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Dwarf Fortress => DF Dwarf Mode Discussion => Topic started by: Melzer on July 10, 2012, 04:18:34 pm

Title: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Melzer on July 10, 2012, 04:18:34 pm

400 things you learned the hard way. this is the dwarf fortress fortress mode edition. (sounds kinda like buttery butter)
up to 3 things per post per person.

_{and please try not to swear}

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Corai on July 10, 2012, 04:22:10 pm

1. Kobolds are weak, but they still get lucky hits on your legendary soldiers.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Firehawk45 on July 10, 2012, 04:25:49 pm

2. Do not underestimate goblins led by demons.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Eldestish on July 10, 2012, 04:29:58 pm

3. Don't use atom smashers for population control.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: flieroflight on July 10, 2012, 04:31:40 pm

4. Dont leave a  tile diagonal gap while minig out lots of lovely bauxitey goodies. 2 goblin ambushes in a militaryless for appearing inthe dining room is never fun.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: ledgekindred on July 10, 2012, 04:42:50 pm

5. Walling off the caverns only works if you remember to close off every possible entrance.

6. Trogs are a pain in the ass and will bruise your useful dorfs to death.  If you put up cages, they will fill up your cages and then bruise your Legendary Mechanic to death when he tries to replace the cages.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Corai on July 10, 2012, 04:44:21 pm

Quote from: ledgekindred on July 10, 2012, 04:42:50 pm

6. Trogs are a pain in the ass and will bruise your useful dorfs to death.  If you put up cages, they will fill up your cages and then bruise your Legendary Mechanic to death when he tries to replace the cages.

7. Crundles are like trogs, but ever more irritating.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: weenog on July 10, 2012, 04:45:21 pm

8. Get your coffins in before dwarves start dying.  The fetid stench of rotting BFFs does nothing to improve the morale of dwarves already prone to tantrum.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: King DZA on July 10, 2012, 04:51:27 pm

9. Being unable to build a wall on the edge of the map does not mean enemies cannot arrive from that point.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: dbay on July 10, 2012, 05:13:39 pm

10. Make sure your dwarves have enough cabinets, it's the only way to get that XXCave Spider Silk SockXX out of the doorway
11. HFS can't destroy artifact floodgates, but they can dismantle them.
12. Zombie + 10 Serrated Steel Disc = 31 zombies

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Frontestro on July 10, 2012, 05:28:57 pm

13. "Crossbows" are the way humanoids say "Machine Gun" in DF. Goblins know this and will use them any chance they get on your melee based army.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: nopil3os on July 10, 2012, 06:30:14 pm

14. if you have an entrance prepared for goblins (weapon traps), zombies (atomsmashing bridges) and titans (cavein-trap) you are NOT prepared for elves because if you manage to get them to attack you, they know about your traps and attack en masse on giant flying bridge-destroying mounts.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Zale on July 10, 2012, 06:45:41 pm

15. The Beer must flow.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: DrKillPatient on July 10, 2012, 06:59:34 pm

16. Minecart tracks' default designation "Low Traffic" does not in any way imply "No Traffic".
17. As a corollary, dwarves injured by minecarts have an interesting tendency to lose consciousness on the tracks, recursively causing others to do the same whilst recovering them. I dub this "Urist's Successive Minecart Injury Theorem".

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Triaxx2 on July 10, 2012, 07:08:16 pm

18. Trade Liasons melt when exposed to magma.
19. All dorfs are under pressure and tend to explode. Particularly military dorfs.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Fishybang on July 10, 2012, 07:18:50 pm

20. Werebeasts are horrifying fighting an unamored, untrianed military.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: crazysheep on July 10, 2012, 07:44:30 pm

Quote from: Triaxx2 on July 10, 2012, 07:08:16 pm

19. All dorfs are under pressure and tend to explode. Particularly military dorfs.

So, like beer cans then. And military dwarves have been shaken up enough.

21. Always have clothes.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Frontestro on July 10, 2012, 07:48:49 pm

22. Dwarfs can have triplets. Plan accordingly.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: darkrider2 on July 10, 2012, 07:52:35 pm

23. If husks are powerful or numerous enough, your military literally can and will be torn to hundreds of tiny giblets. All of which may or may not come back to haunt  you.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on July 10, 2012, 08:07:30 pm

24. Don't start building a pump stack in cavern 3 when you haven't hit 1 or 2 yet.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Megaman3321 on July 10, 2012, 08:17:55 pm

25. Disable fishing labors on all dwarves in your fort.
26. When making a DWR, don't stick it in your main dining hall.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: crazysheep on July 10, 2012, 08:37:03 pm

27a. When in doubt, magma. Unless there are zombies.
27b. Corollary of 27a: Magma is a solution looking for a problem, usually in the form of goblins.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Replica on July 10, 2012, 08:41:52 pm

28. Aquifiers can block all access to any stone layers you embarked on.
29. Aquifiers cover all the best sites.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: hector13 on July 10, 2012, 08:48:35 pm

30. Just because you can't see the necromancer, doesn't mean the necromancer is not there.

31. Having your army use edged weapons while you have no way of closing off your fort to intruders, does not really work during undead sieges.

32. Leaving undead sieges and goblin ambushers to fight each other just equals more Fun in the end.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Triaxx2 on July 10, 2012, 08:56:49 pm

Nah, all the best sites also have Aquifers.

33. Mine carts will do their absolute best to ruin your day and your plans at the same time.

34. Usually by dumping something unpleasant on an important dorf.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Xerillum on July 10, 2012, 09:23:38 pm

35. Lycanthropy is contagious. (New to DF2012, ended up having to put down a third of the fort)
36. Water doesn't actually clean the floors, it just spreads the face melting dust around.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on July 10, 2012, 09:34:39 pm

37a. Not having enough seeds and/or food/drink will result in message spam that will make all of the important announcement hard to find.
37b. So will buzzards ravens wolves DINGOES.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on July 10, 2012, 09:54:41 pm

38. If a solider loses one hand completely and motor nerved in the other, kill them. You'll get an endless store item cancellation otherwise.

39. While humans will drink water regularly from any source, dwarves will go nearly to dehydration before drinking from a pond or river if there is no well set up.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Xob Ludosmbax on July 10, 2012, 10:05:25 pm

40. If you have a layer 7/7 magma on a bridge just above a layer of 7/7 water on a bridge, and both bridges are attached to the same lever, when you pull the lever, the water and magma will not all drop at once, and it will mix in the air, and cave in.  The results are not all on the bottom level, but spread out over several z-levels and very unstable.
40a. When you try to mine out the resulting cave in, it will collapse, killing all of the miners in the process. 
40b. Everybody loves the miners and will get very upset when they die. 

