with the help of a [[necromancer]], or naturally if you are in any type of evil embark, and then dissected. Remains of vermin, however, simply progress from "(vermin) remains" to "rotten (vermin) remains" before simply vanishing.

[[Butcher]]ing a corpse produces quantities of [[meat]], [[prepared organs]], [[bone|bones]], a [[skull]], [[skin]], and nails/hoofs, as well as cartilage, nervous tissue, and other byproducts. Body parts can be butchered, presumably for whatever tissues/organs were in the part. "Butchering" a skeleton produces only a skull, bones, cartilage and other non-decaying tissues. The corpses of very small animals, such as of [[raven]]s, currently cannot be butchered. Also, corpses of tamed (not stray) animals can't be butchered.

Rotting corpses will produce [[miasma]] in subterranean areas, but not above ground.

If a corpse of a dwarf is left unburied, it will cause unhappy [[thought]]s in surviving family and friends. The soul of a dwarf that has not been properly put to rest may [[ghost|return for vengeance]], which can lead to even more [[Tantrum spiral|Fun]].

Seeing body parts and non-vermin corpses can cause dwarfs with insufficient [[discipline]] to become horrified, leading them to canceling their current task and running away.

Corpses can be [[Undead|raised from the dead]]. This will occur in some [[Surroundings#Evil|evil]] biomes if the creature is killed inside an evil biome. On an embark location between an evil and a non-evil biome, corpses killed on the non-evil side will not rise. Corpses may also be raised by a [[necromancer]] into a slave, or resurrect themselves as [[mummy|mummies]] and themselves gain the power to raise corpses, though mummies will only be encountered in [[tomb]]s in adventure mode. Mangled corpses with pulped heads or upper bodies will never become undead. Severed body parts will be able to rise if they have either a grasp tag (hands and possibly other body parts) or if they still have a head attached, so it may be advisable to kill risen corpses with blunt weaponry to avoid swarms of body parts and to permanently pulp them to death. Corpses and severed body parts will not rise again if they have been [[butcher]]ed, their skin [[tanner|tanned]] and their hair [[spinner|spun into thread]], or if they have been exposed to [[magma]]. The zombies themselves will also be destroyed by magma.

Glacier

2014-08-09T07:04:41Z

Khym Chanur: Remove invalid bug

{{Migrated_article}}
{{Quality|Exceptional|15:49, 12 May 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

'''Glaciers''' are extremely cold [[biome]]s, usually found in the northern or southern extremes on larger world maps. The first few layers of any glacier are solid [[ice]].

There are few resources on an ice tile; no [[tree]]s, [[plant]]s, [[water]], [[animal]]s, [[stone]], or [[ore]]s are typically included. In addition, the [[ice]] can be several z-layers thick, which can make getting to any stone underneath even more challenging.

The lack of soil layers on a glacier combined with freezing temperatures means that above ground farming can not be practiced on them. This also means that by embarking on a glacier, you will be totally unable to grow ''any'' of the aboveground [[crops]]. Your selection of growable produce must all be grown underground, and will be limited to [[sweet_pod|sweet pods]], [[pig_tail|pig tails]], [[dimple_cup|dimple cups]], [[cave wheat]], [[quarry_bush|quarry bushes]] and, of course, [[plump_helmet|plump helmets]].

These factors make a glacier a very difficult biome to build a successful [[fortress]] in, although many players try it as a challenge.

Also, because glaciers are often very isolated, it is entirely possible that you won't see a caravan from the Mountainhomes for anywhere up to 3 years. Migrants may be even more rare. On the plus side however, no hostile nations should bother you for a while.

== Starting on a Glacier ==

Take a lot of wood, food and drink. Consider bringing extra [[domestic animal]]s ([[dog|dogs]] are recommended, as are [[turkey|turkeys]] for their plentiful [[egg_production|egg yield]]) as an emergency food source, and/or to jump-start a long-term [[breeding]] program.

Depending on your level of trade dependency, wood cutters can have little use on a glacier. You may want to sacrifice your wood cutter and axe in favour of another miner and pick. However, be aware that most glacial biomes have plenty of wood - if you brave the caverns. Alternatively, if you're <s>a total wuss</s> looking for an easier experience, you can embark on a locale where a glacier overlaps a forested taiga to bolster your log supply.

[[Ice]] is everywhere, so read up on it before you make any major plans. One peculiarity that you may want to know before you head out is that due to the guaranteed "freezing" temperatures, workshops built from ice will not melt in glacial biomes when above ground or inside the glacier's ice levels. The disadvantage, however, is that it is more difficult to use the ice as a potential water source. Note that mined out chunks of ice, when melted by being brought underground, will '''not''' produce usable water. {{Bug|360}}

=== Digging down to the rock layers ===

Due to a bug, down-[[stair]]s and up-down-stairs can't be carved out of ice if the layer immediately below the ice is stone. {{Bug|358}} This makes it impossible to get from the surface down to the stone layers by digging a straight staircase. The easiest way to circumvent this is to [[construction|construct]] an up-down staircase from some of the ice you will probably have mined out in the space where you intended to dig one. Since such a staircase is a construction, it will never melt, even if you pour [[magma]] on it.

=== Farming and Getting Water ===
Since glaciers contain no [[soil]] layers you will either have to [[irrigation|irrigate]] or farm in caverns. Water is required for the former approach, and is also needed at [[hospital]]s for cleaning and to give the wounded something to drink. There are two ways to get water on a glacier.

==== Underground Pools ====
All regions of the world have vast underground [[caverns]] (unless the world was [[world generation|generated]] without them), and caverns almost always have large pools of water. Further, if the pool abuts the edge of your embark area, new water will fill in from the edge, giving you an infinite source of water. On the down side, it can take a while to find the caverns, since digging straight down isn't guaranteed to breach them, and there's a small chance of aquatic monsters escaping from the cavern. Even worse, the caverns you find may be completely dry.

The "quick-and-dirty" approach that springs to mind for the use of cavern water is to simply dig one z-level above the water and build a well, but beware that aquatic beasts can and will climb into your fortress through your well, and worse, unless the pool is at least 2-z deep, the water will be laced with mud. The approach below allows for a safe, clean, sealed off reservoir.

To safely (without having to wander around inside the cavern) tap into an underground pool, consider the following diagram:

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
WWWWWWWWW
▓▓▓▓X▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓B▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓.▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓.▓▓▓▓
▓S......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓F▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
}}

* W = water
* ▓ = stone wall
* X = last wall to dig out
* B = floor with [[floodgate]] or [[bridge|drawbridge]]
* F = wall or optional floor with floodgate (for [[irrigation]])
* . = floor with optional paved [[road]]
* S = up stairs or ramp

Then do the following steps:

# Dig down to the same level as the pool (not to the surface of the pool) and dig out the reservoir (rectangular region) with stairs (or ramp) leading out.
# If you're going to use the reservoir for [[irrigation]] then dig an outlet from the reservoir at the F, install a floodgate at its mouth, and hook it up to a [[lever]].
# Dig a tunnel to the pool, leaving one tile's worth of stone between the tunnel and the water (the X in the diagram).
# Install a [[floodgate]] or a south-raising [[bridge|drawbridge]] at the end of the tunnel and hook it up to a lever.
# Have a dwarf dig out the X.

The dwarf who dug the X should be able to get back to the stairs/ramp in time to not [[swimming|drown]]. To make extra sure of not drowning, ensure at least one dwarf is idling and have him/her pull the lever to the floodgate/drawbridge as soon as the wall is breached, then lower it again to let the reservoir fill. To make extra, ''extra'' sure, embark with a dwarf with a single point in the [[swimming]] skill, and have him/her carve the fortification.

Use a drawbridge instead of a floodgate at the end of the tunnel to prevent [[building destroyer]] aquatic/amphibious monsters from swimming into the reservoir and enter the rest of your fortress. A floodgate wouldn't stop a building destroyer, and monsters can swim through fully submerged [[fortification]]s. {{Bug|3327}} If you're going to use this reservoir for a [[well]] then closing off it off with a drawbridge is very important, since some building destroyers can swim ''and'' fly. If you're only going to use it for irrigation then you can use a floodgate and then simply [[wall]] off the reservoir once you're done with it, since building destroyers can't affect walls.

If you're going to use the reservoir for a well you should cover its floor with a paved [[road]] to prevent [[tree]]s from growing, because in some circumstances trees can grow underwater. {{Bug|1139}}

==== Dwarven Ice Cutting ====

This may not work, beware.

One quirk of [[dwarven physics]] is that a [[cave-in]] will transform an ice [[wall]] into liquid water. This can be used to generate water in the following fashion:

To begin, it is best to clear out a large section of the rock underneath all the ice. Then cut out a 6x6 section of ice (it is easiest to cut out two squares around the part you want to drop so that you won't have any fatalities while channeling out the section of ice). Channel out the entire piece of ice and it will fall into that cleared out section, immediately defrosting and flooding the area. Now you can farm!

Before you run out of starting booze, do the same again, but this time do it further away and open 3-4 levels of rock (channel everything away) so that you create a well. Make sure you make it deep enough or you will create an ice zone that will kill any dwarf that tries to dig it out.

Continue to cut out chunks of ice, dropping them a few stories, and reaping the benefits as you continue in the fortress. Be careful channeling as the dwarves are all idiots and like to strand themselves while channeling, and they like to drop their buddies down the hole (which pollutes the future water and creates a huge mess).

Diagram of Ice cutting:

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
OOOOOOOOOO
OCCCCCCCCO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCCCCCCCCO
OOOOOOOOOO
}}

O = Open area, no channeling, just an area for dwarves to walk

C = Channel area, first dig it out, then channel once every layer is ready.

I = Future water source, now ice.

Once you have dug deep enough to see rock, channel out the entire level (make sure you have an escape route for the miner). Also, when channeling a large room, do it layer by layer. Start at the one end and do the entire left side, then the next. If you just select the entire thing dwarves will die.

Don't drop water anywhere near other tunnels; the ice will break through, and it will be messy. You can cut off entire sections of fortress to flooding or caved-in sections by doing this, and it wastes a lot of work and ice.

==== Other Approaches ====
[[Aquifer]]s are sometimes present on glaciers, and magma can be used to melt ice (although the only [[magma_sea|reliable source]] of that is very deep underground). Seaside glaciers can allow you to bring some water in underground, but [[Water#Salt_water|desalinating]] the water will be necessary before it is drinkable by dwarves (or even before it can be designated as a [[Activity_zone#Water_Source|water zone]] for filling ponds).

Beware that flowing sources of [[water]], such as [[river]]s or [[brook]]s, don't ever seem to be present in glacier [[biome]]s.

== Trade ==
Trade on glaciers is an issue of contention for some glacial Dwarf Fortress players.

Some players argue that trade is basically essential on a glacial biome. Anyone playing on a glacier will inevitably end up with a lot of rock, so a commonly suggested source of income is rock [[crafts]]. However, beware that ice ''cannot'' be used to make crafts, even if the craftdwarf's workshop is on a z-level with freezing temperatures that would keep the ice from melting. The majority of your imports will be wood, used for making beds and other necessities, as well as fuel for making metal objects.

However, also be aware that independence from trade on a glacial biome '''is''' entirely possible. It does require extra effort and careful rationing of certain materials, but it can be done.

=== Glacial Independence ===
Gaining independence from trade on a glacier is a difficult prospect, primarily because of the lack of wood to be found on glacial biomes. However, even though wood is commonly used in the creation of various constructions and tools, it is almost entirely replaceable with either stone or metal crafting. However, there are two wood-based needs in Dwarf Fortress that are trickier to circumvent: beds and fuel.

==== Beds ====
The need for wood in the construction of beds is unavoidable: no other material in the game can be used to make them. However, that is not to say that trade is the only thing that can supply wood. The answer here lies in [[caverns]]. Caverns grow trees on their soil constantly, and if correctly managed, can be turned into [[tree_farm|tree farms]]. However, the trade-off is that to supply wood for beds early, aggressive expansion into the caverns will be required, which can be extremely [[fun]]. In light of this, it is recommended to bring at least seven logs with you on embark to build beds for your first seven dwarves, and to read up on [[caverns]] and their [[Giant_olm|dastardly]], [[Troll|dangerous]] [[Crundle|darting]] [[Cave_crocodile|denizens]].

==== Fuel ====
[[Fuel]] is a different matter; wood does not have to play a part in its production. If you are very lucky, you may find [[bituminous coal]] or [[lignite]], the two stones which can be turned into fuel for metalwork, but the odds are that you will have to do without. For this, your best option is to get down to the [[magma sea]] as soon as you can to build magma-based [[smelter|smelters]], [[forge|forges]] and the like, or at least as soon as you need to start using metal. This has the added advantage of quite possibly leading you to discover additional caverns (and thus sources of wood and water) along the way.

Needless to say, read up on [[magma]] before attempting this. Magma's usage can lead to an awful lot of unexpected [[fun]] in inexperienced hands. Also take a look at the [[magma_crab|various]] [[fire_imp|other]] [[magma_man|hazards]] that can confront anyone working with the magma sea, and consider channelling some of the sea into a reservoir or using a [[screw_pump|pump]] to isolate your working dwarves from them. Once you have got the hang of it, magma really is a blessing because of its lack of limitations; the magma sea is not about to "run out" of magma, and it also makes for good <s>[[elf|hippie]]</s> [[refuse|garbage]] disposal. Also, if you are very lucky indeed, you may well stumble across [[adamantine|something special]].

== Wildlife ==

'''On neutral glaciers appear:'''

* [[Polar bear]]
* [[Yeti]]
* [[Weasel]]

'''On evil glaciers appear:'''

* [[Blizzard man]]
* [[Ice wolf]]

== Notes ==
Ice that is underground melts, but creates only useless puddles of water (marked as a cyan double tilde) identical to water dumped from a [[bucket]]. These puddles can only be cleaned. They cannot form usable water (blue tilde with depth attribute). Dumping block after block of mined ice blocks indoors will simply result in a huge stack of useless "water".

Glaciers are very unlikely to have a source of [[shell]]s. Thus, you may want to mod the game so that some other material can be used in place of shells for the occasional [[strange mood]]s which call for them; see [[Shell]] for details.

Some glacier biomes have such low temperatures that your dwarves and animals may die if exposed aboveground for too long.

Water in [[bucket]]s does not immediately freeze above ground so you can designate an area as a pool, tell dwarfs to fill it, then smooth and engrave your new ice fort.

== Volcanoes and Glaciers ==
If you embark on a Glacier Biome with a Volcano you might think it would be a good idea to erupt the volcano (dig a hole into its side) onto the glacier ice. This will indeed cause some interesting effects like multiplying the amount of ice, casting obsidian and spamming you with cavern" collapsed" messages. The ice will expand due to the fact that one molten wall of ice will become 7 units of water, potentially flowing apart in all directions and freezing into new walls of ice immediately, which can then melt into 7 ''more'' units of water. If the water flows to the same square as the magma it will turn to obsidian. Both the ice and the obsidian walls may not be connected to another solid wall so a lot of cave-ins will occour.

{{World|Biomes}}

Hatch cover

2014-08-02T04:47:25Z

Khym Chanur: Adventurers can descend through hatches, at least in worldgen buildings

{{Migrated_article}}
{{Quality|Superior|15:35, 22 October 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

A '''hatch cover''' (also called a '''floor hatch''' or just '''hatch''') is, in effect, a [[door]], but controlling the passage between Z-levels instead of along the same Z-level. They can be placed over [[stairs]] or [[ramp]]s, or open space as long as they are supported by an adjacent floor tile.

Like doors, they can be linked with mechanisms, locked, or kept tightly closed to keep out water, pets and foes alike. They can be set as internal, but as [[room]]s cannot occupy multiple Z-levels, this has no effect.

When closed, hatches appear as {{Raw Tile|¢|0:7:1}}; they are not visible when open. A hatch cover's color is determined by the [[material]] it is made from.

As [[building destroyer]]s can only destroy buildings on other z-levels under [[Building destroyer#Destroying from underneath|certain conditions]], hatch covers can be quite effective at keeping out enemies if used properly.

They can be constructed from a [[Mason's workshop]], [[Metalsmith's forge]], [[Carpenter's workshop]], or [[Glass furnace]] from [[stone]], [[metal]], [[wood]], or [[glass]] respectively. Once {{k|b}}uilt, they may be placed with {{k|H}}.

A dwarf falling down stairs will be stopped by a closed floor hatch. A dwarf standing on a floor hatch over stairs will not start falling if the hatch is opened. A dwarf standing on a floor hatch above a ramp or open space will start falling if the hatch is opened.

Using a hatch cover, a garbage dump can be designed to drop items on the same Z level as the dwarf doing the dumping, thus removing risk of falling items causing injuries. This is done by channeling one square, and then constructing the hatch over the hole. Designate a dump zone over the hatch, and haulers will neglect to open the hatch, leaving the hauled items on the floor nearby instead.

{{buildings}}
{{Category|Furniture}}

Glacier

2014-07-12T04:24:58Z

Khym Chanur: In 0.40.02, glaciers only form in evil or good biomes

{{Migrated_article}}
{{Quality|Exceptional|15:49, 12 May 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

'''Glaciers''' are extremely cold [[biome]]s, usually found in the northern or southern extremes on larger world maps; due to a bug ({{Bug|7110}}) glaciers can currently only be found in evil and good biomes. The first few layers of any glacier are solid [[ice]].

There are few resources on an ice tile; no [[tree]]s, [[plant]]s, [[water]], [[animal]]s, [[stone]], or [[ore]]s are typically included. In addition, the [[ice]] can be several z-layers thick, which can make getting to any stone underneath even more challenging.

The lack of soil layers on a glacier combined with freezing temperatures means that above ground farming can not be practiced on them. This also means that by embarking on a glacier, you will be totally unable to grow ''any'' of the aboveground [[crops]]. Your selection of growable produce must all be grown underground, and will be limited to [[sweet_pod|sweet pods]], [[pig_tail|pig tails]], [[dimple_cup|dimple cups]], [[cave wheat]], [[quarry_bush|quarry bushes]] and, of course, [[plump_helmet|plump helmets]].

These factors make a glacier a very difficult biome to build a successful [[fortress]] in, although many players try it as a challenge.

Also, because glaciers are often very isolated, it is entirely possible that you won't see a caravan from the Mountainhomes for anywhere up to 3 years. Migrants may be even more rare. On the plus side however, no hostile nations should bother you for a while.

== Starting on a Glacier ==

Take a lot of wood, food and drink. Consider bringing extra [[domestic animal]]s ([[dog|dogs]] are recommended, as are [[turkey|turkeys]] for their plentiful [[egg_production|egg yield]]) as an emergency food source, and/or to jump-start a long-term [[breeding]] program.

Depending on your level of trade dependency, wood cutters can have little use on a glacier. You may want to sacrifice your wood cutter and axe in favour of another miner and pick. However, be aware that most glacial biomes have plenty of wood - if you brave the caverns. Alternatively, if you're <s>a total wuss</s> looking for an easier experience, you can embark on a locale where a glacier overlaps a forested taiga to bolster your log supply.

[[Ice]] is everywhere, so read up on it before you make any major plans. One peculiarity that you may want to know before you head out is that due to the guaranteed "freezing" temperatures, workshops built from ice will not melt in glacial biomes when above ground or inside the glacier's ice levels. The disadvantage, however, is that it is more difficult to use the ice as a potential water source. Note that mined out chunks of ice, when melted by being brought underground, will '''not''' produce usable water. {{Bug|360}}

=== Digging down to the rock layers ===

Due to a bug, down-[[stair]]s and up-down-stairs can't be carved out of ice if the layer immediately below the ice is stone. {{Bug|358}} This makes it impossible to get from the surface down to the stone layers by digging a straight staircase. The easiest way to circumvent this is to [[construction|construct]] an up-down staircase from some of the ice you will probably have mined out in the space where you intended to dig one. Since such a staircase is a construction, it will never melt, even if you pour [[magma]] on it.

=== Farming and Getting Water ===
Since glaciers contain no [[soil]] layers you will either have to [[irrigation|irrigate]] or farm in caverns. Water is required for the former approach, and is also needed at [[hospital]]s for cleaning and to give the wounded something to drink. There are two ways to get water on a glacier.

==== Underground Pools ====
All regions of the world have vast underground [[caverns]] (unless the world was [[world generation|generated]] without them), and caverns almost always have large pools of water. Further, if the pool abuts the edge of your embark area, new water will fill in from the edge, giving you an infinite source of water. On the down side, it can take a while to find the caverns, since digging straight down isn't guaranteed to breach them, and there's a small chance of aquatic monsters escaping from the cavern. Even worse, the caverns you find may be completely dry.

The "quick-and-dirty" approach that springs to mind for the use of cavern water is to simply dig one z-level above the water and build a well, but beware that aquatic beasts can and will climb into your fortress through your well, and worse, unless the pool is at least 2-z deep, the water will be laced with mud. The approach below allows for a safe, clean, sealed off reservoir.

To safely (without having to wander around inside the cavern) tap into an underground pool, consider the following diagram:

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
WWWWWWWWW
▓▓▓▓X▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓B▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓.▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓.▓▓▓▓
▓S......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓F▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
}}

* W = water
* ▓ = stone wall
* X = last wall to dig out
* B = floor with [[floodgate]] or [[bridge|drawbridge]]
* F = wall or optional floor with floodgate (for [[irrigation]])
* . = floor with optional paved [[road]]
* S = up stairs or ramp

Then do the following steps:

# Dig down to the same level as the pool (not to the surface of the pool) and dig out the reservoir (rectangular region) with stairs (or ramp) leading out.
# If you're going to use the reservoir for [[irrigation]] then dig an outlet from the reservoir at the F, install a floodgate at its mouth, and hook it up to a [[lever]].
# Dig a tunnel to the pool, leaving one tile's worth of stone between the tunnel and the water (the X in the diagram).
# Install a [[floodgate]] or a south-raising [[bridge|drawbridge]] at the end of the tunnel and hook it up to a lever.
# Have a dwarf dig out the X.

The dwarf who dug the X should be able to get back to the stairs/ramp in time to not [[swimming|drown]]. To make extra sure of not drowning, ensure at least one dwarf is idling and have him/her pull the lever to the floodgate/drawbridge as soon as the wall is breached, then lower it again to let the reservoir fill. To make extra, ''extra'' sure, embark with a dwarf with a single point in the [[swimming]] skill, and have him/her carve the fortification.

Use a drawbridge instead of a floodgate at the end of the tunnel to prevent [[building destroyer]] aquatic/amphibious monsters from swimming into the reservoir and enter the rest of your fortress. A floodgate wouldn't stop a building destroyer, and monsters can swim through fully submerged [[fortification]]s. {{Bug|3327}} If you're going to use this reservoir for a [[well]] then closing off it off with a drawbridge is very important, since some building destroyers can swim ''and'' fly. If you're only going to use it for irrigation then you can use a floodgate and then simply [[wall]] off the reservoir once you're done with it, since building destroyers can't affect walls.

If you're going to use the reservoir for a well you should cover its floor with a paved [[road]] to prevent [[tree]]s from growing, because in some circumstances trees can grow underwater. {{Bug|1139}}

==== Dwarven Ice Cutting ====

This may not work, beware.

One quirk of [[dwarven physics]] is that a [[cave-in]] will transform an ice [[wall]] into liquid water. This can be used to generate water in the following fashion:

To begin, it is best to clear out a large section of the rock underneath all the ice. Then cut out a 6x6 section of ice (it is easiest to cut out two squares around the part you want to drop so that you won't have any fatalities while channeling out the section of ice). Channel out the entire piece of ice and it will fall into that cleared out section, immediately defrosting and flooding the area. Now you can farm!

Before you run out of starting booze, do the same again, but this time do it further away and open 3-4 levels of rock (channel everything away) so that you create a well. Make sure you make it deep enough or you will create an ice zone that will kill any dwarf that tries to dig it out.

Continue to cut out chunks of ice, dropping them a few stories, and reaping the benefits as you continue in the fortress. Be careful channeling as the dwarves are all idiots and like to strand themselves while channeling, and they like to drop their buddies down the hole (which pollutes the future water and creates a huge mess).

Diagram of Ice cutting:

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
OOOOOOOOOO
OCCCCCCCCO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCCCCCCCCO
OOOOOOOOOO
}}

O = Open area, no channeling, just an area for dwarves to walk

C = Channel area, first dig it out, then channel once every layer is ready.

I = Future water source, now ice.

Once you have dug deep enough to see rock, channel out the entire level (make sure you have an escape route for the miner). Also, when channeling a large room, do it layer by layer. Start at the one end and do the entire left side, then the next. If you just select the entire thing dwarves will die.

Don't drop water anywhere near other tunnels; the ice will break through, and it will be messy. You can cut off entire sections of fortress to flooding or caved-in sections by doing this, and it wastes a lot of work and ice.

==== Other Approaches ====
[[Aquifer]]s are sometimes present on glaciers, and magma can be used to melt ice (although the only [[magma_sea|reliable source]] of that is very deep underground). Seaside glaciers can allow you to bring some water in underground, but [[Water#Salt_water|desalinating]] the water will be necessary before it is drinkable by dwarves (or even before it can be designated as a [[Activity_zone#Water_Source|water zone]] for filling ponds).

Beware that flowing sources of [[water]], such as [[river]]s or [[brook]]s, don't ever seem to be present in glacier [[biome]]s.

== Trade ==
Trade on glaciers is an issue of contention for some glacial Dwarf Fortress players.

Some players argue that trade is basically essential on a glacial biome. Anyone playing on a glacier will inevitably end up with a lot of rock, so a commonly suggested source of income is rock [[crafts]]. However, beware that ice ''cannot'' be used to make crafts, even if the craftdwarf's workshop is on a z-level with freezing temperatures that would keep the ice from melting. The majority of your imports will be wood, used for making beds and other necessities, as well as fuel for making metal objects.

However, also be aware that independence from trade on a glacial biome '''is''' entirely possible. It does require extra effort and careful rationing of certain materials, but it can be done.

=== Glacial Independence ===
Gaining independence from trade on a glacier is a difficult prospect, primarily because of the lack of wood to be found on glacial biomes. However, even though wood is commonly used in the creation of various constructions and tools, it is almost entirely replaceable with either stone or metal crafting. However, there are two wood-based needs in Dwarf Fortress that are trickier to circumvent: beds and fuel.

==== Beds ====
The need for wood in the construction of beds is unavoidable: no other material in the game can be used to make them. However, that is not to say that trade is the only thing that can supply wood. The answer here lies in [[caverns]]. Caverns grow trees on their soil constantly, and if correctly managed, can be turned into [[tree_farm|tree farms]]. However, the trade-off is that to supply wood for beds early, aggressive expansion into the caverns will be required, which can be extremely [[fun]]. In light of this, it is recommended to bring at least seven logs with you on embark to build beds for your first seven dwarves, and to read up on [[caverns]] and their [[Giant_olm|dastardly]], [[Troll|dangerous]] [[Crundle|darting]] [[Cave_crocodile|denizens]].

==== Fuel ====
[[Fuel]] is a different matter; wood does not have to play a part in its production. If you are very lucky, you may find [[bituminous coal]] or [[lignite]], the two stones which can be turned into fuel for metalwork, but the odds are that you will have to do without. For this, your best option is to get down to the [[magma sea]] as soon as you can to build magma-based [[smelter|smelters]], [[forge|forges]] and the like, or at least as soon as you need to start using metal. This has the added advantage of quite possibly leading you to discover additional caverns (and thus sources of wood and water) along the way.

Needless to say, read up on [[magma]] before attempting this. Magma's usage can lead to an awful lot of unexpected [[fun]] in inexperienced hands. Also take a look at the [[magma_crab|various]] [[fire_imp|other]] [[magma_man|hazards]] that can confront anyone working with the magma sea, and consider channelling some of the sea into a reservoir or using a [[screw_pump|pump]] to isolate your working dwarves from them. Once you have got the hang of it, magma really is a blessing because of its lack of limitations; the magma sea is not about to "run out" of magma, and it also makes for good <s>[[elf|hippie]]</s> [[refuse|garbage]] disposal. Also, if you are very lucky indeed, you may well stumble across [[adamantine|something special]].

== Wildlife ==

'''On neutral glaciers appear:'''

* [[Polar bear]]
* [[Yeti]]
* [[Weasel]]

'''On evil glaciers appear:'''

* [[Blizzard man]]
* [[Ice wolf]]

== Notes ==
Ice that is underground melts, but creates only useless puddles of water (marked as a cyan double tilde) identical to water dumped from a [[bucket]]. These puddles can only be cleaned. They cannot form usable water (blue tilde with depth attribute). Dumping block after block of mined ice blocks indoors will simply result in a huge stack of useless "water".

Glaciers are very unlikely to have a source of [[shell]]s. Thus, you may want to mod the game so that some other material can be used in place of shells for the occasional [[strange mood]]s which call for them; see [[Shell]] for details.

Some glacier biomes have such low temperatures that your dwarves and animals may die if exposed aboveground for too long.

Water in [[bucket]]s does not immediately freeze above ground so you can designate an area as a pool, tell dwarfs to fill it, then smooth and engrave your new ice fort.

== Volcanoes and Glaciers ==
If you embark on a Glacier Biome with a Volcano you might think it would be a good idea to erupt the volcano (dig a hole into its side) onto the glacier ice. This will indeed cause some interesting effects like multiplying the amount of ice, casting obsidian and spamming you with cavern" collapsed" messages. The ice will expand due to the fact that one molten wall of ice will become 7 units of water, potentially flowing apart in all directions and freezing into new walls of ice immediately, which can then melt into 7 ''more'' units of water. If the water flows to the same square as the magma it will turn to obsidian. Both the ice and the obsidian walls may not be connected to another solid wall so a lot of cave-ins will occour.

{{World|Biomes}}

v0.34 Talk:Tantrum

2013-07-16T09:49:00Z

Khym Chanur: /* Keeping dwarves from making friends? */ new section

== Keeping dwarves from making friends? ==

Though I haven't ever tried it myself, I've heard that another method of preventing tantrums (or at least tantrum spirals) is to prevent dwarves from making friends, so that if something bad happens to one dwarf if won't upset any others. If this actually works, could someone who's done it provide a section on details? -- [[User:Khym Chanur|Khym Chanur]] ([[User talk:Khym Chanur|talk]]) 09:48, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

v0.34:Vermin

2013-05-17T15:57:59Z

Khym Chanur: Pasturing cats/falcons at a stockpile to further reduce vermin problem

{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional|22:00, 9 June 2010 (UTC)}}

:''For a list of vermin, see [[:Category:DF2012:Vermin|Vermin (category)]]''

'''Vermin''' are small [[creature]]s such as [[rat]]s, [[bat]]s, and [[lizard]]s which are difficult to see, and also the type of [[fish]] which are caught by [[fisherdwarf|fisherdwarves]]. They are below 2 kg (4 lb) in size, much smaller than [[cat|cats]]. The presence of vermin can be noted if you are particularly observant, as they will occasionally blink into and out of view on the screen. The main distinctions between vermin and [[creature]]s are that vermin:
# Do not attack and cannot be engaged in [[combat]] or trigger [[trap]]s
# Do not usually provide [[meat]], [[bone]]s and other by-products of butchery. There seem to be some exceptions - [[creepy crawler]]s are somehow butchered for meat and organs.
# Do not breed, but "spawn", spontaneously appearing in their natural environment or [[biome]]
# Are sometimes "hateable", meaning dwarves can have an anti-[[preference]] which gives them a negative [[thought]] when they see the hated vermin

Vermin can be problematic as many types feed on [[stockpile]]s, thus making it more difficult to keep enough [[food]] and [[alcohol|drink]] to survive. Vermin can be hunted by [[cat]]s and [[peregrine falcon]]s to reduce this problem, though the [[remains]] will still need to be [[Activity zone#Garbage Dump|removed]]. Cats and falcons can be [[pasture]]d at the relevant stockpiles to further reduce the probglem.

Vermin can, however be captured in [[animal trap]]s, and can be tamed as [[pet]]s.

Dwarves will eat vermin if no [[food]] source is available, resulting in an unhappy [[thought]].

See {{Catlink|Vermin|the vermin category page}} for a list of vermin.

==Hateable vermin==
* [[Bark scorpion]]s
* [[Bat]]s
* [[Blood gnat]]s
* [[Brown recluse spider]]s
* [[Cave spider]]s
* [[Fire snake]]s
* [[Fly|Flies]]
* [[Hamster]]s
* [[Jumping spider]]s
* [[Large roach]]es
* [[Leech]]es
* [[Lizard]]s
* [[Moon snail]]s
* [[Mosquito]]s
* [[Mussel]]s
* [[Oyster]]s
* [[Purring maggot]]s
* [[Rat]]s
* [[Slug]]s
* [[Snail]]s
* [[Toad]]s
* [[Worm]]s

{{Category|Vermin| }}

[[ru:DF2012:Vermin]]
{{Vermin}}

v0.34:Zoo

2013-05-16T01:34:51Z

Khym Chanur: Link

{{quality|Fine|20:28, 1 February 2013 (UTC)}}{{av}}

A '''zoo''' is a [[room]] defined around a built [[cage]] or [[restraint]] that is not designated for "[[justice]]" (i.e. [[jail]]). Zoos can be assigned to specific dwarves, or left unassigned for communal enjoyment. An unassigned zoo seems to function as [[meeting hall]], where idle dwarves will congregate and throw [[party|parties]]. While dwarves may receive happy [[thought]]s from admiring a zoo's [[restraint]]s, [[cage]]s, and any [[preference|preferred]] [[creature]]s, they do not appear to consider them "tastefully arranged" (unlike [[furniture]] in [[statue garden]]s); it is unknown if this has any effect on the happiness of the dwarves.

Caged animals that need a [[pasture]] will eventually get hungry and die if not fed, making them impractical for use in a zoo.

Note that the game does neither use the term ''zoo'' nor calls a room created from a cage a meeting hall; A zoo will function even without animals.

{{buildings}}

v0.34:Pasture

2013-05-15T07:35:24Z

Khym Chanur: /* Other Applications */ Pasturing a cat in a food stockpile to keep away vermin

{{Quality|Exceptional|15:35, 21 April 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

Pastures are [[activity zone]]s that the player creates to hold tame animals, especially grazing animals. Herbivorous animals require [[grass]], [[cave moss]], or [[floor fungus]] to graze upon, and larger herbivores need a greater amount of these to feed themselves. [[Panda]]s and their relatives require bamboo rather than other types of grass. Using pastures allows herbivorous animals to be restricted to areas where they will have plenty to eat.

A pasture is defined using {{K|i}}-{{K|n}} to draw a rectangle, and then animals are selected to graze. Having pressed {{K|i}} to define a zone, highlight the pasture and press {{K|N}} ({{K|Shift}}+{{K|n}}), select the animal(s) you wish to pasture using {{K|+}}/{{K|-}}, and press {{K|Enter}}. Animals currently assigned to this pasture will have a green plus symbol to the left of them. Animals assigned to ''some'' pasture, this one or otherwise, will have a green triple-line symbol to the right of them. If the brackets surrounding this triple-line are white, the animal is currently pastured; if they're grey, the animal has not yet been brought to pasture, or still needs to be moved to a different pasture. If the brackets contain the 'cage' symbol (‼), it means that animal is currently caged. If that animal is selected for this pasture, they will be automatically uncaged and brought to the pasture by a dwarf (this is actually a good way to get animals you bought from a merchant uncaged quickly, without having to actually build the cage somewhere first).

Once all animals are selected, finish by pressing {{K|Esc}} and idle dwarves will lead the animals to pasture. Contrary to a common misconception, this task is '''not''' an animal hauling job and will be performed by any adult civilian regardless of labors enabled.

Any tame animal may be assigned to a pasture. You can also create pastures inside (on rock) and use them to confine animals that do not need to eat (like pigs) in certain areas. If there is fungus or moss on your indoor floors (e.g. on soil after breaching the caverns), the animals will consume that in place of grass.

[[Grass]] on your pastures will replenish at different speeds, depending on [[biome]]; If on embark the biome read "Thick" on "Other Vegetation" it will regrow fast, if it read "Scarce", it may not regenerate at all.

Baby animals born to pastured mothers will automatically be assigned to their mother's pasture.

==Grazing animals and pasture size==
Grazing animals use the [GRAZER:<value>] token to signify how much grass they need to eat. This is an inverse number - the value in grazer signifies how much hunger is reduced when eating a unit of grass. A creature with ten times the grazer value needs one tenth the amount of grass (and hence, pasture land) as a creature with a small grazer value. If you started your fortress in an undead biome, you may need to assign more space for a pasture as much of the grass is dead. Animals will not eat dead grass and will only eat the still living patches.

Animals which graze are typically good livestock candidates, as many of them can be [[milk]]ed and 3 also can be [[shear]]ed for [[wool]]. Creatures with larger sizes consume more grass, but also produce more meat when [[butcher]]ed.

Each [[time]] unit adds one point to hunger. An animal takes an average of one turn per ten time units, and takes one time unit to eat grass. If there were an unlimited amount of grass on a tile, even animals with [GRAZER:1] would be able to feed themselves, however, there are at most 4 bunches of grass. Therefore, a creature of standard speed and agility with [GRAZER:3] would not be able to survive, and creatures with [GRAZER:4] require a constant source of grass (in other words infinite sized pastures) to survive. In practice, anything with [GRAZER:20] or less is completely incapable of feeding itself. Because of this, the larger creatures like [[draltha]]s are virtually impossible to keep fed, and [[elephant]]s are incapable of feeding themselves fast enough to stave off starvation. {{bug|4113}}

If grazing animals consume all the grass on a tile, the tile will be reverted to the base layer material. This may be [[sand]], [[clay]] or [[soil]]. In this way you receive a visual clue as to the size of the pasture required.

==[[Overcrowding]]==
When a pasture is overcrowded, animals may become enraged and start fights. This behavior is similar to a dwarf throwing a [[tantrum]], and can be prevented by enlarging your pasture or keeping fewer animals in it.

Another possibility is to split a large pasture which holds many animals into several smaller pastures, with the pasture size reflecting the amount of grazing the animal needs to survive. Animals will only fight each other if their pasture is sharing the same tiles as the creature they are fighting with.

==Other Applications==
Pasturing a [[cat]] in a food [[stockpile]] will make it more effective at keeping [[vermin]] away from your food.

A pasture can serve as a quite limited replacement for a [[rope]] or [[restraint]], as it allows you to "tie" multiple animals to the same spot and even allows you to place [[pet]]s and animals assigned to dwarves. It does however not actually tie animals; see below.

This can be used to (not very safely) get rid of immigrant pets or cat infestations by pasturing them outside the fortress to serve as an early warning system and meatshield or by pasturing them inside a room that then gets accidentally filled with [[magma]]. This procedure will cause unhappy thoughts in owners and spam "assign to pasture" jobs when you want them least: When the animals are running away from invaders or even a meager [[thief]], most of them escaping death:

While a pasture is a quick way of placing animals exactly in one defined area, it does not restrict the movement of an animal--if they are threatened by an enemy, the animal will flee as normal, and will trigger a task to re-pasture the animal once it leaves the border of the pasture. This is important as the announcement of an ambush may trigger a flood of civilians rushing to the pasture and into the face of the enemy. Since the labor has no associated skill, you cannot govern who will take such a job, but you can cancel those jobs by e.g. temporarily deactivating the pasture zone.

==List of grazing animals==

Take the following numbers with a grain of salt; they ignore the differing abilities of various biomes to replenish grass. Usually you can get along with way smaller pastures. Nevertheless, a fairly large herd can cause overgrazing fast, keep an eye out for hungry animals and desolate [[grass]]less areas.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
! Animal
! Grazer value
! Creature Size
! [[Milking|Milkable]]
! [[Shearing|Shearable]]
! Minimal Pasture Size per individual
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Elephant]]
| 12 || 5,000,000 || ||
|style="text-align:left"| Cannot Self Feed (Graze Value <= 20)
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Rhinoceros]]
| 20 || 3,000,000 || ||
|style="text-align:left"| Cannot Self Feed (Graze Value <= 20)
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giant moose|Giant bull moose]]
| 23 || 4,257,750 || ||
|style="text-align:left"| 29 x 29
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Draltha]]
| 24
| 2,500,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 29 x 29
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giant moose|Giant moose cow]]
| 38
| 2,554,650
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 28 x 28
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Water buffalo]]
| 60
| 1,000,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 18 x 18
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giraffe]]
| 60
| 1,000,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 18 x 18
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Yak]]
| 85
| 700,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 16 x 16
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Gigantic panda]]
| 92
| 1,160,900
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| N/A (only eat bamboo, will starve without it)
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Cow]]
| 100
| 600,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 14 x 14
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Unicorn]]
| 100
| 600,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 14 x 14

|-
|style="text-align:left"| [[Moose|Bull moose]]
| 114
| 525,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 14 x 14
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Horse]]
| 120
| 500,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 13 x 13
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Camel]] (both)
| 120
| 500,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 13 x 13
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giant capybara]]
| 133
| 523,350
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 13 x 13
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Mule]]
| 150
| 400,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 12 x 12
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Moose|Cow moose]]
| 190
| 315,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 11 x 11
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Donkey]]
| 200
| 300,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 10 x 10
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Elk]]
| 200
| 300,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 10 x 10
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Muskox]]
| 210
| 285,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 10 x 10
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giant red panda]]
| 255
| 235,100
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| N/A (only eat bamboo, will starve without it)
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Tapir]]
| 300
| 200,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 9 x 9 ?
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Llama]]
| 333
| 180,000
| Yes
| Yes
|style="text-align:left"| 8 x 8
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Deer]]
| 428
| 140,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 7 x 7
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Reindeer]]
| 461
| 130,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 7 x 7
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Panda]]
| 462
| 130,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| N/A (only eat bamboo, will starve without it)
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Warthog]]
| 600
| 100,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 6 x 6
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Elk bird]]
| 600
| 100,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 6 x 6
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Kangaroo]]
| 667
| 90,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 6 x 6
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Alpaca]]
| 857
| 70,000
| Yes
| Yes
|style="text-align:left"| 5 x 5
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Goat]]
| 1,200
| 50,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 4 x 4
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Mountain goat]]
| 1,200
| 50,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 4 x 4
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Ibex]]
| 1,200
| 50,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 4 x 4
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Impala]]
| 1,200
| 50,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 4 x 4
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Sheep]]
| 1,200
| 50,000
| Yes
| Yes
|style="text-align:left"| 4 x 4
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Capybara]]
| 1,333
| 45,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 4 x 4
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Wombat]]
| 2,308
| 25,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 3 x 3 ?
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Gazelle]]
| 3,000
| 20,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 3 x 3
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Hoary marmot]]
| 6,000
| 10,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 2 x 2
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Red panda]]
| 12,000
| 5,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| N/A (only eat bamboo, will starve without it)
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Hare]]
| 17,143
| 3,500
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 1 x 1 ?
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Groundhog]]
| 20,000
| 3,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 1 x 1
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Cavy]]
| 75,000
| 800
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 1 x 1 (can feed up to 3 cavies)
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Rabbit]]
| 120,000
| 500
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 1 x 1 (can feed up to 5 rabbits)
|}

The following giant animals do not modify the grazer token inherited from their parents and are bugged to eat less than their size would indicate.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
! Animal
! Grazer value
! Creature Size
! [[Milking|Milkable]]
! [[Shearing|Shearable]]
! Minimal Pasture Size per individual
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giant tapir]]
| 300
| 1,700,000
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 9 x 9 ?
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giant kangaroo]]
| 667
| 857,700
| Yes
|
|style="text-align:left"| 6 x 6
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giant ibex]]
| 1,200
| 560,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 4 x 4
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giant impala]]
| 1,200
| 560,000
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 4 x 4
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giant wombat]]
| 2,308
| 377,750
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 3 x 3 ?
|-

|style="text-align:left"| [[Giant hare]]
| 17,143
| 224,560
|
|
|style="text-align:left"| 1 x 1 ?
|-
|}

v0.34:Water

2013-05-15T07:29:36Z

Khym Chanur: /* Sourced water */ Water sources which abut the edge of the map are always sourced

{{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 can be displayed in two ways, depending on the [[Technical tricks#The look of the game|settings]] in d_init.txt. By default it is displayed with the symbols {{Tile|≈|1:7:1}} and {{Tile|~|1:7:1}}, sometimes colored different blues, and white, showing ripples, and flow. Setting <nowiki>[SHOW_FLOW_AMOUNTS:YES]</nowiki> in d_init.txt will cause water to display using a depth indicator of {{Tile|1|1:0:1}} through {{Tile|7|1:0:1}} instead. Water can also take on other colors indicating [[contaminant|contaminants]] such as '''blood''', '''ichor''', or '''goo'''.

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 3 - at depth 4 or higher, a dwarf will cancel jobs due to "Dangerous terrain" and begin to gain [[swimming]] experience. At depth 7, any dwarf that does not have sufficient Swimming skill will drown.

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===
In the normal underground temperature of {{ct|10015}}, evaporation occurs when water or [[magma]] is at a depth of 1/7. Exact rate of evaporation is unknown, but it is affected by temperature and surrounding liquids. A single 1/7 water tile will evaporate faster than a large recently flooded area or a 1/7 water tile by a river, for example.

