Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

Surroundings

2015-03-25T22:01:24Z

Pallor Mortis: Rewrote "Evil" section.

{{Quality|Fine|18:33, 23 August 2014 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

'''Surroundings''' affect the types of [[crop|plant]] life, wild [[animal]]s and [[creatures]] which will appear in play within a given [[biome]]. It is possible to start a [[fortress]] that overlaps multiple alignment types (for example a terrifying [[forest]] and a calm [[shrubland]]). Some players consider this desirable, as it provides diversity in your little corner of the world, but it also has its dangers in the form of more ferocious wildlife.

Some plants and animals are unique to a certain type of surroundings and will only be found if those surroundings are present on the map. Note that most creatures also require a specific [[climate]] to spawn in. Again, it's important to check the specific biomes making up your site. Once a [[creature]] spawns on the map, it is under no compulsion to stay in its own biome and can roam as it pleases. Because of this, the specifics of what means what can be difficult to pin down sometimes.

== Combinations of surroundings ==

{| {{prettytable}}
|-style="background:#dddddd"
|style="background:#aaaaaa"| ||'''Benign'''||'''Neutral'''||'''Savage'''
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Good'''||Serene||Mirthful||Joyous Wilds
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Neutral'''||Calm||Wilderness||Untamed Wilds
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Evil'''||Sinister||Haunted||Terrifying
|}

===Neutral===

:Including {{DFtext|Calm|7:0}}, {{DFtext|Wilderness|2:0}} and {{DFtext|Untamed Wilds|6:1}}

'''Neutral''' regions are the easiest to understand. They generally mimic the real world, with recognizable wildlife. They can be quite dangerous depending on the region, holding anything from benign and weak weasels, to the generally non-aggressive but physically powerful [[elephant]]s, to the very aggressive and very dangerous [[giant eagle]]s. As one might expect, ''Benign Neutral'' zones are really very safe, while ''Savage Neutral'' areas can pose some major difficulties, depending on the dominating climate, landforms, [[giant badger|or]] [[giant kea|wildlife]]. You'll find most of the standard aboveground plants in these alignments, such as [[prickle berry|prickle berries]], [[rope reed]], [[strawberry|strawberries]] and the like.

===Good===

:Including {{DFtext|Serene|1:1}}, {{DFtext|Mirthful|2:1}} and {{DFtext|Joyous Wilds|3:1}}

'''Good''' biomes tend to have less aggressive and weaker [[creatures]], except for the [[unicorn]]. Good regions also support the wild [[sun berry]], which makes the best [[alcohol]] in the game. There are generally slight changes between ''Benign Good'' and ''Savage Good''.

====Distinctive flora & fauna====
* Animals: [[mountain gnome]], [[satyr]], [[unicorn]], [[merperson]], [[gorlak]]
* Plants: [[sun berry]], [[bubble bulb]], [[downy grass]]
* Trees: [[feather tree]]
* Vermin: [[fluffy wambler]], [[fairy]], [[pixie]]

===Evil===

:Including {{DFtext|Sinister|5:0}}, {{DFtext|Haunted|5:1}} and {{DFtext|Terrifying|5:1}}

'''Evil''' regions are much more <s>dangerous</s> [[fun]] than their ''Neutral'' and ''Good'' counterparts across the board. Firstly, in addition to the ordinary wildlife native to the biome, various other [[creatures]] that are nasty, dangerous, and spiteful such as [[beak dog]]s, [[harpy|harpies]], and [[ogre]]s can be found in evil regions.

Most evil regions have associated evil [[weather]]. Evil clouds can inflict various [[syndrome]]s on par with those of [[forgotten beast]]s, or instantly transform creatures into freakishly powerful [[Undead#Thralls, Husks, and_Zombies|thralls]]. Evil rains may also inflict random syndromes, albeit less severe ones, and always cause unhappy [[thought]]s and a desire to wash. Evil rain won't refill pools, but a single biome may have both evil and regular rain, even at the same time.

About half of all evil regions are "reanimating", meaning that all wildlife will be [[undead]], and any creature that dies will, after a short time, be reanimated as undead. Undead are substantially faster and stronger than their living counterparts, are hostile to all living creatures, and feel no fear or pain. Undead can only be killed in [[combat]] by beheading, bisection, or pulping damage, or otherwise by [[Butcher|butchering]], [[Cave-in|cave-ins]], [[Dwarven atom smasher|particle physics]], or good old fashioned [[Magma|magma]]. Beheading, bisection and butchering may leave remains that can be reanimated; any partial corpse or body part that is not "mangled" and contains at least one hand or head can reanimate. This includes [[skin]] and even [[hair]] left over from butchering.

Creatures that can [[Building destroyer|destroy buildings]], [[Trapavoid|avoid traps]] or [[Steals items|steal items]] will retain these abilities in undeath. Undead do not need to breathe, so they will not be stopped by rivers or moats, and aquatic undead can and will come ashore.