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Toxicshadow on July 10, 2012, 10:25:00 pm

41. Crimes can't be reported unless the creature has workable grasp parts, and will instead spam your announcements

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on July 10, 2012, 10:28:03 pm

42. Bird/giant egg laying animal domesticating programs can be ruined by animal trainers.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: krenshala on July 10, 2012, 10:36:06 pm

Quote from: Frontestro on July 10, 2012, 07:48:49 pm

22. Dwarfs can have triplets. Plan accordingly.

I had this happen to me last night.  8 babies ... 9 babies ... 12 babies ... wait, wat?!  At least it wasn't a militia member, so they should survive.  Maybe.  [voice type=newt]Mostly.[/voice]

43. Neglecting to (learn to) set up plant processing means no readily available supply of thread, if you don't have lots of "extra" trade goods to export - This can potentially lead to one of your better militia members lingering in the hospital for months on end due to a smashed finger.  "Doc cancels suturing - no thread x1e100"

This makes ambushing the elven caravan that I neglect to trade with even more enticing.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on July 10, 2012, 10:37:27 pm

44. Label. Your. Levers.

Also, I demand (politely ask for) levers to be included in the poll. :D

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: crazysheep on July 10, 2012, 11:04:27 pm

45. Adamantine strands can be dyed. Plan accordingly.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: GoombaGeek on July 10, 2012, 11:13:07 pm

46. Designating constructions that will flood the entire fortress with magma (or at least kill many, many dorfs) if done in the incorrect order, even if the order they should be done in is obvious, is always asking for trouble. Sure, Urist McIgnoresthelawsofphysics! Drop that rock right into the sizzling caldera while standing on the rickety bridge! I'm sure gravity will ignore you and *cave-in sweeps seven of my best dwarves into the sizzling crater*
47. Building hermetically sealed micro-fortresses to ensure the survival of the dwarven race only gives you a chance to see X+1 (where X = # of micro-fortresses) tantrum spirals for the price of one.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on July 10, 2012, 11:14:44 pm

Quote from: crazysheep on July 10, 2012, 11:04:27 pm

45. Adamantine strands can be dyed. Plan accordingly.

...
*Smashes face into desk*

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Urist_McArathos on July 10, 2012, 11:25:53 pm

Quote from: Hanslanda on July 10, 2012, 10:37:27 pm

44. Label. Your. Levers.

^ This.  A thousand times, this.

48. No matter how many times you think you've checked to make sure your mining designations are in the right place, it doesn't hurt to check again.
48a.  This goes TRIPLE for any project involving water or magma, or (Armok help you) BOTH.

49. Assume the worst when planning constructions or digging; it's best to assume that if it's at all possible for your dwarf to kill itself while working, it will in the most spectacular way possible.

50. Soldiers take a long time to become dangerous if they don't arrive with training in combat skills.  Until then, you don't have soldiers, you have moving corpses in expensive armor.  Remember this before sending a unit of novices in steel out into a siege.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: ArmokGoB on July 10, 2012, 11:27:09 pm

51. It is possible to miss all three cavern levels and make a stairway lead straight to HFS.
52. Waves from the ocean will fill your staircase with water.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: crazysheep on July 10, 2012, 11:53:17 pm

Quote from: Hanslanda on July 10, 2012, 11:14:44 pm

Quote from: crazysheep on July 10, 2012, 11:04:27 pm

45. Adamantine strands can be dyed. Plan accordingly.

...
*Smashes face into desk*

All it really accomplishes is a wasted unit of dye though, you can still make adamantine wafers from it.

53a. You can smooth and engrave natural ice floors.
53b. As a result of said engraving in part (a), prepare for sadness when the ice melts.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 12:06:42 am

Oh, I read that as, "You can dye adamantine cloth" and I got excited.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: crazysheep on July 11, 2012, 12:11:05 am

Quote from: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 12:06:42 am

Oh, I read that as, "You can dye adamantine cloth" and I got excited.

lol.. I wasn't clear enough. Yes, you can dye adamantine strands. The item description will tell you that it has been dyed. "This is a (sic) adamantine strand. It is emerald green with emerald dye." And you can still use it to make adamantine wafers. The bit where I say "wasted unit of dye" was because I was making adamantine wafers, not cloth, so naturally the unit of dye used to dye the adamantine strand was wasted.

On topic: 54. Triggering forest fires is !!FUN!! until caravans arrive.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: GoombaGeek on July 11, 2012, 12:21:22 am

Quote from: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 12:06:42 am

Oh, I read that as, "You can dye adamantine cloth" and I got excited.

Goblin 1: "Haw! Dorf walking to dark fortress gate! Dorf wearing nothing but festively dyed green shirt and ratty beard! What a ustrf!"
Goblin 2: "And now dorf taunts ballista-operating trolls! Dorf want to die so much? Haw haw!"
Dorf: *wearing unspeakably cool green adamantine shirt*
Troll: *fires ballista*
Ballista Bolt: *breaks against shirt*
Dorf: *the noise that goblin genocide makes*

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 12:25:27 am

Quote from: GoombaGeek on July 11, 2012, 12:21:22 am

Quote from: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 12:06:42 am

Oh, I read that as, "You can dye adamantine cloth" and I got excited.

Goblin 1: "Haw! Dorf walking to dark fortress gate! Dorf wearing nothing but festively dyed green shirt and ratty beard! What a ustrf!"
Goblin 2: "And now dorf taunts ballista-operating trolls! Dorf want to die so much? Haw haw!"
Dorf: *wearing unspeakably cool green adamantine shirt*
Troll: *fires ballista*
Ballista Bolt: *breaks against shirt*
Dorf: *the noise that goblin genocide makes*

Goblin 1: Oh. Oh &&&&.

55. Keep your barracks close to where the fighting might be. If your militiadwarves are on sublevel -112, and the fighting is on level 1 at the gate, they aren't going to make it.
56. Put your levers in well populated areas. Or their own special room.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on July 11, 2012, 12:32:30 am

Lesson I most definetly learned quickly was 55....

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: crazysheep on July 11, 2012, 12:33:59 am

57. Elite Bowmen are usually the cause of a fort's fall to goblin sieges.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Mimodo on July 11, 2012, 08:19:09 am

58: do not assign your only legendary military dwarf 20+ war dogs, then let them out into a siege... The resulting tantrum is difficult to put down

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Henrik Undrgrim on July 11, 2012, 09:13:30 am

59: Never put the off switch beside the pump providing water for the fortress because when the flood comes you cant stop it.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Triaxx2 on July 11, 2012, 09:56:50 am

60: All levers should be at least 4 z levels above the highest water source in existence, or the top of the pump stack. With depressurizers and doors to seal away water.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: terko on July 11, 2012, 09:57:45 am

61. Amphibious Mounts used in sieges can and will swim with their rider into your fortress if you did not floor over whatever water entry flows through your walled in part of the fortress.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: towerdude on July 11, 2012, 10:08:04 am

62. Remember that even if a group of Giant Albatross Corpses emigrates from your map after stalking you for 2 seasons, that doesn't mean the next immigrant group couldn't be another bunch of Giant Albatross Corpses.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Megaman3321 on July 11, 2012, 11:08:43 am

63. Don't put your bridge and danger room levers next to each other.
64. Don't let your dwarves share friends. The tantrum spiral is horrendous.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: flieroflight on July 11, 2012, 11:47:14 am

65. Ensure tat levers may be easily reconisable as to their function. Be it by notes, locatio or colour co-ordination.Lever rooms, all identical and unmarked, are bad ideas.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 11:59:55 am

Quote from: flieroflight on July 11, 2012, 11:47:14 am

65. Ensure tat levers may be easily reconisable as to their function. Be it by notes, locatio or colour co-ordination.Lever rooms, all identical and unmarked, are bad ideas utterly genius.