At high temperatures (usually found in [[Climate#Scorching|Scorching climates]]) water can evaporate at greater depths, even 7/7. This is generally accompanied by the [[grass]] drying out and turning yellow.

{| style="border-spacing:0; float:left; margin-right:10px;"
|-
|{{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}}
|}
Water or magma at 1/7 depth will evaporate even if it is on top of 7/7 depth liquid, as shown in this side-view example.
 

=== 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 likely leading to [[swimmer#Drowning|drowning]] if the dwarf is not an experienced [[swimmer]].

Mining ice can produce chunks of ice. Taking these chunks into a stone layer will cause it to 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 ==
===Depth===
{{Main|Water depth}}
Water can have a depth between 0 and 7.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Depth
! Description
|-
| 0
| No water present.
|-
| 1
| Water may evaporate.
|-
| 2
|
|-
| 3
|
|-
| 4
| Dangerous terrain. Movement trains [[swimming]].
|-
| 5
|
|-
| 6
|
|-
| 7
| Risk of drowning. Can have water on floorless tile above.
|}

===Sourced water===
Water that comes from [[aquifer]]s, as well as any water source that extends off the edge of the map ([[river]]s, [[brook]]s, [[ocean]]s, and some [[lake]]s) 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 or all of the year in colder biomes. Murky pools, although not 'sourced water' as described here, also slowly generate water during [[rain]] storms. This can make it possible for a murky pool to replenish itself even when it has been completely drained.

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 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 ways, 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 cannot use salt water directly; while healthy dwarves will usually prefer to drink [[booze]], wounded dwarves can only be given water to drink, so if you have only salt water on your map it is helpful to desalinate it.

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 (not that this is necessary to begin with), 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 have an increased risk of [[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 destroy stagnant water. [[DF2012:Release information/0.34.09|0.34.09]]

The game will describe stagnant water as stagnant if it was in a [[bucket]] or [[flask]]/[[waterskin]], and 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, original water level and such). Be careful if you dump the water into an underground lake, as such lakes have some sort of equilibrium built into them, and your excess water may cause them to flood. 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.

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:Glacier

2013-05-15T07:20:48Z

Khym Chanur: /* Some Hints and Ideas */ Fix desalination link

{{Quality|Exceptional|15:49, 12 May 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

'''Glaciers''' are extremely cold [[biome]]s, usually found in the northern or southern extremes on larger world maps. The first few layers of any glacier are solid [[ice]].

There are few resources on an ice tile; no [[tree]]s, [[plant]]s, [[water]], [[animal]]s, [[stone]], or [[ore]]s are typically included. In addition, the [[ice]] can be several z-layers thick, which can make getting to any stone underneath even more challenging.

Due to being freezing and lacking of soil layers, above ground seeds cannot be used, meaning that all farming must be done underground.

These factors make a glacier a very difficult biome to build a successful [[fortress]] in, although many players try it as a challenge.

Also, because of a glacier's isolation (generally), it is entirely possible that you won't see a caravan from the Mountainhomes for anywhere up to 3 years. Migrants may be even more rare. On the plus side, though, no hostile nations should bother you for a while.

== Starting on a Glacier ==

Take a lot of wood, food and drink. Consider bringing extra [[domestic animal]]s ([[dog]]s are recommended) as an emergency food source, and/or to jump-start a long-term [[breeding]] program.

Dump your wood cutter and axe in favour of another miner and pick. Alternatively, find a glacier near a forested taiga and enjoy the best of both worlds.

Trading is '''essential'''. An easy source of income is rock crafts. All that rock you cut out making wells and farms you can sell to merchants who visit. Begin as soon as you can because you need to import a lot of wood if you plan on having beds or fuel for making metal objects.

[[Ice]] is everywhere, so read up on it before you make any major plans. One difference between regular ice and glacier ice that you may want to know before you head out is that, unlike ice from other biomes, glacier ice constructions and workshops do not melt when above ground in the "summer". The disadvantage, however, is that it is more difficult to use the ice as a potential water source. Note that mined out chunks of ice, when melted by being brought underground, will '''not''' produce usable water. {{Bug|360}}

=== Digging down to the rock layers ===

Due to a bug, down-[[stair]]s and up-down-stairs can't be carved out of ice if the layer immediately below the ice is stone. {{Bug|358}} This makes it impossible to get from the surface down to the stone layers using only stairs. Instead, use [[ramp]]s.

You can, however, construct ice up-down stairs from above after the carved up-down stairs have melted.

=== Farming and getting water ===

Since glaciers contain no [[soil]] layers you have to use [[irrigation]] in order to [[farm]], and that requires [[water]], which isn't to be found on the surface of a glacier. Also, water is needed at [[hospital]]s for cleaning and to give the wounded something to drink. There are two ways to get water on a glacier.

==== Underground pools ====

All regions of the world have vast underground [[caverns]] (unless the world was [[world generation|generated]] without them), and caverns almost always have large pools of water. Further, if the pool abuts the edge of your embark area, new water will fill in from the edge, giving you an infinite source of water. On the down side, it can take a while to find the caverns, since digging straight down isn't guaranteed to breach them, and there's a small chance of aquatic monster escaping from the cavern.

To safely (without having to wander around inside the cavern) tap into an underground pool, consider the following diagram:

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
WWWWWWWWW
▓▓▓▓X▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓B▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓.▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓.▓▓▓▓
▓S......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓F▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
}}

* W = water
* ▓ = stone wall
* X = last wall to dig out
* B = floor with [[floodgate]] or [[bridge|drawbridge]]
* F = wall or optional floor with floodgate (for [[irrigation]])
* . = floor with optional paved [[road]]
* S = up stairs or ramp

Then do the following steps:

# Dig down to the same level as the pool (not to the surface of the pool) and dig out the reservoir (rectangular region) with stairs (or ramp) leading out.
# If you're going to use the reservoir for [[irrigation]] then dig an outlet from the reservoir at the F, install a floodgate at its mouth, and hook it up to a [[lever]].
# Dig a tunnel to the pool, leaving one tile's worth of stone between the tunnel and the water (the X in the diagram).
# Install a [[floodgate]] or a south-raising [[bridge|drawbridge]] at the end of the tunnel and hook it up to a lever.
# Have a dwarf dig out the X.

The dwarf who dug the X should be able to get back to the stairs/ramp in time to not [[swimming|drown]]. To make extra sure of not drowning, ensure at least one dwarf is idling and have him/her pull the lever to the floodgate/drawbridge as soon as the wall is breached, then lower it again to let the reservoir fill. To make extra, ''extra'' sure, embark with a dwarf with a single point in the [[swimming]] skill, and have him/her carve the fortification.

Use a drawbridge instead of a floodgate at the end of the tunnel to prevent [[building destroyer]] aquatic/amphibious monsters from swimming into the reservoir and enter the rest of your fortress. A floodgate wouldn't stop a building destroyer, and monsters can swim through fully submerged [[fortification]]s. {{Bug|3327}} If you're going to use this reservoir for a [[well]] then closing off it off with a drawbridge is very important, since some building destroyers can swim ''and'' fly. If you're only going to use it for irrigation then you can use a floodgate and then simply [[wall]] off the reservoir once you're done with it, since building destroyers can't affect walls.

If you're going to use the reservoir for a well you should cover its floor with a paved [[road]] to prevent [[tree]]s from growing, because in some circumstances trees can grow underwater. {{Bug|1139}}

==== Cave-in some ice ====

This may not work, beware.

One quirk of [[dwarven physics]] is that a [[cave-in]] will transform an ice [[wall]] into liquid water. This can be used to generate water in the following fashion:

To begin, it is best to clear out a large section of the rock underneath all the ice. Then cut out a 6x6 section of ice (it is easiest to cut out two squares around the part you want to drop so that you won't have any fatalities while channeling out the section of ice). Channel out the entire piece of ice and it will fall into that cleared out section, immediately defrosting and flooding the area. Now you can farm!

Before you run out of starting booze, do the same again, but this time do it further away and open 3-4 levels of rock (channel everything away) so that you create a well. Make sure you make it deep enough or you will create an ice zone that will kill any dwarf that tries to dig it out.

Continue to cut out chunks of ice, dropping them a few stories, and reaping the benefits as you continue in the fortress. Be careful channeling as the dwarves are all idiots and like to strand themselves while channeling, and they like to drop their buddies down the hole (which pollutes the future water and creates a huge mess).

Diagram of Ice cutting:

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
OOOOOOOOOO
OCCCCCCCCO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCCCCCCCCO
OOOOOOOOOO
}}

O = Open area, no channeling, just an area for dwarves to walk

C = Channel area, first dig it out, then channel once every layer is ready.

I = Future water source, now ice.

Once you have dug deep enough to see rock, channel out the entire level (make sure you have an escape route for the miner). Also, when channeling a large room, do it layer by layer. Start at the one end and do the entire left side, then the next. If you just select the entire thing dwarves will die.

Don't drop water anywhere near other tunnels; the ice will break through, and it will be messy. You can cut off entire sections of fortress to flooding or caved-in sections by doing this, and it wastes a lot of work and ice.

== Wildlife ==

'''On neutral glaciers appear:'''

* [[Polar bear]]
* [[Yeti]]
* [[Weasel]]

'''On evil glaciers appear:'''

* [[Blizzard man]]
* [[Ice wolf]]

== Some Hints and Ideas ==

Flowing sources of [[water]], such as [[river]]s or [[brook]]s, don't ever seem to be present in glacier [[biome]]s. So getting [[water]] for wounded dwarves early on may prove a challenge. Usable water may be present in the underground [[cavern]]s.

Ice that is underground melts, but creates only useless puddles of water (marked as a cyan double tilde) identical to water dumped from a [[bucket]]. These puddles can only be cleaned. They cannot form usable water (blue tilde with depth attribute). Dumping block after block of mined ice blocks indoors will simply result in a huge stack of useless "water".

[[Aquifer]]s are sometimes present, and magma can be used to melt ice - if that's present. Seaside glaciers can allow you to bring some water in underground, but [[Water#Salt_water|desalinating]] the water will be necessary before it is drinkable by dwarves (or even before it can be designated as a [[Activity_zone#Water_Source|water zone]] for filling ponds).

Glaciers are very unlikely to have a source of [[shell]]s. Thus, you may want to mod the game so that some other material can be used in place of shells for the occasional [[strange mood]]s which call for them; see [[Shell]] for details.

Some glacier biomes have such low temperatures that your dwarves and animals may die if exposed aboveground for too long.

Water in [[bucket]]s does not freeze above ground so you can designate an area as a pool, tell dwarfs to fill it, then smooth and engrave your new ice fort.

{{World|Biomes}}

v0.34:Glacier

2013-01-10T08:06:07Z

Khym Chanur: /* Some Hints and Ideas */ No source of shells in a glacier; links

{{av}} {{quality|Fine|08:12, 31 May 2010 (UTC)}}

'''Glaciers''' are extremely cold [[biome]]s, usually found in the northern or southern extremes on larger world maps. The first few layers of any glacier are solid [[ice]].

There are few resources on an ice tile; no [[tree]]s, [[plant]]s, [[water]], [[animal]]s, [[stone]], or [[ore]]s are typically included. In addition, the [[ice]] can be several z-layers thick, which can make getting to any stone underneath even more challenging.

Due to being freezing and lacking of soil layers, above ground seeds cannot be used, meaning that all farming must be done underground.

These factors make a glacier a very difficult biome to build a successful [[fortress]] in, although many players try it as a challenge.

Also, because of a glacier's isolation (generally), it is entirely possible that you won't see a caravan from the Mountainhomes for anywhere up to 3 years. Migrants may be even more rare. On the plus side, though, no hostile nations should bother you for a while.

== Starting on a Glacier ==

Take a lot of wood, food and drink. Consider bringing extra [[domestic animal]]s ([[dog]]s are recommended) as an emergency food source, and/or to jump-start a long-term [[breeding]] program.

Dump your wood cutter and axe in favour of another miner and pick. Alternatively, find a glacier near a forested taiga and enjoy the best of both worlds.

Trading is '''essential'''. An easy source of income is rock crafts. All that rock you cut out making wells and farms you can sell to merchants who visit. Begin as soon as you can because you need to import a lot of wood if you plan on having beds or fuel for making metal objects.

[[Ice]] is everywhere, so read up on it before you make any major plans. One difference between regular ice and glacier ice that you may want to know before you head out is that, unlike ice from other biomes, glacier ice constructions and workshops do not melt when above ground in the "summer". The disadvantage, however, is that it is more difficult to use the ice as a potential water source. Note that mined out chunks of ice, when melted by being brought underground, will '''not''' produce usable water. {{Bug|360}}

=== Digging down to the rock layers ===

Due to a bug, down-[[stair]]s and up-down-stairs can't be carved out of ice if the layer immediately below the ice is stone. {{Bug|358}} This makes it impossible to get from the surface down to the stone layers using only stairs. Instead, use [[ramp]]s.

You can, however, construct ice up-down stairs from above after the carved up-down stairs have melted.

=== Farming and getting water ===

Since glaciers contain no [[soil]] layers you have to use [[irrigation]] in order to [[farm]], and that requires [[water]], which isn't to be found on the surface of a glacier. Also, water is needed at [[hospital]]s for cleaning and to give the wounded something to drink. There are two ways to get water on a glacier.

==== Underground pools ====

All regions of the world have vast underground [[caverns]] (unless the world was [[world generation|generated]] without them), and caverns almost always have large pools of water. Further, if the pool abuts the edge of your embark area, new water will fill in from the edge, giving you an infinite source of water. On the down side, it can take a while to find the caverns, since digging straight down isn't guaranteed to breach them, and there's a small chance of aquatic monster escaping from the cavern.

To safely (without having to wander around inside the cavern) tap into an underground pool, consider the following diagram:

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
WWWWWWWWW
▓▓▓▓X▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓B▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓.▓▓▓▓
▓▓▓▓.▓▓▓▓
▓S......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓.......▓
▓F▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
}}

* W = water
* ▓ = stone wall
* X = last wall to dig out
* B = floor with [[floodgate]] or [[bridge|drawbridge]]
* F = wall or optional floor with floodgate (for [[irrigation]])
* . = floor with optional paved [[road]]
* S = up stairs or ramp

Then do the following steps:

# Dig down to the same level as the pool (not to the surface of the pool) and dig out the reservoir (rectangular region) with stairs (or ramp) leading out.
# If you're going to use the reservoir for [[irrigation]] then dig an outlet from the reservoir at the F, install a floodgate at its mouth, and hook it up to a [[lever]].
# Dig a tunnel to the pool, leaving one tile's worth of stone between the tunnel and the water (the X in the diagram).
# Install a [[floodgate]] or a south-raising [[bridge|drawbridge]] at the end of the tunnel and hook it up to a lever.
# Have a dwarf dig out the X.

The dwarf who dug the X should be able to get back to the stairs/ramp in time to not [[swimming|drown]]. To make extra sure of not drowning, ensure at least one dwarf is idling and have him/her pull the lever to the floodgate/drawbridge as soon as the wall is breached, then lower it again to let the reservoir fill. To make extra, ''extra'' sure, embark with a dwarf with a single point in the [[swimming]] skill, and have him/her carve the fortification.

Use a drawbridge instead of a floodgate at the end of the tunnel to prevent [[building destroyer]] aquatic/amphibious monsters from swimming into the reservoir and enter the rest of your fortress. A floodgate wouldn't stop a building destroyer, and monsters can swim through fully submerged [[fortification]]s. {{Bug|3327}} If you're going to use this reservoir for a [[well]] then closing off it off with a drawbridge is very important, since some building destroyers can swim ''and'' fly. If you're only going to use it for irrigation then you can use a floodgate and then simply [[wall]] off the reservoir once you're done with it, since building destroyers can't affect walls.

If you're going to use the reservoir for a well you should cover its floor with a paved [[road]] to prevent [[tree]]s from growing, because in some circumstances trees can grow underwater. {{Bug|1139}}

==== Cave-in some ice ====

This may not work, beware.

One quirk of [[dwarven physics]] is that a [[cave-in]] will transform an ice [[wall]] into liquid water. This can be used to generate water in the following fashion:

To begin, it is best to clear out a large section of the rock underneath all the ice. Then cut out a 6x6 section of ice (it is easiest to cut out two squares around the part you want to drop so that you won't have any fatalities while channeling out the section of ice). Channel out the entire piece of ice and it will fall into that cleared out section, immediately defrosting and flooding the area. Now you can farm!

Before you run out of starting booze, do the same again, but this time do it further away and open 3-4 levels of rock (channel everything away) so that you create a well. Make sure you make it deep enough or you will create an ice zone that will kill any dwarf that tries to dig it out.

Continue to cut out chunks of ice, dropping them a few stories, and reaping the benefits as you continue in the fortress. Be careful channeling as the dwarves are all idiots and like to strand themselves while channeling, and they like to drop their buddies down the hole (which pollutes the future water and creates a huge mess).

Diagram of Ice cutting:

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
OOOOOOOOOO
OCCCCCCCCO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCIIIIIICO
OCCCCCCCCO
OOOOOOOOOO
}}

O = Open area, no channeling, just an area for dwarves to walk

C = Channel area, first dig it out, then channel once every layer is ready.

I = Future water source, now ice.

Once you have dug deep enough to see rock, channel out the entire level (make sure you have an escape route for the miner). Also, when channeling a large room, do it layer by layer. Start at the one end and do the entire left side, then the next. If you just select the entire thing dwarves will die.

Don't drop water anywhere near other tunnels; the ice will break through, and it will be messy. You can cut off entire sections of fortress to flooding or caved-in sections by doing this, and it wastes a lot of work and ice.

== Wildlife ==

'''On neutral glaciers appear:'''

* [[Polar bear]]
* [[Yeti]]
* [[Weasel]]

'''On evil glaciers appear:'''

* [[Blizzard man]]
* [[Ice wolf]]

== Some Hints and Ideas ==

Flowing sources of [[water]], such as [[river]]s or [[brook]]s, don't ever seem to be present in glacier [[biome]]s. So getting [[water]] for wounded dwarves early on may prove a challenge. Usable water may be present in the underground [[cavern]]s.

Ice that is underground melts, but creates only useless puddles of water (marked as a cyan double tilde) identical to water dumped from a [[bucket]]. These puddles can only be cleaned. They cannot form usable water (blue tilde with depth attribute). Dumping block after block of mined ice blocks indoors will simply result in a huge stack of useless "water".

[[Aquifer]]s are sometimes present, and magma can be used to melt ice - if that's present. Seaside glaciers can allow you to bring some water in underground, but [[Water#Salt_Water|desalinating]] the water will be necessary before it is drinkable by dwarves (or even before it can be designated as a [[Activity_zone#Water_Source|water zone]] for filling ponds).

Glaciers have no source of [[shell]]s, as even in the unlikely event that you manage to catch a [[cave lobster]], processing it will produce no shell. Thus, you should mod the game so that other material can be used in place of shells for the inevitable [[strange mood]]s which call for them.

Some glacier biomes have such low temperatures that your dwarves may die during winter when above ground.

Water in [[bucket]]s does not freeze above ground so you can designate an area as a pool, tell dwarfs to fill it, then smooth and engrave your new ice fort.

{{World|Biomes}}

v0.34:Cave lobster

2013-01-10T07:14:44Z

Khym Chanur: Bugs

{{Quality|Exceptional|22:05, 9 June 2010 (UTC)}}
{{verminlookup/0|wiki=no}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

[[File:Vermin-CaveLobster.jpg|thumb|left|Admired for its beauty.]]

'''Cave lobsters''' are a type of [[vermin]] [[fish]]. They are found only in [[cavern|underground bodies of water]]. Cave lobsters cannot actually be caught by [[fishing]] - instead, they must be caught in baited [[animal trap]]s. Upon [[fish cleaning|processing]] the cave lobster produces an [[food|edible cave lobster]] and a [[shell]] that cannot be used to craft items, unlike other shells.

==Bugs==
*[[Fisherdwarf]]s will never give up fishing in underground pools, even when there's nothing to catch. {{bug|1854}}
*There are few or no cave lobsters to actually be found. {{bug|4505}}
*Cave lobsters don't actually produce any shells when processed. {{bug|4506}}

{{gamedata}}
{{Vermin}}

v0.34:Cave fish

2013-01-10T07:12:28Z

Khym Chanur: Remove Example.jpg (how'd that get in there?)

{{Quality|Exceptional|22:02, 9 June 2010 (UTC)}}
{{verminlookup/0}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

[[File:Vermin-CaveFish.jpg|thumb|left|Admired for its beauty.]]

'''Cave fish''' are a type [[vermin]] [[fish]]. They are only found in [[cavern|underground water sources]], but they can be seen year-round. They are a ready source of [[food]] when [[fish cleaning|cleaned]] at a [[fishery]].

==Bugs==
*[[Fisherdwarf]]s will never give up fishing in underground pools, even when there's nothing to catch. {{bug|1854}}
*There are few or no cave fish to actually be found. {{bug|4505}}

{{gamedata}}
{{Vermin}}

v0.34:Cave fish

2013-01-10T07:11:03Z

Khym Chanur: Bugs

[[File:Example.jpg]]{{Quality|Exceptional|22:02, 9 June 2010 (UTC)}}
{{verminlookup/0}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

[[File:Vermin-CaveFish.jpg|thumb|left|Admired for its beauty.]]

'''Cave fish''' are a type [[vermin]] [[fish]]. They are only found in [[cavern|underground water sources]], but they can be seen year-round. They are a ready source of [[food]] when [[fish cleaning|cleaned]] at a [[fishery]].

==Bugs==
*[[Fisherdwarf]]s will never give up fishing in underground pools, even when there's nothing to catch. {{bug|1854}}
*There are few or no cave fish to actually be found. {{bug|4505}}

{{gamedata}}
{{Vermin}}

v0.34:Fisherdwarf

2013-01-10T07:08:39Z

Khym Chanur: Can't fish from artificial bodies of water; few/no underground fish due to bug

{{quality|Fine|18:57, 13 October 2010 (UTC)}}{{Buggy}}
{{Skill
| color = 1:0
| skill = Fisherdwarf
| profession = [[Fishery worker]]
| job name = [[Fishing]]
| tasks =
* Fishing
| attributes =
* Strength
* Agility
* Focus
* Patience
* Kinesthetic Sense
}}
{{av}}

'''Fisherdwarf''' is the skill associated with the fishing [[labor]]. Fisherdwarves catch [[vermin]] [[Fish|fish]] from available [[water]] sources: [[murky pool]]s, [[brook]]s, [[river]]s, [[lake]]s and the [[ocean]].

Fisherdwarf [[skill|skill level]] is related the speed at which the labor is completed. Dwarves can fish through floor [[grate]]s and floor [[bars]].

Fisherdwarves will fish from any water by default. Change this using the standing orders screen, {{k|o}}-{{k|z}}-{{k|f}} to toggle between 'prefer [[Fishing_industry#Fishing_Zone|fishing zones]]' (the default) and '[[zone]]-only fishing', which will prevent dwarves from fishing outside of designated areas. This can be useful, for instance, if you have a crocodile infested river, or a Terrifying ocean, and don't want your fishers wandering into danger.

Fisherdwarves can produce food, [[shell|craft material]] and [[extract]]able fish for a fortress as part of the [[fishing industry]].

Note that artificially created bodies of water cannot be fished out of.

==Bugs==
*If you designate a fishing zone in an [[cavern|underground pool]], fishers will never give up fishing there even when there aren't any fish to catch. {{Bug|1854}}
*Stocks of fish in the water is not renewable {{bug|2780}}
*There are few or no [[cave fish]] or [[cave lobster]]s to be found in [[cavern]] lakes{{bug|4505}}

{{skills}}

v0.34:Elf

2013-01-08T03:22:24Z

Khym Chanur: Links

{{Quality|Exceptional|07:51, 9 August 2010 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|wiki=yes}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

Elves are <s>smelly, stuck-up, arrogant [[tree]]-fondling hippies</s> humanoids dedicated to the protection of ''their'' concept of nature (focused on trees).

Elven caravans arrive in late spring. During [[trade]], elves will '''not''' accept [[wood]], wooden items or any goods [[Decoration|decorated]] with wood. This includes ''clear'' and ''crystal'' [[glass]] items and [[soap]], because wood-derived [[lye]] and [[pearlash]] are used in their production, however, ash-[[glaze]]d items are acceptable. Elves will, however, gladly trade you their own wooden items. They will not, however, accept their wooden items back. <s>Bunch of hypocritical bastards.</s> Be careful to not offer them your wooden [[bin]]s or [[barrel]]s, or [[quiver]]s containing wooden [[bolt]]s/[[arrow]]s. If the contents of bins are marked for trade individually, and are not wooden themselves, the elves will not care that you used wooden bins to haul the goods to the depot. You may also steal from them or even kill/torture them without any known repercussions as they cannot fight back.

Offending elves by attempting to trade wooden items quickly causes them to refuse further trade this year and leave early. Repeatedly offending elves by attempting to trade wooden items may cause them to attack your fortress with an [[ambush]].

Elves will generally '''accept''' items made of green glass, stone, metal, bone and other refuse, silk, leather, plant fiber cloth, meat and fish, totems, and even plants. They will accept animals in trade, as long as their [[Cage|cages]] are not wooden.

They also accept ''raw'' clear glass and ''raw'' crystal glass, despite the fact that they are made using [[pearlash]].

Elves bring only plant-related and wood-related items, caged animals, various types of clay and sand.

=== Trading ===

List of what you can expect in an average elven caravan:
*Wooden bins of [[rope reed]] raw [[cloth]] (depending on how many bins of these you have already). Buy a few for [[mood]]s, but leather is generally less expensive and more dwarven. You may want to buy a few more if you haven't started producing your own cloth.
*Wood logs (quantity depending on how many logs you have already: lower means more). Always useful.
*Various aboveground plants, with sometimes [[whip vine]] and [[sun berry]] or their byproducts.
*Aboveground plant byproducts : [[golden salve]], [[gnomeblight]], [[alcohol]], [[flour]], [[dye]], [[seeds]]. Some, such as [[gnomeblight]] are useless, while some, such as [[sun berry]] or [[whip vine]] seeds, are quite useful and valuable.
*Wooden furniture : [[coffer]]s, [[cage]]s, [[bag]]s, and [[barrel]]s. They all are useful.
*Soil types : [[sand]] in bags, various types of [[clay]]. Can be useful if you are lacking of either.
*A few exotic aboveground tame animals in cages. May be [[opossum|a]] [[stoat|disappointingly]] [[fox|useless]] [[hoary marmot|animal]] or [[Giant badger|an]] [[Giant tiger|incredibly]] [[Giant desert scorpion|awesome]] [[Giant eagle|one]].
*Caged tame [[vermin]], which are an annoyance because you don't see them in cages and they have no real use (aside from putting in a [[zoo]]).
*Rope reed [[clothing]], mildly useful if you are in lack of clothing and haven't bothered setting up a clothing industry.
*Wooden [[crutch]]es and [[splint]]s, which are pretty handy for [[health care]] if you didn't make any.
*Wooden [[armor]] and [[weapon]]s, which are generally useless unless you are [[trap]]-happy, lack metal, or don't have enough wood to build spears for [[danger room]]s.
*And finally, plenty of useless crap which has no use at all (apart from being traded to the next caravan for actually useful stuff, but even then you can make crafts out of more valuable stuff than wood) and should be dumped into [[magma]] as soon as possible (along with the entire caravan if you desire). They include cloth [[craft]]s, wooden crafts, wooden [[toy]]s, and wooden [[instrument]]s.

===Ethics===

Elven [[ethics]] often differ from those of other races. <s>Although all elven races would much rather mate with a tree.</s> Their position on moral philosophy will likely put them at odds with [[human]]s, [[goblin]]s, and sometimes [[kobold]]s and animal-people. They are likely to be friendly with [[dwarf|dwarves]], unless provoked, although a dwarven civilisation ''may'' be at war with elves in world-gen.

Elves are the only race which wholeheartedly accepts the devouring of enemy combatants. Looking in legends mode shows that an elven combatant will sometimes devour the other person they were fighting when they win. In spite of this, elves refuse to butcher and consume intelligent beings. Elves find torturing as an example acceptable, but condemn other forms of torture and consider torturing for information misguided. To elves, keeping any trophy of any kind is an unthinkable act. Elves begrudgingly allow for killing animals when done in self-defense, and the killing of other elves by an elf is justified if there is an extremely good reason for doing so. For elves, the killing of plants, ''especially'' trees, is unthinkable. On the other hand, the killing of neutral beings and enemies is acceptable. Elven society seems to be regulated by shame from the community, rather than by threat of punishment. As such, elves never offer serious or capital punishment to criminals; instead, elves found to have committed vandalism, trespassing or theft are reprimanded, while those convicted of treason, lying, breaking oaths, assault or participating in slavery are forced into exile.

===Bugs===
*Elven diplomats do not arrive in Fortress mode.{{bug|3295}}

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Humanoids}}
{{Category|Races}}

v0.34:Wood industry

2013-01-08T03:15:56Z

Khym Chanur: /* Carpenter's workshop */ Explicitly mention barrels and bins

{{av}}
{{Quality|Fine}}
[[Image:WoodIndustry1.jpg|thumb|500px|Wood Industry Flowchart.]]

The '''wood industry''' deals with the harvesting and use of [[wood]] and wood-related products: [[ash]], [[potash]], [[pearlash]], and [[charcoal]]. Dwarves prefer to use [[stone]] or [[metal]] when possible, due to their durability and variety. Wood is weak by comparison (and usually flammable), but it is a renewable resource and sometimes the only option available for making certain items before the [[metal industry]] starts up.

==Log Production==

===Finding Trees===
Most [[biome]]s with [[soil]] on the surface have [[tree]]s growing on them. Surface trees will randomly spawn in surface soil. [[caverns#vegetation|Underground trees]] (actually forms of giant fungus) also exist in the [[caverns]] beneath the surface. Underground trees will randomly spawn in any underground muddy soil once the appropriate cavern level is breached. Some rare trees will only grow in certain biomes, or ones with a particular alignment, or underground.

====Tree Farming====
Tree farming is a matter of patience and luck more than resources or skill, since saplings spawn completely at random. The best that you can do is isolate a suitable area, ensure random dwarves and critters don't trample the saplings, and hope the trees grow. On the surface, this could involve walling off a section of forest or [[dig|digging]] to cut off a wooded area from regular contact, creating an artificial plateau or hill only accessible through some other means (like a [[bridge|draw bridge]] or a locked [[hatch]]). Underground, you'll need to breach at least the first cavern level, and create a room with muddy soil through [[irrigation]] and restrict access to it, giving the saplings a chance to grow.

===Woodcutting===
Once you have located a source of trees, all you need to get started is a [[dwarf]] and a [[battle axe]]. [[designation|{{Key|d}}esignate]] the [[tree|{{Key|t}}rees]] to be chopped down, and enable the [[wood cutting]] [[labor]] on the dwarf. Provided the dwarf can reach the tree and the axe, the dwarf will go get the axe, go to the tree, and start chopping. A dwarf with the [[Hauling#Wood_hauling|wood hauling]] labor will then haul the resulting [[log]] back to a [[stockpile|wood stockpile]]. The quality and material of the [[axe]] is not relevant to [[wood cutting]] - even a wooden training axe can fell a tree.

===Trading===
Most [[caravan]]s will bring [[logs]], particularly if they are requested. [[Trading]] for logs can save you from having to cut your own, make up the difference if your local area cannot provide enough wood to support your fortress' needs, and can bring varieties of wood that your local biome cannot provide. Note however that trees that only grow in evil biomes ([[glumprong]]) or below the first cavern level ([[Black-cap]], [[Blood thorn]], [[Goblin-cap]], [[Nether-cap]], [[Spore tree]], [[Tunnel tube]]) will never be available for trading, since no trading race lives in an evil biome or penetrates the second cavern level.

==A Log Is A Log==
For the most part, all wood is effectively interchangeable - an [[oak]] log can be used to make all the same things as an [[alder]] log. However, certain woods have distinct properties that may make them more aesthetically pleasing or useful in certain specific applications; they also tend to be more valuable. Since it is not possible to specify which type of wood you want to use to build any given object, you may want to designate special [[stockpile]]s for these rare woods adjacent to the necessary shop, and make them part of a [[burrow]] so that only your most-skilled or [[strange mood|moody]] dwarves have access to them.

===Color===
Most logs are brown, and any [[furniture]], objects, or [[building]]s made from them will be brown as well. However, some trees will yield logs of a different color, and objects made from those logs will share that color. The following colors besides brown are available: black ([[Black-cap]]), cream ([[Feather tree]]), crimson ([[Blood thorn]]), indigo ([[Nether-cap]]), lemon ([[Fungiwood]]), purple ([[Glumprong]]), red ([[Goblin-cap]]), teal ([[Spore tree]]), violet ([[Tunnel tube]]), and white ([[Tower-cap]]).

===Temperature===
Wood can catch on [[fire]], and generally should not be used around [[magma]] or [[dragon]]s. [[Nether-cap]]s, however, has a fixed temperate set just around freezing. Items made from nether-caps are both fire and magma safe. Fire can devastate a food stockpile filled with wooden [[barrel|barrels]], so the use of metal or nether cap barrels should be considered if fire is a concern. [[Trap component#Enormous corkscrew|Enormous corkscrews]] and [[pipe section|pipe sections]] made from nether caps are also magma safe and can be used in a magma [[screw pump|pump]] if other magma safe materials are in short supply.

===Weight===
The [[weight]] of a wood log or wooden object is based on the density of the wood. The average density is ~0.575 g/cm^3, but some species have much higher or lower densities than this average. [[Feather tree]] wood is the lightest in the game, with a density of 0.1 g/cm^3, making it ideal for crafting wooden [[training weapon]]s and items that need to be moved frequently, such as [[bucket]]s, [[barrel]]s, [[crutch]]es, and [[splint]]s. [[Blood thorn]] (1.25 g/cm^3) and [[glumprong]] (1.2 g/cm^3) are the densest woods in the game, and are considered more appropriate for [[ballista]] bolts or other weapons where weight influences damage.

==Uses of Wood==
Wood [[logs]] may be used directly as a building material, where it is as good as [[stone]] or [[metal]] for most purposes, though generally less valuable. Logs may also be turned into various useful objects at the following workshops:

===[[Bowyer's workshop]]===
Used for creating wooden [[Crossbow|crossbow]]s

===[[Carpenter's workshop]]===
Used for creating:
*Wooden [[Furniture]] (inlcuding [[barrel]]s and [[bin]]s)
*Wooden [[Shield|bucklers and shields]]
*Wooden [[Training weapon|training weapons]]
*Wooden [[Weapon#Trap weapon statistics|trap components]]
*Wooden [[crutch]]es and [[splint]]s

===[[Craftsdwarf's workshop]]===
Used for creating:
*Wooden [[Craft|crafts]]
*Wooden [[Bolt|bolts]]
*[[Obsidian]] Short Swords

===[[Siege workshop]]===
Used for creating [[Siege engine|siege engine parts]]

===[[Wood furnace]]===
Used for creating:
*[[Ash]]
*[[Charcoal]]

===[[Machinery]]===
Used for constructing:
*[[Screw pump]]
*[[Axle]]
*[[Windmill]]
*[[Water wheel]]

==Wood Products and Related Industries==
Aside from its use in crafting objects or building, wood may be changed into a variety of substances essential to the [[glass industry|glass]], [[soap]] and [[metal industry|metal]] industries.

===Ash===
One log of wood can be used to create one [[bar]] of [[ash]] at a [[wood furnace]] by a dwarf with the [[wood burning]] labor enabled. Ash may be turned into either [[lye]] or [[potash]] at an [[ashery]].

===Lye===
One bar of ash may be used to create one [[bucket]] of [[lye]] at an [[ashery]] by a dwarf with the [[wood burning]] labor enabled. This task requires an unused [[bucket]]. Lye may be combined with [[tallow]] to make [[soap]], or converted into [[potash]].

===Potash===
One bar of ash or one bucket of lye may be used to create one bar of [[potash]] at an an [[ashery]] by a dwarf with the [[potash maker|potash making]] labor enabled. Potash may be used as [[fertilizer]] on a [[farm plot]], or converted into [[pearlash]] at a [[kiln]].

===Pearlash===
One bar of potash may be used to create one bar of [[pearlash]] at a [[kiln]] by a dwarf with the [[furnace operator]] labor enabled. This task consumes one bar of [[fuel]] as well. Alternatively, a [[magma kiln]] can be used, in which case no fuel is required. Pearlash is used exclusively in the [[glass industry]] for making items out of high-value sorts of [[glass]].

===Charcoal===
One log of wood can be used to create one [[bar]] of [[charcoal]] at a [[wood furnace]] by a dwarf with the [[wood burning]] labor enabled. Charcoal is a [[fuel]] and is used extensively in the [[metal industry]] and [[glass industry]].

{{Category|Materials}}
{{Category|Industry}}
{{Industry}}

v0.34:Barrel

2013-01-08T03:12:24Z

Khym Chanur: Making large pots has the advantage of not requiring any wood or metal

{{av}}
{{Quality|Fine|06:02, 6 July 2010 (UTC)}}

{{furniture|name=Barrel
|tile=÷|col=0:6:0
|wood=y
|metal=y
|glass=N
}}

'''Barrels''' are storage units that, like [[bin]]s, [[large pot]]s and [[bag]]s, conserve [[stockpile]] space by containing several items of the same type. They can be made out of [[wood]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]] (requires one [[log]] for each barrel) or forged from [[metal]] at a [[forge]] (requires 3 [[metal]] [[bar]]s). Non-magma [[forge]]s also require one [[bar]] of [[fuel]].

For information on managing barrels in stockpiles, see [[using bins and barrels]].

When a barrel gets empty again after being used it will be used again after being hauled back to a furniture stockpile.

For most uses, barrels can be replaced by a [[large pot]], which has double the carrying capacity (and requires no [[wood]] or [[metal]]) at the cost of being 2.5 times as heavy.

Barrels are used in building [[dyer's shop]]s and [[ashery|asheries]]. Using a valuable masterwork or [[artifact]] barrel to build one of these buildings can significantly increase fortress [[wealth]].

== See also ==
* [[Container]]
{{buildings}}

v0.34:Bridge

2013-01-08T02:00:50Z

Khym Chanur: /* Floodgates */ Bridges can't be destroyed by building destroyers

{{quality|Exceptional|22:21, 10 November 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Bridges''' are extremely useful buildings for crossing dangerous terrain and also for fortress defense. Using them to control [[flow|fluids]] can save a ton of mechanisms and time, especially when the fluid in question is free-flowing and not pressurized (by [[pump]], [[river]] or hydrostatic anything) and needs a wide tunnel.

==Building Bridges==

Bridges can be built ({{k|b}} -> {{k|g}}) of [[metal]], [[stone]] or [[wood]]. They are first designed by an [[architect]], then require a specialist worker for the material used (e.g. a [[mason]] for a stone bridge). The size of the bridge can be altered with {{k|u}}{{k|m}}{{k|k}}{{k|h}} while placing it, up to a maximum size of 10 squares in each direction. The bridge must be anchored to a solid surface on at least one edge. Before placing the bridge ensure that the bridge raises in the direction you want it to using {{k|w}}{{k|a}}{{k|d}}{{k|x}} or retracts using {{k|s}}. The direction points to the side of the bridge which will become a wall when the bridge is raised.

'''Materials''':
When choosing materials, the order that they are presented on the list determines how the bridge will be labeled, NOT WHAT ORDER YOU PICK THE MATERIALS! The highest one up on the list is the core construction material. This will define the color of the bridge (and possibly how fire resistant it is, although this hasn't been tested extensively). Materials are placed on the list in order of distance, so simply make sure the primary material is the closest or at least closer than any secondary materials you wish to use. You will need the number of tiles divided by four plus one ( Tiles/4+1 ) of material to build the bridge.

Dragonfire is so hot that it can destroy bridges made of almost any material, but a bridge made of [[adamantine]] can sustain dragonfire for extended periods of time before it melts.

Big bridges can take weeks or even months to complete. You can shorten construction time by moving the materials to the site before starting construction, and by using blocks instead of rocks. The material-gathering time is somewhat shorter for blocks due to their lesser weight, and the actual construction is three times faster for blocks.

==Raising and Retracting Bridges==

All bridges in DF can be raised or retracted by linking it to a [[lever]]. This requires a [[mechanic's workshop]] and a dwarf with the [[mechanics]] labor activated.

If a bridge is set to retract when the lever is pulled, the bridge essentially disappears dropping anything (friend, foe, or object) on the bridge onto whatever is underneath. Clearly this can be used to drop your enemies to rocky/watery/fiery deaths (or anything more imaginative you can think up!).

If a bridge is set to raise when the lever is pulled, the bridge becomes a [[wall]] along the edge selected with the {{k|w}}{{k|a}}{{k|d}}{{k|x}} keys when placing the bridge. The resulting wall is always one z-level tall, regardless of the length of the bridge. The wall acts as if it was [[construction|constructed]], rendering it invulnerable to [[building destroyer]]s and also watertight. {{Verify}} The bridge also "moves" to this position very fast, firing anything on the bridge into the air. The key advantage to raising bridges is the creation of a wall when the bridge is raised. This can be used to block fortress entrances/corridors. Using 2 bridges at opposite ends of a corridor creates a very large and simple trap by walling in enemies. Or... Smashing them to tiny bits if placed to raise facing each other, with no space in between.
For added effect, place [[pressure plate]]s on both ends to raise the bridge when stepped on, to fling the units. If there is a [[floor]] directly above, they will be stunned. If there is a floor beneath the bridge, and if nobody is on the pressure plate, they have to be lucky to not be smashed on the floor when the bridges come down. If there is no floor beneath the bridge, they will fall, sometimes into something [[water|very,]] [[magma|very]] [[megabeast|bad.]]

Walls cannot be built along map edges. Because bridges can be built along map edges and then raised to act as walls, they can be used to control where enemies spawn on the map.

If you aren't sure whether or not a 1 tile thick bridge is raised or lowered, try to build a piece of furniture, like a bed, on it. If it says blocked, the bridge is raised, if it says building present, it is lowered.

The lowering of a drawbridge can also be used as a [[dwarven atom smasher|waste disposal]] for unwanted stones, [[refuse]], [[goblin]]s (dead or alive), legendary [[cheese]] makers and [[nobles]], to name a few. Even fluids get destroyed (this is especially useful considering lack of chasms in the new version). However, lowering a drawbridge onto a sufficiently large creature (such as a [[forgotten beast]]) simply destroys the bridge.

==Notes==

Bridges will not operate if any one creature of [[List of creatures by adult size|size 1200000]] is on them. This weight limit is not cumulative - a bridge will still retract if a hundred goblins are standing on it, but a single rutherer accompanying those goblins will prevent the bridge from operating. Attempting to lower a drawbridge onto such a creature (in order to [[Dwarven atom smasher|atom-smash]] it) will cause the bridge itself to deconstruct.

It is impossible to channel out stone that is directly under a raiseable bridge when it is in the raised position. Likewise digging a ramp under a raised bridge will not remove the floor tile.

Non-[[magma-safe]] bridges will heat up and eventually melt if the center tiles get covered in magma or exposed to [[dragon]] fire, whether the bridge is raised, lowered, or even retracted.

While bridges do not provide structural [[support]], the game will still allow you to place unsupported [[construction]]s adjacent to them which will result in an immediate [[cave-in]] once completed, often tossing the unlucky mason off the edge to a horrible death. However, extending a supported construction alongside a bridge will not cause a cave-in.
 '''Example:'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|Will cause a cave-in
|Will '''not''' cause a cave-in
|Key
|-
|{{Diagram|spaces=no|
BBB.
BBBX
BBB.
FFFW
}}
|{{Diagram|spaces=no|
BBB.
BBBX
BBBW
FFFW
}}
|{{DFtext|B}} Bridge 
{{DFtext|F}} Floor tile 
{{DFtext|W}} Existing wall 
{{DFtext|X}} Wall to be constructed
|}

Destroying bridges can be hazardous, as dwarves are not as compunctuous as with constructions and diggings to make sure no one is standing on them before destroying them.

A raised bridge cannot be linked to a lever from the inside - the mechanic must be able to stand in the center of the bridge.

==Uses==
===Remote controlled gateways===
Lever-controlled bridges are one of the safer ways to control access. They are immune to building destroyers, though care must be taken to avoid operating them in the presence of exceptionally large creatures. [[Magma safe]] material should be used in the construction if there is any chance magma might flow over the bridge.

Retracting bridges can be built covering the top of a ramp and can never be destroyed from beneath.

===Floodgates===
Raising bridges make a good replacement for most [[floodgate]] uses (e.g. flow and access control). They have the advantage of not being as easily jammed: they fling or [[Dwarven_atom_smasher|atom smash]] all items and all but the largest enemies on their tile/s when they open or close, whereas a floodgate will jam open with a discarded sock in it. Further, bridges cannot be destroyed by [[building destroyer]]s, while [[floodgate]]s can be. A single bridge can also be made up to ten tiles wide, potentially replacing ten floodgates and saving many mechanisims and much work. One minor downside of bridges compared to floodgates is that bridges with a width of 1 look the same when raised as when lowered, so it is easy to confuse whether they are closed or not. If you are unsure of a bridge's status, check the control lever if there is one (in most tilesets, lever to the right means closed), or try to build furniture on top of the bridge and check the resulting warning message ("blocked" means the bridge is raised, "building present" means it's lowered).

