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40d:Exploit
An exploit is a quirk of a game that allows players to gain what other players may consider an unfair advantage, usually by making use of a feature that is not working properly or which defies logic. Exploits are distinct from cheating because they occur within the game as written and do not need any external utilities or modding. Whether a player chooses to make use of an exploit or not depends on their personal taste; given that Dwarf Fortress is a single-player game, no one is actually harmed when you use an exploit.
Some exploits are listed below.
Self-powered pumps
It is possible to produce a perpetual motion water pump where the act of pumping actually powers itself! See screw pump and water wheel for details.
Corpse mashers
A drawbridge, when rapidly triggered on and off, can be used to crush anything beneath it. Nothing, ranging from an elephant to an adamantine sword to a tentacle demon, is capable of withstanding a drawbridge crush.
Trap fields
Laying a field of traps with a significant-enough depth can protect your fortress from all invaders with no need to maintain a military. Traps are somehow intelligent enough to distinguish between pets and allies while being dangerous to enemies and wild animals.
Many players do not consider this an exploit.
Get back to work!
When a dwarf is "On Break", it is possible to draft this civilian into the military and then undraft the civilian in order to get him to cancel the break. This does give an unhappy thought, so it is not a significant exploit and some may consider it a perfectly acceptable gameplay method.