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Editing 40d:Cross-training

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{{quality|Exceptional|15:59, 29 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
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'''Cross-training''' is training your military dwarf candidates in civilian disciplines (or vice versa), and offers multiple benefits.  First and most importantly, it gives you several extra [[attribute]] increases. Toughness, especially, is extremely important for military dwarves; it allows them to take more wounds before passing out from pain, and to recover from wounds faster.  Second, it provides a ready pool of recruits in case your military takes a beating at one point or another, and/or allows civilians a better-than-normal chance to defend themselves.  Third, it ensures that your [[soldier]]s have some domestic skills so they will not receive [[thoughts|unhappy thoughts]] from being de-activated from the [[military]] in the event you need to downsize, or just need some extra labor short-term.  Finally, most reserves programs provide chronic idlers with some work to do, which can be essential for unskilled workers like peasants to break out of their poverty (and therefore, unhappiness) cycle once the [[dwarven economy]] kicks in.   
'''Cross-training''' is training your military dwarf candidates in civilian disciplines (or vice versa), and offers multiple benefits.  First and most importantly, it gives you several extra [[attribute]] increases. Toughness, especially, is extremely important for military dwarves; it allows them to take more wounds before passing out from pain, and to recover from wounds faster.  Second, it provides a ready pool of recruits in case your military takes a beating at one point or another, and/or allows civilians a better-than-normal chance to defend themselves.  Third, it ensures that your [[soldier]]s have some domestic skills so they will not receive [[thought|unhappy thoughts]] from being de-activated from the [[military]] in the event you need to downsize, or just need some extra labor short-term.  Finally, most reserves programs provide chronic idlers with some work to do, which can be essential for unskilled workers like peasants to break out of their poverty (and therefore, unhappiness) cycle once the [[dwarven economy]] kicks in.   
 
  
 
There is nothing saying you have to use only one of these ideas; they are all various approaches toward addressing these areas.
 
There is nothing saying you have to use only one of these ideas; they are all various approaches toward addressing these areas.
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====Gym ([[pump operator]])====
 
====Gym ([[pump operator]])====
 
[[Image:Pump_farm.png|thumb|right|71px|No pain, no gain.]]
 
[[Image:Pump_farm.png|thumb|right|71px|No pain, no gain.]]
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.
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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]], [[beds]], and [[drink]].  After the pumps are built, order them to be pumped manually, then turn on [[Pump operator|pump operating]] for your reservists.
  
 
[[Toughness]] influences how tired your dwarves get.  Tougher dwarves can operate a pump longer before getting tired, meaning they will gain skill more quickly than non-tough dwarves.  Once dwarves hit Unbelievably Tough, they can operate pumps non-stop.<br>
 
[[Toughness]] influences how tired your dwarves get.  Tougher dwarves can operate a pump longer before getting tired, meaning they will gain skill more quickly than non-tough dwarves.  Once dwarves hit Unbelievably Tough, they can operate pumps non-stop.<br>
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*You need a bookkeeper anyway!
 
*You need a bookkeeper anyway!
 
*Totally safe; a bookkeeper spends basically all his discretionary time snug in his office.
 
*Totally safe; a bookkeeper spends basically all his discretionary time snug in his office.
*Trains outrageously fast; if the office is very close to [[food]], [[bed]]s, and [[drink]], a bookkeeper can be legendary or close to it in a mere season.<br>
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*Trains outrageously fast; if the office is very close to [[food]], [[beds]], and [[drink]], a bookkeeper can be legendary or close to it in a mere season.<br>
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
 
*Only employs one dwarf at a time; not useful when you have 15-25 candidates for the reserves.  
 
*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.
 
*No announcement when the current intern reaches Legendary status means you can lose time on rotation easily.
 
*Legendary bookkeepers might leave their successor without work, losing work and experience.
 
*Legendary bookkeepers might leave their successor without work, losing work and experience.
*Is arguably an [[exploit]]; some players may want to avoid it on principle.
 
  
 
====Internship MkII ([[manager]])====
 
====Internship MkII ([[manager]])====
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'''Pros:'''  
 
'''Pros:'''  
 
*Soldiers enter the military with an emergency weapon in their hand already; this can be critical in the case of [[speardwarf|speardwarves]], who have a habit of losing their weapons in an enemy, or [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]], who are forced to use the [[hammerdwarf]] skill in melee, which they may not even have.  
 
*Soldiers enter the military with an emergency weapon in their hand already; this can be critical in the case of [[speardwarf|speardwarves]], who have a habit of losing their weapons in an enemy, or [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]], who are forced to use the [[hammerdwarf]] skill in melee, which they may not even have.  
*Toting a pick for close-quarters support might make a legendary [[marksdwarf]] more useful, since the pathetic bludgeon damage of his [[wood]] and [[bone]] [[crossbow]]s are less important.
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*Toting a pick for close-quarters support might make a legendary [[marksdwarf]] more useful, since the pathetic bludgeon damage of his [[wood]] and [[bone]] [[crossbows]] are less important.
 
