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Advanced Entity Position Mechanics
| Modding |
|---|
| Tokens |
| Audio · Biome · Graphics · Interaction · Mod info · Plant · Speech · Sphere · Syndrome · World |
| Body tokens |
| Body · Body detail plan · Bodygloss · Tissue |
| Creature tokens |
| Creature · Creature mannerism · Personality · Creature variation · Procedural graphics layer |
| Descriptor tokens |
| Descriptor color · Color · Descriptor pattern · Descriptor shape |
| Entity tokens |
| Entity · Ethic · Language · Value · Position |
| Job tokens |
| Building · Labor · Reaction · Skill · Unit type |
| Item tokens |
| Item type · Item definition · Ammo · Armor · Instrument · Tool · Trap component · Weapon |
| Material tokens |
| Material type · Material definition · Inorganic material definition |
 | This article is a stub. You can improve the article by expanding it. |
Introduction
this is a draft. please let me finish it. joostheger.
Discussion thread on the forum
This article is the result of an investigation into the mechanisms involved in entity positions. It can be useful for modders or advanced players to understand how this part of Dwarf Fortress works.
What is an entity?
An entity is an organizational structure. It can have relationships with other entities. An entity is usually known as a civilization or a "site government", but merchant guilds, religious organizations, and bandit groups are also entities. An entity can have positions. In most cases these are hardcoded and generated by the game, but with civilizations and sites they can be customized with the raw entities.
What is a position?
A position is a special relationship between a unit and an entity. The unit holding a position has a larger influence over that entity as other citizens. Positions are mostly known as nobles, but in this article the technical term is used.
Position levels (Site/Civ) and their interaction
There are two basic types of positions that are customizable: civ(ilization) level and site level. Positions with the tag [SITE] are at site level, positions without the tag [SITE] are at 'civ level'. These two types of nobles can be considered loosely related systems. There are a few places where they can interact with each other.
Citizen-level positions are in charge of the civilization as a whole, managing national trade, laws, and wars. These are, for example, the vanilla monarch, princes, diplomat and general.
LAND_HOLDERS nobles are also positions at civ-level. These units are members of the national government, but have gained hold over some land or site. Once they do, they move to that place, but their position is still regarded as a civ-level position.
Site-level position holders are members of a site government (subsidiary to the civilization), and manage local affairs in that location. These are, for example, the mayor, the sheriff and the broker.
Interaction between different position-levels
In this table, the possible interactions between different position levels are summerized. The header row shows the positions defining the tokens.
The left colllumn shows the position type that is referred. Example:
| referred position-type | LAND_HOLDER |
|---|---|
| civilization | (baron is) APPOINTED_BY:MONARCH |
color coding:
- Exists in vanilla
- Possible in mods
- Not possible
- possible to some extend.
| referred position-type | Civilization | SITE | LAND_HOLDER | CONQUERED_SITE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| civilization | APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY (3) SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
| SITE | APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
| LAND_HOLDER | APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
| CONQUERED_SITE | APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
APPOINTED_BY COMMANDER REPLACED_BY SUCCESSION |
Civ-level nobles living at your site
Nobles from your civilization can come to live at your fortress. This happens in vanilla with landholders such as Baron, Count and Duke, with the Monarch, but sometimes also with non-landed LAND_HOLDERS.
When a civ-level noble becomes a citizen at your location, his position is shown among the site-level positions in your nobles screen. They appears to function as a site-level noble. They may have demands, mandates, squads and the like. They can appoint nobles at the site-level.
If they have certain RESPONSIBILITY's, they do the tasks that go with them.
Fortress-mode, world-gen and their differences
Their are a few differences in how positions function, between fortress-mode (normal play-mode) and the world generation (world-gen).
In fortress-mode, the player has some control over the appointment of nobles, limited by elections, automatic filled-in positions and succession rules. Pre-fortress mode, which is refered to as world-gen, the game will always attempt to assign nobles whenever possible. It is subjected to the same rules as in fortress-mode, but there are some exceptions. In World Automation, which is the thing that happens in the world while you play fortress mode, it seems as if the same rules are applied as fortress mode.
A difference between Player-fortress-mode and world-gen, is causes by visibility (see below). Positions that are not visible by the player and thus not available for assignment, will be available in world-gen and will thus be automatically assigned.
In fortress mode, a position that is both ELECTED and APPOINTED_BY, cannot be appointed by the player and is also not elected, and can thus not be filled. But in world-gen sites however, these positions are automatically filled.
Positions with AS_NEEDED are almost never created and filled in world-gen (depending on its RESPONSIBILITY's), but can always be used in player mode.
A positions can in fortress mode be filled by the same unit. A unit can gain multiple positions in fortess-mode, for example because of elections. This will not happen in world-gen mode: a unit can only have one position. See also remarks on 'embark' and 'Loosing a position'.
In world-gen, SUCCESSION between civ-levels en SITE-levels may happen. This will not happen in fortress-mode, or even off-site in World Automation.
In fortress-mode, premature SUCCESSION may happen. This will not happen in world-gen-mode.