If your [[Embark|embark]] site spans multiple biomes then only the evil part will have the reanimating effect, and only wildlife appearing from that side will be undead. The reanimating effect extends all the way underground. The trees at embark may all be dead, and though they can be cut down for logs, will not regrow. Undead shrubs are useless for [[Herbalist|gathering]], too.

When embarking in a reanimating evil region, it is advised to move everything underground as soon as possible, and immediately set up plenty of [[trap]]s and/or a [[military]] armed with blunt weapons. Be very careful with [[refuse]] stockpiles and butcher's shops. Keep livestock to a minimum, as they are a liability. Needless to say, hunting is a very bad idea.

Because of the inhospitality of evil regions, even ''Benign Evil'' is very difficult for beginning players to earn a niche to work in, so it should be reserved for a challenge only.

====Distinctive flora & fauna====
* Animals: [[ogre]] (evil temperate shrublands), [[dark gnome]] (evil mountain), [[beak dog]], [[foul blendec]] (evil tropical forest only), [[grimeling]] (evil swamp only), [[harpy]], [[troll]], [[strangler]] (evil tropical forest), [[nightwing]] (evil desert), [[ice wolf]] (evil tundra), [[blizzard man]] (evil glacier only), [[sea monster]] (evil ocean only)
* Plants: [[sliver barb]], [[staring eyeball]], [[wormy tendril]]
* Trees: [[glumprong]]
* Vermin: [[demon rat]], [[blood gnat]], [[knuckle worm]], [[phantom spider]]

===Savage===
: Including {{DFtext|Untamed Wilds|6:1}}, {{DFtext|Joyous Wilds|3:1}} and {{DFtext|Terrifying|5:1}}

'''Savage''' surroundings are the only surroundings which have giant versions and humanoid versions of some animals. It is also possible that two groups of animals happen outside on a savage biome, instead of one. They are also far more varied in wildlife than the other biomes.

Most of the creatures in savage biomes will leave you alone, especially the animal men who are harmless (with a very few exceptions), and most of the giant creatures will not be hostile, but then again a savage biome may just surprise you with [[giant kea]]s or [[giant badger]]s, and some of the creatures found in savage biomes are dangerous indeed. If you don't know what to expect, just look it up. A "Savage Good" region is called Joyous Wilds, a "Savage Neutral" region is called Untamed Wilds, and a "Savage Evil" region is called <s>excessively [[fun]]</s> Terrifying.

Savage biomes also house [[whip vine]]s, a high-value millable/brewable aboveground crop and [[highwood]]s, the largest and most wood-producing tree in the game.

Civilisations typically do not settle in high-savagery regions, except for [[elf|elves]] who are naturally at peace with animals.

====Distinctive flora & fauna====
* Animals: [[giant eagle]], [[giant cheetah]], [[giant leopard]], [[giant jaguar]], [[giant tiger]], [[giant lion]], [[tigerman]], [[slug man]], [[snail man]], [[leech man]], [[giant desert scorpion]], [[sasquatch]], [[sea serpent]]
* Plants: [[whip vine]]
* Trees: [[highwood]]
* Vermin: [[two-legged rhino lizard]], [[moghopper]], [[fox squirrel]], [[acorn fly]]

{{World}}

Wagon

2014-12-30T01:05:42Z

Pallor Mortis: Restructured article.

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{{creaturelookup/0|contrib=no|death=item|item=Wagon wood|wiki=yes}}
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''(For information on the wagon carrying your goods during embark, see [[Wagon (embark)]].)''
----
{{creaturedesc}}

'''Wagons''' are special "creatures" used by [[Human]] and [[Dwarf|Dwarven]] [[caravan]]s. Wagons have a much greater hauling capacity than pack animals, increasing the imported goods available to your fortress and the capacity for exported goods. Unfortunately, wagons require specific accommodations to reach your fortress: wagon-accessible paths must be three tiles wide, extend from natural-land tiles at the screen border to your [[trade depot]], and cannot contain [[trap]]s or [[pressure plate]]s. If wagons are unable to find a path to your trade depot (or if you have not built a depot at all), they will bypass your site and you will only be able to trade for what is available on the merchants' pack animals.

Wagons which are destroyed, abandoned, or scuttled will leave behind a unique type of wood: wagon wood. Since they count as creatures, dead wagons can be [[memorial]]ized (though a [[ghost]]ly wagon has not yet been observed).{{cite talk/this|Wagon death, list in deceased list and memorialization bug reproduction}}

== Depot Accessibility ==

In order to appear alongside [[caravan]]s, wagons must have an appropriate place on the map edge to spawn and an unobstructed path to a [[trade depot]].

