Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

v0.34:Dwarven atom smasher

2013-04-04T23:38:39Z

Nkosi: /* Immune creatures */

{{quality|Exceptional|11:34, 2 October 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
[[Image:DwarfSMASH.PNG|thumb|An atom smasher. Take care so there are <s>no</s> dwarves underneath when you trigger the bridge.]]

The '''Dwarven Atom Smasher''' is a nickname for a [[drawbridge]] in waste disposal or militarily-significant applications. It [[exploit]]s the implementation of drawbridges to utterly destroy any objects and most creatures in its target area. A <abbr title="Dwarven atom smasher">DAS</abbr> works fine as a trash compactor to smash [[stone|boulders]], [[item]]s, and [[water|fluid]]s straight into oblivion.

== Smashing against the ground ==
In this design, a drawbridge is built to come down on at least one tile of solid ground. The drawbridge is raised, the targets are placed (or move of their own volition) into position on that ground, and then the drawbridge is lowered, erasing the targets from existence. Most commonly, a garbage dump [[activity zone]] is used in order to place items beneath the drawbridge (as stockpiles cannot be placed on top of existing buildings), but other methods such as flowing [[water]] have been used with varying degrees of success.

Sand or dye in bags doesn't get erased while the bag does, creating a small pile of sand or dye on the ground. Similarly, contaminants (eg blood, vomit) are not erased when a bridge descends on them.

== Smashing upon closing ==
In this design, a very compact drawbridge (as little as one tile long) is used, and the target area is the one-tile wide anchoring area, where the bridge will close. This often uses walls, locked doors, or other solid objects, leaving the targets nowhere to go. The drawbridge is lowered, the targets are placed (or move of their own volition) into position on the tile(s) that the drawbridge will occupy when closing, and then the drawbridge is raised, squashing the targets flat.

== Immune creatures ==
The performance of a DAS on creatures is a bit of a drawback. It's well known that creatures with a size over 1,200,000 (e.g. [[elephant]]s, [[bronze colossi]]) will make it impossible to raise a drawbridge they are standing on as well as cause a drawbridge to immediately deconstruct if lowered upon the creature. See the [[List of creatures by adult size#bridge|list of creatures by adult size]] for a complete listing of creatures immune to bridges.

[[Category:Game mechanics]]

v0.34:Cave moss

2013-01-28T03:37:08Z

Nkosi:

{{Quality|Fine|15:38, 11 March 2011 (UTC)}}{{grasslookup/0|wiki=no}}{{av}}

'''Cave moss''' is a peculiar [[grass]]-like growth that occurs in underground [[cavern]]s. Animals such as [[cow]]s or [[yak]]s can be designated to graze on it via [[pasture]]s.

Cave moss is functionally identical to [[floor fungus]], but should not be confused with normal [[moss]].

Cave moss will grow on a below ground [[soil]] surface or on a muddied stone surface that has not been smoothed. The amount of mud on the surface does not affect the distribution or growth rate of subterranean plants. [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=122150.0]

{{gamedata}}
{{Plants}}

v0.34:Cave moss

2013-01-28T03:31:58Z

Nkosi: add info on not growing on smoothed stone and not being affected by thickness of mud

{{Quality|Fine|15:38, 11 March 2011 (UTC)}}{{grasslookup/0|wiki=no}}{{av}}

'''Cave moss''' is a peculiar [[grass]]-like growth that occurs in underground [[cavern]]s. Animals such as [[cow]]s or [[yak]]s can be designated to graze on it via [[pasture]]s.

Cave moss is functionally identical to [[floor fungus]], but should not be confused with normal [[moss]].

Cave moss will grow on below ground [[soil]] surface or on a muddied stone surface that has not been smoothed. The amount of mud on the surface does not affect the distribution or growth rate of subterranean plants. [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=122150.0]

{{gamedata}}
{{Plants}}

v0.34:Floor fungus

2013-01-27T21:10:45Z

Nkosi: Duplicate information to cave moss. Better to simply redirect.

{{quality|Fine|21:29, 2 December 2012 (UTC)}}{{grasslookup/0|wiki=no}}{{av}}

Floor fungus is identical to [[cave moss]], except for the color.

{{gamedata}}
{{Plants}}

v0.34:Swimmer

2013-01-27T21:05:39Z

Nkosi: /* Drowning */

{{Quality|Fine}}
{{Skill
| color = 3:0
| skill = Swimmer
| specialty = Peasant
| profession = None
| job name = None
| tasks =
* Getting in and out of water
* Staying calm underwater
| attributes =
* Strength
* Agility
* Endurance
* Willpower
* Spatial Sense
* Kinesthetic Sense
}}
{{av}}

== Drowning ==
Dwarves with dabbling or no [[experience]] as '''Swimmers''' will start drowning immediately upon contact with deep surface [[water]] (ie surface water of 7/7 depth). Those of novice level experience or greater can be in deep surface water without drowning. Any dwarf will start drowning in 7/7 water if there is more water on levels above them (eg they are at the bottom of a two level deep cistern, or the bottom of the ocean).

Any conscious, uninjured, not stunned dwarf finding themselves in water of depth 4/7 or greater will try to leave if they can find a path out of around 20 tiles in length or less.[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=116764.0] If they can't find an exit within that distance, they won't move.

Dabbling swimmers require a [[ramp]] or [[stairs|stairway]] within 20 tiles to have any chance of getting out of deep water. Fortunately every natural shallow body of water has ramps.

Novice swimmers are able to get out of deep water safely without needing a ramp or stairway, but they will start drowning if [[Status_icons|stunned]]. Once that happens it can be difficult to get them out, as they lose the ability to exit anywhere and behave just like an untrained or dabbling swimmer. Everyone is stunned by falling into water rather than entering it calmly, which is what normally happens when they aren't entering it of their [[Carp|own free will]].

Adequate swimmers do not panic and start drowning in that situation, even when attacked, so training to this level is highly recommended. Higher levels only increase the speed when swimming, with a legendary swimmer being ''faster'' than he would be while running.

== Learning/Teaching swimming ==
A dwarf in the water will gain the ability to swim very fast - sadly not fast enough to prevent death from drowning. While water with a depth of 7/7 is deadly for non-swimmers, 6/7 or less will not harm any dwarf. So you can use water from 4/7 to 6/7 safely to teach your little ones how to swim. The speed of learning is independent of the depth, but water with a depth less of than 4/7 is not deep enough to make a dwarf swim, and therefore learn anything.

Training your little ones just requires a place of constantly or temporarily 4-6/7 water. Military orders or making rooms a meeting hall will not entice dwarves into the water, so you may need to prevent them from leaving an area (locked door, etc.) and then fill the area with the required amount of water, or dump them in from above using a [[bridge|retracting bridge]].

Swimming, since it involves no activity, can be potentially useful to train physically handicapped dwarves, whose conditions might go away or become manageable with an attribute boost to strength, endurance, willpower etc.

A fully automated method to train idlers is to use water flowing over a 1-z drop, with a 1-wide meeting zone at the top of the ledge, and a swimming pool at the bottom. Idlers will go to the meeting zone, be swept over the side into the pool and swim to the ramp, and repeat this for as long as they are idle. The meeting zone must have a low enough rate of flow that it has unsubmerged tiles, so dwarves voluntarily move into it. This can be accomplished with tricks like restricting flow through diagonal passages (see [[Pressure]] for details). Be aware that in recent versions dwarves can now suffer injuries more easily when falling, so this method can cause serious harm when the dwarves are washed over the edge.

Diagram of the 'fully automated' configuration described above:

.... - (pool continues as desired)
║≈≈≈≈║ - depth 4-6 swimming pool on Z-1
║+++▲║ - dropoff / entrance ramp from above
║<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>║ - meeting hall, depth 0-3
╚╗%╔═╝
║%║ - screw pump (S->N)
║.║ - limited pump source (e.g. depth ~4-per-tick tile on Z-1)
╚═╝
Not pictured: exit from the swimming pool, preferably close to the entrance ramp to minimize delays in training.

== Adventure Mode ==
In [[adventurer mode]], as a novice swimmer, by moving carefully ({{k|alt}}+direction) into open space above water and selecting the option to move below (such as West/Below), you can swim about without getting stunned and starting to drown. To get out, alt-move carefully against a shoreline and select the option to move above.

Swimmers can also dive and rise through the [[z-axis]] by pressing {{k|>}} and {{k|<}} respectively. Note that air-breathers will be unable to breathe without air in the tile above them, and without returning to the surface will eventually drown. (Sadly, there's no oxygen meter as of yet, so you'll never know when they're about to expire. Don't linger too long.)

In adventure mode, water preference can be switched between "when possible" and "necessary" by pressing {{k|m}}.

If the temperature (press {{k|P}}) is "freezing" or if it is "cold" and close to sundown, the water may freeze while you are swimming, which instantly kills you and leaves your frozen corpse encased in ice and a valuable find for archeologists.
{{Skills}}

v0.34:Pasture

2013-01-27T20:46:01Z

Nkosi:

{{quality|Fine|17:59, 25 February 2011 (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}}. 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 assign pastures inside and use them to put animals that do not need to eat in certain areas. If there is fungus or moss on your indoor floors, the animals will consume that in place of grass. 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 produce [[wool]] or [[milk]], and the only creatures which can produce both wool and milk are grazers. 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.

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==
It is possible to overcrowd a pasture. Animals may become enraged and start fights. This is similar to a dwarf throwing a [[tantrum]] and can be solved 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.{{Verify}}

==Other Applications==
A pasture can serve as a more advanced replacement for a [[rope]], which allows you to "tie" multiple animals to the same spot and even allows you to place [[pet]]s and animals assigned to dwarves.

This can be used to 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]].

Note that 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==
{| 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:Melt item

2013-01-22T01:54:25Z

Nkosi: /* Yield */

{{quality|Exceptional|18:12, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
You can '''melt''' items at a [[smelter]], using the [[furnace operator]] labor, to recover some of the [[metal]] they were made of. [[Decoration]]s in a different metal are not recovered or considered; the metal recovered is the specific metal that basic item was listed as being made from. The % return is predictable and consistent for each item type, and ranges from 10%-150%, depending on the item. Higher skill levels in furnace operator speed up the process, but have no effect on the % return.

Items the yield more than 100% can be used to increase the amount of a metal you have available by producing those items and then melting them down again as many times as required. This is generally considered to be an exploit of an error in the game mechanics.

Recovered metal is measured in 1/10th's, and 1/10ths of bars of each metal are saved at the smelter where the item was melted. Fractional bars are not "shared" between smelters, nor do they exist as usable objects as is. When 10/10ths of a type of metal are accumulated at the same smelter, 1 bar of that metal is produced. If the smelter is torn down or destroyed, all fractions are lost.

:''Example:'' If two items of the same metal worth .4 bars each are melted at the same smelter, that smelter has .8 bars worth waiting in it.
:If a similar item of a ''different'' metal is then melted there, that smelter would have .8 bars of the first metal and .4 bars of the second.
:If a similar item of the first metal is then melted at a ''different'' smelter, that smelter will have .4 of that metal, and have no connection to the fractions in the first smelter.
:If (finally!), a 3rd, similar item of the first metal is melted at the first smelter, adding another 4/10ths, and giving a total of 12/10ths of that type of metal, 1 bar of that metal is produced, and 2/10th's are waiting (plus the 4/10 of the second metal, also waiting).

So, it's recommended that you designate one smelter as your "melting" smelter (or one/metal type), to guarantee that fractions will add up effectively.

==Designating items to melt==
You can designate metal items for melting from any interface that allows you to view the object's description screen, such as from the [[Stocks]] page or the Loo{{k|k}} interface.

To bring up an individual object description screen when the object is:
:* On the '''ground''': Type {{k|k}}, scroll to the object, select it from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* In a '''workshop''': Type {{k|t}}, highlight the workshop, select the object from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* '''Held''' by a dwarf: Type {{k|v}}, highlight the dwarf, type {{k|i}} to show his inventory, select the object from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* Inside another object: Display the container's object description screen, navigate to the specific object you wish to see, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* In the '''stocks''' menu: Type {{k|z}}, hit right-direction a few times to select "stocks" and press return. Scroll to the type of object you wish to melt, type {{k|Tab}} to show individual items (You have to have an exact number or this won't work. See [[Bookkeeper]] for how to get this), scroll to the specific object, and type {{k|v}} to view.

To designate the item, simply type {{k|m}} to mark the object for melting. If the item is designated for melting and [[forbidden]] then the item will '''not''' be melted.

However, this only marks which items you want to be melted - you still have to place the job-order in a smelter...

==Melting the items==
Items designated to be melted will be left alone until you queue a "Melt a metal object" job {{k|o}} at a [[Smelter]]. Melting down an object requires the [[Furnace operator]] labor (and consumes a unit of [[fuel]] for a non-magma smelter).

The job gives the same experience to the [[furnace operator]] skill regardless of % yield of the item melted.

==Yield==
Testing is incomplete, but preliminary results show a yield of 0.3 bars times the object's material size for anything that has a material size, or 1 bar for most furniture (regardless of size).

Note that the Efficiency column is only accurate for ordinary metals - when using [[adamantine]], the number of wafers required comes from the "Material size" column instead of "Bars to make", so if that number is larger, the efficiency will be reduced accordingly.

{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
! Item !! Material size !! Bars to make !! Bars returned !! Efficiency
|-
! colspan="5"|[[weapon|Weapons]] (made by Weaponsmith)
|-
| Crossbow || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Mace || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Spear || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Short sword || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| War hammer || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Battle axe || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Pick || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Ammo (stack of 25) || (1) || 1 || 0.3{{verify}} || 30%
|-
! colspan="5"|Siege Equipment (Weaponsmith)
|-
| Ballista arrow || (4) || 3 || 0.5{{verify}} || 17%
|-
| Ballista arrow head || (4) || 3 || 0.5{{verify}} || 17%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[trap_component|Trap Components]] (Weaponsmith)
|-
| Giant Axe Blade|| 5 || 1 || 1.5 || '''''150%'''''
|-
| Enormous Corkscrew|| 5 || 1 || 1.5{{verify}} || '''''150%'''''
|-
| Spiked Ball|| 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Large Serrated Disc|| 4 || 1 || 1.2{{verify}} || '''120%'''
|-
| Menacing Spike|| 5 || 1 || 1.5{{verify}} || '''''150%'''''
|-
! colspan="5"|[[trap_component|Trap Components]] (Mechanic)
|-
| Mechanisms || (3) || 1 || 0.5 || 50%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Armor]] (Armorsmith)
|-
| Cap || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Helm || 2 || 1 || 0.6 || 60%
|-
| Gauntlet || 2 || 0.5 || 0.6 || '''120%'''
|-
| Leggings || 5 || 1 || 1.5 || '''''150%'''''
|-
| Greaves || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Low boot || 1 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 60%
|-
| High boot || 2 || 0.5 || 0.6 || '''120%'''
|-
| Buckler || 2 || 1 || 0.6 || 60%
|-
| Shield || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Mail shirt || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Breastplate || 9 || 3 || 2.7 || 90%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[tool|Tools]] (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Nest box || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Jug || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Pot || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Hive || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Minecart || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Wheelbarrow || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Blacksmith)
|-
| Anvil || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Armor stand || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Barrel || (9) || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Bin || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Blocks || (4) || 1 || 0.5 || 50%
|-
| Bucket || (3) || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
| Cabinet || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Cage || (6) || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Chair || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Chest || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Coffin || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Crutch || (3) || 3 || 0.5 || 17%
|-
| Door || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Floodgate || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Grate || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Hatch cover || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Pipe section || (9) || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Splint || (2) || 3 || 0.5 || 17%
|-
| Statue || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Table || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Traction bench || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Weapon rack || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Chain || (4) || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Trapper)
|-
| Animal trap || (3) || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|Other objects (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Amulet || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Bracelet || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Coins (stack of 500) || (1) || 1 || 1.1 || '''''110%'''''
|-
| Crown || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Earring || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Flask || (1/3) || 1/3 || 0.2 || 60%
|-
| Figurine || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.2 || 20% to 60%
|-
| Goblet || (1/3) || 1/3 || 0.2 || 60%
|-
| Instrument || (1) || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
| Toy || (1) || 1 || 0.2{{verify}} || 20%
|-
| Ring || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1 || 10% to 30%
|-
| Scepter || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.2{{verify}} || 20% to 60%
|}

All melting yields for items ''not'' specified in the raws (weapons, armor, tools, etc.) are hardcoded.

{{Category|Jobs}}
{{Category|Items}}

v0.34:Melt item

2013-01-21T22:11:07Z

Nkosi: /* Yield */

{{quality|Exceptional|18:12, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
You can '''melt''' items at a [[smelter]], using the [[furnace operator]] labor, to recover some of the [[metal]] they were made of. [[Decoration]]s in a different metal are not recovered or considered; the metal recovered is the specific metal that basic item was listed as being made from. The % return is predictable and consistent for each item type, and ranges from 10%-150%, depending on the item. Higher skill levels in furnace operator speed up the process, but have no effect on the % return.

Items the yield more than 100% can be used to increase the amount of a metal you have available by producing those items and then melting them down again as many times as required. This is generally considered to be an exploit of an error in the game mechanics.

Recovered metal is measured in 1/10th's, and 1/10ths of bars of each metal are saved at the smelter where the item was melted. Fractional bars are not "shared" between smelters, nor do they exist as usable objects as is. When 10/10ths of a type of metal are accumulated at the same smelter, 1 bar of that metal is produced. If the smelter is torn down or destroyed, all fractions are lost.

:''Example:'' If two items of the same metal worth .4 bars each are melted at the same smelter, that smelter has .8 bars worth waiting in it.
:If a similar item of a ''different'' metal is then melted there, that smelter would have .8 bars of the first metal and .4 bars of the second.
:If a similar item of the first metal is then melted at a ''different'' smelter, that smelter will have .4 of that metal, and have no connection to the fractions in the first smelter.
:If (finally!), a 3rd, similar item of the first metal is melted at the first smelter, adding another 4/10ths, and giving a total of 12/10ths of that type of metal, 1 bar of that metal is produced, and 2/10th's are waiting (plus the 4/10 of the second metal, also waiting).

So, it's recommended that you designate one smelter as your "melting" smelter (or one/metal type), to guarantee that fractions will add up effectively.

==Designating items to melt==
You can designate metal items for melting from any interface that allows you to view the object's description screen, such as from the [[Stocks]] page or the Loo{{k|k}} interface.

To bring up an individual object description screen when the object is:
:* On the '''ground''': Type {{k|k}}, scroll to the object, select it from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* In a '''workshop''': Type {{k|t}}, highlight the workshop, select the object from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* '''Held''' by a dwarf: Type {{k|v}}, highlight the dwarf, type {{k|i}} to show his inventory, select the object from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* Inside another object: Display the container's object description screen, navigate to the specific object you wish to see, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* In the '''stocks''' menu: Type {{k|z}}, hit right-direction a few times to select "stocks" and press return. Scroll to the type of object you wish to melt, type {{k|Tab}} to show individual items (You have to have an exact number or this won't work. See [[Bookkeeper]] for how to get this), scroll to the specific object, and type {{k|v}} to view.

To designate the item, simply type {{k|m}} to mark the object for melting. If the item is designated for melting and [[forbidden]] then the item will '''not''' be melted.

However, this only marks which items you want to be melted - you still have to place the job-order in a smelter...

==Melting the items==
Items designated to be melted will be left alone until you queue a "Melt a metal object" job {{k|o}} at a [[Smelter]]. Melting down an object requires the [[Furnace operator]] labor (and consumes a unit of [[fuel]] for a non-magma smelter).

The job gives the same experience to the [[furnace operator]] skill regardless of % yield of the item melted.

==Yield==
Testing is incomplete, but preliminary results show a yield of 0.3 bars times the object's material size for anything that has a material size, or 1 bar for most furniture (regardless of size).

Note that the Efficiency column is only accurate for ordinary metals - when using [[adamantine]], the number of wafers required comes from the "Material size" column instead of "Bars to make", so if that number is larger, the efficiency will be reduced accordingly.

{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
! Item !! Material size !! Bars to make !! Bars returned !! Efficiency
|-
! colspan="5"|[[weapon|Weapons]] (made by Weaponsmith)
|-
| Crossbow || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Mace || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Spear || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Short sword || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| War hammer || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Battle axe || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Pick || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Ammo (stack of 25) || (1) || 1 || 0.3{{verify}} || 30%
|-
! colspan="5"|Siege Equipment (Weaponsmith)
|-
| Ballista arrow || (4) || 3 || 0.5{{verify}} || 17%
|-
| Ballista arrow head || (4) || 3 || 0.5{{verify}} || 17%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[trap_component|Trap Components]] (Weaponsmith)
|-
| Giant Axe Blade|| 5 || 1 || 1.5 || '''''150%'''''
|-
| Enormous Corkscrew|| 5 || || ||
|-
| Spiked Ball|| 4 || 1 || ||
|-
| Large Serrated Disc|| 4 || || ||
|-
| Menacing Spike|| 5 || || ||
|-
! colspan="5"|[[trap_component|Trap Components]] (Mechanic)
|-
| Mechanisms || (3) || 1 || 0.5 || 50%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Armor]] (Armorsmith)
|-
| Cap || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Helm || 2 || 1 || 0.6 || 60%
|-
| Gauntlet || 2 || 0.5 || 0.6 || '''120%'''
|-
| Leggings || 5 || 1 || 1.5 || '''''150%'''''
|-
| Greaves || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Low boot || 1 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 60%
|-
| High boot || 2 || 0.5 || 0.6 || '''120%'''
|-
| Buckler || 2 || 1 || 0.6 || 60%
|-
| Shield || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Mail shirt || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Breastplate || 9 || 3 || 2.7 || 90%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[tool|Tools]] (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Nest box || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Jug || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Pot || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Hive || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Minecart || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Wheelbarrow || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Blacksmith)
|-
| Anvil || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Armor stand || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Barrel || (9) || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Bin || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Blocks || (4) || 1 || 0.5 || 50%
|-
| Bucket || (3) || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
| Cabinet || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Cage || (6) || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Chair || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Chest || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Coffin || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Crutch || (3) || 3 || 0.5 || 17%
|-
| Door || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Floodgate || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Grate || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Hatch cover || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Pipe section || (9) || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Splint || (2) || 3 || 0.5 || 17%
|-
| Statue || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Table || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Traction bench || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Weapon rack || (9) || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Chain || (4) || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Trapper)
|-
| Animal trap || (3) || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|Other objects (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Amulet || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Bracelet || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Coins (stack of 500) || (1) || 1 || 1.1 || '''''110%'''''
|-
| Crown || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Earring || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Flask || (1/3) || 1/3 || 0.2 || 60%
|-
| Figurine || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.2 || 20% to 60%
|-
| Goblet || (1/3) || 1/3 || 0.2 || 60%
|-
| Instrument || (1) || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
| Toy || (1) || 1 || 0.2{{verify}} || 20%
|-
| Ring || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1 || 10% to 30%
|-
| Scepter || (1/3 to 1) || 1/3 to 1 || 0.2{{verify}} || 20% to 60%
|}

All melting yields for items ''not'' specified in the raws (weapons, armor, tools, etc.) are hardcoded.

{{Category|Jobs}}
{{Category|Items}}

v0.34:Trap component

2013-01-21T19:52:43Z

Nkosi: /* Data & comparison */ Replaced specific masterwork values with base value

{{quality|Exceptional|17:13, 13 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
Any [[weapon]] in Fortress Mode can be placed into a [[Trap#Weapon Trap|weapon trap]]. However, there are five '''trap components''', or '''trap weapons''', that are ''specifically'' for weapons traps (and two also have additional uses). As with any weapon, a total of up to 10 of these can be put in a single weapon trap, creating a true "Indiana Jones" type of threat to any beast of any size, and potentially simply making a fine mince (or paste, depending on the weapons) of lesser creatures.
In the order they appear on the various menus, they are the '''menacing spike''', the '''serrated disc''', the '''spiked ball''', the '''enormous corkscrew''', and the '''giant axe blade'''.



All trap component weapons can be made out of [[metal]]s (by a [[weaponsmith]]) or [[glass]] (by a [[glassmaker]]), with appropriate damage. Three can also be made out of [[wood]] (by a [[carpenter]]), as noted below, which can be useful in getting some heavy weapons traps set up before you have a steady [[smelting]] operation going, or if you are short on metal. Each trap component takes one unit of the material that you are using (eg. Each menacing iron spike will take one [[bar]] of [[iron]])


Trap components are a separate sub-section of a [[forge]] menu, but are at the bottom of the general [[glass furnace]] or [[carpenter's workshop]] menus.

Most of these weapons do make good trade goods, most especially large serrated discs.

==The 5 trap weapons==
===Menacing spike===

The '''menacing spike''' can be mounted in both traditional [[Trap#Weapon_trap|weapon traps]] and [[Trap#Upright_Spear/Spike|upright spike traps]], which act quite differently. Its small contact size and high penetration depth makes it a decent choice against enemies with impale-able internal organs.

Menacing spikes can also be made from [[wood]].

===Large, serrated disc===
'''Large, serrated discs''' deal large amounts of damage, and have a tendency to sever their victims' limbs. While amusing, this can create several [[hauling]] tasks for [[dwarves]] as they have to move each severed body part to a [[butcher's shop]] or [[stockpile|refuse pile]]. Large serrated discs attack three times, giving them a very high damage potential.

===Spiked ball===
The '''spiked ball''' doesn't deal a blunt attack at all, but it does do three attacks with its spikes. Like the menacing spike, it has only a small contact area, but has a very low penetration depth compared to the menacing spike.

Low penetration depth edged attacks can still break bones with impact damage, just like blunt attacks do. In addition, if an edged weapon is unable to cut the material of the target's armor, its attack is converted to blunt type. Because the small contact area concentrates the force, spiked balls should be more effective against targets in superior armor than either serrated discs or giant axes.

Spiked balls can also be made from [[wood]]. If trees are not in short supply then wooden spiked balls make [[exploit|excellent]] trade items (except to the elves) due to the fact that spiked balls have an extremely high item value, almost to the extent of being a bug.

===Enormous corkscrew===

'''Enormous corkscrews''' can be used as components in [[Trap]]s as well as for [[screw pump]]s. As a result, the corkscrews from unneeded screw pumps can be used to make serviceable weapon traps.

The enormous corkscrew performs a small contact area deeply penetrating attack, much like the menacing spike. It is currently unknown which of these two trap components is the strongest over all.

Enormous corkscrews can also be made from [[wood]].

===Giant axe blade===

The '''giant axe blade''' is a very similar weapon to the large, serrated disc, but only strikes once, compared to the disc's three attacks. However, due to its larger size, its single attack is stronger than each of the large, serrated disc's. It is currently unknown which of these two trap components is the strongest over all.

However, if the variables behave like those of the wieldable weapons, size determines mass (along with material density) and mass determines impact (BLUNT) damage. An edged weapon, like the giant axe, only deals this type of damage when it is unable to penetrate armor, or if the target is large compared to its penetration depth.

This suggests that a steel serrated disc's multiple attacks will outweigh the giant axe blade's somewhat larger size in most cases. If only inferior materials are available, the giant axe '''might''' be better at hurting armored targets, but the disc's three attacks probably still outweigh this advantage.

==Data & comparison==

{|cellpadding="2" border="1"
! Name !! Size !! Number of hits !! Contact Area !! Penetration Depth !! Wood? !! Base Value
|-
| Giant axe blade || 1600 || 1 || 100000 || 10000 || No || 66
|-
| Enormous corkscrew&dagger; || 1600 || 1 || 100 || 10000 || Yes || 66
|-
| Spiked ball || 1000 || 3 || 10 || 200 || Yes || 126
|-
| Large, serrated disc || 1000 || 3 || 100000 || 10000 || No || 126
|-
| Menacing spike&Dagger; || 1600 || 1 || 10 || 6000 || Yes || 66
|-
| colspan=8 | &dagger; ''This trap component can also be used in [[screw pump]]s.'' &Dagger; ''This trap component can also be used in [[Trap#Upright_Spear/Spike|upright spike traps]].''
|-
|}
:''(Most of this data has been compiled from raw/objects/item_trapcomp.txt)''

----
'''See also:'''
:*[[Weapon]]
:*[[Trap]]

{{Category|Weapons}}
{{Category|Traps}}

v0.34:Magma-safe

2013-01-06T10:48:57Z

Nkosi: Clarified pump behaviour in magma

{{quality|Exceptional|10:15, 12 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Magma-safe materials''' are materials which will not melt, burn, evaporate, or otherwise take damage when in close contact with [[magma]]. Most frequently, this comes into play when using [[floodgate]]s operated by [[mechanism]]s.

For [[reaction]]s and custom buildings using the [MAGMA_BUILD_SAFE] token, only a material which is solid and stable at the temperature {{ct|12000}} (i.e. MELTING_POINT/BOILING_POINT/IGNITE_POINT/HEATDAM_POINT greater than 12000 and COLDDAM_POINT less than 12000) is considered magma-safe. Furthermore, only [[bar]]s, [[block]]s, [[stone]], [[log]]s, and [[anvil]]s can be recognized as magma-safe - all other item types are considered unsafe, even if they are made of magma-safe materials.