*Can be quite useful for producing stones you might not have access to normally, or uncovering veins of precious metals.
 
*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.
 
*Levels quite fast in sand.
 
*Relatively little oversight from you.
 
*Relatively little oversight from you.
*An overland hike to the gulag will fight [[cave adaptation]] in your military candidates.
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*An overland hike to the gulag will fight [[cave adaptation]] in your military candidates.<br>
*Can easily be transformed into a [[Tower-cap#Underground_tree_farms|tower-cap farm]] on suitable maps, providing a safe and replenishable wood source.<br>
 
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
 
*Juggling your real miners and your reservists when there's real work to be done on the fort can be a chore.
 
*Juggling your real miners and your reservists when there's real work to be done on the fort can be a chore.
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====Renovation ([[stone detailing]])====
 
====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]]s or [[drink]]. Just turn on [[stone detailing]] for your reservists and mark up as much of the fortress as you like for renovation.<br>
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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]], [[beds]] or [[drink]]. Just turn on [[stone detailing]] for your reservists and mark up as much of the fortress as you like for renovation.<br>
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
 
*Even easier to set up; just assign your dwarves and an area and you're good to go.
 
*Even easier to set up; just assign your dwarves and an area and you're good to go.
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*Very safe, if you only assign areas inside the fortress.<br>
 
*Very safe, if you only assign areas inside the fortress.<br>
 
'''Cons:'''  
 
'''Cons:'''  
*Wealth overflow may bring too many [[immigrant]]s.
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*Wealth overflow may bring too many [[immigrants]].
 
*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.
 
*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]].
 
*Careless designation of smoothing areas may have your dwarves trying to smooth walls too close to [[magma]] or a [[river]].
*If you smooth and engrave all your bedrooms, many dwarves will not be able to afford them once the [[Dwarven economy]] kicks in.
 
  
 
====Sweatshop ([[mason]])====
 
====Sweatshop ([[mason]])====
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*Works quickly
 
*Works quickly
 
*Trees regrow
 
*Trees regrow
*Provides useful lumber to carpenters, charcoal makers, etc.
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*Provides useful lumber to carpenters, charcoal makers, etc  
 
*Can cause problems with elves
 
*Can cause problems with elves
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
 
*<s>Can cause problems with elves</s>
 
*<s>Can cause problems with elves</s>
 
*Map dependent
 
*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.  (OTOH, if done with more than a few dwarves at a time, a small squad of axe-wielding [[military|recruit]]s is not completely defenseless, and military can be stationed as support.)
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*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.  (OTOH, if done with more than a few dwarves at a time, a small squad of axew-wielding [[military|recruit]]s is not completely defenseless, and military can be stationed as support.)
 
 
====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!
 
*Not as economically productive as some other methods.
 
  
 
====Charm School ([[social skills]])====
 
====Charm School ([[social skills]])====
 
<i>(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.)</i>
 
<i>(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.)</i>
Sure, dwarves get stronger, tougher, and more agile from flinging rocks, carving rocks, smoothing rocks, and taking inventory of rocks or assigning tasks regarding rocks, but since all skills are weighted equally in terms of producing attribute increases, dwarves gain attributes from just standing around and chatting, too!  
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Sure, dwarves get stronger, tougher, and more agile from flinging rocks, carving rocks, smoothing rocks, and taking inventory of rocks or assigning tasks regarding rocks. But since the current version{{version|0.28.181.40d}} weights every skill equally in terms of producing attribute increases, dwarves gain attributes from just standing around and chatting, too!  
  
 
Take advantage of this by setting up a small space with food, booze, and a few beds/chairs/tables, stashing your new immigrants in it, and locking the door for a few seasons. (Be sure to turn off all of their labors and  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, which in turn will produce quick attribute boosts.
 
Take advantage of this by setting up a small space with food, booze, and a few beds/chairs/tables, stashing your new immigrants in it, and locking the door for a few seasons. (Be sure to turn off all of their labors and  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, which in turn will produce quick attribute boosts.
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====National self-defense training====
 
====National self-defense training====
This is the counterpart to the above - this trains civilians in basic wrestling.  All your civilians - 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.  Give every civilian dwarf one or two weeks off when they first [[migrant|immigrate]] and train them up to [[experience|Novice]] in [[wrestling]] - that's all they need.  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 [[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.
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This is the counter-part to the above - this trains civilians in basic wrestling.  All your civilians - 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.  Give every civilian dwarf one or two weeks off when they first [[migrant|immigrate]] and train them up to [[experience|Novice]] in [[wrestling]] - that's all they need.  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 [[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.
  