After a trade depot is built, you can use {{K|D}} to check wagon accessibility. The decisive element is that you see the 'depot accessible' message on the right. Accessibility is calculated from your depot towards the map edges; even though you see a green area around your depot, it may not be accessible from outside. You need to make sure the path extends all the way to some edge of the map. The display is somewhat misleading in that a one tile wide green path is sufficient for the 3 tile wide wagons; the green {{Raw Tile|W|2:2:1}}s represent only the ''center'' of a wagon although the whole 3x3 can fit around it - so a three-tile wide path, which can fit a wagon, will only show up as one-tile wide line of {{Raw Tile|W|2:2:1}}s. When the route they would take goes over hills (ramps), it's hard to eye whether it is continuous all the way to the edge of the map, so be sure you see the words "depot accessible" on the depot access screen.

As long as you have a three-tile wide path to the depot that reaches ''any'' natural-land tiles at the edge of the map, wagons will be able to reach the depot. If there is only one path they can take, they will take that path. You can force them to enter and exit the map in an exact spot -- preferably very near your depot -- by erecting walls or digging channels so that all paths but the one you want them to take are blocked. Note that all caravans will prefer to enter the map at a wagon-accessible point, so this can also be used for [[Elf|Elven]] caravans as well.

Wagons will not appear on non-natural surface tiles at a map edge (such as a "bridge to nowhere"), though they can sometimes be encouraged to leave the map edge in such a manner. Wagons will also delay appearing at the map edge if their intended location is currently blocked by any other creature, similar to [[migrant]]s.

== Movement ==

Wagons can move horizontally across/through:
* Ordinary open ground
* Small plants, e.g. [[grass]], [[shrub]]s
* Constructed [[road]]s or [[floor]]s
* [[Bridge]]s
* Passable tiles of [[workshop]]s and other buildings (e.g. [[restraint]]s)
* [[Creature]]s, apart from other wagons.
* Closed [[hatch cover]]s, even if they are over open space.

Wagons cannot move horizontally across/through:
* [[Boulder]]s (can be [[smoothing|smoothed]] to make them passable)
* [[Trap]]s
* [[Pressure plate]]s
* Any type of [[stairs|stair]] tile, apart from a down stair with a hatch cover on top
* [[Impassable tile]]s of [[workshop]]s and other buildings (e.g. [[statue]]s)
* [[Door]]s, even if they are operated by [[lever]] and left open
* Drained [[murky pool]] or [[river]] tiles (constructing and, optionally, removing a floor or road on top will make them passable)

Wagons can move up or down [[z-level]]s via ramps, so long as they do not have hatch covers on top. Wagons use different rules for movement on ramps - namely, they are able to ascend a ramp to a raised floor over empty space, but cannot cross the line of ramps while remaining at the same level. With some careful design it is possible to make bridges that control depot accessibility without actually allowing anything to cross them, or paths that can be traversed only by wagons but not dwarves or ''vice versa''.

== Wagon-only entrances ==

Wagons are able to navigate through certain entrances which other (walking) creatures cannot. Specificially, wagons can climb ramps that walking creatures consider to be "unusuable". By building a set of ramps which are exclusively unusable, you can send wagons on a direct route, while filtering all other traffic through your trap-covered route.

An example: [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=125977.0]:
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
[#0ff]Z[#0ff]{{=}}[#0ff]0 [#0ff]Z[#0ff]{{=}}[#0ff]1
▓+++▓ ▓▓▓▓▓
▓▲▲▲▓ ▓▼▼▼▓
▓+++▓ ▓+++▓
▓▓▓▓▓ ▓+++▓
▓+++▓ ▓+++▓
▓▲▲▲▓ ▓▼▼▼▓
▓+++▓ ▓▓▓▓▓
}}

Another example, which uses slightly less space.
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
[#0ff]Z[#0ff]{{=}}[#0ff]-[#0ff]1 [#0ff]Z[#0ff]{{=}}[#0ff]0
▓▓▓▓▓ ▓+++▓
▓+++▓ ▓+++▓
▓▲▲▲▓ ▓▼▼▼▓
▓+++▓ ▓+++▓
▓▓▓▓▓ ▓+++▓
}}

== Bugs ==

* Wagons can become "stuck" in obstacles.{{bug|5418}}
* Wagon pathing problems can result in caravan collisions.{{bug|5687}}
* It's possible for a dwarf to have a preference for "wagon wood".{{Bug|3676}}
* Wagons are listed as "deceased" after being scuttled.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}

Pit

2014-12-30T01:01:07Z

Pallor Mortis: Minor addition.

{{quality|unrated}}{{av}}
'''Pit''' can refer to:

* [[Activity zone#Pit/Pond|Pit/pond designation]] (for activity zones)
* [[Caverns#Other_features|Deep pits]] (found in some caverns)
* [[Pit trap]], a defense project
* [[Eerie glowing pit]]s

{{disambig}}

v0.34:Knuckle worm

2014-02-03T10:55:53Z

Pallor Mortis: Minor addition.

{{Quality|Exceptional|01:40, 10 June 2010 (UTC)}}
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'''Knuckle worms''' are an [[above ground]] [[vermin]]. They are found in any [[evil]] areas that are not [[biome|freezing]], and may cause nearby [[food]] to [[rot]]. Dwarves may [[preferences|prefer]] them for their ''knobs and angles'' or their ''crackles and pops''. Surprisingly, they are not [[vermin#Hateable vermin|hateable]].