In order to construct mechanisms from a magma-safe stone, simply ensure that they are the closest available stone to your [[mechanic]], ideally by placing a restricted [[stockpile]] around your [[mechanic's workshop]]. [[Burrow]]s can also be of assistance here, as dwarves will not attempt to pick up stone outside of their burrow assignments. However, if you have an active metalworking industry and have access to [[iron]] or [[steel]], constructing [[metal]] mechanisms is much more straightforward.

When linking a trigger to an object, the ''first'' mechanism selected is attached to the object, and the ''second'' is attached to the trigger. Unless the trigger itself will be submerged in magma (as could be the case with a [[pressure plate]]), only the first mechanism (attached to the object that will be submerged) need be magma-safe. If you do not have any magma-safe stones available, you can also work around floodgate-based flow control by using [[screw pump]]s to pump the magma over [[wall]]-barriers, or using water to form [[obsidian]] to plug flows and channel through them to reopen them (necessity and invention and all that).

This property is also relevant when choosing the appropriate method for disposing of unneeded items, which can impact [[FPS]] when in large numbers. Items made of non magma-safe materials can be simply dumped into magma, which is the easiest disposal method; however, magma-safe items will need more [[Dwarven atom smasher|drastic]] measures.

Constructions that resist magma are:

* Constructions ([[Wall]], [[Floor]], [[Ramp]], and [[Stairs]]) of any material can never melt or burn - there is nothing wrong with a [[wood]]en magma reservoir. Natural (i.e. non-constructed) [[ice]] walls/floors/ramps/stairs will melt if exposed to sufficient heat.
* [[Fortification]]s will allow the passage of [[magma]]; however, if fortifications fill up to 7/7 depth, magma creatures will be able to swim freely through them.
* If not submerged (that is, not opened to let magma flow over/past/around them), [[door]]s, [[floodgate]]s, and raised [[bridge]]s (provided that there is no magma on the space the bridge would occupy when lowered) of non-magma-safe stone or metal are safe. So long as they are just in contact with magma, only acting as a passive "wall", they are fine. If opened, they will melt.
** Raised drawbridges have a notable exception, in that allowing magma to flow over the center of the area that the bridge would normally occupy when lowered ''will'' cause the bridge's components to heat up and potentially melt.
* A [[pump]] made with magma-safe material for pipes, screws and and blocks is fully magma-safe, and will not melt even when submerged in magma. Pumps containing any item that is not magma safe will be destroyed if magma ever occupies the passable tile of the pump, although they can still pump magma.

== Game calculations ==
In the game, magma's temperature is exactly {{ct|12000}}.

The chance of striking a magma-safe stone is roughly around 32%, not including the natural abundance of certain stone. It is important to note whether or not your fortress may already have access to magma-safe resources before attempting to deliberately find some.

==Magma-safe material==

The following materials will not melt when submerged in magma. Although true for any item/construction, it's worth specifically mentioning that this includes [[door]]s, [[floor hatch]]es, [[floodgate]]s, [[bridge]]s, [[screw pump]]s, and [[mechanism]]s.



{{MS table head}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Alunite]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|`|7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|7:1}}|Temp=13,690°U (3722°F/2051°C)|Where=All [[Igneous extrusive]]'''(L)''', [[Kaolinite]]'''(L)'''}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Anhydrite]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|v|7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|7:0}}|Temp=12,610°U (2642°F/1450°C)|Where=[[Gypsum]]'''(S)''', [[Satinspar]]'''(1)''', [[Alabaster]]'''(1)''', [[Selenite]]'''(1)'''}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Basalt]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|#|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|0:1}}|Temp=12,160°U (2192°F/1200°C)|Where=[[Igneous extrusive]] layer stone}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Bauxite]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|+|4:7:0}} {{Raw Tile|•|4:0}}|Temp=13,600°U (3632°F/2000°C)|Where=All [[Sedimentary]]'''(L)'''|Notes=dark red}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Calcite]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|"|7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|7:1}}|Temp=12,902°U (2934°F/1613°C)|Where=[[Limestone]]'''(S)''', [[Marble]]'''(S)'''|Notes=[[flux]] stone}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Chert]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|=|6:7:0}} {{Raw Tile|•|6:0}}|Temp=13,101°U (3133°F/1723°C)|Where=[[Sedimentary]] layer stone}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Chromite]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|=|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|0:1}}|Temp=13,645°U (3677°F/2026°C)|Where=[[Olivine]]'''(V)'''}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Dolomite]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|`|7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|7:1}}|Temp=16,507°U (6539°F/3619°C)|Where=[[Sedimentary]] layer stone|Notes=[[Flux]]}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Gabbro]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|▒|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|0:1}}|Temp=12,160°U (2192°F/1200°C)|Where=[[Igneous intrusive]] layer stone}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Ilmenite]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|.|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|0:1}}|Temp=12,457°U (2489°F/1365°C)|Where=[[Gabbro]]'''(S)'''}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Kaolinite]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|=|4:7:0}} {{Raw Tile|•|4:0}}|Temp=13,150°U (3182°F/1751°C)|Where=All [[Sedimentary]]'''(L)'''|Notes=dark red, [[porcelain]]}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Mica]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|v|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|0:1}}|Temp=12,295°U (2327°F/1275°C)|Where=All [[Metamorphic]]'''(L)''', [[Granite]]'''(L)'''}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Obsidian]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|▒|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|0:1}}|Temp=13,600°U (3632°F/2001°C)|Where=[[Igneous extrusive]] layer stone|Notes=value 3, can be "[[obsidian farming|manufactured]]"}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Olivine]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|%|2:7:0}} {{Raw Tile|•|2:0}}|Temp=13,168°U (3200°F/1761°C)|Where=[[Gabbro]]'''(L)'''|Notes=green}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Orthoclase]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|%|6:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|6:1}}|Temp=12,250°U (2282°F/1250°C)|Where=All [[Igneous intrusive]]'''(L)''', All [[Metamorphic]]'''(L)'''|Notes=yellow}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Periclase]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|,|7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|7:1}}|Temp=15,040°U (5072°F/2803°C)|Where=[[Marble]]'''(S)'''}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Petrified wood]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|%|4:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|4:1}}|Temp=12,970°U (3002°F/1650°C)|Where=All [[Sedimentary]]'''(S)'''|Notes=bright red}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Pitchblende]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|*|5:7:0}} {{Raw Tile|•|5:0}}|Temp=12,070°U (2102°F/1149°C)|Where=[[Granite]]'''(S)'''|Notes=purple}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Quartzite]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|-|7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|7:1}}|Temp=12,970°U (3002°F/1650°C)|Where=[[Metamorphic]] layer stone}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Rutile]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|`|5:7:0}} {{Raw Tile|•|5:0}}|Temp=13,285°U (3214°F/1826°C)|Where=All [[Metamorphic]]'''(S)''', [[Granite]]'''(S)'''|Notes=purple}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Sandstone]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|#|6:7:0}} {{Raw Tile|•|6:0}}|Temp=12,070°U (2102°F/1149°C)|Where=[[Sedimentary]] layer stone}}

{{MS table row|Type=Stone|Matl=[[Talc]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|||7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|•|7:1}}|Temp=12,700°U (2732°F/1500°C)|Where=[[Dolomite]]'''(L)'''}}

{{MS table row|Type=Metal|Matl=[[Adamantine]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|X|3:3:1}} {{Raw Tile|≡|3:1}}|Temp=25,000°U (15,032°F/8333°C)|Notes=Highest value/utility material in game}}

{{MS table row|Type=Metal|Matl=[[Iron]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|X|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|≡|0:1}}|Temp=12,768°U (2800°F/1538°C)}}

{{MS table row|Type=Metal|Matl=[[Nickel]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|X|7:3:0}} {{Raw Tile|≡|7:0}}|Temp=12,619°U (2651°F/1455°C)}}

{{MS table row|Type=Metal|Matl=[[Pig iron]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|X|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|≡|0:1}}|Temp=12,106°U (2138°F/1170°C)|Notes=used in steel making process}}

{{MS table row|Type=Metal|Matl=[[Platinum]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|X|7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|≡|7:1}}|Temp=13,182°U (3214°F/1768°C)|Notes=High value metal}}

{{MS table row|Type=Metal|Matl=[[Steel]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|X|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|≡|0:1}}|Temp=12,718°U (2750°F/1510°C)|Notes=Armor/weapons}}

{{MS table row|Type=Ore|Matl=[[Cassiterite]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|£|6:7:0}} {{Raw Tile|*|6:0}}|Temp=12,025°U (2057°F/1124°C)|Where=[[Granite]]'''(V)'''|Notes=Ore of [[tin]]}}

{{MS table row|Type=Ore|Matl=[[Galena]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|£|7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|*|7:1}}|Temp=12,005°U (2037°F/1113°C)|Where=All [[Igneous extrusive]]'''(V)''', All [[Metamorphic]]'''(V)''', [[Granite]]'''(V)''', [[Limestone]]'''(V)'''|Notes=Ore of [[lead]] and [[silver]]}}

{{MS table row|Type=Ore|Matl=[[Hematite]]3|Appear={{Raw Tile|£|4:7:0}} {{Raw Tile|*|4:0}}|Temp=12,736°U (2768°F/1520°C)|Where=All [[Sedimentary]]'''(V)''', All [[Igneous extrusive]]'''(V)'''|Notes=Ore of [[iron]]3}}

{{MS table row|Type=Ore|Matl=[[Magnetite]]3|Appear={{Raw Tile|~|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|*|0:1}}|Temp=12,768°U (2800°F/1538°C)|Where=All [[Sedimentary]]'''(L)'''|Notes=Ore of [[iron]]3}}

{{MS table row|Type=Ore|Matl=[[Native platinum]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|£|7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|*|7:1}}|Temp=13,182°U (3214°F/1768°C)|Where=[[Olivine]]'''(V)''', [[Magnetite]]'''(V)''', [[Chromite]]'''(S)'''|Notes=Ore of [[platinum]]}}

{{MS table row|Type=Ore|Matl=''[[Sphalerite]]''4|Appear={{Raw Tile|£|0:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|*|0:1}}|Temp=''12,133°U (2165°F/1185°C)''|Where=All [[Metamorphic]]'''(V)'''|Notes=Ore of [[zinc]]4}}

{{MS table row|Type=Wood|Matl=[[Nether-cap]]5|Appear={{Raw Tile|♠|1:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|▬|1:0:0}}|Temp=N/A|Where=[[Cavern]] (depth 3)|Notes=Naturally cold5}}

{{MS table row|Type=Special|Matl=[[Raw adamantine]]|Appear={{Raw Tile|£|3:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|*|3:1}}|Temp=25,000°U (15,032°F/8333°C)|Where=The depths|Notes=Ore of [[adamantine]]}}

{{MS table row|Type=Leather|Matl=[[Fire imp]]|Appear=|Temp=15,000°U (5032°F/2780°C)|Notes=}}
{{MS table row|Type=Leather|Matl=[[Dragon]]|Appear=|Temp=55,000°U (45032°F/25,044°C)|Notes=Dragon scales actually cannot be tanned}}

{{MS table row|Type=Bone|Matl=[[Fire imp]]|Appear=|Temp=15,000°U (5032°F/2780°C)|Notes=}}
{{MS table row|Type=Bone|Matl=[[Dragon]]|Appear=|Temp=55,000°U (45032°F/25,044°C)|Notes=}}

{{MS table row|Type=Glass|Matl=Green glass|Appear={{Raw Tile|X|2:2:1}} {{Raw Tile|■|2:0}}|Temp=13,600°U (3632°F/2001°C)|Notes=}}
{{MS table row|Type=Glass|Matl=Clear glass|Appear={{Raw Tile|X|3:3:1}} {{Raw Tile|■|3:0}}|Temp=13,600°U (3632°F/2001°C)|Notes=}}
{{MS table row|Type=Glass|Matl=Crystal glass|Appear={{Raw Tile|X|7:7:1}} {{Raw Tile|■|7:1}}|Temp=13,600°U (3632°F/2001°C)|Notes=}}

|}

'''Notes:'''
:1. Each stone is one of 16 [[color scheme|colors]] in the game. Different un-mined stone of the same color have a different symbol to distinguish between them. Once mined, the individual stones themselves can sometimes look identical if the color is the same. Use {{k|k}} to loo{{k|k}} at items or the terrain for specific information.
:2. '''°U''' = degrees in [[Main:Urist|Urist]], the measure of temperature within the Dwarf Fortress world. As far as is known, there is no functional difference between a material that melts at {{ct|12005}} or {{ct|55000}} — they are both equally "magma safe".
:3. There are three iron ores in the game (four if you count [[goblin|goblinite]]). Of these, only [[hematite]] and [[magnetite]] are magma safe.
:4. Sphalerite has ''no'' melting point, but ''sublimates'' at {{ct|12133}}. This still qualifies as being magma-safe.
:5. [[Nether-cap]] logs have a fixed temperature of {{ct|10000}}, rendering them fully magma safe, except that nether-cap products [[dump]]ed into magma are destroyed.

{{Magma FAQ}}
{{Category|Physics}}
{{Category|Magma safe materials}}

v0.34:Bridge

2012-12-24T23:19:51Z

Nkosi: /* Single Lever Airlock */

{{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 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. 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. 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:Bridge

2012-12-24T23:19:00Z

Nkosi: /* Single Lever Airlock */

{{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 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. 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. 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:
Z+1 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:Statue

2012-11-16T00:05:58Z

Nkosi:

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

{{furniture|name=Statue
|tile=Ω
|stone=y
|metal=y
|glass=y
|rooms=
* [[statue garden|Statue Garden]]
|value=25
}}

'''Statues''' are buildings which can be built from the {{k|b}}uild menu under {{k|s}}tatue. They can be made using one [[stone]] at the [[mason's workshop]], 3 [[metal]] at a [[metalsmith's forge]], or [[sand]] at a [[glass furnace]].

Statues, like [[engraving]]s, depict people, places, things and times. They will depict events from the game's generated history. Unlike engravings they do not display random geometric shapes, such as diamonds. Statues will often depict creatures that the mason [[preferences|likes or loathes]], or even other dwarves surrounded by the creatures they like or loathe.

Statues can have very high [[value]]s if crafted from valuable [[material]]s, such as precious [[metal]]s, or if they are crafted by a highly [[skill]]ed dwarf. This makes them a good choice for raising the value of a [[room]] to create a legendary dining room, for instance, or to meet [[noble]]s' requirements for rooms of a certain value.

You can create a [[sculpture garden]] from a statue's {{k|q}}uery menu. Dwarves [[on break]] or with no job will spend time at a communal (non-assigned) statue garden appreciating the statues (which generates a happy [[thought]]) and may even organize parties there. If the sculpture garden is private (assigned) then the owner will hang out there when on break or when there's no job to do.

Be careful when placing statues, because dwarves cannot normally move into the tile they occupy. (This will also prevent dwarves from smoothing or engraving the floor underneath a statue.) A poorly placed statue can potentially seal off parts of your fortress. One can place a statue instead of a wall on a built floor, which leads to another possible use of statues: you may build a statue on a tile you don't want your dwarves to stand at. That makes intentional [[cave-in]] much safer to carry out.

During combat, [[dodging]] creatures can move into a statue tile. Military dwarves will immediately step out of the statue tile once they recover their bearings. This detail can make statues useful in a [[danger room]], by providing more space for training dwarves to practice dodging without requiring massive numbers of [[spear|training spear]]s and [[mechanism]]s.

Statues do not impede the flow of liquids ([[water]], [[magma]]).

{{Buildings}}
{{Category|Furniture}}

v0.34:Bridge

2012-10-20T07:04:34Z

Nkosi: /* Floodgates */

{{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. 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 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 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.

==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. 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 raised (closed) the other is retracted (open) 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
XXXXXXR____ D = Raising drawbridge / = Ramp _ = Floor
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:Siege

2012-10-18T01:51:54Z

Nkosi:

{{quality|Masterwork|14:21, 27 July 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

:''For catapults and ballistae, see [[Siege engine]].''

'''Sieges''' are large scale assaults on your fortress by other [[civilization]]s, normally [[goblin]]s and [[necromancer]]s. They are usually announced with the message screen "''A vile force of darkness has arrived!''" (the message screen differs depending on the attacking race : the previous one is for goblins), and the main screen shows the "SIEGE" tag along the top for the duration.

Caravans will not arrive at a besieged fortress. It is unknown if they will arrive if a siege is quickly broken, however, but it is possible to miss out entirely on a civilization's caravan for the year this way. Even if they do have arrive before the siege, the attackers may kill them or chase them off if they can reach them. Consider this when deciding how you set up your [[trade depot]] and how heavily reliant your economy is on imported goods.

A civilization will be unable to lay siege if it can't reach your fortress site, meaning you'll never get sieges if you embark on an island or in a valley which is completely surrounded by mountains. If you want to make sure that a certain civilization will be capable of laying siege to you, then look at the "neighbors" view of the [[Embark]] site finder when selecting your fortress site.

=== Structure of a siege ===

Siege forces usually consist of several 'squads'. Using the [[goblin]]s as an example, each squad consists of several goblins of one military class (swordsman, lasher, etc.), and often one 'squad leader' (typically an Elite or better, which need not be the same class as the squad it leads).

Occasionally, a squad will be mounted - this means each of its members will be riding a suitable [[creature]], though the creatures typically vary between members. The squad leader can be mounted, even if his squad is not. These mounts can change the combat dynamics, since some can fly, are [[building destroyer]]s, or have substantially different combat traits than a goblin (for example a [[Jabberer]] tends to grab [[body parts]] and tear them off).

After being sufficiently "successful" at defending against the siege (killing sufficient attackers, waiting them out, or some combination thereof), the attackers will retreat. All of the remaining squads and groups will head for the map edges and leave, typically favoring the edge they entered from. Once all of the remaining attackers have decided to retreat, the "SIEGE" tag will go away.

It is possible to have multiple sieges at the same time. If the attacking civilizations are at war with each other, they will start to fight with each other as well.

Different races will favor different styles of attack during sieges. The following attack styles were observed in .40d; it remains to be seen if these traits are still present in current releases.

You can also turn off sieges and [[Forgotten beast]]s altogether by editing the [[d_init.txt]] file to change [INVADERS:YES] to [INVADERS:NO].

=== [[Goblin]] sieges ===

Goblins will start laying siege to your fortress when you reach a population of around 80 dwarves.

Sometimes goblins will charge in an open march toward your fortress and attempt to kill your [[dwarves]].

Goblins sieges often include groups of [[Troll]]s, [[Ogre]]s, or [[Cave dragon]]s that can [[Building destroyer|break buildings]]. Unlike the squads, however, these 'groups' usually enter the map in single file, somewhat akin to arriving [[migrants]], usually possess random civilian classes, and show little of the organized behavior of the squads.

Goblins may bring elite human or even dwarven fighters as leaders of their squads, previously kidnapped by [[snatcher]]s.

They may also ride exotic mounts; aquatic mounts can breathe under water, which means they are able to swim through your moat, often resulting in the death of the goblin riding said animal. Goblins can also ride flying mounts which can avoid your fortress [[wall]]s. Some squads may enter the screen underground, making the underground workings of your fortress vulnerable to attack if you are not patrolling underground caverns. Mounts will no longer appear if you kill the Goblin leader. {{verify}} You can see if the Goblin leader is still alive by checking the Civilization menu ({{k|c}}).

Potential mounts include:
*[[Cave crocodile]]
*[[Giant olm]]
*[[Rutherer]]
*[[Blind cave bear]]
*[[Giant bat]]
*[[Giant cave swallow]]
*[[Voracious cave crawler]]
*[[Giant toad]]
*[[Elk Bird]]

=== [[Elf|Elven]] sieges ===

It is possible to have elven attacks as well, but that usually requires some effort on part of the player, or for your starting civilization to have a pre-existing conflict with a nearby elven one. You can check this when you embark while looking at nearby civilizations, where it will read WAR next to the elf civilization, though it seems to be entirely dependent on how world gen plays out and embarking at a time when a war is happening. Another, possibly simpler (and more amusing) way to elven siege is to blatantly provoke them. If you don't want to be attacked by elves you should not offer them wooden goods or goods stored in wooden barrels or bins. You might also avoid clearing too much woodland, as elves will be offended if you do so.

Elven sieges are announced with the message, "''The elves have brought the full forces of their lands against you.''". Elves use stealth squads, a la goblin ambushes, to hide their numbers and locations. {{verify}} It should be noted, however, that unlike goblin ambushes which cap at four squads, elves can come in vast numbers, atop mighty (and tasty) unicorns or other exotic beasts. Fortunately, unlike goblins and humans, who wear heavy armor and wield metal weapons that can cause considerable damage, elves fight with flimsy wooden swords, and march into battle wearing wooden armor, or nothing but cloth robes and trousers. That isn't to say the attack should be taken lightly, because their melee forces aren't what you should be worrying about, as their bowmen are still deadly and can perforate your dwarves with hails of arrows in very short order.

=== [[Human]] sieges ===

Humans may also siege you should you let their [[diplomat]] die while visiting your fortress, if too many of their trade wagons get destroyed or if you trade with an elven nation the humans are at war with. Human sieges are announced with the message "''The enemy have come and are laying siege to the fortress.''".

Humans would sometimes set up a camp near the map edge they arrived on, harassing wandering dwarves and waiting for you to come to them instead of blindly charging toward your fortress.

Humans often ride animals like horses, camels or war grizzly bears, and may bring along further war animals like trained cheetahs.

Be warned that human siegers know of all traps that their diplomats have seen before, even their war animals are immune to those traps. If you had a human diplomat in your fort, best assume that your traps are useless against the invaders unless they were built after his last visit. A removed and rebuilt trap counts as "new", even if it's the same type of trap in the same tile.

=== [[Necromancer]] sieges ===
Necromancers will occasionally besiege your fortress by sending undead to your fort or even coming themselves. Either way, undead sieges are hectic messes. The undead units will arrive from all sides of the map in huge numbers. It is recommended that you have many traps set in advance, and when they arrive, lock everything down. Have your refuse areas locked up tight, your crypts or tombs sealed off, and your butcher shops under lock and key. Also, be careful with fishery workshops, as reports of mussel shells rising from the dead are fairly common. Necromancers will raise any corpse or corpse part that they see, and simple proximity to undead can cause things like skin and hair to rise and attack the unfortunate butcher. Undead sieges may arrive with as few as one zombie to as many as one hundred or more. It doesn't really matter much how many arrive; if you are not prepared, you will probably get slaughtered, as one zombie can easily become two zombies, then four, then eight and so on. If the zombies cannot get at your dwarves, they will simply mill about on the surface until something living (wild animals included) comes too close or until they are all destroyed.

=== Bugs ===
* Enemy squads will never abandon their caged or dead leader. {{Bug|1598}}
* Amphibian invader mounts drown their riders. {{Bug|926}}

{{Military}}

v0.34:Goblin

2012-10-18T01:45:58Z

Nkosi:

{{quality|Masterwork|16:15, 13 April 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|contrib=no
|death=nobutcher
}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

Goblins are intelligent, evil, aggressive humanoid creatures that live in mountains, and are the main opponent in [[fortress mode]]. They often establish settlements in Dark Fortresses (currently these do not exist) within regions touched by evil, though it may be hard for some to imagine that goblins are capable of building those obsidian monoliths. They are also playable as adventurers. They quickly become a threat to the great majority of fortresses - except some island or mountain forts.

Goblins will start harassing a fortress early in its life, first with babysnatchers and ambushes, and later with [[siege]]s. Goblin babysnatchers carry a bag for their purpose. Their soldiers are commonly armed with [[copper]] and [[iron]] [[armor]], as well copper, iron and silver [[weapon]]s, generally with no quality levels unless on weaponmasters. These items can be a valuable source of metals for fortresses that embarked on metal-scarce areas (leading some players to refer to the plunder from a defeated goblin attack as [[Goblinite]]). Defeating a majority of an attacking force usually sends the rest of them running.

Goblins show the least concern for [[ethics]] out of any race in the game, with the sole exception being that treason is punishable by death. It appears that goblins do not enforce punishment, but instead simply ignore crimes and leave any punishment to be determined by the parties involved. It is because of their acceptance of controversial acts that goblins become enemies with nearly every other race. For example, goblins find the torture of animals, the butchering and consuming of sapient beings, oath breaking, and general malice acceptable or consider it a personal matter. Invading goblins are even willing to attack other goblins lounging around at your fortress.

In [[Adventurer mode]], "goblin" settlements will sometimes be completely goblin-free, having been displaced by the descendants of children that were captured in ages past. In this respect, whilst they're a goblin ''faction'', they're populated purely by prisoners and brainwashed humanoids.

While aggressive, goblins are notably cowardly. Although they're brutal and sadistic, they will not hold the line against a superior force and are more than willing to sacrifice their wounded comrades in a badly organized retreat. Their strength generally comes from pure numbers, as they're usually weaker than a dwarf one on one (a notable exception is their weapon lords and masters, who can be VERY talented in warfare.)

If a goblin siege attacks you with mounts and with a flashing goblin "General", it will be the last time they come on mounts. Since generals train all the mounts, there will be no more mounts when they die in an attack {{bug|3442}} or disappear off the map {{bug|2892}}. (As of v34.11 this appears to have been partially fixed: the general will disappear from the goblin civilization leader list even if they were not killed; however, that goblin civilization will continue to use mounts afterwards.)

{{D for Dwarf}}
Despite their bloodthirsty, selfish, unsympathetic and cruel nature, goblins are also recognized as a benevolent and merciful race in some aspects. Goblin Baby-Snatchers claim moral superiority by "supposedly" rescuing innocent lives from the slavery of making [[finished goods|rock trumpets]] until they are eaten by a [[giant cave spider]]. Atrocities such as the so-called [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=91093.0 "dwarven day care"] institution also spur snatchers to rescue the children from constant abuse. Goblin [[Siege]]s are considered to be a form of mass mercy killings, as a fort can die in the most horrific of ways, such as [[tantrum spiral|social disagreement]]s, an infestation of [[Noble|parasitic organisms masquerading as dwarve]]s, or worst of all: a visit from the [[Demon|circus]].

In addition, dwarven science has proven that the violence between Goblins and Dwarves does, in fact, start on a purely instinctual level. Leaving a goblin and dwarven child locked in a room together will result in them kicking, punching, and biting each other to death the moment they notice each other. Whether this natural animosity stems from centuries of war or opposing viewpoints on the treatment of children has yet to be determined.

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

v0.34:Melt item

2012-10-15T01:37:44Z

Nkosi: /* Yield */

{{quality|Exceptional|18:12, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
You can '''melt''' items at a [[smelter]], using the [[furnace operator]] labor, to recover some of the [[metal]] they were made of. [[Decoration]]s in a different metal are not recovered or considered; the metal recovered is the specific metal that basic item was listed as being made from. The % return is predictable and consistent for each item type, and ranges from 10%-150%, depending on the item. Higher skill levels in furnace operator speed up the process, but have no effect on the % return.

Items the yield more than 100% can be used to increase the amount of a metal you have available by producing those items and then melting them down again as many times as required. This is generally considered to be an exploit of an error in the game mechanics.

Recovered metal is measured in 1/10th's, and 1/10ths of bars of each metal are saved at the smelter where the item was melted. Fractional bars are not "shared" between smelters, nor do they exist as usable objects as is. When 10/10ths of a type of metal are accumulated at the same smelter, 1 bar of that metal is produced. If the smelter is torn down or destroyed, all fractions are lost.

:''Example:'' If two items of the same metal worth .4 bars each are melted at the same smelter, that smelter has .8 bars worth waiting in it.
:If a similar item of a ''different'' metal is then melted there, that smelter would have .8 bars of the first metal and .4 bars of the second.
:If a similar item of the first metal is then melted at a ''different'' smelter, that smelter will have .4 of that metal, and have no connection to the fractions in the first smelter.
:If (finally!), a 3rd, similar item of the first metal is melted at the first smelter, adding another 4/10ths, and giving a total of 12/10ths of that type of metal, 1 bar of that metal is produced, and 2/10th's are waiting (plus the 4/10 of the second metal, also waiting).

So, it's recommended that you designate one smelter as your "melting" smelter (or one/metal type), to guarantee that fractions will add up effectively.

==Designating items to melt==
You can designate metal items for melting from any interface that allows you to view the object's description screen, such as from the [[Stocks]] page or the Loo{{k|k}} interface.

To bring up an individual object description screen when the object is:
:* On the '''ground''': Type {{k|k}}, scroll to the object, select it from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* In a '''workshop''': Type {{k|t}}, highlight the workshop, select the object from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* '''Held''' by a dwarf: Type {{k|v}}, highlight the dwarf, type {{k|i}} to show his inventory, select the object from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* Inside another object: Display the container's object description screen, navigate to the specific object you wish to see, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* In the '''stocks''' menu: Type {{k|z}}, hit right-direction a few times to select "stocks" and press return. Scroll to the type of object you wish to melt, type {{k|Tab}} to show individual items (You have to have an exact number or this won't work. See [[Bookkeeper]] for how to get this), scroll to the specific object, and type {{k|v}} to view.

To designate the item, simply type {{k|m}} to mark the object for melting. If the item is designated for melting and [[forbidden]] then the item will '''not''' be melted.

However, this only marks which items you want to be melted - you still have to place the job-order in a smelter...

==Melting the items==
Items designated to be melted will be left alone until you queue a "Melt a metal object" job {{k|o}} at a [[Smelter]]. Melting down an object requires the [[Furnace operator]] labor (and consumes a unit of [[fuel]] for a non-magma smelter).