 
===Overview===
 
===Overview===
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Your actual soldiers are obviously only one facet to your military preparation.  [[defense|Defensive]] structures like [[fortification]]s, [[moat]]s, and above-ground bunkers need civilian support, and they need to be constructed - and sometimes that's as dangerous as military service itself.  In the best of times it should be done quickly and efficiently, because faster means less time vulnerable to a possible [[ambush]] or dangerous [[creature|predator]].  In emergencies, having a trained, reliable workforce, with enough manpower to tackle any job at any time and can accomplish those projects quickly can be a fortress saver.
 
Your actual soldiers are obviously only one facet to your military preparation.  [[defense|Defensive]] structures like [[fortification]]s, [[moat]]s, and above-ground bunkers need civilian support, and they need to be constructed - and sometimes that's as dangerous as military service itself.  In the best of times it should be done quickly and efficiently, because faster means less time vulnerable to a possible [[ambush]] or dangerous [[creature|predator]].  In emergencies, having a trained, reliable workforce, with enough manpower to tackle any job at any time and can accomplish those projects quickly can be a fortress saver.
  
The incredible amount of effort required to complete full defensive preparations on many maps (even building a single-floor above ground bunker can take multiple seasons of full-time effort) means that the military can benefit greatly from having a corps of dwarves who are dedicated and trained to support the development full-time.
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The incredible amount of effort required to complete full defensive preparations on many maps (even building a single-floor above ground bunker can take multiple seasons of full-time effort) means that the military can benefit greatly from having a corps of dwarves who are dedicated and trained to support the development full time.
  
 
Organizing a Corps of Engineers requires extra effort and planning on your part, but pays off big later on.  Corps engineers become incredibly useful and will produce superior, happiness-inducing structures and items even after their chief issues are done.  Also, since their highest [[strange mood]] eligible skill tends to be [[masonry]], it improves your chances of getting a legendary [[mason]], which is always a treat.
 
Organizing a Corps of Engineers requires extra effort and planning on your part, but pays off big later on.  Corps engineers become incredibly useful and will produce superior, happiness-inducing structures and items even after their chief issues are done.  Also, since their highest [[strange mood]] eligible skill tends to be [[masonry]], it improves your chances of getting a legendary [[mason]], which is always a treat.
  
 
===Organizing===
 
===Organizing===
The bread and butter skill of the engineer corps are [[masonry]] along with [[mechanic]]s, and some [[architecture]] thrown in for some trainees (but not necessarily all, see below).  Candidates really don't need any prior skills, but if you can recruit some [[immigrant]]s that come with one of these skills already, so much the better.  The long term result is a crew that can build anything anywhere, but not until after some training, so you should not use any dwarves who will be needed elsewhere soon.  Assign [[potash maker]]s, [[soaper]]s, and the like instead.  Miners that have run out of digging work and are suddenly idle (and already have [[attribute]]s for faster hauling of building stones) are also good candidates.  You may wish to swap [[masonry]] with [[carpentry]] if you are doing a challenge where your structures are chiefly made out of wood, or conceivably even a [[metalcrafting]] skill, but the gist of it is the same.
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The bread and butter skill of the engineer corps are [[masonry]] along with [[mechanics]], and some [[architecture]] thrown in for some trainees (but not necessarily all, see below).  Candidates really don't need any prior skills, but if you can recruit some [[immigrant]]s that come with one of these skills already, so much the better.  The long term result is a crew that can build anything anywhere, but not until after some training, so you should not use any dwarves who will be needed elsewhere soon.  Assign [[potash maker]]s, [[soaper]]s, and the like instead.  Miners that have run out of digging work and are suddenly idle (and already have [[attribute]]s for faster hauling of building stones) are also good candidates.  You may wish to swap [[masonry]] with [[carpentry]] if you are doing a challenge where your structures are chiefly made out of wood, or conceivably even a [[metalcrafting]] skill, but the gist of it is the same.
  
