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40d:Dwarf fortress mode
After creating a new world, most new users will play in fortress mode. In fortress mode, you pick a location in your world, then assign your seven initial dwarves some starting skills and pick items and animals to bring along. When the game starts, unlike previous versions, you will not be presented with the typical |river|field|cliff| layout that we are all used to, but instead with whatever area of the map you picked. There is a new Z axis (up and down) which you probably have to use if you picked a non mountainous area. You can get to the different layers using > (down) and < (up). To dig to other layers first designate a down staircase, then go down a layer and designate and up staircase below it. You can then build buildings and workshops in the space you have dug out.
Selecting a site
The most important decision that will lead to success or failiure of your fort is your starting location. Study carefully the options presented so that you select a site that you can confidently play in. Things to consider are vegetation (trees, plants), water (rivers or brooks), temperature (hot, warm, cold, freezing) and locale? (evil, terrifying, calm, sinister). There are volcanos, if you want magma then find a magma vent near a volcano.
Embarking
Selecting your dwarves and starting materials.
Playing
Your view of the ingame world is that of a multi-layered environment which you can move up and down and left to right. Dwarves are represented by little smiles, rocks by blackness and sky by blueness. You have a command menu that lets you set commands that your dutiful dwarves will attempt to follow. The rest of this wiki is dedicated to helping you with these commands.
Losing
DEATH. Try not to. But don't forget that losing is fun!
Winning
Not known! Set your own goals. Survival is one, set your score by how many years your dwarves can thrive for.
Compared to the Last Version
There is no promise of finding a Cave River, however farming may now be performed in any soil, such as loam or sand. Complex irrigation systems are only a requirement for farming on bare rock, which must first be covered in mud.
It has been suggested that digging downwards to get further in the game is to replace digging to the right in the older versions, and that better stones and ore can be found lower down. However, the additional choices presented to the user when selecting a site are probably your best bet for finding materials. Not all materials will be avaialble at a single site but traders now carry additional stock including raw materials (such as wood, steel, lead, etc.) that you can request.