The job gives the same experience to the [[furnace operator]] skill regardless of % yield of the item melted.

==Yield==
Testing is incomplete, but preliminary results show a yield of 0.3 bars times the object's material size for anything that has a material size, or 1 bar for most furniture (regardless of size):

{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
! Item !! Material size !! Bars to make !! Bars returned !! Efficiency
|-
! colspan="5"|[[weapon|Weapons]] (made by Weaponsmith)
|-
| Crossbow || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Mace || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Spear || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Short sword || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| War hammer || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Battle axe || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Pick || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Ammo (stack of 25) || - || 1 || 0.3{{verify}} || 30%
|-
! colspan="5"|Siege Equipment (Weaponsmith)
|-
| Ballista arrow || - || 3 || 0.5{{verify}} || 17%
|-
| Ballista arrow head || - || 3 || 0.5{{verify}} || 17%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[trap_component|Trap Components]] (Weaponsmith)
|-
| Giant Axe Blade|| 5 || 1 || 1.5 || '''''150%'''''
|-
! colspan="5"|[[trap_component|Trap Components]] (Mechanic)
|-
| Mechanisms || - || 1 || 0.5 || 50%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Armor]] (Armorsmith)
|-
| Cap || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Helm || 2 || 1 || 0.6 || 60%
|-
| Gauntlet || 2 || 0.5 || 0.6 || '''120%'''
|-
| Leggings || 5 || 1 || 1.5 || '''''150%'''''
|-
| Greaves || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Low boot || 1 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 60%
|-
| High boot || 2 || 0.5 || 0.6 || '''120%'''
|-
| Buckler || 2 || 1 || 0.6 || 60%
|-
| Shield || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Mail shirt || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Breastplate || 9 || 3 || 2.7 || 90%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[tool|Tools]] (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Nest box || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Jug || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Pot || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Hive || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Minecart || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Wheelbarrow || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Blacksmith)
|-
| Anvil || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Armor stand || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Barrel || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Bin || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Blocks || - || 1 || 0.5 || 50%
|-
| Bucket || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
| Cabinet || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Cage || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Chair || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Chest || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Coffin || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Crutch || - || 3 || 0.5 || 17%
|-
| Door || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Floodgate || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Grate || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Hatch cover || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Pipe section || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Splint || - || 3 || 0.5 || 17%
|-
| Statue || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Table || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Traction bench || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
| Weapon rack || - || 3 || 1{{verify}} || 33%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Chain || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Trapper)
|-
| Animal trap || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|Other objects (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Amulet || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Bracelet || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Coins (stack of 500) || - || 1 || 1.1 || '''''110%'''''
|-
| Crown || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Earring || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1{{verify}} || 10% to 30%
|-
| Flask || - || 1/3 || 0.2 || 60%
|-
| Figurine || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.2 || 20% to 60%
|-
| Goblet || - || 1/3 || 0.2 || 60%
|-
| Instrument || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
| Toy || - || 1 || 0.2{{verify}} || 20%
|-
| Ring || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1 || 10% to 30%
|-
| Scepter || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.2{{verify}} || 20% to 60%
|}

All melting yields for items ''not'' specified in the raws (weapons, armor, tools, etc.) are hardcoded.

{{Category|Jobs}}
{{Category|Items}}

v0.34:Hatch cover

2012-10-15T00:56:50Z

Nkosi: Removed paragraph on hatch covers with garbage dumps - can dump straight on to a normal tile on the same Z level, so the function being described was completely redundant.

{{quality|Fine|21:36, 4 April 2012 (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 downward [[stairs]] or [[ramp]] or open space, as long as they are supported by an adjacent floor tile.

Like doors, they can be linked with mechanisms, locked, and 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 at this time.

When closed, hatches appear as {{Raw Tile|¢|0:7:1}} and 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.

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

v0.34:Water wheel

2012-10-04T20:14:54Z

Nkosi: /* Flowing Water Reactors */

{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{Machine_component|name=Water wheel|key=w
|construction=
* 3 [[Log]]s
|construction_job=
# [[Architecture]]
# [[Carpenter]]
|power=Needs 10 power. Generates 100 power. Net gain of 90 power.
}}{{av}}

A '''water wheel''' is a [[machine component]] that provides [[power]] via water [[flow]]. To build a water wheel, select {{key|b}}uild menu and choose {{key|M}}achine components. It requires 3 [[wood]] and generates 90 net power, which can be used for operating one or more [[Screw pump|pumps]] or [[mill]]s. You can use [[axle]]s and [[Gear assembly|gears]] to distribute the power produced by a water wheel, or connect the machinery directly.

Waterwheels do ''not'' work with waterfalls, nor in magma - it takes water that is flowing according to the DF use of the term.

''For a basic overview of how the different machine parts work and work together, see [[machinery]].''

== Construction ==
The [[Building_designer|architecture]] and [[Carpenter|carpentry]] labors are needed for the construction.

A water wheel occupies 3 adjacent tiles (N-S or E-W axis, no diagonals). It is the color of the first wood selected for it, so you could build a red wheel with one piece of goblin-cap and two of fungiwood.

Although it's ''possible'' to build a stable water wheel on solid ground, it won't provide any power. A useful water wheel is built in an empty tile that does not contain a floor, allowing the wheel to be powered by water in the tiles one [[Z-axis|z-level]] below. Floorless tiles are typically made by [[channel|channel]]ling away the floor. To support the water wheel, build it with its central tile orthogonally adjacent to a gear assembly, a horizontal axle, a screw pump, or the central tile of a pre-existing water wheel. Do not hang it from a gear assembly you wish to control with a switch, as a disconnected ("switched off") gear assembly can't support anything and will cause the waterwheel to deconstruct.

[[Power]] is generated from a water wheel as long as it has [[flow]]ing water at a depth of 4/7 or greater under at least one of its tiles. The easiest way to achieve this is by placing the water wheel over a [[river]] or [[brook]]. '''With a brook you must first channel through the surface''' since brooks have a floor of sorts over them.

Furthermore, the body of water beneath the water wheel must be flowing in the correct '''direction''' in order for it to work - for example, placing a N-S water wheel over water flowing straight east or west will have no effect. Since most water in Dwarf Fortress seems to flow diagonally, this is rarely an issue.

==Designs==
'''Key:'''

'''#''' = '''Wall'''
○ = '''Millstone'''
+ = '''Floor'''
~ = '''Water'''
W = '''Water Wheel'''
* = '''Gear Assembly'''
═ = '''Axle'''

{|style="border: 1px solid #0b0; background: #dfd"
|+'''Basic watermill design'''
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #333; padding: 0"|○
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #333; padding: 0"|*
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #7FF; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|}
{|style="border: 1px solid #0b0; background: #dfd"
|+'''Dual watermill design'''
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #07f; padding: 0"|~
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #7FF; padding: 0"|~
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #333; padding: 0"|○
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #333; padding: 0"|*
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|}
This is by no means the limit of water power from one location, depending on the width of your river/brook/channel you can stack many waterwheels side-by-side (really big assembles will need to be artificial as there's a limit to how wide the game created water flows get). Just remember to make sure there's a support structure in place before you place the next wheel.

== Perpetual motion ==

Due to the relatively low power draw of a [[screw pump]], a ''self-powering'' assembly can be made with a water wheel that still leaves plenty of excess power for other uses. This is arguably an [[exploit]] and possibly a bug.

To get it working, you must start the pump manually.*

:''(* Exceptions are [[aquifer]]s, which can sometimes have naturally occurring [[flow]]. This is sometimes a good thing, because then a wheel simply works by itself - or a bad thing, if, for example, you want the wheel to '''not''' provide any power while you build a pump adjacent to it. It's not clear what causes an aquifer to have flow and then keep it - it's difficult to replicate reliably, and can be lost with additional [[channel]]ing, so designs will have to be adapted if such are found.)''

It is good to have a ready source of water to refill the machine, as water tends to escape and evaporate. As the water level decreases, the water wheel may intermittently stop providing power; when the level falls below 4/7, the wheel stops providing power altogether.

'''*REMEMBER TO BUILD AN ORTHOGONAL PUMP, HORIZONTAL AXLE OR GEAR ASSEMBLY BEFORE THE WATER WHEEL*'''

===Dwarven Water Reactor===
====Key====
:{{Raw Tile|║ ═ ╝ ╚ ╔ ╗ ╣ ╠ ╩ ╦ O|7:0:1}} = '''Wall'''
:{{Raw Tile|+|7:0:0}} = '''Floor'''
:{{Raw Tile|W|6:0:0}} = '''Water Wheel''' with floor underneath
:{{Raw Tile|W|6:1:0}} = '''Water Wheel''' with water underneath
:{{Raw Tile|≈|1:0:1}} = '''Water''' on current level
:{{Raw Tile|≈|3:0:1}} = '''Water''' on level below
:{{Raw Tile|X|2:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|X|2:0:1}} = '''Screw Pump''' drawing from south

This compact design, once started, produces 170 surplus power (less additional power train). While the water reactor provides a perpetual source of mechanical power in abundant amounts, the use of several reactors can cause performance issues. When building your water reactor, it is recommended that you include a method for stopping the reactor once started.

<div style="float:right; margin:2ex 20ex;"> 
{|
!'''Lower Level'''
!
!'''Upper Level'''
|-
|
{| style="border-spacing:0;"
|-
|{{RT|╔|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╦|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|O|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|╔|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╝|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╝|7:0:1}}
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|}

|

|
{| style="border-spacing:0;"
|-
|{{RT|╔|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|╝|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|X|2:0:0}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|W|6:0:0}}
|{{RT|X|2:0:1}}
|{{RT|W|6:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|≈|3:0:1}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|}
|}
</div>

Dig the V-shaped channel and fill it with water (either from an outside source or by designating it as a [[pond]]). Meanwhile, construct the pump, pumping from the South. Construct the two water wheels. Start the pump manually ( {{k|q}}, {{k|Enter}} ) - if there is enough water*, the "reactor" will start immediately and the pump operator will leave. The water from the north end of the pump will spill over the top-most floor tile, filling that to 7/7 and the two tiles east and west of it to ~5/7, but will not overflow back past the water wheel to the walkway area. Note that for the upper level, no southern walls are shown as none are needed, unless you don't follow the design and do something to create water pressure.

*''(* Estimated minimum depth to prime the reactor is 3/7 to 4/7, though this is not guaranteed.)''
* The ideal amount of water in this design is apparently 43 units of water. In other words six tiles below in the V are full up to 7/7 and three more above are also full up to 7/7 which will generate reliable flow permanently without ever losing any of that water to evaporation. An easy way to do this is to simply leave your pond fill command on after the reactor activates. They will eventually fill it up to the optimal level and stop.

The reactor can be safely halted either by blocking the tile the pump draws water from or "overloading" the reactor (since drawing more power than the reactor supplies will stop the pump that keeps the cycle going until the load is reduced and the pump is manually restarted by dwarf-power), More drastically, the reactor will obviously be halted by deconstructing the pump. Deconstructing one wheel will cause a flood (and almost immediately cancel any job order to deconstruct the other components), and deconstructing the pump will cause both wheels to collapse (unless they are attached to [[machinery]] outside them, not shown).

[[Power]] can routed up from the pump or off to the side from a wheel; the bottom of the pump is difficult to access without danger of water escaping. Routing power from a wheel is typically safe in practice, but it's not impossible for a small amount of water to escape the reactor if it is temporarily overfilled. Power can also be routed out of the reactor via a gear or horizontal axle over the pump's intake tile; while this does not interfere with the pump's operation or present a danger of flooding, it makes it more difficult to shut down the reactor. In either case, it's typically wise to place a [[gear assembly]] linked to a [[lever]] early in the power train in order to allow disconnecting the power at that point, as opposed to needing to halt the entire reactor to stop the power supply.

Expanded versions can produce more power, and can be added later with minimal advance planning; such extensibility is easily attainable by placing disengageable gears on either side of the two water wheels, then attaching minireactors at your leisure, or halting the original reactor by other means. Alternatively, it may be easier to simply produce a second reactor, then connect to the power train at another location.

''Note: If created in an aquifer, there is a chance that the channeled tiles will have a natural [[flow|water flow]] - this will cause the pump to start the moment the first wheel is finished, flooding the work area for the second.''
*This can be countered by connecting something that consumes >90 power while building the waterwheels -19 [[gear assembly|Gear assemblies]] works

===Mini Water Reactor===

This even more compact design is quite similar to the original Dwarven Water Reactor, but can be used in tight spots that do not need more than 80 surplus power. This plan can also be considered an extension unit to the DWR, in that it can be added to one or the other side to provide an additional 80 power to the resulting power train. Safely constructing a mini reactor to add to a previously built reactor without potential flooding and/or loss of power is possible only if you first turn off the original reactor. Planning ahead is a much better option, so if you're going to need more than 170 power, build a larger reactor to start with.

As stated previously, the design below produces 80 surplus power (less additional power train).

{|
|'''Lower Level'''
|'''Upper Level'''
|-
|
{| style="border-spacing:0;"
|-
|{{RT|╔|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╝|7:0:1}}
|}

|
{| style="border-spacing:0;"
|-
|{{RT|╔|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|╝|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|X|2:0:0}}
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|W|6:0:0}}
|{{RT|X|2:0:1}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|≈|3:0:1}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|}
|}

Construction of the mini reactor follows the same order as for the DWR, though the channel is slightly different and only one water wheel is needed. If this is an addition to a full size reactor or set of reactors, all channels will need to be fairly full with water to start the reactor.

== Flowing Water ==
Waterwheels require water which is flowing, the game will consider water to be flowing under two circumstances, the first is when water spreads, that is, when deeper water flows to an adjacent tile where the water is shallower. This could be called "gradient flow" because it requires the water be flowing from deeper to shallower. Water which doesn't have a gradient - such as stretches of water which is 7/7 deep, is generally not regarded by the game to be flowing even if water is technically being delivered through those tiles.

The second kind of flow the game recognizes is when water flows off the map, either by going off the map edge or disappearing into an aquifer (water which enters an aquifer vanishes from the map, since an aquifer can never become full, even if it's only a single tile). This kind of flow propagates back from the map edge or aquifer sink and causes all or most of the connected water to gain the "Flowing" quality. Water which is flowing off the map counts as flowing even on stretches of 7/7 depth. This kind of flow is most readily observed in brooks, streams and rivers, however artificially constructed dwarf-made water channels function just as effectively, provided that they ultimately flow off the map.
A tile which has been marked as flowing off the map will retain this quality even if water movement is later blocked. This is most readily observed in that a dammed river will continue to power waterwheels, even though the water is no longer flowing off the map. This works equally well for dwarf-made water channels, the flowing quality is so persistent that it will remain even if the area is completely drained and refilled, although while the tiles contain less than 4/7 water they wont power waterwheels regardless.

=== Legitimate artificial rivers ===
If one wishes, one can build an underground river containing 7/7 water which powers water wheels, by allowing water sourced from a river, lake, sea or aquifer to ultimately flow off the map edge in a cavern. This would require building an aqueduct to bring the river to the map edge, since if the water spreads significantly before flowing off the map edge, the game wont regard it is flowing. Water flowing from a higher aquifer into a lower one will also have legitimate natural flow.

=== Flowing Water Reactors ===
It is possible to exploit the game's definition of flowing water and create patches of water which power waterwheels despite the complete absence of actual water movement. When a channel is dug into an aquifer, the channel will sometimes have "natural flow". However if water is pumped into an aquifer channel, then that channel will then always have "natural flow". This is because water is regarded as disappearing from the the map at that point, and the tiles are marked as flowing water, and will power water wheels - even if the pump is removed.

The other way to create water with natural flow is to allow the water to flow off of the map edge (most commonly through a fortification carved into the map edge, although the edge of the map on the surface or in a cavern can also be used). The body of water will then be marked as flowing, even if the map edge is subsequently blocked by a floodgate or raising bridge. This can even be done with finite water sources such as murky pools, for example digging out a channel next to the map edge, building a floodgate to seal the map edge drain, filling the channel with 4/7 water, opening the floodgate, then closing the floodgate and filling it back up to 4/7 water.

The ethics of these reactors is not particularly different to perpetual motion machines, the conventional perpetual motion machine uses water wheels to generate power, and uses a fraction of that power to move the water with a screw pump. A waterwheel generates 100 power and consumes 10 power, presumably the 10 power consumed represents the energy the waterwheel requires to move the water in front of it's blades. But if the water wheel moves water in and of itself, the pump actually becomes unnecessary. The water wheel itself both moves the water and is moved by the water.

v0.34:Water wheel

2012-10-04T20:14:29Z

Nkosi: /* Flowing Water Reactors */

{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{Machine_component|name=Water wheel|key=w
|construction=
* 3 [[Log]]s
|construction_job=
# [[Architecture]]
# [[Carpenter]]
|power=Needs 10 power. Generates 100 power. Net gain of 90 power.
}}{{av}}

A '''water wheel''' is a [[machine component]] that provides [[power]] via water [[flow]]. To build a water wheel, select {{key|b}}uild menu and choose {{key|M}}achine components. It requires 3 [[wood]] and generates 90 net power, which can be used for operating one or more [[Screw pump|pumps]] or [[mill]]s. You can use [[axle]]s and [[Gear assembly|gears]] to distribute the power produced by a water wheel, or connect the machinery directly.

Waterwheels do ''not'' work with waterfalls, nor in magma - it takes water that is flowing according to the DF use of the term.

''For a basic overview of how the different machine parts work and work together, see [[machinery]].''

== Construction ==
The [[Building_designer|architecture]] and [[Carpenter|carpentry]] labors are needed for the construction.

A water wheel occupies 3 adjacent tiles (N-S or E-W axis, no diagonals). It is the color of the first wood selected for it, so you could build a red wheel with one piece of goblin-cap and two of fungiwood.

Although it's ''possible'' to build a stable water wheel on solid ground, it won't provide any power. A useful water wheel is built in an empty tile that does not contain a floor, allowing the wheel to be powered by water in the tiles one [[Z-axis|z-level]] below. Floorless tiles are typically made by [[channel|channel]]ling away the floor. To support the water wheel, build it with its central tile orthogonally adjacent to a gear assembly, a horizontal axle, a screw pump, or the central tile of a pre-existing water wheel. Do not hang it from a gear assembly you wish to control with a switch, as a disconnected ("switched off") gear assembly can't support anything and will cause the waterwheel to deconstruct.

[[Power]] is generated from a water wheel as long as it has [[flow]]ing water at a depth of 4/7 or greater under at least one of its tiles. The easiest way to achieve this is by placing the water wheel over a [[river]] or [[brook]]. '''With a brook you must first channel through the surface''' since brooks have a floor of sorts over them.

Furthermore, the body of water beneath the water wheel must be flowing in the correct '''direction''' in order for it to work - for example, placing a N-S water wheel over water flowing straight east or west will have no effect. Since most water in Dwarf Fortress seems to flow diagonally, this is rarely an issue.

==Designs==
'''Key:'''

'''#''' = '''Wall'''
○ = '''Millstone'''
+ = '''Floor'''
~ = '''Water'''
W = '''Water Wheel'''
* = '''Gear Assembly'''
═ = '''Axle'''

{|style="border: 1px solid #0b0; background: #dfd"
|+'''Basic watermill design'''
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #333; padding: 0"|○
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #333; padding: 0"|*
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #7FF; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|}
{|style="border: 1px solid #0b0; background: #dfd"
|+'''Dual watermill design'''
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #07f; padding: 0"|~
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #7FF; padding: 0"|~
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #333; padding: 0"|○
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #333; padding: 0"|*
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|═
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|style="color: #970; padding: 0"|W
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|- style="font-family: monospace; font-weight: bold; font-size: 135%"
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|#
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #777; padding: 0"|+
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|style="color: #07F; padding: 0"|~
|}
This is by no means the limit of water power from one location, depending on the width of your river/brook/channel you can stack many waterwheels side-by-side (really big assembles will need to be artificial as there's a limit to how wide the game created water flows get). Just remember to make sure there's a support structure in place before you place the next wheel.

== Perpetual motion ==

Due to the relatively low power draw of a [[screw pump]], a ''self-powering'' assembly can be made with a water wheel that still leaves plenty of excess power for other uses. This is arguably an [[exploit]] and possibly a bug.

To get it working, you must start the pump manually.*

:''(* Exceptions are [[aquifer]]s, which can sometimes have naturally occurring [[flow]]. This is sometimes a good thing, because then a wheel simply works by itself - or a bad thing, if, for example, you want the wheel to '''not''' provide any power while you build a pump adjacent to it. It's not clear what causes an aquifer to have flow and then keep it - it's difficult to replicate reliably, and can be lost with additional [[channel]]ing, so designs will have to be adapted if such are found.)''

It is good to have a ready source of water to refill the machine, as water tends to escape and evaporate. As the water level decreases, the water wheel may intermittently stop providing power; when the level falls below 4/7, the wheel stops providing power altogether.

'''*REMEMBER TO BUILD AN ORTHOGONAL PUMP, HORIZONTAL AXLE OR GEAR ASSEMBLY BEFORE THE WATER WHEEL*'''

===Dwarven Water Reactor===
====Key====
:{{Raw Tile|║ ═ ╝ ╚ ╔ ╗ ╣ ╠ ╩ ╦ O|7:0:1}} = '''Wall'''
:{{Raw Tile|+|7:0:0}} = '''Floor'''
:{{Raw Tile|W|6:0:0}} = '''Water Wheel''' with floor underneath
:{{Raw Tile|W|6:1:0}} = '''Water Wheel''' with water underneath
:{{Raw Tile|≈|1:0:1}} = '''Water''' on current level
:{{Raw Tile|≈|3:0:1}} = '''Water''' on level below
:{{Raw Tile|X|2:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|X|2:0:1}} = '''Screw Pump''' drawing from south

This compact design, once started, produces 170 surplus power (less additional power train). While the water reactor provides a perpetual source of mechanical power in abundant amounts, the use of several reactors can cause performance issues. When building your water reactor, it is recommended that you include a method for stopping the reactor once started.

<div style="float:right; margin:2ex 20ex;"> 
{|
!'''Lower Level'''
!
!'''Upper Level'''
|-
|
{| style="border-spacing:0;"
|-
|{{RT|╔|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╦|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|O|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|╔|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╝|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╝|7:0:1}}
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|}

|

|
{| style="border-spacing:0;"
|-
|{{RT|╔|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|╝|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|X|2:0:0}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|W|6:0:0}}
|{{RT|X|2:0:1}}
|{{RT|W|6:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|≈|3:0:1}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|}
|}
</div>

Dig the V-shaped channel and fill it with water (either from an outside source or by designating it as a [[pond]]). Meanwhile, construct the pump, pumping from the South. Construct the two water wheels. Start the pump manually ( {{k|q}}, {{k|Enter}} ) - if there is enough water*, the "reactor" will start immediately and the pump operator will leave. The water from the north end of the pump will spill over the top-most floor tile, filling that to 7/7 and the two tiles east and west of it to ~5/7, but will not overflow back past the water wheel to the walkway area. Note that for the upper level, no southern walls are shown as none are needed, unless you don't follow the design and do something to create water pressure.

*''(* Estimated minimum depth to prime the reactor is 3/7 to 4/7, though this is not guaranteed.)''
* The ideal amount of water in this design is apparently 43 units of water. In other words six tiles below in the V are full up to 7/7 and three more above are also full up to 7/7 which will generate reliable flow permanently without ever losing any of that water to evaporation. An easy way to do this is to simply leave your pond fill command on after the reactor activates. They will eventually fill it up to the optimal level and stop.

The reactor can be safely halted either by blocking the tile the pump draws water from or "overloading" the reactor (since drawing more power than the reactor supplies will stop the pump that keeps the cycle going until the load is reduced and the pump is manually restarted by dwarf-power), More drastically, the reactor will obviously be halted by deconstructing the pump. Deconstructing one wheel will cause a flood (and almost immediately cancel any job order to deconstruct the other components), and deconstructing the pump will cause both wheels to collapse (unless they are attached to [[machinery]] outside them, not shown).

[[Power]] can routed up from the pump or off to the side from a wheel; the bottom of the pump is difficult to access without danger of water escaping. Routing power from a wheel is typically safe in practice, but it's not impossible for a small amount of water to escape the reactor if it is temporarily overfilled. Power can also be routed out of the reactor via a gear or horizontal axle over the pump's intake tile; while this does not interfere with the pump's operation or present a danger of flooding, it makes it more difficult to shut down the reactor. In either case, it's typically wise to place a [[gear assembly]] linked to a [[lever]] early in the power train in order to allow disconnecting the power at that point, as opposed to needing to halt the entire reactor to stop the power supply.

Expanded versions can produce more power, and can be added later with minimal advance planning; such extensibility is easily attainable by placing disengageable gears on either side of the two water wheels, then attaching minireactors at your leisure, or halting the original reactor by other means. Alternatively, it may be easier to simply produce a second reactor, then connect to the power train at another location.

''Note: If created in an aquifer, there is a chance that the channeled tiles will have a natural [[flow|water flow]] - this will cause the pump to start the moment the first wheel is finished, flooding the work area for the second.''
*This can be countered by connecting something that consumes >90 power while building the waterwheels -19 [[gear assembly|Gear assemblies]] works

===Mini Water Reactor===

This even more compact design is quite similar to the original Dwarven Water Reactor, but can be used in tight spots that do not need more than 80 surplus power. This plan can also be considered an extension unit to the DWR, in that it can be added to one or the other side to provide an additional 80 power to the resulting power train. Safely constructing a mini reactor to add to a previously built reactor without potential flooding and/or loss of power is possible only if you first turn off the original reactor. Planning ahead is a much better option, so if you're going to need more than 170 power, build a larger reactor to start with.

As stated previously, the design below produces 80 surplus power (less additional power train).

{|
|'''Lower Level'''
|'''Upper Level'''
|-
|
{| style="border-spacing:0;"
|-
|{{RT|╔|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|{{H2O}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RTB|0:0:0}}
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╝|7:0:1}}
|}

|
{| style="border-spacing:0;"
|-
|{{RT|╔|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|═|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|╗|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|║|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|╝|7:0:1}}
|{{RT|W|6:1:0}}
|{{RT|X|2:0:0}}
|{{RT|╚|7:0:1}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|W|6:0:0}}
|{{RT|X|2:0:1}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|≈|3:0:1}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|-
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|{{RT|+|7:0:0}}
|}
|}

Construction of the mini reactor follows the same order as for the DWR, though the channel is slightly different and only one water wheel is needed. If this is an addition to a full size reactor or set of reactors, all channels will need to be fairly full with water to start the reactor.

== Flowing Water ==
Waterwheels require water which is flowing, the game will consider water to be flowing under two circumstances, the first is when water spreads, that is, when deeper water flows to an adjacent tile where the water is shallower. This could be called "gradient flow" because it requires the water be flowing from deeper to shallower. Water which doesn't have a gradient - such as stretches of water which is 7/7 deep, is generally not regarded by the game to be flowing even if water is technically being delivered through those tiles.

The second kind of flow the game recognizes is when water flows off the map, either by going off the map edge or disappearing into an aquifer (water which enters an aquifer vanishes from the map, since an aquifer can never become full, even if it's only a single tile). This kind of flow propagates back from the map edge or aquifer sink and causes all or most of the connected water to gain the "Flowing" quality. Water which is flowing off the map counts as flowing even on stretches of 7/7 depth. This kind of flow is most readily observed in brooks, streams and rivers, however artificially constructed dwarf-made water channels function just as effectively, provided that they ultimately flow off the map.
A tile which has been marked as flowing off the map will retain this quality even if water movement is later blocked. This is most readily observed in that a dammed river will continue to power waterwheels, even though the water is no longer flowing off the map. This works equally well for dwarf-made water channels, the flowing quality is so persistent that it will remain even if the area is completely drained and refilled, although while the tiles contain less than 4/7 water they wont power waterwheels regardless.

=== Legitimate artificial rivers ===
If one wishes, one can build an underground river containing 7/7 water which powers water wheels, by allowing water sourced from a river, lake, sea or aquifer to ultimately flow off the map edge in a cavern. This would require building an aqueduct to bring the river to the map edge, since if the water spreads significantly before flowing off the map edge, the game wont regard it is flowing. Water flowing from a higher aquifer into a lower one will also have legitimate natural flow.

=== Flowing Water Reactors ===
It is possible to exploit the games' definition of flowing water and create patches of water which power waterwheels despite the complete absence of actual water movement. When a channel is dug into an aquifer, the channel will sometimes have "natural flow". However if water is pumped into an aquifer channel, then that channel will then always have "natural flow". This is because water is regarded as disappearing from the the map at that point, and the tiles are marked as flowing water, and will power water wheels - even if the pump is removed.

The other way to create water with natural flow is to allow the water to flow off of the map edge (most commonly through a fortification carved into the map edge, although the edge of the map on the surface or in a cavern can also be used). The body of water will then be marked as flowing, even if the map edge is subsequently blocked by a floodgate or raising bridge. This can even be done with finite water sources such as murky pools, for example digging out a channel next to the map edge, building a floodgate to seal the map edge drain, filling the channel with 4/7 water, opening the floodgate, then closing the floodgate and filling it back up to 4/7 water.