Fixed that for you. :P

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Flying Fortress on July 11, 2012, 12:49:55 pm

66.  Never assume a door is locked when a siege/FB/titan/!!Fun!! arrives.
67a.  When starting an outside fort make sure you have an underground stockpile in case Urist gets a strange mood so the artifact isn't immediately stolen by a kea causing a tantrum from Uristmcjustbecamelegendary.   :'(  (just happened to me)
67b.  Also make sure this underground stockpile has a door so the kea doesn't get inside and steal your stuff anyway.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Thrudq on July 11, 2012, 01:27:43 pm

68. If you divert surface water from z-level 5 underground to z-level 7 and then back outside to z-level 9, that water can still back up and flood the main dining hall.

69.  Make sure your drawbridge opens toward the outside of the fort, not toward the room inside where your militia trains.

70.  If you order every last single dwarf in the fort to carry trade goods to the depot, nobody will be available to close the drawbridge when the goblins that were following the merchants attack.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Shininglight on July 11, 2012, 02:16:39 pm

71: Remember to put a roof on the fortress airlock i na biome with scary fog/cloud/mist/vapor etc.

72: Remember to put a roof over the entire fortress including archery fortifications for when the goblins get cave swallows.

73: Bring booze on embark.......

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: TheDarkStar on July 11, 2012, 03:12:47 pm

74. Don't attempt to kill ANYTHING with unarmored wrestlers, especially if you don't have a hospital. They will die and cause a tantrum spiral.
75. Wrestlers will always attack and die before your equipped dwarves can kill the creature.
76. Remember to get cage traps and a military by the first year in case of siege.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: GenJeFT on July 11, 2012, 05:11:44 pm

77. Fill pond seems to take precedence over EVERY SINGLE OTHER JOB.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Supernerd on July 11, 2012, 05:48:59 pm

78. Forgotten beasts will instantly know if any path into your fortress opens up no matter where they are on the map.
79. The amount of time it will take for a dwarf to pull a level can be anywhere between ten seconds and ten minutes.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 09:56:50 pm

80. If you find candy, go play Minesweep for about ten hours before you start mining the candy. That should be enough experience to prevent you from finding the hole.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: WealthyRadish on July 11, 2012, 11:01:42 pm

81. Don't put your military off duty to haul crap to the trade depot.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: misko27 on July 11, 2012, 11:02:26 pm

82. Absolutely harmless animals that manage to enter the fort can cause entire fort to grind to halt, especially if you have a central staircase.
83. Gremlins are either absolutely harmless, or completely terrifying, depending on availability of doomsday levers, or those that can be used as such.
84. If a executed-by-dropping Goblin prisoner survives, and you don't notice, Fun will be had.
85. Vampires have a taste for legendary dwarves, the more useful the profession, the better. Same with Fell moods.
86. Deadly FB blood can be used as a absolutely wonderful method of animal control. Unless your dwarves are naked, in which case it is a wonderful method of dying quickly.
Also, I Ask that FPS death be added to contest options.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 11:04:06 pm

And levers. FPS death and levers are both common causes of death to a fortress.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Toxicshadow on July 12, 2012, 12:35:10 am

87. Learned today that muddy water can fall down stairs, down 5 levels to the main part of the fortress, flood everything(and usually create lots of !!FUN!!), while you're out telling your woodcutter to chop every  tree on the map and making sure he doesn't get killed doing it.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: RenoFox on July 12, 2012, 04:24:40 am

88. A goblin weaponmaster, even after a 3 z-level drop is a severe threat for up to 30 mediocre warriors.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: LumberingOaf on July 12, 2012, 05:06:43 am

Quote from: Firehawk45 on July 10, 2012, 04:25:49 pm

2. Do not underestimate goblins led by demons.

Addendum: Demonic diplomats can be just as dangerous when they thoughtlessly walk fire all over your mossy floors.

89. Glumprong wood may be a cool purple colour, but it most certainly is not worth the risk to acquire in the early stages of a fort.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Mimodo on July 12, 2012, 10:22:58 am

90. Switching out of DF does NOT pause the game.
91. That tree you designated to be cut was the last thing between the fortress and the forgotten beast wandering the caverns
92. Do NOT EVER EVER EVER combine the above two. The result is about 5 dead dwarves, and some lucky-ass smith who i believe, from looking at the logs, somehow managed to kill this bastard with his bare hands

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: ledgekindred on July 12, 2012, 11:54:34 am

93.  Don't try to clean up forgotten beast extracts, blood, etc in your fort.  Wall it off and burn it with magma.  Otherwise you will wind up with a "Recovering Wounded" cascade until you abandon the passed-out and bleeding dwarves to the magma. 
94.  No matter how awesome the dwarf is, sometimes you just have to suck it up, make the sacrifice and build some slabs.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Alloran on July 12, 2012, 12:38:25 pm

95. Just because you breech the caverns above the ground floor of them doesn't mean you shouldn't wall it off. There are things there that can fly.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: MasterShizzle on July 12, 2012, 12:53:07 pm

96. Build and place coffins BEFORE your dwarves start dying off. That last goblin ambush is a lot more serious when Urist McRedShirt's fetid corpse is clogging up your front gate with miasma.

97. Designate some coffins for pets as well: that Pet Giraffe corpse that refuses to get dumped isn't getting any fresher either.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sutremaine on July 12, 2012, 01:09:52 pm

98. Mine carts placed on a stop on a ramp will roll away. Track stops can only be placed on flat track.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: HavingPhun on July 12, 2012, 03:05:16 pm

99. Don't build a quantum garbage dump with stairs, legendary soldiers like to wander down there and have every limb be broken by stones then die from dehydration

100. Don't think like a dwarf.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: HavingPhun on July 12, 2012, 03:07:18 pm

So whats next?: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: misko27 on July 12, 2012, 03:14:33 pm

101. Military dwarves are always on duty. Unless their hungry.
101. Hammering =/= Execution.
103. Dwarves will sleep in non-room beds, regardless of use. Even if it is in a vampire kings servant den. Or the hospital.
104. Strange mooders are impervious to hunger, thirst, and sanity. Prepare accordingly.
EDIT: Fixed, was not paying attention.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: HavingPhun on July 12, 2012, 03:16:33 pm

Quote from: misko27 on July 12, 2012, 03:14:33 pm

201. Military dwarves are always on duty. Unless their hungry.
202. Hammering =/= Execution.
203. Dwarves will sleep in non-room beds, regardless of use. Even if it is in a vampire kings servant den. Or the hospital.
204. Strange mooders are imperious to hunger, thirst, and sanity. Prepare accordingly.