===Ocean drains===
Dig out ramps leading up to the first level ''below'' an ocean. Build a retracting bridge on that level, directly over the ramps (be sure to leave them in place!) and link it to a trigger. Carefully seal off the chamber to make it water tight. Now with the bridge in place, designate ramps up to the ocean adjacent to the bridge. Diggers with access to the level ''below'' the bridge can dig those ramps up from the level of the bridge, allowing the ocean to fill the chamber; even with the ramp squares underwater they can still dig them out. And not a drop of water will touch them... provided they clear out before you pull the lever.

===Caravan exits===
A bridge to nowhere, built well above ground level at the edge of the map, can sometimes serve as a handy exit for caravans and diplomats when goblins harass. But sometimes it stops working, and I'm not sure why.

===[[Cave-in]]s===
Since bridges don't support adjoining rock, it is possible to set up a cave-in so that dust can't come up, dwarves can't fall down, and flying creatures can't come up from beneath the cave-in before you set it off.

===Stops on the elevator===
Designate a dumpsite or set up a floodgate at the top of a shaft; use multiple remote-controlled bridges to decide on which level the stuff, water, magma etc. gets off. (bonus: use water falling at one end of the bridge to flush stuff off that was dropped onto the other end without the manual labor)

===Minecart routing===
[[minecart|Minecarts]] can travel along unraised/unretracted bridges as if the bridge was a minecart track. This can let you change minecart routes via pulling levers.

===Single Lever Airlock===
Raising bridges and retracting bridges controlled by a single lever will be in opposite states of being open or closed. When one is closed (raised) the other is open (retracted) and vice versa. This fact can be used to construct airlocks that are not vulnerable to [[building destroyer|building destroyers]] or mistimed lever pulls e.g.
Side View:
Z1 XXXXXXR____ D = Raising drawbridge / = Ramp _ = Floor
Z0 D_____/XXXX R = Retracting bridge X = Solid Rock or Constructed Wall

With a suitably long distance between the two bridges, the controlling lever can be placed within the airlock, and by setting the profile of the lever specific dwarves can be moved between isolated areas.

{{buildings}}

v0.34:Caverns

2013-01-08T01:47:21Z

Khym Chanur: /* Benefits */ Importance on a glacier; links

{{av}}
{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{minorspoiler}}

'''Caverns''' are ''huge'' natural underground tunnel systems, inhabited by strange and dangerous creatures. They go up, down, left, right, and about anywhere else. Vanilla worlds provide three cavern layers. Number, size and z-position can be altered in the [[world generation]] parameters.
The caverns will usually have open map edges, allowing all sorts of [[creatures]] to migrate into and from the cavern. By exploring the caverns in adventure mode it is possible to travel large distances below the surface - the caverns effectively connect all sites that access them.

Upon reclaiming a fort, all mud in the caverns is removed.

''In subterranean biomes, Chasm, water, and lava mean land, water (pool), and magma (pipes) respectively.''

==Geography==
The top of the first cavern usually resides about 10-11 z-levels below the surface.
Each cavern layer spans multiple z-levels, and is filled with [[water]] to a certain degree. This can range from a few pools at the bottom level to the whole layer being submerged, forming a gigantic underground sea, including [[fish]] and possibly camps of [[olm man|olm men]] and other [[fun]] aquatic creatures.

The average amount of water cavern layers feature depends on your world generation settings, specifically

[CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MIN:0]

[CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MAX:100]

Beneath the third layer lies the [[magma sea]].

If you hit caverns too often then you can create a custom world with a higher number for 'Z Levels Above Layer 1' - Levels of stone above the first cavern layer. Making this higher will guarantee at least this many levels to build your fortress, but will have no impact on how many z-levels thick the surface layer is. Also, the top of a cavern may be higher than the rest of a cavern, so in practice there will be more levels than this.

==Other features==
Exploring the underground world, you may find a variety of special geographical features. When your dwarves discover a feature, an announcement window will let you know of it.

'''[[Deep pit]]s:''' Deep pits are... deep pits, that connect one cavern level to the next. They have a fixed shape. The top z-level, where the pit meets the next cavern level, is un-muddied rough rock floor where the normal space of the deep pit and the random rock spires of the cavern collide.

If your map has an unseen [[cave-in]] at the beginning of embark, the caverns may have a deep pit somewhere. This occurs because some stone in the cavern above the deep pit is unsupported, and falls down. This may be a bug.

'''[[Magma pool]]s:''' Despite the name, magma pools are not actual pools, but tubes extending up from the [[magma sea]]. Their shape is fixed and their presence random. A magma tube might extend all the way to the top cavern, or merely a few z-levels. Magma pools can be distinguished from the magma sea even if they are only a single Z-level high due to two important features: they will always be walled by obsidian as opposed to the standard stone of the layer and, more importantly, will (very slowly) refill to their top if any magma is drained.

'''[[Passage]]s:'''
Passages are natural tunnels connecting two layers by ramps and short, twisted tunnel sections. The announcement window will let you know you've found a downward passage even if you happen to discover it from the bottom.

==Vegetation==
Caverns will, from the topmost to the deepest, feature the following vegetation:

'''Level one''': a benign (or as nice as caverns get) level, it has shrubs, [[Tower-cap]]s, and [[Fungiwood]](s).

'''Level two''': a level filled with, in addition to the above, [[Goblin-cap]]s, [[Spore tree]]s, [[Black-cap]]s, and [[Tunnel tube]]s.

'''Level three''': a level lacking the trees the first level had, while still having those the second introduced, also has [[Nether-cap]]s and [[Blood thorn]]s.

Any cavern layer without a pool of water will have only muddy dense floor fungus and no plants or trees.

Removing a layer will cause the layer above to randomly pick from trees that the now removed layer could have handled and the layer above can handle.

==Dangers==
There are many, many dangerous [[animal]]s in a cavern, including [[bugbat]]s, [[giant olm]]s, [[troll]]s, [[giant cave swallow]]s, and others.

Cavern level one is as good as things get, and the following levels will [[Cave dragon|only]] [[Voracious cave crawler|be]] [[Magma crab|worse]]. If you can't stand level one, you won't be able to stand level two or three.

[[Giant cave swallow|Flying creatures]] can <s>ruin your day</s> [[Fun|provide some fun]] if your main stairwell leads directly into the cavern (the bottom of up-down/down stairs can be passed by flying creatures).

Also, any cavern of sufficient size will be inhabited by [[giant cave spider]]s, which can be both [[Silk|benefit]] and hazard.

One thing you really have to watch out for is having your main stairwell lead into a cavern. It doesn't have to be so walking creatures can get in, but just so there's an open hole. Any hostile creature sitting under your open stairway will spook any dwarves trying to use it, causing a flood of job cancellation messages as they keep trying to reach their destination. When this happens it can lead to all your dwarves starving themselves to death. Only build stairs on the side, preferably with a hatch.

==Benefits==
Caverns provide ever regenerating resources in form of underground [[wood|forests]], animals to hunt, and fish. On breaching a cavern layer, a variety of [[ore]]s and [[gem]]s lining its walls will be revealed. The cavern floors are always [[Farming#Underground Farming|muddied]], providing soil to a variety of underground [[plant]]s. Also, underground caverns and the [[water]] they provide can be used in constructions and traps. In places like [[glacier]]s, caverns will provide the only source of [[water]] and [[farming|farmable]] land. Throwing your prisoners into a damp hellhole filled with ravaging beasts is a nice addition, too. Additionally, creating a world without caverns will result in no subterranean plants, plant products (plump helmets/spawn/wine etc) or fish available on embark (or trade? {{verify}}).

Once an underground cavern has been discovered, shrubs and trees will spontaneously grow on any subterranean [[soil]] or [[mud]]died [[rock]] on every embark site that accesses the cavern. This means that if you find a cavern in one embark site and embark in another site accessing the same cavern, plants will start growing there even before you discover the branch of the cavern that lies under the site. This allows you to construct underground tree farms and avoid sending dwarves to the surface to harvest wood, or just to get wood in environments without above-ground forests.

As walls can be built right up to the map edge below ground, it is possible to prevent land creatures from spawning by turning all the spawn points into walls. A single level of wall is sufficient to halt non-fliers, who will appear on the wall and be unable to get down into the cavern itself. Fliers can be stopped only by building walls up to the ceiling, and swimmers can't be prevented from spawning without obsidianising the water tiles on the map edge. The next best thing is to block off access, which can be achieved by dropping a layer of natural stone wall into the water.

===Creatures===
[[Cage trap]]s placed in the caverns can capture wild animals to potentially [[animal trainer|tame]]. As with above-ground creatures, subterranean groups of creatures are limited to one group at a time. Many of the more interesting creatures appear in groups of one and have small populations, so you'll have to clear out a lot of bugbats and crundles before being able to grab every giant cave spider or jabberer your site can produce.

These small populations may result in all spawned individuals being of the same sex, making breeding programs impossible even for creatures that have the necessary tags. Adding the [CHILD:1] to a creature is a relatively easy mod, but sex changes require the application of a transformational syndrome and possibly changing the creature from an egg-layer to a live-birther.

==When should I start exploring?==
[[Image:Cavern.png‎|thumb|right|A cavern found underground.]]
You should have a working military. The first cavern usually has few hazardous monsters, apart from the occasional [[giant olm]] or [[giant toad|toad]] and [[giant cave spider]]s, but just one giant bat can destroy an early fort, and [[Forgotten beast|uninvited guests]] will wander in sooner or later. The subsequent caverns will become increasingly [[fun]], so don't dig too deep without making adequate preparation. You can handle what tries to attack, presuming you don't have a [[siege]] to worry about.

You can of course explore a cavern without a military, but you will likely get a bunch of dwarves killed.

Not all parts of a cavern are immediately visible; A good portion of a cavern is revealed once you breach it, but other parts remain hidden until your dwarves explore them. Since you often don't know what you'll find in a cavern, they can be exciting places, but also very dangerous.

==Methods of Exploration==
:''This section covers methods to explore already discovered caverns; if you're having trouble finding the caverns, check [[Exploratory mining]] for tips.''

There are many different methods of exploring, some less [[fun]] than others.

'''Dwarf team''': The most entertaining method, you can have dwarves manually explore the cavern by foot. This can be done by ordering your [[squads]] into the cavern with move orders. If you use this method, it is recommended that you equip your dwarves well. The {{k|s}}quad:{{k|a}}ttack:{{k|l}}ist command will help you find and kill enemy creatures which may be located on many different z-levels inside the cavern.

Note that creatures may wander into the cavern from the edges, so, if you want to start collecting silk, gems, ore and the other valuable loot in a cavern, and you want to do so safely, you should first kill or capture the creatures in the cavern, and then you can wall off the edges to keep new creatures from wandering in. Note that, if you want to keep flying creatures out, your walls will need to cover the edge of the cavern from the floor to the ceiling. If you'd still like to fight or capture wandering creatures, but don't want them killing your workers, you can leave some room for creatures to get in, and build doors or cages as necessary.

'''Fortifications''': as dwarves can see through [[fortification]]s, you can carve out a fortification near the edge of the explored area to safely discover more of the cavern. This prevents wildlife and [[megabeast]]s from entering your fort, as an added benefit. This method does not work for exploring the magma layers - or rather, it ''does'' work, but for a very, very brief time during which there is much [[fun]].

'''Digging and walling''': Instead of [[smoothing]] a wall and then carving a fortification, it can be quicker to just dig out the wall and then blocking off the opening with a [[construction|constructed]] wall. The disadvantage over the fortification method is that if any dangerous creatures are lurking unseen near edge of the explored area they might get to your dwarf before the wall can be put up.

'''Digging from above''': The only method that works in the magma layers, this method requires you to dig a hole from above the caverns into the cavern. It is advisable to seal the hole afterwards if you wish to prevent flying or magma creatures from entering your fort.

'''Autonomous Dwarven Cavern Rover''': [[Activity_zone#Pit.2FPond|Pit]] an animal into the cavern through an access tunnel above the cavern floor, walling it up afterward if you wish. The animal will wander the cavern, revealing more of it, and possibly stumble across things you would prefer your dwarves not encounter unaware. Use a female animal when you have a male of the same species somewhere in your fortress to produce a population of self replicating rovers. If the animal is tame, its movement can be somewhat controlled by creating a [[Activity zone#Meeting Area|meeting zone]] in the place you would like it to move to.

'''Suicide mission''': Ideal for exploring the bottom of a deep pit or magma pool. Knock a dwarf or animal into the pit, and they will rapidly plummet. Despite being unconscious, they will report everything they see for as long as they are alive. [[Noble]]s, [[cat]]s and [[vampire]]s make excellent geonauts.

'''Separate tunnels''': Digging exploration tunnels from within your fortress will result in a direct path from the caverns to your fortress- this can result in enormous volumes of fun. Players seeking to avoid fun may instead choose to start their exploration tunnels from elsewhere on the surface, outside the fortress. This guarantees that any threats released through exploration must pass through the same entrance utilized by surface threats, such as goblins or elephants, before they can access the fortress.

This method is recommended in conjunction with the "Digging from above" method. Placing the tunnels as close as possible to the edges of the map will reduce obstruction to the fortress. Magmawiki assumes no liability for any potential damage to lesser surface races resulting from the release of subterranean monsters directly into the surface world.

==Adventurer Mode==
You can enter a cavern with an [[Adventurer_mode|adventurer]] and explore it. The dangers are obvious; Nasty creatures, pitfalls, etc. But you also have to watch out because you can't fast-travel underground. That means no easy healing, so you have to be very careful. Make sure you stock up on food, water and (if you use it) ammunition before you head in, though, as caverns are quite massive and it can be difficult to find your way back. Luckily, there are tribes of animal men underground; Unlike in fortress mode, they are your friends. Some of them can even be hired. Camps almost always have food, and usually some other items as well, though probably less useful. Since you can't fast-travel, you have to rely on sleeping to heal, which can be dangerous due to the [[Giant cave spider|nature]] of caverns. If you sleep in a camp, the tribe will try and protect you from [[Forgotten beast|whatever]] [[Troll|shows]] [[Blind cave ogre|up]]. Escaping from the caverns by the same route used as an entrance can be very difficult, though if you manage to reach a cavern area immediately underneath a town you will be able to fast-travel to the surface.

==Caravan and embark item availability==
[[Embark]]ation and dwarven [[caravan]]s will only provide resources available in the first cavern level. Since [[purring maggot]]s don't appear in the first cavern level, unlike in 40d, you can't buy dwarven [[cheese]] or dwarven [[milk]] {{Bug|1449}}. A workaround is to edit the global [[raw file]]s to make purring maggots appear on level one, [[world generation|generate a new world]], then edit the raws of the new world to change the maggots back to normal before embark.

{{World|Biomes}}

v0.34:Block

2012-06-01T23:43:14Z

Khym Chanur: /* Blocks vs. rocks */ Removed paragraph about workshops and mass forbidding rocks, since Toady fixed that

{{quality|Exceptional|15:59, 30 September 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

:''For area blocks of 48x48 tiles on a game map, see [[Region]].''
:''For "blocking" in combat, see [[Armor]].''

----

A '''block''' is a type of building material. [[Stone]] and [[wood]] can be shaped into blocks at a [[mason's workshop]] or [[carpenter's workshop]]. [[Glass]] can be formed as blocks at a [[glass furnace]], [[ceramic]] blocks (labeled as "bricks") can be made at a [[kiln]], and [[metal]] blocks can be made at a [[forge]] from a single metal [[bar]] (or, in the case of [[adamantine]], from '''four''' wafers). Blocks do not have [[quality]] levels.

A single block is required in order to build a [[well]], [[screw pump]], or [[ashery]]. Blocks can also be used in place of raw stone or wood in [[road]]s, [[bridge]]s, [[workshop]]s and [[construction]]s (but not in items like [[craft]]s or [[furniture]]). Stone blocks are sometimes used as materials during [[strange mood]]s.

==Blocks vs. rocks==

The clearest distinction between building a [[building]] using a [[stone|boulder]] and building a building using a stone block is that more buildings can be built of blocks, as each stone produces four blocks. Additionally, blocks are [[weight|lighter]] than boulders and will probably also reduce hauling time. Note that the one stone to four blocks rule does not apply to [[wood]], [[glass]], or [[metal]] blocks.

Building a bridge out of blocks instead of rocks cuts the building time by two thirds, independent of clearing and hauling time. This difference in building time presumably extends to other buildings and constructions where you can choose between blocks and rocks.

Blocks, unlike raw stone or wood, can stack in [[bin]]s in bar/block [[stockpile]]s.

Blocks [[weight|weigh]] less than the material they're made from, being anywhere from 1/28 to 1/31 of the original weight.

Blocks are more valuable than rocks. Blocks have a [[Value#Items with material but without quality|base value]] of 5, compared to the raw material value of 3 for stone, wood or glass. Metal bars already have a base value of 5.

[[Bridge]]s, [[support|pillars]], [[road]]s, and [[construction]]s built from rocks are called "rough" while the same built from blocks are not given that adjective.

Blocks of [[flux]] '''cannot''' be used for making [[pig iron]] or [[steel]], nor can blocks of [[ore]] be [[smelter|smelted]] into metal.

{{Category|Materials}}

v0.34:Stone management

2012-06-01T23:36:58Z

Khym Chanur: /* Making use of stone */ Block link

{{quality|Exceptional|12:20, 6 October 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

An established fortress with a reasonable amount of [[mining]] can create excess [[stone]]s and [[ore]]s. These may have a detrimental effect on the aesthetics of a fortress, so '''stone management''' techniques are often used.

== Hide ==
Extra stone lying around causes little problems beyond being unsightly. You can hide stones individually using {{k|k}}-{{k|h}}. You might need to scroll in the Loo{{k|k}} menu to choose the stone you wish to hide. You can hide many stones at a time by using the designate menu. Choose {{k|d}}-{{k|b}}-{{k|h}} and then select the stone you wish to hide by mouse or rectangle.

Please note, however, that stockpiles with hidden items on them will appear to have space available but can't be used for non-container items (like stone but not a barrel). This can be troublesome when your food stockpile appears to have room but your kitchen and farms clog up with food that will rot. Or furniture cluttering up the carpentry/masonry shop due to hidden stone blocking the furniture stockpile. Use the "Dump" method for stones on stockpiles to fix.

== Dump ==
This method is easy and useful. However, some view it as an [[exploit]], and it may not be allowed in later versions.

# Make a [[zone]] of 1x1 or 1x2 tiles, preferably either near the stones you want to get rid of or your stone-needy [[workshop]]s, and mark it as a garbage dump.
# Press {{k|k}} and find a stone. Press {{k|d}}, and the stone will be marked for dumping. Alternatively, use the stocks menu (faster for mass dumping, but requires some [[bookkeeper]] labor first). You can also use {{k|d}},{{k|b}},{{k|d}} to designate mass items for dumping. You could also use a [[Macros_and_Keymaps#Designation_Dump|dumping macro]] to designate large amounts of stones at once. However, macros do not discriminate between stones and other items, so it is best to use them right after you dig out a new area. Be careful when you mark areas containing cave spider silk for dumping, as dwarves will actually come along and ''destroy'' the webs!
# A dwarf with refuse-hauling enabled will take the stone to the garbage dump.
# Every dumped stone will be marked as "[[forbid]]den." Use the [[stocks]] menu to globally un-forbid types of stone, or use the designation 'Reclaim Items' ({{k|d}}-{{k|b}}-{{k|c}}) to reclaim the entire pile. ''(If you want to only use specific stones, you must press {{k|k}}, find the pile, and press {{k|f}} on every stone you want on the list, using {{k|+}}/{{k|-}} to navigate through the list. [[Macros_and_Keymaps|Macros]] may come in handy when employing this method.)''
* '''Advantage''':
** No matter how many stones you mark for dumping, they will all be placed on the same tiny garbage tile. Conceivably, every single stone and ore in the fortress can fit on 1 tile.
** You can use {{k|d}},{{k|b}},{{k|h}} to hide all the stone in a dump quickly.
** Dumping stone, instead of just hiding, doesn't block stockpiles (unless the dump is on a stockpile).
* '''Disadvantage''':
** Anything else you dump will end up on those piles too.
** Dwarves will [[traffic|crawl over one another]] to get to a 1x1 dump.
** Take care not to lose overview if you use several or temporary dumps.
** It can take a long time to clear all the stone from an area, so you need to be strategic about which stones you should dump and hide the rest.
** Having lots of garbage dumps on different Z-levels will cause the haulers to occasionally choose far away dump zones, making stone management take longer.
** You have to claim stones for them to be used after they are dumped. {{k|d}},{{k|b}} will allow you to claim an entire pile of stones quickly.
** Dumping lots of stones from several different areas can cause Dwarves to run long distances since the AI doesn't look for the closest stone. So it's best to dump stone from one area at a time.

== Pave Floors ==
Digging out a tile (usually) leaves behind a stone. Constructing a floor ({{k|b}}-{{k|C}}-{{k|f}}) on that tile requires a stone. Use the former to do the latter, and you end up with a room with a fancier floor, and no stone. You can build stuff on top of it, too.
* '''Advantage''':
** Since you can get a maximum of one stone out of a tile, you'll never run out of tiles to put the stones back into.
** You can even get the stone back, if you need it later, by designating the floor for removal ({{k|d}}-{{k|n}}).
* '''Disadvantage''':
**Paved floors cannot be engraved.
** Requires dwarves with the masonry labor turned on, which can draw from your hauler base or distract your experienced masons from more urgent tasks.
** Getting the stone back requires removing the floor, and children and/or nobles are likely to respond first, and they work very slowly.
Due to an old bug {{bug|1370}}, building and then removing a constructed floor like this will cause the stone floor underneath to change into the type of stone that makes up the layer (unless the tile contains downward stairs).

== Making use of stone ==

Use your [[mason]]s to the fullest by creating doors, hatch covers, chairs, tables, coffers, cabinets, and statues. This builds up your mason's skill, and the furniture gives your dwarves good [[thoughts]].

Skilled [[Craftsdwarf|Craftsdwarves]] can produce large quantities of rock crafts very quickly. This trades the problem of tons of stone to the much easier problem of tons of crafts. As long as you have bins, managing a stockpile of finished goods is easy. Crafts can be sold to foreign [[trade]]rs, who have plenty of room for a lot of goods.

You can also use stones (or [[block]]s) to build large structures above ground, and floors over areas such as sand, silt, or loam. The [[construction]] interface might be slow, but not only do you use up the stone from your excavations, but you can also create usable indoor space without having to mine any additional stone.

Building [[trap]]s can use up stone as well. [[Mechanism]]s are also made of stone, and a stone-fall trap requires one mechanism and one stone.

[[Siege engine|Catapults]] can use up stone and train [[Siege operator|siege operators]], as well as providing reasonable defence.

You can make a 'practice pile' where you just have dwarves make lots of furniture out of stones, and then dump those furniture. The dwarves will get lots of skill. Another option instead of dumping is to let them make statues, then plant them outside, to make a huge statue garden. Another option is to craft stone blocks, which can be stacked in bins, and use them in smooth [[construction]]s.

v0.34:Bridge

2012-06-01T23:33:15Z

Khym Chanur: /* More useful uses for a retractable bridge */ Minecarts

{{quality|Exceptional|22:21, 10 November 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Bridges''' are extremely useful buildings for crossing dangerous terrain and also for fortress defense. Using them to control [[flow|fluids]] can save a ton of mechanisms and time, especially when the fluid in question is free-flowing and not pressurized (by [[pump]], [[river]] or hydrostatic anything) and needs a wide tunnel.

==Building Bridges==

Bridges can be built ({{k|b}} -> {{k|g}}) of [[metal]], [[stone]] or [[wood]]. They are first designed by an [[architect]], then require a specialist worker for the material used (e.g. a [[mason]] for a stone bridge). The size of the bridge can be altered with {{k|u}}{{k|m}}{{k|k}}{{k|h}} while placing it, up to a maximum size of 10 squares in each direction. The bridge must be anchored to a solid surface on at least one edge. Before placing the bridge ensure that the bridge raises in the direction you want it to using {{k|w}}{{k|a}}{{k|d}}{{k|x}} or retracts using {{k|s}}.

'''Materials''':
When choosing materials, the order that they are presented on the list determines how the bridge will be labeled, NOT WHAT ORDER YOU PICK THE MATERIALS! The highest one up on the list is the core construction material. This will define the color of the bridge (and possibly how fire resistant it is, although this hasn't been tested extensively). Materials are placed on the list in order of distance, so simply make sure the primary material is the closest or at least closer than any secondary materials you wish to use. You will need the number of tiles divided by four plus one ( Tiles/4+1 ) of material to build the bridge.

Material does not appear to influence dragonfire which will destroy bridges. Some magma-safe materials including iron have proven non-resistant (Needs further testing).

Big bridges can take weeks or even months to complete. You can shorten construction time by moving the materials to the site before starting construction, and by using blocks instead of rocks. While the material-gathering time is the same for rocks vs blocks, the actual construction is three times faster for blocks.

==Raising and Retracting Bridges==

All bridges in DF can be raised or retracted by linking it to a [[lever]]. This requires a [[mechanic's workshop]] and a dwarf with the [[mechanics]] labor activated.

If a bridge is set to retract when the lever is pulled, the bridge essentially disappears dropping anything (friend, foe, or object) on the bridge onto whatever is underneath. Clearly this can be used to drop your enemies to rocky/watery/fiery deaths (or anything more imaginative you can think up!).

If a bridge is set to raise when the lever is pulled, the bridge becomes a [[wall]] along the edge selected with the {{k|w}}{{k|a}}{{k|d}}{{k|x}} keys when placing the bridge. The resulting wall is always one z-level tall, regardless of the length of the bridge. The wall acts as if it was [[construction|constructed]], rendering it invulnerable to [[building destroyer]]s. {{Verify}} The bridge also "moves" to this position very fast, firing anything on the bridge into the air. The key advantage to raising bridges is the creation of a wall when the bridge is raised. This can be used to block fortress entrances/corridors. Using 2 bridges at opposite ends of a corridor creates a very large and simple trap by walling in enemies. Or... Smashing them to tiny bits if placed to raise facing each other, with no space in between.
For added effect, place [[pressure plate]]s on both ends to raise the bridge when stepped on, to fling the units. If there is a [[floor]] directly above, they will be stunned. If there is a floor beneath the bridge, and if nobody is on the pressure plate, they have to be lucky to not be smashed on the floor when the bridges come down. If there is no floor beneath the bridge, they will fall, sometimes into something [[water|very,]] [[magma|very]] [[megabeast|bad.]]

Walls cannot be built along map edges. Because bridges can be built along map edges and then raised to act as walls, they can be used to control where enemies spawn on the map.

If you aren't sure whether or not a 1 tile thick bridge is raised or lowered, try to build a piece of furniture, like a bed, on it. If it says blocked, the bridge is raised, if it says building present, it is lowered.

The lowering of a drawbridge can also be used as a [[dwarven atom smasher|waste disposal]] for unwanted stones, [[refuse]], [[goblin]]s (dead or alive), legendary [[cheese]] makers and [[nobles]], to name a few. Even fluids get destroyed (this is especially useful considering lack of chasms in the new version). However, lowering a drawbridge onto a sufficiently large creature (such as a [[forgotten beast]]) simply destroys the bridge.

==Notes==

Bridges will not operate if any one creature of [[List of creatures by adult size|size 1200000]] is on them. This weight limit is not cumulative - a bridge will still retract if a hundred goblins are standing on it, but a single rutherer accompanying those goblins will prevent the bridge from operating. Attempting to lower a drawbridge onto such a creature (in order to [[Dwarven atom smasher|atom-smash]] it) will cause the bridge itself to deconstruct.

It is impossible to channel out stone that is directly under a raiseable bridge when its in the raised position. Likewise digging a ramp under a raised bridge will not remove the floor tile.

Non-[[magma-safe]] bridges will heat up and eventually melt if the center tiles get covered in magma or exposed to [[dragon]] fire, whether the bridge is raised, lowered, or even retracted.

While bridges do not provide structural [[support]], the game will still allow you to place unsupported [[construction]]s adjacent to them which will result in an immediate [[cave-in]] once completed, often tossing the unlucky mason off the edge to a horrible death.

Destroying bridges can be hazardous, as dwarves are not as compunctuous as with constructions and diggings to make sure no one is standing on them before destroying them.

A raised bridge cannot be linked to a lever from the inside - the mechanic must be able to stand in the center of the bridge.

1x1 raise-able bridges make a good replacement for most [[floodgate]] uses (e.g. flow and access control), however, they look the same when raised as when lowered, so it is easy to get confused. Try to build something and see what items are accessible if you are unsure of a bridges status.

==Strategies==

SELF CLEANING BRIDGE

Ever have a horde of goblins sitting on your bridge and preventing you from admiring the elegant beauty of your entrance? I have a simple solution for you!!

I know what you may be thinking, "Could my bridge, with a dozen goblins standing on it, be raised?" The answer is yes! A normal bridge can't!. But, with a little careful design and some dwarven ingenuity, you too can make a bridge that will stop almost any foe!

Step 1: Build a pit!

Don't just build any pit; it needs a special shape for the bridge to function properly.

EXAMPLE: x = channeled out section o = solid ground
...EXIT....
.xoxxxxox..
.xoxxxxox..
.xoxxxxox..
.xoxxxxox..
.xoxxxxox..
.xoxxxxox..
.xxxxxxxx..
.xxxxxxxx..
.xxxxxxxx..
.ENTRANCE..

If this is your only entrance, be careful to leave ramps at the corners so your dwarves can travel through until the bridge is finished.

Step 2: Bridges. Plural.

We will be making many small bridges. Each number designates an individual bridge (FIRE PROOF MATERIALS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED).

< > = bridge lifting direction (01) = bridge "1"
....EXIT.....
.x<01)(02>x..
.x<03)(04>x..
.x<05)(06>x..
.x<07)(08>x..
.x<09)(10>x..
.x(==11==)x..
.x(==11==)x..
.x(==11==)x..
..ENTRANCE...

Notice that "11" has no opening direction, because it needs to retract so you can use catapults or ballista to hit pests around the entrance or anything trapped in the middle. In this design the exit bridges are all 3 x 1 in size.
This can be any length or width (up to 20 spaces wide). Only the basic shape is important.

Step 3: Arming the trap!

This is the most simple step, but also probably the longest one.

Link all of individual bridges to ONE lever. Yeah, it takes a bit, but it's worth it.

Step FINAL: Destruction.

Wait for some unsuspecting victims to begin crossing your bridge, and then flip the lever. Getting proper timing down will likely take practice. Sometimes using the repeat order on the "pull lever" command can be very useful too.

Anything small will be tossed up into the air and then fall into your pit. Anything too large for the bridges to lift (titans) will still be trapped and waiting for your archers / siege weapons / other nefarious plans.

there are many useful variations of this design but the key to its overall success is a series of interlocking bridges that are all linked to one lever. the version that was used to SLAY A SPIDER TITAN WITHOUT LOSING ANY DWARVES!(the spider titan was trapped on one of the middle bridges and killed by an untrained crossbowman) is drawn below. (the actual bridge used was 6 times longer than this but this demonstrates the basic principle.) there was also a fortification wall running along one side of the bridge that the crossbowman fired through.

bridges 01 and 07 at the ends are retracting while the rest of the bridges alternate which direction they open. the channeled out area is drawn on the right.

....EXIT..... ....EXIT....
.x(==01==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
.x(==01==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
.x(==01==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
.x<==02==)x.. ..xoxxxxxx..
.x(==03==>x.. ..xxxxxxox..
.x<==04==)x.. ..xoxxxxxx..
.x(==05==>x.. ..xxxxxxox..
.x<==06==)x.. ..xoxxxxxx..
.x(==07==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
.x(==07==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
.x(==07==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
..ENTRANCE... ..ENTRANCE..

DISCLAIMER: we are not responsible for inept or lazy dwarves that fail to operate the bridge. Standing on the bridge when the lever is pulled may result in injury or death. Many goblins were harmed during the design of this bridge... and some dwarves.

SINGLE LEVER AIRLOCK

Normally, bridges in open states permit movement, while bridges in closed states restrict it. This can be irritating in the design of an airlock system, as such systems usually either require cumbersome logic systems or multiple levers to function correctly. Using floodgates or hatches for these systems may be dangerous, as they are vulnerable to building destroyers. Instead, consider the following design:

XXXXXXR____
D_____/

The retracting bridge on the higher z-level is used not to permit access across a channel, but instead to block access to a ramp. Thus, a single lever can be attached to both the drawbridge and the retracting bridge, preventing airlock vulnerabilities due to lever timing. With a suitably long distance between the two bridges, the lever can be placed between the two, permitting easy movement of individual dwarves between isolated zones, via lever profiles.

== More useful uses for a retractable bridge ==
* '''Remote controlled entrances to your keep.''' Built at the top of a ramp coming out to the surface, or at the bottom of a [[hidden fun stuff|very deep hole]], these lever-controlled bridges block flying building destroyers and anything else the world throws at you ([[magma safe]] material may be advisable for special situations).
* '''Ocean drains.''' Dig out ramps leading up to the first level ''below'' an ocean. Build a bridge on that level, directly over the ramps (be sure to leave them in place!) and link it to a trigger. Carefully seal off the chamber to make it water tight. Now with the bridge in place, designate ramps up to the ocean adjacent to the bridge. Diggers with access to the level ''below'' the bridge can dig those ramps up from the level of the bridge, allowing the ocean to fill the chamber; even with the ramp squares underwater they can still dig them out. And not a drop of water will touch them... provided they clear out before you pull the lever.
* '''Caravan exits.''' A bridge to nowhere, built well above ground level at the edge of the map, can sometimes serve as a handy exit for caravans and diplomats when goblins harass. But sometimes it stops working, and I'm not sure why.
* '''[[Cave-in]]s.''' Since bridges don't support adjoining rock, it is possible to set up a cave-in so that dust can't come up, dwarves can't fall down, and flying creatures can't come up from beneath the cave-in before you set it off.
* '''Stops on the elevator.''' Designate a dumpsite or set up a floodgate at the top of a shaft; use multiple remote-controlled bridges to decide on which level the stuff, water, magma etc. gets off. (bonus: use water falling at one end of the bridge to flush stuff off that was dropped onto the other end without the manual labor)
* '''[[Minecart]]s.''' Minecarts can travel along unraised/unretracted bridges as if the bridge was a minecart track. This can let you change minecart routes via pulling levers.
{{buildings}}

v0.34:Bridge

2012-06-01T23:28:08Z

Khym Chanur: /* Notes */ Floodgate link

{{quality|Exceptional|22:21, 10 November 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Bridges''' are extremely useful buildings for crossing dangerous terrain and also for fortress defense. Using them to control [[flow|fluids]] can save a ton of mechanisms and time, especially when the fluid in question is free-flowing and not pressurized (by [[pump]], [[river]] or hydrostatic anything) and needs a wide tunnel.

==Building Bridges==

Bridges can be built ({{k|b}} -> {{k|g}}) of [[metal]], [[stone]] or [[wood]]. They are first designed by an [[architect]], then require a specialist worker for the material used (e.g. a [[mason]] for a stone bridge). The size of the bridge can be altered with {{k|u}}{{k|m}}{{k|k}}{{k|h}} while placing it, up to a maximum size of 10 squares in each direction. The bridge must be anchored to a solid surface on at least one edge. Before placing the bridge ensure that the bridge raises in the direction you want it to using {{k|w}}{{k|a}}{{k|d}}{{k|x}} or retracts using {{k|s}}.

'''Materials''':
When choosing materials, the order that they are presented on the list determines how the bridge will be labeled, NOT WHAT ORDER YOU PICK THE MATERIALS! The highest one up on the list is the core construction material. This will define the color of the bridge (and possibly how fire resistant it is, although this hasn't been tested extensively). Materials are placed on the list in order of distance, so simply make sure the primary material is the closest or at least closer than any secondary materials you wish to use. You will need the number of tiles divided by four plus one ( Tiles/4+1 ) of material to build the bridge.

Material does not appear to influence dragonfire which will destroy bridges. Some magma-safe materials including iron have proven non-resistant (Needs further testing).

Big bridges can take weeks or even months to complete. You can shorten construction time by moving the materials to the site before starting construction, and by using blocks instead of rocks. While the material-gathering time is the same for rocks vs blocks, the actual construction is three times faster for blocks.

==Raising and Retracting Bridges==

All bridges in DF can be raised or retracted by linking it to a [[lever]]. This requires a [[mechanic's workshop]] and a dwarf with the [[mechanics]] labor activated.

If a bridge is set to retract when the lever is pulled, the bridge essentially disappears dropping anything (friend, foe, or object) on the bridge onto whatever is underneath. Clearly this can be used to drop your enemies to rocky/watery/fiery deaths (or anything more imaginative you can think up!).

If a bridge is set to raise when the lever is pulled, the bridge becomes a [[wall]] along the edge selected with the {{k|w}}{{k|a}}{{k|d}}{{k|x}} keys when placing the bridge. The resulting wall is always one z-level tall, regardless of the length of the bridge. The wall acts as if it was [[construction|constructed]], rendering it invulnerable to [[building destroyer]]s. {{Verify}} The bridge also "moves" to this position very fast, firing anything on the bridge into the air. The key advantage to raising bridges is the creation of a wall when the bridge is raised. This can be used to block fortress entrances/corridors. Using 2 bridges at opposite ends of a corridor creates a very large and simple trap by walling in enemies. Or... Smashing them to tiny bits if placed to raise facing each other, with no space in between.
For added effect, place [[pressure plate]]s on both ends to raise the bridge when stepped on, to fling the units. If there is a [[floor]] directly above, they will be stunned. If there is a floor beneath the bridge, and if nobody is on the pressure plate, they have to be lucky to not be smashed on the floor when the bridges come down. If there is no floor beneath the bridge, they will fall, sometimes into something [[water|very,]] [[magma|very]] [[megabeast|bad.]]

Walls cannot be built along map edges. Because bridges can be built along map edges and then raised to act as walls, they can be used to control where enemies spawn on the map.

If you aren't sure whether or not a 1 tile thick bridge is raised or lowered, try to build a piece of furniture, like a bed, on it. If it says blocked, the bridge is raised, if it says building present, it is lowered.

The lowering of a drawbridge can also be used as a [[dwarven atom smasher|waste disposal]] for unwanted stones, [[refuse]], [[goblin]]s (dead or alive), legendary [[cheese]] makers and [[nobles]], to name a few. Even fluids get destroyed (this is especially useful considering lack of chasms in the new version). However, lowering a drawbridge onto a sufficiently large creature (such as a [[forgotten beast]]) simply destroys the bridge.

==Notes==

Bridges will not operate if any one creature of [[List of creatures by adult size|size 1200000]] is on them. This weight limit is not cumulative - a bridge will still retract if a hundred goblins are standing on it, but a single rutherer accompanying those goblins will prevent the bridge from operating. Attempting to lower a drawbridge onto such a creature (in order to [[Dwarven atom smasher|atom-smash]] it) will cause the bridge itself to deconstruct.

It is impossible to channel out stone that is directly under a raiseable bridge when its in the raised position. Likewise digging a ramp under a raised bridge will not remove the floor tile.

Non-[[magma-safe]] bridges will heat up and eventually melt if the center tiles get covered in magma or exposed to [[dragon]] fire, whether the bridge is raised, lowered, or even retracted.

While bridges do not provide structural [[support]], the game will still allow you to place unsupported [[construction]]s adjacent to them which will result in an immediate [[cave-in]] once completed, often tossing the unlucky mason off the edge to a horrible death.

Destroying bridges can be hazardous, as dwarves are not as compunctuous as with constructions and diggings to make sure no one is standing on them before destroying them.

A raised bridge cannot be linked to a lever from the inside - the mechanic must be able to stand in the center of the bridge.

1x1 raise-able bridges make a good replacement for most [[floodgate]] uses (e.g. flow and access control), however, they look the same when raised as when lowered, so it is easy to get confused. Try to build something and see what items are accessible if you are unsure of a bridges status.

==Strategies==

SELF CLEANING BRIDGE

Ever have a horde of goblins sitting on your bridge and preventing you from admiring the elegant beauty of your entrance? I have a simple solution for you!!

I know what you may be thinking, "Could my bridge, with a dozen goblins standing on it, be raised?" The answer is yes! A normal bridge can't!. But, with a little careful design and some dwarven ingenuity, you too can make a bridge that will stop almost any foe!

Step 1: Build a pit!

Don't just build any pit; it needs a special shape for the bridge to function properly.

EXAMPLE: x = channeled out section o = solid ground
...EXIT....
.xoxxxxox..
.xoxxxxox..
.xoxxxxox..
.xoxxxxox..
.xoxxxxox..
.xoxxxxox..
.xxxxxxxx..
.xxxxxxxx..
.xxxxxxxx..
.ENTRANCE..

If this is your only entrance, be careful to leave ramps at the corners so your dwarves can travel through until the bridge is finished.

Step 2: Bridges. Plural.

We will be making many small bridges. Each number designates an individual bridge (FIRE PROOF MATERIALS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED).

< > = bridge lifting direction (01) = bridge "1"
....EXIT.....
.x<01)(02>x..
.x<03)(04>x..
.x<05)(06>x..
.x<07)(08>x..
.x<09)(10>x..
.x(==11==)x..
.x(==11==)x..
.x(==11==)x..
..ENTRANCE...

Notice that "11" has no opening direction, because it needs to retract so you can use catapults or ballista to hit pests around the entrance or anything trapped in the middle. In this design the exit bridges are all 3 x 1 in size.
This can be any length or width (up to 20 spaces wide). Only the basic shape is important.

Step 3: Arming the trap!

This is the most simple step, but also probably the longest one.

Link all of individual bridges to ONE lever. Yeah, it takes a bit, but it's worth it.

Step FINAL: Destruction.

Wait for some unsuspecting victims to begin crossing your bridge, and then flip the lever. Getting proper timing down will likely take practice. Sometimes using the repeat order on the "pull lever" command can be very useful too.

Anything small will be tossed up into the air and then fall into your pit. Anything too large for the bridges to lift (titans) will still be trapped and waiting for your archers / siege weapons / other nefarious plans.

there are many useful variations of this design but the key to its overall success is a series of interlocking bridges that are all linked to one lever. the version that was used to SLAY A SPIDER TITAN WITHOUT LOSING ANY DWARVES!(the spider titan was trapped on one of the middle bridges and killed by an untrained crossbowman) is drawn below. (the actual bridge used was 6 times longer than this but this demonstrates the basic principle.) there was also a fortification wall running along one side of the bridge that the crossbowman fired through.

bridges 01 and 07 at the ends are retracting while the rest of the bridges alternate which direction they open. the channeled out area is drawn on the right.

....EXIT..... ....EXIT....
.x(==01==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
.x(==01==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
.x(==01==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
.x<==02==)x.. ..xoxxxxxx..
.x(==03==>x.. ..xxxxxxox..
.x<==04==)x.. ..xoxxxxxx..
.x(==05==>x.. ..xxxxxxox..
.x<==06==)x.. ..xoxxxxxx..
.x(==07==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
.x(==07==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
.x(==07==)x.. ..xxxxxxxx..
..ENTRANCE... ..ENTRANCE..

DISCLAIMER: we are not responsible for inept or lazy dwarves that fail to operate the bridge. Standing on the bridge when the lever is pulled may result in injury or death. Many goblins were harmed during the design of this bridge... and some dwarves.

SINGLE LEVER AIRLOCK

Normally, bridges in open states permit movement, while bridges in closed states restrict it. This can be irritating in the design of an airlock system, as such systems usually either require cumbersome logic systems or multiple levers to function correctly. Using floodgates or hatches for these systems may be dangerous, as they are vulnerable to building destroyers. Instead, consider the following design:

XXXXXXR____
D_____/

The retracting bridge on the higher z-level is used not to permit access across a channel, but instead to block access to a ramp. Thus, a single lever can be attached to both the drawbridge and the retracting bridge, preventing airlock vulnerabilities due to lever timing. With a suitably long distance between the two bridges, the lever can be placed between the two, permitting easy movement of individual dwarves between isolated zones, via lever profiles.