The ethics of these reactors is not particularly different to perpetual motion machines, the conventional perpetual motion machine uses water wheels to generate power, and uses a fraction of that power to move the water with a screw pump. A waterwheel generates 100 power and consumes 10 power, presumably the 10 power consumed represents the energy the waterwheel requires to move the water in front of it's blades. But if the water wheel moves water in and of itself, the pump actually becomes unnecessary. The water wheel itself both moves the water and is moved by the water.

v0.34:Building designer

2012-10-02T21:04:52Z

Nkosi: /* Using architecture */

{{Quality|Exceptional|21:17, 9 June 2010 (UTC)}}
{{Skill
| color = 5:0
| skill = Building Designer
| specialty = Architect
| profession = [[Administrator]]
| job name = [[Architecture]]
| tasks =
* Construct Building
| attributes =
* Analytical Ability
* Creativity
* Spatial Sense
}}
{{av}}

The '''building designer''' [[skill]] is used in the construction of certain [[building]]s. Its corresponding [[labor]] is '''architecture'''. Building designer has no influence on the speed with which such buildings are constructed; its only effect is to influence the [[quality]] of designed buildings, which has only modest benefits.

== Using architecture ==

When building structures that require architecture, it is the architect who carries the building materials to the site and clears it of debris. The architect's time spent on each building can be minimized by placing appropriate [[stockpiles]] near the selected location and by designating debris for [[dump]]ing in advance. The building is then built in two stages: the first performed by the architect, and the second by a [[mason]] (if the building built from [[stone]], stone [[block]]s, or [[glass]] blocks), a [[carpenter]] (if it is built from [[log]]s or wood blocks), or a [[metalsmith]] (if it is built from metal [[bar]]s, [[block]]s, or metal ores).

== Building quality ==

Building designer skill influences the [[quality]] of "designed" buildings (those listed below). The quality of the building is determined by the skill of the architect ''and'' the skill of the builder (mason/etc.). The game assigns two values that can be viewed with the [[building list]]. When determining the overall value of the building, these two values are simply added together to form an overall value multiplier ranging from 2 to 24.

Buildings that do not involve an architect do not have any quality (aside from "built" [[furniture]] -- tables, statues, doors, etc.).

Building quality has only two effects in-game: high-quality buildings can occasionally trigger a happy [[thought]] in dwarves who notice them, and higher-quality buildings will boost your fort's overall architectural wealth (as displayed in the "created wealth" section of the [[status]] screen). The first effect is usually easy to achieve by using high-quality furniture, however, and the second effect is minimal unless you make your buildings out of high-value materials (such as [[platinum]] or [[artifact]] components).

Destroying a masterwork structure (whether via [[cave-in]] or [[building destroyer]]) will give an unhappy [[thought]] to its designer and/or builder (depending on whether the design or construction are masterful), though dismantling it will not.

== Buildings requiring architecture ==

* [[Archery target]]s
* [[Bridge]]s
* [[Furnace]]s
* Paved [[road]]s
* [[Screw pump]]s
* [[Support]]s
* [[Trade depot]]s
* [[Water wheel]]s
* [[Well]]s
* [[Windmill]]s

== Training the building designer skill ==
The fastest way to train this skill is to designate a large quantity of [[support]]s or [[archery target]]s for construction in a freshly mined room (that is, still filled with stones) and use [[burrow]] restrictions to prevent any Masons from entering the room - the architect will pick up each stone, design the building, and then move on to the next one. Since the buildings never actually get constructed, removing them takes no time, allowing downtime to be minimized. Be certain to enable each trainee's Architecture labor using View (v) > Preferences (p) > Labor (l) > Other Jobs.

Alternatively, build supports out of metal bars and blocks. This will train a dwarf in Metalsmithing too.

{{Skills}}

v0.34:Manager

2012-10-01T22:31:59Z

Nkosi: /* Disadvantages */

{{quality|Exceptional|08:33, 9 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
{{Noble
|noble=Manager
|office=Meager Office
|function = *Allows large production orders.
*Allows workshop profiles to be set.
|arrival=Appointed on the [[nobles screen]].
}}

The manager is a [[noble]] that allows you to create multiple production orders. Using a manager allows you to rapidly dispatch any number of jobs from a single screen, without having to add tasks to individual [[workshop]]s. The manager also lets you setup profiles for workshops.

==Relevant Skills==
There is a certain set of Skills that are relevant for a Manager, there are also certain [[Personality trait|Personality Traits]] that influence if experience is gained in the skill whatsoever, furthermore there are [[Attribute#Soul_Attributes|Soul Attributes]] that affect the Skills and other Skills that affect the same Attributes Cross Training, the ones relevant for a Manager are as follow:
{| {{prettytable}}
|- style="background:#ddd"
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | Skill (relevant for Manager)
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | Personality Trait (needed to gain Social Skill)
! colspan="2" | Attribute (affected by Social Skill)
|-
! style="width:1em" | Body
! style="width:1em" | Soul
|-
| rowspan="3" style="width:5em" | Administrator
| rowspan="3" style="width:5em" | Organizer
| rowspan="3" colspan="2" |
| rowspan="3" style="width:1em" |
| Analytical Ability
|-
| Creativity
|-
| Social Awareness
|-
| rowspan="6" | Social - Other
| rowspan="3" | Consoler
| rowspan="3" | Straightforwardness
| rowspan="3" | > 39
| rowspan="3" |
| Linguistic Ability
|-
| Empathy
|-
| Social Awareness
|-
| rowspan="3" | Pacifier
| rowspan="3" | Cooperation
| rowspan="3" | > 39
| rowspan="3" |
| Linguistic Ability
|-
| Empathy
|-
| Social Awareness
|}
The better match with the table Skills, Traits and Attributes the better Manager the Dwarf will be, try to avoid Traits that halt experience gain for a relevant Skill, otherwise time will be lost training a Dwarf that will never get better at that Skill.

==Office==
A manager only performs his duties in his office, so it is absolutely necessary to assign one. Since only a meager office is required, a single chair in your [[dining room]] will suffice until you can arrange for a more permament, dedicated location.

To set up a dwarf to be the manager and give him an office:

#Hit {{K|n}} to enter the Nobles screen
#Select Manager and hit {{K|Enter}}. Assign a dwarf to be the manager. If nobody is particularly suited to the job, picking the Expedition Leader is a reasonable choice.
#Build a [[Chair]] somewhere or locate an existing chair.
#Use the {{K|q}} command and place the cursor on the chair. Select the option to make the area into an [[Office]] and assign your manager as the owner of the office.

At this point the red stuff under "Manager" should have disappeared from the {{K|n}}obles screen and you should be able to queue up work orders.

<div id="The manager screen"></div>

== Work orders ==
Creating a '''work order''' works like this:

#Hit {{K|j}}-{{K|m}} or {{K|u}}-{{K|m}} to enter the Manager screen.
#Press {{K|q}} to create a new work order
#Start typing (part of) the name of the item you want to produce. This will cause menu options that don't match the string you type to disappear from the menu.
#Use the directional keys to select the specific type item you want.
#Enter the quantity of items you want to produce. The maximum quantity is 30. To make more items than that you'll need to create another work order.
#Your work order will appear in the list. You can remove it or raise its priority.

If you have more than 20 dwarves total then the manager will need to go to his office to "validate" each work order before it is acted on. If your manager is somehow occupied with other things then this might take a while, so in larger forts you might want to make sure your manager is not overly burdened with other labors. (For example, disabling hauling and cleaning for the manager might be a good idea.) The manager will also not perform his or her duties if on break, drinking, attending a party, asleep or otherwise incapacitated (perhaps due to wounds).

To see if an order is approved, you can check the manager screen — approved orders will have a green checkmark, while unapproved orders will have a red X. Job orders will remain enqueued until the manager is once again in his (or her) office.

After a production order is approved, corresponding tasks will be automatically added to applicable workshops until the production quota has been met. It is useful to note that managers will not allow more than 30 tasks per work order. However, multiple work orders for the same items can be requested separately with a few keystrokes.

You will receive an [[announcement]] when each order is completed.

== Setting workshop profiles==
The manager also allows you to change a [[workshop]]'s "profile". To edit a workshop's profile, select a workshop with {{k|q}} and press {{k|P}}.

The workshop profile will allow you to select which dwarves can use it and the minimum and maximum [[skill]] level required to use the workshop. You can choose who specifically can use the workshop by pressing enter on their name to permit/forbid their use of the workshop.

A note of caution: workshop profiles persistv0.31.12 even if the manager is killed, which can lead to workshops becoming unusable if the manager is killed and the dwarves permitted into the workshop die or are reassigned.

==Disadvantages==
A disadvantage of overusing the manager menu is that the jobs requested will be fulfilled mostly in the order they were requested. This means that if you choose to make 30 barrels and 30 bins, you may not get those bins until ALL of the barrels are done. Additionally, should you suddenly want to build something else at your carpenter's workshop, you may need to cancel or suspend the existing tasks. These problems are avoidable as long as the manager is not used too heavily, and if you give production orders of relatively small amounts.

A useful trick to quickly clear the queue of a [[workshop]] is to slate the workshop for removal and then cancel this action.

A second disadvantage is that if there is more than one workshop which can fulfill a particular job set (such as several ordinary [[glass furnace]]s dedicated to [[sand]] collection, plus several [[magma glass furnace]]s for actual glass production) then the manager will distribute the jobs amongst all those workshops, even if you want the different workshops to be dedicated to different tasks. A workaround for this is to fill a workshop with repeat or suspended tasks to prevent it from accepting manager orders.

{{Nobles}}
{{Category|Appointed Nobles}}
{{Category|Interface}}

v0.34:Trap component

2012-09-30T21:23:04Z

Nkosi: /* Data & comparison */

{{quality|Exceptional|17:13, 13 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
Any [[weapon]] in Fortress Mode can be placed into a [[Trap#Weapon Trap|weapon trap]]. However, there are five '''trap components''', or '''trap weapons''', that are ''specifically'' for weapons traps (and two also have additional uses). As with any weapon, a total of up to 10 of these can be put in a single weapon trap, creating a true "Indiana Jones" type of threat to any beast of any size, and potentially simply making a fine mince (or paste, depending on the weapons) of lesser creatures.
In the order they appear on the various menus, they are the '''menacing spike''', the '''serrated disc''', the '''spiked ball''', the '''enormous corkscrew''', and the '''giant axe blade'''.



All trap component weapons can be made out of [[metal]]s (by a [[weaponsmith]]) or [[glass]] (by a [[glassmaker]]), with appropriate damage. Three can also be made out of [[wood]] (by a [[carpenter]]), as noted below, which can be useful in getting some heavy weapons traps set up before you have a steady [[smelting]] operation going, or if you are short on metal. Each trap component takes one unit of the material that you are using (eg. Each menacing iron spike will take one [[bar]] of [[iron]])


Trap components are a separate sub-section of a [[forge]] menu, but are at the bottom of the general [[glass furnace]] or [[carpenter's workshop]] menus.

Most of these weapons do make good trade goods, most especially large serrated discs.

==The 5 trap weapons==
===Menacing spike===

The '''menacing spike''' can be mounted in both traditional [[Trap#Weapon_trap|weapon traps]] and [[Trap#Upright_Spear/Spike|upright spike traps]], which act quite differently. Its small contact size and high penetration depth makes it a decent choice against enemies with impale-able internal organs.

Menacing spikes can also be made from [[wood]].

===Large, serrated disc===
'''Large, serrated discs''' deal large amounts of damage, and have a tendency to sever their victims' limbs. While amusing, this can create several [[hauling]] tasks for [[dwarves]] as they have to move each severed body part to a [[butcher's shop]] or [[stockpile|refuse pile]]. Large serrated discs attack three times, giving them a very high damage potential.

===Spiked ball===
The '''spiked ball''' doesn't deal a blunt attack at all, but it does do three attacks with its spikes. Like the menacing spike, it has only a small contact area, but has a very low penetration depth compared to the menacing spike.

Low penetration depth edged attacks can still break bones with impact damage, just like blunt attacks do. In addition, if an edged weapon is unable to cut the material of the target's armor, its attack is converted to blunt type. Because the small contact area concentrates the force, spiked balls should be more effective against targets in superior armor than either serrated discs or giant axes.

Spiked balls can also be made from [[wood]]. If trees are not in short supply then wooden spiked balls make [[exploit|excellent]] trade items (except to the elves) due to the fact that spiked balls have an extremely high item value, almost to the extent of being a bug.

===Enormous corkscrew===

'''Enormous corkscrews''' can be used as components in [[Trap]]s as well as for [[screw pump]]s. As a result, the corkscrews from unneeded screw pumps can be used to make serviceable weapon traps.

The enormous corkscrew performs a small contact area deeply penetrating attack, much like the menacing spike. It is currently unknown which of these two trap components is the strongest over all.

Enormous corkscrews can also be made from [[wood]].

===Giant axe blade===

The '''giant axe blade''' is a very similar weapon to the large, serrated disc, but only strikes once, compared to the disc's three attacks. However, due to its larger size, its single attack is stronger than each of the large, serrated disc's. It is currently unknown which of these two trap components is the strongest over all.

However, if the variables behave like those of the wieldable weapons, size determines mass (along with material density) and mass determines impact (BLUNT) damage. An edged weapon, like the giant axe, only deals this type of damage when it is unable to penetrate armor, or if the target is large compared to its penetration depth.

This suggests that a steel serrated disc's multiple attacks will outweigh the giant axe blade's somewhat larger size in most cases. If only inferior materials are available, the giant axe '''might''' be better at hurting armored targets, but the disc's three attacks probably still outweigh this advantage.

==Data & comparison==

{|cellpadding="2" border="1"
! rowspan=2 | Name !! rowspan=2 | Size !! rowspan=2 | Number of hits !! rowspan=2 | Contact Area !! rowspan=2 | Penetration Depth !! rowspan=2 | Wood? !! colspan=2 | Value of Masterwork Item
|-
| '''Steel''' || '''Green Glass'''
|-
| Giant axe blade || 1600 || 1 || 100000 || 10000 || No || 23760 || 1584
|-
| Enormous corkscrew&dagger; || 1600 || 1 || 100 || 10000 || Yes || 23760 || 1584
|-
| Spiked ball || 1000 || 3 || 10 || 200 || Yes || 45360 || 3024
|-
| Large, serrated disc || 1000 || 3 || 100000 || 10000 || No || 45360 || 3024
|-
| Menacing spike&Dagger; || 1600 || 1 || 10 || 6000 || Yes || 23760 || 1584
|-
| colspan=8 | &dagger; ''This trap component can also be used in [[screw pump]]s.'' &Dagger; ''This trap component can also be used in [[Trap#Upright_Spear/Spike|upright spike traps]].''
|-
|}
:''(Most of this data has been compiled from raw/objects/item_trapcomp.txt)''

----
'''See also:'''
:*[[Weapon]]
:*[[Trap]]

{{Category|Weapons}}
{{Category|Traps}}

v0.34:Trap component

2012-09-30T21:22:31Z

Nkosi: /* Data & comparison */ Added value data

{{quality|Exceptional|17:13, 13 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
Any [[weapon]] in Fortress Mode can be placed into a [[Trap#Weapon Trap|weapon trap]]. However, there are five '''trap components''', or '''trap weapons''', that are ''specifically'' for weapons traps (and two also have additional uses). As with any weapon, a total of up to 10 of these can be put in a single weapon trap, creating a true "Indiana Jones" type of threat to any beast of any size, and potentially simply making a fine mince (or paste, depending on the weapons) of lesser creatures.
In the order they appear on the various menus, they are the '''menacing spike''', the '''serrated disc''', the '''spiked ball''', the '''enormous corkscrew''', and the '''giant axe blade'''.



All trap component weapons can be made out of [[metal]]s (by a [[weaponsmith]]) or [[glass]] (by a [[glassmaker]]), with appropriate damage. Three can also be made out of [[wood]] (by a [[carpenter]]), as noted below, which can be useful in getting some heavy weapons traps set up before you have a steady [[smelting]] operation going, or if you are short on metal. Each trap component takes one unit of the material that you are using (eg. Each menacing iron spike will take one [[bar]] of [[iron]])


Trap components are a separate sub-section of a [[forge]] menu, but are at the bottom of the general [[glass furnace]] or [[carpenter's workshop]] menus.

Most of these weapons do make good trade goods, most especially large serrated discs.

==The 5 trap weapons==
===Menacing spike===

The '''menacing spike''' can be mounted in both traditional [[Trap#Weapon_trap|weapon traps]] and [[Trap#Upright_Spear/Spike|upright spike traps]], which act quite differently. Its small contact size and high penetration depth makes it a decent choice against enemies with impale-able internal organs.

Menacing spikes can also be made from [[wood]].

===Large, serrated disc===
'''Large, serrated discs''' deal large amounts of damage, and have a tendency to sever their victims' limbs. While amusing, this can create several [[hauling]] tasks for [[dwarves]] as they have to move each severed body part to a [[butcher's shop]] or [[stockpile|refuse pile]]. Large serrated discs attack three times, giving them a very high damage potential.

===Spiked ball===
The '''spiked ball''' doesn't deal a blunt attack at all, but it does do three attacks with its spikes. Like the menacing spike, it has only a small contact area, but has a very low penetration depth compared to the menacing spike.

Low penetration depth edged attacks can still break bones with impact damage, just like blunt attacks do. In addition, if an edged weapon is unable to cut the material of the target's armor, its attack is converted to blunt type. Because the small contact area concentrates the force, spiked balls should be more effective against targets in superior armor than either serrated discs or giant axes.

Spiked balls can also be made from [[wood]]. If trees are not in short supply then wooden spiked balls make [[exploit|excellent]] trade items (except to the elves) due to the fact that spiked balls have an extremely high item value, almost to the extent of being a bug.

===Enormous corkscrew===

'''Enormous corkscrews''' can be used as components in [[Trap]]s as well as for [[screw pump]]s. As a result, the corkscrews from unneeded screw pumps can be used to make serviceable weapon traps.

The enormous corkscrew performs a small contact area deeply penetrating attack, much like the menacing spike. It is currently unknown which of these two trap components is the strongest over all.

Enormous corkscrews can also be made from [[wood]].

===Giant axe blade===

The '''giant axe blade''' is a very similar weapon to the large, serrated disc, but only strikes once, compared to the disc's three attacks. However, due to its larger size, its single attack is stronger than each of the large, serrated disc's. It is currently unknown which of these two trap components is the strongest over all.

However, if the variables behave like those of the wieldable weapons, size determines mass (along with material density) and mass determines impact (BLUNT) damage. An edged weapon, like the giant axe, only deals this type of damage when it is unable to penetrate armor, or if the target is large compared to its penetration depth.

This suggests that a steel serrated disc's multiple attacks will outweigh the giant axe blade's somewhat larger size in most cases. If only inferior materials are available, the giant axe '''might''' be better at hurting armored targets, but the disc's three attacks probably still outweigh this advantage.

==Data & comparison==

{|cellpadding="2" border="1"
! rowspan=2 | Name !! rowspan=2 | Size !! rowspan=2 | Number of hits !! rowspan=2 | Contact Area !! rowspan=2 | Penetration Depth !! rowspan=2 | Wood? !! colspan=2 | Value of Masterwork Item
|-
| '''Steel''' || '''Green Glass'''
|-
| Giant axe blade || 1600 || 1 || 100000 || 10000 || No || 23760 || 1584
|-
| Enormous corkscrew&dagger; || 1600 || 1 || 100 || 10000 || Yes || 23760 || 1584
|-
| Spiked ball || 1000 || 3 || 10 || 200 || Yes || 45360 || 3024
|-
| Large, serrated disc || 1000 || 3 || 100000 || 10000 || No || 45360 || 3024
|-
| Menacing spike&Dagger; || 1600 || 1 || 10 || 6000 || Yes || 23760 || 1584
|-
| colspan=6 | &dagger; ''This trap component can also be used in [[screw pump]]s.'' &Dagger; ''This trap component can also be used in [[Trap#Upright_Spear/Spike|upright spike traps]].''
|-
|}
:''(Most of this data has been compiled from raw/objects/item_trapcomp.txt)''

----
'''See also:'''
:*[[Weapon]]
:*[[Trap]]

{{Category|Weapons}}
{{Category|Traps}}

v0.34:Melt item

2012-09-30T20:39:06Z

Nkosi: /* Yield */ Added links

{{quality|Exceptional|18:12, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
You can '''melt''' items at a [[smelter]], using the [[furnace operator]] labor, to recover some of the [[metal]] they were made of. [[Decoration]]s in a different metal are not recovered or considered; the metal recovered is the specific metal that basic item was listed as being made from. The % return is predictable and consistent for each item type, and ranges from 10%-150%, depending on the item. Higher skill levels in furnace operator speed up the process, but have no effect on the % return.

Items the yield more than 100% can be used to increase the amount of a metal you have available by producing those items and then melting them down again as many times as required. This is generally considered to be an exploit of an error in the game mechanics.

Recovered metal is measured in 1/10th's, and 1/10ths of bars of each metal are saved at the smelter where the item was melted. Fractional bars are not "shared" between smelters, nor do they exist as usable objects as is. When 10/10ths of a type of metal are accumulated at the same smelter, 1 bar of that metal is produced. If the smelter is torn down or destroyed, all fractions are lost.

:''Example:'' If two items of the same metal worth .4 bars each are melted at the same smelter, that smelter has .8 bars worth waiting in it.
:If a similar item of a ''different'' metal is then melted there, that smelter would have .8 bars of the first metal and .4 bars of the second.
:If a similar item of the first metal is then melted at a ''different'' smelter, that smelter will have .4 of that metal, and have no connection to the fractions in the first smelter.
:If (finally!), a 3rd, similar item of the first metal is melted at the first smelter, adding another 4/10ths, and giving a total of 12/10ths of that type of metal, 1 bar of that metal is produced, and 2/10th's are waiting (plus the 4/10 of the second metal, also waiting).

So, it's recommended that you designate one smelter as your "melting" smelter (or one/metal type), to guarantee that fractions will add up effectively.

==Designating items to melt==
You can designate metal items for melting from any interface that allows you to view the object's description screen, such as from the [[Stocks]] page or the Loo{{k|k}} interface.

To bring up an individual object description screen when the object is:
:* On the '''ground''': Type {{k|k}}, scroll to the object, select it from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* In a '''workshop''': Type {{k|t}}, highlight the workshop, select the object from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* '''Held''' by a dwarf: Type {{k|v}}, highlight the dwarf, type {{k|i}} to show his inventory, select the object from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* Inside another object: Display the container's object description screen, navigate to the specific object you wish to see, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* In the '''stocks''' menu: Type {{k|z}}, hit right-direction a few times to select "stocks" and press return. Scroll to the type of object you wish to melt, type {{k|Tab}} to show individual items (You have to have an exact number or this won't work. See [[Bookkeeper]] for how to get this), scroll to the specific object, and type {{k|v}} to view.

To designate the item, simply type {{k|m}} to mark the object for melting. If the item is designated for melting and [[forbidden]] then the item will '''not''' be melted.

However, this only marks which items you want to be melted - you still have to place the job-order in a smelter...

==Melting the items==
Items designated to be melted will be left alone until you queue a "Melt a metal object" job {{k|o}} at a [[Smelter]]. Melting down an object requires the [[Furnace operator]] labor (and consumes a unit of [[fuel]] for a non-magma smelter).

The job gives the same experience to the [[furnace operator]] skill regardless of % yield of the item melted.

==Yield==
Testing is incomplete, but preliminary results show a yield of 0.3 bars times the object's material size for anything that has a material size, or 1 bar for most furniture (regardless of size):

{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
! Item !! Material size !! Bars to make !! Bars returned !! Efficiency
|-
! colspan="5"|[[weapon|Weapons]] (made by Weaponsmith)
|-
| Crossbow || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Mace || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Spear || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Short sword || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| War hammer || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Battle axe || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Pick || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|[[trap_component|Trap Components]] (Weaponsmith)
|-
| Giant Axe Blade|| 5 || 1 || 1.5 || '''''150%'''''
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Armor]] (Armorsmith)
|-
| Cap || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Helm || 2 || 1 || 0.6 || 60%
|-
| Gauntlet || 2 || 0.5 || 0.6 || '''120%'''
|-
| Leggings || 5 || 1 || 1.5 || '''''150%'''''
|-
| Greaves || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Low boot || 1 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 60%
|-
| High boot || 2 || 0.5 || 0.6 || '''120%'''
|-
| Buckler || 2 || 1 || 0.6 || 60%
|-
| Shield || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Mail shirt || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Breastplate || 9 || 3 || 2.7 || 90%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[tool|Tools]] (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Nest box || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Jug || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Pot || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Hive || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Minecart || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Wheelbarrow || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]](Blacksmith)
|-
| Cage || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Bucket || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
| Barrel || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Armor stand || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Block || - || 1 || 0.5 || 50%
|-
| Pipe section || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Splint || - || 3 || 0.5 || 17%
|-
| Crutch || - || 3 || 0.5 || 17%
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Chain || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|[[Furniture]] (Trapper)
|-
| Animal trap || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|Other objects (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Goblet || - || 1/3 || 0.2 || 60%
|-
| Flask || - || 1/3 || 0.2 || 60%
|-
| Instrument || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
| Coins (stack of 500) || - || 1 || 1.1 || '''''110%'''''
|-
| Ring || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1 || 10% to 30%
|-
| Figurine || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.2 || 20% to 60%
|}

All melting yields for items ''not'' specified in the raws (weapons, armor, tools, etc.) are hardcoded.

{{Category|Jobs}}
{{Category|Items}}

v0.34:Floodgate

2012-09-30T09:01:08Z

Nkosi: Added sentence mentioning bridges can be used as alternative

{{quality|Exceptional|12:39, 19 September 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

A '''floodgate''' is a gate which allows the control of the flow of liquids such as [[water]] or [[magma]]. They are operated by [[mechanism]]s such as [[lever]]s or [[pressure plate]]s which open and close them. When closed they behave like walls, but allow liquids, objects, and [[creatures]] to pass over them when opened.

They can be manufactured from [[stone]] (at a [[mason's workshop]]), [[wood]] (at a [[carpenter's workshop]]), [[metal]] (at a [[metalsmith's forge]]), or [[glass]] (at a [[glass furnace]]). Once manufactured, they are built in the desired location using the keys {{k|b}}, {{k|x}}.

In most situations, a raising [[bridge]] can be used in place of a floodgate, and provides a number of [[bridge#Floodgates|significant advantages]].

[[image:Colossus_in_Arena.png|thumb|right| 
'''Colossus in Arena''' This image depicts some orthodox and unorthodox uses of floodgates to control the mixing of creatures and liquids in this arena. The gates, shown in-game as X, act as liquid stoppers and [[jail]] doors.]]

==Uses==

Floodgates are used to control the flow of liquid. Because of the [[water|usefulness]] of certain liquids and the [[magma|danger]] posed by others, floodgates have a wide range of applications in any dwarven settlement.

They are instrumental in controlled [[irrigation]] for [[farm]]ing, or controlled [[flood]]ing for [[Trap_design#Water_traps|drowning]] [[elf|annoying]] [[goblin|visitors]].

Floodgates also block the flow of liquid on the Z-axis as it is considered a wall when closed. This can be quite useful when built directly below a [[floor_grate| floor grate]] as this will allow you to quickly empty the liquid from the floor above without the danger of its [[goblin|precious content]] rummaging through your sewer system.

==Placement==

Floodgates are constructed [[orthogonal]]ly on a solid, '''''[[water depth|unflooded]]''''' floor in the 'closed' position (note that this means it is possible for careless dwarves to trap themselves on the wrong side of the gate). Adjacent walls are not necessary. A [[mechanic]] must then link up a [[lever]] or other triggering mechanism to the floodgate. This requires two [[mechanism]]s; the mechanic will haul one mechanism to the trigger, work for awhile, and then haul the other mechanism to the floodgate to complete the task.

To avoid trapping a dwarf on the wrong side of the floodgate it is building, build walls in the spaces you don’t want the dwarf in ({{k|b}}, {{k|C}}, {{k|w}}). Then suspend the build order on those walls. Once the floodgate is built, you can cancel the walls.

==Activation==

Once the lever is pulled, with a [[Trigger#On.2FOff_states|delay]], the floodgate will open. When the lever is pulled again, the floodgate will close, after same delay. This will destroy (not displace) any liquid occupying the same tile as the floodgate. Objects on the floodgate's tile, however, cannot be destroyed this way - in fact, the floodgate will refuse to close. Any object, everything from [[sword]]s to [[sock]]s to [[stone]]s to scorpion [[corpse]]s, can jam the floodgate this way. Once the object is removed, however, the floodgate will grind shut by itself.

==Magma control==

Floodgates will resist magma when closed, just as a constructed [[wall]] would, but when opened will be destroyed if they are not made from [[magma-safe|magma-safe materials]]. The mechanisms used in the construction of the floodgate must also be magma-safe to prevent this.

==Bugs==

* Floodgates built on a constructed wall remain standing (and functional) even after that wall is removed, leading to an exploitable, free-floating building. {{Bug|0377}}

{{buildings}}

v0.34:Bridge

2012-09-30T08:54:49Z

Nkosi: /* Floodgates */

{{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.

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. 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 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 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.