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{{Vermin}}

v0.34:Cobaltite

2014-01-31T14:07:57Z

Pallor Mortis: Added real life information.

{{quality|Exceptional|22:42, 10 November 2010 (UTC)}}{{stonelookup/0}}{{av}}

'''Cobaltite''' is a brilliant blue stone (notably, the '''only''' stone of its color) found as veins in numerous environments. Despite its appearance (showing up as {{Raw Tile|£|1:7:1}} unmined and {{Raw Tile|*|1:1}} mined), it is '''not''' a usable ore.

Cobaltite is particularly [[density|dense]], making it useful for [[trap#Stone-fall_Trap|stone-fall traps]] and as [[catapult]] ammunition.

== In Real Life ==

Cobaltite is an ore of cobalt, a [[metal]] not modelled in Dwarf Fortress. Interestingly, the name derives from the word [[kobold]].

{{gamedata}}
{{stones}}

v0.34:Green tree frog

2013-12-26T16:44:10Z

Pallor Mortis: Added basic description.

{{quality|Fine|22:50, 26 February 2013 (UTC)}}
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'''Green tree frogs''' are unremarkable [[amphibious]] [[vermin]] found in temperate freshwater [[biome|biomes]]. Despite the description, they do not live in trees. They are not [[vermin#Hateable_vermin|hateable]].

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{{vermin}}

v0.34:Kangaroo

2013-12-17T22:04:34Z

Pallor Mortis: Updated with various information.

{{quality|Fine|22:17, 24 February 2013 (UTC)}}
{{creaturelookup/0
|bone=10-22
|meat=14-17
|fat=11-16
|skull=1
|lung=2
|intestine=0-1
|spleen=0-1
|kidney=0-2
|brain=1
|heart=0-1
|liver=1
|tripe=1
|sweetbread=0-1
|skin=hide
|hair=0-1

|contrib=no
|wiki=yes}}
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Kangaroos are mid-sized [[pasture|grazing]] animals. They produce low value meat and have a fairly low pet value (the same as [[sheep]]), making them hardly worth the trouble of taming. Like most mammals, they can be milked. Interestingly, they are classed as [[:Category:DF2012:Humanoids|humanoids]], rather than quadrupeds.

In real life, kangaroos are frequently harvested for their meat and leather.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_industry]

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v0.34:Steel

2013-12-16T02:18:12Z

Pallor Mortis: Updated information about trading to support steel industry.

{{Quality|Masterwork|23:34, 27 April 2013 (UTC)}}
{{Alloy3
|name=Steel
|color=0:7:1
|color1=0:0:1
|color2=0:0:1
|color3=7:0:1
|tile3=•
|uses=
* [[weapon|Melee Weapons]]
* [[Crossbow]]s
* [[Bolt]]s
* [[Pick]]s
* [[Armor]]
* [[Anvil]]
* [[Metalsmith's forge|Metal crafting]]
|recipe=
* 1 [[iron]] [[bar]]
* 1 [[pig iron]] [[bar]]
* 1 [[flux]] [[stone]]
* 1 [[fuel|coal]] [[bar]]
|properties=
* [[Material value]] 30
}}{{av}}

'''Steel''' is the best common metal for smithing most [[weapon]]s and [[armor]]. Products made with steel also have a very high value, equal to that of [[gold]].

Steel can be created at a [[smelter]] by a [[dwarf]] with the [[furnace operator]] [[labor]] activated.

==Sedimentary Layers==

To smelt steel, you will need [[iron]] ore, [[flux]] stone, and [[fuel]]. Flux is used to remove impurities including carbon during the smelting process, while fuel (coke or charcoal) removes oxygen and puts back in a small amount of carbon. The end result is steel: iron with just the right amount of carbon in it. The three ores of iron (hematite, magnetite, and limonite) can only be found in [[sedimentary layer]]s, with the exception of hematite, which can occasionally be found in igneous extrusive layers. Furthermore, four of the five [[flux]] stones (calcite, chalk, dolomite, and limestone) are found only in sedimentary layers, as well as both [[coal]] ores (bituminous coal and lignite) for making [[coke]] fuel.

If you have no sedimentary layers at your fortress site, your only hope to make steel is with:
* hematite from [[igneous extrusive]] layers, or iron ore imported from [[trade]] caravans
* melting iron items brought by [[siege]]rs and caravans
* marble from [[metamorphic]] layers, or imported [[flux]]
* coke from imported [[bituminous coal]], or [[charcoal]] from [[wood]]

Note that bituminous coal, like most stones, costs only 3☼ at embark or from caravans. With [[Sample_Starting_Builds#Minmax_build|a cunning enough starting build]], it is possible to embark with enough for several hundred units of coke. This is only possible if your parent [[civilization]] has access to coal; otherwise it will not be available at all, meaning you will have to cut down a tree and burn it to make charcoal for every bar of steel, even with access to magma smelters.