== More useful uses for a retractable bridge ==
* '''Remote controlled entrances to your keep.''' Built at the top of a ramp coming out to the surface, or at the bottom of a [[hidden fun stuff|very deep hole]], these lever-controlled bridges block flying building destroyers and anything else the world throws at you ([[magma safe]] material may be advisable for special situations).
* '''Ocean drains.''' Dig out ramps leading up to the first level ''below'' an ocean. Build a bridge on that level, directly over the ramps (be sure to leave them in place!) and link it to a trigger. Carefully seal off the chamber to make it water tight. Now with the bridge in place, designate ramps up to the ocean adjacent to the bridge. Diggers with access to the level ''below'' the bridge can dig those ramps up from the level of the bridge, allowing the ocean to fill the chamber; even with the ramp squares underwater they can still dig them out. And not a drop of water will touch them... provided they clear out before you pull the lever.
* '''Caravan exits.''' A bridge to nowhere, built well above ground level at the edge of the map, can sometimes serve as a handy exit for caravans and diplomats when goblins harass. But sometimes it stops working, and I'm not sure why.
* '''[[Cave-in]]s.''' Since bridges don't support adjoining rock, it is possible to set up a cave-in so that dust can't come up, dwarves can't fall down, and flying creatures can't come up from beneath the cave-in before you set it off.
* '''Stops on the elevator.''' Designate a dumpsite or set up a floodgate at the top of a shaft; use multiple remote-controlled bridges to decide on which level the stuff, water, magma etc. gets off. (bonus: use water falling at one end of the bridge to flush stuff off that was dropped onto the other end without the manual labor)
{{buildings}}

v0.34:Forgotten beast

2012-04-01T18:00:06Z

Khym Chanur:

{{quality|Masterwork|11:32, 2 October 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
{{minorspoiler}}

''In the deep, there are beasts so fell and terrible, that only they know what they are, for none who have met them have lived to tell of it... they are the Forgotten Beasts, born of the chaos from before the world's birth... they have waited, brooding in the dark places of the world... and now... by digging too deep... we have awakened them.''
::--From the Bay12 Games Forums

'''Forgotten Beasts''' are subterranean [[Titan]]s; Forgotten Beasts are, essentially, randomized creatures (or procedurally generated for you fancy big-city developer types) composed from a variety of material types, creature bodies / limbs and other additions. These other additions include everything from venomous stings to flame breath.

If it has a venomous attack of some sort, it is randomly generated as are the resulting [[symptoms]]. The beast's [[Syndrome#Breath_attacks|breath attack]] is also randomly generated, if it has one. Venom attacks come in a variety of forms, from boiling ichor to trailing dust, and the effects can range from mild pain to complete and instantaneous necrosis or paralysis. Some forms of venom can spread from spatters and contact with your dwarves, eventually infecting your entire fort. Decontaminating your soldiers in shallow running water is one way to deal with this problem. Some beasts breathe fire or shoot [[web]] in lieu of any syndrome-bearing attacks. Web-shooters are immune to the effects of any webs they, or any other creature, creates and will shoot web even at targets they lack a proper path to. Forgotten beasts based on spiders are also capable of shooting webs, regardless of other special abilities.

The number of forgotten beasts cannot be controlled directly, but is influenced by the size of the world. They dwell most often in caverns. All are [[building destroyer]]s, and are almost entirely immune to [[trap]]s (They are trapavoid and nostun but most can be caged if a web is on the cage trap). [[Bridge]]s are also less useful, as they cannot be raised or lowered as long as the beast is standing on (or under) them, preventing the traditional [[magma]] pit / [[dwarven atom smasher]] designs from working. This is probably one of [[Main:Toady One|Toady One]]'s ways of making the encounters even more [[fun]].

Most forgotten beasts can be butchered. Some are quite massive and may leave you with hundreds of meat and bone units and dozens of prepared organ units. Some are not. All forgotten beasts have a value multiplier of 1.

One may randomly appear when you reclaim a fortress. Also, they may 'ambush' you.

When a forgotten beast appears, the game pauses and you will get a message. 
[[Image:DF2010ForgottenBeast1.png]]

If you need to kill a Forgotten Beast, order your military to move to the location of the beast. Some beasts however are content not to path to your fortress and will stay dormant underground.

* Some Forgotten Beasts whose bodies are made of liquid or gas die or lose limbs on the first hit; in previous versions, these FBs were effectively immortal. Version 0.31.09 changed "made material-based random headless beasts killable" (by combat). That includes randomly generated Titans too.
* Other Forgotten Beasts are extremely difficult to kill due to some body compositions, such as being made of very hard materials. When confronted with such near-invulnerable creatures the only option is usually to use your brain and try to lock it away somehow. Walls and raised [[bridge|draw bridges]] stop them. Since they are [[building destroyer]]s you can used installed [[furniture]] to lure them to a particular location. If you can put it in a pit, a clever trapmaker can feed it invaders. If a near-indestructible beast isn't in a position to threaten your dwarves, it can be used to train reluctant marksdwarves.
* One method of defeating nearly combat-invulnerable Forgotten Beasts (those whose bodies are made of rock, for instance) is to cause a [[Cave-in]] on top of them. They'll be killed by dropping either natural or constructed walls or floors on them.
* It is also possible to capture some forgotten beasts in cage traps if they are webbed.

You can prevent Forgotten Beasts from appearing by editing [[d_init.txt]] to change [INVADERS:YES] to [INVADERS:NO], though that will also prevent [[ambush]]es and [[siege]]s from happening.

== Bugs ==

* If a beast has a dust attack, the dust will behave like it was from a [[cave-in]], flinging dwarves away (causing further damage if they hit a wall) and knocking them out. {{Bug|3133}}

{{Category|Megabeasts}}
[[ru:DF2012:Forgotten beast]]

Dwarf Fortress Wiki:Administrative intervention against vandalism

2011-09-27T03:45:04Z

Khym Chanur: /* Reports */ User Aiai00125, for Centralized Discussion pavge

<div style="text-align:left;">
{| class="infobox" id="" style="background-color: #eef5ff; border: 1px solid #0088CC; font-size: 90%; margin: 1em 0em 0em; padding: 2px; text-align: left; width: 100%; border-top-left-radius:8px; -moz-border-radius-topleft:8px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius:8px; border-bottom-right-radius:8px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright:8px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius:8px;"
! colspan="2" style="border: 1px solid #0088CC; font-weight:bold; background-color: #8ce; padding-left: 1em; padding-right: 1em; border-top-left-radius:4px; -moz-border-radius-topleft:4px; -webkit-border-top-left-radius:4px; border-bottom-right-radius:4px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright:4px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius:4px;" |'''Instructions'''
|-
|
#Reported edits must constitute vandalism.
#Link both an example of the user's vandalism and the user's talk page.
#Add report to top of list. Use format: <nowiki>#Reporting user [[User_talk:Briess|Briess]] for edits [link], [link] and [link] ~~~~ </nowiki>
#Please sign the report.
#If a report has remained here for more than 24 hour, please leave a message on an admin's talk page.
|}
</div>
==Reports==


Reporting user [[User talk:Aiai00125|Aiai00125]] for [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Centralized_Discussion&curid=14457&diff=153375&oldid=153097 this edit to the Centralized discussion page]. The user's talk page also contains linkage spam. -- [[User:Khym Chanur|Khym Chanur]] 03:45, 27 September 2011 (UTC)

Reporting user [[User:AWurth93|AWurth93]] for this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=Consolidated_Development:_Arcs,_core-items,_bloats,_Reqs_and_Powergoals&curid=17308&diff=153356&oldid=149506]. Yep, there's at least one link in that mess. - [[User:Knight Otu|Knight Otu]] 16:17, 26 September 2011 (UTC)

Reporting user [[User:JBinkley89|JBinkley89]] for this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/DF2010:Strange_mood] wait. I think this list is actually the same as Sgragg88's. -- [[User:RedHerring|Redherring]] 7:59 23/09/2011 GMT+2 (First time editing, sorry for the mess)
:I would suggest looking into users [[User:AWurth93|AWurth93]] and [[User:EKruse55|EKruse55]]. Their names follow the same pattern as Binkley and Gragg - if they are spam accounts then like those, they are probably to lie dormant for a few days before they start their spam.
:[[User:Knight Otu|Knight Otu]] 12:40, 23 September 2011 (UTC)

Reporting user [[User:SGragg88|SGragg88]] for this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=DF2010:Water_wheel&diff=153193&oldid=prev edit], this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=40d:String_dump&diff=153194&oldid=prev edit], this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=40d:Weapon_token&diff=153195&oldid=prev edit], and this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=DF2010:Creature_token&diff=153196&oldid=prev edit]. I'd be remiss to not include this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=40d:Lead&diff=153197&oldid=prev edit], this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=40d:Advanced_world_generation&diff=153198&oldid=prev edit], this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=23a:Weapon_token&diff=153199&oldid=prev edit], or this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=40d:Armor&diff=153200&oldid=prev edit]. And who could forget such classics as this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=40d:Strange_mood&diff=153201&oldid=prev edit], this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=40d:Armor_user&diff=153202&oldid=prev edit], this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=DF2010:Release_information&diff=153203&oldid=prev edit], and everbody's favorite: this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=Caravans&diff=153204&oldid=prev edit]? But wait! There's more! This [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=DF2010:Strange_mood&diff=153205&oldid=152796 edit] free with purchase! --[[User:Jwest23|Jwest23]] 21:00, 21 September 2011 (UTC)

Reporting user [[Special:Contributions/75.163.224.80|75.163.224.80]] for this [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=DF2010:Adventure_mode_quick_start&curid=18784&diff=152872&oldid=152303 edit] --[[User:Cali|Cali]] 04:20, 6 September 2011 (UTC)
:At Wikipedia we'd call that a "test edit" - most likely the first ever wiki edit by a young person who didn't quite believe they could change the internet. My bet is that there won't be any further disruption from that IP address, so no administrator action is required. [[User:Bognor|Bognor]] 14:56, 6 September 2011 (UTC)
:: I tend to agree here. --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 07:06, 9 September 2011 (UTC)

Pre-emptive, but I'm guessing the following are not genuine new-user registrations... 
(User creation log); 09:14 . . Download Love That Girl! - Season One 1080p movie New user account 
(User creation log); 08:44 . . Download 60 Minutes Australia - 2011 Full movie New user account 
[[Special:Contributions/194.200.65.239|194.200.65.239]] 10:29, 10 August 2011 (UTC) 
#Reporting IP Address 124.6.181.189 for an [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=DF2010:Soil&oldid=152086 edit] which I have reverted. --[[User:Jwest23|Jwest23]] 16:03, 4 August 2011 (UTC)
#Reporting IP Address 124.6.181.183 for an [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=DF2010:Soil&diff=prev&oldid=151941 edit] which I have reverted. --[[User:Jwest23|Jwest23]] 19:05, 31 July 2011 (UTC)
#Reporting user [[User_talk:Jose|Jose]] for an [http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=DF2010:Nail&oldid=151747 edit] which I have reverted. --[[User:Jwest23|Jwest23]] 18:06, 25 July 2011 (UTC)

There was a link insertion at [[Talk:Main_Page/Quote/archive1]] by an anonymous IP. I undid it, not sure if other measures need to be taken.
[[User:Knight Otu|Knight Otu]] 19:10, 18 June 2011 (UTC)

There was a vandalism at "http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/DF2010:Ruin". -- Dragongutz
:No there wasn't - the article history clearly indicates that the article has '''never''' had any content. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 21:41, 11 April 2011 (UTC)

reporting user [[User:Jalohear]] [[http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=Main_Page&oldid=135938 link]]
:Interestingly, that user (and 2 others) signed up over a week ago and sat dormant this entire time. The bastards are trying to get sneaky... --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 21:50, 11 February 2011 (UTC)
::I've seen vandalized main pages like that on the other wikis under attack. I'm not sure, but I think they start doing that only after they've "burrowed" into the site for an extended period of time. I believe the goal is to keep their spam links a part of the wiki for as long as possible. [[User:Uristocrat|Uristocrat]] 08:18, 12 February 2011 (UTC)
:::I suspect they were remaining dormant in order to get past the "new user" stage and gain the ability to edit semi-protected pages. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 17:21, 12 February 2011 (UTC)
::::I've modified new user stage so that you have to have made 10 edits before you can edit semiprotected articles or create new articles, in addition to the 3 day wait period. --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 17:30, 12 February 2011 (UTC)
:::::I'm glad. Sounds like that should help. Although, I just tried to create my user profile ([[User:Thundercraft|Thundercraft]]) and it gave me a '''Permission error''', it said "You do not have permission to create new pages." (I do not have 10 edits yet.) Perhaps you should make user profiles exempt from this rule? Also, I would recommend mentioning to new members about these requirements. Otherwise, it could mean a lot of confused new members at a lot of complaints. You would not have to be specific, however. You could just say that "several edits" are required before that privilege is granted. --[[User:Thundercraft|Thundercraft]] 23:01:23, 12 February 2011 (UTC)
::::::I made your user profile page for you. An admin will have to do anything else. Also, I have confirmation now that the webspam team at Google is taking a look at this. They're interested because it's not just this wiki, there are thousands of others being vandalized by spammers and their real goal is to get their crap into the search engines. That probably won't stop the spambots from vandalizing things, but it will help keep them from profiting from this. [[User:Uristocrat|Uristocrat]] 08:39, 13 February 2011 (UTC)
::::::I'll look into permissions today and see if I can get user page creation working for newly registered users. Also, you're probably right about needing a notice of some sort for this change. --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 16:56, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

Both [[User_talk:DaisyBarrett DaisyBarrett]] ([http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=DF2010:Soil&diff=prev&oldid=151347 example]) and [[User_talk:SunshineMcfadden SunshineMcfadden]] ([http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php?title=DF2010:Sand&diff=prev&oldid=151343 example]) have added link-spam marked as minor edits. Link spam is the only edits these two users have done. -- [[User:Khym Chanur|Khym Chanur]] 20:44, 15 July 2011 (UTC)
:Did you not notice that their edits were undone and '''I banned both of them 9 hours ago'''? --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 21:15, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

There was a single spam edit by 124.6.181.171, which I've reverted. [[User:Bognor|Bognor]] 07:21, 22 July 2011 (UTC)

v0.31:Starting build

2011-09-25T02:59:09Z

Khym Chanur: /* Survival */ Irrigation now longer always necessary

{{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:''
::*{{l|Quickstart guide}}
::*[[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 {{l|Embark}}.''

A '''starting build''' is a personal strategy for choosing the initial supplies, equipment, and {{l|skill}}s of your initial seven dwarves when starting a new game in {{l|fortress mode}}. (See {{l|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 {{l|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 [[DF2010: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 later, 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. {{l|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 {{l|biome}}, {{l|surroundings|savagery}}, and {{l|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 {{l|embark}} page.

== Skill Optimization ==
With only 7 dwarves, you can't take every {{l|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 {{l|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 {{l|wealth}} ''(with high-value products)'' with the need to maintain {{l|thought|morale}} ''(with low-value but commonly used products, like {{l|bed}}s, which normally are made from {{l|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, {{l|butchery}} has no time variance for slaughtering a tame animal, and has no quality associated with the outcome. On the other extreme, {{l|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 {{l|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, otherwise 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 food 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 {{l|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:
:{{l|Mining}} - to dig your fortress, and gain stone for projects. Only possible to avoid using if you're secretly an elf.
:* Inexperienced {{l|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 {{l|soil#soil|soil}}, but taking two dwarves with at least some points in mining is recommended in many cases.
:{{l|Carpentry}} - {{l|bed}}s can only be produced from {{l|wood}} (rare {{l|mood}}s aside). This skill can also be used to make {{L|bin}}s without having to have an {{L|anvil}}, use any metal {{L|bar}}s, or use any {{L|fuel}}.
:{{l|Masonry}} - to build walls and stairs, and fashion dwarven furniture from stone. Possible to work around, but incredibly hard and annoying to do.
:{{l|Grower|Growing}} - your farmers' work echoes throughout so many other tasks, it's stunning
:* While its 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 crops for brewing, and 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 {{l|Grower}}, but it'll certainly be ''very'' helpful. Likewise, a skilled {{l|brewer}} produces {{l|alcohol}} quicker, which improves your dwarves' mood as they have constant access to it, as does a skilled {{l|cook}} with the foods they prepare. However, most food can be eaten raw, and so long as they are not starving there is life.
:{{l|Brewing}} - ''All'' dwarves "need alcohol to get through the working day."
:{{l|Mechanics}} - If you want traps, and most people will. Also needed for most machinery. Mechanisms sell for a high price as a bonus.
:{{l|Architecture|Building Designer}} - Mandatory for some buildings and constructions, but skill only improves speed a tad and increases structure {{l|value}}
:{{l|Broker skills}} - Most importantly {{l|appraiser}} - you will use these whenever you trade with a caravan. Because of this, a minimum of Broker skills are highly recommended to start with at the Novice (1 pt) level (especially Novice level of {{l|Appraiser}}
:{{l|Record keeper}} - Gives you access to the stocks screen and will let you accurately survey the resources of your fortress.
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, Brewing, 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 {{l|experience|skill level}}. Some of these skills (eg, Record Keeper) are rarely worth investing initial points in even though you will almost always use it. Others of them (eg, Mining, Carpentry) may or may not 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. A skilled carpenter can contribute a lot to fortress mood, but won't produce much value, see the discussion of Quality below).

The difference between these skills and other skills is that other skills are optional as to whether they'll get used or not. You need to deliberately want to use them. These skills 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). Ie, 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.

But that you can avoid even something as basic as mining *for the lifetime of your fortress* 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 ====

{{l|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.

Its 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.

==== Moodable skills ====

{{l|Strange mood}}s will create a Legendary skill of the "moodable" skill with the highest level, 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 certain skills 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 protect the moodable skill and 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 {{l|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, {{l|mining}}) or because it takes a long time to do an individual job (eg, {{l|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 {{l|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 {{l|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 {{l|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 {{l|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 {{l|Expedition leader}}, who will then become the {{l|mayor}} and start making {{l|mandate}}s. Thus you should avoid giving the most social skills to dwarfs who have {{l|preferences}} for things like {{l|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 {{l|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 {{l|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 {{L|soil}} or {{L|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 {{l|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 its 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 {{l|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 {{l|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 ({{l|cassiterite}}, {{l|sphalerite}}, {{l|bismuthinite}}, {{l|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 ====

Dwarves who start with the ambusher skill as their highest non-military non-social skill will get some leather {{l|armor}}, a crossbow, a quiver and a stack of 30 to 40 metal bolts for free.

Embarking in a biome where there's snow at the moment of embarkation seems to get the same clothing items dwarves which Ambusher get, though they will not necessarily be made of leather.{{verify}}

==Site considerations==
Each fortress {{l|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 {{l|region}} your fort occupies, the specific vision you have of your fortress, and what it will take to {{l|losing|stay alive}} where you're going!

The differences include what {{l|biome}}s, {{l|region}}s and likely {{l|metal}}s are present in your chosen embark site.

=== General Surroundings ===
Simply put, if your {{l|surroundings}} are {{l|evil}} or {{l|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 {{l|Starting_builds#Free_Equipment|free equipment}}). Hand in hand with those, consider skill mixes that include {{l|axedwarf}}, {{l|mining}} (the skill used to wield a pick), {{l|marksdwarf}}, or {{l|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 {{l|water}} on the map, preferably running {{l|water}}. Water is (almost) essential for any fortress. In Cold and Freezing climates streams and {{l|lake}}s will often be frozen year-round and your dwarves may quickly die of exposure, in Hot climates {{l|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 {{l|aquifer}} is present in the first soil or stone layers (visible on the pre-embark menu), it may bar all access to {{l|stone}} and {{l|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 {{l|ore}}s, but at the loss of trees and plants. In previous versions lacking {{L|cavern}}s, this was a serious drawback. In DF2010, 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 {{l|vein}}s of useful {{l|ore}}s that can be immediately mined for {{l|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 {{l|aquifer}} being present. Make sure to check on embark.

The greatest disadvantage is the potential lack of exposed {{l|stone}} to mine. The first level(s) below the surface is often {{l|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?

{{l|Experience|Training}} a {{l|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, {{l|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 {{l|water}} of some sort.

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

=== Desert, Glaciers, and Barren ===
Treeless (or near-treeless) {{l|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 {{l|glacier}}s are wonderful for players with slower computers, as there's little to burden the CPU but your dwarves and livestock. {{l|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 {{l|Sample Starting Builds}}

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

v0.31:Temperature

2011-09-23T10:13:17Z

Khym Chanur: /* Fixed temperature */

{{quality|Fine|08:00, 22 May 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

''For temperature as it relates to choosing an embarkation site, see [[DF2010:Climate|Climate]].''

==Temperature scale==
Dwarf Fortress uses its own temperature scale in most cases, often called "Degrees [[Urist]]" on this wiki.
So if you see something like [HOMEOTHERM:10067], don't be amazed.

[[Magma]]'s temperature is 12,000° Urist.

The highest possible temperature in Dwarf Fortress is 60,000°U - the temperature 60,001°U is used internally for temperatures which have been set to "NONE".

===Conversion===

[DF scale] = [FAHRENHEIT] + 9968

[DF scale] = [CELSIUS] * 9/5 + 10000

[DF scale] = [KELVIN] * 9/5 + 9508.33

[DF scale] = [RANKINE] + 9508.33

''(Note: Mod-makers may find this [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=80523.0 Temperature Conversion Utility] handy if they find themselves having to convert a lot of temperatures to and/or from Degrees Urist.)''

===Reference Chart===

{| {{prettytable}}
|- bgcolor="#ddd"
! Significance
! DF Scale
! Fahrenheit
! Celsius
! Kelvin
! Rankine

|-
|Human Body Temperature
| 10066.62
| 98.6
| 37.0
| 310.15
| 558.27

|-
| Freezing Point of Water
| 10000
| 32
| 0
| 273.15
| 491.67

|-
| Boiling Point of Water
| 10180
| 212
| 100
| 373.15
| 671.67

|-
| Absolute Zero
| 9508.332
| -459.67
| −273.15
| 0
| 0

|-
| DF Scale's Zero1
| 0
| -9968
| -5555.555...
| -5282.40555...
| -9508.33
|}


:1 - Yes, temperatures in Dwarf Fortress can go '''far, far''' below absolute zero, which is physically impossible. Considering Dwarf Fortress also allows {{L|water wheel#Perpetual motion|perpetual motion}}, it's best not to ask questions.
:2 - Technically, fractional/decimal temperatures are not possible in Dwarf Fortress, as they are stored as unsigned 16-bit integers. For instance, body temp for humans in the raws is rounded to 10067.


Some general information about temperatures in DF (copied from somewhere on the forums):
{| class="prettytable"
|-
! Event / location
! Temperature
|-
| alcohol freezes
| 9850 U
|-
| water freezes
| 10000 U
|-
| underground
| 10015 U
|-
| outside (varies)
| 10048 U
|-
| dwarf/human body temp
| 10067 U
|-
| floor above magma
| 10075 U
|-
| fat melts
| 10078 U
|-
| water boils
| 10180 U
|-
| common stone melts
| 11500 U
|-
| magma
| 12000 U
|-
|}

==Melting point==

This is the temperature at which an object will melt. Any material with a melting (and ignite and heat damage) point over 12,000 °U is {{L|magma-safe}}.

==Boiling point==

This is the temperature at which an object will evaporate.

==Ignition point==

This is the temperature at which an object will catch fire, if at all. If it doesn't it is {{L|fire-safe}}.

==Heat damage point==

This is the temperature above which an object will begin to take {{L|wear|damage}}. Flammable items without a heat damage point (or with an exceptionally high one) will take damage very slowly, causing them to burn for about 9-10 months before disappearing.

==Cold damage point==

This is the temperature below which an object will begin to take {{L|wear|damage}}.

==Specific heat==

This determines how long it takes an object to heat up or cool down. An object with high specific heat will change temperature more slowly.

==Fixed temperature==

A substance's temperature can be forced to always be a certain value via the MAT_FIXED_TEMP {{L|material definition token}}. The only standard material which uses this is the {{L|nether-cap}}, who's temperature is always at the freezing point. If a substance's temperature is fixed to between its cold damage point and its heat damage point then items made from that substance will never suffer cold/heat damage, unless it's {{L|dump}}ed into {{L|magma}} or {{L|water}}. This makes nether cap {{L|fire-safe}} and {{L|magma safe}}, in spite of being {{L|wood}}.

The fixed temperature of an item is set when the item comes into existence, so you can't change the MAT_FIXED_TEMP token to cause an existing item to melt/burn/etc.

The fixed temperature of a {{L|container}} has no effect on it's contents, so you can't freeze {{L|water}} by putting it into a {{L|bucket}} made from nether cap.

The fixed temperature of a substance only effects items made from that substance. For example, setting a type of rock to have a fixed temperature over its melting point won't cause walls made from that rock to instantly melt, cause ice walls adjacent to the rock walls to melt, or even cause them to be considered [[warm stone]].

v0.31 Talk:Tutorials

2011-09-23T09:15:51Z

Khym Chanur: Tutorial constructive criticism needed

==Tutorial constructive criticism needed==
I'm done with the first pass at my DF tutorial, {{L|Stonegears}}, and need some constructive criticism. There's no screenshots or downloadable files yet, just the text of the tutorial.

Thanks. -- [[User:Khym Chanur|Khym Chanur]] 09:15, 23 September 2011 (UTC)

v0.31:Stonegears/Caravans

2011-09-23T07:47:01Z

Khym Chanur: /* What's available for import */

:''Back to the [[../|main tutorial page]]''

Sometime in late {{L|Calendar|autumn}} of your first year, the dwarven {{L|caravan}} from your parent civilization will come to your fortress for {{L|trading}}, so you should have things set up for them before then.

==Trade depot==
To trade with a caravan you need a {{L|trade depot}} in a place that has a clear path to the edge of your site's map. To place a depot use {{K|b}}-{{K|D}}, press {{K|Enter}} when positioned properly, and choose three items of raw material to make it from. Building it will require a dwarf with the {{L|architecture}} labor enabled, and then another dwarf with a labor appropriate for the material it's made from ({{L|masonry}} for stone, {{L|carpentry}} for wood, and one of the four {{L|metal}} related labors for metal). A depot is a 5x5 tile square, so if placing it outside you might need to {{L|wood cutting|cut}} down some {{L|tree}}s to make room for it.

Once the depot is placed you can use {{K|D}} to check if the depot is accessible to {{L|wagon}}s. However, since caravans don't yet use wagons, but instead use only pack animals, it will often falsely tell you that your depot is not accessible: a pack animal can go anywhere your dwarves can go, but a wagon needs a three tile wide path (since a wagon is three tiles wide) of {{L|floor}}s, {{L|ramp}}s and {{L|bridge}}s (wagons can't use stairs), clear of obstructions like {{L|tree}}s, {{L|boulder}}s and installed {{L|furniture}}.

Do '''''not''''' have more than one depot at once, since this will confuse the caravans about which one to go to. If you're playing a [[mod]] where several different caravans can show up at once they'll all share the same depot without a problem.

==Arrival of the caravan and liaison==
At some point in late autumn the dwarven {{L|caravan}} and {{L|liaison}} will arrive, pausing the game, {{L|announcement|announced}} by:

{{Gametext|The outpost liaison _____ from ______ has arrived.|white}}
{{Gametext|A caravan from _____ has arrived.|blue}}

Though they'll arrive at the same instant, they'll appear at different points along the edge of your site. The caravan will head straight for your {{L|trade depot}}, and the liaison will head straight for your {{L|expedition leader}}. If you have no depot yet the caravan will wait at the edge of the site, in which case you build one to get them to come it. If they remain at the edge even if you have a depot it's because there's no open path from them to the depot, likely because of a locked {{L|door}} or raised {{L|bridge}}; opening up the path will let them come in.

==Trading with the caravan==
Note that you might have your meeting with the {{L|liaison}} before you get to trade with the caravan. If that happens, skip to the [[#Meeting_with_the_liaison|meeting with the liason]]‡ section.

===Getting a dwarf to the depot===
You need to get one of your dwarves to the depot to be able to trade. By default, if you've appointed a dwarf to be the {{L|broker}} then s/he'll be the one to do the trading; this lets you control exactly who does the {{L|trading}}, so that a dwarf with the right skills will do it. Use {{K|n}} to go to the {{L|nobles}} screen and [[../Nobles#Listing.2C_appointing_and_replacing_nobles.2Fadministrators|appoint]]‡ your {{L|expedition leader}}, since he'll have the highest {{L|judge of intent}} skill, which is useful in trading.

Once you have a broker, go to the depot and use {{K|q}} to interact with it. This will tell you who your broker is, what job (if any) the broker currently has, and if he can access the depot. Use {{K|r}} to request that the broker go to the depot for trading. (If your broker is indisposed, or if you have no broker, you can use {{K|b}} to get any random dwarf to be the trader instead)

Finally, go to your expedition leader (probably via the [[../Listing your dwarves|units screen]]‡), use {{K|v}}-{{K|p}}-{{K|l}} to manipulate his {{L|labor}}s, and [[../Examining your dwarves#Labors|turn them all off]]‡ to make sure that he goes to the depot, since going to the depot has a low priority compared to the other labors; when he's doing trading you can turn his labors back on.

===Moving trade goods to the depot===
You can only sell items to the caravan which are inside the depot. To move goods to the depot use {{K|q}} to interact with the depot, then {{K|g}} to enter "move trade goods" mode. Down the left side of the screen will be a list of item categories, while down the middle will be the list of available items, with the items closest to the depot being listed first. Rather than scrolling through the whole list, you can filter for only the items you want. Use {{K|s}} to enter the word you want to search for, type in "FINI" to search for "finished goods", and press {{K|Enter}}. This will cause all of the finished goods {{L|bin}}s containing your rock {{L|mug}}s to be listed (note that items inside of containers can't be individually listed/select for moving to the depot, so typing "MUG" won't show anything). Use {{K|←}} or {{K|→}} to move from the left column to the middle column, {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}} to highlight a particular bin, and {{K|Enter}} to select it to be moved to the depot. Once selected the far right column will show a {{DFtext|[PENDING]|cyan}}, indicating that it's been selected for trading at the depot but hasn't been moved there yet. When the item arrives at the depot it will change to {{DFtext|[TRADING]|yellow}}.

Press {{K|Esc}} twice to exit to the main menu and unpause to wait for the caravan to get to the depot and unload, and for your broker to get to the depot.

===Actual trading===
Once the caravan has reached the depot and unloaded its goods, and your broker is at the depot, you can enter the trading screen by interacting with the depot ({{K|q}}) and then pressing {{K|t}}. The trading screen will show you the caravan's goods on the left side and your good on the right. The {{L|value}} of each item will be indicated by a number followed by {{L|currency|☼}}, and the {{L|weight}} in kilograms by a number followed by {{DFtext|Γ}}. You can switch which side you want to select from with {{K|←}} or {{K|→}}, scroll with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}, and select an item for trading with {{K|Enter}}, which will cause a {{DFtext|[T]}} to appear next to it, marking it as part of the deal you're planning to make; pressing {{K|Enter}} a second time will remove it from the planned deal. Marking a caravan item for trade means you're buying it from the caravan, and marking one of your items for trade means you're selling it to the caravan. If you mark a {{L|bin}} for trading then you'll buy/sell the bin ''and'' everything inside of it, which can be convenient if you want to buy/sell a lot of items at once, but can be bad if you want to sell a lot of stuff at once but keep the bin. If you want to sell many items in a bin without selling the bin itself, but don't want to tediously do {{K|↓}}-{{K|Enter}} over and over, you can set up a {{L|macros|macro}} to take care of the tedious typing.

In the far lower left-hand corner the screen is one number indicating the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} for the planned deal, and to its right the total {{DFtext|Value}} of everything that the caravan is selling for that planned deal. To guarantee that the merchants accept your deal you should give them at least a 50% profit (for example, if the {{DFtext|Value}} on the left is 1,000☼, then the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} should be at least 500☼). To get away with giving the merchants less profit on a deal, see {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|here}}.

In the far lower right-hand corner is {{DFtext|Allowed Weight}}, which shows how many more kilograms of weight the caravan can take on. If the planned deal would give the caravan too much weight to carry, it will become {{DFtext|Excess Weight|red}}. If a deal would lead to excess weight, you'll have to expand the deal to buy heavy items from the caravan until there's no more excess weight. Low cost but heavy things to buy are lumps of {{L|clay}} and {{L|bar}}s of {{L|lead}} (at the very top of the list of caravan items) and metal {{L|cage}}s (several pages down from the top of the list of caravan items). You might also want to buy some of the {{L|log}}s (at the very top of the list), since they're cheap and you can always use more logs.

Once you have a planned deal with a large enough trader profit and no excess weight, use {{K|t}} to propose the deal to the merchant. If the profit is large enough the trader will accept the deal, his {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|mood}} will improve, and ownership of the marked items will change hands. If the profit is too small (or gives the trader a loss) then he'll reject the deal and his mood will worsen; if his mood gets bad enough then he'll refuse to trade at all. If the profit isn't large enough but isn't too small then he'll make a counter offer, marking more of your items for trade ({{DFtext|[T]}}). If you get a counter offer you can press {{K|t}} again to accept it, but since the counter offer will give the merchant a larger profit margin than the minimum necessary for an acceptable deal you should probably unselect some of your marked items with {{K|Enter}} until you get a profit margin larger than you first offer but smaller than the counter offer, then press {{K|t}}.

If you want to start a planned deal over from scratch, simply leave the trading screen with {{K|Esc}} and re-enter it with {{K|t}}.

===Item quality, decorations and containers===
Some of the caravan items will have a higher than base {{L|quality}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|-}}, {{DFtext|+}}, {{DFtext|*}}, or {{DFtext|≡}}. Item quality only increases the effectiveness of {{L|armor}}, {{L|weapon}}s and {{L|animal trap}}s, and otherwise just increases the value of the item. Thus unless you're buying one of those types of items you should ignore the quality and just go for whatever is cheapest.

Some of the caravan items will be {{L|decoration|decorated}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|« »}}. The only thing decoration does is increase the value of the item, so ignore decorations and just buy whatever is cheapest.

Pieces of {{L|cloth}} can be {{L|dye|dyed}}, which is similar to an item being decorated in that it increases the value of the cloth, but dyed pieces of cloth aren't bracketed by any symbols; the only immediate indication that a piece of cloth is dyed or not is that different pieces of the same type of cloth will have different costs.

If you buy something that's in a container you have to pay for both the contained item and the container. If, for example, you buy a {{L|cow}} which is in a superior quality {{L|cage}} which is decorated with diamonds, rubies and sapphires then the vast majority of the cost is going to be for the cage; there's no way to buy just the cow but not the cage.

===What should I buy?===
For the very first caravan you should buy {{L|cloth}} and {{L|leather}}, for several reasons:

* You can use them to make {{L|bag}}s, which are needed to process {{L|quarry bush}}es into leaves, to hold {{L|sugar}} and {{L|flour}} (if you ever plan on making any), and to gather {{L|sand}} for making {{L|glass}}.
* Cloth is needed to {{L|bandage}} wounds at a {{L|hospital}}.
* Leather is needed to make {{L|quiver}}s, which are needed if you want to make a {{L|military}} which uses {{L|crossbow}}s.
* If a dwarf goes into a [[../Strange moods|strange mood]]‡ and demands leather or a certain type of cloth, but there isn't any available, s/he'll eventually go {{L|insane}}. Thus you should try to always keep on hand at least a few pieces of leather, a few pieces of {{L|silk}} cloth, a few pieces of plant fiber cloth and a few pieces of animal fiber cloth.

If there's any animals in cages you could buy the [[Pasture#List_of_grazing_animals|grazing animals]] in an effort to get a {{L|breeding}} pair to start a meat industry, which can also let you get {{L|milk}} and {{L|yarn}} if the animals are of the right types; however, this requires having enough {{L|grass}} to feed all those animals. If there's female birds in cages you can use them to get a steady supply of {{L|egg}}s, which is easy to do since tame birds don't need to be fed. Even if you don't want eggs you can buy the birds and put them into your {{L|zoo}} to give your dwarves happy {{L|thoughts}}; you can ''not'' do the same with the grazing animals, since they ''do'' need to be fed and will starve to death if kept in a cage.

===Removing items from the depot (or leaving them there)===
When you buy an item from the caravan your dwarves will move it from the depot to the appropriate [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡, if there's a stockpile which accepts that item and has empty space. Otherwise the bought item will stay in the depot until space opens up in an appropriate stockpile. The depot can hold a limitless number of items, which can be {{L|exploit|exploited}} in a manner similar to {{L|Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiles}}. Note that the depot does not have the {{L|food}} preserving properties of a food stockpile, so if you buy any food from the caravan you should make sure that your food stockpiles have enough empty room in them for the bought food. You should also immediately {{L|cook}} any {{L|meat}} or {{L|fish}} you bought to prevent it from spoiling.

Items which you brought to the depot for trading but you haven't sold will remain there for as long as they're marked for trading. They'll lose the "marked for trading" status either when the caravan leaves the depot, or if you enter the depot's "goods for trading" screen ({{K|q}}-{{K|g}}) and manually unmark them. At that point your dwarves will move those items from the depot to stockpiles like they would for bought items. If you remove your stockpiles for trade goods before this happens then your unsold trade goods will remain in the depot, saving you the trouble of hauling them back there for the next caravan (though note that this is an {{L|exploit}}).

===The appraisal skill and item value===
The first dwarf to get a look at a caravan's good's (via {{K|q}}-{{K|t}} on the trade depot) will gain experience at the {{L|appraiser|appraisal}} skill. Since the dwarf to do this was your {{L|broker}} examining an item will now show you the item's {{L|value}}, where before this information was missing.

==Liaison==

===Import agreement===

Whenever the {{L|liaison}} is within a few tiles of your {{L|expedition leader}} while the leader had no task, the liaison will go through the steps of a meeting. The first meeting screen simply shows a line of unimportant {{DFtext|blue|blue}} dialogue; you can continue by pressing either {{K|Esc}} or {{K|Enter}} (all dialogue screens are exited in this way). You'll return to the normal game for a little bit, and then get a screen with {{DFtext|white|white}} text where the second line begins with an {{DFtext|a|LightGreen}}; for this screen (and any screen like it) you have to press {{K|a}} to continue. This will immediately bring you to this screen:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

This screen lets you place orders for items, which will come with the next dwarven caravan a game-year from now. The first column is the {{DFtext|Type}} of item to order ({{L|leather}}, {{L|cloth}}, {{L|wood}}, etc), which can be scrolled through with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}}. The second column, {{DFtext|Good}}, lists the available selection of the given type (i.e., type "wood" would list pine, willow, etc), and can be scrolled through with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}. When a item in the second column has been selected you can order that item with {{K|→}} (pressing {{K|→}} multiple times will order more of that item). Your order is shown in the third column, {{DFtext|Priority}}, by the {{DFtext|O}} moving to the right and the priority line changing color. You can increase the priority for an individual item at most four times, resulting in the {{DFtext|O}} being all the way to the right and the color being {{DFtext|yellow|yellow}}. The higher the priority of an order the more of that item the next caravan will bring, but the item will also be more expensive.

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

If you change your mind you can decrease the priority of the order with {{K|←}}. If you move the {{DFtext|O}} all the way to the left, with the line turning {{DFtext|grey|grey}}, then you've entirely canceled your order for that item.

Once you are satisfied with your import agreement, press {{K|Esc}} to finalize it and move on to the next parts of the conversation.

Note that when the dwarven caravan and liaison come back next game-year the agreement you made this year will be wiped clean, so if you want to import the same things every year you'll have to re-select them each year.

====What's available for import====
For the entire duration of this game (or any fortress game) the liaison will always offer you the same list of items, since that is determined by which dwarven civilization is your parent civilization. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with the same parent civilization (________) you'll get the same list. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with a different parent civilization, or start a fortress in a different world, the list will be different. The items which are available depend upon the location in the world that your parent civilization is located. If it's at a place where there's no rubies or iron ore to mine, then you won't be able to import rubies or any iron items. If it's located next to a jungle you'll be able to import some meat and leather of jungle animals, if it's located next to an ocean you'll be able to import some salt-water fish, and so on.

Things you'll never be able to import, regardless of your parent civilization:

# Surface crops or anything made from them.
# {{L|Fat}}, {{L|tallow}}, {{L|bone}}s, {{L|shell}}s, {{L|horn}}s or {{L|hooves}}. (However, you can import import animals and immediately {{L|butcher}} them to get all those things save for shells. Importing {{L|turtle}} or {{L|cave lobster}} will merely get you turtle/lobster flesh, without any shell.)
# {{L|Honey}}, {{L|royal jelly}} or {{L|wax}}. (The {{L|hive}}s you can import are the artificial structures that {{L|bee}}s live in, and contain no bees, honey, or wax.)
# {{L|Soap}}.
# {{L|Adamantine}} or {{L|raw adamantine}}.

====What should I import?====
In this tutorial game there really isn't anything you ''need'' to import. Things that you might want to import:

* {{L|Gypsum plaster}} (under the "Powder" type), in case you don't feel like going to the trouble of making it yourself.
* Breeding pairs of {{L|pasture|grazing}} animals if you want to set up a {{L|meat industry}}.
* Female birds, if you want to feed your fortress with {{L|egg}}s.

In fortresses you play after this tutorial fortress, what you import depends on what resources are absent from your site, and what you intend to do.

* If there are few or no {{L|tree}}s on the surface you'll probably want to order lots of {{L|wood}} for import. You might also want to order some {{L|bucket}}s, {{L|splint}}s and {{L|crutch}}es so you don't need to waste any wood making them.
* Even if there's lots of trees on the surface, you'll still want to lots of wood if you're planning on using {{L|charcoal}} for {{L|fuel}}.
* If there's no {{L|sand}} or {{L|clay}} at your site you should order some in case you ever end up needing any.
* If your [[../Nobles|expedition leader, mayor or baron]] have a {{L|preference}} for any materials which can't be found on the site you should order them, to have them on hand when they make [[../Nobles#Demands|demands]]‡.

===Export agreement===
After finalizing the import agreement, the next part of the meeting with the liaison will begin {{DFtext|Remember, trade agreements strengthen bonds|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue. Next will be {{DFtext|Let's discuss what we are willing to offer for your craftdwarfship|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue. Then will be {{DFtext|Well, then, we have finalized the export agreement|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue.

You will now be looking at the export agreement. When the dwarven caravan arrives next game-year, the listed goods will sell to the caravan for the listed price. There is no requirement to produce any of these items or sell them to the next year's caravan, and it generally isn't worth it to change which trade goods you make to take advantage of the higher prices, so most players simply ignore the export agreement.

There's no way to alter or influence the export agreement, so the only thing to do is to press {{K|Esc}} to move on. You'll be given a screen of dialogue saying {{DFtext|Farewell|blue}}, and the liaison will leave.

==Trading with elves==
===Wood===
In the {{L|spring}} after the dwarven caravan comes you'll be visited by an {{L|elven}} caravan. Trading with them is the same as trading with anyone else, except that they become ''extremely'' offended if you try to sell or offer them anything made from {{L|wood}}. This includes:

* Anything made from underground "trees", even though they're technically giant mushrooms.
* Selling back to the elves wooden items they sold to you.
* Wooden {{L|bin}}s holding the trade goods you're selling them. This means you have to individually select for sale every item inside a wooden bin.
* Any item which is necessarily derived from wood: {{L|charcoal}}, {{L|lye}}, {{L|ash}}, {{L|potash}}, {{L|pearlash}}, {{L|soap}} (which requires lye), and clear or crystal {{L|glass}} (which require pearlash).
** Any item {{L|decoration|decorated}} with clear or crystal glass.

Things which won't offend the elven merchants:
* Anything which you don't try to sell/offer. This includes wooden walls/floors/bridges/etc, a trade depot made from wood, and wooden bins which are merely used to move goods to the trade depot.
* Plant material which isn't wood (that is, crops).
* Anything which was made using a wood derived product, but which ''could have'' been made without them. For example, if you used a chunk of {{L|charcoal}} to smelt a {{L|gold}} nugget into a gold bar, then a second chunk of charcoal to forge the gold bar into {{L|goblet}}s, you can safely sell the goblets to the elves, since they'll assume that you used {{L|bituminous coal |coal}} or {{L|magma}} to produce them.
* Anything made from animal products, like {{L|meat}}, {{L|leather}} and {{L|bone}}s. Even though elves are at peace with wildlife and elven merchants never bring any animal products with them, they'll happily buy them from you.
* {{L|Pottery}} with an {{L|ash glaze}} (though the fact that this doesn't offend them is probably a bug).

===Empty cages===
If an elven caravan has an apparently empty {{L|cage}} for sale, the cage might contain a tame {{L|vermin}}. You can see if this is the case or not by examining the contents of the cage with {{K|v}}.

v0.31:Stonegears/Caravans

2011-09-23T07:42:38Z

Khym Chanur: /* What should I import? */

:''Back to the [[../|main tutorial page]]''

Sometime in late {{L|Calendar|autumn}} of your first year, the dwarven {{L|caravan}} from your parent civilization will come to your fortress for {{L|trading}}, so you should have things set up for them before then.

==Trade depot==
To trade with a caravan you need a {{L|trade depot}} in a place that has a clear path to the edge of your site's map. To place a depot use {{K|b}}-{{K|D}}, press {{K|Enter}} when positioned properly, and choose three items of raw material to make it from. Building it will require a dwarf with the {{L|architecture}} labor enabled, and then another dwarf with a labor appropriate for the material it's made from ({{L|masonry}} for stone, {{L|carpentry}} for wood, and one of the four {{L|metal}} related labors for metal). A depot is a 5x5 tile square, so if placing it outside you might need to {{L|wood cutting|cut}} down some {{L|tree}}s to make room for it.

Once the depot is placed you can use {{K|D}} to check if the depot is accessible to {{L|wagon}}s. However, since caravans don't yet use wagons, but instead use only pack animals, it will often falsely tell you that your depot is not accessible: a pack animal can go anywhere your dwarves can go, but a wagon needs a three tile wide path (since a wagon is three tiles wide) of {{L|floor}}s, {{L|ramp}}s and {{L|bridge}}s (wagons can't use stairs), clear of obstructions like {{L|tree}}s, {{L|boulder}}s and installed {{L|furniture}}.