==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. 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 the bridge ("blocked" means raised "building present" means 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 raised (closed) the other is retracted (open) 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
XXXXXXR____ D = Raising drawbridge / = Ramp _ = Floor
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:Exploit

2012-09-30T08:46:00Z

Nkosi: /* Atom Smasher */ Minor correction and rewording

{{quality|Exceptional|15:49, 24 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

An '''exploit''' is a quirk of a game that allows players to gain what other players may consider an unfair advantage, usually by making use of a feature that is not working properly or which defies logic. 'Exploiting the game' is distinct from '[[Main:cheating|cheating]]' because exploits occur within the game as written and do not need any external [[Main:utilities|utilities]] or [[Main:modding|modding]]. Whether a player chooses to make use of an exploit or not depends on their personal taste; given that [[Main:Dwarf Fortress|Dwarf Fortress]] is a single-player game, the user alone can decide what liberties to take and what options to shun. Among DF players there is much discussion about what actually should be considered an exploit, going from making sweetpod syrup instead of sugar, growing crops in winter, or even underground, as the one extreme, to justifying 'water wheel batteries' as the other. This page takes a rather relaxed approach in that you considering it an exploit is basically enough to add it, if you don't get too much opposition.

== Atom Smasher ==
{{main|Dwarven atom smasher}}

Lowering a raised [[drawbridge]] can be used to obliterate most creatures or items beneath it. The drawbridge will be destroyed if it is used to crush a creature of too large a size.

==Manager Exercise Program==

As a [[Manager]], skill is gained as tasks are approved, not completed. Simply by queuing lots of jobs ({{key|j}} {{key|m}} {{key|q}}) (and providing a meager office), the manager will quickly level to [[legendary]] as an [[Organizer]]. The tasks can then be removed once approved.

==Merchant Swindles==

There are a variety of ways to steal cargo from [[merchant]]s without seizing it; all amount to naked theft. Tearing down the [[trade depot]] while the merchants are there is the easiest way.

Also, marking items for [[dump]]ing, using view creature mode ({{key|v}}), the stocks menu ({{key|z}}), items in room mode ({{key|t}}), or mass dump mode ({{key|d}})-({{key|b}})-({{key|d}}) then marking the entire depot, lets you relieve merchants of their goods. Just reclaim the items from your garbage dump [[zone]] later. You can even take clothing and equipment off merchant and guards this way.

You can make a wall around the merchants (and even the poor animals) and let them starve to death, letting you take what ever you want. Wait quite a while for them to starve. They will become [[Insanity|very angry]] if you do, so never open the door once they are on the brink of death.

However, the merchants will consider any lost goods to be stolen goods regardless of the method used to take possession of them, or used to destroy them.{{Verify}} See [[40d:Trading#Note_that_the_civ|the 40d page]] and [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=43771.msg829692#msg829692 This forum post]. So unless you specifically want to take the clothing off the backs of the merchants or steal from your own civ, you might as well just seize the goods anyway.

== Quantum stockpiles ==

A Quantum Stockpile (QSP) allows you to store an infinte number of items in a single tile. QSPs can make for super efficient storage, allowing more compact fortresses, shorter hauling routes, more efficient manufacturing flows, stocktaking at a glance with look {{K|k}} and [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.msg3276117#msg3276117 possibly higher FPS].

=== Simple Quantum Stockpiles ===
The simplest QSP is created by designating a garbage pit zone instead of a [[stockpile]], dumping the items you want to store and then reclaiming them when you are ready to use them.

A similar effect may be achieved for stones by building a wall two tiles in front of a catapult and digging a channel between the wall and catapult. By firing the catapult at the wall, the stone falls into the trench. The stone will pile up in the channel, putting it out of sight and out of mind. Not only does this train [[siege operator]]s, but it clears the stone that your [[miner]]s leave everywhere.

Another way to quantum stockpile is to not have appropriate stockpiles to move items back to after you move them to the trading depot. The depot can hold an infinite number of items, and those items will not be removed if there is nowhere else to place them. This is also useful for anything you want to trade anyway.

=== The Minecart Stop ===
This method allows the type of items to be stored in the Quantum Stockpile to be completely controlled and to be as broad or specific as required. Collection of items is automatic with no user input required (just like a normal stockpile), and the number of haulers collecting for the stockpile is controlled by the size and number of receiving stockpiles. Distribution is also automatic, with dwarves coming to collect items as needed (just like from a normal stockpile).

This can be utilised as part of a minecart transport system, or standalone with no tracks or moving minecarts whatsoever. The steps below are to create a standalone Quantum Stockpile, but the same general principles apply if used in a minecart transport system.

''Setup:''
rrrr r receiving stockpile
S S track stop, set to dump south
d d distribution stockpile

# Build a track stop {{K|b}} - {{K|C}} - {{K|S}}. Ensure you set the dumping direction {{K|d}}.
# Designate a 1x1 distribution stockpile {{K|p}} on the square where the stop will dump and define preferences {{K|q}} to make the settings {{K|s}} store only what you want, with no barrels {{K|E}}, bins {{K|C}} or wheelbarrows {{K|w}}.
# Designate a receiving stockpile {{K|p}} (can be anywhere, but optimally right next to the constructed track stop) of any size. The larger it is, the more dwarves will simultaneously collect items. Define the preferences{{K|q}} of this stockpile to be the same as the distribution stockpile, with the possible exception of the number of wheelbarrows. If the QSP is for heavy items (eg [[stones]]), you may want to use wheelbarrows in the receiving stockpile to speed up collection. Wheelbarrows will place a limit of up to three dwarves simulatenously collecting, unless you make multiple receiving stockpiles, each with its own set of wheelbarrows.
# Construct a new hauling route {{K|h}}, assign a vehicle {{K|v}}, and define a new stop {{K|s}} on your constructed track stop. {{K|Enter}} to define the stop, {{K|Enter}} again to set the desired items to the same as your stockpiles, {{K|x}} to remove all existing conditions, {{K|s}} to make a stockpile link and choose the receiving stockpile/s to tell the minecart track stop to take from them.

It is a little fiddly to initially set up, and if you miss any step it won't work at all, but once in operation it's an extremely efficient storage system, and scales easily with the size of your fortress, number of haulers and number of items to store.

=== The Undump ===
This technique was [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.0 developed] before minecarts were implemented. While still a valid method, it has been superceded by the Minecart Stop QSP which achieves the same result, is easier to set up and has fewer drawbacks.

''Setup:''
H Hatch cover
===== ^ pressure plate, citizens trigger, linked to hatch
^sHs= = Wall
===== s Stockpile (same type)

The idea is that haulers try to place some item on the right stockpile, step on the pressure plate and make the hatch cover retract. This makes them cancel the hauling job because they can't reach the right stockpile. They then drop the item on the left stockpile, on top of as big of a pile as you want.

More information on this method can be found on the inventor's [[User:Vasiln/Undump|user page]].

Drawbacks to this design:
#It's slow, because the one target stockpile generates only one job at a time. If you have more than one target stockpile they create lag because of pathing issues. You probably want to keep your normal stockpiles and use the undump to clean them up slowly. At which point you could consider just using the normal quantum stockpile dumping. Or you build more undumps.
#Job cancellation spam. You can turn that off.
#Oftentimes, dwarves drop the item on top of the pressure plate instead of on the stockpile. A feeder stockpile just outside the undump helps here.
#You obviously need some materials to build it.
#You need to create an open space tile where the hatch cover is (channelling only leaves a ramp), which means digging in the level below.
#You want to set the pressure plate to the lowest minimum weight (10000, which gets a zero cut off and displays as 1000). This can get tedious, so getting a macro is advised.
#If your stockpile management is exceptional already, the undump may not be of as much use to you.
However, there is a multitude of potential applications that get discussed in [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.0 this] thread.

== Building destroyer door ==

Forbid something a dwarf is carrying as he goes through a door, and he'll drop it. The door won't close and won't stop any normal creature from going through, but building destroyers seem to stop in their tracks, waiting for it to close before moving on. Note: your civilians can pass the creature safely, but attacking it cancels your protection. {{Verify}}

== HFS's back door ==

There's a convoluted way to dig down through [[semi-molten rock]] and evade the head-on encounter with [[hidden fun stuff]]. Doing this can enable you to, among other things, mine undiggable [[slade]] and duplicate rare minerals. See the page for [[semi-molten rock]] for details.

== Forgotten beast zoo ==

Wall off all the passageways into your lowest level at the outermost square of the map - except one, which leads to a little vestibule surrounded by fortifications. Wave hello to the various ungainly "[[forgotten beast]]s" which accumulate inside.

== Perpetual Motion ==

A [[screw pump]] requires 10 power to move water; a [[water wheel]] supplies 100 power if it's got water moving it. Arrange the former to feed the latter, while the latter powers the former, and you can get perpetual motion going - with a surplus of power available. See [[Water wheel#Perpetual motion]] for more details.

== Urist McAdventurer the Shield-wall ==

Adventurers are not limited in the number of items they can hold in their hands, allowing them to equip a virtually unlimited number of shields or bucklers with little effect to the adventurer's performance. This offers multiple chances to block attacks (vastly reducing the number that cause damage) and quickly trains up the shield user skill, further increasing the effectiveness of those shields. There is an indirect limit on how many shields you can equip based on how the total weight of your adventurer's items affects your speed, but the tradeoff between wearing a dozen (or more) shields is well worth the minor reduction in speed.

== And we'll throw the barrel/bag in for free ==

On [[embark]] buying things which are stored in [[barrel]]s gets the barrel for free, with at most 10 items per barrel, so, for example, the 15 units of randomly chosen [[meat]] which come with the default supplies will get you two free barrels, one completely filled with 10 units of meat and one half filled with 5 units of meat; you get another two free barrels from the 15 units of randomly chosen [[fish]]. You can get rid of all of that food, then for the same cost select one unit each of meat from 30 different kinds of animals, giving you 30 free barrels instead of only 4, since each different kind of animal meat is put in its own barrel. Note that different types of meat from the same kind of animal goes into a single barrel, so choosing 1 yak brain + 1 yak eye + 1 yak spleen will get you only one free barrel instead of three.

The same thing goes for things stored in [[bag]]s. Each unit of [[sand]] comes in its own bag, and since each unit of sand costs only 1 embark point while bags cost a minimum of 10 embark points each, you can get bags for ten times cheaper by buying sand, then [[dumping]] out the sand after embark.

== Infinite Adamantine / Metals ==

Because one bar of metal produces 25 bolts and a single bolt can be melted to 0.1 bars of metal, you can create unlimited adamantine wafers in your fortress using a clever setup with marksdwarves to seperate the stacks of adamantine bolts into single bolts. See http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=51423.0

This method is now obsolete with the new ability to split stacks when a trader arrives. You smelt a stack of coins, then trade it to a caravan. You can then buy the stack back in pieces, and each individual smaller stack will melt and produce .1 bars. One bar produces 500 coins, but splitting it into stacks of 1 coin each would create 500 melt jobs, producing 50 bars in return. The process is discussed in greater detail, both with and without use of macros here: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111680.0 While potentially time consuming, this new method both results in far more bars produced per stack (potentially a net profit of 49 bars instead of 1.5), and can duplicate any metal, not just military ones while simultaneously training your broker. Combined with a magma smelter and properly written macros, this method turns a smelter into a free metal generator.

See the [[Melt item]] article for the best yields when melting down items made of mundane metals for the current version.

== Quick trade goods ==

Since [[trap component#spiked ball|spiked balls]] have an extremely high base [[item value]] of ''126'', they can be produced en masse from cheap [[wood]] or other materials and sold off to unsuspecting merchants. This makes for quick cash in any fortress that has a skilled carpenter and an excess of wood on hand.

== Silk farm ==

:''Main article: [[Giant cave spider]]''
A silk farm can serve as a safe and endless source of expensive web from giant cave spiders. Its essence is a room with a goblin-soldier, separated from a giant cave spider with fortifications. The spider will attempt to kill the goblin, and now and then shoots his infinite web, which flies through the fortifications. Dwarves can collect the cobwebs and sell it, or create expensive clothes and yarn.

v0.34:Bridge

2012-09-30T01:25:12Z

Nkosi: Added to and moved section on floodgates, and clarified section on remote controlled gateways

{{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 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 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.

==Uses==
===Remote controlled gateways===
Lever-controlled bridges are one of the safer ways to control access. They are far more resistant to building destroyers than doors, theoretically only being vulnerable if the building destroyer can reach the central squares of the bridge, but even then generally not being targetted or destroyed. [[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 if there is no path to the top of the ramp from below when the bridge is closed.

===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, throwing or atom smashing 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. 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 is that bridges with a width of 1 look the same when raised as when lowered, so it is easy to get confused. 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 something on either side of the bridge and see what items are accessible, or even make the bridge more than 1 wide to start with.

===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 raised (closed) the other is retracted (open) and vice versa. This fact can be used to construct airlocks that are not vulnerable to [[building destroyer|building destroyers]] or mistimed lever pulls eg
Side View
XXXXXXR____ D = Raising drawbridge / = Ramp _ = Floor
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:Gem cutter

2012-09-29T17:00:52Z

Nkosi:

{{quality|Exceptional|18:21, 8 November 2010 (UTC)}}{{Skill
| color = 2:1
| skill = Gem Cutter
| profession = [[Jeweler]]
| job name = [[Gem cutting]]
| tasks =
* Cut ''gem name''
| workshop = [[Jeweler's workshop]]
| attributes =
* Agility
* Analytical Ability
* Spatial Sense
* Kinesthetic Sense
}}
{{av}}

A '''gem cutter''' is the profession of a dwarf whose highest skill is in gem cutting. Performed at a [[jeweler's workshop]], gem cutting is the basis of the [[gem industry]], turning mildly valuable gem clusters you find as you [[mining|mine]] away rock into valuable trade goods. It is the counterpart to [[gem setting]]; together, the two belong to the category profession of the [[Jeweler]], and indeed if a dwarf has relatively balanced skill level in both, he will be known as a Jeweler. More often then not, migrants who are skilled in gem cutting will also be similarly skilled in gem setting.

Large amounts of mining are bound to produce dozens of rough gems, so gem cutting is second only to [[stonecrafting]] as a method of developing [[wealth]] quickly, [[Quickstart guide#Gemcutting and Trinkets|especially]] for new players. Cutting a [[gem]] can result in a cut gem, a large gem, or a gem craft. Cut gems are the most likely, and are used by a gem setter in creating gem [[window]]s and [[encrust]]ing other objects. Large gems and gem crafts are only created occasionally, but are valuable trade goods as they are [[finished goods]] and so can be encrusted again. The skill level of a gem cutter affects the production speed and the quality of any large gems (gem crafts) that are produced. Normal cut gems have no quality levels.

Gem cutters can cut not only gems proper but regular [[stone]], [[glass]] and [[clay]] as well. Although cut stone is next to worthless, it still provides experience points, and can be used to keep a jeweler busy while you mine out a fresh batch of gems. It is also the only way to decorate with stone.

{{Skills}}

v0.34:Cross-training

2012-09-28T20:41:34Z

Nkosi: /* Renovation (stone detailing) */ Added info about alternating carve track and smoothing designations

{{quality|Fine|20:28, 24 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Cross-training''' is the process of training your civilian dwarves in military pursuits, or vice versa, and can offer several benefits. First and most importantly, it can be a good way of raising attributes, leading to stronger, tougher, faster dwarves. Secondly, it provides a handy pool of recruits for when your military takes a beating or gives your civilians a halfway decent chance of defending themselves. Thirdly, it can provide useful replacements for when your legendary mason accidentally blunders into a troll and gets all his limbs broken. Finally, it's a more productive use of time than standing around idling.

There is nothing saying you have to use only one of these ideas; they are all various approaches toward addressing these areas.

==Cross-training (starting a reserves program)==
The biggest thing to remember with a reserves program is that if you're going to go, you go all the way. Don't institute something "just for a little while" and come up with a handful of novice reservists; they will not get significant stat increases and you'll only waste time. Time is not something you have a heck of a lot of in a reserves program, typically. Remember that after you draft them, most dwarves are going to need about a year of sparring or training before they're ready for heavy combat. You might not have that much time if you are getting sieges regularly.

===Different Programs:===

====Gym ([[pump operator]])====
The Gym is the most basic sort of reserves program; it merely consists of building a bunch of [[screw pump]]s connected to nothing in a room that's close to [[food]], [[bed]]s, and [[drink]]. After the pumps are built, order them to be pumped manually, then turn on [[Pump operator|pump operating]] for your reservists.

'''Pros:'''
*Easy and extremely cheap to set up;
*Requires no continuous oversight on your part.
*Beneficial for fps, air-pumpers consume, produce and move nothing.
*Somewhat fast training; legendary in under a year (if other responsibilities like hauling are minimized).
*Very convenient; gyms can be placed anywhere in your fortress with no issues. 
*Inactive marksdwarf squads can operate pumps to cross-train and be activated at a moment's notice - boost attributes without using bolts.
*If desired, you can arrange your pumps so they power one or more indoor [[waterfall]]s or other water-powered devices.
'''Cons:'''
*Generates nothing useful other than the increased attributes of the trainee.
*Tons of cancel job spam. Every time a reservist exhausts himself and goes to satisfy his basic needs, you'll see "Urist McScrewpumper cancels Operate Pump: Exhausted."
*If you have any pumps around that actually DO need to be operated every so often (refilling your [[well]], for example), it could be a serious pain to juggle the useless gym pumps and the ones that are actually useful.
'''Attributes Trained:'''

Strength, Toughness, Endurance, Willpower, Kinesthetic Sense

====Artillery proving ground ([[siege operator]])====
Mass-produce some catapults, line them up near a quarry, and fire away. Works well to dispose of stone from a gulag (see below). 
'''Pros:'''
*Trains a skill that's reasonably useful, and provides a place to put all the sub-par siege engine components your [[siege engineer]] will doubtlessly create if you're going for superior-quality engines.
*Harasses the wildlife, which is always fun and sometimes [[fun]]. 
'''Cons:'''
*Very slow to train (2+ years for legendary).
*Fairly space-consuming to set up a well-designed and usable proving ground.
*Can be dangerous depending on the biome (especially when [[elephant]]s are present. If they get winged by a stray boulder, you can bet they're going to be coming straight at you).
*[[Siege operator]]s are civilians, and will run in fear when an enemy approaches them.
'''Attributes Trained:'''

Strength, Toughness, Endurance, Analytical Ability, Focus, Spatial Sense

====Internship MkII ([[manager]])====
Much like bookkeeping, assign a new dwarf to manager, queue several hundred jobs, and rotate a replacement in as soon as he becomes legendary. For bonus points, queue jobs which need to be repeated anyway, like "Prepare Raw Fish" or "Mill Plants", or jobs for which there is no workshop, like "Make Wooden Bow" or "Make Soap". 
'''Pros:'''
*Requires no extra infrastructure at all.
*You need a manager anyway!
*Mostly safe; a manager spends basically all his discretionary time snug in his office, or doing his other assigned jobs.
'''Cons:'''
*Only employs one dwarf at a time; not useful when you have 15-25 candidates for the reserves.
*No announcement when the current intern reaches Legendary status means you can lose time on rotation easily.
*Produces little to no useful attribute gains
'''Attributes Trained:'''

Analytical Ability, Memory, Focus

====Gulag ([[miner]])====
The gulag is basically a strip mine that is located far away from your main fortress (so you don't have to worry about accidentally screwing up your own building plans; if you are careful in planning, it may be placed closer to your fortress). Take a big square and start leveling it; it's really no more complicated than that. Since [[pick|picks]] can actually be used as weapons, it's worthwhile to give the reservists who will be working in the gulag picks made out of [[bronze]], or, if you are really living large, [[iron]] or even [[steel]]. Note that you will have to turn your usual mining corps (the civilian miners who are already experienced with mining) off or designate separate mining [[burrow]]s for this setup to work properly. It might be convenient to use a locked door to isolate the gulag from the main fortress, once a batch of trainees are inside. 
'''Pros:'''
*Soldiers can be equipped with picks from the military skill, and use the Miner skill in combat - militia squads of highly-skilled miners can provide a decent defence from early threats
*Toting a pick for close-quarters support might make a legendary [[marksdwarf]] more useful, since the pathetic bludgeon damage of his [[wood]] and [[bone]] [[Weapon#Dwarf-manufactured Weapons|crossbows]] are less important.
*Can be quite useful for producing stones you might not have access to normally, or uncovering veins of precious metals.
*Levels quite fast in sand.
*Relatively little oversight from you.
*An overland hike to the gulag will fight [[cave adaptation]] in your military candidates.
*Can easily be transformed into a [[Caverns#Vegetation|underground tree farm]] on suitable maps, providing a safe and replenishable wood source.

*Mining trains all military attributes, so it's perfect for military training too
'''Cons:'''
*Juggling your real miners and your reservists when there's real work to be done on the fort can be a chore.
*Hard to keep dwarves in the gulag for too long; they'll inevitably get hungry, thirsty, and tired and start hiking back to the fortress proper. Could be solved by (temporary) [[burrow]].
*Can be dangerous, depending on the biome.
*Does require some amount of oversight from you, especially when your reservists start getting better at mining and run out of work more quickly.
*Surplus stone and mining in general are suspected to promote [[Maximizing_framerate|lag]].
'''Attributes Trained:'''

Strength, Toughness, Endurance, Willpower, Spatial Sense, Kinesthetic Sense

====Renovation ([[stone detailing]])====
Another convenient way to buff up your dwarves, assigning your reservists to mass [[stone detailing]] duty increases your fortress' architectural wealth and makes the place look nicer. While they may clutter the halls somewhat, it doesn't require any special allocation of [[food]], [[Bed|beds]] or [[drink]]. Just turn on [[stone detailing]] for your reservists and mark up as much of the fortress as you like for renovation. If you have no particular area you want smoothed, you can alternate designating some open space between carving tracks and then smoothing them out. Be aware that carving tracks automatically sets those squares to be low traffic areas, so you may want to choose an out-of-the-way area that won't disrupt pathing for other activities. 
'''Pros:'''
*Even easier to set up; just assign your dwarves and an area and you're good to go.
*Increases your fortress' value and general happiness.
*Requires no continuous oversight on your part.
*Very safe, if you only assign areas inside the fortress.

'''Cons:'''
*Wealth overflow may bring too many [[immigrant]]s.
*Serious conflict with [[engraving]] assignments; trying to engrave with poorly trained engravers wastes a lot of wealth that essentially comes from nothing. To avoid this, have periods when you only designate stone smoothing, followed by periods where you only designate engraving.
*Careless designation of smoothing areas may have your dwarves trying to smooth walls too close to [[magma]] or a [[river]].

'''Attributes Trained:'''

Agility, Creativity, Spatial Sense, Kinesthetic Sense

====Sweatshop ([[mason]])====
Make one or more [[mason's workshop]]s in an area with a bunch of junk stone you don't care about, or that you're actively looking to clear. Change the workshop settings to allow only your reservists to use it, then tell the workshop to churn out crafts, junk furniture, stone blocks, and trade goods that you can trade en-masse. Alternatively, forbid your reservists from working in your real mason's workshops, order lots of stone constructions built, and pray that your real masons stay too occupied with the workshops to intrude. Works well in conjunction with a gulag. Alternate ideas for sweatshops include a [[mechanic's workshop]], [[craftsdwarf's workshop]], [[Kiln|magma kiln]], or a [[Glass furnace|magma glass furnace]] to train [[mechanic]], [[Stone crafter|stonecrafter]], [[potter]] and [[glassmaker]] respectively. ''Note: Do NOT try this with the [[carpenter]] skill unless you have a large supply, or any other resource you don't have in near-limitless abundance. Sweatshops will consume huge amounts of their associated resources, and if you run out mid-way you have probably wasted your time. This includes [[coke]] or [[charcoal]] used in the normal (non-magma) [[glass furnace]].'' 
'''Pros:'''
*Quantitatively turns a profit. The inferior trade goods can be dumped on the next caravan for more useful commodities like bags, seeds, and logs. Logs are especially useful, since you'll inevitably stamp out lots of bins to support the trade good output.
*Mass-producing blocks makes your constructions higher value.
*Unlike many other training programs, Sweatshops train a skill that is very useful.

'''Cons:'''
*Slow to level.
*Hard to keep the reservists on task, since they'll need to do plenty of hauling to keep their workshop from becoming chokingly cluttered.
*Can be a logistical nightmare; making bins and organizing hauling for the finished goods can be insane if you're working from a gulag.
*Can be dangerous depending on the biome and location of your sweatshops.
*Note also that stone blocks cannot be made into furniture or stone crafts. This may or may not be an issue depending on where you're putting your gulag.
'''Attributes Trained:'''

Strength, Agility, Endurance, Creativity, Spatial Sense, Kinesthetic Sense

====Dwarf Powered Mill ([[grower]], [[cook]], [[miller]])====
Start off by creating a surplus of [[longland grass]], [[cave wheat]], and/or [[whip vine]] and some bags. Create multiple [[quern]] all close to the food stockpile which contains the millable plants. Next to this area make a [[kitchen]] assigned to an experienced cook. Enable milling for the dwarves you wish to cross-train and order the cook to make lavish meals. As long as your growers provide a steady supply of millable plants and your cook can empty out bags quick enough, the milling jobs will continue. 
'''Pros:'''
*Produces a lot of wealth as flour is a high value ingredient
*Produces high amounts of food
*Sustains the training of non cross-training dwarves such as the cook and growers

'''Cons:'''
*Requires a surplus of millable plants to ensure continuous milling, thus you may need to increase the number of plots/growers
*If you don't have enough bags and your cook decides to go on break you may end up having job cancellations for the millers
*Dedicated haulers will be required to keep all workshops clutter free
'''Attributes Trained:'''

Strength, Agility, Endurance, Kinesthetic Sense (grower and miller)

Agility, Analytical Ability, Creativity, Kinesthetic Sense (cook)

====Clear Cutting====
As long as wood hauling is turned off, dwarves will move from one tree to the next without stopping to bring the wood back. On a heavily forested map, this means that dedicated wood cutters can skill up very quickly.

Of course, this training strategy isn't going to endear you with the [[elves]].

'''Pros:'''
*Works quickly
*Trees regrow
*Provides useful lumber to carpenters, charcoal makers, etc
*Can cause problems with elves
'''Cons:'''
*Can cause problems with elves
*Map dependent
*Unless care is taken to only designate a small area for cutting, trainees and haulers can be spread out across the map while, making them vulnerable to creatures and ambushes.
'''Attributes Trained:'''

Strength, Agility, Endurance, Willpower, Spatial Sense, Kinesthetic Sense

====Dwarf Scouts ([[ambusher]], [[hunter]], [[marksdwarf]])====
Marksdwarves are an important part of any military. A bum rush of low level marksdwarves is good, but not as effective as an elite backup squad! Here is what you can do:
Draft a comfortable amount of dwarves to hunting, give them all cheap crossbows. Your dwarves should hunt as usual. But you are really training an elite squad of assassins, that will one day hunt goblins instead of groundhogs.

'''Pros:'''
*Easy to start.
*Lots of meat, bones and leather around.
*Aforementioned bones can be recycled to make new bolts.

'''Cons:'''
*Doesn't work on some maps.
*Hunting is dangerous!
*evil areas may result in the deer your dwarves bagged, waking up and ripping your hunter's face off!
*Not as economically productive as some other methods.
'''Attributes Trained:'''

Agility, Focus, Spatial Sense, Kinesthetic Sense (ambusher)

====Charm School ([[Social skill|Social skills]])====
(Note: Inspired by [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=47533.0 milaga's Real Wagon experiment], details of this technique are still being investigated.)
This approach is less useful in the new version, as social skills will only produce "Soul" attribute gains. However, teaching your dwarves social skills is useful for training replacement Brokers, and can possibly reduce the chances of tantrums in the fort (more dwarves with high Consoler and Pacifier skill).

Set up a small space with food, booze, and a few beds/chairs/tables. Next define a burrow encompassing said chairs tables etc. and assign only your intended trainees to the burrow. (Be sure to turn off all of their labors and use the building options menu of a table to designate it as a meeting place.) With no labors enabled and nothing to do, they'll chat and party and quickly buff up their comedian, flatterer, conversationalist, &c. skills.

'''Pros:'''
*works on any map
*easy to set up
*trains many dwarves at once
*requires almost zero player oversight
*easily scales to any size of immigrant wave
*requires no resources the dwarves would not already be consuming (food, beds, &c)
*very safe
*no conflict with existing workshops or skills, unlike gulag or sweatshop

'''Cons:'''
*dwarves gain no professional skills during this time, and their existing ones may rust
*lowers physical attributes due to rust
*produces no trade goods or useful items for the fortress
*produces many romances and tight-knit friendships, which [[Tantrum#Tantrum Spiral|put you at risk]] of suddenly having lots of [[losing#General Unhappiness|Fun]]
*inter-dwarf personality conflicts can produce early misery and tantrums. This can be prevented with quality furniture and food, and the risk is eliminated once friendships and relationships are formed and producing happy thoughts.

====National self-defense training====
''Note: with the new military system, proper self-defense training is somewhat more complicated to set up, but allows much more effective reservist training once it's running. Make sure you're familiar with the [[Scheduling]] system before attempting this.''

This is the process of training all your civilians in a basic military skill - or at least, most of them. Any time a dwarf is activated into the military, and they do not have at least Novice level in some combat skill, they get a bad thought. The easiest way to do this is to assign every new [[migrant]] to dedicated training [[squad|squads]], and assign that squad a barracks. Then, schedule these squads to Train one or more months in the year, and set all other months to "No Scheduled Order". Then go to the Squads menu and set the squad to "Active/Training". One month in six or one month in 12 will ensure skills don't get too rusty, as well as ensuring all dwarves reach a basic level in soldiering. To increase the rate at which dwarves gain skills, you can place one experienced soldier in each squad, which will make demonstrations much more valuable. It is worth setting the "Train" order in the schedule to less than 10 minimum; this allows dwarves to take time out to eat, drink, sleep...