Ummm... I think you skipped a couple of numbers. But thats ok.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Melzer on July 12, 2012, 04:03:21 pm

let's make it 200 things.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: hiroshi42 on July 12, 2012, 04:06:04 pm

105. Ballista crossfire hallways do not work.
106. Dwarven mothers take their kids to work, plan your militia accordingly.
107. Dwarven children follow their parents everywhere, burrow the little brats.
108. Always make sure there is enough space in a food stockpile before you thin herds or cook large numbers of meals.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Toxicshadow on July 12, 2012, 10:47:07 pm

Quote from: misko27 on July 12, 2012, 03:14:33 pm

101. Military dwarves are always on duty. Unless their hungry.
101. Hammering =/= Execution.
103. Dwarves will sleep in non-room beds, regardless of use. Even if it is in a vampire kings servant den. Or the hospital.
104. Strange mooders are imperious to hunger, thirst, and sanity. Prepare accordingly.
EDIT: Fixed, was not paying attention.

You should improve your Social Awareness skill lol(adventure mode reference, I'm not trying to be an ass lol)

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: misko27 on July 12, 2012, 11:57:21 pm

Quote from: Toxicshadow on July 12, 2012, 10:47:07 pm

Quote from: misko27 on July 12, 2012, 03:14:33 pm

101. Military dwarves are always on duty. Unless their hungry.
101. Hammering =/= Execution.
103. Dwarves will sleep in non-room beds, regardless of use. Even if it is in a vampire kings servant den. Or the hospital.
104. Strange mooders are imperious to hunger, thirst, and sanity. Prepare accordingly.
EDIT: Fixed, was not paying attention.

You should improve your Social Awareness skill lol(adventure mode reference, I'm not trying to be an ass lol)

Do I look like a bookkeeper to you? no? I'm not. I'm a Mother-dwarfing overseer, and all that needs is a surplus of creativity, and a deficit of empathy and sanity.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on July 12, 2012, 11:58:26 pm

And access to magma.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Corai on July 13, 2012, 12:01:48 am

Quote from: misko27 on July 12, 2012, 11:57:21 pm

Quote from: Toxicshadow on July 12, 2012, 10:47:07 pm

Quote from: misko27 on July 12, 2012, 03:14:33 pm

101. Military dwarves are always on duty. Unless their hungry.
101. Hammering =/= Execution.
103. Dwarves will sleep in non-room beds, regardless of use. Even if it is in a vampire kings servant den. Or the hospital.
104. Strange mooders are imperious to hunger, thirst, and sanity. Prepare accordingly.
EDIT: Fixed, was not paying attention.

You should improve your Social Awareness skill lol(adventure mode reference, I'm not trying to be an ass lol)

Do I look like a bookkeeper to you? no? I'm not. I'm a Mother-dwarfing overseer, and all that needs is a surplus of creativity, and a deficit of empathy and sanity.

I have a deficit of creativity, and surplus of empathy and sanity. *confused*

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on July 13, 2012, 12:06:30 am

Do you have access to magma?

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on July 13, 2012, 12:07:14 am

He's a kobold, what do you think.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on July 13, 2012, 12:12:27 am

Interesting, if not, he has none of the requisite traits of a fortress Overseer. Which may make him the perfect fortress Overseer! My god, get the !! !!, we've got science that needs doing!

109. Minecart tracks. Designating them is REALLY CONFUSING.
110. If your militia is going to fight a pack of hyenas, make sure that they travel as a group. Nothing is so frustrating as watching well armored dwarves get swarmed and eaten one by one.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on July 13, 2012, 12:14:25 am

111. Can be aplied to either mode: Shields help alot. But don't give them to dwarves (or in my case humans) using multi-grasp weapons (pikes, halberds, 2h swords....) because that gives them a hit disadvantage. And this slow attack response can mean the deaths of many a soldier.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Chimpanzee on July 13, 2012, 06:06:34 am

112. Dwarves love dipping their feet in shallow water, and prefer the waterfall path to the dry path even when it's restricted. I've lost at least 10 dwarves because they were stupid enough to walk through both natural and non-natural waterfalls.
113. The slow flow speed of magma doesn't mean your magma sea discoverer or volcano breacher won't burn to death today.
114. Magma and pumps go well together. Free furnace power everyone! Water and pumps don't. Urist McPumpOperator cancels Operate Pump: Dangerous terrain. Urist McDrowning has been found dead, drowned.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: hjd_uk on July 13, 2012, 06:50:08 am

115. Dwarves will happily walk into a battlefield to pickup a sock but then get scared and run away from the path back inside and strand themselves until they starve/dehydrate/get killed.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: WellBredMutt on July 13, 2012, 09:18:59 am

Permanent dizziness from syndrome rain (which starts the SECOND YOU EMBARK) basically brings work to a standstill.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Greiger on July 13, 2012, 11:14:25 am

117. Flying forgotten beasts can move in vertical diagonals.

118. Once fully submerged, wall grates and fortifications prove no obstacle to swimmers.

119. After firing your ballista, make sure to set it off fire at will after the goblins leave, and before letting everyone out to get their goblin Christmas gifts.

120. After firing your cartcannon make sure to turn it off after the goblins leave, and before letting everyone out to get their goblin Christmas gifts.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: k9wazere on July 13, 2012, 11:49:57 am

121. Naked children are a disaster waiting to happen.
122. That undead Yak calf hair has the strength of 2 fully grown Yaks.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Flying Fortress on July 13, 2012, 12:02:16 pm

123.  A necromancer siege and sharp weapon traps don't mix.
124.  Necromancer ghosts you haven't dealt with yet and open refuse piles don't mix well.
125.  That one skeletal skeleton partial skeletal goose in the middle of your main hallway is as bad as carp when it revives when all your dwarves are running through the tunnel to haul something.
126.  When all 3 of these things mix you mine as well just sit back and enjoy the show as your fortress 'Emits showers of !!FUN!!.'  :o

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: misko27 on July 14, 2012, 02:08:50 am

127. Vampires will go crazy like other dwarves. Crazy vampires may not allow your fort to continue past apocalypse, depending on type.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: WanderingKid on July 14, 2012, 03:22:20 am

128. Not setting your 'encrusting' jeweler's workshop to only take from your crafting goods stockpiles ends up with a pile of this due to haulblocks:

Quote

This is a sheep wool sock.  It is made from sheel wool cloth.  This object menaces with spikes of pink garnet.  On the item is a image of breasplates in chrysoberyl by Tosid Uzolmegid.

I just KNOW some idiot's going to go out and die for this sock in a siege...

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Bulwersator on July 14, 2012, 03:28:24 am

" most common cause of losing a fortress? " FPS death, crash and bug-related problems are missing.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: MrAnderson on July 14, 2012, 08:08:25 am

129. When a burrow is split in two parts (eg by a bridge) it's no reason for dwarves not to try reach the cut off part - even when there's a goblin siege in between.

