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[Dwarf Fortress] With amazing HD graphics!
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The only drama so far is figuring out why there was a sudden spate of giant red squirrels interrupting everything. Believe it or not, squirrels climb. Such as climbing up the walls around the chicken coop at the top of my fortress, or the trees near the cliffs I carved out to isolate the area. Then the squirrels managed to rush downstairs into the main outpost hallway and get stuck between sets of dwarves, mauling some folks before I managed to get the first squad together to pummel them to death. Not too bad, between that incident and some other stuff *cough*cave-in*cough* I've only lost about five dwarves out of fifty. Forgot how annoying the babies get, though, and they take so dang long to get useful. There's like ten of them at this point, which is a huge chunk of useless mouths in a small fortress. Definitely slapped a cap on that in the init files. Also, dammit, giant vultures, stop swooping in and swiping all my traded fruit goods before I can move them out of the depot. It's not that big a deal, but those are my fruits!
Anyone know if files from "classic" Dwarf Fortress can be kicked over to the impending Steam version? I did this fortress just for a taste of the original style and I won't mind starting a new one for the Steam version, but I think it would also be kinda fun to continue from the classic version into the Steam version.
Changes to the game which have been mentioned by Toady and Kitfox, not really spoilers but just for the sake of those who might want to go in blind:
The third one regarding
[Subject only]
Might be worth knowing if it isn't spelled out in the UI.
[Full content]
Just seems like one of those things you could go multiple playthroughs without really noticing, and it's an interesting nuance.
From the streams:
https://www.pcgamer.com/dwarf-fortress-review/
https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23490038/dwarf-fortress-steam-review-release-date-pc
EDIT: also https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/12/dwarf-fortresss-graphical-upgrade-provides-a-new-way-into-a-wildly-wonky-game/
Not only squirrels can climb. This makes walls by themselves less of a solution to defense than it used to be, as I proved in my last fort.
Having a 2+ high wall helps a lot with this though. Forces of evil are less likely to immediately path to a tall wall than, say, your half finished roof 1 z level above your pasture...
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
You also don't need the entire wall to be unclimbable, just one unbroken unclimbable ring to break pathing.
Does smoothing it make it completely unclimbable, or just less climbable?
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
I thought for sure constructed walls were climbable, and smoothed natural was your best bet.
An overhang of floor stops climbers though.
And I believe fliers as a siege enemy have been broken for a long time (they ride them but they can't fly), but keas and undead crows and dragons and such are still threats.
That's what roofs are for. Fuck those kea's
The Monster Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson
Steam: Korvalain
You are correct apparently! They are in fact climbable, but "harder" for whatever value that means.
I don't think I've ever seen it happen, but also I don't think I ever really extensively used constructed walls in my trap hallways so I guess that's why I never noticed. The wiki is quite unhelpful on whether fortifications are climbable or not, so some testing might be needed tomorrow.
Edit: To circle around, the most useful thing I find is making the top ring of a death pit unclimbable. So if I have my hallway of death for invaders, I make sure to smooth that first Z level below the path before I channel out anything else. You can also do two deep horizontal overhangs to prevent climbing as well. So that's how I'd recommend dealing with surface building and outer wall defenses. Climbers can move one square laterally, so you do need at least two spaces to prevent them reaching the next wall section.
Example:
Is climbable.
*May not all be applicable to the Steam Release depending on changes.
Basically you can have 3 wheelbarrows per stockpile (or more with DF Hack), and they let a dwarf move with 100% speed regardless of weight when moving something to that stockpile.
Bars also tend to be pretty heavy, as well as bins full of items. So you can set up a stockpile near your trade depot for collecting your bins full of crafts, and they'll use a wheelbarrow to take it over there instead of struggling along for days. Then you only have to move it a few squares to the depot.
In case these would be new to you too (December 1, 2015), some very important modern elements of Dwarf Fortress: tavern, temple, library, and guildhall. A lot of people make them as early as you get farms up and running, since they are critical to meet your dwarves' needs.
They will get very distracted without being able to pray at a temple. All you need is an empty room, and define it as being meant for no specific deity. Later on, if enough dwarves who worship a particular deity arrive, they may petition you for a specific temple just for them. You can put instruments in chests in this room and assign a performer and they may perform religious dances and ceremonies if any are associated with your civilization.
Libraries are great for good thoughts. Dwarves will read any books you have until they've read everything once. You need bookshelves to store the books and tons of tables and chairs for reading. Books and codexes will arrive with traders at the bottom of their trade list, and have awesome generated names and topics. You can also assign chests and cabinets and writing materials, and your assigned scribes and scholars may make copies of existing books or write new ones on various topics.
Taverns are for getting drunk and partying, being entertained by dancers and poets, learning rumors from the outside world, and renting rooms to visitors. You need tables and chairs, a dance floor, beer, mugs, instruments, and chests to hold them (if you don't assign instruments your dwarves will literally play air guitar and it's awesome). You can also build bedrooms and furnish them for visitors, who will first petition for long-term residency for specific purposes like entertainment, and eventually petition for permanent residency when they become as controllable as any dwarf (and require things like human-sized clothes...). You can assign an unnecessary tavernkeeper who will cause more problems than he helps by force-feeding everyone alcohol until they die, and you can also assign performers.
Guildhalls will be petitioned by your dwarves when enough of them arrive who are members of a specific guild tradition. You will be tasked with giving them a room of sufficient value to make them pleased with it, including the same amenities that you might for nobles like engraving the walls and installing nice statues. They will go there to teach each other their craft, demonstrate techniques, and socialize.
All of these can either accept outside visitors or reject them. Outside visitors are fun, like monster hunters who will go kill everything in the caverns for you, or visiting labor masters who will level up your guild dwarves' skills. But they also open you up to the villains system, whereby your dwarves will be corrupted by dark agents and artifacts will be stolen.
Dude wrote 28 pages warning everyone to stay away from his ex.
To drain water off the map in an FPS safe manner, channel to the edge of the map. You will not be able to dig out the final tile to the edge, but you can smooth it, and then carve it into fortifications which will allow the liquid to flow by.
I figure start a new one once it releases. Get that fresh thread smell, ya know?
For a while the older threads kept a running list of all previous ones, if it's not too much trouble could you include them?
I can't think of anyone more appropriate to do the honors. Thanks for all your hard work Mayday!