Then, if they ever get caught where they don't want to be (maybe they bump into a thief coming around a corner, or a flying critter jumps them, or you need to urgently order them out of the path of a magma flood, or send them to the [[Lever|control room]] - anything), not only can you activate them with no bad thoughts, but every dwarf has a better chance at not-dying - which can only be a good thing. Moreover, idle dwarves will now go to "Individual Combat Drill" rather than standing around timewasting.

Note: if you're feeling cheap, training squads can be set to "No Uniform". This will teach wrestling. However, it's probably a better idea to churn out some training weapons, wooden shields and leather armour, as this will allow dwarves to gain the shield user and armour user skills.

===Overview===
*The charm school can cross-train many dwarves in the many mental attributes, but produces no useful items, trade wealth, or professional skills. The method is also still being refined and potential pitfalls may still be uncovered.
*Artillery training can give you some siege operators, which will be useful if you have ballistae.
*The internship only trains up one dwarf at a time. Your stocks could also lag behind if you are unlucky.
*The gulag requires planning, and your dwarves in the fortress proper may run all the way to the gulag to grab a stone for some crafts, a chair, etc. It does, however, train your dwarves in mining quickly, which is always a useful skill.
*Renovation is hands-free, but may bloat your fortress wealth too quickly.
*The sweatshop creates a large amount of goods, which can be traded away to keep traders happy. It also increases your wealth by quite a lot, which can be good or bad depending upon your situation. The goods are also difficult to manage.
*National self-defence training is easy to manage when set up and lets you give your civilians clothes and light armour to keep them safe. However, it can take valuable workers away from their job if the training is too frequent.

Note that the artillery training and internship don't take away [[strange mood]] potential (you can give those dwarves dabbling in anything you want and that's how they'll get theirs), while the gulag, renovation, and sweatshop do.

{{Military FAQ}}

{{Category|Military}}
{{Category|Fortress defense}}

v0.34:Swimmer

2012-09-24T22:46:39Z

Nkosi: /* Drowning */ Added paragraph on pathing distance out of water and made some other clarifications

{{Quality|Fine}}
{{Skill
| color = 3:0
| skill = Swimmer
| specialty = Peasant
| profession = None
| job name = None
| tasks =
* Getting in and out of water
* Staying calm underwater
| attributes =
* Strength
* Agility
* Endurance
* Willpower
* Spatial Sense
* Kinesthetic Sense
}}
{{av}}

== Drowning ==
Dwarves with dabbling or no [[experience]] as '''Swimmers''' will start drowning immediately upon contact with deep surface [[water]] (ie surface water of 7/7 depth). Those of novice level experince or greater can be in deep surface water without drowning. Any dwarf will start drowning in 7/7 water if there is more water on levels above them (eg they are at the bottom of a three level deep cistern, or the bottom of the ocean).

Any conscious, uninjured, not stunned dwarf finding themselves in water of depth 4/7 or greater will try to leave if they can find a path out of around 20 tiles in length or less.[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=116764.0] If they can't find an exit within that distance, they won't move.

Dabbling swimmers require a [[ramp]] or [[stairs|stairway]] within 20 tiles to have any chance of getting out of deep water. Fortunately every natural shallow body of water has ramps.

Novice swimmers are able to get out of deep water safely without needing a ramp or stairway, but they will start drowning if [[Status_icons|stunned]]. Once that happens it can be difficult to get them out, as they lose the ability to exit anywhere and behave just like an untrained or dabbling swimmer. Everyone is stunned by falling into water rather than entering it calmly, which is what normally happens when they aren't entering it of their [[Carp|own free will]].

Adequate swimmers do not panic and start drowning in that situation, even when attacked, so training to this level is highly recommended. Higher levels only increase the speed when swimming, with a legendary swimmer being ''faster'' than he would be while running.

== Learning/Teaching swimming ==
A dwarf in the water will gain the ability to swim very fast - sadly not fast enough to prevent death from drowning. While water with a depth of 7/7 is deadly for non-swimmers, 6/7 or less will not harm any dwarf. So you can use water from 4/7 to 6/7 safely to teach your little ones how to swim. The speed of learning is independent of the depth, but water with a depth less of than 4/7 is not deep enough to make a dwarf swim, and therefore learn anything.

Training your little ones just requires a place of constantly or temporarily 4-6/7 water. Military orders or making rooms a meeting hall will not entice dwarves into the water, so you may need to prevent them from leaving an area (locked door, etc.) and then fill the area with the required amount of water, or dump them in from above using a [[bridge|retracting bridge]].

Swimming, since it involves no activity, can be potentially useful to train physically handicapped dwarves, whose conditions might go away or become manageable with an attribute boost to strength, endurance, willpower etc.

A fully automated method to train idlers is to use water flowing over a 1-z drop, with a 1-wide meeting zone at the top of the ledge, and a swimming pool at the bottom. Idlers will go to the meeting zone, be swept over the side into the pool and swim to the ramp, and repeat this for as long as they are idle. The meeting zone must have a low enough rate of flow that it has unsubmerged tiles, so dwarves voluntarily move into it. This can be accomplished with tricks like restricting flow through diagonal passages (see [[Pressure]] for details). Be aware that in recent versions dwarves can now suffer injuries more easily when falling, so this method can cause serious harm when the dwarves are washed over the edge.

Diagram of the 'fully automated' configuration described above:

.... - (pool continues as desired)
║≈≈≈≈║ - depth 4-6 swimming pool on Z-1
║+++▲║ - dropoff / entrance ramp from above
║<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>║ - meeting hall, depth 0-3
╚╗%╔═╝
║%║ - screw pump (S->N)
║.║ - limited pump source (e.g. depth ~4-per-tick tile on Z-1)
╚═╝
Not pictured: exit from the swimming pool, preferably close to the entrance ramp to minimize delays in training.

== Adventure Mode ==
In [[adventurer mode]], as a novice swimmer, by moving carefully ({{k|alt}}+direction) into open space above water and selecting the option to move below (such as West/Below), then you can swim about without getting stunned and starting to drown. To get out, alt-move carefully against a shoreline and select the option to move above.

Swimmers can also dive and rise through the [[z-axis]] by pressing {{k|>}} and {{k|<}} respectively. Note that air-breathers will be unable to breathe without air in the tile above them, and without returning to the surface will eventually drown. (Sadly, there's no oxygen meter as of yet, so you'll never know when they're about to expire. Don't linger too long.)

In adventure mode, water preference can be switched between "when possible" and "necessary" by pressing {{k|m}}.

If the temperature (press {{k|P}}) is "freezing" or if it is "cold" and close to sundown, the water may freeze while you are swimming, which instantly kills you and leaves your frozen corpse encased in ice and a valuable find for archeologists.
{{Skills}}

v0.34:Melt item

2012-09-20T20:58:04Z

Nkosi: Corrected info on yield percentage range in intro and added paragraph about greater than 100% yield exploit

{{quality|Exceptional|18:12, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
You can '''melt''' items at a [[smelter]], using the [[furnace operator]] labor, to recover some of the [[metal]] they were made of. [[Decoration]]s in a different metal are not recovered or considered; the metal recovered is the specific metal that basic item was listed as being made from. The % return is predictable and consistent for each item type, and ranges from 10%-150%, depending on the item. Higher skill levels in furnace operator speed up the process, but have no effect on the % return.

Items the yield more than 100% can be used to increase the amount of a metal you have available by producing those items and then melting them down again as many times as required. This is generally considered to be an exploit of an error in the game mechanics.

Recovered metal is measured in 1/10th's, and 1/10ths of bars of each metal are saved at the smelter where the item was melted. Fractional bars are not "shared" between smelters, nor do they exist as usable objects as is. When 10/10ths of a type of metal are accumulated at the same smelter, 1 bar of that metal is produced. If the smelter is torn down or destroyed, all fractions are lost.

:''Example:'' If two items of the same metal worth .4 bars each are melted at the same smelter, that smelter has .8 bars worth waiting in it.
:If a similar item of a ''different'' metal is then melted there, that smelter would have .8 bars of the first metal and .4 bars of the second.
:If a similar item of the first metal is then melted at a ''different'' smelter, that smelter will have .4 of that metal, and have no connection to the fractions in the first smelter.
:If (finally!), a 3rd, similar item of the first metal is melted at the first smelter, adding another 4/10ths, and giving a total of 12/10ths of that type of metal, 1 bar of that metal is produced, and 2/10th's are waiting (plus the 4/10 of the second metal, also waiting).

So, it's recommended that you designate one smelter as your "melting" smelter (or one/metal type), to guarantee that fractions will add up effectively.

==Designating items to melt==
You can designate metal items for melting from any interface that allows you to view the object's description screen, such as from the [[Stocks]] page or the Loo{{k|k}} interface.

To bring up an individual object description screen when the object is:
:* On the '''ground''': Type {{k|k}}, scroll to the object, select it from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* In a '''workshop''': Type {{k|t}}, highlight the workshop, select the object from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* '''Held''' by a dwarf: Type {{k|v}}, highlight the dwarf, type {{k|i}} to show his inventory, select the object from the list, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* Inside another object: Display the container's object description screen, navigate to the specific object you wish to see, and type {{k|Enter}}.
:* In the '''stocks''' menu: Type {{k|z}}, hit right-direction a few times to select "stocks" and press return. Scroll to the type of object you wish to melt, type {{k|Tab}} to show individual items (You have to have an exact number or this won't work. See [[Bookkeeper]] for how to get this), scroll to the specific object, and type {{k|v}} to view.

To designate the item, simply type {{k|m}} to mark the object for melting. If the item is designated for melting and [[forbidden]] then the item will '''not''' be melted.

However, this only marks which items you want to be melted - you still have to place the job-order in a smelter...

==Melting the items==
Items designated to be melted will be left alone until you queue a "Melt a metal object" job {{k|o}} at a [[Smelter]]. Melting down an object requires the [[Furnace operator]] labor (and consumes a unit of [[fuel]] for a non-magma smelter).

The job gives the same experience to the [[furnace operator]] skill regardless of % yield of the item melted.

==Yield==
Testing is incomplete, but preliminary results show a yield of 0.3 bars times the object's material size for anything that has a material size, or 1 bar for most furniture (regardless of size):

{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
! Item !! Material size !! Bars to make !! Bars returned !! Efficiency
|-
! colspan="5"|Weapons (made by Weaponsmith)
|-
| Crossbow || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Mace || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Spear || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Short sword || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| War hammer || 3 || 1 || 0.9 || 90%
|-
| Battle axe || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Pick || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|Trap Components (Weaponsmith)
|-
| Giant Axe Blade|| 5 || 1 || 1.5 || '''''150%'''''
|-
! colspan="5"|Armor (Armorsmith)
|-
| Cap || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Helm || 2 || 1 || 0.6 || 60%
|-
| Gauntlet || 2 || 0.5 || 0.6 || '''120%'''
|-
| Leggings || 5 || 1 || 1.5 || '''''150%'''''
|-
| Greaves || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Low boot || 1 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 60%
|-
| High boot || 2 || 0.5 || 0.6 || '''120%'''
|-
| Buckler || 2 || 1 || 0.6 || 60%
|-
| Shield || 4 || 1 || 1.2 || '''120%'''
|-
| Mail shirt || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Breastplate || 9 || 3 || 2.7 || 90%
|-
! colspan="5"|Tools (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Nest box || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Jug || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Pot || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Hive || 1 || 1 || 0.3 || 30%
|-
| Minecart || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
| Wheelbarrow || 6 || 2 || 1.8 || 90%
|-
! colspan="5"|Furniture (Blacksmith)
|-
| Cage || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Bucket || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
| Barrel || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Armor stand || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Block || - || 1 || 0.5 || 50%
|-
| Pipe section || - || 3 || 1 || 33%
|-
| Splint || - || 3 || 0.5 || 17%
|-
| Crutch || - || 3 || 0.5 || 17%
|-
! colspan="5"|Furniture (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Chain || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|Furniture (Trapper)
|-
| Animal trap || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
! colspan="5"|Other objects (Metalcrafter)
|-
| Goblet || - || 1/3 || 0.2 || 60%
|-
| Flask || - || 1/3 || 0.2 || 60%
|-
| Instrument || - || 1 || 1 || '''100%'''
|-
| Coins (stack of 500) || - || 1 || 1.1 || '''''110%'''''
|-
| Ring || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.1 || 10% to 30%
|-
| Figurine || - || 1/3 to 1 || 0.2 || 20% to 60%
|}

All melting yields for items ''not'' specified in the raws (weapons, armor, tools, etc.) are hardcoded.

{{Category|Jobs}}
{{Category|Items}}

v0.34:Soap

2012-09-20T10:44:12Z

Nkosi: Removed reference to alchemists lab in old version

{{quality|Exceptional|01:35, 24 May 2012 (UTC)}}
{{av}}
{{Buggy}}

'''Soap''' is a particularly useful type of [[bar]] used for [[clean self|personal cleaning]], which increases happiness ("recently took a soapy bath") and lowers the chances of an [[infection]] in case they are [[wound]]ed, and for cleaning [[wound]]s in [[hospital]]s, preventing infections from developing. It is thus a vital commodity in dwarven [[health care]], and one not traded in [[caravan]]s: you're going to have to make some soap yourself.

Soap is made of two components, [[lye]] and either [[tallow]] or [[rock nut oil]], and occupies a dedicated workshop, the [[soap maker's workshop]]. It thus has a somewhat complicated production process; lye must be processed at an [[ashery]] from [[ash]], which in turn must be burned at a [[wood furnace]] from [[wood]] logs that must first be [[woodcutting|cut down]]. [[Tallow]] is rendered from [[fat]] from butchered [[creature|animal]]s at a [[kitchen]], requiring either [[livestock]] or [[hunting]] activities, while rock nut oil must be [[pressing|pressed]] from rock nuts at a [[screw press]], which first requires [[plant gathering|gathering]] up or [[farming|growing]] [[quarry bush]]es and then processing them into bags. One unit of tallow or oil plus one of lye creates a single bar of finished soap.

Dwarves do not require soap to clean [[contaminant]]s such as mud and blood from themselves - if necessary, they will use murky pools, artificial pools of water, brooks, or a [[well]]. However, using soap will often generate the happy [[thought]] "recently took a soapy bath". It is possible to construct bath-houses (rooms containing pools of water, a soap stockpile, and perhaps a few nice statues) so dwarves living deep underground need not venture to dangerous cave pools or surface brooks to clean off a little mud or bloodstain. For cleaning wounds and preventing infection after [[surgery]], however, [[hospital]]s should be kept stocked with a small amount of soap. Soap will get used up as dwarves wash themselves; the current rate seems to be 1/10 a bar per washing, so each bar lasts quite a while.

Dwarves have an internal "dirtiness" level, which gets lowered when they have a bath, lowered further when they have a soapy bath and slowly builds up over time. This "dirtiness" value is connected to the chance of getting an infection if the dwarf is injured, making soap useful as a preventative as well as treatment.

A convenient way to keep an emergency stockpile of soap is to use it as a building material for workshops or constructions such as walls. When/if you need more soap, you can deconstruct and get the soap bars back. Since soap in a hospital is reserved for hospital use, this is especially useful in case you start to produce soap before setting up a hospital.

== Bugs ==
* If you have a [[stack]] of lye (bought via [[embark]] or from a [[caravan]]) then the entire stack will be used up to make a single bar of soap. {{Bug|2117}}

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

v0.34:Exploit

2012-09-19T12:08:11Z

Nkosi: /* Quantum stockpiles */

{{quality|Exceptional|15:49, 24 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

An '''exploit''' is a quirk of a game that allows players to gain what other players may consider an unfair advantage, usually by making use of a feature that is not working properly or which defies logic. 'Exploiting the game' is distinct from '[[Main:cheating|cheating]]' because exploits occur within the game as written and do not need any external [[Main:utilities|utilities]] or [[Main:modding|modding]]. Whether a player chooses to make use of an exploit or not depends on their personal taste; given that [[Main:Dwarf Fortress|Dwarf Fortress]] is a single-player game, the user alone can decide what liberties to take and what options to shun. Among DF players there is much discussion about what actually should be considered an exploit, going from making sweetpod syrup instead of sugar, growing crops in winter, or even underground, as the one extreme, to justifying 'water wheel batteries' as the other. This page takes a rather relaxed approach in that you considering it an exploit is basically enough to add it, if you don't get too much opposition.

== Atom Smasher ==
{{main|Dwarven atom smasher}}

A [[drawbridge]], when rapidly triggered on and off, can be used to obliterate some creatures or items beneath it. The drawbridge will be destroyed if it is used to crush a creature of too large a size.

==Manager Exercise Program==

As a [[Manager]], skill is gained as tasks are approved, not completed. Simply by queuing lots of jobs ({{key|j}} {{key|m}} {{key|q}}) (and providing a meager office), the manager will quickly level to [[legendary]] as an [[Organizer]]. The tasks can then be removed once approved.

==Merchant Swindles==

There are a variety of ways to steal cargo from [[merchant]]s without seizing it; all amount to naked theft. Tearing down the [[trade depot]] while the merchants are there is the easiest way.

Also, marking items for [[dump]]ing, using view creature mode ({{key|v}}), the stocks menu ({{key|z}}), items in room mode ({{key|t}}), or mass dump mode ({{key|d}})-({{key|b}})-({{key|d}}) then marking the entire depot, lets you relieve merchants of their goods. Just reclaim the items from your garbage dump [[zone]] later. You can even take clothing and equipment off merchant and guards this way.

You can make a wall around the merchants (and even the poor animals) and let them starve to death, letting you take what ever you want. Wait quite a while for them to starve. They will become [[Insanity|very angry]] if you do, so never open the door once they are on the brink of death.

However, the merchants will consider any lost goods to be stolen goods regardless of the method used to take possession of them, or used to destroy them.{{Verify}} See [[40d:Trading#Note_that_the_civ|the 40d page]] and [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=43771.msg829692#msg829692 This forum post]. So unless you specifically want to take the clothing off the backs of the merchants or steal from your own civ, you might as well just seize the goods anyway.

== Quantum stockpiles ==

A Quantum Stockpile (QSP) allows you to store an infinte number of items in a single tile. QSPs can make for super efficient storage, allowing more compact fortresses, shorter hauling routes, more efficient manufacturing flows, stocktaking at a glance with look {{K|k}} and [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.msg3276117#msg3276117 possibly higher FPS].

=== Simple Quantum Stockpiles ===
The simplest QSP is created by designating a garbage pit zone instead of a [[stockpile]], dumping the items you want to store and then reclaiming them when you are ready to use them.

A similar effect may be achieved for stones by building a wall two tiles in front of a catapult and digging a channel between the wall and catapult. By firing the catapult at the wall, the stone falls into the trench. The stone will pile up in the channel, putting it out of sight and out of mind. Not only does this train [[siege operator]]s, but it clears the stone that your [[miner]]s leave everywhere.

Another way to quantum stockpile is to not have appropriate stockpiles to move items back to after you move them to the trading depot. The depot can hold an infinite number of items, and those items will not be removed if there is nowhere else to place them. This is also useful for anything you want to trade anyway.

=== The Minecart Stop ===
This method allows the type of items to be stored in the Quantum Stockpile to be completely controlled and to be as broad or specific as required. Collection of items is automatic with no user input required (just like a normal stockpile), and the number of haulers collecting for the stockpile is controlled by the size and number of receiving stockpiles. Distribution is also automatic, with dwarves coming to collect items as needed (just like from a normal stockpile).

This can be utilised as part of a minecart transport system, or standalone with no tracks or moving minecarts whatsoever. The steps below are to create a standalone Quantum Stockpile, but the same general principles apply if used in a minecart transport system.

''Setup:''
rrrr r receiving stockpile
S S track stop, set to dump south
d d distribution stockpile

# Build a track stop {{K|b}} - {{K|C}} - {{K|S}}. Ensure you set the dumping direction {{K|d}}.
# Designate a 1x1 distribution stockpile {{K|p}} on the square where the stop will dump and define preferences {{K|q}} to make the settings {{K|s}} store only what you want, with no barrels {{K|E}}, bins {{K|C}} or wheelbarrows {{K|w}}.
# Designate a receiving stockpile {{K|p}} (can be anywhere, but optimally right next to the constructed track stop) of any size. The larger it is, the more dwarves will simultaneously collect items. Define the preferences{{K|q}} of this stockpile to be the same as the distribution stockpile, with the possible exception of the number of wheelbarrows. If the QSP is for heavy items (eg [[stones]]), you may want to use wheelbarrows in the receiving stockpile to speed up collection. Wheelbarrows will place a limit of up to three dwarves simulatenously collecting, unless you make multiple receiving stockpiles, each with its own set of wheelbarrows.
# Construct a new hauling route {{K|h}}, assign a vehicle {{K|v}}, and define a new stop {{K|s}} on your constructed track stop. {{K|Enter}} to define the stop, {{K|Enter}} again to set the desired items to the same as your stockpiles, {{K|x}} to remove all existing conditions, {{K|s}} to make a stockpile link and choose the receiving stockpile/s to tell the minecart track stop to take from them.

It is a little fiddly to initially set up, and if you miss any step it won't work at all, but once in operation it's an extremely efficient storage system, and scales easily with the size of your fortress, number of haulers and number of items to store.

=== The Undump ===
This technique was [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.0 developed] before minecarts were implemented. While still a valid method, it has been superceded by the Minecart Stop QSP which achieves the same result, is easier to set up and has fewer drawbacks.

''Setup:''
H Hatch cover
===== ^ pressure plate, citizens trigger, linked to hatch
^sHs= = Wall
===== s Stockpile (same type)

The idea is that haulers try to place some item on the right stockpile, step on the pressure plate and make the hatch cover retract. This makes them cancel the hauling job because they can't reach the right stockpile. They then drop the item on the left stockpile, on top of as big of a pile as you want.

More information on this method can be found on the inventor's [[User:Vasiln/Undump|user page]].

Drawbacks to this design:
#It's slow, because the one target stockpile generates only one job at a time. If you have more than one target stockpile they create lag because of pathing issues. You probably want to keep your normal stockpiles and use the undump to clean them up slowly. At which point you could consider just using the normal quantum stockpile dumping. Or you build more undumps.
#Job cancellation spam. You can turn that off.
#Oftentimes, dwarves drop the item on top of the pressure plate instead of on the stockpile. A feeder stockpile just outside the undump helps here.
#You obviously need some materials to build it.
#You need to create an open space tile where the hatch cover is (channelling only leaves a ramp), which means digging in the level below.
#You want to set the pressure plate to the lowest minimum weight (10000, which gets a zero cut off and displays as 1000). This can get tedious, so getting a macro is advised.
#If your stockpile management is exceptional already, the undump may not be of as much use to you.
However, there is a multitude of potential applications that get discussed in [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.0 this] thread.

== Building destroyer door ==

Forbid something a dwarf is carrying as he goes through a door, and he'll drop it. The door won't close and won't stop any normal creature from going through, but building destroyers seem to stop in their tracks, waiting for it to close before moving on. Note: your civilians can pass the creature safely, but attacking it cancels your protection. {{Verify}}

== HFS's back door ==

There's a convoluted way to dig down through [[semi-molten rock]] and evade the head-on encounter with [[hidden fun stuff]]. Doing this can enable you to, among other things, mine undiggable [[slade]] and duplicate rare minerals. See the page for [[semi-molten rock]] for details.

== Forgotten beast zoo ==

Wall off all the passageways into your lowest level at the outermost square of the map - except one, which leads to a little vestibule surrounded by fortifications. Wave hello to the various ungainly "[[forgotten beast]]s" which accumulate inside.

== Perpetual Motion ==

A [[screw pump]] requires 10 power to move water; a [[water wheel]] supplies 100 power if it's got water moving it. Arrange the former to feed the latter, while the latter powers the former, and you can get perpetual motion going - with a surplus of power available. See [[Water wheel#Perpetual motion]] for more details.

== Urist McAdventurer the Shield-wall ==

Adventurers are not limited in the number of items they can hold in their hands, allowing them to equip a virtually unlimited number of shields or bucklers with little effect to the adventurer's performance. This offers multiple chances to block attacks (vastly reducing the number that cause damage) and quickly trains up the shield user skill, further increasing the effectiveness of those shields. There is an indirect limit on how many shields you can equip based on how the total weight of your adventurer's items affects your speed, but the tradeoff between wearing a dozen (or more) shields is well worth the minor reduction in speed.

== And we'll throw the barrel/bag in for free ==

On [[embark]] buying things which are stored in [[barrel]]s gets the barrel for free, with at most 10 items per barrel, so, for example, the 15 units of randomly chosen [[meat]] which come with the default supplies will get you two free barrels, one completely filled with 10 units of meat and one half filled with 5 units of meat; you get another two free barrels from the 15 units of randomly chosen [[fish]]. You can get rid of all of that food, then for the same cost select one unit each of meat from 30 different kinds of animals, giving you 30 free barrels instead of only 4, since each different kind of animal meat is put in its own barrel. Note that different types of meat from the same kind of animal goes into a single barrel, so choosing 1 yak brain + 1 yak eye + 1 yak spleen will get you only one free barrel instead of three.

The same thing goes for things stored in [[bag]]s. Each unit of [[sand]] comes in its own bag, and since each unit of sand costs only 1 embark point while bags cost a minimum of 10 embark points each, you can get bags for ten times cheaper by buying sand, then [[dumping]] out the sand after embark.

== Infinite Adamantine / Metals ==

Because one bar of metal produces 25 bolts and a single bolt can be melted to 0.1 bars of metal, you can create unlimited adamantine wafers in your fortress using a clever setup with marksdwarves to seperate the stacks of adamantine bolts into single bolts. See http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=51423.0

This method is now obsolete with the new ability to split stacks when a trader arrives. You smelt a stack of coins, then trade it to a caravan. You can then buy the stack back in pieces, and each individual smaller stack will melt and produce .1 bars. One bar produces 500 coins, but splitting it into stacks of 1 coin each would create 500 melt jobs, producing 50 bars in return. The process is discussed in greater detail, both with and without use of macros here: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111680.0 While potentially time consuming, this new method both results in far more bars produced per stack (potentially a net profit of 49 bars instead of 1.5), and can duplicate any metal, not just military ones while simultaneously training your broker. Combined with a magma smelter and properly written macros, this method turns a smelter into a free metal generator.

See the [[Melt item]] article for the best yields when melting down items made of mundane metals for the current version.

== Quick trade goods ==

Since [[trap component#spiked ball|spiked balls]] have an extremely high base [[item value]] of ''126'', they can be produced en masse from cheap [[wood]] or other materials and sold off to unsuspecting merchants. This makes for quick cash in any fortress that has a skilled carpenter and an excess of wood on hand.

== Silk farm ==

:''Main article: [[Giant cave spider]]''
A silk farm can serve as a safe and endless source of expensive web from giant cave spiders. Its essence is a room with a goblin-soldier, separated from a giant cave spider with fortifications. The spider will attempt to kill the goblin, and now and then shoots his infinite web, which flies through the fortifications. Dwarves can collect the cobwebs and sell it, or create expensive clothes and yarn.

v0.34:Exploit

2012-09-19T12:03:54Z

Nkosi:

{{quality|Exceptional|15:49, 24 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

An '''exploit''' is a quirk of a game that allows players to gain what other players may consider an unfair advantage, usually by making use of a feature that is not working properly or which defies logic. 'Exploiting the game' is distinct from '[[Main:cheating|cheating]]' because exploits occur within the game as written and do not need any external [[Main:utilities|utilities]] or [[Main:modding|modding]]. Whether a player chooses to make use of an exploit or not depends on their personal taste; given that [[Main:Dwarf Fortress|Dwarf Fortress]] is a single-player game, the user alone can decide what liberties to take and what options to shun. Among DF players there is much discussion about what actually should be considered an exploit, going from making sweetpod syrup instead of sugar, growing crops in winter, or even underground, as the one extreme, to justifying 'water wheel batteries' as the other. This page takes a rather relaxed approach in that you considering it an exploit is basically enough to add it, if you don't get too much opposition.

== Atom Smasher ==
{{main|Dwarven atom smasher}}

A [[drawbridge]], when rapidly triggered on and off, can be used to obliterate some creatures or items beneath it. The drawbridge will be destroyed if it is used to crush a creature of too large a size.

==Manager Exercise Program==

As a [[Manager]], skill is gained as tasks are approved, not completed. Simply by queuing lots of jobs ({{key|j}} {{key|m}} {{key|q}}) (and providing a meager office), the manager will quickly level to [[legendary]] as an [[Organizer]]. The tasks can then be removed once approved.

==Merchant Swindles==

There are a variety of ways to steal cargo from [[merchant]]s without seizing it; all amount to naked theft. Tearing down the [[trade depot]] while the merchants are there is the easiest way.

Also, marking items for [[dump]]ing, using view creature mode ({{key|v}}), the stocks menu ({{key|z}}), items in room mode ({{key|t}}), or mass dump mode ({{key|d}})-({{key|b}})-({{key|d}}) then marking the entire depot, lets you relieve merchants of their goods. Just reclaim the items from your garbage dump [[zone]] later. You can even take clothing and equipment off merchant and guards this way.

You can make a wall around the merchants (and even the poor animals) and let them starve to death, letting you take what ever you want. Wait quite a while for them to starve. They will become [[Insanity|very angry]] if you do, so never open the door once they are on the brink of death.