(experienced when I sealed off a trade depot from the fort by a bridge but not from the outside. the whole fort wanted to get stuff from the depot while a siege waited outside of the bridge o'doom over the volcano)

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Dorfus on July 14, 2012, 08:42:02 am

130. As tempting as it seems, clearing a cavern with a balls-to-the-wall free-for-all slugging match between your fresh-faced military and the hordes of forgotten beasts is not the best approach. Dwarves aren't meant to go toe-to-toe with enemies. Use spikes, magma and other cleverly engineered traps and save your military for chasing the escaped Giant Sparrow around the mines. For hours. And hours.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Meph on July 14, 2012, 11:33:36 am

131. Modding is addictive.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loud Whispers on July 14, 2012, 05:24:00 pm

Rule of ravens :

All those with wings, they descend from the skies... They are murder. This is why you must dig deeper.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: DrKillPatient on July 14, 2012, 05:31:05 pm

133. When a dwarf is thrown from a minecart, off a retracting bridge, etc, his or her gravitational attraction to a particular area is directly proportional to the likelyhood of death when landing in that area.

Quote from: Loud Whispers on July 14, 2012, 05:24:00 pm

All those with wings, they descend from the skies... They are murder.

Technically, only crows are murder; see #3 here: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/murder

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loud Whispers on July 14, 2012, 05:38:53 pm

Quote from: DrKillPatient on July 14, 2012, 05:31:05 pm

Technically, only crows are murder.

While ravens are unkind, keas are a circus and those larger still... All share one thing in common. They have the want to kill everything short and hairy. They are murder.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: KingFerret on July 14, 2012, 07:51:15 pm

134. Danger rooms can only be made using a spike trap containing training spears NOT menacing wooden spikes which will proceed to perforate your whole military, without you noticing.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: T-Mick on July 14, 2012, 09:28:22 pm

135. Locked doors don't keep trolls out of you fortress.

136. Locked doors DO keep starving dwarves out of your fortress when you forget to unlock them.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: GoombaGeek on July 14, 2012, 09:43:57 pm

137. When everyone walks past the hospital on their way to pick up some sweet, sweet socks (my first-ever goblin christmas), they will completely neglect the wounded until all your hospital contains is dried-out corpses awkwardly hung over some fungiwood beds. However, they will not fail to notice the miasma produced by the corpses. Paging Dr. Urist McSelectivelyblind!

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: nighzmarquls on July 15, 2012, 12:27:52 pm

138. Upright Grates are not effective barriers in seiges and instead attract trolls.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: k9wazere on July 15, 2012, 01:12:43 pm

139. A single Legendary vile fog thrall swordsman can destroy your entire fortress quicker than just about anything.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Eric Blank on July 15, 2012, 02:30:58 pm

140. Doctors should never, ever have any labors enabled but their medical professions, and possibly permitting all medical professions, even those they aren't skilled in. Absolutely no hualing or cleaning labors should be active on a given member of your fortresses' medical staff, and industrial labors should only be permitted if they are something you rarely have need for (like dyeing.) If this rule is followed, doctors should have very little excuse to neglect patients and survival rates should increase exponentially.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: WaffleEggnog on July 15, 2012, 02:50:48 pm

141; Dragons dont fly.... sent some marsdwarfs after em... didint work very well

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loud Whispers on July 16, 2012, 03:40:31 am

The concentration gradient of Fun directly correlates to the amount of beards, alcohol and blood is in one area at any given time.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: nighzmarquls on July 16, 2012, 10:08:57 am

143: Indestructible vampires that can hold off sieges single handedly even with a shattered leg are not immune to the terror of ghosts.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Awessum Possum on July 16, 2012, 07:10:26 pm

145: If you want to check to see if the water/magma is on this level, or the next one up do not dig adjacent to the damp/warm stone.

146: Goblin bowmen can, in fact, shoot down.

147: A single Master swordsman is not sufficient to handle a squad of goblins riding jabberers.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: crazysheep on July 16, 2012, 08:34:15 pm

148. Grates are VERY useful at blocking stuff from going anywhere when constructed correctly.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: mordrax on July 16, 2012, 09:22:56 pm

149. Setting a minecart to be pushed (down several levels) and having a track bend pointed at a clothes workshop is a sure way to kill your legendary clothiers.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: oracleoftroy on July 16, 2012, 10:42:48 pm

150. Dragon fire? Meh, no big deal, just block it with your wooden shield. Exploding barrels of booze still sitting in the Trade Depot? Entire military eliminated (except for the vampire axe dwarf). Moral: Be aware of your surroundings when fighting dragons!

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Teh_Duke on July 17, 2012, 09:00:52 am

151. Even if a husked dwarf is nothing but a torso and a head. He can still bite most of your military to death if they only have crossbows

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Urist_McArathos on July 18, 2012, 01:01:39 am

152. Always double check your constructions, supports, and lever connections before giving the order to pull levers, remove supports, or deconstruct constructions.

153. Triple check your designations before unpausing.  You can't undig once you've dug.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Eldestish on July 18, 2012, 11:46:51 am

154. When doing a GCS farm,Remember to forbid the doors or it will eat the bait

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: ledgekindred on July 18, 2012, 12:47:51 pm

155.  If you start getting more than the average number of thieves and snatchers, an ambush is virtually inevitable.  Be appropriately proactive and pull your dwarves inside.  Especially the Legendary workers who are wandering around outside looking for socks.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on July 18, 2012, 12:50:00 pm

156. Turtling is not a good idea if you have no farms or watersources.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sutremaine on July 18, 2012, 01:41:02 pm

157. Once a minecart reaches the bottom of the ramp it has been rolling down for over a hundred levels, three track stops will not slow it down appreciably.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Findulidas on July 18, 2012, 02:10:54 pm

158. Fire keeps on spreading throughout the whole level if there are things growing there, including over all of your farms, seeds, alcohol a.s.o. Separating them in diffrent rooms with stone doors and having a secondary entrance to each of these helps to prevent the fire spreading.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: XXSockXX on July 18, 2012, 02:55:26 pm

159. When building a GCS silk farm with a wild GCS, de- and reconstructing it umpteen times does not make it work. Not using a cat as bait does.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Vodrilus on July 18, 2012, 05:37:13 pm

160. Disabling autopausing and minimizing the frame is a bad idea.
161. Trying to kill your imprisoned vampire queen with repeating steel spikes only attracts retrievers for the (always?) non-mortally wounded queen, killing or wounding the retriever(s). Thus a bad idea. Especially when failing to follow 160.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Melzer on July 27, 2012, 01:48:27 pm

162. You can't dig through the edge of the map.
163. Don't let anybody stand on a frozen pool in the spring.
164. Everybody loves cats!

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: 78325 on July 28, 2012, 02:27:13 pm

165. A bridge over a moat filled with water is not a good place for your military to meet the goblin ambush.Your dwarves will dodge.Off the bridge and into the water.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Batman Wayne on July 28, 2012, 02:33:35 pm

166. Keas are pests.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sprin on July 28, 2012, 03:01:20 pm

167-NEVER FORGET ABOUT PRODUCING BOOZ AND BARRELS
168-Rock pots are a elfs way out

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Mobotium on July 28, 2012, 03:02:29 pm

169. Deconstructing a 10 z-lvl tall up/down stairway beginning from the topmost level may cause a atmospheric phenomenon known as "Dwarf Rain".