==Recipe==
Steel production is fairly complex compared to the creation of other [[alloy]]s. ''Important note'': in steelmaking, [[coke]] or [[charcoal]] is also used as an ingredient, apart from its use as [[fuel]]. A conventional (non-magma) smelter will require an additional unit of fuel in each reaction.

The first step is '''to create [[pig iron]]''':

:*1 bar of [[iron]]
:*1 [[flux]] stone
:*1 unit of [[fuel]] (as a source of carbon)
:*1 unit of fuel, or magma (to heat the forge)
:'''Produces''':
:*1 bar of pig iron

[[Image:SteelSword.png|thumb|right|200px|''A [[steel]] [[short sword]].'']]

The second step combines the pig iron with plain iron '''to produce steel''':

:*1 bar of iron
:*1 bar of pig iron
:*1 [[flux]] stone
:*1 unit of fuel (as a source of carbon)
:*1 unit of fuel, or magma (to heat the forge)
:'''Produces''':
:*2 bars of steel

The overall reaction consumes 2 bars of iron, 2 units of flux, and 2 units of fuel as ingredients (plus an extra 2 fuel at a conventional smelter for heating). This produces 2 bars of steel.

Remember that smelting [[iron]] [[ore]] also requires 1 unit of fuel at a conventional smelter, producing 4 bars of [[iron]], which translates to half a unit of additional fuel used in the recipe above (although you will need a full unit up front.)

[[File:SteelChart.png|center|485px]]

==Bugs==
Having a smelter/magma smelter inside a burrow can prevent the creation of steel and other alloys if any of the materials are not included in the burrow {{bug|434}}.

{{gamedata}}
{{metals}}

v0.34:Cave-in

2013-12-16T01:53:44Z

Pallor Mortis: Minor edit regarding cave-ins and fluids.

{{quality|Fine|21:06, 6 October 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
{{buggy}}
:''A section of the cavern has collapsed!''

A '''cave-in''' is when walls, floors, and objects plummet downwards to lower [[Z-axis|Z-levels]] under the influence of [[gravity]]. A cave-in will occur if constructions or ground tiles are detached from all support (bridges do not support constructions). Since it is only a placeholder, the system is highly unrealistic—you can hold up a giant megafortress by a slender pillar of soap. [[Main:Toady One|Toady One]] has stated he intends to implement more realistic cave-ins in future versions.

Cave-ins can be disabled through the [[Technical tricks|init]] file, by changing [CAVEINS:YES] to [CAVEINS:NO].

== How cave-ins work ==

Any ''disconnected'' [[construction]] or section of [[rock]] or [[soil]] will cave in. The game checks for connections along the X, Y, and Z axes (that's left/right, up/down, and above/below). Any construction, even [[Stair]]s (natural or constructed), and [[support]]s (naturally) provide support/connections. [[Stairs|Upstairs]] will provide support for the z-level above even if there is no downstairs above, acting as an invisible floor. '''Diagonal connections and [[bridge]]s do not provide support.'''

Note that supports and fortifications, but '''not''' [[statue]]s, create an invisible floor on the level above them. No dwarf can enter the invisible floor, but it will hold an area attached to the floor tiles in four directions alongside it or the constructed/natural wall above it.

== Results of a cave-in ==

* Any [[creature]] caught directly underneath (on the same tile underneath) a cave-in is killed, the only exception being [[Ghost]]s.
* [[Plant]]s under a cave-in are obliterated--including fully-grown [[tree]]s.
* Any item caught under falling natural walls is destroyed completely. Natural floors and constructed walls and floors have a chance of destroying items.{{verify}}
* Anything standing on the area that caves in falls and may get away with being stunned. The fall victim has a chance of being unable to walk away, somewhat proportional to the distance fallen but not set in stone. <s>No</s> Pun intended.
* A large amount of dust is generated. Any creature caught by the dust from the collapse is knocked [[unconscious]] and can be thrown a few tiles, which may cause them to fall off, say, a narrow bridge fifty z-levels above the ground, or can mash them into a fine paste against the wall. Dwarves will receive an unhappy thought from choking on dust clouds (which won't matter if they're dead).
* All [[building]]s and non-wall [[construction]]s under the falling area are destroyed. Buildings above the cave-in will deconstruct if they are no longer supported.
* Supported natural terrain will remain intact during the cave-in (terrain unsupported from below will collapse).
* Constructions will deconstruct when they collide with solid terrain.
* Any terrain crashes through multiple [[floor]]s, and stops only upon reaching solid ground, a constructed wall, or a support. Natural terrain piles up and constructions deconstruct.
* Mined stairs and [[ramp]]s will settle like unmined rock; Stairs that fall down onto previously empty [[floor]]s will reveal the level below. If there's rock or a floor above them, it'll cover the stairs.
* Anything falling into a fluid sinks to the bottom. Therefore, it is not a good idea to punch a skylight into your meeting area if you forgot that e.g. your [[gem]] pile was directly below and you had a [[magma]] tube three Z levels afterwards... you get the idea.
* Any fluid displaced by falling natural walls is not destroyed, but transported to directly on top of the fallen walls. This principle can be used to construct [[magma piston|magma pistons]].
* Soil layers will change into the lowest soil type on map.
* [[Magma mist]] will be generated in all tiles of magma that were in the path of the cave-in.
* Any mined minerals or stone in the area directly under the cave-in will be forced out from under the cave-in (or even up a few z-levels too, if the cave-in falls a long distance).