However, the merchants will consider any lost goods to be stolen goods regardless of the method used to take possession of them, or used to destroy them.{{Verify}} See [[40d:Trading#Note_that_the_civ|the 40d page]] and [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=43771.msg829692#msg829692 This forum post]. So unless you specifically want to take the clothing off the backs of the merchants or steal from your own civ, you might as well just seize the goods anyway.

== Quantum stockpiles ==

A Quantum Stockpile (QSP) allows you to store an infinte number of items in a single square. QSPs can make for super efficient storage, allowing more compact fortresses, shorter hauling routes, more efficient manufacturing flows, stocktaking at a glance with look {{K|k}} and [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.msg3276117#msg3276117 possibly higher FPS].

=== Simple Quantum Stockpiles ===
The simplest QSP is created by designating a garbage pit zone instead of a [[stockpile]], allowing you to store an infinite number of objects in a single tile by dumping them, then reclaiming them when you want to use them.

A similar effect may be achieved for stones only by building a wall two tiles in front of a catapult and digging a channel between the wall and catapult. By firing the catapult at the wall, the stone falls into the trench. The stone will pile up in the channel, putting it out of sight and out of mind. Not only does this train [[siege operator]]s, but it clears the stone that your [[miner]]s leave everywhere.

Another way to quantum stockpile is to not have appropriate stockpiles to move items back to after you move them to the trading depot. The depot can hold an infinite number of items, and those items will not be removed if there is nowhere else to place them. This is also useful for anything you want to trade anyway.

=== The Minecart Stop ===
This method allows the type of items to be stored in the Quantum Stockpile to be completely controlled and to be as broad or specific as required. Collection of items is automatic with no user input required (just like a normal stockpile), and the number of haulers collecting for the stockpile is controlled by the size and number of receiving stockpiles. Distribution is also automatic, with dwarves coming to collect items as needed (just like from a normal stockpile).

This can be utilised as part of a minecart transport system, or standalone with no tracks or moving minecarts whatsoever. The steps below are to create a simple standalone Quantum Stockpile, but the same general principles apply if used in a minecart transport system.

''Setup:''
rrrr r receiving stockpile
S S track stop, set to dump south
d d distribution stockpile

# Build a track stop {{K|b}} - {{K|C}} - {{K|S}}. Ensure you set the dumping direction {{K|d}}.
# Designate a 1x1 distribution stockpile {{K|p}} on the square where the stop will dump and define preferences {{K|q}} to make the settings {{K|s}} store only what you want, with no barrels {{K|E}}, bins {{K|C}} or wheelbarrows {{K|w}}.
# Designate a receiving stockpile {{K|p}} (can be anywhere, but optimally right next to the constructed track stop) of any size. The larger it is, the more dwarves will simultaneously collect items. Define the preferences{{K|q}} of this stockpile to be the same as the distribution stockpile, with the possible exception of the number of wheelbarrows. If the QSP is for heavy items (eg [[stones]]), you may want to use wheelbarrows in the receiving stockpile to speed up collection. Wheelbarrows will place a limit of up to three dwarves simulatenously collecting, unless you make multiple receiving stockpiles, each with its own set of wheelbarrows.
# Construct a new hauling route {{K|h}}, assign a vehicle {{K|v}}, and define a new stop {{K|s}} on your constructed track stop. {{K|Enter}} to define the stop, {{K|Enter}} again to set the desired items to the same as your stockpiles, {{K|x}} to remove all existing conditions, {{K|s}} to make a stockpile link and choose the receiving stockpile/s to tell the minecart track stop to take from them.

It is a little fiddly to initially set up, and if you miss any step it won't work at all, but once in operation it's an extremely efficient storage system, and scales easily with the size of your fortress, number of haulers and number of items to store.

=== The Undump ===
This technique was [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.0 developed] before minecarts were implemented. While still a valid method, it has been superceded by the Minecart Stop QSP which achieves the same result, is easier to set up and has fewer drawbacks.

''Setup:''
H Hatch cover
===== ^ pressure plate, citizens trigger, linked to hatch
^sHs= = Wall
===== s Stockpile (same type)

The idea is that haulers try to place some item on the right stockpile, step on the pressure plate and make the hatch cover retract. This makes them cancel the hauling job because they can't reach the right stockpile. They then drop the item on the left stockpile, on top of as big of a pile as you want.

More information on this method can be found on the inventor's [[User:Vasiln/Undump|user page]].

Drawbacks to this design:
#It's slow, because the one target stockpile generates only one job at a time. If you have more than one target stockpile they create lag because of pathing issues. You probably want to keep your normal stockpiles and use the undump to clean them up slowly. At which point you could consider just using the normal quantum stockpile dumping. Or you build more undumps.
#Job cancellation spam. You can turn that off.
#Oftentimes, dwarves drop the item on top of the pressure plate instead of on the stockpile. A feeder stockpile just outside the undump helps here.
#You obviously need some materials to build it.
#You need to create an open space tile where the hatch cover is (channelling only leaves a ramp), which means digging in the level below.
#You want to set the pressure plate to the lowest minimum weight (10000, which gets a zero cut off and displays as 1000). This can get tedious, so getting a macro is advised.
#If your stockpile management is exceptional already, the undump may not be of as much use to you.
However, there is a multitude of potential applications that get discussed in [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.0 this] thread.

== Building destroyer door ==

Forbid something a dwarf is carrying as he goes through a door, and he'll drop it. The door won't close and won't stop any normal creature from going through, but building destroyers seem to stop in their tracks, waiting for it to close before moving on. Note: your civilians can pass the creature safely, but attacking it cancels your protection. {{Verify}}

== HFS's back door ==

There's a convoluted way to dig down through [[semi-molten rock]] and evade the head-on encounter with [[hidden fun stuff]]. Doing this can enable you to, among other things, mine undiggable [[slade]] and duplicate rare minerals. See the page for [[semi-molten rock]] for details.

== Forgotten beast zoo ==

Wall off all the passageways into your lowest level at the outermost square of the map - except one, which leads to a little vestibule surrounded by fortifications. Wave hello to the various ungainly "[[forgotten beast]]s" which accumulate inside.

== Perpetual Motion ==

A [[screw pump]] requires 10 power to move water; a [[water wheel]] supplies 100 power if it's got water moving it. Arrange the former to feed the latter, while the latter powers the former, and you can get perpetual motion going - with a surplus of power available. See [[Water wheel#Perpetual motion]] for more details.

== Urist McAdventurer the Shield-wall ==

Adventurers are not limited in the number of items they can hold in their hands, allowing them to equip a virtually unlimited number of shields or bucklers with little effect to the adventurer's performance. This offers multiple chances to block attacks (vastly reducing the number that cause damage) and quickly trains up the shield user skill, further increasing the effectiveness of those shields. There is an indirect limit on how many shields you can equip based on how the total weight of your adventurer's items affects your speed, but the tradeoff between wearing a dozen (or more) shields is well worth the minor reduction in speed.

== And we'll throw the barrel/bag in for free ==

On [[embark]] buying things which are stored in [[barrel]]s gets the barrel for free, with at most 10 items per barrel, so, for example, the 15 units of randomly chosen [[meat]] which come with the default supplies will get you two free barrels, one completely filled with 10 units of meat and one half filled with 5 units of meat; you get another two free barrels from the 15 units of randomly chosen [[fish]]. You can get rid of all of that food, then for the same cost select one unit each of meat from 30 different kinds of animals, giving you 30 free barrels instead of only 4, since each different kind of animal meat is put in its own barrel. Note that different types of meat from the same kind of animal goes into a single barrel, so choosing 1 yak brain + 1 yak eye + 1 yak spleen will get you only one free barrel instead of three.

The same thing goes for things stored in [[bag]]s. Each unit of [[sand]] comes in its own bag, and since each unit of sand costs only 1 embark point while bags cost a minimum of 10 embark points each, you can get bags for ten times cheaper by buying sand, then [[dumping]] out the sand after embark.

== Infinite Adamantine / Metals ==

Because one bar of metal produces 25 bolts and a single bolt can be melted to 0.1 bars of metal, you can create unlimited adamantine wafers in your fortress using a clever setup with marksdwarves to seperate the stacks of adamantine bolts into single bolts. See http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=51423.0

This method is now obsolete with the new ability to split stacks when a trader arrives. You smelt a stack of coins, then trade it to a caravan. You can then buy the stack back in pieces, and each individual smaller stack will melt and produce .1 bars. One bar produces 500 coins, but splitting it into stacks of 1 coin each would create 500 melt jobs, producing 50 bars in return. The process is discussed in greater detail, both with and without use of macros here: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111680.0 While potentially time consuming, this new method both results in far more bars produced per stack (potentially a net profit of 49 bars instead of 1.5), and can duplicate any metal, not just military ones while simultaneously training your broker. Combined with a magma smelter and properly written macros, this method turns a smelter into a free metal generator.

See the [[Melt item]] article for the best yields when melting down items made of mundane metals for the current version.

== Quick trade goods ==

Since [[trap component#spiked ball|spiked balls]] have an extremely high base [[item value]] of ''126'', they can be produced en masse from cheap [[wood]] or other materials and sold off to unsuspecting merchants. This makes for quick cash in any fortress that has a skilled carpenter and an excess of wood on hand.

== Silk farm ==

:''Main article: [[Giant cave spider]]''
A silk farm can serve as a safe and endless source of expensive web from giant cave spiders. Its essence is a room with a goblin-soldier, separated from a giant cave spider with fortifications. The spider will attempt to kill the goblin, and now and then shoots his infinite web, which flies through the fortifications. Dwarves can collect the cobwebs and sell it, or create expensive clothes and yarn.

v0.34:Exploit

2012-09-19T11:59:04Z

Nkosi: /* Quantum stockpiles */ Rearranged and refined and updated information

{{quality|Exceptional|15:49, 24 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

An '''exploit''' is a quirk of a game that allows players to gain what other players may consider an unfair advantage, usually by making use of a feature that is not working properly or which defies logic. 'Exploiting the game' is distinct from '[[Main:cheating|cheating]]' because exploits occur within the game as written and do not need any external [[Main:utilities|utilities]] or [[Main:modding|modding]]. Whether a player chooses to make use of an exploit or not depends on their personal taste; given that [[Main:Dwarf Fortress|Dwarf Fortress]] is a single-player game, the user alone can decide what liberties to take and what options to shun. Among DF players there is much discussion about what actually should be considered an exploit, going from making sweetpod syrup instead of sugar, growing crops in winter, or even underground, as the one extreme, to justifying 'water wheel batteries' as the other. This page takes a rather relaxed approach in that you considering it an exploit is basically enough to add it, if you don't get too much opposition.

== Atom Smasher ==
{{main|Dwarven atom smasher}}

A [[drawbridge]], when rapidly triggered on and off, can be used to obliterate some creatures or items beneath it. The drawbridge will be destroyed if it is used to crush a creature of too large a size.

==Manager Exercise Program==

As a [[Manager]], skill is gained as tasks are approved, not completed. Simply by queuing lots of jobs ({{key|j}} {{key|m}} {{key|q}}) (and providing a meager office), the manager will quickly level to [[legendary]] as an [[Organizer]]. The tasks can then be removed once approved.

==Merchant Swindles==

There are a variety of ways to steal cargo from [[merchant]]s without seizing it; all amount to naked theft. Tearing down the [[trade depot]] while the merchants are there is the easiest way.

Also, marking items for [[dump]]ing, using view creature mode ({{key|v}}), the stocks menu ({{key|z}}), items in room mode ({{key|t}}), or mass dump mode ({{key|d}})-({{key|b}})-({{key|d}}) then marking the entire depot, lets you relieve merchants of their goods. Just reclaim the items from your garbage dump [[zone]] later. You can even take clothing and equipment off merchant and guards this way.

You can make a wall around the merchants (and even the poor animals) and let them starve to death, letting you take what ever you want. Wait quite a while for them to starve. They will become [[Insanity|very angry]] if you do, so never open the door once they are on the brink of death.

However, the merchants will consider any lost goods to be stolen goods regardless of the method used to take possession of them, or used to destroy them.{{Verify}} See [[40d:Trading#Note_that_the_civ|the 40d page]] and [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=43771.msg829692#msg829692 This forum post]. So unless you specifically want to take the clothing off the backs of the merchants or steal from your own civ, you might as well just seize the goods anyway.

== Quantum stockpiles ==

A Quantum Stockpile (QSP) allows you to store an infinte number of items in a single square. QSPs can make for super efficient storage, allowing more compact fortresses, shorter hauling routes, more efficient manufacturing flows, stocktaking at a glance with look {{K|k}} and [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.msg3276117#msg3276117 possibly higher FPS].

=== Simple Quantum Stockpiles ===
The simplest QSP is created by designating a garbage pit zone instead of a [[stockpile]], allowing you to store an infinite number of objects in a single tile by dumping them, then reclaiming them when you want to use them.

A similar effect may be achieved for stones only by building a wall two tiles in front of a catapult and digging a channel between the wall and catapult. By firing the catapult at the wall, the stone falls into the trench. The stone will pile up in the channel, putting it out of sight and out of mind. Not only does this train [[siege operator]]s, but it clears the stone that your [[miner]]s leave everywhere.

Another way to quantum stockpile is to not have appropriate stockpiles to move items back to after you move them to the trading depot. The depot can hold an infinite number of items, and those items will not be removed if there is nowhere else to place them. This is also useful for anything you want to trade anyway.

=== The Minecart Stop ===
This method allows the type of items to be stored in the Quantum Stockpile to be completely controlled and to be as broad or specific as required. Collection of items is automatic with no user input required (just like a normal stockpile), and the number of haulers collecting for the stockpile is controlled by the size and number of receiving stockpiles. Distribution is also automatic, with dwarves coming to collect items as needed (just like from a normal stockpile).

This can be utilised as part of a minecart transport system, or standalone with no tracks or moving minecarts whatsoever. The steps below are to create a simple standalone Quantum Stockpile, but the same general principles apply if used in a minecart transport system.

Setup:
rrrr r receiving stockpile
S S Track Stop, set to dump south
d d distribution stockpile

# Build a Track Stop {{K|b}} - {{K|C}} - {{K|S}}. Ensure you set the dumping direction {{K|d}}.
# Designate a 1x1 distribution stockpile {{K|p}} on the square where the stop will dump and define preferences {{K|q}} to make the settings {{K|s}} store only what you want, with no barrels {{K|E}}, bins {{K|C}} or wheelbarrows {{K|w}}.
# Designate a receiving stockpile {{K|p}} (can be anywhere, but optimally right next to the constructed track stop) of any size. The larger it is, the more dwarves will simultaneously collect items. Define the preferences{{K|q}} of this stockpile to be the same as the distribution stockpile, with the possible exception of the number of wheelbarrows. If the QSP is for heavy items (eg [[stones]]), you may want to use wheelbarrows in the receiving stockpile to speed up collection. Wheelbarrows will place a limit of up to three dwarves simulatenously collecting, unless you make multiple receiving stockpiles, each with its own set of wheelbarrows.
# Construct a new hauling route {{K|h}}, assign a vehicle {{K|v}}, and define a new stop {{K|s}} on your constructed track stop. {{K|Enter}} to define the stop, {{K|Enter}} again to set the desired items to the same as your stockpiles, {{K|x}} to remove all existing conditions, {{K|s}} to make a stockpile link and choose the receiving stockpile/s to tell the minecart track stop to take from them.

It is a little fiddly to initially set up, and if you miss any step it won't work at all, but once in operation it's an extremely efficient storage system, and scales easily with the size of your fortress, number of haulers and number of items to store.

=== The Undump ===
This technique was [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.0 developed] before minecarts were implemented. While still a valid method, it has been superceded by the Minecart Stop QSP which achieves the same result, is easier to set up and has fewer drawbacks.

Setup:
H Hatch cover
===== ^ pressure plate, citizens trigger, linked to hatch
^sHs= = Wall
===== s Stockpile (same type)

The idea is that haulers try to place some item on the right stockpile, step on the pressure plate and make the hatch cover retract. This makes them cancel the hauling job because they can't reach the right stockpile. They then drop the item on the left stockpile, on top of as big of a pile as you want.

More information on this method can be found on the inventors [[User:Vasiln/Undump|user page]].

Drawbacks to this design:
#It's slow, because the one target stockpile generates only one job at a time. If you have more than one target stockpile they create lag because of pathing issues. You probably want to keep your normal stockpiles and use the undump to clean them up slowly. At which point you could consider just using the normal quantum stockpile dumping. Or you build more undumps.
#Job cancellation spam. You can turn that off.
#Oftentimes, dwarves drop the item on top of the pressure plate instead of on the stockpile. A feeder stockpile just outside the undump helps here.
#You obviously need some materials to build it.
#You need to create an open space tile where the hatch cover is (channelling only leaves a ramp), which means digging in the level below.
#You want to set the pressure plate to the lowest minimum weight (10000, which gets a zero cut off and displays as 1000). This can get tedious, so getting a macro is advised.
#If your stockpile management is exceptional already, the undump may not be of as much use to you.
However, there is a multitude of potential applications that get discussed in [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.0 this] thread.

== Building destroyer door ==

Forbid something a dwarf is carrying as he goes through a door, and he'll drop it. The door won't close and won't stop any normal creature from going through, but building destroyers seem to stop in their tracks, waiting for it to close before moving on. Note: your civilians can pass the creature safely, but attacking it cancels your protection. {{Verify}}

== HFS's back door ==

There's a convoluted way to dig down through [[semi-molten rock]] and evade the head-on encounter with [[hidden fun stuff]]. Doing this can enable you to, among other things, mine undiggable [[slade]] and duplicate rare minerals. See the page for [[semi-molten rock]] for details.

== Forgotten beast zoo ==

Wall off all the passageways into your lowest level at the outermost square of the map - except one, which leads to a little vestibule surrounded by fortifications. Wave hello to the various ungainly "[[forgotten beast]]s" which accumulate inside.

== Perpetual Motion ==

A [[screw pump]] requires 10 power to move water; a [[water wheel]] supplies 100 power if it's got water moving it. Arrange the former to feed the latter, while the latter powers the former, and you can get perpetual motion going - with a surplus of power available. See [[Water wheel#Perpetual motion]] for more details.

== Urist McAdventurer the Shield-wall ==

Adventurers are not limited in the number of items they can hold in their hands, allowing them to equip a virtually unlimited number of shields or bucklers with little effect to the adventurer's performance. This offers multiple chances to block attacks (vastly reducing the number that cause damage) and quickly trains up the shield user skill, further increasing the effectiveness of those shields. There is an indirect limit on how many shields you can equip based on how the total weight of your adventurer's items affects your speed, but the tradeoff between wearing a dozen (or more) shields is well worth the minor reduction in speed.

== And we'll throw the barrel/bag in for free ==

On [[embark]] buying things which are stored in [[barrel]]s gets the barrel for free, with at most 10 items per barrel, so, for example, the 15 units of randomly chosen [[meat]] which come with the default supplies will get you two free barrels, one completely filled with 10 units of meat and one half filled with 5 units of meat; you get another two free barrels from the 15 units of randomly chosen [[fish]]. You can get rid of all of that food, then for the same cost select one unit each of meat from 30 different kinds of animals, giving you 30 free barrels instead of only 4, since each different kind of animal meat is put in its own barrel. Note that different types of meat from the same kind of animal goes into a single barrel, so choosing 1 yak brain + 1 yak eye + 1 yak spleen will get you only one free barrel instead of three.

The same thing goes for things stored in [[bag]]s. Each unit of [[sand]] comes in its own bag, and since each unit of sand costs only 1 embark point while bags cost a minimum of 10 embark points each, you can get bags for ten times cheaper by buying sand, then [[dumping]] out the sand after embark.

== Infinite Adamantine / Metals ==

Because one bar of metal produces 25 bolts and a single bolt can be melted to 0.1 bars of metal, you can create unlimited adamantine wafers in your fortress using a clever setup with marksdwarves to seperate the stacks of adamantine bolts into single bolts. See http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=51423.0

This method is now obsolete with the new ability to split stacks when a trader arrives. You smelt a stack of coins, then trade it to a caravan. You can then buy the stack back in pieces, and each individual smaller stack will melt and produce .1 bars. One bar produces 500 coins, but splitting it into stacks of 1 coin each would create 500 melt jobs, producing 50 bars in return. The process is discussed in greater detail, both with and without use of macros here: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111680.0 While potentially time consuming, this new method both results in far more bars produced per stack (potentially a net profit of 49 bars instead of 1.5), and can duplicate any metal, not just military ones while simultaneously training your broker. Combined with a magma smelter and properly written macros, this method turns a smelter into a free metal generator.

See the [[Melt item]] article for the best yields when melting down items made of mundane metals for the current version.

== Quick trade goods ==

Since [[trap component#spiked ball|spiked balls]] have an extremely high base [[item value]] of ''126'', they can be produced en masse from cheap [[wood]] or other materials and sold off to unsuspecting merchants. This makes for quick cash in any fortress that has a skilled carpenter and an excess of wood on hand.

== Silk farm ==

:''Main article: [[Giant cave spider]]''
A silk farm can serve as a safe and endless source of expensive web from giant cave spiders. Its essence is a room with a goblin-soldier, separated from a giant cave spider with fortifications. The spider will attempt to kill the goblin, and now and then shoots his infinite web, which flies through the fortifications. Dwarves can collect the cobwebs and sell it, or create expensive clothes and yarn.

v0.34:Maximizing framerate

2012-09-19T10:54:45Z

Nkosi: Reordered to put measures likely to have greatest impact on FPS first. Updated some points.

{{quality|Fine|02:47, 21 May 2012 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

[[File:Frames_Per_Second_Meter.png|300px|thumb|bottom|A picture of Dwarf Fortress with Frames Per Second displayed.]]

[[Frames per second|Framerate]] is used in Dwarf Fortress to measure the speed at which the game is running. It is measured in "frames per second", or FPS for short. To check your FPS in Dwarf Fortress, simply change [FPS:NO] to [FPS:YES] in [[init.txt]], and your FPS will be displayed on the top row of the screen. The first number is the current frame rate, while the number in parentheses is the current graphical frame refresh rate.

==Increasing your Framerate==
In general, the more stuff the game has to keep track of, the slower the game will run. So, reducing the amount of stuff active keeps your game running fast. The below lists separate ways to improve FPS into two categories: things that don't change the game in any fundamental way, and things that do.

===Without Game Alterations===
Fortress design is specific ways of building and planning, game setting changes are changes mostly in the init and init_d files that don't actually change how the game plays out.

====Fortress Design====
* Larger embark sites dramatically increase the amount of terrain which DF needs to keep track of and path through.
** Reducing the size of your embark site from the default 4x4 squares to 3x3 or even 2x2 will have an enormous impact on FPS. Keep in mind that a 2x2 embark is only 25% of the size of a 4x4.
** World size probably doesn't matter except for the size of the save files, but reducing the number of cavern layers (default of 3) will help. You need at least 1 cavern layer to get underground [[crop|plants]], and 2 caverns to get all the underground [[tree]]s.
* Fewer items inside a fort means fewer items to be [[stockpile]]d, checked for [[wear]], and so on and so forth.
** Use a [[Dwarven atom smasher]] to remove items, or donate them to [[Trading|passing caravans]] to be taken away.
** [[Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|Quantum stockpiles]] can [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=92241.msg3276117#msg3276117 reportedly] improve game speed.
** Don't dig out so much of the ground, don't build such large [[Farming|farm plot]]s, just don't generate so many items in the first place.
* Flowing [[water]] slows the game down.
** Don't build [[mist]] generators, [[Screw pump|pump stacks]], or other major water-moving projects. If you do build them, build a [[Lever|way to switch them off]].
** Don't embark on a [[river]] or [[ocean]]. Rivers aren't too bad in their natural state, because the game only needs to calculate at where the water enters and where the water leaves, more-or-less skipping the water in between. Then you start damming them and pumping water out, and it gets worse.
** [[Aquifer]]s don't impose load until you start digging around in them.
**[[Water wheel#Perpetual motion|Dwarven water reactors]] also slow down the game, often significantly.
* Proper use of [[traffic]] designations will help.
** Setting corridors to "high" traffic, and dead-end workshop rooms next to them to "low" traffic, means the pathfinder algorithm will search more quickly along the corridor, and waste less time searching in the rooms.
** Changing the normal traffic weight to 1 in d_init.txt will optimize the pathfinder at the cost of High traffic zones not making a difference ([http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=97763.msg2841109#msg2841109 source])
* Closing off unused areas with raised [[bridge]]s and locked [[door]]s can help.
** Reducing the area which the pathfinder algorithm has to search lets it run faster.
** In general the pathfinder algorithm is good about not searching irrelevant areas. Caverns are probably the worst offender.
* Encountering [[HFS]] will dramatically reduce FPS AFTER you seal the breach ({{bug|1340}}). Either avoid doing so or use the work around posted in the bug report.

====Game Settings====
* G_FPS is a setting in the [[init.txt]] file. It controls how often Dwarf Fortress redraws the screen. It also controls how often the game checks for keyboard or mouse input.
** Reducing G_FPS can speed up the rest of the game. The default choice of 50 works well, but many people reduce it down to 20 with no ill effect.
** Reducing G_FPS too far can make the game unresponsive and glitchy. Some people can cope with 5; most cannot.
* PRINT_MODE is another init setting. It controls the method Dwarf Fortress uses to draw the screen.
** More advanced methods allow DF to make more use of OpenGL features and therefore your graphics card. STANDARD and VBO are good starting points.
** More advanced methods may still have bugs. 2D is more likely to be reliable.
* Using creature graphics may reduce FPS. (Using a custom ASCII tileset should have no effect)
*PRIORITY represents how much importance the game is given when it makes a request of the CPU. From [[init.txt]]:
**"Change this to make the dwarfort.exe process have a different priority. From highest to lowest, the options are REALTIME, HIGH, ABOVE_NORMAL, NORMAL, BELOW_NORMAL and IDLE."
**While it's best to run DF with no other programs in the background if FPS is an issue, giving the priority a bump or two can help speed things up regardless.
*TEXTURE_PARAM controls how the graphics are displayed, specifically how the color value of each pixel is smoothed. It is LINEAR by default. Turning this off gives the CPU one less thing to do, though the improvement in performance is so far unquantified.
**From [[init.txt]]: "Change this to NEAREST if you want the texture values to use the nearest pixel without averaging. Change this to LINEAR if you want the texture values to be averaged over the adjacent pixels."

===With Game Alterations===
All changes in this area have some effect on the game itself, use at your own discretion.

====Game Settings====
*Consider running an older version of DF. 40d should run better than 2010 or 2012, and 23a, while severely lacking, should be significantly faster. *Disputed*
* [[Temperature]] and [[Weather]] are two more features which users may or may not notice.
** Disabling them, using the settings in d_init.txt, can speed things up.
** But then rain won't refill [[murky pool]]s, [[magma]] won't melt [[goblin]]s, etc.
** Disabling temperature also results in obsidian farms being unusable; as they never cool down, dwarves refuse to step on the obsidian floor, preventing the access of hauling dwarves.
** One user [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=86761.msg2352509#msg2352509 reported] an FPS boost from 35 to 90 upon disabling temperature. (User note: Confirmed, went from 15 FPS to 70 FPS)
* Each dwarf needs to keep track of where he's going.
** Limit the number of dwarves by setting the population cap.
* Each animal needs to pathfind, too.
** Tame animals can be put into [[cage]]s, keeping them from having anywhere to go. Or you can butcher them.
* Invaders also need to pathfind.
** Turn off invasions using the option in [[D_init.txt]]. Or you can kill them all.

====Mods====
* Disabling your Dwarven civ from wearing clothing as a mod (required regen of world) may help maintain higher fps later in the game{{bug|3942}}, if you don't mind naked dwarves running around. Alternatively, finding a way to dump excess/worn out clothing might help restore fps on existing fortresses. Requires research.

==Mac OS X Specific==
Spotlight indexes files on your mac. Since DF constantly changes files, spotlight will keep indexing them using 60-70% of your CPU. Exclude DF in system preferences: spotlight's privacy settings and you can get a factor of two in FPS. This can easily provide benefits of over 30 FPS, even on multicore computers that do not need to worry about CPU. This is due to the fact that DF is not multi-threaded in any significant way.

{{Category|Guides}}

v0.34:Werebeast

2012-09-19T10:03:40Z

Nkosi: Rearranged content and some minor rewording

{{quality|Fine|18:41, 24 March 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Werebeasts''' are a variant of [[night creature]] that are procedurally created during worldgen. [[Deity|Deities]] may curse sentient creatures (including any animal man) to transform into an animal form on the night of a full moon. Creatures bitten by werebeasts are cursed to become werebeasts themselves.

Werebeasts may take the form of mammals or reptiles.

The behaviour of vanilla werebeasts in worldgen (i.e. fleeing town upon being cursed and conducting raids from their new lair) appears to be caused by the cursed individual's beast form having the [NIGHT_CREATURE_HUNTER] tag; removal of this tag from a generated werebeast extracted from a world.dat file and jimmied into the standard raws caused those cursed to behave no differently from any other unnaturally-immortal individual.

==Werebeasts in Fortresses==
In some regions, the full moon will herald the attack of werebeasts upon your fortress (triggering a message similar to the one that is shown when a Megabeast attacks), or instead the unwilling transformation of your own citizens into their bestial forms. The cursed will attack anyone they can find for the duration of the full moon, spreading their affliction even further.
Werebeasts of the same species will cooperate with each other and not normally fight, but those of different species will treat each other no differently than enemies.