Do '''''not''''' have more than one depot at once, since this will confuse the caravans about which one to go to. If you're playing a [[mod]] where several different caravans can show up at once they'll all share the same depot without a problem.

==Arrival of the caravan and liaison==
At some point in late autumn the dwarven {{L|caravan}} and {{L|liaison}} will arrive, pausing the game, {{L|announcement|announced}} by:

{{Gametext|The outpost liaison _____ from ______ has arrived.|white}}
{{Gametext|A caravan from _____ has arrived.|blue}}

Though they'll arrive at the same instant, they'll appear at different points along the edge of your site. The caravan will head straight for your {{L|trade depot}}, and the liaison will head straight for your {{L|expedition leader}}. If you have no depot yet the caravan will wait at the edge of the site, in which case you build one to get them to come it. If they remain at the edge even if you have a depot it's because there's no open path from them to the depot, likely because of a locked {{L|door}} or raised {{L|bridge}}; opening up the path will let them come in.

==Trading with the caravan==
Note that you might have your meeting with the {{L|liaison}} before you get to trade with the caravan. If that happens, skip to the [[#Meeting_with_the_liaison|meeting with the liason]]‡ section.

===Getting a dwarf to the depot===
You need to get one of your dwarves to the depot to be able to trade. By default, if you've appointed a dwarf to be the {{L|broker}} then s/he'll be the one to do the trading; this lets you control exactly who does the {{L|trading}}, so that a dwarf with the right skills will do it. Use {{K|n}} to go to the {{L|nobles}} screen and [[../Nobles#Listing.2C_appointing_and_replacing_nobles.2Fadministrators|appoint]]‡ your {{L|expedition leader}}, since he'll have the highest {{L|judge of intent}} skill, which is useful in trading.

Once you have a broker, go to the depot and use {{K|q}} to interact with it. This will tell you who your broker is, what job (if any) the broker currently has, and if he can access the depot. Use {{K|r}} to request that the broker go to the depot for trading. (If your broker is indisposed, or if you have no broker, you can use {{K|b}} to get any random dwarf to be the trader instead)

Finally, go to your expedition leader (probably via the [[../Listing your dwarves|units screen]]‡), use {{K|v}}-{{K|p}}-{{K|l}} to manipulate his {{L|labor}}s, and [[../Examining your dwarves#Labors|turn them all off]]‡ to make sure that he goes to the depot, since going to the depot has a low priority compared to the other labors; when he's doing trading you can turn his labors back on.

===Moving trade goods to the depot===
You can only sell items to the caravan which are inside the depot. To move goods to the depot use {{K|q}} to interact with the depot, then {{K|g}} to enter "move trade goods" mode. Down the left side of the screen will be a list of item categories, while down the middle will be the list of available items, with the items closest to the depot being listed first. Rather than scrolling through the whole list, you can filter for only the items you want. Use {{K|s}} to enter the word you want to search for, type in "FINI" to search for "finished goods", and press {{K|Enter}}. This will cause all of the finished goods {{L|bin}}s containing your rock {{L|mug}}s to be listed (note that items inside of containers can't be individually listed/select for moving to the depot, so typing "MUG" won't show anything). Use {{K|←}} or {{K|→}} to move from the left column to the middle column, {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}} to highlight a particular bin, and {{K|Enter}} to select it to be moved to the depot. Once selected the far right column will show a {{DFtext|[PENDING]|cyan}}, indicating that it's been selected for trading at the depot but hasn't been moved there yet. When the item arrives at the depot it will change to {{DFtext|[TRADING]|yellow}}.

Press {{K|Esc}} twice to exit to the main menu and unpause to wait for the caravan to get to the depot and unload, and for your broker to get to the depot.

===Actual trading===
Once the caravan has reached the depot and unloaded its goods, and your broker is at the depot, you can enter the trading screen by interacting with the depot ({{K|q}}) and then pressing {{K|t}}. The trading screen will show you the caravan's goods on the left side and your good on the right. The {{L|value}} of each item will be indicated by a number followed by {{L|currency|☼}}, and the {{L|weight}} in kilograms by a number followed by {{DFtext|Γ}}. You can switch which side you want to select from with {{K|←}} or {{K|→}}, scroll with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}, and select an item for trading with {{K|Enter}}, which will cause a {{DFtext|[T]}} to appear next to it, marking it as part of the deal you're planning to make; pressing {{K|Enter}} a second time will remove it from the planned deal. Marking a caravan item for trade means you're buying it from the caravan, and marking one of your items for trade means you're selling it to the caravan. If you mark a {{L|bin}} for trading then you'll buy/sell the bin ''and'' everything inside of it, which can be convenient if you want to buy/sell a lot of items at once, but can be bad if you want to sell a lot of stuff at once but keep the bin. If you want to sell many items in a bin without selling the bin itself, but don't want to tediously do {{K|↓}}-{{K|Enter}} over and over, you can set up a {{L|macros|macro}} to take care of the tedious typing.

In the far lower left-hand corner the screen is one number indicating the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} for the planned deal, and to its right the total {{DFtext|Value}} of everything that the caravan is selling for that planned deal. To guarantee that the merchants accept your deal you should give them at least a 50% profit (for example, if the {{DFtext|Value}} on the left is 1,000☼, then the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} should be at least 500☼). To get away with giving the merchants less profit on a deal, see {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|here}}.

In the far lower right-hand corner is {{DFtext|Allowed Weight}}, which shows how many more kilograms of weight the caravan can take on. If the planned deal would give the caravan too much weight to carry, it will become {{DFtext|Excess Weight|red}}. If a deal would lead to excess weight, you'll have to expand the deal to buy heavy items from the caravan until there's no more excess weight. Low cost but heavy things to buy are lumps of {{L|clay}} and {{L|bar}}s of {{L|lead}} (at the very top of the list of caravan items) and metal {{L|cage}}s (several pages down from the top of the list of caravan items). You might also want to buy some of the {{L|log}}s (at the very top of the list), since they're cheap and you can always use more logs.

Once you have a planned deal with a large enough trader profit and no excess weight, use {{K|t}} to propose the deal to the merchant. If the profit is large enough the trader will accept the deal, his {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|mood}} will improve, and ownership of the marked items will change hands. If the profit is too small (or gives the trader a loss) then he'll reject the deal and his mood will worsen; if his mood gets bad enough then he'll refuse to trade at all. If the profit isn't large enough but isn't too small then he'll make a counter offer, marking more of your items for trade ({{DFtext|[T]}}). If you get a counter offer you can press {{K|t}} again to accept it, but since the counter offer will give the merchant a larger profit margin than the minimum necessary for an acceptable deal you should probably unselect some of your marked items with {{K|Enter}} until you get a profit margin larger than you first offer but smaller than the counter offer, then press {{K|t}}.

If you want to start a planned deal over from scratch, simply leave the trading screen with {{K|Esc}} and re-enter it with {{K|t}}.

===Item quality, decorations and containers===
Some of the caravan items will have a higher than base {{L|quality}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|-}}, {{DFtext|+}}, {{DFtext|*}}, or {{DFtext|≡}}. Item quality only increases the effectiveness of {{L|armor}}, {{L|weapon}}s and {{L|animal trap}}s, and otherwise just increases the value of the item. Thus unless you're buying one of those types of items you should ignore the quality and just go for whatever is cheapest.

Some of the caravan items will be {{L|decoration|decorated}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|« »}}. The only thing decoration does is increase the value of the item, so ignore decorations and just buy whatever is cheapest.

Pieces of {{L|cloth}} can be {{L|dye|dyed}}, which is similar to an item being decorated in that it increases the value of the cloth, but dyed pieces of cloth aren't bracketed by any symbols; the only immediate indication that a piece of cloth is dyed or not is that different pieces of the same type of cloth will have different costs.

If you buy something that's in a container you have to pay for both the contained item and the container. If, for example, you buy a {{L|cow}} which is in a superior quality {{L|cage}} which is decorated with diamonds, rubies and sapphires then the vast majority of the cost is going to be for the cage; there's no way to buy just the cow but not the cage.

===What should I buy?===
For the very first caravan you should buy {{L|cloth}} and {{L|leather}}, for several reasons:

* You can use them to make {{L|bag}}s, which are needed to process {{L|quarry bush}}es into leaves, to hold {{L|sugar}} and {{L|flour}} (if you ever plan on making any), and to gather {{L|sand}} for making {{L|glass}}.
* Cloth is needed to {{L|bandage}} wounds at a {{L|hospital}}.
* Leather is needed to make {{L|quiver}}s, which are needed if you want to make a {{L|military}} which uses {{L|crossbow}}s.
* If a dwarf goes into a [[../Strange moods|strange mood]]‡ and demands leather or a certain type of cloth, but there isn't any available, s/he'll eventually go {{L|insane}}. Thus you should try to always keep on hand at least a few pieces of leather, a few pieces of {{L|silk}} cloth, a few pieces of plant fiber cloth and a few pieces of animal fiber cloth.

If there's any animals in cages you could buy the [[Pasture#List_of_grazing_animals|grazing animals]] in an effort to get a {{L|breeding}} pair to start a meat industry, which can also let you get {{L|milk}} and {{L|yarn}} if the animals are of the right types; however, this requires having enough {{L|grass}} to feed all those animals. If there's female birds in cages you can use them to get a steady supply of {{L|egg}}s, which is easy to do since tame birds don't need to be fed. Even if you don't want eggs you can buy the birds and put them into your {{L|zoo}} to give your dwarves happy {{L|thoughts}}; you can ''not'' do the same with the grazing animals, since they ''do'' need to be fed and will starve to death if kept in a cage.

===Removing items from the depot (or leaving them there)===
When you buy an item from the caravan your dwarves will move it from the depot to the appropriate [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡, if there's a stockpile which accepts that item and has empty space. Otherwise the bought item will stay in the depot until space opens up in an appropriate stockpile. The depot can hold a limitless number of items, which can be {{L|exploit|exploited}} in a manner similar to {{L|Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiles}}. Note that the depot does not have the {{L|food}} preserving properties of a food stockpile, so if you buy any food from the caravan you should make sure that your food stockpiles have enough empty room in them for the bought food. You should also immediately {{L|cook}} any {{L|meat}} or {{L|fish}} you bought to prevent it from spoiling.

Items which you brought to the depot for trading but you haven't sold will remain there for as long as they're marked for trading. They'll lose the "marked for trading" status either when the caravan leaves the depot, or if you enter the depot's "goods for trading" screen ({{K|q}}-{{K|g}}) and manually unmark them. At that point your dwarves will move those items from the depot to stockpiles like they would for bought items. If you remove your stockpiles for trade goods before this happens then your unsold trade goods will remain in the depot, saving you the trouble of hauling them back there for the next caravan (though note that this is an {{L|exploit}}).

===The appraisal skill and item value===
The first dwarf to get a look at a caravan's good's (via {{K|q}}-{{K|t}} on the trade depot) will gain experience at the {{L|appraiser|appraisal}} skill. Since the dwarf to do this was your {{L|broker}} examining an item will now show you the item's {{L|value}}, where before this information was missing.

==Liaison==

===Import agreement===

Whenever the {{L|liaison}} is within a few tiles of your {{L|expedition leader}} while the leader had no task, the liaison will go through the steps of a meeting. The first meeting screen simply shows a line of unimportant {{DFtext|blue|blue}} dialogue; you can continue by pressing either {{K|Esc}} or {{K|Enter}} (all dialogue screens are exited in this way). You'll return to the normal game for a little bit, and then get a screen with {{DFtext|white|white}} text where the second line begins with an {{DFtext|a|LightGreen}}; for this screen (and any screen like it) you have to press {{K|a}} to continue. This will immediately bring you to this screen:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

This screen lets you place orders for items, which will come with the next dwarven caravan a game-year from now. The first column is the {{DFtext|Type}} of item to order ({{L|leather}}, {{L|cloth}}, {{L|wood}}, etc), which can be scrolled through with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}}. The second column, {{DFtext|Good}}, lists the available selection of the given type (i.e., type "wood" would list pine, willow, etc), and can be scrolled through with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}. When a item in the second column has been selected you can order that item with {{K|→}} (pressing {{K|→}} multiple times will order more of that item). Your order is shown in the third column, {{DFtext|Priority}}, by the {{DFtext|O}} moving to the right and the priority line changing color. You can increase the priority for an individual item at most four times, resulting in the {{DFtext|O}} being all the way to the right and the color being {{DFtext|yellow|yellow}}. The higher the priority of an order the more of that item the next caravan will bring, but the item will also be more expensive.

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

If you change your mind you can decrease the priority of the order with {{K|←}}. If you move the {{DFtext|O}} all the way to the left, with the line turning {{DFtext|grey|grey}}, then you've entirely canceled your order for that item.

Once you are satisfied with your import agreement, press {{K|Esc}} to finalize it and move on to the next parts of the conversation.

Note that when the dwarven caravan and liaison come back next game-year the agreement you made this year will be wiped clean, so if you want to import the same things every year you'll have to re-select them each year.

====What's available for import====
For the entire duration of this game (or any fortress game) the liaison will always offer you the same list of items, since that is determined by which dwarven civilization is your parent civilization. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with the same parent civilization (________) you'll get the same list. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with a different parent civilization, or start a fortress in a different world, the list will be different. The items which are available depend upon the location in the world that your parent civilization is located. If it's at a place where there's no rubies or iron ore to mine, then you won't be able to import rubies or any iron items. If it's located next to a jungle you'll be able to import some meat and leather of jungle animals, if it's located next to an ocean you'll be able to import some salt-water fish, and so on.

Things you'll never be able to import, regardless of your parent civilization:

# Surface crops or anything made from them.
# {{L|Fat}}, {{L|tallow}}, {{L|bone}}s, {{L|shell}}s, {{L|horn}}s or {{L|hooves}}.
# {{L|Honey}}, {{L|royal jelly}} or {{L|wax}}.
# {{L|Soap}}.
# {{L|Adamantine}} or {{L|raw adamantine}}.

====What should I import?====
In this tutorial game there really isn't anything you ''need'' to import. Things that you might want to import:

* {{L|Gypsum plaster}} (under the "Powder" type), in case you don't feel like going to the trouble of making it yourself.
* Breeding pairs of {{L|pasture|grazing}} animals if you want to set up a {{L|meat industry}}.
* Female birds, if you want to feed your fortress with {{L|egg}}s.

In fortresses you play after this tutorial fortress, what you import depends on what resources are absent from your site, and what you intend to do.

* If there are few or no {{L|tree}}s on the surface you'll probably want to order lots of {{L|wood}} for import. You might also want to order some {{L|bucket}}s, {{L|splint}}s and {{L|crutch}}es so you don't need to waste any wood making them.
* Even if there's lots of trees on the surface, you'll still want to lots of wood if you're planning on using {{L|charcoal}} for {{L|fuel}}.
* If there's no {{L|sand}} or {{L|clay}} at your site you should order some in case you ever end up needing any.
* If your [[../Nobles|expedition leader, mayor or baron]] have a {{L|preference}} for any materials which can't be found on the site you should order them, to have them on hand when they make [[../Nobles#Demands|demands]]‡.

===Export agreement===
After finalizing the import agreement, the next part of the meeting with the liaison will begin {{DFtext|Remember, trade agreements strengthen bonds|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue. Next will be {{DFtext|Let's discuss what we are willing to offer for your craftdwarfship|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue. Then will be {{DFtext|Well, then, we have finalized the export agreement|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue.

You will now be looking at the export agreement. When the dwarven caravan arrives next game-year, the listed goods will sell to the caravan for the listed price. There is no requirement to produce any of these items or sell them to the next year's caravan, and it generally isn't worth it to change which trade goods you make to take advantage of the higher prices, so most players simply ignore the export agreement.

There's no way to alter or influence the export agreement, so the only thing to do is to press {{K|Esc}} to move on. You'll be given a screen of dialogue saying {{DFtext|Farewell|blue}}, and the liaison will leave.

==Trading with elves==
===Wood===
In the {{L|spring}} after the dwarven caravan comes you'll be visited by an {{L|elven}} caravan. Trading with them is the same as trading with anyone else, except that they become ''extremely'' offended if you try to sell or offer them anything made from {{L|wood}}. This includes:

* Anything made from underground "trees", even though they're technically giant mushrooms.
* Selling back to the elves wooden items they sold to you.
* Wooden {{L|bin}}s holding the trade goods you're selling them. This means you have to individually select for sale every item inside a wooden bin.
* Any item which is necessarily derived from wood: {{L|charcoal}}, {{L|lye}}, {{L|ash}}, {{L|potash}}, {{L|pearlash}}, {{L|soap}} (which requires lye), and clear or crystal {{L|glass}} (which require pearlash).
** Any item {{L|decoration|decorated}} with clear or crystal glass.

Things which won't offend the elven merchants:
* Anything which you don't try to sell/offer. This includes wooden walls/floors/bridges/etc, a trade depot made from wood, and wooden bins which are merely used to move goods to the trade depot.
* Plant material which isn't wood (that is, crops).
* Anything which was made using a wood derived product, but which ''could have'' been made without them. For example, if you used a chunk of {{L|charcoal}} to smelt a {{L|gold}} nugget into a gold bar, then a second chunk of charcoal to forge the gold bar into {{L|goblet}}s, you can safely sell the goblets to the elves, since they'll assume that you used {{L|bituminous coal |coal}} or {{L|magma}} to produce them.
* Anything made from animal products, like {{L|meat}}, {{L|leather}} and {{L|bone}}s. Even though elves are at peace with wildlife and elven merchants never bring any animal products with them, they'll happily buy them from you.
* {{L|Pottery}} with an {{L|ash glaze}} (though the fact that this doesn't offend them is probably a bug).

===Empty cages===
If an elven caravan has an apparently empty {{L|cage}} for sale, the cage might contain a tame {{L|vermin}}. You can see if this is the case or not by examining the contents of the cage with {{K|v}}.

v0.31:Grass

2011-09-23T07:38:05Z

Khym Chanur: /* Fire */ Links

{{av}}
{{Quality|Exceptional|04:04, 10 June 2010 (UTC)}}

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'''Grass''' is a natural {{L|map tile}} that is found in any biome that supports vegetation. It can grow on most {{L|soil}} {{L|above ground}}. It tends to grow quickly, as can be found by channeling an outdoor area. Its growth can indicate the impending growth of a tree. As dwarves and other {{L|creatures}} walk over it, they have a chance (determined by the value of the {{L|Creature token#G|[GRASSTRAMPLE]}} token) of eroding it down to the base soil, on which trees and plants cannot grow. Elves have grasstrample 0. Dwarves have default grasstrample. Dragons have grasstrample 50. A mess of dwarves milling about your entrance will wear away all the grass eventually. A dragon does it with every step.

{{L|Cave moss|Moss}} and {{L|Floor fungus|fungi}}, tiles similar to grass, appear in {{L|Subterranean}} biomes; they will grow on underground soil and {{L|mud|muddy}} floors after any {{L|cavern}} has been breached. Livestock feed on them like they do normal grass.

== Livestock ==

Livestock require a steady diet of grass in order to avoid starvation. As they eat, the grass is eroded as though it were trampled, gradually depopulating their {{L|pasture}} if it isn't large enough. As there are at most 4 bunches of grass per tile, grass that is consumed in the process of an animal grazing means that the base layer of soil is revealed until the grass grows back. There is currently no known way of determining how many of the maximum of 4 bunches of grass are present in any one tile.

== Sand and clay ==

Grass growing on a soil {{L|floor}} of {{L|sand}} or {{L|clay}} will prevent the raw material from being {{L|Activity zone#Sand_Collection|collected}} for the {{L|glass industry|glass}} or {{L|ceramic industry|ceramic}} industries. If grass has grown on a collection {{L|activity zone}} you can easily clear it by designating a dirt {{L|road}} ({{K|b}} {{K|O}}) on top of it. A floor {{L|grate}} can be placed over a collection activity zone to prevent grass from growing while still allowing the raw material to be collected.

== Fire ==

Grass can also be destroyed by {{L|fire}} and {{L|magma}}. Creatures such as {{L|fire imp}}s can shoot fireballs when attacking, and said fireballs can set the grass on fire. If grass ignites, the fire will slowly spread to all connected grass, generating smoke as it burns. Fire turns grass into ashes, but not {{L|Ash|usable ashes}}. Anything that is flammable and stands on burning grass (if you look at it you will see "A fire") has a chance to catch fire each turn. Note that fire breath (as also used by dragons) will not set grass on fire, instead instantly turning it into ashes. Grassy {{L|ramp|slope}}s will not catch on fire, thus preventing the fire from spreading across {{L|z-level}}s.

== Variation ==

During a {{L|Dry season}}, grass tiles on the screen change into dry grass tiles, but the effect is purely cosmetic. Also purely cosmetic, the {{L|d_init.txt}} file contains [VARIED_GROUND_TILES:YES]. If you don't like the grass looking like ,.`', try setting this to NO. The ground will turn into periods only.

[[File:EvilGrass.png|thumb|The wormy tendrils and staring eyes of Evil Grassland]]
In {{L|evil}} biomes, you may find grass made up of {{L|wormy tendril}}s and {{L|staring eyeball}}s. It acts just like regular grass for the {{L|livestock}} that eat it. Wormy tendrils tend to wiggle constantly and staring eyeballs will blink from time to time.

In evil biomes that are also undead areas, much of the grass is dead, like the trees. Animals will not eat the dead grass. Assign a larger area for pastures so grazers can eat the patchy still-living grass.

In {{L|good}} biomes, you may find grass made up of {{L|bubble bulb|bubbles}} and {{L|downy grass|feathers}}. Like their evil counterparts, they feed {{L|livestock}} normally.

{{Plants}}
{{Category|Grass}}

v0.31:Meat industry

2011-09-21T20:43:57Z

Khym Chanur: Links

{{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 {{L|rot}} and so requires slightly more micromanagement than other {{L|industry|industries}}.

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

== Acquiring Animals and their products ==
There are several sources for obtaining {{L|Animals|animals}}, outlined below. Alternatively you can skip that business and just {{L|trade}} directly for {{L|leather}} and {{L|meat}}. You'll miss out on {{L|horn|horns}} (negligible), {{L|fat}}, and {{L|bone|bones}} though.

===Embark===
You can buy animals on {{L|embark}} and even decide how many males and females of each animal you embark with. Since you need only one male to breed, you could embark with one bull and 3 cows. Note, though, that with the exception of cat, dogs and poultry, buying animals on embark is extremely expensive. You also get two random {{L|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 {{L|Trade#Liaisons|traders}} or {{L|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. Nature will find a way.

=== Trading ===
''Requires: A {{L|Trade depot|trade depot}}, a {{L|Broker|trader}}, a {{L|merchant}}, and some {{L|Finished goods|tradeable goods}}''

You can purchase animals, meat and leather from a merchant. Animals can either be kept for breeding (see [[#Breeding|''Breeding'' below]]) or butchered immediately (see [[#Butchering|''Butchering'' below]]). Elves may bring more tamed exotic animals which are additionally {{L|Grizzly bear|interesting for defense purposes}}.

If you wish to import leather in sufficient quantity to keep your {{L|leatherworker|leatherworkers}} occupied year-round, then you should request leather to be imported from the trading {{L|liaison|liaisons}}. 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 {{L|human}} and {{L|dwarf|dwarven}} caravans.

=== Hunting ===

''Requires: A {{L|hunter}} and huntable {{L|Creatures|wildlife}}'' 
''Recommended: A {{L|dog}} (or three), leather {{L|armor}}(not usually necessary with hunting animals), and a {{L|weapon}} - preferably a {{L|crossbow}}, {{L|quiver}}, and {{L|bolt|bolts}}''

It should be noted that hunters will ignore some wildlife, e.g. {{L|zombie}} {{L|groundhog|groundhogs}} {{verify}}. Depending on where you settled your {{L|fortress}}, your {{L|biome}} may have no wildlife at all.

After equipping him or herself, a dwarven hunter will make a beeline towards the nearest wild animal and attempt to kill it, regardless of whether it is one amongst a large pack of hostile creatures{{verify}}. Upon killing the beast the dwarf will carry the {{L|corpse}} directly to the nearest {{L|butcher's shop}}, the closest {{L|refuse}} {{L|stockpile}} if none is available, or the nearest meeting area if no stockpile exists{{verify}}. Once he has deposited the corpse, it will be ready for butchering (see [[#Butchering|''Butchering'' below]]).

If the hunter kills other animals on his return journey while defending himself then those animals will not be carried indoors{{verify}}. To avoid wasting them you need to change your general {{k|o}}rders to <tt>Gather refuse from outside</tt> (note that selecting this option may lead to lots of [[fun]]).

=== Soldiers ===
''Requires: Any number of {{L|soldier|soldiers}} and huntable {{L|Creatures|wildlife}}'' 

If so desired, you can order your soldiers out to kill wild animals by selecting their squads or the soldiers individually (see the article on {{L|Attack|Attacking}}). This takes some small 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 (see below). Soldiers will not kill or butcher {{L|Domestic animal|domestic}} or {{L|tame}} animals. Take note that currently 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.

=== Cage traps ===
''Requires: {{L|Cage|Cages}}, {{L|mechanism|mechanisms}}, and a {{L|mechanic}}''

It is also possible to catch animals through judicious use of {{L|cage trap|cage traps}}. This, of course, involves building cage traps where animals will walk. Once they are trapped the caged animal (or {{L|invader}}) will be delivered to an animal stockpile and the trap will be reset with a fresh cage.

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 trigger their aggression. To successfully trap large animals, form a choke point some distance away from them: build walls, dig {{L|channel|channels}}, eliminate ramps to create sheer cliffs, use ponds, etc. to create a continuous barrier to movement.

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 ===
''Requires: One or more adult females and one adult male of each species and time'' 
''Recommended: {{L|Cage|Cages}} and/or {{L|restraint|restraints}}''

If a male and a female of the same species exist on your map then sooner or later (and probably sooner) the male will impregnate the female. No contact between a male and female is needed - pregnancy can ''and will'' occur regardless of distance, physical obstacles such as walls or locked doors, number of each gender (beyond the first), and even ownership. ''(This is often referred to as "breeding by spores".)'' Even a male in a herd of wild animals outside the fortress walls can impregnate a female locked deep in the lowest level. A female can get pregnant again immediately after giving birth. The only thing that has been reported to prevent pregnancy is caging, but females that are already pregnant can give birth while caged.

Some {{L|immigrant|immigrants}} will bring {{L|pet|pets}} that might form or complete breeding pairs.

One strategy includes {{L|restraint|restraining}} most/all your livestock near your {{L|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.

For the same reasons as above, 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. (Keep in mind, though, that some tamed wild species take more than 1 year to mature, unlike most domestic animals. For example, it may be excusable to butcher an elephant calf right away, rather than wait 10 years for it to mature and produce more meat and bones.

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 {{L|catsplosion}}).
* You can define a {{L|zoo}} from a cage, increasing overall fortress wealth, dwarven happiness, etc..

Using {{L|cage trap|cage traps}} judiciously (or taking advantage of the animals {{L|elf|elves}} trade) can sometimes snag you a breeding pair of a wild animal. Tame something unusual and start something crazy, like an {{L|alligator}} farm!
Note however that you need a {{L|Dungeon master}} before Exotic Animals will breed [[http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=1677]], and as of v0.31.03 there's an [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=519 outstanding bug] causing the Dungeon Master never to show up except in rare reported cases, despite having met the demands.

Also note that once a certain number of animals of a particular type are present in your fortress (currently observed to be around 50), that type of animal will cease to become pregnant (existing pregnancies will produce young, but they will not become pregnant again); once enough adults are slaughtered, more will begin to be born.

====Pens====
Animals on {{L|restraint|restraints}} still can {{L|path}} (1 tile in any direction from the chain/rope), and that can hurt your {{L|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 {{L|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 {{L|Restraint}} for proper removal technique.)

{{L|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.

== Butchering ==
''Requires: A {{L|butcher's shop}}, a {{L|butcher}}, and either a stray tamed {{L|animal}} marked for slaughter or one killed by a hunter or soldier''

Note: While you can't butcher {{L|pet|pets}}, their offspring will be at your disposal without restriction.

Once an animal has been killed you only have a limited amount of time to butcher the corpse before it rots. If your butcher is distracted by other tasks this is quite possible.

By default a {{L|butcher's shop}} will automatically queue <tt>Butcher animal</tt> whenever an animal corpse is available, or <tt>Slaughter animal</tt> for stray animals marked for slaughter. 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. An animal is not available if it is merely lying around. Once butchered the animal will yield one skull (though {{L|hydra|hydras}} ''should'' currently produce more than one), one raw hide and depending on the animal type a number of (prepared)(organ-)meat pieces, bones, potentially {{L|horn|horns}}/{{L|hoof|hoofs}}, fat and cartilage. The skill of the butcher only affects the time taken for <tt>Butcher animal</tt> task (<tt>Slaughter animal</tt> occurs in the blink of an eye), not the amount produced nor the quality.

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}}

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{{verify}} (which can also be a pet).

=== Overdrive ===

In some instances - most notably, after {{L|rhesus macaque}} or {{L|mandrill}} invasions, or killing some other large herd with your soldiers - you may find yourself with more bodies and {{L|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 {{L|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.

== Using the animal products==
Animal products can support several industries within the fortress: they provide meat, fat and eggs for cooking, leather for bags, clothing and armor, and bones for {{L|Bolt|ammunition}}, trade goods and in desperate circumstances armor. Horns/hoofs can currently only be used for decorations and to make crafts from. The {{L|value}} of an animal product is multiplied by the animal's modvalue, so items made from common animals are less valuable than items made from rare animals like a {{L|giant cave spider}} or a {{L|dragon}}. An animal's modvalue can be found in the creature raw files.

===Bones and Skulls===
''Requires: {{L|Bone carver}}, {{L|craftsdwarf's workshop}}, and some {{L|bone|bones}}, {{L|horn|horns}}, {{L|hoof|hoofs}} or {{L|skull|skulls}}''

Butchering an animal produces quite a few bones and a skull. In the case of some animals (like cows) also horns and hoofs. By setting up a craftsdwarf workshop near your abattoir you can turn these to use, such as turning your piles of bones into bone bolts for your {{L|archer|archers}} to practice with.

The only useful thing to do with a skull is turn it into a {{L|totem}} for {{L|trading}}. Note that 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 and not show up at all, so just transport the bins to the depot.

Note that hoofs count as 'horns' in the sense of the 'Decorate with horn'/'Make horn crafts' task in your craftsdwarf's shop.

===Meat and fat===
''Requires: a {{L|cook}}, a {{L|kitchen}}, and some {{L|meat}} or {{L|fat}}''

{{L|Fat}} can be rendered into {{L|tallow}} at a {{L|kitchen}}, and then used as an ingredient in meals. The various organs and meat can be eaten raw, or used as an ingredient. Tallow is no longer a good ingredient - rendering the fat causes it to separate into many tiny stacks, which affects the size of resultant meal.

Tallow can also be turned into {{L|soap|soap}}. Not worth much as tradegood considering the required effort, but since version 0.31.01 soap plays an important role in staving off infections when performing operations in your {{L|Healthcare|hospital}}, and it's recommended to stock your hospitals with at least some bars. See the {{L|soap|soap article}} on how to make soap.

=== Skins/Leather ===
''Requires: a {{L|tanner}}, a {{L|tanner's shop}}, and {{L|skin|raw hide}}''

As with the butcher's shop, the tanner's shop will queue <tt>Tan raw hide</tt> automatically (by default), 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. 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.

Once a hide has been tanned, it will be stored in a leather stockpile.

=== Leatherworking ===
''Requires: A {{L|leather works}}, a {{L|leatherworker}}, and a {{L|tanned hide}}''

Once you have tanned hides, whether created yourself or bought from a merchant, you can use them to produce leather goods at the {{L|leather works}}.

=== Eggs ===
''Requires: female egg-laying animal, {{L|nest box}}''

If you have tame egg-laying animals, {{L|egg production}} can be a byproduct of the meat industry. Female egg-laying animals will claim a nest box, and lay a clutch of {{L|egg}}s. These can be allowed to hatch into young animals (to replace the ones sent to the butcher), or collected into {{L|food}} stockpiles and {{L|cook}}ed into {{L|prepared meal|meals}} at a {{L|kitchen}}.

=== Milk ===

You can also milk certain female animals such as horses, cows etc. at the farmers workshop with an empty bucket and a dwarf with the milking labor enabled. The resulting milks only use is to turn into cheese at the farmers workshop with a dwarf with the cheesemaking labor enabled. This is the only use besides trading, milk cannot be drunk (but cheese can be eaten).

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

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

*{{L|Soldier|Soldiers}}/{{L|Military}}
**{{L|Soldier|Soldiers}}
**Some form of {{L|armor}}
**Any {{L|weapon}}

*{{L|Cage trap}}ping
** {{L|Mechanic}}
** {{L|Mechanic's workshop}}
** {{L|Mechanisms}}
** {{L|Cage|Cages}}

*Breeding
** {{L|Animals}}
** {{L|Cage|Cages}}
** {{L|Restraint|Restraints}}

*Processing
** {{L|Butcher}} / Butchery
*** {{L|Butcher's shop}}
** {{L|Tanner}} / Tanning
*** {{L|Tanner's shop}}
** {{L|Leatherworker}} / Leatherworking
*** {{L|Leather works}}
** {{L|Bone carver}} / Bone carving
*** {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
** {{L|Cook}} / Cooking
*** {{L|Kitchen}}
*** {{L|Barrel}}s

==See also==
*{{L|Leather}}
*{{L|Industry}}

{{Workshops FAQ}}
{{Category|Guides}}
{{Category|Industry}}
[[ru:DF2010:Meat industry]]

v0.31:Stonegears/Caravans

2011-09-21T20:28:09Z

Khym Chanur: /* Wood */

:''Back to the [[../|main tutorial page]]''

Sometime in late {{L|Calendar|autumn}} of your first year, the dwarven {{L|caravan}} from your parent civilization will come to your fortress for {{L|trading}}, so you should have things set up for them before then.

==Trade depot==
To trade with a caravan you need a {{L|trade depot}} in a place that has a clear path to the edge of your site's map. To place a depot use {{K|b}}-{{K|D}}, press {{K|Enter}} when positioned properly, and choose three items of raw material to make it from. Building it will require a dwarf with the {{L|architecture}} labor enabled, and then another dwarf with a labor appropriate for the material it's made from ({{L|masonry}} for stone, {{L|carpentry}} for wood, and one of the four {{L|metal}} related labors for metal). A depot is a 5x5 tile square, so if placing it outside you might need to {{L|wood cutting|cut}} down some {{L|tree}}s to make room for it.

Once the depot is placed you can use {{K|D}} to check if the depot is accessible to {{L|wagon}}s. However, since caravans don't yet use wagons, but instead use only pack animals, it will often falsely tell you that your depot is not accessible: a pack animal can go anywhere your dwarves can go, but a wagon needs a three tile wide path (since a wagon is three tiles wide) of {{L|floor}}s, {{L|ramp}}s and {{L|bridge}}s (wagons can't use stairs), clear of obstructions like {{L|tree}}s, {{L|boulder}}s and installed {{L|furniture}}.

Do '''''not''''' have more than one depot at once, since this will confuse the caravans about which one to go to. If you're playing a [[mod]] where several different caravans can show up at once they'll all share the same depot without a problem.

==Arrival of the caravan and liaison==
At some point in late autumn the dwarven {{L|caravan}} and {{L|liaison}} will arrive, pausing the game, {{L|announcement|announced}} by:

{{Gametext|The outpost liaison _____ from ______ has arrived.|white}}
{{Gametext|A caravan from _____ has arrived.|blue}}

Though they'll arrive at the same instant, they'll appear at different points along the edge of your site. The caravan will head straight for your {{L|trade depot}}, and the liaison will head straight for your {{L|expedition leader}}. If you have no depot yet the caravan will wait at the edge of the site, in which case you build one to get them to come it. If they remain at the edge even if you have a depot it's because there's no open path from them to the depot, likely because of a locked {{L|door}} or raised {{L|bridge}}; opening up the path will let them come in.

==Trading with the caravan==
Note that you might have your meeting with the {{L|liaison}} before you get to trade with the caravan. If that happens, skip to the [[#Meeting_with_the_liaison|meeting with the liason]]‡ section.

===Getting a dwarf to the depot===
You need to get one of your dwarves to the depot to be able to trade. By default, if you've appointed a dwarf to be the {{L|broker}} then s/he'll be the one to do the trading; this lets you control exactly who does the {{L|trading}}, so that a dwarf with the right skills will do it. Use {{K|n}} to go to the {{L|nobles}} screen and [[../Nobles#Listing.2C_appointing_and_replacing_nobles.2Fadministrators|appoint]]‡ your {{L|expedition leader}}, since he'll have the highest {{L|judge of intent}} skill, which is useful in trading.

Once you have a broker, go to the depot and use {{K|q}} to interact with it. This will tell you who your broker is, what job (if any) the broker currently has, and if he can access the depot. Use {{K|r}} to request that the broker go to the depot for trading. (If your broker is indisposed, or if you have no broker, you can use {{K|b}} to get any random dwarf to be the trader instead)

Finally, go to your expedition leader (probably via the [[../Listing your dwarves|units screen]]‡), use {{K|v}}-{{K|p}}-{{K|l}} to manipulate his {{L|labor}}s, and [[../Examining your dwarves#Labors|turn them all off]]‡ to make sure that he goes to the depot, since going to the depot has a low priority compared to the other labors; when he's doing trading you can turn his labors back on.

===Moving trade goods to the depot===
You can only sell items to the caravan which are inside the depot. To move goods to the depot use {{K|q}} to interact with the depot, then {{K|g}} to enter "move trade goods" mode. Down the left side of the screen will be a list of item categories, while down the middle will be the list of available items, with the items closest to the depot being listed first. Rather than scrolling through the whole list, you can filter for only the items you want. Use {{K|s}} to enter the word you want to search for, type in "FINI" to search for "finished goods", and press {{K|Enter}}. This will cause all of the finished goods {{L|bin}}s containing your rock {{L|mug}}s to be listed (note that items inside of containers can't be individually listed/select for moving to the depot, so typing "MUG" won't show anything). Use {{K|←}} or {{K|→}} to move from the left column to the middle column, {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}} to highlight a particular bin, and {{K|Enter}} to select it to be moved to the depot. Once selected the far right column will show a {{DFtext|[PENDING]|cyan}}, indicating that it's been selected for trading at the depot but hasn't been moved there yet. When the item arrives at the depot it will change to {{DFtext|[TRADING]|yellow}}.

Press {{K|Esc}} twice to exit to the main menu and unpause to wait for the caravan to get to the depot and unload, and for your broker to get to the depot.

===Actual trading===
Once the caravan has reached the depot and unloaded its goods, and your broker is at the depot, you can enter the trading screen by interacting with the depot ({{K|q}}) and then pressing {{K|t}}. The trading screen will show you the caravan's goods on the left side and your good on the right. The {{L|value}} of each item will be indicated by a number followed by {{L|currency|☼}}, and the {{L|weight}} in kilograms by a number followed by {{DFtext|Γ}}. You can switch which side you want to select from with {{K|←}} or {{K|→}}, scroll with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}, and select an item for trading with {{K|Enter}}, which will cause a {{DFtext|[T]}} to appear next to it, marking it as part of the deal you're planning to make; pressing {{K|Enter}} a second time will remove it from the planned deal. Marking a caravan item for trade means you're buying it from the caravan, and marking one of your items for trade means you're selling it to the caravan. If you mark a {{L|bin}} for trading then you'll buy/sell the bin ''and'' everything inside of it, which can be convenient if you want to buy/sell a lot of items at once, but can be bad if you want to sell a lot of stuff at once but keep the bin. If you want to sell many items in a bin without selling the bin itself, but don't want to tediously do {{K|↓}}-{{K|Enter}} over and over, you can set up a {{L|macros|macro}} to take care of the tedious typing.

In the far lower left-hand corner the screen is one number indicating the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} for the planned deal, and to its right the total {{DFtext|Value}} of everything that the caravan is selling for that planned deal. To guarantee that the merchants accept your deal you should give them at least a 50% profit (for example, if the {{DFtext|Value}} on the left is 1,000☼, then the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} should be at least 500☼). To get away with giving the merchants less profit on a deal, see {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|here}}.

In the far lower right-hand corner is {{DFtext|Allowed Weight}}, which shows how many more kilograms of weight the caravan can take on. If the planned deal would give the caravan too much weight to carry, it will become {{DFtext|Excess Weight|red}}. If a deal would lead to excess weight, you'll have to expand the deal to buy heavy items from the caravan until there's no more excess weight. Low cost but heavy things to buy are lumps of {{L|clay}} and {{L|bar}}s of {{L|lead}} (at the very top of the list of caravan items) and metal {{L|cage}}s (several pages down from the top of the list of caravan items). You might also want to buy some of the {{L|log}}s (at the very top of the list), since they're cheap and you can always use more logs.

Once you have a planned deal with a large enough trader profit and no excess weight, use {{K|t}} to propose the deal to the merchant. If the profit is large enough the trader will accept the deal, his {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|mood}} will improve, and ownership of the marked items will change hands. If the profit is too small (or gives the trader a loss) then he'll reject the deal and his mood will worsen; if his mood gets bad enough then he'll refuse to trade at all. If the profit isn't large enough but isn't too small then he'll make a counter offer, marking more of your items for trade ({{DFtext|[T]}}). If you get a counter offer you can press {{K|t}} again to accept it, but since the counter offer will give the merchant a larger profit margin than the minimum necessary for an acceptable deal you should probably unselect some of your marked items with {{K|Enter}} until you get a profit margin larger than you first offer but smaller than the counter offer, then press {{K|t}}.

If you want to start a planned deal over from scratch, simply leave the trading screen with {{K|Esc}} and re-enter it with {{K|t}}.

===Item quality, decorations and containers===
Some of the caravan items will have a higher than base {{L|quality}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|-}}, {{DFtext|+}}, {{DFtext|*}}, or {{DFtext|≡}}. Item quality only increases the effectiveness of {{L|armor}}, {{L|weapon}}s and {{L|animal trap}}s, and otherwise just increases the value of the item. Thus unless you're buying one of those types of items you should ignore the quality and just go for whatever is cheapest.

Some of the caravan items will be {{L|decoration|decorated}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|« »}}. The only thing decoration does is increase the value of the item, so ignore decorations and just buy whatever is cheapest.

Pieces of {{L|cloth}} can be {{L|dye|dyed}}, which is similar to an item being decorated in that it increases the value of the cloth, but dyed pieces of cloth aren't bracketed by any symbols; the only immediate indication that a piece of cloth is dyed or not is that different pieces of the same type of cloth will have different costs.

If you buy something that's in a container you have to pay for both the contained item and the container. If, for example, you buy a {{L|cow}} which is in a superior quality {{L|cage}} which is decorated with diamonds, rubies and sapphires then the vast majority of the cost is going to be for the cage; there's no way to buy just the cow but not the cage.

===What should I buy?===
For the very first caravan you should buy {{L|cloth}} and {{L|leather}}, for several reasons:

* You can use them to make {{L|bag}}s, which are needed to process {{L|quarry bush}}es into leaves, to hold {{L|sugar}} and {{L|flour}} (if you ever plan on making any), and to gather {{L|sand}} for making {{L|glass}}.
* Cloth is needed to {{L|bandage}} wounds at a {{L|hospital}}.
* Leather is needed to make {{L|quiver}}s, which are needed if you want to make a {{L|military}} which uses {{L|crossbow}}s.
* If a dwarf goes into a [[../Strange moods|strange mood]]‡ and demands leather or a certain type of cloth, but there isn't any available, s/he'll eventually go {{L|insane}}. Thus you should try to always keep on hand at least a few pieces of leather, a few pieces of {{L|silk}} cloth, a few pieces of plant fiber cloth and a few pieces of animal fiber cloth.

If there's any animals in cages you could buy the [[Pasture#List_of_grazing_animals|grazing animals]] in an effort to get a {{L|breeding}} pair to start a meat industry, which can also let you get {{L|milk}} and {{L|yarn}} if the animals are of the right types; however, this requires having enough {{L|grass}} to feed all those animals. If there's female birds in cages you can use them to get a steady supply of {{L|egg}}s, which is easy to do since tame birds don't need to be fed. Even if you don't want eggs you can buy the birds and put them into your {{L|zoo}} to give your dwarves happy {{L|thoughts}}; you can ''not'' do the same with the grazing animals, since they ''do'' need to be fed and will starve to death if kept in a cage.

===Removing items from the depot (or leaving them there)===
When you buy an item from the caravan your dwarves will move it from the depot to the appropriate [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡, if there's a stockpile which accepts that item and has empty space. Otherwise the bought item will stay in the depot until space opens up in an appropriate stockpile. The depot can hold a limitless number of items, which can be {{L|exploit|exploited}} in a manner similar to {{L|Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiles}}. Note that the depot does not have the {{L|food}} preserving properties of a food stockpile, so if you buy any food from the caravan you should make sure that your food stockpiles have enough empty room in them for the bought food. You should also immediately {{L|cook}} any {{L|meat}} or {{L|fish}} you bought to prevent it from spoiling.

