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v0.34:Noise

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This article is about an older version of DF.

Certain jobs generate noise which disturbs nearby sleeping dwarves. Depending on a job's noise level and proximity, your dwarves could sleep "uneasily due to noise", "very uneasily due to noise", or be woken up by noise. These events will produce unhappy thoughts in varying degrees.

Neither walls nor doors will insulate dwarves from noise. Distance and how loud a job is are the only factors determining whether a dwarf's sleep will be disturbed.

Noise is produced when a noisy job is completed. Thoughts about noise do not appear until the sleeping dwarf has woken up.

Dwarves walking through a sleeping dwarf's room (even over his head) will not cause noise, which is important for bedroom design.

Contrary to common belief based on earlier versions, workshops do not currently produce any noise.

Although there seems to have been the intention of noise being reinstated in a more potent form in the recent versions, there is no evidence that it actually was, and as such, you can actually have a bed directly next to a working metalsmith's forge, and the dwarves will not be bothered by the noise.

Noisiness of various jobs

Unlike in the past, only 5 jobs are known to cause noise:

  • Digging - 8 tiles
  • Wood cutting - 8 tiles
  • Engraving - 4 tiles
  • Fortification carving - 4 tiles
  • Removing constructions - 8 tiles

Visualization

Noise radiates across z-levels in the shape of a cube, in all 6 directions (north/south, east/west, and up/down), so noise that travels 4 tiles will generate noise in a 9x9 pattern on 9 successive floors. The noise radiates from the center of the noise-producing apparatus.

  Level 0      Level ± 1     Level ± 2     Level ± 3     Level ± 4     Level ± 5

...........   ...........   ...........   ...........   ...........   ...........
.*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   ...........
.*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   ...........
.*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   ...........
.*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   ...........
.****N****.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   ...........
.*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   ...........
.*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   ...........
.*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   ...........
.*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   .*********.   ...........
...........   ...........   ...........   ...........   ...........   ...........

N = Origin of noise
* = Noise
. = No noise

Noise in practice

  • Don't dig near bedrooms when there are dwarves sleeping in them.
  • Smooth your bedrooms before placing the actual furniture.

Designing in anticipation of noise

  • A good way to start is to put all your bedrooms on level -9 or lower, so you don't have worry about noise from wood cutting.
  • Remember that jails, hospitals, and sleeping barracks should also ideally be kept away from noise, in addition to standard and noble bedrooms.

Facilities that can be safely built around or above/below bedrooms and other sleeping facilities, to separate the area set aside for the "quiet zone", include anything that does not make noise.