==Werebeasts in Adventure Mode==
In adventurer mode, werebeasts are usually found living in small lairs on the edges of civilization. Young adventurers will often be called upon to slay them, with instructions along the line of 'he assumes a bestial form' along with a description of what type of metal they are vulnerable to. However, as long as they are not visited on the night of their transformation, they are just common peasants, and can be dispatched easily. It would behoove these individuals to hide themselves among townsfolk, but what can ya do?

==Werebeast Characteristics==
All werebeasts are described as having glowing eyes of some random color, and are "crazed for blood and flesh" meaning they attack everything that is not their own race, including undead.

The transformation to a Werebeast seems to only affect physical attributes, mental attributes are not changed though the descriptions will be relative to the Wereform's average. A Werebeast never gets hungry, thirsty or drowsy, and will not drown when in Wereform. When transforming to Wereform and back, all health regenerates, including missing limbs. All carried items will be dropped as soon as the beast enters a fight, making only the natural abilities of the creature available for combat. These abilities differ from creature to creature (Claws/Hooves/venomous Bite etc.)

If you become a werebeast and transform in adventure mode, you can pick up your weapon and shield that were dropped in the transformation, but, seeing as werebeasts seem to have minimum body size of about 80000, armor will become too [[Clothing#Size|small]] for you to fit in. Hauled items will also be dropped on Fast Travel, potentially lost forever if traveling from a location that doesn't save.

Werebeasts also tend to change back into humanoid form at the worst moment, like when they are charging a group of axedwarves. Sometimes a werebeast's humanoid form is more dangerous than the werebeast form, most obviously for [[snake man]] werebeasts.

Even if the werebeast is dispatched while in animal form, werebeast kills are listed as being of the original race.

{{D for Dwarf}}
Sometimes a werebeast arrives in humanoid form, and the game then announces the arrival of a normal, intelligent creature as if it was some terrible beast. The naked, confused creature usually runs away, probably scared by your dwarves' laughter.

{{category|humanoids}}

v0.34:Contaminant

2012-09-15T21:40:02Z

Nkosi: /* Removing */

{{av}}{{Quality|Tattered|23:51, 12 May 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Timelessness Notice}}
{{old}}

'''Contaminants''' are a feature. There are numerous types of contaminants in Dwarf Fortress, such as mud, blood, ichor, extract, (stone) dust, ash, salt, [[vomit]], snow, and pus. Unlike [[item]]s, they are bound to their square.

==Creating Mud==
Any time a tile is covered in [[water]], [[mud]] will be created on that tile.

==Tracking==


The tracking of contaminants is a configurable option, which defaults to '''NO''' in Dwarf Fortress mode and '''YES''' in [[adventure mode]]. The actual options are <tt>WALKING_SPREADS_SPATTER_DWF</tt> and <tt>WALKING_SPREADS_SPATTER_ADV</tt> in [[d_init.txt]].

==Flowing==
Water that [[flow|flows]] over contaminants can pick them up and redistribute them as the water moves. Water does not appear to move mud, although mud will be created any time water covers a tile. The mechanics of redistributing contaminants using water is not well understood although there have been some observations of strange behavior when mixing blood and water.
:* adding 7/7 water on top of a pool of blood creates more pools of blood at the edge of the water as it moves and evaporates.
:* an overflowing reservoir that contains some blood creates blood everywhere the water flows.
:* water will create mud on any non-muddy tile, and moving water will frequently redistribute the mud.

==Removing==
Removing contaminants can be accomplished by dwarves performing a [[cleaning]]. This requires a contaminant to be on a floor tile, and will (as a side effect) also remove contaminants from adjacent walls. A contaminant that is on a wall, with no adjacent contaminated floor, will never be cleaned.

Contaminants are removed if ''any'' real building is built on them (dirt roads are not buildings), even if that building is subsequently removed.

Note that [[Dwarven atom smasher|atom smashing]] a square with a contaminant on it will not remove the contaminant.

Contaminants can be moved from creatures to floor tiles with [[water]]. The simplest and most effective way is to have the creature walk through a 2/7 or 3/7 water tile. All contaminants will be transferred from the creature to the floor, and it will walk away wet (water coverings in inventory) but otherwise uncontaminated. Another way is to drop water on a creature as it's walking over a floor grate (e.g. a [[waterfall]]). This is much more complex to set up, and has an additional drawback: a dwarf who attempts to clean the contaminated floor grate tile will be interrupted by the sudden influx of water, resulting in job cancellation spam, and an uncleaned grate (unless you temporarily turn off the waterfall).

v0.34:Bridge

2012-09-13T05:11:38Z

Nkosi: /* Uses */

{{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 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 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.

==Uses==
===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]], lever-controlled retracting 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 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===
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 raised (closed) the other is retracted (open) and vice versa. This fact can be used to construct airlocks that are not vulnerable to [[building destroyer|building destroyers]] or mistimed lever pulls eg
Side View
XXXXXXR____ D = Raising drawbridge / = Ramp _ = Floor
D_____/XXXX R = Retracting bridge X = 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:Bridge

2012-09-13T05:06:02Z

Nkosi: Removed poorly written, inappropriate section on an overly specific use of bridges. Reorganised final section on uses.

{{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 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 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.

==Uses==
'''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]], lever-controlled retracting 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 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]]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.

'''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 raised (closed) the other is retracted (open) and vice versa. This fact can be used to construct airlocks that are not vulnerable to [[building destroyer|building destroyers]] or mistimed lever pulls eg
Side View
XXXXXXR____ D = Raising drawbridge / = Ramp _ = Floor
D_____/XXXX R = Retracting bridge X = 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 Talk:Bridge

2012-09-11T02:57:47Z

Nkosi:

According to the page,
<blockquote>
'''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.
</blockquote>
…this isn't true in my experience. I was building a 3x6 bridge across a brook, with dolomite being both the nearest material and the first material listed. (I agree that the material list is sorted by distance.) However, the bridge, when I chose (1 dolomite, 4 granite) was always granite. It wasn't until dolomite became the ''majority'' material (i.e., 3 dolomite, 2 granite) that the bridge itself became dolomite.

Sure DF doesn't just choose the material that occurs the most as the bridge's material?

—[[User:Deathanatos|Deathanatos]] 10:32, 18 March 2012 (UTC)

:Built a 4x3 bridge with 4 different logs. Designation order: maple, chestnut, cedar, oak. Order by distance (and list-order): the reverse, oak (24), cedar (25), chestnut (26), maple (27). Order in which materials were fetched: maple, cedar, chestnut, oak (since the distances were close together, I assume the architect grabbed the next closest-to-him material on the list, and the distances from his standpoint were slightly different than the distances during designation.). Resulting bridge material - '''''cedar''''' - which would pretty much only make sense if the selection is now random when no particular material dominates. (side note: no wood preferences on either the architect or carpenter. Dunno if that would affect things) [[User:Urist McDorf|Urist McDorf]] 02:55, 8 September 2012 (UTC)
::It might be using the item with the lowest ID number - that is, the '''oldest''' item. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 12:59, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

== Strategies ==

Does this page need a Strategies section at all? I think it should simply cover bridge basics and fundamentals, like [[Lever]], perhaps some general enhancement concepts like [[Pressure plate]], etc, and leave more complex & specific constructions to the many pages devoted to them, like [[Trap design]], [[Security design]], etc. Move the complex designs to Trap Design, or maybe just replace them with an "Also see: Trap Design". (and for Armok's sake! Get rid! of all! the! exclamation! points! AND! ALL! CAPS!!) [[User:Urist McDorf|Urist McDorf]] 05:40, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

Yes, that section under Strategies is not well written, and is far too specific to be on the top level page for Bridges. If nobody objects in the next few days, I'm going to delete it. To the contributor of that section, I suggest you copy your text out of the history of this page and submit it on the forums instead.
--[[User:Nkosi|Nkosi]] 02:57, 11 September 2012 (UTC)

v0.34:Dwarven atom smasher

2012-09-11T02:50:32Z

Nkosi: /* Smashing against the ground */ Added sentence about atom smashing not erasing contaminants

{{quality|Exceptional|11:34, 2 October 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
[[Image:DwarfSMASH.PNG|thumb|An atom smasher. Take care so there are <s>no</s> dwarves underneath when you trigger the bridge.]]

The '''Dwarven Atom Smasher''' is a nickname for a [[drawbridge]] in waste disposal or militarily-significant applications. It [[exploit]]s the implementation of drawbridges to utterly destroy any objects and most creatures in its target area. Dwarven atom smashers are now functional and useful only in several isolated cases. A <abbr title="Dwarven atom smasher">DAS</abbr> works fine as a trash compactor to smash [[stone|boulders]], [[item]]s, and [[water|fluid]]s straight into oblivion.

== Smashing against the ground ==
In this design, a drawbridge is built to come down on at least one tile of solid ground. The drawbridge is raised, the targets are placed (or move of their own volition) into position on that ground, and then the drawbridge is lowered, erasing the targets from existence. Most commonly, a garbage dump [[activity zone]] is used in order to place items beneath the drawbridge (as stockpiles cannot be placed on top of existing buildings), but other methods such as flowing [[water]] have been used with varying degrees of success.

Sand or dye in bags doesn't get erased while the bag does, creating a small pile of sand or dye on the ground. Similarly, contaminants (eg blood, vomit) are not erased when a bridge descends on them.

== Smashing upon closing ==
In this design, a very compact drawbridge (as little as one tile long) is used, and the target area is the one-tile wide anchoring area, where the bridge will close. This often uses walls, locked doors, or other solid objects, leaving the targets nowhere to go. The drawbridge is lowered, the targets are placed (or move of their own volition) into position on the tile(s) that the drawbridge will occupy when closing, and then the drawbridge is raised, squashing the targets flat.

== Immune creatures ==
The performance of a DAS on creatures is a bit of a drawback. It's well known that creatures with a size over 1,200,000 (e.g. [[elephant]]s, [[bronze colossus]]es) will make it impossible to raise a drawbridge they are standing on as well as cause a drawbridge to immediately deconstruct if lowered upon the creature. See [[List of creatures by adult size]] and sort by "Adult size" to see which animals can be affected by bridges.

[[Category:Game mechanics]]

v0.34:Density

2012-09-08T19:22:49Z

Nkosi:

{{quality|Fine|20:25, 8 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Density''' is a [[material]] property that, along with the volume of the object, affects the [[weight]] of an object made from the [[material]].

Tests show that weight affects how much damage blunt-force [[weapon|weapons]] do, of which density is a large factor of. Additionally, lightweight edged weapons or attacking parts made of certain materials seem to have difficulty piercing tissue layers.

== Density of some materials ==

{| class="wikitable sortable" cellspacing="0" border="1" cellpadding="5"
|-
! Name
! Type
! Density
! Notes
|-
|[[Feather tree]]||Wood||100||Least dense wood
|-
|[[Candlenut]]||Wood||140||Second least dense wood
|-
|[[Adamantine]]||Metal||200||Least dense metal
|-
|[[Raw adamantine]]||Stone||200
|-
|Ordinary [[wood]]||Wood||500
|-
||[[Bone]]||Organics||500
|-
|[[Leather]]||Organics||500
|-
|[[Silk]]||Organics||500
|-
|[[Yarn]]||Organics||500
|-
|[[Cedar]]||Wood||570
|-
|[[Glumprong]]||Wood||1200||Second most dense wood
|-
|[[Blood thorn]]||Wood||1250||Densest wood
|-
|[[Lignite]]||Stone||1250
|-
|[[Jet]]||Stone||1320
|-
|[[Earthenware]]||Ceramic||1360
|-
|[[Plant fiber|Plant cloth]]||Organics||1520
|-
|[[Stoneware]]||Ceramic||2000
|-
|[[Saltpeter]]||Stone||2105
|-
|[[Gypsum]] relatives||Stone||2300
|-
|[[Gypsum]]||Stone||2320
|-
|[[Porcelain]]||Ceramic||2403
|-
|[[Glass]]||Gem||2600
|-
|(General) [[stone]]||Stone||2670
|-
|Ordinary [[gem]]||Gem||2670
|-
|[[Aluminum]]||Metal||2700||Least dense "normal" metal
|-
|[[Limestone]]||Stone||2710
|-
|[[Marble]]||Stone||2780
|-
|[[Dolomite]]||Stone||2850
|-
|[[Calcite]]||Stone||2930
|-
|[[Gem|Diamond]] (any)||Gem||3520
|-
|[[Cobaltite]]||Stone||6295
|-
|[[Lay Pewter]]||Metal||7280
|-
|[[Pitchblende]]||Stone||7600||Densest "normal" stone
|-
|[[Iron]]||Metal||7850
|-
|[[Steel]]||Metal||7850
|-
|[[Cinnabar]]||Stone||8100
|-
|[[Bronze]]||Metal||8250
|-
|[[Copper]]||Metal||8930
|-
|[[Silver]]||Metal||10490
|-
|[[Lead]]||Metal||11340
|-
|[[Gold]]||Metal||19320
|-
|[[Platinum]]||Metal||21400||Densest metal
|-
|[[Native platinum]]||Stone||21400
|-
|[[Slade]]||Stone||200000
|}

{{Category|Physics}}

v0.34:Density

2012-09-08T19:21:30Z

Nkosi: /* Density of some materials */ Added some entries and Notes column

{{quality|Fine|20:25, 8 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Density''' is a [[material]] property that, along with the volume of the object, affects the [[weight]] of an object made from the [[material]].

Tests show that weight affects how much damage blunt-force [[weapon|weapons]] do, of which density is a large factor of. Additionally, lightweight edged weapons or attacking parts made of certain materials seem to have difficulty piercing tissue layers.

== Density of some materials ==

{| class="wikitable sortable" cellspacing="0" border="1" cellpadding="5"
|-
! Name
! Type
! Density
! Notes
|-
|[[Feather tree]]||Wood||100||Least dense wood
|-
|[[Candlenut]]||Wood||140||Second least dense wood
|-
|[[Adamantine]]||Metal||200||Least dense metal
|-
|[[Raw adamantine]]||Stone||200
|-
|Ordinary [[wood]]||Wood||500
|-
||[[Bone]]||Organics||500
|-
|[[Leather]]||Organics||500
|-
|[[Silk]]||Organics||500
|-
|[[Yarn]]||Organics||500
|-
|[[Cedar]]||Wood||570
|-
|[[Glumprong]]||Wood||1200||Second most dense wood (above ground evil biomes)
|-
|[[Blood thorn]]||Wood||1250||Densest wood
|-
|[[Lignite]]||Stone||1250
|-
|[[Jet]]||Stone||1320
|-
|[[Earthenware]]||Ceramic||1360
|-
|[[Plant fiber|Plant cloth]]||Organics||1520
|-
|[[Stoneware]]||Ceramic||2000
|-
|[[Saltpeter]]||Stone||2105
|-
|[[Gypsum]] relatives||Stone||2300
|-
|[[Gypsum]]||Stone||2320
|-
|[[Porcelain]]||Ceramic||2403
|-
|[[Glass]]||Gem||2600
|-
|(General) [[stone]]||Stone||2670
|-
|Ordinary [[gem]]||Gem||2670
|-
|[[Aluminum]]||Metal||2700||Least dense "normal" metal
|-
|[[Limestone]]||Stone||2710
|-
|[[Marble]]||Stone||2780
|-
|[[Dolomite]]||Stone||2850
|-
|[[Calcite]]||Stone||2930
|-
|[[Gem|Diamond]] (any)||Gem||3520
|-
|[[Cobaltite]]||Stone||6295
|-
|[[Lay Pewter]]||Metal||7280
|-
|[[Pitchblende]]||Stone||7600||Densest "normal" stone
|-
|[[Iron]]||Metal||7850
|-
|[[Steel]]||Metal||7850
|-
|[[Cinnabar]]||Stone||8100
|-
|[[Bronze]]||Metal||8250
|-
|[[Copper]]||Metal||8930
|-
|[[Silver]]||Metal||10490
|-
|[[Lead]]||Metal||11340
|-
|[[Gold]]||Metal||19320
|-
|[[Platinum]]||Metal||21400||Densest metal
|-
|[[Native platinum]]||Stone||21400
|-
|[[Slade]]||Stone||200000
|}

{{Category|Physics}}

v0.34:Swimmer

2012-08-24T17:58:58Z

Nkosi: /* Learning/Teaching swimming */ Mentioned increased chance of harm when dwarves washed over edge in automated swimming training method

{{Quality|Fine}}
{{Skill
| color = 3:0
| skill = Swimmer
| specialty = Peasant
| profession = None
| job name = None
| tasks =
* Getting in and out of water
* Staying calm underwater
| attributes =
* Strength
* Agility
* Endurance
* Willpower
* Spatial Sense
* Kinesthetic Sense
}}
{{av}}

== Drowning ==
'''Swimmers''' can move in [[water]] without drowning.

[[Experience|Dabbling]] or untrained swimmers will start drowning immediately upon contact with deep water (7/7 depth), and require a [[ramp]] or [[stairs|stairway]] to get out. If neither are accessible, they're done for. Fortunately every shallow body of water has ramps.

Novice swimmers are able to get out of water safely without needing a ramp or stairway, but they will start drowning if [[Status_icons|stunned]]. Once that happens it can be difficult to get them out, as they lose the ability to exit anywhere and behave just like an untrained or dabbling swimmer. Namely, they start drowning. Everyone is stunned by falling into water rather than entering it calmly, which is what normally happens when they aren't entering it of their [[Carp|own free will]].

Adequate swimmers do not panic and start drowning in that situation, even when attacked, so training to this level is highly recommended. Higher levels only increase the speed when swimming, with a legendary swimmer being ''faster'' than he would be while running.

== Learning/Teaching swimming ==
A dwarf in the water will gain the ability to swim very fast - sadly not fast enough to prevent death from drowning. While water with a depth of 7/7 is deadly for non-swimmers, 6/7 or less will not harm any dwarf. So you can use water from 4/7 to 6/7 safely to teach your little ones how to swim. The speed of learning is independent of the depth, but water with a depth less of than 4/7 is not deep enough to make a dwarf swim, and therefore learn anything.

Training your little ones just requires a place of constantly or temporarily 4-6/7 water. Military orders or making rooms a meeting hall will not entice dwarves into the water, so you may need to prevent them from leaving an area (locked door, etc.) and then fill the area with the required amount of water, or dump them in from above using a [[bridge|retracting bridge]].

Swimming, since it involves no activity, can be potentially useful to train physically handicapped dwarves, whose conditions might go away or become manageable with an attribute boost to strength, endurance, willpower etc.

A fully automated method to train idlers is to use water flowing over a 1-z drop, with a 1-wide meeting zone at the top of the ledge, and a swimming pool at the bottom. Idlers will go to the meeting zone, be swept over the side into the pool and swim to the ramp, and repeat this for as long as they are idle. The meeting zone must have a low enough rate of flow that it has unsubmerged tiles, so dwarves voluntarily move into it. This can be accomplished with tricks like restricting flow through diagonal passages (see [[Pressure]] for details). Be aware that in recent versions dwarves can now suffer injuries more easily when falling, so this method can cause serious harm when the dwarves are washed over the edge.

Diagram of the 'fully automated' configuration described above:

.... - (pool continues as desired)
║≈≈≈≈║ - depth 4-6 swimming pool on Z-1
║+++▲║ - dropoff / entrance ramp from above
║<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>║ - meeting hall, depth 0-3
╚╗%╔═╝
║%║ - screw pump (S->N)
║.║ - limited pump source (e.g. depth ~4-per-tick tile on Z-1)
╚═╝
Not pictured: exit from the swimming pool, preferably close to the entrance ramp to minimize delays in training.

== Adventure Mode ==
In [[adventurer mode]], as a novice swimmer, by moving carefully ({{k|alt}}+direction) into open space above water and selecting the option to move below (such as West/Below), then you can swim about without getting stunned and starting to drown. To get out, alt-move carefully against a shoreline and select the option to move above.

Swimmers can also dive and rise through the [[z-axis]] by pressing {{k|>}} and {{k|<}} respectively. Note that air-breathers will be unable to breathe without air in the tile above them, and without returning to the surface will eventually drown. (Sadly, there's no oxygen meter as of yet, so you'll never know when they're about to expire. Don't linger too long.)

In adventure mode, water preference can be switched between "when possible" and "necessary" by pressing {{k|m}}.

If the temperature (press {{k|P}}) is "freezing" or if it is "cold" and close to sundown, the water may freeze while you are swimming, which instantly kills you and leaves your frozen corpse encased in ice and a valuable find for archeologists.
{{Skills}}

v0.34:Crossbow

2012-08-24T04:07:32Z

Nkosi: /* Logistics */ Clarified info on making quivers.

{{quality|Masterwork|04:05, 6 May 2012 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

:''See [[Weapon]] for a general overview of weapons and related information.''
'''Crossbows''' are the only native ranged [[weapon]] available to dwarves (although one can also acquire blowguns and bows through trading or looting of failed [[siege]]s). While more difficult to set up than melee weapons, crossbows have the distinct advantage of allowing dwarves to fight at range, often killing enemies before they can enter melee distance. They are thus an excellent support weapon, especially if you have already filled out your <s>meat shields</s> melee squad(s).

== Production ==
Crossbows can be made from a variety of materials, be they [[wood]], [[bone]] or [[metal]]. Wooden and bone crossbows are made at a dedicated [[bowyer's workshop]] using the [[bowyer]] skill, whereas metal crossbows are made at a [[metalsmith's forge]] using the [[weaponsmithing]] skill. Crossbows fire [[bolt]]s, which can be made in [[stack]]s of 25 (for wood and metal) or 5 (for bones) of the same materials; wooden and bone bolts are made at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]], and metal bolts are made at a metalsmith's forge.

== Ranged combat ==
Crossbows fire [[bolt]]s as their [[ammunition]], and will engage targets up to 20 tiles away, including firing down z-levels. Fired bolts may miss the target and fly a bit further than intended, potentially striking another foe (but '''never''' a friendly soldier on the other side).

The material that the crossbows are made of are irrelevant to ranged combat, where the [[quality]] of the craftsmanship and [[skill]] of the marksdwarf determine accuracy, and the quality and material of the [[bolt]]s themselves (metal being better then bone being better than wood) determines damage. If you are confident your melee soldiers can keep your marksdwarves safe from melee engagements and have a skilled [[bowyer]], then easily-produced, high-quality wooden or bone crossbows are excellent equipment for your marksdwarves.

As can be expected, targets that are stationary are much easier to hit then those that are moving. Since marksdwarves can down targets at range, they do a much better job taking down fleeing thieves and goblin ambushes that your regular soldiers might not be able to catch.

== Melee combat ==
Nonetheless, marksdwarves that are approached by enemies will engage in melee combat with them, using the butt of their crossbows like [[Hammerman|hammers]]. Because of this it is useful to [[cross-training|cross-train]] your dwarves with hammering skill, so that they will be better able to stand their ground in a fight, but a marksdwarf fighting a similarly armed and armored enemy with a melee weapon will usually lose either way.

The denser the material, the more damage a crossbow butt-strike will do in melee combat. Metal, specifically copper with its SOLID_DENSITY of 8930, performs the best and wood the worst. This can actually be exploited when creating your [[fortress guard]]; equipping your soldiers with light wooden crossbows will reduce the severity of the [[Justice#Punishments|beatings]] they deliver while still allowing them to pincushion enemy soldiers with masterwork steel bolts.

== Logistics ==
Crossbows require bolts to fire, otherwise they are tantamount to useless. Bolts are typically carried in [[Equipment#Quivers|quivers]], which can be made of leather from [[leatherworking]], of cloth or silk from your [[textile industry]], or obtained from [[caravan|caravans]] or as [[goblinite]].

When fired, one of two things will happen: either the bolt will shatter on impact with the ground or the target, or it will stay whole and, when all's said and done, be retrievable. This is a bit difficult, however, as fired bolts are automatically [[forbidden]] by default; in the [[orders]] screen, under [F]orbid, you can change it so that fired ammunition is automatically claimed. Otherwise, the easiest way to reclaim spent ammunition is to go to them in the [[stocks]] screen and unforbid them.

Military barracks for [[Soldier#Marksdwarves|marksdwarves]] require [[archery target]]s for training. Bolts will be a constant demand from a training marksdwarf squad; it is recommended to create a large stock of wooden bolts for training purposes, and reserve metal bolts for actual combat use.

== Hunting ==
[[Ambusher|Hunters]] use crossbows when hunting; [[migrant]] hunters automatically arrive with a free crossbow and a small number of bolts, and hunters will automatically pick one up from your ammunition stockpile when they go hunting, as well as the necessary [[quiver]] and [[bolt]]s. Hunters have a special [[Military_interface#Ammunition|section]] in the military screen, from which you can modify their ammunition allotment. Disabling the hunting labor will cause them to drop their weapon and equipment at the nearest applicable stockpile, and is absolutely necessary if you have embarked in a particularly [[evil|fun]] location. Hunters usually give up on hunting if they run out of carried ammunition.

==Bugs==
* If squad is assigned multiple ammo types, dwarves with "individual choice ranged" carry wrong ammo{{bug|1374}}.
* Crossbows can regularly pierce even adamantine armor with wooden bolts. Copper and other low-grade metals can do so virtually every time.{{bug|5516}}
{{Category|Weapons}}
{{Category|Military}}

=See Also=
[[Crossbowman]] 
[[Archery]]

v0.34:Goblinite

2012-08-24T04:02:26Z

Nkosi:

{{Quality|Fine|21:26, 1 June 2012 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

'''Goblinite''' refers to the metal and clothing resources that can be gathered off of [[goblin]] corpses. Depending on the fortress they may be an important supplement to normally produced or traded [[armor]], [[weapon]]s, and [[clothing]]. The clothing content of [[siege]]s can almost single-handily provide an entire fortress with clothes, while [[melt|melting]] down weapons and armor can make up for a lack of iron bearing ore in an embark.

{{D for Dwarf}}

It is an important ore, good for [[iron]], [[copper]], [[bronze]], and/or [[silver]]. Unlike other ores, goblinite is not restricted to any particular layer, though it is most often found on or near the surface. It occurs in [[Thief|small clusters]], which can sometimes be dealt with by a solitary dwarf with a [[pick]], and [[Ambush|veins]] and [[Siege|large clusters]] which require greater effort to yield. The discovery of a large vein of goblinite is cause for celebration, a holiday known as [[Goblin christmas]]. Also, there have been some reports of goblinite spontaneously materializing in the vicinity of armed weapon traps.

Once the [[Combat|mining]] is complete, the goblinite can be [[Forbid|unforbidden]] and your dwarfs can carry it off to the [[stockpile]]. To yield the precious metal, each piece of ore must be designated for [[melt]]ing and processed at a [[smelter]]; the yield is typically less than that of normal ores of iron and copper, but can be an important resource in a particularly metal-poor location, provided you have sufficient [[fuel]]. Many [[caravan]]s prize raw goblinite, along with its attendant wrappings.

As of the current version dwarves and goblins have the same adult body size, therefore allowing goblinite to be equipped directly without melting and reforging as an early or cheap source of low quality armor for a fortress.

Recent advances in the field of dwarven fashion have increased the demand for the [[clothing|wrapping paper]] in which goblinite is often packaged. While the dwarves of yore would often throw this into the [[magma]] while muttering about [[FPS]], the young dwarves of today have been spotted wearing it.

{{Category|Ore}}

v0.34:Goblinite

2012-08-24T04:00:35Z

Nkosi:

{{Quality|Fine|21:26, 1 June 2012 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

'''Goblinite''' refers to the metal and clothing resources that can be gathered off of [[goblin]] corpses. Depending on the fortress they may be an important supplement to normally produced or traded [[armor]], [[weapon]]s, and [[clothing]]. The clothing content of [[siege]]s can almost single-handily provide an entire fortress with clothes, while [[melting]] down weapons and armor can make up for a lack of iron bearing ore in an embark.

{{D for Dwarf}}

It is an important ore, good for [[iron]], [[copper]], [[bronze]], and/or [[silver]]. Unlike other ores, goblinite is not restricted to any particular layer, though it is most often found on or near the surface. It occurs in [[Thief|small clusters]], which can sometimes be dealt with by a solitary dwarf with a [[pick]], and [[Ambush|veins]] and [[Siege|large clusters]] which require greater effort to yield. The discovery of a large vein of goblinite is cause for celebration, a holiday known as [[Goblin christmas]]. Also, there have been some reports of goblinite spontaneously materializing in the vicinity of armed weapon traps.

Once the [[Combat|mining]] is complete, the goblinite can be [[Forbid|unforbidden]] and your dwarfs can carry it off to the [[stockpile]]. To yield the precious metal, each piece of ore must be designated for [[melt]]ing and processed at a [[smelter]]; the yield is typically less than that of normal ores of iron and copper, but can be an important resource in a particularly metal-poor location, provided you have sufficient [[fuel]]. Many [[caravan]]s prize raw goblinite, along with its attendant wrappings.

As of the current version dwarves and goblins have the same adult body size, therefore allowing goblinite to be equipped directly without melting and reforging as an early or cheap source of low quality armor for a fortress.

Recent advances in the field of dwarven fashion have increased the demand for the [[clothing|wrapping paper]] in which goblinite is often packaged. While the dwarves of yore would often throw this into the [[magma]] while muttering about [[FPS]], the young dwarves of today have been spotted wearing it.

{{Category|Ore}}