40d:Building designer

Skill: Building Designer

Association
Profession	Administrator
Job Title	Building Designer
Labor	Architecture
Tasks
Construct Building
Workshop
None

The building designer skill is used in the construction of certain buildings. Its corresponding labor is architecture. Building designer has no influence on the speed with which such buildings are constructed, making it a relatively useless skill.

Using architecture

The building types that require architecture are:

• Archery targets
• Bridges
• All furnaces
• Paved roads
• Screw pumps
• Shops
• Supports
• Trade depots
• Waterwheels
• Wells
• Windmills

When building structures that require architecture, it is the architect who carries the building materials to the site and clears it of debris. The building is then built in two stages: the first performed by the architect, the second by a mason (if the building built from stone, stone blocks, or glass blocks); a carpenter (if it is built from logs or wood blocks); or a metalsmith (if it is built from metal bars or blocks).

Speed of construction

Building designer skill does not increase the speed with which buildings are designed: a no-skill building designer and a legendary designer will both design buildings at an identical rate. (The influence of agility remains untested at this time.) The level of the secondary skill (masonry, etc.) also has no influence on the speed of construction. This makes the building designer skill of very limited value, having only an effect on the designed building's quality, which has no effect other than sometimes generating a happy thought in dwarves who observe the building.

Buildings which require a variable amount of materials (namely, bridges and roads) will be built at a rate proportional to the amount of material used. Buildings which require a set number of materials to construct (such as a trade depot or a support) will all be built at the same rate, once the needed materials are all assembled.

Bridges and roads will take longer to build than those that require a set number of materials, even when comparing, say, a one-tile road (one stone) to a three stone trade depot.

Experience granted

Building a "designed" building grants 30 points of experience in building designer to the architect and 10 points in mason/carpenter/metalsmith to whoever finishes the structure (this may be the architect as well, if he or she has the appropriate labor enabled). Any of the armoring, weaponsmithing, blacksmithing, or metalcrafting labors will be used if the building is made of metal, though only metalsmith experience will be granted.

The architectural experience will be awarded at the end of the "designing" stage, but the masonry (or other) experience will be awarded when the dwarf begins the second stage of building, making it possibly the only task in the game where experience is awarded when it is commenced, not when it is completed.

Training methods

A relatively easy way to train a dwarf's building designer skill is to place many supports in a recently mined hall. So long as the architect's masonry labor is disabled, the architect can use nearby stone to design the supports and gain experience without making a mess. The stone can be immediately reused after cancelling the construction of the supports.

Building quality

Dwarves that have high building designer skills can make masterpiece structures, which can give dwarves very happy thoughts from admiring the excellently designed buildings. Designed buildings are the only ones that have a quality (aside from "built" furniture -- tables, statues, doors, etc.) Dismantling a masterwork structure will not cause its creator to tantrum -- after all, it is the building design that is the masterpiece, not the structure itself.

V · T · E Skills
Miner	Miner
Woodworker	Bowyer · Carpenter · Wood cutter
Stoneworker	Engraver · Mason
Ranger	Ambusher · Animal caretaker · Animal dissector · Animal trainer · Trapper
Farmer	Brewer · Butcher · Cheese maker · Cook · Dyer · Grower · Herbalist · Lye maker · Milker · Miller · Potash maker · Soaper · Tanner · Thresher · Wood burner
Fishery worker	Fish cleaner · Fish dissector · Fisherdwarf
Metalsmith	Armorsmith · Furnace operator · Metal crafter · Blacksmith · Weaponsmith
Jeweler	Gem cutter · Gem setter
Craftsdwarf	Bone carver · Clothier · Glassmaker · Leatherworker · Stone crafter · Strand extractor · Weaver · Wood crafter
Engineer	Mechanic · Pump operator · Siege engineer · Siege operator
Administrator	Appraiser · Building designer · Organizer · Record keeper
Military	General Armor user · Shield user · Wrestler Dwarven Axeman · Crossbowman · Hammerman · Maceman · Spearman · Swordsman Other Blowgunner · Bowman · Knife user · Lasher · Pikeman
Social	Broker Comedian · Conversationalist · Flatterer · Intimidator · Judge of intent · Liar · Negotiator · Persuader Other Consoler · Pacifier
Other/Peasant	Swimmer · Thrower
Unused	Alchemist · Druid · Tracker