Items which you brought to the depot for trading but you haven't sold will remain there for as long as they're marked for trading. They'll lose the "marked for trading" status either when the caravan leaves the depot, or if you enter the depot's "goods for trading" screen ({{K|q}}-{{K|g}}) and manually unmark them. At that point your dwarves will move those items from the depot to stockpiles like they would for bought items. If you remove your stockpiles for trade goods before this happens then your unsold trade goods will remain in the depot, saving you the trouble of hauling them back there for the next caravan (though note that this is an {{L|exploit}}).

===The appraisal skill and item value===
The first dwarf to get a look at a caravan's good's (via {{K|q}}-{{K|t}} on the trade depot) will gain experience at the {{L|appraiser|appraisal}} skill. Since the dwarf to do this was your {{L|broker}} examining an item will now show you the item's {{L|value}}, where before this information was missing.

==Liaison==

===Import agreement===

Whenever the {{L|liaison}} is within a few tiles of your {{L|expedition leader}} while the leader had no task, the liaison will go through the steps of a meeting. The first meeting screen simply shows a line of unimportant {{DFtext|blue|blue}} dialogue; you can continue by pressing either {{K|Esc}} or {{K|Enter}} (all dialogue screens are exited in this way). You'll return to the normal game for a little bit, and then get a screen with {{DFtext|white|white}} text where the second line begins with an {{DFtext|a|LightGreen}}; for this screen (and any screen like it) you have to press {{K|a}} to continue. This will immediately bring you to this screen:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

This screen lets you place orders for items, which will come with the next dwarven caravan a game-year from now. The first column is the {{DFtext|Type}} of item to order ({{L|leather}}, {{L|cloth}}, {{L|wood}}, etc), which can be scrolled through with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}}. The second column, {{DFtext|Good}}, lists the available selection of the given type (i.e., type "wood" would list pine, willow, etc), and can be scrolled through with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}. When a item in the second column has been selected you can order that item with {{K|→}} (pressing {{K|→}} multiple times will order more of that item). Your order is shown in the third column, {{DFtext|Priority}}, by the {{DFtext|O}} moving to the right and the priority line changing color. You can increase the priority for an individual item at most four times, resulting in the {{DFtext|O}} being all the way to the right and the color being {{DFtext|yellow|yellow}}. The higher the priority of an order the more of that item the next caravan will bring, but the item will also be more expensive.

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

If you change your mind you can decrease the priority of the order with {{K|←}}. If you move the {{DFtext|O}} all the way to the left, with the line turning {{DFtext|grey|grey}}, then you've entirely canceled your order for that item.

Once you are satisfied with your import agreement, press {{K|Esc}} to finalize it and move on to the next parts of the conversation.

Note that when the dwarven caravan and liaison come back next game-year the agreement you made this year will be wiped clean, so if you want to import the same things every year you'll have to re-select them each year.

====What's available for import====
For the entire duration of this game (or any fortress game) the liaison will always offer you the same list of items, since that is determined by which dwarven civilization is your parent civilization. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with the same parent civilization (________) you'll get the same list. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with a different parent civilization, or start a fortress in a different world, the list will be different. The items which are available depend upon the location in the world that your parent civilization is located. If it's at a place where there's no rubies or iron ore to mine, then you won't be able to import rubies or any iron items. If it's located next to a jungle you'll be able to import some meat and leather of jungle animals, if it's located next to an ocean you'll be able to import some salt-water fish, and so on.

Things you'll never be able to import, regardless of your parent civilization:

# Surface crops or anything made from them.
# {{L|Fat}}, {{L|tallow}}, {{L|bone}}s, {{L|shell}}s, {{L|horn}}s or {{L|hooves}}.
# {{L|Honey}}, {{L|royal jelly}} or {{L|wax}}.
# {{L|Soap}}.
# {{L|Adamantine}} or {{L|raw adamantine}}.

====What should I import?====

===Export agreement===
After finalizing the import agreement, the next part of the meeting with the liaison will begin {{DFtext|Remember, trade agreements strengthen bonds|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue. Next will be {{DFtext|Let's discuss what we are willing to offer for your craftdwarfship|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue. Then will be {{DFtext|Well, then, we have finalized the export agreement|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue.

You will now be looking at the export agreement. When the dwarven caravan arrives next game-year, the listed goods will sell to the caravan for the listed price. There is no requirement to produce any of these items or sell them to the next year's caravan, and it generally isn't worth it to change which trade goods you make to take advantage of the higher prices, so most players simply ignore the export agreement.

There's no way to alter or influence the export agreement, so the only thing to do is to press {{K|Esc}} to move on. You'll be given a screen of dialogue saying {{DFtext|Farewell|blue}}, and the liaison will leave.

==Trading with elves==
===Wood===
In the {{L|spring}} after the dwarven caravan comes you'll be visited by an {{L|elven}} caravan. Trading with them is the same as trading with anyone else, except that they become ''extremely'' offended if you try to sell or offer them anything made from {{L|wood}}. This includes:

* Anything made from underground "trees", even though they're technically giant mushrooms.
* Selling back to the elves wooden items they sold to you.
* Wooden {{L|bin}}s holding the trade goods you're selling them. This means you have to individually select for sale every item inside a wooden bin.
* Any item which is necessarily derived from wood: {{L|charcoal}}, {{L|lye}}, {{L|ash}}, {{L|potash}}, {{L|pearlash}}, {{L|soap}} (which requires lye), and clear or crystal {{L|glass}} (which require pearlash).
** Any item {{L|decoration|decorated}} with clear or crystal glass.

Things which won't offend the elven merchants:
* Anything which you don't try to sell/offer. This includes wooden walls/floors/bridges/etc, a trade depot made from wood, and wooden bins which are merely used to move goods to the trade depot.
* Plant material which isn't wood (that is, crops).
* Anything which was made using a wood derived product, but which ''could have'' been made without them. For example, if you used a chunk of {{L|charcoal}} to smelt a {{L|gold}} nugget into a gold bar, then a second chunk of charcoal to forge the gold bar into {{L|goblet}}s, you can safely sell the goblets to the elves, since they'll assume that you used {{L|bituminous coal |coal}} or {{L|magma}} to produce them.
* Anything made from animal products, like {{L|meat}}, {{L|leather}} and {{L|bone}}s. Even though elves are at peace with wildlife and elven merchants never bring any animal products with them, they'll happily buy them from you.
* {{L|Pottery}} with an {{L|ash glaze}} (though the fact that this doesn't offend them is probably a bug).

===Empty cages===
If an elven caravan has an apparently empty {{L|cage}} for sale, the cage might contain a tame {{L|vermin}}. You can see if this is the case or not by examining the contents of the cage with {{K|v}}.

v0.31:Stonegears/Caravans

2011-09-21T18:56:51Z

Khym Chanur: /* Getting a dwarf to the depot */

:''Back to the [[../|main tutorial page]]''

Sometime in late {{L|Calendar|autumn}} of your first year, the dwarven {{L|caravan}} from your parent civilization will come to your fortress for {{L|trading}}, so you should have things set up for them before then.

==Trade depot==
To trade with a caravan you need a {{L|trade depot}} in a place that has a clear path to the edge of your site's map. To place a depot use {{K|b}}-{{K|D}}, press {{K|Enter}} when positioned properly, and choose three items of raw material to make it from. Building it will require a dwarf with the {{L|architecture}} labor enabled, and then another dwarf with a labor appropriate for the material it's made from ({{L|masonry}} for stone, {{L|carpentry}} for wood, and one of the four {{L|metal}} related labors for metal). A depot is a 5x5 tile square, so if placing it outside you might need to {{L|wood cutting|cut}} down some {{L|tree}}s to make room for it.

Once the depot is placed you can use {{K|D}} to check if the depot is accessible to {{L|wagon}}s. However, since caravans don't yet use wagons, but instead use only pack animals, it will often falsely tell you that your depot is not accessible: a pack animal can go anywhere your dwarves can go, but a wagon needs a three tile wide path (since a wagon is three tiles wide) of {{L|floor}}s, {{L|ramp}}s and {{L|bridge}}s (wagons can't use stairs), clear of obstructions like {{L|tree}}s, {{L|boulder}}s and installed {{L|furniture}}.

Do '''''not''''' have more than one depot at once, since this will confuse the caravans about which one to go to. If you're playing a [[mod]] where several different caravans can show up at once they'll all share the same depot without a problem.

==Arrival of the caravan and liaison==
At some point in late autumn the dwarven {{L|caravan}} and {{L|liaison}} will arrive, pausing the game, {{L|announcement|announced}} by:

{{Gametext|The outpost liaison _____ from ______ has arrived.|white}}
{{Gametext|A caravan from _____ has arrived.|blue}}

Though they'll arrive at the same instant, they'll appear at different points along the edge of your site. The caravan will head straight for your {{L|trade depot}}, and the liaison will head straight for your {{L|expedition leader}}. If you have no depot yet the caravan will wait at the edge of the site, in which case you build one to get them to come it. If they remain at the edge even if you have a depot it's because there's no open path from them to the depot, likely because of a locked {{L|door}} or raised {{L|bridge}}; opening up the path will let them come in.

==Trading with the caravan==
Note that you might have your meeting with the {{L|liaison}} before you get to trade with the caravan. If that happens, skip to the [[#Meeting_with_the_liaison|meeting with the liason]]‡ section.

===Getting a dwarf to the depot===
You need to get one of your dwarves to the depot to be able to trade. By default, if you've appointed a dwarf to be the {{L|broker}} then s/he'll be the one to do the trading; this lets you control exactly who does the {{L|trading}}, so that a dwarf with the right skills will do it. Use {{K|n}} to go to the {{L|nobles}} screen and [[../Nobles#Listing.2C_appointing_and_replacing_nobles.2Fadministrators|appoint]]‡ your {{L|expedition leader}}, since he'll have the highest {{L|judge of intent}} skill, which is useful in trading.

Once you have a broker, go to the depot and use {{K|q}} to interact with it. This will tell you who your broker is, what job (if any) the broker currently has, and if he can access the depot. Use {{K|r}} to request that the broker go to the depot for trading. (If your broker is indisposed, or if you have no broker, you can use {{K|b}} to get any random dwarf to be the trader instead)

Finally, go to your expedition leader (probably via the [[../Listing your dwarves|units screen]]‡), use {{K|v}}-{{K|p}}-{{K|l}} to manipulate his {{L|labor}}s, and [[../Examining your dwarves#Labors|turn them all off]]‡ to make sure that he goes to the depot, since going to the depot has a low priority compared to the other labors; when he's doing trading you can turn his labors back on.

===Moving trade goods to the depot===
You can only sell items to the caravan which are inside the depot. To move goods to the depot use {{K|q}} to interact with the depot, then {{K|g}} to enter "move trade goods" mode. Down the left side of the screen will be a list of item categories, while down the middle will be the list of available items, with the items closest to the depot being listed first. Rather than scrolling through the whole list, you can filter for only the items you want. Use {{K|s}} to enter the word you want to search for, type in "FINI" to search for "finished goods", and press {{K|Enter}}. This will cause all of the finished goods {{L|bin}}s containing your rock {{L|mug}}s to be listed (note that items inside of containers can't be individually listed/select for moving to the depot, so typing "MUG" won't show anything). Use {{K|←}} or {{K|→}} to move from the left column to the middle column, {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}} to highlight a particular bin, and {{K|Enter}} to select it to be moved to the depot. Once selected the far right column will show a {{DFtext|[PENDING]|cyan}}, indicating that it's been selected for trading at the depot but hasn't been moved there yet. When the item arrives at the depot it will change to {{DFtext|[TRADING]|yellow}}.

Press {{K|Esc}} twice to exit to the main menu and unpause to wait for the caravan to get to the depot and unload, and for your broker to get to the depot.

===Actual trading===
Once the caravan has reached the depot and unloaded its goods, and your broker is at the depot, you can enter the trading screen by interacting with the depot ({{K|q}}) and then pressing {{K|t}}. The trading screen will show you the caravan's goods on the left side and your good on the right. The {{L|value}} of each item will be indicated by a number followed by {{L|currency|☼}}, and the {{L|weight}} in kilograms by a number followed by {{DFtext|Γ}}. You can switch which side you want to select from with {{K|←}} or {{K|→}}, scroll with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}, and select an item for trading with {{K|Enter}}, which will cause a {{DFtext|[T]}} to appear next to it, marking it as part of the deal you're planning to make; pressing {{K|Enter}} a second time will remove it from the planned deal. Marking a caravan item for trade means you're buying it from the caravan, and marking one of your items for trade means you're selling it to the caravan. If you mark a {{L|bin}} for trading then you'll buy/sell the bin ''and'' everything inside of it, which can be convenient if you want to buy/sell a lot of items at once, but can be bad if you want to sell a lot of stuff at once but keep the bin. If you want to sell many items in a bin without selling the bin itself, but don't want to tediously do {{K|↓}}-{{K|Enter}} over and over, you can set up a {{L|macros|macro}} to take care of the tedious typing.

In the far lower left-hand corner the screen is one number indicating the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} for the planned deal, and to its right the total {{DFtext|Value}} of everything that the caravan is selling for that planned deal. To guarantee that the merchants accept your deal you should give them at least a 50% profit (for example, if the {{DFtext|Value}} on the left is 1,000☼, then the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} should be at least 500☼). To get away with giving the merchants less profit on a deal, see {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|here}}.

In the far lower right-hand corner is {{DFtext|Allowed Weight}}, which shows how many more kilograms of weight the caravan can take on. If the planned deal would give the caravan too much weight to carry, it will become {{DFtext|Excess Weight|red}}. If a deal would lead to excess weight, you'll have to expand the deal to buy heavy items from the caravan until there's no more excess weight. Low cost but heavy things to buy are lumps of {{L|clay}} and {{L|bar}}s of {{L|lead}} (at the very top of the list of caravan items) and metal {{L|cage}}s (several pages down from the top of the list of caravan items). You might also want to buy some of the {{L|log}}s (at the very top of the list), since they're cheap and you can always use more logs.

Once you have a planned deal with a large enough trader profit and no excess weight, use {{K|t}} to propose the deal to the merchant. If the profit is large enough the trader will accept the deal, his {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|mood}} will improve, and ownership of the marked items will change hands. If the profit is too small (or gives the trader a loss) then he'll reject the deal and his mood will worsen; if his mood gets bad enough then he'll refuse to trade at all. If the profit isn't large enough but isn't too small then he'll make a counter offer, marking more of your items for trade ({{DFtext|[T]}}). If you get a counter offer you can press {{K|t}} again to accept it, but since the counter offer will give the merchant a larger profit margin than the minimum necessary for an acceptable deal you should probably unselect some of your marked items with {{K|Enter}} until you get a profit margin larger than you first offer but smaller than the counter offer, then press {{K|t}}.

If you want to start a planned deal over from scratch, simply leave the trading screen with {{K|Esc}} and re-enter it with {{K|t}}.

===Item quality, decorations and containers===
Some of the caravan items will have a higher than base {{L|quality}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|-}}, {{DFtext|+}}, {{DFtext|*}}, or {{DFtext|≡}}. Item quality only increases the effectiveness of {{L|armor}}, {{L|weapon}}s and {{L|animal trap}}s, and otherwise just increases the value of the item. Thus unless you're buying one of those types of items you should ignore the quality and just go for whatever is cheapest.

Some of the caravan items will be {{L|decoration|decorated}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|« »}}. The only thing decoration does is increase the value of the item, so ignore decorations and just buy whatever is cheapest.

Pieces of {{L|cloth}} can be {{L|dye|dyed}}, which is similar to an item being decorated in that it increases the value of the cloth, but dyed pieces of cloth aren't bracketed by any symbols; the only immediate indication that a piece of cloth is dyed or not is that different pieces of the same type of cloth will have different costs.

If you buy something that's in a container you have to pay for both the contained item and the container. If, for example, you buy a {{L|cow}} which is in a superior quality {{L|cage}} which is decorated with diamonds, rubies and sapphires then the vast majority of the cost is going to be for the cage; there's no way to buy just the cow but not the cage.

===What should I buy?===
For the very first caravan you should buy {{L|cloth}} and {{L|leather}}, for several reasons:

* You can use them to make {{L|bag}}s, which are needed to process {{L|quarry bush}}es into leaves, to hold {{L|sugar}} and {{L|flour}} (if you ever plan on making any), and to gather {{L|sand}} for making {{L|glass}}.
* Cloth is needed to {{L|bandage}} wounds at a {{L|hospital}}.
* Leather is needed to make {{L|quiver}}s, which are needed if you want to make a {{L|military}} which uses {{L|crossbow}}s.
* If a dwarf goes into a [[../Strange moods|strange mood]]‡ and demands leather or a certain type of cloth, but there isn't any available, s/he'll eventually go {{L|insane}}. Thus you should try to always keep on hand at least a few pieces of leather, a few pieces of {{L|silk}} cloth, a few pieces of plant fiber cloth and a few pieces of animal fiber cloth.

If there's any animals in cages you could buy the [[Pasture#List_of_grazing_animals|grazing animals]] in an effort to get a {{L|breeding}} pair to start a meat industry, which can also let you get {{L|milk}} and {{L|yarn}} if the animals are of the right types; however, this requires having enough {{L|grass}} to feed all those animals. If there's female birds in cages you can use them to get a steady supply of {{L|egg}}s, which is easy to do since tame birds don't need to be fed. Even if you don't want eggs you can buy the birds and put them into your {{L|zoo}} to give your dwarves happy {{L|thoughts}}; you can ''not'' do the same with the grazing animals, since they ''do'' need to be fed and will starve to death if kept in a cage.

===Removing items from the depot (or leaving them there)===
When you buy an item from the caravan your dwarves will move it from the depot to the appropriate [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡, if there's a stockpile which accepts that item and has empty space. Otherwise the bought item will stay in the depot until space opens up in an appropriate stockpile. The depot can hold a limitless number of items, which can be {{L|exploit|exploited}} in a manner similar to {{L|Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiles}}. Note that the depot does not have the {{L|food}} preserving properties of a food stockpile, so if you buy any food from the caravan you should make sure that your food stockpiles have enough empty room in them for the bought food. You should also immediately {{L|cook}} any {{L|meat}} or {{L|fish}} you bought to prevent it from spoiling.

Items which you brought to the depot for trading but you haven't sold will remain there for as long as they're marked for trading. They'll lose the "marked for trading" status either when the caravan leaves the depot, or if you enter the depot's "goods for trading" screen ({{K|q}}-{{K|g}}) and manually unmark them. At that point your dwarves will move those items from the depot to stockpiles like they would for bought items. If you remove your stockpiles for trade goods before this happens then your unsold trade goods will remain in the depot, saving you the trouble of hauling them back there for the next caravan (though note that this is an {{L|exploit}}).

===The appraisal skill and item value===
The first dwarf to get a look at a caravan's good's (via {{K|q}}-{{K|t}} on the trade depot) will gain experience at the {{L|appraiser|appraisal}} skill. Since the dwarf to do this was your {{L|broker}} examining an item will now show you the item's {{L|value}}, where before this information was missing.

==Liaison==

===Import agreement===

Whenever the {{L|liaison}} is within a few tiles of your {{L|expedition leader}} while the leader had no task, the liaison will go through the steps of a meeting. The first meeting screen simply shows a line of unimportant {{DFtext|blue|blue}} dialogue; you can continue by pressing either {{K|Esc}} or {{K|Enter}} (all dialogue screens are exited in this way). You'll return to the normal game for a little bit, and then get a screen with {{DFtext|white|white}} text where the second line begins with an {{DFtext|a|LightGreen}}; for this screen (and any screen like it) you have to press {{K|a}} to continue. This will immediately bring you to this screen:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

This screen lets you place orders for items, which will come with the next dwarven caravan a game-year from now. The first column is the {{DFtext|Type}} of item to order ({{L|leather}}, {{L|cloth}}, {{L|wood}}, etc), which can be scrolled through with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}}. The second column, {{DFtext|Good}}, lists the available selection of the given type (i.e., type "wood" would list pine, willow, etc), and can be scrolled through with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}. When a item in the second column has been selected you can order that item with {{K|→}} (pressing {{K|→}} multiple times will order more of that item). Your order is shown in the third column, {{DFtext|Priority}}, by the {{DFtext|O}} moving to the right and the priority line changing color. You can increase the priority for an individual item at most four times, resulting in the {{DFtext|O}} being all the way to the right and the color being {{DFtext|yellow|yellow}}. The higher the priority of an order the more of that item the next caravan will bring, but the item will also be more expensive.

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

If you change your mind you can decrease the priority of the order with {{K|←}}. If you move the {{DFtext|O}} all the way to the left, with the line turning {{DFtext|grey|grey}}, then you've entirely canceled your order for that item.

Once you are satisfied with your import agreement, press {{K|Esc}} to finalize it and move on to the next parts of the conversation.

Note that when the dwarven caravan and liaison come back next game-year the agreement you made this year will be wiped clean, so if you want to import the same things every year you'll have to re-select them each year.

====What's available for import====
For the entire duration of this game (or any fortress game) the liaison will always offer you the same list of items, since that is determined by which dwarven civilization is your parent civilization. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with the same parent civilization (________) you'll get the same list. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with a different parent civilization, or start a fortress in a different world, the list will be different. The items which are available depend upon the location in the world that your parent civilization is located. If it's at a place where there's no rubies or iron ore to mine, then you won't be able to import rubies or any iron items. If it's located next to a jungle you'll be able to import some meat and leather of jungle animals, if it's located next to an ocean you'll be able to import some salt-water fish, and so on.

Things you'll never be able to import, regardless of your parent civilization:

# Surface crops or anything made from them.
# {{L|Fat}}, {{L|tallow}}, {{L|bone}}s, {{L|shell}}s, {{L|horn}}s or {{L|hooves}}.
# {{L|Honey}}, {{L|royal jelly}} or {{L|wax}}.
# {{L|Soap}}.
# {{L|Adamantine}} or {{L|raw adamantine}}.

====What should I import?====

===Export agreement===
After finalizing the import agreement, the next part of the meeting with the liaison will begin {{DFtext|Remember, trade agreements strengthen bonds|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue. Next will be {{DFtext|Let's discuss what we are willing to offer for your craftdwarfship|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue. Then will be {{DFtext|Well, then, we have finalized the export agreement|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue.

You will now be looking at the export agreement. When the dwarven caravan arrives next game-year, the listed goods will sell to the caravan for the listed price. There is no requirement to produce any of these items or sell them to the next year's caravan, and it generally isn't worth it to change which trade goods you make to take advantage of the higher prices, so most players simply ignore the export agreement.

There's no way to alter or influence the export agreement, so the only thing to do is to press {{K|Esc}} to move on. You'll be given a screen of dialogue saying {{DFtext|Farewell|blue}}, and the liaison will leave.

==Trading with elves==
===Wood===
In the {{L|spring}} after the dwarven caravan comes you'll be visited by an {{L|elven}} caravan. Trading with them is the same as trading with anyone else, except that they become ''extremely'' offended if you try to sell or offer them anything made from {{L|wood}}. This includes:

* Anything made from underground "trees", even though they're technically giant mushrooms.
* Selling back to the elves wooden items they sold to you.
* Wooden {{L|bin}}s holding the trade goods you're selling them. This means you have to individually select for sale every item inside a wooden bin.
* Any item which is necessarily derived from wood: {{L|charcoal}}, {{L|lye}}, {{L|ash}}, {{L|potash}}, {{L|pearlash}}, {{L|soap}} (which requires lye), and clear or crystal {{L|glass}} (which require pearlash).
** Any item {{L|decoration|decorated}} with clear or crystal glass.

Things which won't offend the elven merchants:
* Anything which you don't try to sell/offer. This includes wooden walls/floors/bridges/etc, a trade depot made from wood, and wooden bins which are merely used to move goods to the trade depot.
* Plant material which isn't wood (that is, crops).
* Anything which was made using a wood derived product, but which ''could have'' been made without them. For example, if you used a chunk of {{L|charcoal}} to smelt a {{L|gold}} nugget into a gold bar, then a second chunk of charcoal to forge the gold bar into {{L|goblet}}s, you can safely sell the goblets to the elves, since they'll assume that you used {{L|bituminous coal |coal}} or {{L|magma}} to produce them.
* Anything made from animal products, like {{L|meat}}, {{L|leather}} and {{L|bone}}s. Even though elves have AT_PEACE_WITH_WILDLIFE and elven merchants never bring any animal products with them, they'll happily buy them from you.
* {{L|Pottery}} with an {{L|ash glaze}} (though the fact that this doesn't offend them is probably a bug).

===Empty cages===
If an elven caravan has an apparently empty {{L|cage}} for sale, the cage might contain a tame {{L|vermin}}. You can see if this is the case or not by examining the contents of the cage with {{K|v}}.

v0.31:Stonegears/Caravans

2011-09-21T18:37:38Z

Khym Chanur: /* Liaison */

:''Back to the [[../|main tutorial page]]''

Sometime in late {{L|Calendar|autumn}} of your first year, the dwarven {{L|caravan}} from your parent civilization will come to your fortress for {{L|trading}}, so you should have things set up for them before then.

==Trade depot==
To trade with a caravan you need a {{L|trade depot}} in a place that has a clear path to the edge of your site's map. To place a depot use {{K|b}}-{{K|D}}, press {{K|Enter}} when positioned properly, and choose three items of raw material to make it from. Building it will require a dwarf with the {{L|architecture}} labor enabled, and then another dwarf with a labor appropriate for the material it's made from ({{L|masonry}} for stone, {{L|carpentry}} for wood, and one of the four {{L|metal}} related labors for metal). A depot is a 5x5 tile square, so if placing it outside you might need to {{L|wood cutting|cut}} down some {{L|tree}}s to make room for it.

Once the depot is placed you can use {{K|D}} to check if the depot is accessible to {{L|wagon}}s. However, since caravans don't yet use wagons, but instead use only pack animals, it will often falsely tell you that your depot is not accessible: a pack animal can go anywhere your dwarves can go, but a wagon needs a three tile wide path (since a wagon is three tiles wide) of {{L|floor}}s, {{L|ramp}}s and {{L|bridge}}s (wagons can't use stairs), clear of obstructions like {{L|tree}}s, {{L|boulder}}s and installed {{L|furniture}}.

Do '''''not''''' have more than one depot at once, since this will confuse the caravans about which one to go to. If you're playing a [[mod]] where several different caravans can show up at once they'll all share the same depot without a problem.

==Arrival of the caravan and liaison==
At some point in late autumn the dwarven {{L|caravan}} and {{L|liaison}} will arrive, pausing the game, {{L|announcement|announced}} by:

{{Gametext|The outpost liaison _____ from ______ has arrived.|white}}
{{Gametext|A caravan from _____ has arrived.|blue}}

Though they'll arrive at the same instant, they'll appear at different points along the edge of your site. The caravan will head straight for your {{L|trade depot}}, and the liaison will head straight for your {{L|expedition leader}}. If you have no depot yet the caravan will wait at the edge of the site, in which case you build one to get them to come it. If they remain at the edge even if you have a depot it's because there's no open path from them to the depot, likely because of a locked {{L|door}} or raised {{L|bridge}}; opening up the path will let them come in.

==Trading with the caravan==
Note that you might have your meeting with the {{L|liaison}} before you get to trade with the caravan. If that happens, skip to the [[#Meeting_with_the_liaison|meeting with the liason]]‡ section.

===Getting a dwarf to the depot===
You need to get one of your dwarves to the depot to be able to trade. By default, if you've appointed a dwarf to be the {{L|broker}} then s/he'll be the one to do the trading; this lets you control exactly who does the {{L|trading}}, so that a dwarf with the right skills will do it. Use {{K|n}} to go to the {{L|nobles}} screen and [[../Nobles#Listing.2C_appointing_and_replacing_nobles.2Fadministrators|appoint]]‡ your {{L|expedition leader}}, since he'll have the highest {{L|judge of intent}} skill, which is useful in trading.

Once you have a broker, go to the depot and use {{K|q}} to interact with it. This will tell you who your broker is, what job (if any) the broker currently has, and if he can access the depot. Use {{K|r}} to request that the broker go to the depot for trading. (If your broker is indisposed, or if you have no broker, you can use {{K|b}} to get any random dwarf to be the trader instead)

Finally, go to your expedition leader (probably via the [[../Listing your dwarves|units screen]]‡), use {{K|v}}-{{K|p}}-{{K|l}} to manipulate his {{L|labor}}s, and [[../Examining your dwarves#Labors|turn them all off]]‡ to make sure that he goes to the depot, since going to the depot has a low priority compared to the other labors; when he's doing training you can turn his labors back on.

===Moving trade goods to the depot===
You can only sell items to the caravan which are inside the depot. To move goods to the depot use {{K|q}} to interact with the depot, then {{K|g}} to enter "move trade goods" mode. Down the left side of the screen will be a list of item categories, while down the middle will be the list of available items, with the items closest to the depot being listed first. Rather than scrolling through the whole list, you can filter for only the items you want. Use {{K|s}} to enter the word you want to search for, type in "FINI" to search for "finished goods", and press {{K|Enter}}. This will cause all of the finished goods {{L|bin}}s containing your rock {{L|mug}}s to be listed (note that items inside of containers can't be individually listed/select for moving to the depot, so typing "MUG" won't show anything). Use {{K|←}} or {{K|→}} to move from the left column to the middle column, {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}} to highlight a particular bin, and {{K|Enter}} to select it to be moved to the depot. Once selected the far right column will show a {{DFtext|[PENDING]|cyan}}, indicating that it's been selected for trading at the depot but hasn't been moved there yet. When the item arrives at the depot it will change to {{DFtext|[TRADING]|yellow}}.

Press {{K|Esc}} twice to exit to the main menu and unpause to wait for the caravan to get to the depot and unload, and for your broker to get to the depot.

===Actual trading===
Once the caravan has reached the depot and unloaded its goods, and your broker is at the depot, you can enter the trading screen by interacting with the depot ({{K|q}}) and then pressing {{K|t}}. The trading screen will show you the caravan's goods on the left side and your good on the right. The {{L|value}} of each item will be indicated by a number followed by {{L|currency|☼}}, and the {{L|weight}} in kilograms by a number followed by {{DFtext|Γ}}. You can switch which side you want to select from with {{K|←}} or {{K|→}}, scroll with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}, and select an item for trading with {{K|Enter}}, which will cause a {{DFtext|[T]}} to appear next to it, marking it as part of the deal you're planning to make; pressing {{K|Enter}} a second time will remove it from the planned deal. Marking a caravan item for trade means you're buying it from the caravan, and marking one of your items for trade means you're selling it to the caravan. If you mark a {{L|bin}} for trading then you'll buy/sell the bin ''and'' everything inside of it, which can be convenient if you want to buy/sell a lot of items at once, but can be bad if you want to sell a lot of stuff at once but keep the bin. If you want to sell many items in a bin without selling the bin itself, but don't want to tediously do {{K|↓}}-{{K|Enter}} over and over, you can set up a {{L|macros|macro}} to take care of the tedious typing.

In the far lower left-hand corner the screen is one number indicating the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} for the planned deal, and to its right the total {{DFtext|Value}} of everything that the caravan is selling for that planned deal. To guarantee that the merchants accept your deal you should give them at least a 50% profit (for example, if the {{DFtext|Value}} on the left is 1,000☼, then the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} should be at least 500☼). To get away with giving the merchants less profit on a deal, see {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|here}}.

In the far lower right-hand corner is {{DFtext|Allowed Weight}}, which shows how many more kilograms of weight the caravan can take on. If the planned deal would give the caravan too much weight to carry, it will become {{DFtext|Excess Weight|red}}. If a deal would lead to excess weight, you'll have to expand the deal to buy heavy items from the caravan until there's no more excess weight. Low cost but heavy things to buy are lumps of {{L|clay}} and {{L|bar}}s of {{L|lead}} (at the very top of the list of caravan items) and metal {{L|cage}}s (several pages down from the top of the list of caravan items). You might also want to buy some of the {{L|log}}s (at the very top of the list), since they're cheap and you can always use more logs.

Once you have a planned deal with a large enough trader profit and no excess weight, use {{K|t}} to propose the deal to the merchant. If the profit is large enough the trader will accept the deal, his {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|mood}} will improve, and ownership of the marked items will change hands. If the profit is too small (or gives the trader a loss) then he'll reject the deal and his mood will worsen; if his mood gets bad enough then he'll refuse to trade at all. If the profit isn't large enough but isn't too small then he'll make a counter offer, marking more of your items for trade ({{DFtext|[T]}}). If you get a counter offer you can press {{K|t}} again to accept it, but since the counter offer will give the merchant a larger profit margin than the minimum necessary for an acceptable deal you should probably unselect some of your marked items with {{K|Enter}} until you get a profit margin larger than you first offer but smaller than the counter offer, then press {{K|t}}.

If you want to start a planned deal over from scratch, simply leave the trading screen with {{K|Esc}} and re-enter it with {{K|t}}.

===Item quality, decorations and containers===
Some of the caravan items will have a higher than base {{L|quality}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|-}}, {{DFtext|+}}, {{DFtext|*}}, or {{DFtext|≡}}. Item quality only increases the effectiveness of {{L|armor}}, {{L|weapon}}s and {{L|animal trap}}s, and otherwise just increases the value of the item. Thus unless you're buying one of those types of items you should ignore the quality and just go for whatever is cheapest.

Some of the caravan items will be {{L|decoration|decorated}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|« »}}. The only thing decoration does is increase the value of the item, so ignore decorations and just buy whatever is cheapest.

Pieces of {{L|cloth}} can be {{L|dye|dyed}}, which is similar to an item being decorated in that it increases the value of the cloth, but dyed pieces of cloth aren't bracketed by any symbols; the only immediate indication that a piece of cloth is dyed or not is that different pieces of the same type of cloth will have different costs.

If you buy something that's in a container you have to pay for both the contained item and the container. If, for example, you buy a {{L|cow}} which is in a superior quality {{L|cage}} which is decorated with diamonds, rubies and sapphires then the vast majority of the cost is going to be for the cage; there's no way to buy just the cow but not the cage.

===What should I buy?===
For the very first caravan you should buy {{L|cloth}} and {{L|leather}}, for several reasons:

* You can use them to make {{L|bag}}s, which are needed to process {{L|quarry bush}}es into leaves, to hold {{L|sugar}} and {{L|flour}} (if you ever plan on making any), and to gather {{L|sand}} for making {{L|glass}}.
* Cloth is needed to {{L|bandage}} wounds at a {{L|hospital}}.
* Leather is needed to make {{L|quiver}}s, which are needed if you want to make a {{L|military}} which uses {{L|crossbow}}s.
* If a dwarf goes into a [[../Strange moods|strange mood]]‡ and demands leather or a certain type of cloth, but there isn't any available, s/he'll eventually go {{L|insane}}. Thus you should try to always keep on hand at least a few pieces of leather, a few pieces of {{L|silk}} cloth, a few pieces of plant fiber cloth and a few pieces of animal fiber cloth.

If there's any animals in cages you could buy the [[Pasture#List_of_grazing_animals|grazing animals]] in an effort to get a {{L|breeding}} pair to start a meat industry, which can also let you get {{L|milk}} and {{L|yarn}} if the animals are of the right types; however, this requires having enough {{L|grass}} to feed all those animals. If there's female birds in cages you can use them to get a steady supply of {{L|egg}}s, which is easy to do since tame birds don't need to be fed. Even if you don't want eggs you can buy the birds and put them into your {{L|zoo}} to give your dwarves happy {{L|thoughts}}; you can ''not'' do the same with the grazing animals, since they ''do'' need to be fed and will starve to death if kept in a cage.

===Removing items from the depot (or leaving them there)===
When you buy an item from the caravan your dwarves will move it from the depot to the appropriate [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡, if there's a stockpile which accepts that item and has empty space. Otherwise the bought item will stay in the depot until space opens up in an appropriate stockpile. The depot can hold a limitless number of items, which can be {{L|exploit|exploited}} in a manner similar to {{L|Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiles}}. Note that the depot does not have the {{L|food}} preserving properties of a food stockpile, so if you buy any food from the caravan you should make sure that your food stockpiles have enough empty room in them for the bought food. You should also immediately {{L|cook}} any {{L|meat}} or {{L|fish}} you bought to prevent it from spoiling.

Items which you brought to the depot for trading but you haven't sold will remain there for as long as they're marked for trading. They'll lose the "marked for trading" status either when the caravan leaves the depot, or if you enter the depot's "goods for trading" screen ({{K|q}}-{{K|g}}) and manually unmark them. At that point your dwarves will move those items from the depot to stockpiles like they would for bought items. If you remove your stockpiles for trade goods before this happens then your unsold trade goods will remain in the depot, saving you the trouble of hauling them back there for the next caravan (though note that this is an {{L|exploit}}).

===The appraisal skill and item value===
The first dwarf to get a look at a caravan's good's (via {{K|q}}-{{K|t}} on the trade depot) will gain experience at the {{L|appraiser|appraisal}} skill. Since the dwarf to do this was your {{L|broker}} examining an item will now show you the item's {{L|value}}, where before this information was missing.

==Liaison==

===Import agreement===

Whenever the {{L|liaison}} is within a few tiles of your {{L|expedition leader}} while the leader had no task, the liaison will go through the steps of a meeting. The first meeting screen simply shows a line of unimportant {{DFtext|blue|blue}} dialogue; you can continue by pressing either {{K|Esc}} or {{K|Enter}} (all dialogue screens are exited in this way). You'll return to the normal game for a little bit, and then get a screen with {{DFtext|white|white}} text where the second line begins with an {{DFtext|a|LightGreen}}; for this screen (and any screen like it) you have to press {{K|a}} to continue. This will immediately bring you to this screen:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

This screen lets you place orders for items, which will come with the next dwarven caravan a game-year from now. The first column is the {{DFtext|Type}} of item to order ({{L|leather}}, {{L|cloth}}, {{L|wood}}, etc), which can be scrolled through with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}}. The second column, {{DFtext|Good}}, lists the available selection of the given type (i.e., type "wood" would list pine, willow, etc), and can be scrolled through with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}. When a item in the second column has been selected you can order that item with {{K|→}} (pressing {{K|→}} multiple times will order more of that item). Your order is shown in the third column, {{DFtext|Priority}}, by the {{DFtext|O}} moving to the right and the priority line changing color. You can increase the priority for an individual item at most four times, resulting in the {{DFtext|O}} being all the way to the right and the color being {{DFtext|yellow|yellow}}. The higher the priority of an order the more of that item the next caravan will bring, but the item will also be more expensive.

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

If you change your mind you can decrease the priority of the order with {{K|←}}. If you move the {{DFtext|O}} all the way to the left, with the line turning {{DFtext|grey|grey}}, then you've entirely canceled your order for that item.

Once you are satisfied with your import agreement, press {{K|Esc}} to finalize it and move on to the next parts of the conversation.

Note that when the dwarven caravan and liaison come back next game-year the agreement you made this year will be wiped clean, so if you want to import the same things every year you'll have to re-select them each year.

====What's available for import====
For the entire duration of this game (or any fortress game) the liaison will always offer you the same list of items, since that is determined by which dwarven civilization is your parent civilization. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with the same parent civilization (________) you'll get the same list. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with a different parent civilization, or start a fortress in a different world, the list will be different. The items which are available depend upon the location in the world that your parent civilization is located. If it's at a place where there's no rubies or iron ore to mine, then you won't be able to import rubies or any iron items. If it's located next to a jungle you'll be able to import some meat and leather of jungle animals, if it's located next to an ocean you'll be able to import some salt-water fish, and so on.

Things you'll never be able to import, regardless of your parent civilization:

# Surface crops or anything made from them.
# {{L|Fat}}, {{L|tallow}}, {{L|bone}}s, {{L|shell}}s, {{L|horn}}s or {{L|hooves}}.
# {{L|Honey}}, {{L|royal jelly}} or {{L|wax}}.
# {{L|Soap}}.
# {{L|Adamantine}} or {{L|raw adamantine}}.

====What should I import?====

===Export agreement===
After finalizing the import agreement, the next part of the meeting with the liaison will begin {{DFtext|Remember, trade agreements strengthen bonds|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue. Next will be {{DFtext|Let's discuss what we are willing to offer for your craftdwarfship|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue. Then will be {{DFtext|Well, then, we have finalized the export agreement|white}}; press {{K|a}} to continue.

You will now be looking at the export agreement. When the dwarven caravan arrives next game-year, the listed goods will sell to the caravan for the listed price. There is no requirement to produce any of these items or sell them to the next year's caravan, and it generally isn't worth it to change which trade goods you make to take advantage of the higher prices, so most players simply ignore the export agreement.

There's no way to alter or influence the export agreement, so the only thing to do is to press {{K|Esc}} to move on. You'll be given a screen of dialogue saying {{DFtext|Farewell|blue}}, and the liaison will leave.

==Trading with elves==
===Wood===
In the {{L|spring}} after the dwarven caravan comes you'll be visited by an {{L|elven}} caravan. Trading with them is the same as trading with anyone else, except that they become ''extremely'' offended if you try to sell or offer them anything made from {{L|wood}}. This includes:

* Anything made from underground "trees", even though they're technically giant mushrooms.
* Selling back to the elves wooden items they sold to you.
* Wooden {{L|bin}}s holding the trade goods you're selling them. This means you have to individually select for sale every item inside a wooden bin.
* Any item which is necessarily derived from wood: {{L|charcoal}}, {{L|lye}}, {{L|ash}}, {{L|potash}}, {{L|pearlash}}, {{L|soap}} (which requires lye), and clear or crystal {{L|glass}} (which require pearlash).
** Any item {{L|decoration|decorated}} with clear or crystal glass.

Things which won't offend the elven merchants:
* Anything which you don't try to sell/offer. This includes wooden walls/floors/bridges/etc, a trade depot made from wood, and wooden bins which are merely used to move goods to the trade depot.
* Plant material which isn't wood (that is, crops).
* Anything which was made using a wood derived product, but which ''could have'' been made without them. For example, if you used a chunk of {{L|charcoal}} to smelt a {{L|gold}} nugget into a gold bar, then a second chunk of charcoal to forge the gold bar into {{L|goblet}}s, you can safely sell the goblets to the elves, since they'll assume that you used {{L|bituminous coal |coal}} or {{L|magma}} to produce them.
* Anything made from animal products, like {{L|meat}}, {{L|leather}} and {{L|bone}}s. Even though elves have AT_PEACE_WITH_WILDLIFE and elven merchants never bring any animal products with them, they'll happily buy them from you.
* {{L|Pottery}} with an {{L|ash glaze}} (though the fact that this doesn't offend them is probably a bug).

===Empty cages===
If an elven caravan has an apparently empty {{L|cage}} for sale, the cage might contain a tame {{L|vermin}}. You can see if this is the case or not by examining the contents of the cage with {{K|v}}.

v0.31:Block

2011-09-21T07:21:29Z

Khym Chanur: /* Blocks vs Rocks */ Ore

{{quality|Exceptional|15:59, 30 September 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

:''For area blocks of 48x48 tiles on a game map, see {{L|Region}}.''
:''For "blocking" in combat, see {{L|Armor}}.''

----

A '''block''' is a type of building material. {{L|Stone}} and {{L|wood}} can be shaped into blocks at a {{L|mason's workshop}} or {{L|carpenter's workshop}}. {{L|Glass}} can be formed as blocks at a {{L|glass furnace}}, {{L|ceramic}} blocks can be made at a {{L|kiln}}, and {{L|metal}} blocks can be made at a {{L|forge}} from a single metal {{L|bar}} (or, in the case of {{L|adamantine}}, from '''four''' wafers). Blocks do not have {{L|quality}} levels.

A single block is required in order to build a {{L|well}}, {{L|screw pump}}, or {{L|ashery}}. Blocks can also be used in place of raw stone or wood in {{L|road}}s, {{L|bridge}}s, {{L|workshop}}s and {{L|construction}}s (but not in items like {{L|craft}}s or {{L|furniture}}). Stone blocks are sometimes used as materials during {{L|strange mood}}s.

==Blocks vs Rocks==

Building a bridge out of blocks instead of rocks cuts the building time by two thirds, independent of clearing and hauling time. This difference in building time presumably extends to other buildings and constructions where you can choose between blocks and rocks.

Blocks, unlike raw stone or wood, can stack in {{L|bin}}s in bar/block {{L|stockpile}}s.

Blocks {{L|weight|weigh}} less than the material they're made from, being anywhere from 1/28 to 1/31 of the original weight.

Blocks are more valuable than rocks. Blocks have a {{L|Value#Items with material but without quality|base value}} of 5, compared to the raw material value of 3 for stone, wood or glass. Metal bars already have a base value of 5.

{{L|Bridge}}s, {{L|pillar}}s, {{L|road}}s, and {{L|construction}}s built from rocks are called "rough" while the same built from blocks are not given that adjective.

Some players prefer to build workshops from blocks instead of rocks to avoid a surprising feature of forbidding. Players often want to control which types of stones their workers use, especially at {{L|mason's workshop}}s and {{L|mechanic's workshop}}s, to control the color of the resulting furniture. One way to achieve that control is by mass forbidding whole types of rocks from the {{L|stocks}} menu. But if you forbid the stone (or block) that a workshop is made of, then that workshop will no longer function. So a player forbidding stones to produce a particular color of chair or lever is often surprised when other workshops suddenly stop working. Building workshops exclusively from blocks allows the player to mass forbid rocks from the stocks screen without encountering this problem. Building out of blocks also increases the value of the workshop, which increases the {{l|wealth}} of your fortress.