170. In the event of a "Dwarf Rain", having embarked in a hot sand desert without any sort of river or lake can be very !!FUN!! indeed.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: GoombaGeek on July 28, 2012, 03:05:41 pm

171. When forgotten beasts attack animal men, and the animal men kill it, then you now have highly-trained animal men, possibly with poison-coated weapons.
172. If they don't kill it, they've aggravated it, and it'll produce a lot more doom gas/venom/webs for your cats to step in.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: MightyDorf on July 28, 2012, 03:56:28 pm

173. When the first areas are dug, define a burrow just in case, then check regularly the "other" screen : ink men, yetis, ogres, or fucking centaurs who haunt the mountainsides are horribly annoying. One death with seven dorfs at the beginning may result in tamtruming spirals, fun, and possibly a future reclaim.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: DanteThanatos on September 03, 2012, 06:52:45 am

174. Check if the dinning room isn't under and open to a traped 1 tile-thin bridge filled with serrated discs above it. Falling arms and torsos can and will kill many dwarves.
175. When making a moat, check thrice if it isn't going to flood the Mayor chambers...with the mayor inside the chambers...sleeping.Or not.

also bump.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on September 03, 2012, 09:04:28 am

Dude. Don't necro.

176. You will most likely abandon many forts out of boredom.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: misko27 on September 03, 2012, 10:20:02 am

177. Crundles come in terrifyingly large packages.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 03, 2012, 10:29:38 am

177a. Crundles also make good training fodder for your animal trainers.

178. Living off elk bird bone exports on a glacier is a generally bad idea if you rely on  import booze. (SO MANY MIGRANTS IN SPRING D:)

179. Keep an eye on dwarves who have butchery enabled. Those piles of crundles you killed will draw thier attention and they will run the risk of being killed by a draltha or giant toad whilst recovering crundle skeletons for disassemblage. (lost a couple dwarves this way)

180. Legendary miners become even deadlier when issued both a pick and large dagger. It doesn't however mean they're immune to having thier legs broken by a goblin mace.

181. When trying to capture a giant cave spider, make sure none of your marksdwarves are off duty near the trap site. They'll end up oneshotting that spider you went out of your way to attempt capture of.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: wrwr on September 03, 2012, 12:31:09 pm

toad-edit: cleaned up a spat that messed up the numbering

201. Never butcher fire imps! Some dorf will bring the burning meat into the food store and put it right next to the booze, causing 25 kinds of fun. Also, always have a source of fresh water ready.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on September 03, 2012, 12:43:03 pm

Quote from: Hurize on September 03, 2012, 12:37:42 pm

Quote from: wrwr on September 03, 2012, 12:31:09 pm

201. Never butcher fire imps! Some dorf will bring the burning meat into the food store and put it right next to the booze, causing 25 kinds of fun. Also, always have a source of fresh water ready.

No, Just stop.

Technically speaking, since you keep posting in this, it hasn't been necro'd since the first person necro'd it. And also, if you keep being all pissed off about people posting in a thread in an on-topic manner, then you're being a troll. As Splint said, if you don't want to see more, don't read it.

202. Caverns are a great place to set up your fortress if you embarked on a glacier. Just remember that terrifying biomes reach all the way to the magma sea. So... Many... Giant toad zombies...

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: DanteThanatos on September 03, 2012, 01:28:32 pm

It wasn't even a necro...kinda.
I just...updated it to today.
We can't have a Thread that calls for 200 Things and stop at 173.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loud Whispers on September 03, 2012, 01:34:58 pm

Quote from: GoombaGeek on September 03, 2012, 12:15:05 pm

ASCII MAGAZINE ISSUE TWO

Ñ: "Ha ha ha! Today this thread returns from the dead!"
@: "Vile creature! This stops now!"

@/ Ñ

ASCII MAGAZINE ISSUE THREE

Tequil: "I LOVE YOU!"
Lural: "LIAR!"
      U U
...

Lural: You brought him here to kill me!
@      U U

Tequil: No...
Lural grabs Tequil by the throat with the force.
Lural adjusts his grasp.
Lural strangles Tequil.
Tequil has fallen unconscious.

Stalcon: LET HER GO LURAL
        U
@        U

Stalcon: LET
Stalcon: HER
Stalcon: GO

Tequil has suffocated.
@      @ U

Lural: YOU TURNED HER AGAINST ME!
@      @U

Stalcon: You have done that yourself.
@      U @

Lural drops the leather cloak.
Lural: You will not take her from me!
Stalcon: Your anger and lust for immortality have already done that.
Stalcon drops the leather cloak.

@  U

Stalcon: You let these night lords to twist your mind until now... Until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy.

@  U

Lural: Don't lecture me Tequil. I see through the lies of the merchants of spinning.

@ U

Lural: I do not fear the night as you do.

U  @

Lural: I have brought peace, freedom, justice and security to my new empire...

Stalcon: Your new empire?

U      @

Lural: Don't make me kill you.

U      @

Stalcon: Lural my allegiance is to the Queen, TO THE MONARCHY!

Lural: If you're not with me... Then you're my enemy.

Stalcon: Only a necromancer deals in absolutes. I will end your lust for murder if I must.

Lural: Others have tried, only to be crushed beneath my heel like vermin.

@/ \Ñ

*Woeweeweeeww*
Ñ\ /@

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 03, 2012, 01:38:10 pm

I still move we discount those ones about the thread necro crap. But until then:

202. Disassembling buildings in an abandoned human town can lead to multiple fatalities because of either glitched floors constructs or just floor constructs you didn't notice. (two humans dead with a dying civ = "That's not good.")

203. be careful deconstructing stairs. That alunite block you used for the top part can easily turn into a near-lethal projectile that breaks two workers' limbs and results in them developing infections because they weren't seen to properly or quickly enough (and because all the soap was beign used for regular cleaning just as the hospital was finished.)

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: GoombaGeek on September 03, 2012, 03:31:01 pm

I really want to make some sort of ASCII Magazine webcomic now. The possibilities are limitless.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loud Whispers on September 03, 2012, 04:05:58 pm

Quote from: GoombaGeek on September 03, 2012, 03:31:01 pm

I really want to make some sort of ASCII Magazine webcomic now. The possibilities are limitless.

Just be sure to send a link :P

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Broseph Stalin on September 03, 2012, 08:05:18 pm

204 Fuck Camels
205 Fuck Horses
206 Fuck Cows
207 If it has hooves leave it alone.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 03, 2012, 08:10:14 pm

Quote from: Broseph Stalin on September 03, 2012, 08:05:18 pm

204 Fuck Camels
205 Fuck Horses
206 Fuck Cows
207 If it has hooves leave it alone.

Once more I am made to laugh.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: MythagoWoods on September 03, 2012, 09:07:42 pm

Quote from: Broseph Stalin on September 03, 2012, 08:05:18 pm

204 Fuck Camels
205 Fuck Horses
206 Fuck Cows
207 If it has hooves leave it alone.

Which is why I have my cows as war trainable.

208. Shooting straight for the cavern is not always the best idea. (In my defense there were no trees or soil I could use above ground and I didn't bring logs.  Sadly getting to the caverns brought blind cave ogres.)
209.  Having a breeding pair of saltwater crocs and alligators then training all their offspring into war animals then assigning them into a cage and unleashing them on a siege is hilarious.
210.  The clean-up of all your chopped up croc bits is not, however.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 03, 2012, 09:10:47 pm

I made a species of carniverous battleyaks because of the mess yaks caused once. I couldn't bring myself to slaughter four battle earned named yaks when I was running low on food. Sure one was missing a limb and another all its teeth but still.