== Avoiding cave-ins ==

Do not make unconnected sections of rock.

Actually, you're quite unlikely to cause cave-ins unless you are actively trying to cause them. In which case, you'd be wondering how to avoid cave-ins that ''cause damage'' to your folks. That's simple: Add a [[support]] under the stone mass, and link it to a distant [[lever]]. When you're done, hide everyone, pull the lever and watch the fireworks. If you're feeling lazier, use statues to keep dwarves off the wrong squares. Provided they move directly away from the cave-in area, the dust may not catch them - and they don't blunder off edges and die unless the dust catches them.

One of the more common accidental cave-ins results when you're taking out the floor in a checker-pattern (dwarves [[channel]]ing may sometimes tend to make this mistake) and the area below isn't supported, resulting in a situation like the diagram below:

Floor -1
▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒ ▒
▒ X +▒ <-- The X is a floor tile. It's not attached, so it will fall down.
▒ +>▒
▒ ▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒

Floor -2
▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒....▒
▒...▒▒ <-- Causing this area to receive a cave-in flow and knocking out any dwarves in its reach.
▒...<▒
▒....▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒

Another thing to watch out for is if you want to dig away a hill above ground, to make room for your fancy overground fort. You may dig away the hill on one level, and then have a huge platform of "floor" on the z-level above that falls on your [[miner]] if they get disconnected from the ground. Easy thing to miss the first time you do it. To avoid this, channel ''from the surface downwards'', which doesn't remove anything that isn't supported - though you might still mine out something that was supporting a floor you ''weren't'' mining, so be careful. Miners also don't check that there's nobody standing on the floor that will shortly cease to exist - meaning that several miners channelling floors in the same area are a danger to each other. So you should allow only one dwarf to mine out floors in an area at a time.

The solution here is to dig ramps instead, since these take away both the [[soil]] on the level you are digging on and the floor on the level above. This is not foolproof, however, as [[tree]]s will prevent the floor it's on from being removed, resulting a free-hanging floor when you carve the ramp around it. In addition, ramps do not provide support for other tiles on the higher z-level; depending upon the order they are constructed, cave-ins may still occur.

== Using cave-ins ==
Intentional cave-ins serve several purposes:
* '''Defense'''
*: Use cave-ins to block off water approaches to underground cavern levels. Combined with walls higher up, a cavern can (with great effort) be rendered completely safe from all intruding vermin.1
* '''Death'''
*: Since a cave-in kills all [[creatures]] instantly, it can provide a [[Unfortunate accident|convenient]] or amusing way to off a group of creatures. This is also one of the most effective ways of dealing with [[titan]]s and [[forgotten beast]]s with dangerous [[syndrome]]s, especially airborne contaminants (deadly dust/vapors) and poisonous blood. For certain randomly generated creatures, they may be so indestructible that a cave-in is the ''only'' way to kill them. Also, it's a great way to 'spare' an [[Wound|'injured']] dwarf who likes 'laying' in a bed all to [[Noble|himself.]]
* '''Removal of floor tiles'''
*: Causing a cave-in will destroy non-reinforced (no wall or support underneath) floor tiles directly underneath the falling terrain - this is a good way to e.g. hollow out a large area. All that's left to do is a little bit of cleanup on the edges, but look at all the channeling you save yourself!
* '''Breaking through multiple aquifer levels'''
*: Showcase with two levels: [[User:Rhenaya/HowtoDualAquifer]]
* '''Trapping [TRAPAVOID] creatures:'''
*: Since the dust from a cave-in can knock creatures unconscious, and any unconscious creature triggers a trap (including your dwarves and other friendly creatures), combine a cave-in with nearby cage traps for the capture. Note that this is only useful for kobolds and gremlins, as all other creatures which avoid traps are also immune to being knocked unconscious.
* '''Moving Water / Magma faster than [[Pump Stack]]s'''
*: Main article: [[Magma piston]]

=== Caving-in the toplevel/terrain from inside ===

You can cause terrain above you to cave in without going outside by first mining up stairs below the "borderline" you want to channel, channel the tiles above them, and removing the stairs afterwards.
The tiles above the up stairs can be mined from below while standing on the stair, so you don't have to go outside. Ramps would also work for that alone, but the ramps would allow enemies to enter, whereas the up-stairs alone do not allow passage to above as there is no corresponding down-stair above them.

1Not literal vermin, those won't be blocked.