Blocks of {{L|flux}} '''cannot''' be used for making {{L|pig iron}} or {{L|steel}}, nor can blocks of {{L|ore}} be {{L|smelter|smelted}} into metal.

{{Category|Materials}}

v0.31:Stonegears/Metalworking

2011-09-21T07:18:32Z

Khym Chanur: /* Notes */ Blocks

:''Back to the [[../|main tutorial page]]''

==Uses for metalworking, glass making and ceramics==
* If you have the '''INVADERS''' [[../Options|option]]‡ set to YES then you'll definitely need to make {{L|metal}} armor and weapons. A {{L|military}} with equipment made entirely from {{L|wood}}, {{L|bone}} and {{L|stone}} isn't going to be very effective.
* Some [[../Nobles|nobles]]‡ will make {{L|demand}}s and production {{L|mandate}}s for metal, {{L|glass}} and {{L|ceramic}} items.
* Making {{L|statue}}s out {{L|gold}}, {{L|platinum}} or {{L|aluminum}} is a good way to make high-value {{L|furniture}} which can be installed into {{L|room}}s to raise their quality or be put into communal areas so admiring them can give happy {{L|thought}}s.
* {{L|Goblet}}s made from gold can be used to buy a lot of stuff from the {{L|caravan}}s.
* If your fortress is at a site with no {{L|tree}}s on the surface, like a {{L|desert}} or {{L|glacier}}, you can make {{L|bin}}s, {{L|bucket}}s, {{L|crutch}}es and {{L|splint}}s out of metal in order to conserve your supplies of wood (though you can get everything but bins from {{L|caravan}}s).
* If you have any {{L|sand}} or {{L|clay}} floors on your site you can collect an endless amount of the materials for making glass and ceramics.

==Normal forges and furnaces vs magma powered ones==
{{L|Forge}}s and {{L|furnace}}s need power in order to operate. Normal ones are powered by consuming {{L|fuel}}, either {{L|charcoal}} made from {{L|wood}} or coke refined from {{L|bituminous coal}} or {{L|lignite}}. The {{L|magma}} version are powered by being placed one {{L|z-level}} above magma and need no fuel. Magma is usually obtained from the ubiquitous {{L|magma sea}}, but is sometimes acquired from a {{L|volcano}} instead.

===Advantages of magma power===
The advantage of magma power all stem from the fact that you can use it endlessly without using up any fuel:

* You can {{L|melt}} all of the iron weapons and armor left behind by {{L|goblin}} {{L|siege}}s, turning them into bars your metal workers can use, without using up all your fuel.
* You can train your {{L|armorsmith}} and {{L|weaponsmith}} by having them make weapons and armor out of {{L|copper}} and {{L|silver}}, so they'll have more {{L|experience}} when they later use {{L|steel}} or {{L|adamantine}}.
* You can recycle all your low {{L|quality}} products via melting.
* If you have any sand on your site you can churn out endless amounts of raw glass to train your {{L|gem setter}} and {{L|gem cutter}}.
* If you have any sand or clay on your site you can churn out endless amounts of glass and ceramic goods to trade to the caravans. Glass and ceramic are three times more valuable than ordinary rock and 50% more valuable than {{L|flux}}. (Of course, a skilled stonecrafter is going to make more valuable stone goods than an unskilled glassmaker or potter).

===Disadvantages of magma power===
The big disadvantage of magma power is that the magma usually comes from the magma sea, which is usually 60 or more z-levels below the surface, meaning that not only do you have to dig down quite a ways, but if the main part of your fortress is up near the surface there's a long round trip of anyone involved.

===Mitigating the problem of magma power===
There are multiple ways of dealing with the problem of the long round trips:

* Make a second living area down near the magma sea, including {{L|bedroom}}s, and manually assign the bedrooms to anyone working down there. This way the only dwarves making long round trips will be the {{L|hauling|haulers}}.
* You can make a 1x1 tile wide pit going all the way down to your magma works and put a {{L|Activity zone#Garbage_Dump|garbage dump}} next to it so that {{L|dumping|dumped}} items will be thrown down it, to save the time on hauling items all the way down. However, this requires a bit of micromanagement, especially to dump down {{L|bag}}s of {{L|sand}} without spilling the sand.
* Choose a fortress site which has a {{L|volcano}}, so you can put your magma works near the surface.
* Move some magma up closer to the surface (taking advantage of the fact that magma in Dwarf Fortress never cools, thus acting as an infinite source of energy):
** You can move magma up by using {{L|pump}}s made from {{L|magma safe}} materials.
** You can take advantage of the game's simplistic simulation of liquid displacement via a {{L|magma piston}}, which will teleport magma up many z-levels.
* Build your fortress down near the magma sea. You can use the water from the lowest {{L|cavern}} to {{L|irrigation|irrigate}} rock for {{L|farming}}, leaving only few dwarfs up near the surface to cut down trees for wood. You'll only need to go up to the surface to {{L|trade}} with {{L|caravan}}s and to fight {{L|ambush}}es and {{L|siege}}s.

==Safely tapping into the magma sea==
We're going to build a set of magma powered workshops, so you will know how it's done, and so you don't have to worry about running out of {{L|fuel}}. If you end up using it a lot you should make a second living area down there for the workers (including a {{L|sculpture garden}}, {{L|zoo}} or {{L|Activity zone#Meeting_Area|meeting area activity zone}} so they don't trek all the way up to the surface when {{L|on break}}).

You're going to dig some tunnels and connect them to the magma sea to flood them with magma, thus bringing the magma to your workshops. However, there are dangerous monsters living in the sea that you want to keep out. You could use either a {{L|floodgate}} or a {{L|bridge|drawbridge}} connected to a {{L|lever}} to let magma into the tunnels and then block off the sea, but since some of the inhabitants of the magma sea are {{L|building destroyer}}s which can destroy floodgates you'll want to use a drawbridge. Since the drawbridge and the {{L|mechanism}} connecting it to the lever are going to be submerged in magma for a while they need to be made out of {{L|magma safe}} material to prevent them from being destroyed. ((INSTRUCTIONS ON DIGGING OUT SOME MAGMA SAFE STONE))

Now put a stone [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]] next to the mechanic's workshop, accepting only the magma safe stone. Once some of the rock has been deposited there, add three "make mechanism" jobs to the workshop to ensure that at least two magma safe mechanisms are made (the first chunk of rock your mechanic picks might not be a magma safe one, depending upon where s/he is when the job is accepted). Only the mechanism attached to the drawbridge needs to be magma safe, but to avoid accidentally attaching the wrong mechanism to the bridge both mechanisms involved in the connection should be magma safe. The mechanism the lever is made from does ''not'' need to be magma safe.

Go back to the 1x1 tile exploratory stairwell you dug down to the magma see and widen it to 3 tiles wide (if your miners are digging else, remove enough of the mining designation ({{K|d}}-{{K|x}}) to stop them so they can concentrate on this). When you get down to relative depth ____, absolute elevation ____, stop and lay out some unconnected designations for workshops, hallway, and stone stockpile, like this:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER
:''Turn on {{L|note}}s mode ({{K|N}}) to reveal flashing {{DFtext|*|cyan}} notes to show you were the 3x3 workshop spaces should be centered''

The upstairs ({{K|d}}-{{K|u}}) in the hallway are to a stockpile for finished goods and smelted bars of metal.

Designate a downstairs ({{K|d}}-{{K|j}}) where the flashing {{DFtext|>|cyan}} note is, an upstairs ({{K|d}}-{{K|u}}) right under it a level down, then dig out tunnels to match up with the following:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER
:''The notes ({{K|N}}) are '''next''' to the tunnels, not on top of them''

At the end of the tunnel right next to the magma sea, place a west raising {{L|bridge|drawbridge}} ({{K|b}}-{{K|g}}-{{K|a}}-{{K|Enter}}) and choose a chunk of the {{L|magma safe}} rock to build it from. Place a {{L|lever}} ({{K|b}}-{{K|T}}-{{K|l}}) on the level with the furnaces and forges, and connect it up to the bridge using the magma safe mechanisms ({{K|q}}-{{K|a}}-{{K|b}}).

Once the bridge is linked up, designate all the rocks in the tunnel to be forbidden ({{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|f}}) so that no dwarf goes down there to pick some up, then one level up {{L|construct}} a {{L|wall}} ({{K|b}}-{{K|C}}-{{K|w}}) over the downstairs into the tunnel. With the tunnels blocked off, dig north to the where the blinking {{DFtext|C|cyan}} note ({{K|N}}) is and at the {{DFtext|C|cyan}} designate a {{L|channel}} ({{K|d}}-{{K|h}}). The channel will dig out the stone wall at the {{DFtext|C|cyan}}, the floor underneath it, ''and'' the stone wall one level down, letting the magma sea flood into the tunnels. Construct a wall ({{K|b}}-{{K|C}}-{{K|w}}) over the hole to block off the magma sea.

Now you just have to wait for the tunnels to fill up. You can tell how full they are by looking ({{K|k}} at the magma. It will show {{DFtext|Magma [<Depth>/7]|red}}, where a {{L|water depth|depth}} of 7 is full up to the ceiling. Then tunnels will be full enough when their ends are at least 5 deep. At that point make sure there aren't any monsters in the tunnels and pull the ({{K|q}}-{{K|a}}-{{K|P}}) to raise the drawbridge, closing off the tunnels from the magma sea.

==Smelters==
Connect up for digging the designations for the hallway, stockpile and one of the 3x3 workshop areas between the hallway and stockpile, making sure to connect it to both:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

The stockpile is for rocks that will be involved in smelting, which will go into the {{L|smelter}} via the opening to the ___ and the across the hall to the forges or up the stairs to the second stockpile (which you can dig out yourself when you're ready for it).

Even though you've dug out the 3x3 area, it's not fully ready to support a magma smelter, since there needs to be a way to let in the heat of the magma. The magma must be visible through at least one hole in the floor which ''isn't'' the center of the 3x3 area. To do this, dig a 1x1 {{L|channel}} ({{K|d}}-{{K|h}}) either east or west of the center of the room.

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

Now to place it. Though smelters and other {{L|furnace}}s look and act like workshops, they're placed by a different menu. Use {{K|b}}-{{K|e}} to get to the menu, the {{K|l}} to select a magma powered smelter. Once placed, it will take someone with the {{L|architecture}} labor enable to design it, just like for bridges. Note that, since it involves architecture, it does ''not'' need someone with the furnace operator {{L|labor}} enabled to finish building it, but someone with masonry. You'll still have to give one of your dwarves the furnace operator labor to use it, though.

With the smelter constructed, try adding a job to it ({{K|q}}-{{K|a}}). You'll see that, unlike with the other workshops so far, you can choose ''exactly'' what type of raw material you want to use. A job will be in {{DFtext|white}} if you have the right raw materials and {{DFtext|red|red}} if you don't. Except for {{L|melt}}ing none of the jobs have a key associated with them, so you have to scroll with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}} to highlight a job and {{K|Enter}} to add it.

In addition to the "Smelt <rock> Ore" jobs, you'll see some "Make ...." jobs. These are for producing {{L|coke}} (more on this later) and for making {{L|Metal#alloy|alloys}}. Alloys can be made either from metal {{L|bar}}s, indicated by "(use bars)", or by directly mixing together the ores which make the metals that go into the alloy, indicated by "(use ore)".

===Making steel===
Making {{L|steel}} is more involved than smelting other metals:

# Make two bars of {{L|iron}}.
# Make one of the iron bars into a bar of {{L|pig iron}} by combining it with a piece of {{L|fuel}} (which supplies carbon) and a chunk of {{L|flux}} rock (like the _____ near the surface of your fortress).
# Combine the iron bar and the pig iron bar with a second piece of fuel and second piece of flux to make two bars of steel.

You can get the fuel either by turning {{L|wood}} into charcoal at a {{L|wood furnace}} or by turning {{L|lignite}} or {{L|bituminous coal}} into coke at a smelter. Since you want to save on wood, and there's lignite and coal available, you'll want to do the second. At a magma smelter lignite has a net product of two pieces of coke and bituminous coal has a net product of three pieces of coke (non-magma smelters ''use'' fuel to ''make'' fuel, so the net product of coke is one less when using them). Thus, at a magma smelter the set of jobs, in proper order, for making steel is:

* Smelt <iron> Ore
* Smelt <iron> Ore
* Make coke from <lignite or coal>
* Make pig iron bars
* Make steel bars

If you put each of the five jobs on {{L|repeat}} then the smelter will cycle through them, spitting out steel bars until it runs out raw materials. Note that if you make coke from coal instead of lignite you'll end up with an extra piece of coke for every two steel bars you make, so after a while you'll need to remove the "make coke" job to use them up, and then put it back in when you've used up all the excess.

===Setting up the smelter stockpile===
If you're going to be using the forges and smelters with any regularity you're going to want to turn off the {{L|hauling}} labors for your metal workers and put a [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡ right next to the smelters for the things your smelters will be using, so they can spend their time smelting while haulers take care of moving the rocks all the way down to the magma sea. While you ''could'' make one large stockpile that accepts everything, this would be a bad idea, as it might fill up almost entirely with one sort of ore, leaving only a few spaces for the other ores you're smelting. Instead, you should make several independent stockpiles, one for each type of stone you're using at the smelters. In particular, if smelting {{L|steel}}, you should make one stockpile for {{L|iron}} ores, one stockpile of the same size for {{L|flux}}, and one stockpile half the size for {{L|coal}} and {{L|lignite}}.

===Job canceled: need 150 bars of metal===
If you're making an {{L|Metal#Alloys|alloy}} from metal {{L|bar}}s (but not directly from ores) or making {{L|pig iron}} or {{L|steel}}, but run out of the metal bars needed, you'll get a cancellation message saying that 150 bars of the missing metal are needed (or even multiples of 150). This is a bug. It's just one (or two or three) bars that are actually needed.

==Forges==
Connect the 3x3 digging designation across the hallway to dig out room for the {{L|forge}}, and {{L|channel}} ({{K|d}}-{{K|h}}) out a 1x1 tile hole in the floor one tile west or east of the center to let the heat of the magma in.

When it comes to placing and building the forge, keep in mind that even though it uses heat, a forge doesn't fall under the category of a {{L|furnace}}, so it's found under the workshop menu rather than the furnaces menu, and it ''doesn't'' use the {{L|architecture}} or {{L|masonry}} labors to build, but one of the four metal working {{L|labor}}s (aside from {{L|furnace operator}}). Two of your starting dwarves, _____ and ____ (with the custom professions "Mine/Arm" and "Mine/Weap") are an {{L|armorsmith}} and {{L|weaponsmith}} in addition to being miners, so for this part you'll probably want to turn their mining labor off, or turn the {{L|metalsmithing}} or {{L|metal crafting}} labors an for a different dwarf (unless one of your migrants has one of these skills).

A magma powered forge can be placed with {{K|b}}-{{K|w}}-{{K|v}}. In addition to being made from a rock, making a forge also takes an {{L|anvil}}, one of which is still sitting in your wagon.

When the forge is built, adding a job to it ({{K|q}}-{{K|a}}) will show a menu with these options:
* {{L|Weapon}}s and {{L|Ammunition}}
* {{L|Armor}}.
* {{L|Furniture}}, which includes the non-furniture items {{L|block}}s, {{L|cage}}s, {{L|chain}}s, {{L|bucket}}s, {{L|barrel}}s, {{L|bin}}s, {{L|animal trap}}s, {{L|pipe section}}s, {{L|splint}}s and {{L|crutch}}es.
* {{L|Siege engine|Siege Equipment}}, to make a {{L|Ballista arrow|ballista arrowhead}}.
* {{L|Trap component}}s, for making special types of weapons which can only be used in a {{L|Trap#Weapon_Trap|weapon trap}}, and also for making metal {{L|mechanism}}s.
* Other, for making various trade goods, {{L|anvil}}s, {{L|coin}}s, {{L|jug}}s, {{L|pot}}s, {{L|hive}}s, and for {{L|decorating}} items with metal studs. Note that anvils can only be made from iron, steel or adamantine.
* Metal clothing, to make {{L|clothes}} out of {{L|cloth}} woven from strands of {{L|adamantine}} (though doing this is a waste of adamantine)

When you choose an option from the menu it will then ask you what type of metal to make it from, giving a list which can be scrolled through with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}} and selected with {{K|Enter}}. Unlike with a smelter, all of the listed metals will be {{DFtext|white}}, even if you don't have any metal {{L|bar}}s of that type to use. After selecting a type of metal it will list the types of items that can be made from, a list which can be scrolled through with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}} and selected with {{K|Enter}}. If you selected a type of metal of which you have no bars then a cancellation message will be given.

===Forge skills/labors===
There are four metal working skills/labors used at a forge:
* {{L|Armorsmithing}}, for making {{L|armor}}.
* {{L|Weaponsmithing}}, for making {{L|weapon}}s, {{L|ammunition}}, and {{L|trap component}}s (but not {{L|mechanism}}s). Metal weapons includes metal {{L|crossbow}}s, even though non-metal crossbows are made with the {{L|bowyer}} skill and crossbow-making labor.
* {{L|Metalsmithing}}, for making {{L|furniture}}, plus {{L|block}}s, {{L|cage}}s, {{L|bucket}}s, {{L|bin}}s, {{L|barrel}}s, and {{L|pipe section}}s, but '''not''' {{L|chain}}s or {{L|animal trap}}s, even though they're under the forge's "Furniture" menu. It's also for making {{L|anvil}}s, even though those are under the forge's "Other" menu.
* {{L|Metalcrafting}}, for making everything under but anvils under the "Other" menu: various trade goods, {{L|coin}}s, {{L|jug}}s, {{L|pot}}s, {{L|hive}}s, and for {{L|decorating}} items with studs. It's also for making {{L|chain}}s, even though they go under the "Furniture" menu.

Plus there's two non-metal related skills/labors that can be used at a forge:
* {{L|Trapping}} can be used to make metal {{L|animal trap}}s.
* {{L|Mechanic}}s can be used to make metal {{L|mechanism}}s.

===Keeping skills from rusting===
If you plan on setting up a {{L|military}} during this tutorial game, but not right now, you should have your armor smith and weapon smith each make a few pieces of {{L|copper}} equipment every once in a while to keep in practice, since otherwise their skills will {{L|skill|rust}}.

==Glass furnace==
A magma powered {{L|glass}} furnace is placed via {{K|b}}-{{K|e}}-{{K|a}}, in a 3x3 are with one of the non-central tiles {{L|channel}}ed to reveal the magma one level down; being a furnace, it needs the {{L|architecture}} and {{L|masonry}} labors to build. Unlike a forge, everything made at a glass furnace uses a single skill/labor, {{DFtext|Glassmaking}} (the labor is under under the {{DFtext|Crafts}} labor group). Also unlike forges, glass items are made directly from the raw material ({{L|sand}}) rather than going through an intermediary step; glass items are ''not'' made from "raw glass".

Glass furnaces can make the following:
* {{L|Furniture}}.
* {{L|Trap component}}s.
* {{L|Block}}s.
* {{L|Trade good}}s.
* {{L|Pipe section}}s.
* {{L|Vial}}s.
* Raw glass, the glass version of uncut (rough) {{L|gems}}, which can be turned by a {{L|gem cutter}} into cut glass and then made into a {{L|decoration}} by a {{L|gem setter}}.
* {{L|Window}}s. (Don't ask why beings living underground would want windows, but [[../Nobles|nobles]]‡ will sometimes make {{L|demand}}s or production {{L|mandate}}s for windows.)

===Green glass, clear glass and crystal glass===
Green glass is made from {{L|sand}} without anything else added. Clear glass is made from sand plus {{L|pearlash}}; this generally isn't worth it, since making a unit of pearlash consumes a {{L|log}} and takes three steps to produce. Crystal glass is made from the {{L|rock crystal}} gem plus pearlash, but a bug currently prevents crystal glass from being made.

The color of sand used to make glass has no effect on the type of glass made.

===Collecting sand===
Unless you bought sand at {{L|embark}} or from a {{L|caravan}} you're going to need to collect it from a {{L|floor}} made from sand. To do this:

# Make a 1x1 tile {{L|activity zone}} ({{K|i}} to enter zone mode, {{K|Enter}}-{{K|Enter}} once cursor is placed properly) and make it a sand collecting zone ({{K|s}}). If there's floor is made of sand and it's not covered by {{L|grass}}, a {{L|shrub}} or {{L|tree|sapling}}. Then screen will show {{DFtext|Sand (1)|white}} if it can be used as to gather sand and {{DFtext|Sand (0)|white}} if it can't.
# Add a "Collect Sand" job to a {{L|glass furnace}} ({{K|q}}-{{K|a}}-{{K|s}}).
# A dwarf with the "Item Hauling" {{L|labor}} enabled will take an empty {{L|bag}} and fill it with sand.
# If there is a furniture [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡ with empty space which accepts sand bags the bag will be hauled there by a dwarf with the "Furniture Hauling" labor enabled. Otherwise the bag will be left on the tile where the sand was gathered.

Some notes on this:
* A single tile of sand can fill an endless amount of bags.
* A glass furnace with an active "Collect Sand" job can't be used for anything else until the job completes or is canceled, even though the furnace is not physically being used by any dwarf. If you want to simultaneously make glass at a glass furnace and gather sand, make a second glass furnace and issue the sand collection jobs from there.
** The furnace issuing the collection jobs doesn't use or need any power, and so can be an normal glass furnace rather than a magma powered one.
** The furnace issuing the collection jobs doesn't need to be in any particular location relative to the sand, and doesn't even need to be accessible to your dwarves.

==Ceramics and kilns==
A magma powered {{L|kiln}} is placed via {{K|b}}-{{K|e}}-{{K|a}}, in a 3x3 are with one of the non-central tiles {{L|channel}}ed to reveal the magma one level down; being a furnace, it needs the {{L|architecture}} and {{L|masonry}} labors to build. Ceramics are made using the {{L|pottery}} skill/labor, which can further be {{L|glazed}} using the glazing labor.

Three types of ceramics can be made:
* Stoneware from {{L|fire clay}}.
* Earthenware from all other types of {{L|clay}}.
* {{L|Porcelain}} from {{L|kaolinite}}.

Stoneware and porcelain are water-tight as-is, while earthenware is only water-tight if {{L|glazed}}.

Things that can be made from ceramic:
* {{L|Statue}}s
* Ceramic {{L|block}}s (called bricks)
* Large {{L|pot}}s.
* {{L|Jug}}s.
* {{L|Hive}}s for {{L|beekeeping}}.
* {{L|Trade good}}s like {{L|mug}}s.

===Collecting clay===
To collect clay, follow the same steps as in the [[#Collecting_sand|collecting sand]] section, but use clay floors and kilns instead of sand floors and glass furnaces; the only big difference is that you don't need bags to gather clay.

Kaolinite is a type of stone, and is hence mined instead of gathered from an {{L|activity zone}}. This means that a particular fortress site will only have a limited amount of kaolinite, unlike the limitless amounts of sand and clay that can be gathered.

==Notes==
* Right now every {{L|metal}} object takes only one {{L|bar}} of metal to make. This a bug, and when it's fixed many items will take two or more bars of metal, so don't get too used to it.
* {{L|Window}}s don't let outside {{L|light}} inside, since all outside light in the game falls straight down.
* Surface {{L|sand}} floors and {{L|clay}} floors can become covered with {{L|grass}}, {{L|shrub}}s or {{L|tree|sapling}}s, preventing sand from being collected; underground ones can become covered with {{L|cave moss}}, {{L|floor fungus}} or cavern saplings/shrubs if any {{L|cavern}}s have been breached.
** You can remove the grass/moss/fungus/sapling by placing a dirt {{L|road}} ({{K|b}}-{{K|O}}) over it.
** You can put a floor {{L|grate}} on top of the sand floor to prevent anything from growing there while still allowing sand to be collected.
* A sand {{L|bag}} will be made empty, and thus freed up for further use, if the sand is used to make glass, or if the sand is {{L|dump}}ed. This requires examining the contents of the bag and marking the contents for dumping rather than the bag. Marking the bag for dumping without marking the sand for dumping will result in the still-full-of-sand bag being dumped.
* If you mass designate many sand bags for dumping ({{K|d}}-{{K|b}}-{{K|d}}), then both the bags ''and'' the sand they contain will be marked for dumping. If you want to dump only the bags so the sand stays inside of them (to dump them down a chute which leads to a magma power glass furnace), then either:
*# Look ({{K|k}}) at the bags and mark them for dumping individually
*# Mass designate them for dumping and use the [[../Status_screen#Stocks_sub-screen|stocks screen]]‡ to remove the dumping mark from the sand (which will be under the "Powder" category).
* If you want to do a lot of glass making, the availability of {{L|bag}}s it going to be a limiting factor. Even if you have enough bags for glass making, if you tie them all up collecting sand then there won't be any left for processing food, like {{L|quarry bush|quarry bush leaves}}, {{L|flour}} and {{L|sugar}}. You should probably wait until after the autumn {{L|caravan}} arrives, so you can buy lots of {{L|cloth}} and {{L|leather}} to make lots of bags.
* {{L|Block}}s can't be used by smelters or forges. A block of {{L|ore}} can't be smelted into metal, a block of metal can't be forged or used to make an alloy, and a block of {{L|flux}} can't be used to make {{L|pig iron}} or {{L|steel}}.

v0.31:Stonegears/Caravans

2011-09-20T10:25:45Z

Khym Chanur: /* What's available for import */

:''Back to the [[../|main tutorial page]]''

Sometime in late {{L|Calendar|autumn}} of your first year, the dwarven {{L|caravan}} from your parent civilization will come to your fortress for {{L|trading}}, so you should have things set up for them before then.

==Trade depot==
To trade with a caravan you need a {{L|trade depot}} in a place that has a clear path to the edge of your site's map. To place a depot use {{K|b}}-{{K|D}}, press {{K|Enter}} when positioned properly, and choose three items of raw material to make it from. Building it will require a dwarf with the {{L|architecture}} labor enabled, and then another dwarf with a labor appropriate for the material it's made from ({{L|masonry}} for stone, {{L|carpentry}} for wood, and one of the four {{L|metal}} related labors for metal). A depot is a 5x5 tile square, so if placing it outside you might need to {{L|wood cutting|cut}} down some {{L|tree}}s to make room for it.

Once the depot is placed you can use {{K|D}} to check if the depot is accessible to {{L|wagon}}s. However, since caravans don't yet use wagons, but instead use only pack animals, it will often falsely tell you that your depot is not accessible: a pack animal can go anywhere your dwarves can go, but a wagon needs a three tile wide path (since a wagon is three tiles wide) of {{L|floor}}s, {{L|ramp}}s and {{L|bridge}}s (wagons can't use stairs), clear of obstructions like {{L|tree}}s, {{L|boulder}}s and installed {{L|furniture}}.

Do '''''not''''' have more than one depot at once, since this will confuse the caravans about which one to go to. If you're playing a [[mod]] where several different caravans can show up at once they'll all share the same depot without a problem.

==Arrival of the caravan and liaison==
At some point in late autumn the dwarven {{L|caravan}} and {{L|liaison}} will arrive, pausing the game, {{L|announcement|announced}} by:

{{Gametext|The outpost liaison _____ from ______ has arrived.|white}}
{{Gametext|A caravan from _____ has arrived.|blue}}

Though they'll arrive at the same instant, they'll appear at different points along the edge of your site. The caravan will head straight for your {{L|trade depot}}, and the liaison will head straight for your {{L|expedition leader}}. If you have no depot yet the caravan will wait at the edge of the site, in which case you build one to get them to come it. If they remain at the edge even if you have a depot it's because there's no open path from them to the depot, likely because of a locked {{L|door}} or raised {{L|bridge}}; opening up the path will let them come in.

==Trading with the caravan==
Note that you might have your meeting with the {{L|liaison}} before you get to trade with the caravan. If that happens, skip to the [[#Meeting_with_the_liaison|meeting with the liason]]‡ section.

===Getting a dwarf to the depot===
You need to get one of your dwarves to the depot to be able to trade. By default, if you've appointed a dwarf to be the {{L|broker}} then s/he'll be the one to do the trading; this lets you control exactly who does the {{L|trading}}, so that a dwarf with the right skills will do it. Use {{K|n}} to go to the {{L|nobles}} screen and [[../Nobles#Listing.2C_appointing_and_replacing_nobles.2Fadministrators|appoint]]‡ your {{L|expedition leader}}, since he'll have the highest {{L|judge of intent}} skill, which is useful in trading.

Once you have a broker, go to the depot and use {{K|q}} to interact with it. This will tell you who your broker is, what job (if any) the broker currently has, and if he can access the depot. Use {{K|r}} to request that the broker go to the depot for trading. (If your broker is indisposed, or if you have no broker, you can use {{K|b}} to get any random dwarf to be the trader instead)

Finally, go to your expedition leader (probably via the [[../Listing your dwarves|units screen]]‡), use {{K|v}}-{{K|p}}-{{K|l}} to manipulate his {{L|labor}}s, and [[../Examining your dwarves#Labors|turn them all off]]‡ to make sure that he goes to the depot, since going to the depot has a low priority compared to the other labors; when he's doing training you can turn his labors back on.

===Moving trade goods to the depot===
You can only sell items to the caravan which are inside the depot. To move goods to the depot use {{K|q}} to interact with the depot, then {{K|g}} to enter "move trade goods" mode. Down the left side of the screen will be a list of item categories, while down the middle will be the list of available items, with the items closest to the depot being listed first. Rather than scrolling through the whole list, you can filter for only the items you want. Use {{K|s}} to enter the word you want to search for, type in "FINI" to search for "finished goods", and press {{K|Enter}}. This will cause all of the finished goods {{L|bin}}s containing your rock {{L|mug}}s to be listed (note that items inside of containers can't be individually listed/select for moving to the depot, so typing "MUG" won't show anything). Use {{K|←}} or {{K|→}} to move from the left column to the middle column, {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}} to highlight a particular bin, and {{K|Enter}} to select it to be moved to the depot. Once selected the far right column will show a {{DFtext|[PENDING]|cyan}}, indicating that it's been selected for trading at the depot but hasn't been moved there yet. When the item arrives at the depot it will change to {{DFtext|[TRADING]|yellow}}.

Press {{K|Esc}} twice to exit to the main menu and unpause to wait for the caravan to get to the depot and unload, and for your broker to get to the depot.

===Actual trading===
Once the caravan has reached the depot and unloaded its goods, and your broker is at the depot, you can enter the trading screen by interacting with the depot ({{K|q}}) and then pressing {{K|t}}. The trading screen will show you the caravan's goods on the left side and your good on the right. The {{L|value}} of each item will be indicated by a number followed by {{L|currency|☼}}, and the {{L|weight}} in kilograms by a number followed by {{DFtext|Γ}}. You can switch which side you want to select from with {{K|←}} or {{K|→}}, scroll with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}, and select an item for trading with {{K|Enter}}, which will cause a {{DFtext|[T]}} to appear next to it, marking it as part of the deal you're planning to make; pressing {{K|Enter}} a second time will remove it from the planned deal. Marking a caravan item for trade means you're buying it from the caravan, and marking one of your items for trade means you're selling it to the caravan. If you mark a {{L|bin}} for trading then you'll buy/sell the bin ''and'' everything inside of it, which can be convenient if you want to buy/sell a lot of items at once, but can be bad if you want to sell a lot of stuff at once but keep the bin. If you want to sell many items in a bin without selling the bin itself, but don't want to tediously do {{K|↓}}-{{K|Enter}} over and over, you can set up a {{L|macros|macro}} to take care of the tedious typing.

In the far lower left-hand corner the screen is one number indicating the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} for the planned deal, and to its right the total {{DFtext|Value}} of everything that the caravan is selling for that planned deal. To guarantee that the merchants accept your deal you should give them at least a 50% profit (for example, if the {{DFtext|Value}} on the left is 1,000☼, then the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} should be at least 500☼). To get away with giving the merchants less profit on a deal, see {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|here}}.

In the far lower right-hand corner is {{DFtext|Allowed Weight}}, which shows how many more kilograms of weight the caravan can take on. If the planned deal would give the caravan too much weight to carry, it will become {{DFtext|Excess Weight|red}}. If a deal would lead to excess weight, you'll have to expand the deal to buy heavy items from the caravan until there's no more excess weight. Low cost but heavy things to buy are lumps of {{L|clay}} and {{L|bar}}s of {{L|lead}} (at the very top of the list of caravan items) and metal {{L|cage}}s (several pages down from the top of the list of caravan items). You might also want to buy some of the {{L|log}}s (at the very top of the list), since they're cheap and you can always use more logs.

Once you have a planned deal with a large enough trader profit and no excess weight, use {{K|t}} to propose the deal to the merchant. If the profit is large enough the trader will accept the deal, his {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|mood}} will improve, and ownership of the marked items will change hands. If the profit is too small (or gives the trader a loss) then he'll reject the deal and his mood will worsen; if his mood gets bad enough then he'll refuse to trade at all. If the profit isn't large enough but isn't too small then he'll make a counter offer, marking more of your items for trade ({{DFtext|[T]}}). If you get a counter offer you can press {{K|t}} again to accept it, but since the counter offer will give the merchant a larger profit margin than the minimum necessary for an acceptable deal you should probably unselect some of your marked items with {{K|Enter}} until you get a profit margin larger than you first offer but smaller than the counter offer, then press {{K|t}}.

If you want to start a planned deal over from scratch, simply leave the trading screen with {{K|Esc}} and re-enter it with {{K|t}}.

===Item quality, decorations and containers===
Some of the caravan items will have a higher than base {{L|quality}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|-}}, {{DFtext|+}}, {{DFtext|*}}, or {{DFtext|≡}}. Item quality only increases the effectiveness of {{L|armor}}, {{L|weapon}}s and {{L|animal trap}}s, and otherwise just increases the value of the item. Thus unless you're buying one of those types of items you should ignore the quality and just go for whatever is cheapest.

Some of the caravan items will be {{L|decoration|decorated}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|« »}}. The only thing decoration does is increase the value of the item, so ignore decorations and just buy whatever is cheapest.

Pieces of {{L|cloth}} can be {{L|dye|dyed}}, which is similar to an item being decorated in that it increases the value of the cloth, but dyed pieces of cloth aren't bracketed by any symbols; the only immediate indication that a piece of cloth is dyed or not is that different pieces of the same type of cloth will have different costs.

If you buy something that's in a container you have to pay for both the contained item and the container. If, for example, you buy a {{L|cow}} which is in a superior quality {{L|cage}} which is decorated with diamonds, rubies and sapphires then the vast majority of the cost is going to be for the cage; there's no way to buy just the cow but not the cage.

===What should I buy?===
For the very first caravan you should buy {{L|cloth}} and {{L|leather}}, for several reasons:

* You can use them to make {{L|bag}}s, which are needed to process {{L|quarry bush}}es into leaves, to hold {{L|sugar}} and {{L|flour}} (if you ever plan on making any), and to gather {{L|sand}} for making {{L|glass}}.
* Cloth is needed to {{L|bandage}} wounds at a {{L|hospital}}.
* Leather is needed to make {{L|quiver}}s, which are needed if you want to make a {{L|military}} which uses {{L|crossbow}}s.
* If a dwarf goes into a [[../Strange moods|strange mood]]‡ and demands leather or a certain type of cloth, but there isn't any available, s/he'll eventually go {{L|insane}}. Thus you should try to always keep on hand at least a few pieces of leather, a few pieces of {{L|silk}} cloth, a few pieces of plant fiber cloth and a few pieces of animal fiber cloth.

If there's any animals in cages you could buy the [[Pasture#List_of_grazing_animals|grazing animals]] in an effort to get a {{L|breeding}} pair to start a meat industry, which can also let you get {{L|milk}} and {{L|yarn}} if the animals are of the right types; however, this requires having enough {{L|grass}} to feed all those animals. If there's female birds in cages you can use them to get a steady supply of {{L|egg}}s, which is easy to do since tame birds don't need to be fed. Even if you don't want eggs you can buy the birds and put them into your {{L|zoo}} to give your dwarves happy {{L|thoughts}}; you can ''not'' do the same with the grazing animals, since they ''do'' need to be fed and will starve to death if kept in a cage.

===Removing items from the depot (or leaving them there)===
When you buy an item from the caravan your dwarves will move it from the depot to the appropriate [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡, if there's a stockpile which accepts that item and has empty space. Otherwise the bought item will stay in the depot until space opens up in an appropriate stockpile. The depot can hold a limitless number of items, which can be {{L|exploit|exploited}} in a manner similar to {{L|Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiles}}. Note that the depot does not have the {{L|food}} preserving properties of a food stockpile, so if you buy any food from the caravan you should make sure that your food stockpiles have enough empty room in them for the bought food. You should also immediately {{L|cook}} any {{L|meat}} or {{L|fish}} you bought to prevent it from spoiling.

Items which you brought to the depot for trading but you haven't sold will remain there for as long as they're marked for trading. They'll lose the "marked for trading" status either when the caravan leaves the depot, or if you enter the depot's "goods for trading" screen ({{K|q}}-{{K|g}}) and manually unmark them. At that point your dwarves will move those items from the depot to stockpiles like they would for bought items. If you remove your stockpiles for trade goods before this happens then your unsold trade goods will remain in the depot, saving you the trouble of hauling them back there for the next caravan (though note that this is an {{L|exploit}}).

===The appraisal skill and item value===
The first dwarf to get a look at a caravan's good's (via {{K|q}}-{{K|t}} on the trade depot) will gain experience at the {{L|appraiser|appraisal}} skill. Since the dwarf to do this was your {{L|broker}} examining an item will now show you the item's {{L|value}}, where before this information was missing.

==Liaison==

===Import agreement===

Whenever the {{L|liaison}} is within a few tiles of your {{L|expedition leader}} while the leader had no task, the liaison will go through the steps of a meeting. The first meeting screen simply shows a line of unimportant {{DFtext|blue|blue}} dialogue; you can continue by pressing either {{K|Esc}} or {{K|Enter}} (all dialogue screens are exited in this way). You'll return to the normal game for a little bit, and then get a screen with {{DFtext|white|white}} text where the second line begins with an {{DFtext|a|LightGreen}}; for this screen (and any screen like it) you have to press {{K|a}} to continue. This will immediately bring you to this screen:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

This screen lets you place orders for items, which will come with the next dwarven caravan a game-year from now. The first column is the {{DFtext|Type}} of item to order ({{L|leather}}, {{L|cloth}}, {{L|wood}}, etc), which can be scrolled through with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}}. The second column, {{DFtext|Good}}, lists the available selection of the given type (i.e., type "wood" would list pine, willow, etc), and can be scrolled through with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}. When a item in the second column has been selected you can order that item with {{K|→}} (pressing {{K|→}} multiple times will order more of that item). Your order is shown in the third column, {{DFtext|Priority}}, by the {{DFtext|O}} moving to the right and the priority line changing color. You can increase the priority for an individual item at most four times, resulting in the {{DFtext|O}} being all the way to the right and the color being {{DFtext|yellow|yellow}}. The higher the priority of an order the more of that item the next caravan will bring, but the item will also be more expensive.

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

If you change your mind you can decrease the priority of the order with {{K|←}}. If you move the {{DFtext|O}} all the way to the left, with the line turning {{DFtext|grey|grey}}, then you've entirely canceled your order for that item.

Once you are satisfied with your import agreement, press {{K|Esc}} to finalize it and move on to the next parts of the conversation.

Note that when the dwarven caravan and liaison come back next game-year the agreement you made this year will be wiped clean, so if you want to import the same things every year you'll have to re-select them each year.

====What's available for import====
For the entire duration of this game (or any fortress game) the liaison will always offer you the same list of items, since that is determined by which dwarven civilization is your parent civilization. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with the same parent civilization (________) you'll get the same list. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with a different parent civilization, or start a fortress in a different world, the list will be different. The items which are available depend upon the location in the world that your parent civilization is located. If it's at a place where there's no rubies or iron ore to mine, then you won't be able to import rubies or any iron items. If it's located next to a jungle you'll be able to import some meat and leather of jungle animals, if it's located next to an ocean you'll be able to import some salt-water fish, and so on.

Things you'll never be able to import, regardless of your parent civilization:

# Surface crops or anything made from them.
# {{L|Fat}}, {{L|tallow}}, {{L|bone}}s, {{L|horn}}s or {{L|hooves}}.
# {{L|Honey}}, {{L|royal jelly}} or {{L|wax}}.
# {{L|Soap}}.
# {{L|Adamantine}} or {{L|raw adamantine}}.

==Trading with elves==
===Wood===
In the {{L|spring}} after the dwarven caravan comes you'll be visited by an {{L|elven}} caravan. Trading with them is the same as trading with anyone else, except that they become ''extremely'' offended if you try to sell or offer them anything made from {{L|wood}}. This includes:

* Anything made from underground "trees", even though they're technically giant mushrooms.
* Selling back to the elves wooden items they sold to you.
* Wooden {{L|bin}}s holding the trade goods you're selling them. This means you have to individually select for sale every item inside a wooden bin.
* Any item which is necessarily derived from wood: {{L|charcoal}}, {{L|lye}}, {{L|ash}}, {{L|potash}}, {{L|pearlash}}, {{L|soap}} (which requires lye), and clear or crystal {{L|glass}} (which require pearlash).
** Any item {{L|decoration|decorated}} with clear or crystal glass.

Things which won't offend the elven merchants:
* Anything which you don't try to sell/offer. This includes wooden walls/floors/bridges/etc, a trade depot made from wood, and wooden bins which are merely used to move goods to the trade depot.
* Plant material which isn't wood (that is, crops).
* Anything which was made using a wood derived product, but which ''could have'' been made without them. For example, if you used a chunk of {{L|charcoal}} to smelt a {{L|gold}} nugget into a gold bar, then a second chunk of charcoal to forge the gold bar into {{L|goblet}}s, you can safely sell the goblets to the elves, since they'll assume that you used {{L|bituminous coal |coal}} or {{L|magma}} to produce them.
* Anything made from animal products, like {{L|meat}}, {{L|leather}} and {{L|bone}}s. Even though elves have AT_PEACE_WITH_WILDLIFE and elven merchants never bring any animal products with them, they'll happily buy them from you.
* {{L|Pottery}} with an {{L|ash glaze}} (though the fact that this doesn't offend them is probably a bug).

===Empty cages===
If an elven caravan has an apparently empty {{L|cage}} for sale, the cage might contain a tame {{L|vermin}}. You can see if this is the case or not by examining the contents of the cage with {{K|v}}.

v0.31:Stonegears/Caravans

2011-09-20T06:22:20Z

Khym Chanur: /* Liaison */

:''Back to the [[../|main tutorial page]]''

Sometime in late {{L|Calendar|autumn}} of your first year, the dwarven {{L|caravan}} from your parent civilization will come to your fortress for {{L|trading}}, so you should have things set up for them before then.

==Trade depot==
To trade with a caravan you need a {{L|trade depot}} in a place that has a clear path to the edge of your site's map. To place a depot use {{K|b}}-{{K|D}}, press {{K|Enter}} when positioned properly, and choose three items of raw material to make it from. Building it will require a dwarf with the {{L|architecture}} labor enabled, and then another dwarf with a labor appropriate for the material it's made from ({{L|masonry}} for stone, {{L|carpentry}} for wood, and one of the four {{L|metal}} related labors for metal). A depot is a 5x5 tile square, so if placing it outside you might need to {{L|wood cutting|cut}} down some {{L|tree}}s to make room for it.

Once the depot is placed you can use {{K|D}} to check if the depot is accessible to {{L|wagon}}s. However, since caravans don't yet use wagons, but instead use only pack animals, it will often falsely tell you that your depot is not accessible: a pack animal can go anywhere your dwarves can go, but a wagon needs a three tile wide path (since a wagon is three tiles wide) of {{L|floor}}s, {{L|ramp}}s and {{L|bridge}}s (wagons can't use stairs), clear of obstructions like {{L|tree}}s, {{L|boulder}}s and installed {{L|furniture}}.

Do '''''not''''' have more than one depot at once, since this will confuse the caravans about which one to go to. If you're playing a [[mod]] where several different caravans can show up at once they'll all share the same depot without a problem.

==Arrival of the caravan and liaison==
At some point in late autumn the dwarven {{L|caravan}} and {{L|liaison}} will arrive, pausing the game, {{L|announcement|announced}} by:

{{Gametext|The outpost liaison _____ from ______ has arrived.|white}}
{{Gametext|A caravan from _____ has arrived.|blue}}

Though they'll arrive at the same instant, they'll appear at different points along the edge of your site. The caravan will head straight for your {{L|trade depot}}, and the liaison will head straight for your {{L|expedition leader}}. If you have no depot yet the caravan will wait at the edge of the site, in which case you build one to get them to come it. If they remain at the edge even if you have a depot it's because there's no open path from them to the depot, likely because of a locked {{L|door}} or raised {{L|bridge}}; opening up the path will let them come in.

==Trading with the caravan==
Note that you might have your meeting with the {{L|liaison}} before you get to trade with the caravan. If that happens, skip to the [[#Meeting_with_the_liaison|meeting with the liason]]‡ section.