211. Dyers can wreak havoc with your clothing industry because of how hauling works now.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: cats on September 05, 2012, 11:25:09 pm

Quote from: Loud Whispers on September 03, 2012, 01:34:58 pm

Lural: Others have tried, only to be crushed beneath my heel like vermin.

Like a vermin?

...

Crushed for the very first time?

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on September 05, 2012, 11:26:26 pm

Like the very first time.


Are we doing this? Are we going to make a Dwarf Fortress Madonna song?

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hurize on September 05, 2012, 11:40:23 pm

Quote from: cats on September 05, 2012, 11:25:09 pm

Quote from: Loud Whispers on September 03, 2012, 01:34:58 pm

Lural: Others have tried, only to be crushed beneath my heel like vermin.

Like a vermin?

...

Crushed for the very first time?

Why did you post, I though this topic was dead, why?
(http://www.dreadcentral.com/img/news/jun11/niccage.jpg)

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 06, 2012, 12:37:32 am

It was only inactive because nobody had anything new that they learned to share.

Although i suppose we could always continue posting to annoy you.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: cats on September 06, 2012, 12:50:30 am

Quote from: Hurize on September 05, 2012, 11:40:23 pm

Quote from: cats on September 05, 2012, 11:25:09 pm

Quote from: Loud Whispers on September 03, 2012, 01:34:58 pm

Lural: Others have tried, only to be crushed beneath my heel like vermin.

Like a vermin?

...

Crushed for the very first time?

Why did you post, I though this topic was dead, why?

Aw, don't feel sad and blue.  :(

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on September 06, 2012, 01:31:08 am

Quote from: Splint on September 06, 2012, 12:37:32 am

It was only inactive because nobody had anything new that they learned to share.

Although i suppose we could always continue posting to annoy you.

This. I'm getting quite annoyed with him.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 06, 2012, 01:37:15 am

clearly he just doesn't like seeing this in his inbox, and will continue to mock us for "necroing" a now not dead thread. Oh and I did learn something.

212. Kill ALL of the fucking yetis on your glacer if you want polar bears. ALL. OF. THEM.

EDIT: Welp, I just learned another thing which i hadn't considered.

213. be careful when setting up underground irrigation on a glacier. Part of the pump is not passable and will result in someone dying of thirst somehow (despite them being next to the water to be pumped.)

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Niccolo on September 06, 2012, 03:22:46 am

Quote from: Hanslanda on September 06, 2012, 01:31:08 am

This. I'm getting quite annoyed with him.

Read his latest posts. They're, uh... enlightening.

So, what number are we at now? 214? I think it's 214.

214: Whatever you do, by God make sure you know exactly where the river/aquifer is when you're digging upwards. That... That was a very wet day.

215: Always check to see if a Forgotten Beast can fly.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 06, 2012, 03:23:48 am

I can only imagine how much of that fortress got flooded.

EDIT: Not so much a bad one as it is a suprise.

216. Unarmored Speardwarves armed only with homeforged copper and pilfered iron spears are suprisingly effective when used en masse. Just don't expect them to have much staying power on the battlefield. (to explain, siege hit and some unarmored speardwarves are beating back armord swordgoblins nearly supportless. I am actually shocked none of them are missing limbs yet.)

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Niccolo on September 06, 2012, 03:30:56 am

Quote from: Splint on September 06, 2012, 03:23:48 am

I can only imagine how much of that fortress got flooded.

EDIT: Not so much a bad one as it is a suprise.

216. Unarmored Speardwarves armed only with homeforged copper and pilfered iron spears are suprisingly effective when used en masse. Just don't expect them to have much staying power on the battlefield. (to explain, siege hit and some unarmored speardwarves are beating back armord swordgoblins nearly supportless. I am actually shocked none of them are missing limbs yet.)

Surprisingly, not much... but since the fort was still nascent "not much" referred to "the entire goddamn thing, including the picks".

217: Bolt holes work best if you lock the door behind you.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Dsarker on September 06, 2012, 03:33:49 am

218. You always need a better computer. No exceptions.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: sigefread on September 06, 2012, 09:53:26 am

219a: In the rare event your fortress is not initially at war with gobbo's they will send a caravan in winter...

219b: This will not however prevent them from sending snatcher's ambushes and sieges along with the caravan.

219c: If you fight these attacks the caravan will become angered and attack as well.


Many fun times where had... And I got a beak dog out of it :D Now if only I had a breeding pair...

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loud Whispers on September 08, 2012, 02:40:20 am

Quote from: cats on September 05, 2012, 11:25:09 pm

Quote from: Loud Whispers on September 03, 2012, 01:34:58 pm

Lural: Others have tried, only to be crushed beneath my heel like vermin.

Like a vermin?

...

Crushed for the very first time?

♫I've got your lungfish, on my miiind♫

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on September 08, 2012, 11:10:17 am

Quote from: Loud Whispers on September 08, 2012, 02:40:20 am

Quote from: cats on September 05, 2012, 11:25:09 pm

Quote from: Loud Whispers on September 03, 2012, 01:34:58 pm

Lural: Others have tried, only to be crushed beneath my heel like vermin.

Like a vermin?

...

Crushed for the very first time?

♫I've got your lungfish, on my miiind♫

I don't know why, but you put the PvZ ending theme in my head.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: darkgloomie on September 08, 2012, 11:59:51 am

220. Even if they learned swimming, Dwarves will never cross the stream to go to the other side...

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Lielac on September 08, 2012, 12:34:51 pm

221. "The dead walk. Hide while you still can!" really means "Close the gates and become completely self-sufficient or be assimilated into the zombie horde."

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loud Whispers on September 08, 2012, 01:30:04 pm

Quote from: Slayerhero90 on September 08, 2012, 11:10:17 am

Quote from: Loud Whispers on September 08, 2012, 02:40:20 am

Quote from: cats on September 05, 2012, 11:25:09 pm

Quote from: Loud Whispers on September 03, 2012, 01:34:58 pm

Lural: Others have tried, only to be crushed beneath my heel like vermin.

Like a vermin?

...

Crushed for the very first time?

♫I've got your lungfish, on my miiind♫

I don't know why, but you put the PvZ ending theme in my head.

It's Madonna :P

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Blizzlord on September 08, 2012, 02:11:06 pm

222: Not even the worlds most powerful computer could run Dwarf Fortress fluidly. 1.5 million processing cores will not help against a game running on a single thread.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 08, 2012, 02:13:20 pm

223. When playing as a modded race, don't forget to add progress triggers to dwarves. You'll feel amazingly stupid when you figure this out after 6 years of no contact with them.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Eric Blank on September 08, 2012, 06:16:23 pm

Quote from: Blizzlord on September 08, 2012, 02:11:06 pm

222: Not even the worlds most powerful computer could run Dwarf Fortress fluidly. 1.5 million processing cores will not help against a game running on a single thread.