== Bugs ==
*If a creature gets hit by stone or mineral dust from cave-in, in {{k|r}}eports it will be shown as "is caught in a cloud of boiling magma!"{{bug|1638}}
*Rarely, a cave-in may happen right at the start of the game. This can have several effects depending on where it happens: from releasing underground tree spores to revealing an [[HFS|upright adamantine weapon]] in the Room list.

{{buildings}}
{{Category|Physics}}

v0.34:Contaminant

2013-12-16T01:33:55Z

Pallor Mortis: Cleaned up article summary.

{{Quality|Superior|21:26, 29 April 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

'''Contaminants''' are substances that can be spilled or smeared onto the floor or walls. These include [[mud]], [[blood]], ichor, [[extracts]], (stone) dust, ash, salt, [[vomit]], snow, and pus.

==Creating Mud==
Any time a tile is covered in [[water]], [[mud]] will be created on that tile. It seems that [[magma]] will remove this mud upon evaporation.

==Tracking==

This feature has been temporarily disabled by default in fortress mode because contaminants were often spread excessively and explosively.{{bug|296}}



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, multiply them, 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 also 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).

{{Category|Physics}}

v0.34:Calendar

2013-12-11T15:03:50Z

Pallor Mortis: Minor formatting issue.

{{quality|Masterwork|00:00, 31 December 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

The dwarven '''calendar''' is used to display the day, month, and year of any given date, and is visible in the upper right corner of the [[Status]] Screen ({{key|z}}). There are 12 months in the dwarven year divided into 4 seasons of 3 months each. Unlike the traditional Gregorian calendar, each dwarven month is exactly 4 weeks long, or 28 days, for a total of 336 days in a year. New Year's Day and the first day of Spring both fall on the 1st of Granite. New Year's Eve and the last day of Winter both fall on the 28th of Obsidian. The months are named after kinds of [[stone]]s, [[ore]], [[gem]]s and [[wood]].

The game's first playable year begins whenever the world stops generating. By default, the world will stop genning at year 250. Worldgen can be set to stop at several distinct years ranging from 5 to 1050 when selecting ''Create a World'', and can also be set to any arbitrary year by editing the advance option ''End Year'' in the ''Design New World with Advanced Parameters'' screen, or by interrupting world generation.

== Months and seasons ==

{| style="border-spacing: 0"
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #aaa" |
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | Month
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | Gregorian version
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccc; text-align: right" colspan="2" | Season
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccc; width: 5em; text-align: center" | [[Caravan]]
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #8f8" | {{tile|•|grey|#8f8}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Granite]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | March
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Early-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc" rowspan="3" | Spring
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; text-align: center" |
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #8f8" | {{tile|•|grey|#8f8}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Slate]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | April
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Mid-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; text-align: center" | [[Elf|Elven]]
|-
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #8f8" | {{tile|•|grey|#8f8}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Felsite]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | May
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Late-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #cfc; text-align: center" |
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ff8" | {{tile|*|#800|#ff8}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Hematite]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | June
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Early-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc;" rowspan="3" | Summer
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc; text-align: center" rowspan="3"| [[Human]]
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ff8" | {{tile|*|green|#ff8}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Malachite]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | July
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Mid-
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ff8" | {{tile|*|grey|#ff8}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Galena]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | August
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ffc; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Late-
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #f88" | {{tile|•|white|#f88}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Limestone]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | September
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Early-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc" rowspan="3" | Autumn
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc; text-align: center" rowspan="3" | [[Dwarf|Dwarven]]
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #f88" | {{tile|•|grey|#f88}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Sandstone]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | October
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Mid-
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #f88" | {{tile|▬|#770|#f88}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[wood|Timber]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc; width: 10em; text-align: left" | November
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #fcc; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Late-
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #88f" | {{tile|♦|white|#88f}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Moonstone]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf; width: 10em; text-align: left" | December
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Early-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf" rowspan="3" | Winter
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf; text-align: center" rowspan="3" | ''Goblin*''
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #88f" | {{tile|♦|white|#88f}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Opal]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf; width: 10em; text-align: left" | January
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Mid-
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #88f" | {{tile|•|#444|#88f}}
! style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf; width: 10em; text-align: left" | [[Obsidian]]
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf; width: 10em; text-align: left" | February
| style="padding: 0.2em; background: #ccf; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: right" | Late-
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> If you are not at war with the Goblins then they will send caravans to you and you will be able to trade with them.

== Farming ==

The seasons correspond to growing seasons from the [[farm plot]] {{k|q}} menu, which dictate what can be grown when during the year. (See the list of [[crop]]s.) It should be noted that crops grow during seasons regardless of the actual weather, so any crops that grow during the spring will do so regardless of how much rain your area gets.

== Trading ==

Civilizations will visit your fortress based on what season it currently is. Trade caravans for each race show up during the specific seasons each year, with the elves arriving during the Spring, the humans during the Summer, and the dwarves during the Autumn. No caravans arrive for the winter, so it's smart to stock up on food and drink during the fall.