===Getting a dwarf to the depot===
You need to get one of your dwarves to the depot to be able to trade. By default, if you've appointed a dwarf to be the {{L|broker}} then s/he'll be the one to do the trading; this lets you control exactly who does the {{L|trading}}, so that a dwarf with the right skills will do it. Use {{K|n}} to go to the {{L|nobles}} screen and [[../Nobles#Listing.2C_appointing_and_replacing_nobles.2Fadministrators|appoint]]‡ your {{L|expedition leader}}, since he'll have the highest {{L|judge of intent}} skill, which is useful in trading.

Once you have a broker, go to the depot and use {{K|q}} to interact with it. This will tell you who your broker is, what job (if any) the broker currently has, and if he can access the depot. Use {{K|r}} to request that the broker go to the depot for trading. (If your broker is indisposed, or if you have no broker, you can use {{K|b}} to get any random dwarf to be the trader instead)

Finally, go to your expedition leader (probably via the [[../Listing your dwarves|units screen]]‡), use {{K|v}}-{{K|p}}-{{K|l}} to manipulate his {{L|labor}}s, and [[../Examining your dwarves#Labors|turn them all off]]‡ to make sure that he goes to the depot, since going to the depot has a low priority compared to the other labors; when he's doing training you can turn his labors back on.

===Moving trade goods to the depot===
You can only sell items to the caravan which are inside the depot. To move goods to the depot use {{K|q}} to interact with the depot, then {{K|g}} to enter "move trade goods" mode. Down the left side of the screen will be a list of item categories, while down the middle will be the list of available items, with the items closest to the depot being listed first. Rather than scrolling through the whole list, you can filter for only the items you want. Use {{K|s}} to enter the word you want to search for, type in "FINI" to search for "finished goods", and press {{K|Enter}}. This will cause all of the finished goods {{L|bin}}s containing your rock {{L|mug}}s to be listed (note that items inside of containers can't be individually listed/select for moving to the depot, so typing "MUG" won't show anything). Use {{K|←}} or {{K|→}} to move from the left column to the middle column, {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}} to highlight a particular bin, and {{K|Enter}} to select it to be moved to the depot. Once selected the far right column will show a {{DFtext|[PENDING]|cyan}}, indicating that it's been selected for trading at the depot but hasn't been moved there yet. When the item arrives at the depot it will change to {{DFtext|[TRADING]|yellow}}.

Press {{K|Esc}} twice to exit to the main menu and unpause to wait for the caravan to get to the depot and unload, and for your broker to get to the depot.

===Actual trading===
Once the caravan has reached the depot and unloaded its goods, and your broker is at the depot, you can enter the trading screen by interacting with the depot ({{K|q}}) and then pressing {{K|t}}. The trading screen will show you the caravan's goods on the left side and your good on the right. The {{L|value}} of each item will be indicated by a number followed by {{L|currency|☼}}, and the {{L|weight}} in kilograms by a number followed by {{DFtext|Γ}}. You can switch which side you want to select from with {{K|←}} or {{K|→}}, scroll with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}, and select an item for trading with {{K|Enter}}, which will cause a {{DFtext|[T]}} to appear next to it, marking it as part of the deal you're planning to make; pressing {{K|Enter}} a second time will remove it from the planned deal. Marking a caravan item for trade means you're buying it from the caravan, and marking one of your items for trade means you're selling it to the caravan. If you mark a {{L|bin}} for trading then you'll buy/sell the bin ''and'' everything inside of it, which can be convenient if you want to buy/sell a lot of items at once, but can be bad if you want to sell a lot of stuff at once but keep the bin. If you want to sell many items in a bin without selling the bin itself, but don't want to tediously do {{K|↓}}-{{K|Enter}} over and over, you can set up a {{L|macros|macro}} to take care of the tedious typing.

In the far lower left-hand corner the screen is one number indicating the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} for the planned deal, and to its right the total {{DFtext|Value}} of everything that the caravan is selling for that planned deal. To guarantee that the merchants accept your deal you should give them at least a 50% profit (for example, if the {{DFtext|Value}} on the left is 1,000☼, then the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} should be at least 500☼). To get away with giving the merchants less profit on a deal, see {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|here}}.

In the far lower right-hand corner is {{DFtext|Allowed Weight}}, which shows how many more kilograms of weight the caravan can take on. If the planned deal would give the caravan too much weight to carry, it will become {{DFtext|Excess Weight|red}}. If a deal would lead to excess weight, you'll have to expand the deal to buy heavy items from the caravan until there's no more excess weight. Low cost but heavy things to buy are lumps of {{L|clay}} and {{L|bar}}s of {{L|lead}} (at the very top of the list of caravan items) and metal {{L|cage}}s (several pages down from the top of the list of caravan items). You might also want to buy some of the {{L|log}}s (at the very top of the list), since they're cheap and you can always use more logs.

Once you have a planned deal with a large enough trader profit and no excess weight, use {{K|t}} to propose the deal to the merchant. If the profit is large enough the trader will accept the deal, his {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|mood}} will improve, and ownership of the marked items will change hands. If the profit is too small (or gives the trader a loss) then he'll reject the deal and his mood will worsen; if his mood gets bad enough then he'll refuse to trade at all. If the profit isn't large enough but isn't too small then he'll make a counter offer, marking more of your items for trade ({{DFtext|[T]}}). If you get a counter offer you can press {{K|t}} again to accept it, but since the counter offer will give the merchant a larger profit margin than the minimum necessary for an acceptable deal you should probably unselect some of your marked items with {{K|Enter}} until you get a profit margin larger than you first offer but smaller than the counter offer, then press {{K|t}}.

If you want to start a planned deal over from scratch, simply leave the trading screen with {{K|Esc}} and re-enter it with {{K|t}}.

===Item quality, decorations and containers===
Some of the caravan items will have a higher than base {{L|quality}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|-}}, {{DFtext|+}}, {{DFtext|*}}, or {{DFtext|≡}}. Item quality only increases the effectiveness of {{L|armor}}, {{L|weapon}}s and {{L|animal trap}}s, and otherwise just increases the value of the item. Thus unless you're buying one of those types of items you should ignore the quality and just go for whatever is cheapest.

Some of the caravan items will be {{L|decoration|decorated}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|« »}}. The only thing decoration does is increase the value of the item, so ignore decorations and just buy whatever is cheapest.

Pieces of {{L|cloth}} can be {{L|dye|dyed}}, which is similar to an item being decorated in that it increases the value of the cloth, but dyed pieces of cloth aren't bracketed by any symbols; the only immediate indication that a piece of cloth is dyed or not is that different pieces of the same type of cloth will have different costs.

If you buy something that's in a container you have to pay for both the contained item and the container. If, for example, you buy a {{L|cow}} which is in a superior quality {{L|cage}} which is decorated with diamonds, rubies and sapphires then the vast majority of the cost is going to be for the cage; there's no way to buy just the cow but not the cage.

===What should I buy?===
For the very first caravan you should buy {{L|cloth}} and {{L|leather}}, for several reasons:

* You can use them to make {{L|bag}}s, which are needed to process {{L|quarry bush}}es into leaves, to hold {{L|sugar}} and {{L|flour}} (if you ever plan on making any), and to gather {{L|sand}} for making {{L|glass}}.
* Cloth is needed to {{L|bandage}} wounds at a {{L|hospital}}.
* Leather is needed to make {{L|quiver}}s, which are needed if you want to make a {{L|military}} which uses {{L|crossbow}}s.
* If a dwarf goes into a [[../Strange moods|strange mood]]‡ and demands leather or a certain type of cloth, but there isn't any available, s/he'll eventually go {{L|insane}}. Thus you should try to always keep on hand at least a few pieces of leather, a few pieces of {{L|silk}} cloth, a few pieces of plant fiber cloth and a few pieces of animal fiber cloth.

If there's any animals in cages you could buy the [[Pasture#List_of_grazing_animals|grazing animals]] in an effort to get a {{L|breeding}} pair to start a meat industry, which can also let you get {{L|milk}} and {{L|yarn}} if the animals are of the right types; however, this requires having enough {{L|grass}} to feed all those animals. If there's female birds in cages you can use them to get a steady supply of {{L|egg}}s, which is easy to do since tame birds don't need to be fed. Even if you don't want eggs you can buy the birds and put them into your {{L|zoo}} to give your dwarves happy {{L|thoughts}}; you can ''not'' do the same with the grazing animals, since they ''do'' need to be fed and will starve to death if kept in a cage.

===Removing items from the depot (or leaving them there)===
When you buy an item from the caravan your dwarves will move it from the depot to the appropriate [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡, if there's a stockpile which accepts that item and has empty space. Otherwise the bought item will stay in the depot until space opens up in an appropriate stockpile. The depot can hold a limitless number of items, which can be {{L|exploit|exploited}} in a manner similar to {{L|Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiles}}. Note that the depot does not have the {{L|food}} preserving properties of a food stockpile, so if you buy any food from the caravan you should make sure that your food stockpiles have enough empty room in them for the bought food. You should also immediately {{L|cook}} any {{L|meat}} or {{L|fish}} you bought to prevent it from spoiling.

Items which you brought to the depot for trading but you haven't sold will remain there for as long as they're marked for trading. They'll lose the "marked for trading" status either when the caravan leaves the depot, or if you enter the depot's "goods for trading" screen ({{K|q}}-{{K|g}}) and manually unmark them. At that point your dwarves will move those items from the depot to stockpiles like they would for bought items. If you remove your stockpiles for trade goods before this happens then your unsold trade goods will remain in the depot, saving you the trouble of hauling them back there for the next caravan (though note that this is an {{L|exploit}}).

===The appraisal skill and item value===
The first dwarf to get a look at a caravan's good's (via {{K|q}}-{{K|t}} on the trade depot) will gain experience at the {{L|appraiser|appraisal}} skill. Since the dwarf to do this was your {{L|broker}} examining an item will now show you the item's {{L|value}}, where before this information was missing.

==Liaison==

===Import agreement===

Whenever the {{L|liaison}} is within a few tiles of your {{L|expedition leader}} while the leader had no task, the liaison will go through the steps of a meeting. The first meeting screen simply shows a line of unimportant {{DFtext|blue|blue}} dialogue; you can continue by pressing either {{K|Esc}} or {{K|Enter}} (all dialogue screens are exited in this way). You'll return to the normal game for a little bit, and then get a screen with {{DFtext|white|white}} text where the second line begins with an {{DFtext|a|LightGreen}}; for this screen (and any screen like it) you have to press {{K|a}} to continue. This will immediately bring you to this screen:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

This screen lets you place orders for items, which will come with the next dwarven caravan a game-year from now. The first column is the {{DFtext|Type}} of item to order ({{L|leather}}, {{L|cloth}}, {{L|wood}}, etc), which can be scrolled through with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}}. The second column, {{DFtext|Good}}, lists the available selection of the given type (i.e., type "wood" would list pine, willow, etc), and can be scrolled through with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}. When a item in the second column has been selected you can order that item with {{K|→}} (pressing {{K|→}} multiple times will order more of that item). Your order is shown in the third column, {{DFtext|Priority}}, by the {{DFtext|O}} moving to the right and the priority line changing color. You can increase the priority for an individual item at most four times, resulting in the {{DFtext|O}} being all the way to the right and the color being {{DFtext|yellow|yellow}}. The higher the priority of an order the more of that item the next caravan will bring, but the item will also be more expensive.

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

If you change your mind you can decrease the priority of the order with {{K|←}}. If you move the {{DFtext|O}} all the way to the left, with the line turning {{DFtext|grey|grey}}, then you've entirely canceled your order for that item.

Once you are satisfied with your import agreement, press {{K|Esc}} to finalize it and move on to the next parts of the conversation.

Note that when the dwarven caravan and liaison come back next game-year the agreement you made this year will be wiped clean, so if you want to import the same things every year you'll have to re-select them each year.

====What's available for import====
For the entire duration of this game (or any fortress game) the liaison will always offer you the same list of items, since that is determined by which dwarven civilization is your parent civilization. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with the same parent civilization (________) you'll get the same list. If you abandon your fortress and start a new one in the same world with a different parent civilization, or start a fortress in a different world, the list will be different. The items which are available depend upon the location in the world that your parent civilization is located. If it's at a place where there's no rubies or iron ore to mine, then you won't be able to import rubies or any iron items. If it's located next to a jungle you'll be able to import some meat and leather of jungle animals, if it's located next to an ocean you'll be able to import some salt-water fish, and so on.

Things you'll never be able to import, regardless of your parent civilization:

# {{L|Fat}}, {{L|tallow}}, {{L|bone}}s, {{L|horn}}s or {{L|hooves}}.
# {{L|Honey}}, {{L|royal jelly}} and {{L|wax}}.
# {{L|Soap}}.
# {{L|Adamantine}} or {{L|raw adamantine}}.

==Trading with elves==
===Wood===
In the {{L|spring}} after the dwarven caravan comes you'll be visited by an {{L|elven}} caravan. Trading with them is the same as trading with anyone else, except that they become ''extremely'' offended if you try to sell or offer them anything made from {{L|wood}}. This includes:

* Anything made from underground "trees", even though they're technically giant mushrooms.
* Selling back to the elves wooden items they sold to you.
* Wooden {{L|bin}}s holding the trade goods you're selling them. This means you have to individually select for sale every item inside a wooden bin.
* Any item which is necessarily derived from wood: {{L|charcoal}}, {{L|lye}}, {{L|ash}}, {{L|potash}}, {{L|pearlash}}, {{L|soap}} (which requires lye), and clear or crystal {{L|glass}} (which require pearlash).
** Any item {{L|decoration|decorated}} with clear or crystal glass.

Things which won't offend the elven merchants:
* Anything which you don't try to sell/offer. This includes wooden walls/floors/bridges/etc, a trade depot made from wood, and wooden bins which are merely used to move goods to the trade depot.
* Plant material which isn't wood (that is, crops).
* Anything which was made using a wood derived product, but which ''could have'' been made without them. For example, if you used a chunk of {{L|charcoal}} to smelt a {{L|gold}} nugget into a gold bar, then a second chunk of charcoal to forge the gold bar into {{L|goblet}}s, you can safely sell the goblets to the elves, since they'll assume that you used {{L|bituminous coal |coal}} or {{L|magma}} to produce them.
* Anything made from animal products, like {{L|meat}}, {{L|leather}} and {{L|bone}}s. Even though elves have AT_PEACE_WITH_WILDLIFE and elven merchants never bring any animal products with them, they'll happily buy them from you.
* {{L|Pottery}} with an {{L|ash glaze}} (though the fact that this doesn't offend them is probably a bug).

===Empty cages===
If an elven caravan has an apparently empty {{L|cage}} for sale, the cage might contain a tame {{L|vermin}}. You can see if this is the case or not by examining the contents of the cage with {{K|v}}.

v0.31:Stonegears/Caravans

2011-09-15T09:53:24Z

Khym Chanur: /* Liasion */

:''Back to the [[../|main tutorial page]]''

Sometime in late {{L|Calendar|autumn}} of your first year, the dwarven {{L|caravan}} from your parent civilization will come to your fortress for {{L|trading}}, so you should have things set up for them before then.

==Trade depot==
To trade with a caravan you need a {{L|trade depot}} in a place that has a clear path to the edge of your site's map. To place a depot use {{K|b}}-{{K|D}}, press {{K|Enter}} when positioned properly, and choose three items of raw material to make it from. Building it will require a dwarf with the {{L|architecture}} labor enabled, and then another dwarf with a labor appropriate for the material it's made from ({{L|masonry}} for stone, {{L|carpentry}} for wood, and one of the four {{L|metal}} related labors for metal). A depot is a 5x5 tile square, so if placing it outside you might need to {{L|wood cutting|cut}} down some {{L|tree}}s to make room for it.

Once the depot is placed you can use {{K|D}} to check if the depot is accessible to {{L|wagon}}s. However, since caravans don't yet use wagons, but instead use only pack animals, it will often falsely tell you that your depot is not accessible: a pack animal can go anywhere your dwarves can go, but a wagon needs a three tile wide path (since a wagon is three tiles wide) of {{L|floor}}s, {{L|ramp}}s and {{L|bridge}}s (wagons can't use stairs), clear of obstructions like {{L|tree}}s, {{L|boulder}}s and installed {{L|furniture}}.

Do '''''not''''' have more than one depot at once, since this will confuse the caravans about which one to go to. If you're playing a [[mod]] where several different caravans can show up at once they'll all share the same depot without a problem.

==Arrival of the caravan and liaison==
At some point in late autumn the dwarven {{L|caravan}} and {{L|liaison}} will arrive, pausing the game, {{L|announcement|announced}} by:

{{Gametext|The outpost liaison _____ from ______ has arrived.|white}}
{{Gametext|A caravan from _____ has arrived.|blue}}

Though they'll arrive at the same instant, they'll appear at different points along the edge of your site. The caravan will head straight for your {{L|trade depot}}, and the liaison will head straight for your {{L|expedition leader}}. If you have no depot yet the caravan will wait at the edge of the site, in which case you build one to get them to come it. If they remain at the edge even if you have a depot it's because there's no open path from them to the depot, likely because of a locked {{L|door}} or raised {{L|bridge}}; opening up the path will let them come in.

==Trading with the caravan==
Note that you might have your meeting with the {{L|liaison}} before you get to trade with the caravan. If that happens, skip to the [[#Meeting_with_the_liaison|meeting with the liason]]‡ section.

===Getting a dwarf to the depot===
You need to get one of your dwarves to the depot to be able to trade. By default, if you've appointed a dwarf to be the {{L|broker}} then s/he'll be the one to do the trading; this lets you control exactly who does the {{L|trading}}, so that a dwarf with the right skills will do it. Use {{K|n}} to go to the {{L|nobles}} screen and [[../Nobles#Listing.2C_appointing_and_replacing_nobles.2Fadministrators|appoint]]‡ your {{L|expedition leader}}, since he'll have the highest {{L|judge of intent}} skill, which is useful in trading.

Once you have a broker, go to the depot and use {{K|q}} to interact with it. This will tell you who your broker is, what job (if any) the broker currently has, and if he can access the depot. Use {{K|r}} to request that the broker go to the depot for trading. (If your broker is indisposed, or if you have no broker, you can use {{K|b}} to get any random dwarf to be the trader instead)

Finally, go to your expedition leader (probably via the [[../Listing your dwarves|units screen]]‡), use {{K|v}}-{{K|p}}-{{K|l}} to manipulate his {{L|labor}}s, and [[../Examining your dwarves#Labors|turn them all off]]‡ to make sure that he goes to the depot, since going to the depot has a low priority compared to the other labors; when he's doing training you can turn his labors back on.

===Moving trade goods to the depot===
You can only sell items to the caravan which are inside the depot. To move goods to the depot use {{K|q}} to interact with the depot, then {{K|g}} to enter "move trade goods" mode. Down the left side of the screen will be a list of item categories, while down the middle will be the list of available items, with the items closest to the depot being listed first. Rather than scrolling through the whole list, you can filter for only the items you want. Use {{K|s}} to enter the word you want to search for, type in "FINI" to search for "finished goods", and press {{K|Enter}}. This will cause all of the finished goods {{L|bin}}s containing your rock {{L|mug}}s to be listed (note that items inside of containers can't be individually listed/select for moving to the depot, so typing "MUG" won't show anything). Use {{K|←}} or {{K|→}} to move from the left column to the middle column, {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}} to highlight a particular bin, and {{K|Enter}} to select it to be moved to the depot. Once selected the far right column will show a {{DFtext|[PENDING]|cyan}}, indicating that it's been selected for trading at the depot but hasn't been moved there yet. When the item arrives at the depot it will change to {{DFtext|[TRADING]|yellow}}.

Press {{K|Esc}} twice to exit to the main menu and unpause to wait for the caravan to get to the depot and unload, and for your broker to get to the depot.

===Actual trading===
Once the caravan has reached the depot and unloaded its goods, and your broker is at the depot, you can enter the trading screen by interacting with the depot ({{K|q}}) and then pressing {{K|t}}. The trading screen will show you the caravan's goods on the left side and your good on the right. The {{L|value}} of each item will be indicated by a number followed by {{L|currency|☼}}, and the {{L|weight}} in kilograms by a number followed by {{DFtext|Γ}}. You can switch which side you want to select from with {{K|←}} or {{K|→}}, scroll with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}, and select an item for trading with {{K|Enter}}, which will cause a {{DFtext|[T]}} to appear next to it, marking it as part of the deal you're planning to make; pressing {{K|Enter}} a second time will remove it from the planned deal. Marking a caravan item for trade means you're buying it from the caravan, and marking one of your items for trade means you're selling it to the caravan. If you mark a {{L|bin}} for trading then you'll buy/sell the bin ''and'' everything inside of it, which can be convenient if you want to buy/sell a lot of items at once, but can be bad if you want to sell a lot of stuff at once but keep the bin. If you want to sell many items in a bin without selling the bin itself, but don't want to tediously do {{K|↓}}-{{K|Enter}} over and over, you can set up a {{L|macros|macro}} to take care of the tedious typing.

In the far lower left-hand corner the screen is one number indicating the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} for the planned deal, and to its right the total {{DFtext|Value}} of everything that the caravan is selling for that planned deal. To guarantee that the merchants accept your deal you should give them at least a 50% profit (for example, if the {{DFtext|Value}} on the left is 1,000☼, then the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} should be at least 500☼). To get away with giving the merchants less profit on a deal, see {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|here}}.

In the far lower right-hand corner is {{DFtext|Allowed Weight}}, which shows how many more kilograms of weight the caravan can take on. If the planned deal would give the caravan too much weight to carry, it will become {{DFtext|Excess Weight|red}}. If a deal would lead to excess weight, you'll have to expand the deal to buy heavy items from the caravan until there's no more excess weight. Low cost but heavy things to buy are lumps of {{L|clay}} and {{L|bar}}s of {{L|lead}} (at the very top of the list of caravan items) and metal {{L|cage}}s (several pages down from the top of the list of caravan items). You might also want to buy some of the {{L|log}}s (at the very top of the list), since they're cheap and you can always use more logs.

Once you have a planned deal with a large enough trader profit and no excess weight, use {{K|t}} to propose the deal to the merchant. If the profit is large enough the trader will accept the deal, his {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|mood}} will improve, and ownership of the marked items will change hands. If the profit is too small (or gives the trader a loss) then he'll reject the deal and his mood will worsen; if his mood gets bad enough then he'll refuse to trade at all. If the profit isn't large enough but isn't too small then he'll make a counter offer, marking more of your items for trade ({{DFtext|[T]}}). If you get a counter offer you can press {{K|t}} again to accept it, but since the counter offer will give the merchant a larger profit margin than the minimum necessary for an acceptable deal you should probably unselect some of your marked items with {{K|Enter}} until you get a profit margin larger than you first offer but smaller than the counter offer, then press {{K|t}}.

If you want to start a planned deal over from scratch, simply leave the trading screen with {{K|Esc}} and re-enter it with {{K|t}}.

===Item quality, decorations and containers===
Some of the caravan items will have a higher than base {{L|quality}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|-}}, {{DFtext|+}}, {{DFtext|*}}, or {{DFtext|≡}}. Item quality only increases the effectiveness of {{L|armor}}, {{L|weapon}}s and {{L|animal trap}}s, and otherwise just increases the value of the item. Thus unless you're buying one of those types of items you should ignore the quality and just go for whatever is cheapest.

Some of the caravan items will be {{L|decoration|decorated}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|« »}}. The only thing decoration does is increase the value of the item, so ignore decorations and just buy whatever is cheapest.

Pieces of {{L|cloth}} can be {{L|dye|dyed}}, which is similar to an item being decorated in that it increases the value of the cloth, but dyed pieces of cloth aren't bracketed by any symbols; the only immediate indication that a piece of cloth is dyed or not is that different pieces of the same type of cloth will have different costs.

If you buy something that's in a container you have to pay for both the contained item and the container. If, for example, you buy a {{L|cow}} which is in a superior quality {{L|cage}} which is decorated with diamonds, rubies and sapphires then the vast majority of the cost is going to be for the cage; there's no way to buy just the cow but not the cage.

===What should I buy?===
For the very first caravan you should buy {{L|cloth}} and {{L|leather}}, for several reasons:

* You can use them to make {{L|bag}}s, which are needed to process {{L|quarry bush}}es into leaves, to hold {{L|sugar}} and {{L|flour}} (if you ever plan on making any), and to gather {{L|sand}} for making {{L|glass}}.
* Cloth is needed to {{L|bandage}} wounds at a {{L|hospital}}.
* Leather is needed to make {{L|quiver}}s, which are needed if you want to make a {{L|military}} which uses {{L|crossbow}}s.
* If a dwarf goes into a [[../Strange moods|strange mood]]‡ and demands leather or a certain type of cloth, but there isn't any available, s/he'll eventually go {{L|insane}}. Thus you should try to always keep on hand at least a few pieces of leather, a few pieces of {{L|silk}} cloth, a few pieces of plant fiber cloth and a few pieces of animal fiber cloth.

If there's any animals in cages you could buy the [[Pasture#List_of_grazing_animals|grazing animals]] in an effort to get a {{L|breeding}} pair to start a meat industry, which can also let you get {{L|milk}} and {{L|yarn}} if the animals are of the right types; however, this requires having enough {{L|grass}} to feed all those animals. If there's female birds in cages you can use them to get a steady supply of {{L|egg}}s, which is easy to do since tame birds don't need to be fed. Even if you don't want eggs you can buy the birds and put them into your {{L|zoo}} to give your dwarves happy {{L|thoughts}}; you can ''not'' do the same with the grazing animals, since they ''do'' need to be fed and will starve to death if kept in a cage.

===Removing items from the depot (or leaving them there)===
When you buy an item from the caravan your dwarves will move it from the depot to the appropriate [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡, if there's a stockpile which accepts that item and has empty space. Otherwise the bought item will stay in the depot until space opens up in an appropriate stockpile. The depot can hold a limitless number of items, which can be {{L|exploit|exploited}} in a manner similar to {{L|Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiles}}. Note that the depot does not have the {{L|food}} preserving properties of a food stockpile, so if you buy any food from the caravan you should make sure that your food stockpiles have enough empty room in them for the bought food. You should also immediately {{L|cook}} any {{L|meat}} or {{L|fish}} you bought to prevent it from spoiling.

Items which you brought to the depot for trading but you haven't sold will remain there for as long as they're marked for trading. They'll lose the "marked for trading" status either when the caravan leaves the depot, or if you enter the depot's "goods for trading" screen ({{K|q}}-{{K|g}}) and manually unmark them. At that point your dwarves will move those items from the depot to stockpiles like they would for bought items. If you remove your stockpiles for trade goods before this happens then your unsold trade goods will remain in the depot, saving you the trouble of hauling them back there for the next caravan (though note that this is an {{L|exploit}}).

===The appraisal skill and item value===
The first dwarf to get a look at a caravan's good's (via {{K|q}}-{{K|t}} on the trade depot) will gain experience at the {{L|appraiser|appraisal}} skill. Since the dwarf to do this was your {{L|broker}} examining an item will now show you the item's {{L|value}}, where before this information was missing.

==Liaison==

Whenever the {{L|liaison}} is within a few tiles of your {{L|expedition leader}} while the leader had no task, the liaison will go through the steps of a meeting. The first meeting screen simply shows a line of unimportant {{DFtext|blue|blue}} dialogue; you can continue by pressing either {{K|Esc}} or {{K|Enter}} (all dialogue screens are exited in this way). You'll return to the normal game for a little bit, and then get a screen with {{DFtext|white|white}} text where the second line begins with an {{DFtext|a|LightGreen}}; for this screen (and any screen like it) you have to press {{K|a}} to continue. This will immediately bring you to this screen:

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

This screen lets you place orders for items, which will come with the next dwarven caravan a game-year from now. The first column is the {{DFtext|Type}} of item to order ({{L|leather}}, {{L|cloth}}, {{L|wood}}, etc), which can be scrolled through with {{K|-}} and {{K|+}}. The second column, {{DFtext|Good}}, lists the available selection of the given type (i.e., type "wood" would list pine, willow, etc), and can be scrolled through with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}. When a entry in the second column has been selected you can order that entry with {{K|→}} (pressing {{K|→}} multiple times will order more of that item). Your order is shown in the third column, {{DFtext|Priority}}, by the {{DFtext|O}} moving to the right and the priority line changing color. You can increase the priority for an individual item at most four times, resulting in the {{DFtext|O}} being all the way to the right and the color being {{DFtext|yellow|yellow}}. The higher the priority of an order the more of that item the next caravan will bring, but the item will also be more expensive.

SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER

If you change your mind you can decrease the priority of the order with {{K|←}}. If you move the {{DFtext|O}} all the way to the left, with the line turning {{DFtext|grey|grey}}, then you've entirely canceled your order for that item.

==Trading with elves==
===Wood===
In the {{L|spring}} after the dwarven caravan comes you'll be visited by an {{L|elven}} caravan. Trading with them is the same as trading with anyone else, except that they become ''extremely'' offended if you try to sell or offer them anything made from {{L|wood}}. This includes:

* Anything made from underground "trees", even though they're technically giant mushrooms.
* Selling back to the elves wooden items they sold to you.
* Wooden {{L|bin}}s holding the trade goods you're selling them. This means you have to individually select for sale every item inside a wooden bin.
* Any item which is necessarily derived from wood: {{L|charcoal}}, {{L|lye}}, {{L|ash}}, {{L|potash}}, {{L|pearlash}}, {{L|soap}} (which requires lye), and clear or crystal {{L|glass}} (which require pearlash).
** Any item {{L|decoration|decorated}} with clear or crystal glass.

Things which won't offend the elven merchants:
* Anything which you don't try to sell/offer. This includes wooden walls/floors/bridges/etc, a trade depot made from wood, and wooden bins which are merely used to move goods to the trade depot.
* Plant material which isn't wood (that is, crops).
* Anything which was made using a wood derived product, but which ''could have'' been made without them. For example, if you used a chunk of {{L|charcoal}} to smelt a {{L|gold}} nugget into a gold bar, then a second chunk of charcoal to forge the gold bar into {{L|goblet}}s, you can safely sell the goblets to the elves, since they'll assume that you used {{L|bituminous coal |coal}} or {{L|magma}} to produce them.
* Anything made from animal products, like {{L|meat}}, {{L|leather}} and {{L|bone}}s. Even though elves have AT_PEACE_WITH_WILDLIFE and elven merchants never bring any animal products with them, they'll happily buy them from you.
* {{L|Pottery}} with an {{L|ash glaze}} (though the fact that this doesn't offend them is probably a bug).

===Empty cages===
If an elven caravan has an apparently empty {{L|cage}} for sale, the cage might contain a tame {{L|vermin}}. You can see if this is the case or not by examining the contents of the cage with {{K|v}}.

v0.31:Stonegears/Caravans

2011-09-14T08:32:02Z

Khym Chanur: /* Trade depot */

:''Back to the [[../|main tutorial page]]''

Sometime in late {{L|Calendar|autumn}} of your first year, the dwarven {{L|caravan}} from your parent civilization will come to your fortress for {{L|trading}}, so you should have things set up for them before then.

==Trade depot==
To trade with a caravan you need a {{L|trade depot}} in a place that has a clear path to the edge of your site's map. To place a depot use {{K|b}}-{{K|D}}, press {{K|Enter}} when positioned properly, and choose three items of raw material to make it from. Building it will require a dwarf with the {{L|architecture}} labor enabled, and then another dwarf with a labor appropriate for the material it's made from ({{L|masonry}} for stone, {{L|carpentry}} for wood, and one of the four {{L|metal}} related labors for metal). A depot is a 5x5 tile square, so if placing it outside you might need to {{L|wood cutting|cut}} down some {{L|tree}}s to make room for it.

Once the depot is placed you can use {{K|D}} to check if the depot is accessible to {{L|wagon}}s. However, since caravans don't yet use wagons, but instead use only pack animals, it will often falsely tell you that your depot is not accessible: a pack animal can go anywhere your dwarves can go, but a wagon needs a three tile wide path (since a wagon is three tiles wide) of {{L|floor}}s, {{L|ramp}}s and {{L|bridge}}s (wagons can't use stairs), clear of obstructions like {{L|tree}}s, {{L|boulder}}s and installed {{L|furniture}}.

Do '''''not''''' have more than one depot at once, since this will confuse the caravans about which one to go to. If you're playing a [[mod]] where several different caravans can show up at once they'll all share the same depot without a problem.

==Arrival of the caravan and liaison==
At some point in late autumn the dwarven {{L|caravan}} and {{L|liaison}} will arrive, pausing the game, {{L|announcement|announced}} by:

{{Gametext|The outpost liaison _____ from ______ has arrived.|white}}
{{Gametext|A caravan from _____ has arrived.|blue}}

Though they'll arrive at the same instant, they'll appear at different points along the edge of your site. The caravan will head straight for your {{L|trade depot}}, and the liaison will head straight for your {{L|expedition leader}}. If you have no depot yet the caravan will wait at the edge of the site, in which case you build one to get them to come it. If they remain at the edge even if you have a depot it's because there's no open path from them to the depot, likely because of a locked {{L|door}} or raised {{L|bridge}}; opening up the path will let them come in.

==Trading with the caravan==
Note that you might have your meeting with the {{L|liaison}} before you get to trade with the caravan. If that happens, skip to the [[#Meeting_with_the_liaison|meeting with the liason]]‡ section.

===Getting a dwarf to the depot===
You need to get one of your dwarves to the depot to be able to trade. By default, if you've appointed a dwarf to be the {{L|broker}} then s/he'll be the one to do the trading; this lets you control exactly who does the {{L|trading}}, so that a dwarf with the right skills will do it. Use {{K|n}} to go to the {{L|nobles}} screen and [[../Nobles#Listing.2C_appointing_and_replacing_nobles.2Fadministrators|appoint]]‡ your {{L|expedition leader}}, since he'll have the highest {{L|judge of intent}} skill, which is useful in trading.

Once you have a broker, go to the depot and use {{K|q}} to interact with it. This will tell you who your broker is, what job (if any) the broker currently has, and if he can access the depot. Use {{K|r}} to request that the broker go to the depot for trading. (If your broker is indisposed, or if you have no broker, you can use {{K|b}} to get any random dwarf to be the trader instead)

Finally, go to your expedition leader (probably via the [[../Listing your dwarves|units screen]]‡), use {{K|v}}-{{K|p}}-{{K|l}} to manipulate his {{L|labor}}s, and [[../Examining your dwarves#Labors|turn them all off]]‡ to make sure that he goes to the depot, since going to the depot has a low priority compared to the other labors; when he's doing training you can turn his labors back on.

===Moving trade goods to the depot===
You can only sell items to the caravan which are inside the depot. To move goods to the depot use {{K|q}} to interact with the depot, then {{K|g}} to enter "move trade goods" mode. Down the left side of the screen will be a list of item categories, while down the middle will be the list of available items, with the items closest to the depot being listed first. Rather than scrolling through the whole list, you can filter for only the items you want. Use {{K|s}} to enter the word you want to search for, type in "FINI" to search for "finished goods", and press {{K|Enter}}. This will cause all of the finished goods {{L|bin}}s containing your rock {{L|mug}}s to be listed (note that items inside of containers can't be individually listed/select for moving to the depot, so typing "MUG" won't show anything). Use {{K|←}} or {{K|→}} to move from the left column to the middle column, {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}} to highlight a particular bin, and {{K|Enter}} to select it to be moved to the depot. Once selected the far right column will show a {{DFtext|[PENDING]|cyan}}, indicating that it's been selected for trading at the depot but hasn't been moved there yet. When the item arrives at the depot it will change to {{DFtext|[TRADING]|yellow}}.

Press {{K|Esc}} twice to exit to the main menu and unpause to wait for the caravan to get to the depot and unload, and for your broker to get to the depot.

===Actual trading===
Once the caravan has reached the depot and unloaded its goods, and your broker is at the depot, you can enter the trading screen by interacting with the depot ({{K|q}}) and then pressing {{K|t}}. The trading screen will show you the caravan's goods on the left side and your good on the right. The {{L|value}} of each item will be indicated by a number followed by {{L|currency|☼}}, and the {{L|weight}} in kilograms by a number followed by {{DFtext|Γ}}. You can switch which side you want to select from with {{K|←}} or {{K|→}}, scroll with {{K|↑}} and {{K|↓}}, and select an item for trading with {{K|Enter}}, which will cause a {{DFtext|[T]}} to appear next to it, marking it as part of the deal you're planning to make; pressing {{K|Enter}} a second time will remove it from the planned deal. Marking a caravan item for trade means you're buying it from the caravan, and marking one of your items for trade means you're selling it to the caravan. If you mark a {{L|bin}} for trading then you'll buy/sell the bin ''and'' everything inside of it, which can be convenient if you want to buy/sell a lot of items at once, but can be bad if you want to sell a lot of stuff at once but keep the bin. If you want to sell many items in a bin without selling the bin itself, but don't want to tediously do {{K|↓}}-{{K|Enter}} over and over, you can set up a {{L|macros|macro}} to take care of the tedious typing.

In the far lower left-hand corner the screen is one number indicating the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} for the planned deal, and to its right the total {{DFtext|Value}} of everything that the caravan is selling for that planned deal. To guarantee that the merchants accept your deal you should give them at least a 50% profit (for example, if the {{DFtext|Value}} on the left is 1,000☼, then the {{DFtext|Trader Profit}} should be at least 500☼). To get away with giving the merchants less profit on a deal, see {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|here}}.

In the far lower right-hand corner is {{DFtext|Allowed Weight}}, which shows how many more kilograms of weight the caravan can take on. If the planned deal would give the caravan too much weight to carry, it will become {{DFtext|Excess Weight|red}}. If a deal would lead to excess weight, you'll have to expand the deal to buy heavy items from the caravan until there's no more excess weight. Low cost but heavy things to buy are lumps of {{L|clay}} and {{L|bar}}s of {{L|lead}} (at the very top of the list of caravan items) and metal {{L|cage}}s (several pages down from the top of the list of caravan items). You might also want to buy some of the {{L|log}}s (at the very top of the list), since they're cheap and you can always use more logs.

Once you have a planned deal with a large enough trader profit and no excess weight, use {{K|t}} to propose the deal to the merchant. If the profit is large enough the trader will accept the deal, his {{L|Trade#Merchant_mood|mood}} will improve, and ownership of the marked items will change hands. If the profit is too small (or gives the trader a loss) then he'll reject the deal and his mood will worsen; if his mood gets bad enough then he'll refuse to trade at all. If the profit isn't large enough but isn't too small then he'll make a counter offer, marking more of your items for trade ({{DFtext|[T]}}). If you get a counter offer you can press {{K|t}} again to accept it, but since the counter offer will give the merchant a larger profit margin than the minimum necessary for an acceptable deal you should probably unselect some of your marked items with {{K|Enter}} until you get a profit margin larger than you first offer but smaller than the counter offer, then press {{K|t}}.

If you want to start a planned deal over from scratch, simply leave the trading screen with {{K|Esc}} and re-enter it with {{K|t}}.

===Item quality, decorations and containers===
Some of the caravan items will have a higher than base {{L|quality}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|-}}, {{DFtext|+}}, {{DFtext|*}}, or {{DFtext|≡}}. Item quality only increases the effectiveness of {{L|armor}}, {{L|weapon}}s and {{L|animal trap}}s, and otherwise just increases the value of the item. Thus unless you're buying one of those types of items you should ignore the quality and just go for whatever is cheapest.

Some of the caravan items will be {{L|decoration|decorated}}, indicated by the item name being bracketed with {{DFtext|« »}}. The only thing decoration does is increase the value of the item, so ignore decorations and just buy whatever is cheapest.

Pieces of {{L|cloth}} can be {{L|dye|dyed}}, which is similar to an item being decorated in that it increases the value of the cloth, but dyed pieces of cloth aren't bracketed by any symbols; the only immediate indication that a piece of cloth is dyed or not is that different pieces of the same type of cloth will have different costs.

If you buy something that's in a container you have to pay for both the contained item and the container. If, for example, you buy a {{L|cow}} which is in a superior quality {{L|cage}} which is decorated with diamonds, rubies and sapphires then the vast majority of the cost is going to be for the cage; there's no way to buy just the cow but not the cage.

===What should I buy?===
For the very first caravan you should buy {{L|cloth}} and {{L|leather}}, for several reasons:

* You can use them to make {{L|bag}}s, which are needed to process {{L|quarry bush}}es into leaves, to hold {{L|sugar}} and {{L|flour}} (if you ever plan on making any), and to gather {{L|sand}} for making {{L|glass}}.
* Cloth is needed to {{L|bandage}} wounds at a {{L|hospital}}.
* Leather is needed to make {{L|quiver}}s, which are needed if you want to make a {{L|military}} which uses {{L|crossbow}}s.
* If a dwarf goes into a [[../Strange moods|strange mood]]‡ and demands leather or a certain type of cloth, but there isn't any available, s/he'll eventually go {{L|insane}}. Thus you should try to always keep on hand at least a few pieces of leather, a few pieces of {{L|silk}} cloth, a few pieces of plant fiber cloth and a few pieces of animal fiber cloth.

If there's any animals in cages you could buy the [[Pasture#List_of_grazing_animals|grazing animals]] in an effort to get a {{L|breeding}} pair to start a meat industry, which can also let you get {{L|milk}} and {{L|yarn}} if the animals are of the right types; however, this requires having enough {{L|grass}} to feed all those animals. If there's female birds in cages you can use them to get a steady supply of {{L|egg}}s, which is easy to do since tame birds don't need to be fed. Even if you don't want eggs you can buy the birds and put them into your {{L|zoo}} to give your dwarves happy {{L|thoughts}}; you can ''not'' do the same with the grazing animals, since they ''do'' need to be fed and will starve to death if kept in a cage.

===Removing items from the depot (or leaving them there)===
When you buy an item from the caravan your dwarves will move it from the depot to the appropriate [[../Stockpiles|stockpile]]‡, if there's a stockpile which accepts that item and has empty space. Otherwise the bought item will stay in the depot until space opens up in an appropriate stockpile. The depot can hold a limitless number of items, which can be {{L|exploit|exploited}} in a manner similar to {{L|Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpiles}}. Note that the depot does not have the {{L|food}} preserving properties of a food stockpile, so if you buy any food from the caravan you should make sure that your food stockpiles have enough empty room in them for the bought food. You should also immediately {{L|cook}} any {{L|meat}} or {{L|fish}} you bought to prevent it from spoiling.

Items which you brought to the depot for trading but you haven't sold will remain there for as long as they're marked for trading. They'll lose the "marked for trading" status either when the caravan leaves the depot, or if you enter the depot's "goods for trading" screen ({{K|q}}-{{K|g}}) and manually unmark them. At that point your dwarves will move those items from the depot to stockpiles like they would for bought items. If you remove your stockpiles for trade goods before this happens then your unsold trade goods will remain in the depot, saving you the trouble of hauling them back there for the next caravan (though note that this is an {{L|exploit}}).

===The appraisal skill and item value===
The first dwarf to get a look at a caravan's good's (via {{K|q}}-{{K|t}} on the trade depot) will gain experience at the {{L|appraiser|appraisal}} skill. Since the dwarf to do this was your {{L|broker}} examining an item will now show you the item's {{L|value}}, where before this information was missing.

==Liasion==

Begin discussion (white)

Import agreement

==Trading with elves==
===Wood===
In the {{L|spring}} after the dwarven caravan comes you'll be visited by an {{L|elven}} caravan. Trading with them is the same as trading with anyone else, except that they become ''extremely'' offended if you try to sell or offer them anything made from {{L|wood}}. This includes:

* Anything made from underground "trees", even though they're technically giant mushrooms.
* Selling back to the elves wooden items they sold to you.
* Wooden {{L|bin}}s holding the trade goods you're selling them. This means you have to individually select for sale every item inside a wooden bin.
* Any item which is necessarily derived from wood: {{L|charcoal}}, {{L|lye}}, {{L|ash}}, {{L|potash}}, {{L|pearlash}}, {{L|soap}} (which requires lye), and clear or crystal {{L|glass}} (which require pearlash).
** Any item {{L|decoration|decorated}} with clear or crystal glass.

Things which won't offend the elven merchants:
* Anything which you don't try to sell/offer. This includes wooden walls/floors/bridges/etc, a trade depot made from wood, and wooden bins which are merely used to move goods to the trade depot.
* Plant material which isn't wood (that is, crops).
* Anything which was made using a wood derived product, but which ''could have'' been made without them. For example, if you used a chunk of {{L|charcoal}} to smelt a {{L|gold}} nugget into a gold bar, then a second chunk of charcoal to forge the gold bar into {{L|goblet}}s, you can safely sell the goblets to the elves, since they'll assume that you used {{L|bituminous coal |coal}} or {{L|magma}} to produce them.
* Anything made from animal products, like {{L|meat}}, {{L|leather}} and {{L|bone}}s. Even though elves have AT_PEACE_WITH_WILDLIFE and elven merchants never bring any animal products with them, they'll happily buy them from you.
* {{L|Pottery}} with an {{L|ash glaze}} (though the fact that this doesn't offend them is probably a bug).

===Empty cages===
If an elven caravan has an apparently empty {{L|cage}} for sale, the cage might contain a tame {{L|vermin}}. You can see if this is the case or not by examining the contents of the cage with {{K|v}}.