Since these dwarves may be performing a lot of construction outside, one variation includes designating them all with the [[woodcutting]] [[labor]], so they will all carry [[axe]]s full-time.  When wood needs to be cut, one tight area is designated at a time, and they all respond - this encourages mutual support.  Other outdoor activities likewise become safer with a number of armed dwarves responding together, and faster with practice, so [[plant gathering]] may be another skill to add to the mix.  Assigning war[[dog]]s to these outdoor-engineers is another good plan.  (Whether or not to then train them as (reservist) axedwarves is up to you - see [[Cross_training#Cross-training_(starting_a_reserves_program)|cross-training]], at the first half of this article.)
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Since these dwarves may be performing a lot of construction outside, one variation includes designating them all with the [[woodcutting]] [[labour]], so they will all carry [[axe]]s full time.  When wood needs to be cut, one tight area is designated at a time, and they all respond - this encourages mutual support.  Other outdoor activities likewise become safer with a number of armed dwarves responding together, and faster with practice, so [[plant gathering]] may be another skill to add to the mix.  Assigning war[[dog]]s to these outdoor-engineers is another good plan.  (Whether or not to then train them as (reservist) axedwarves is up to you - see [[Cross_training#Cross-training_(starting_a_reserves_program)|cross-training]], at the first half of this article.)
  
A suitable number of engineer corps members depends on personal preference and the expected scope of your projects, but you want them to support each other, so perhaps a half-dozen or more for an average fortress, or maybe ~10% total.  This might seem like a lot when you have the [[fortress guard]] demanding 10%, the [[royal guard]] demanding another 5%, plus what dwarves you have committed to reserves programs or in the regular army, but your goal is a reliable building crew, large enough so they will not all be "[[on break]]" at once.  Remember also that engineer corps members are civilians (with [[attribute]]s) and can be temporarily reassigned to urgent hauling duty when the need arises, so they are not lost to other support tasks.
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A suitable number of engineer corps members depends on personal preference and the expected scope of your projects, but you want them to support each other, so perhaps a half-dozen or more for an average fortress, or maybe ~10% total.  This might seem like a lot when you have the [[fortress guard]] demanding 10%, the [[royal guard]] demanding another 5%, plus what dwarves you have committed to reserves programs or in the regular army, but your goal is a reliable building crew, large enough so they will not all be "[[on break]]" at once.  Remember also that engineer corps members are civilians (with [[attribute]]s) and can be temporarily re-assigned to urgent hauling duty when the need arises, so they are not lost to other support tasks.
  
 
After you've decided who you want in the engineer corps, it's suggested that you give them a [[Profession#Custom_profession_labels|custom profession]], to distinguish them in your {{k|u}}nits menu.  They behave so much like normal civilians that it's hard to keep track of them if you don't.  Don't use "[[Engineer]]", because that is an existing (and different) profession. Some suggestions for custom ranks are "Reserves," "Multi", "Corps Engineer", "CE", or some other profession or abbreviation that makes sense to you.
 
After you've decided who you want in the engineer corps, it's suggested that you give them a [[Profession#Custom_profession_labels|custom profession]], to distinguish them in your {{k|u}}nits menu.  They behave so much like normal civilians that it's hard to keep track of them if you don't.  Don't use "[[Engineer]]", because that is an existing (and different) profession. Some suggestions for custom ranks are "Reserves," "Multi", "Corps Engineer", "CE", or some other profession or abbreviation that makes sense to you.
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===The payoff===
 
===The payoff===
After the training starts taking hold, you will have a cadre of proficient building designers, proficient masons, skilled mechanics, and (optionally, see below) proficient siege operators or axe-dwarves.  This can happen in as little as 3 years of training.  You can (and should!) continue to train them until they are legendary in all of these, but that is very long term.  In the shorter, 3-year term, you have a rock-solid foundation to react to any construction demand with speed, efficiency, and awesome quality.
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After the training starts taking hold, you will have a cadre of proficient building designers, proficient masons, skilled mechanics, and (optionally, see below) proficient siege operators or axe-dwarves.  This can happen in as little as 3 years of training.  You can (and should!) continue to train them until they are legendary in all of these, but that is very long term.  In the shorter, 3 year term, you have a rock-solid foundation to react to any construction demand with speed, efficiency, and awesome quality.
  
 
===Non-professionals===
 
===Non-professionals===
Remember that every dwarf in this crew will have masonry and mechanic labor designated (and possibly carpenter, etc.) - for your primary mason's and mechanic's workshops, go into those workshop Profiles and only allow your primary, best-skilled dwarves to respond to work orders there, either by name or skill level, or both.  If you forget to do this, you'll have your trainees jumping in and producing your furniture at lower [[quality]].
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Remember that every dwarf in this crew will have masonry and mechanic labor designated (and possibly carpenter, etc) - for your primary mason's and mechanic's workshops, go into those workshop Profiles and only allow your primary, best-skilled dwarves to respond to work orders there, either by name or skill level, or both.  If you forget to do this, you'll have your trainees jumping in and producing your furniture at lower [[quality]].
  
 
===Role in your military===
 
===Role in your military===
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{{Military FAQ}}
 
{{Military FAQ}}
  
{{Category|Military| }}
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[[Category:Military| ]]
{{Category|Fortress defense}}
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[[Category:Fortress defense]]

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