== Ages ==

In addition to the year, a world's history is also divided into ages. An age can be seen as an epoch, something which defines the period of years it describes. The age itself has no bearing on gameplay other than as categorization in [[Legends]] mode, though players may witness a change in age (with an accompanied announcement) should their actions cause the current age to end. This may happen after killing a large number of [[megabeast]]s.

[[File:Dwarven_Age.png]]

Ages are determined by the states of the world during world generation. Worlds start in the Age of Myth, though this may not always hold true if changes to world gen parameters are made. Some of the known things that influence the ages are number of megabeasts currently living and dominant civilizations. It is also possible for a world to enter a particular Age more than once (e.g., ''The Second Age of Legends'') if the appropriate conditions are met.

=== Known Ages ===
Below is a list of 'Ages' that may occur, an explanation and their (possible) triggers, and their in-game descriptions. [[World_generation#World_Size|World size]] may affect how long an age lasts.

* '''Age of Myth, Age of Legends, Age of Heroes''' Progression between these ages is most common in non-pocket worlds. The progression from Myth to Legends to Heroes is conditional upon the percentage death of megabeasts in a given world during generation. Slaying Megabeasts that visit you in Fortress Mode is known to trigger change of Age. In larger worlds, the proliferation (and extermination) of [[necromancer]]s, [[vampire]]s, and [[werebeast]]s during world generation can cause the age to ''regress'' back to Myth, sometimes multiple times.

:: ''The Age of Myth was a time when living gods and mighty beasts still held sway.''
:: ''The Age of Legends was a time when powers of the world were fading.''
:: ''The Age of Heroes was a time when the last of the powers fought their final battles.''

* '''Age of (Megabeast's/Demon's{{verify}}/[[Titan]]'s name/title)''' Occurs mostly in pocket worlds, where there's one Megabeast, demon, or titan with a relative large [[kill list]].

:: ''The Age of Flarrgh was a time when the dragon Flarrgh was the only great power in the world.''

* '''Age of (Megabeast/Demon{{verify}}/Titan) and (Megabeast/Demon{{verify}}/Titan)''' Same as above, but with two notable Megabeasts/Demons. eg: "'''The Age of Roc and Dragon'''" or "'''The Age of Two Demons'''"

:: ''The Age of Dragon and Demon was a time when the dragon Flarrgh and the demon Blarrgh were the only great powers in the world.''

* '''Age of Three Powers''' Even better than above, three notable Megabeasts, Demons{{verify}}, or titans.

:: ''The Age of Three Powers was a time when the dragon Flarrgh, the demon Blarrgh and the titan Glarrgh were the only great powers in the world.''

* '''Age of (Race name)''' One race becomes dominant in the world, or it's the only race left in the world. eg: "'''The Age of Dwarves'''"

:: ''The Age of Dwarves was a time when dwarves ruled the world.''

* '''The Golden Age''' Civilizations are expanding, and there are no wars and other things for them to worry about. This age is very common in pocket worlds, and naturally progresses from an age of a prominent figure.

:: ''The Golden Age was a time when various civilized races peopled the world.''

* '''Age of Fairy Tales''' Toady One' quote from 2008 devlog:
<blockquote>
"I finally saw a world arrive at the Age of Fairy Tales, which happens if mundane creatures (ie humans) make up at least 90% of the world's civilized population with the requirement that there are still a few fantasy creatures lurking around. In this case, it was a kobold cave that their scouts never found. I guess all of the fairy tales were about people having their crap stolen."
</blockquote>

:: ''The Age of Fairy Tales was a time when fantastic creatures were few and far between, and some even doubted their existence.''

* '''Age of Twilight''' There are no wars and other worries, but civilizations are too weak to expand or are crumbling apart.

:: ''The Twilight Age was a time when fantastic creatures no longer lived in great numbers.''

* '''Age of Civilization''' Seems to be triggered when the world is mostly occupied by civilizations and there's no more fanciful creatures around.

:: ''The Age of Civilization was a time when fantastic creatures were but mere stories told by travelers.''

* '''Age of Death''' The Age of Death is a time when there are ''no civilizations'' [[extinction|left alive]]. A world that ends generation in this age will only allow games to be started in [[Legends|Legends mode]] or [[Adventurer mode]].

:: ''The Age of Death was a time after civilization had crumbled completely.''

* '''Age of Emptiness''' The Age of Emptiness is a time when there are no civilized beings [[extinction|left alive]]. This is a game state that can be achieved in adventure mode, because everything can be killed in adventure mode. A world can be permanently locked in this Age if the number of civilizations, megabeasts, and titans are all set to zero during worldgen. A world that ends generation in this age will only allow games to be started in [[Legends|Legends mode]] or [[Adventurer mode]].

:: ''The Age of Emptiness was a time when no civilized peoples existed in the world.''
:: ''The Age of Emptiness was a time when only simple creatures inhabited the world.''

Information taken from [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=45820.0 this Bay12 forum thread]

{{World}}