224: although a million crappy cores are useless, 4 really good cores can run 3 instances of DF simultaneously, and perhaps at a reasonable speed for the first few years.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Nyxalinth on September 08, 2012, 06:45:30 pm

225. When you get a moody dwarf demanding cloth, and all the cloth is at the hospital, it isn't enough to just un-designate the zone.  Mr. Moody will not soil his artistic fingers pulling the cloth out of the chest on his own, so you have to deconstruct the chest, first.

Technically, I almost learned this the hard way. i figured out what was going on, and he got his cloth. Made a very nice spear, too.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sprin on September 08, 2012, 06:50:15 pm

226. 4 legendery milita men cant allways beat a seige 5 on the other hand... also dosnt work... might just be me...

What was that spear made of?

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Nyxalinth on September 08, 2012, 06:57:17 pm

Quote from: Sprin on September 08, 2012, 06:50:15 pm

226. 4 legendery milita men cant allways beat a seige 5 on the other hand... also doesn't work... might just be me...

What was that spear made of?

Copper, but I haven't found any iron yet.  My fort is awash in silver, gold, and copper.  No tin either, alas.  It has pictures of two previous artifacts and the king on it.  Considering previous artifacts were all flood gates, hatches, trinkets or musical instruments, to me it's quite nice :)

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sprin on September 08, 2012, 07:00:42 pm

neet spear crapy material...
I once had a sword made of ZINC!

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 08, 2012, 07:05:00 pm

227. Forgetting about a moody clothier when you have no hope of growth besides births can and will cost you one dwarf (or in my case a human.) This will be an unrecoverable blow, made worse if they had a lover or spouse.

228. A force of poorly equipped soldiers who have been trained since year one are suprisingly effective. Unfortunatly, you won't get to watch them kick more ass when the save is corrupted.

229. Fear them oldass humans. Some of those old farts can and will dive tackle into the enemy and remove thier target's head. (To explain, I had a 105 year old great great grandmother beat the shit out of an ambush alone with a shoddily made iron sowrd and now armor. fist kill had the appearance of her diving into the goblins and coming out the other side with a severed goblin sergeant's head.)

230. We're probably pissing of Hurize to no end by posting in this thread.

Quote from: Sprin on September 08, 2012, 07:00:42 pm

neet spear crapy material...
I once had a sword made of ZINC!

I once got one made of sterling silver. Liked it so much it's the weapon of a character in a story I'm writing and was the tool of that badass grandma mentioned above, if only because she beat the milita commander and the other sword guy to it. I only wish she had it before that fight.

EDIT: 230. Don't let your people in charge of meeting diplomats do hobby beekeeping. they'll spend all thier time collecting from the hives.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loud Whispers on September 09, 2012, 01:30:33 am

Quote from: Sprin on September 08, 2012, 07:00:42 pm

neet spear crapy material...
I once had a sword made of ZINC!

231 : Zinc does not explosively react, even when lodged in fire :(

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: hanni79 on September 11, 2012, 12:36:20 am

232 : If magma does not help, try a well placed cave-in.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: GalenEvil on September 11, 2012, 01:04:07 am

233: If well placed cave-in's do not work, apply much more magma :D

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sus on September 11, 2012, 01:05:11 am

233: Always dig a well ASAP. Always.
234: Make sure your militia is all geared up before trouble arrives. An empty waterskin or a missing sock equals suicide run.
 234(a): When under siege, forbid everything outdoors.
235: Levers will always be pulled by the idle dorf furthest away from the lever. Plan accordingly.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 11, 2012, 01:17:11 am

236. Giant moles are suprisingly resiliant enemies, which can and will killa decently equipped and trained miner if it manages to knock him down.

236a. Giant moles make for a good herding and fighting animal for six dwarves living disconnected from the outside world.

237. Dwarven soldiers armed with training weapons can become remarkably well skilled terrifyingly fast without growing attached to thier toothpicks while beating the shit out of an alligator four six months straight.

237a. Dwarven soldiers can go a suprisingly long time without getting hungry, tired, or thirsty when unencumbered with lots of heavy gear.

238. Dwarves will often severely injure thier friends if somebody they didn't know dies in front of them following two unwelled pond drinks and a nap in the grass.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: hanni79 on September 11, 2012, 12:09:26 pm

239 : "Levers will always be pulled by the idle dorf furthest away from the lever. Plan accordingly." That means, get hold of a vampire and build a control-room.
239a NEVER forget to add a control function for the vampire itself. Having a crazy vampire Dwarf rampaging in your first middle and last line of defence can really wreak havoc....

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Berossus on September 11, 2012, 01:06:35 pm

240. Goblins plant trees strategically to block the exit paths of caravans, many seasons in advance, so they can safely ambush, rape and eat your legendary woodcutters, most possibly in that order, when he goes to chop down that single tree at the end of the world so the caravan can leave.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: C27 on September 11, 2012, 03:34:04 pm

241. Obsidian short swords are not a wise choice to base your militia around. Things got ugly very quickly.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Gamerboy4life on September 11, 2012, 03:47:51 pm

242: Bridges crush YOUR guys, too.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 11, 2012, 04:22:11 pm

243. SOldiers can and will commit suicide by walking out into a siege for absolutly no reason. Literally no reaso> no equippment was out there, nothing. Just walked out and died, and he was perfectly happy. I have since save scummed and will at least get some other soldiers back.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Princess Celestia on September 12, 2012, 07:41:25 pm

244. A three tile wide entrance is really nice, as it allows traders into the safety of my fortress.

244a. A three tile wide entrance is really nice, as it allows a titan plenty of room to wipe out my fortress.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: megahelmet on September 12, 2012, 07:50:37 pm

245a. If a magma workshop is placed with the solid tile above the single open to magma tile, then nothing underneath the workshop can destroy it, or come up from the lava. All this without huge needlessly complex layers of fortifications, grates, and bridges I have been using for a long, long, time.

245b. If skipping out on those huge needlessly complex layers of fortifications, grates, and bridges in favor of 245a....be sure to get the workshop juuuust right. Or fire imps will set your beard on fire. And the booze. And pretty much everything else.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 12, 2012, 09:20:20 pm

246. Some FBs seem to know when they'll lose. They will then instead opt to enjoy a nice dip in your water supply and sit there for no reason. (There's a poisonous biting mongoose in my water supply. it's scaring me because once my men were in position it turned right around and is seeming to be either hiding or just taking a nice bath.)

247. If it has poisounous emmisions. SHOOT IT IN THE FACE. If it has poisonous emmisions, pray to god your marksmen get a lucky headshot. Othwerwise all your good marksmen WILL die of a necrotic disease, though they may manage to take the thing with them.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sus on September 13, 2012, 03:59:26 am

Quote from: Splint on September 11, 2012, 04:22:11 pm

243. SOldiers can and will commit suicide by walking out into a siege for absolutly no reason. Literally no reaso> no equippment was out there, nothing. Just walked out and died, and he was perfectly happy. I have since save scummed and will at least get some other soldiers back.

Well crap.
And here I was, thinking I'd figure out how to stop them from going all kamikaze. >:(

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 15, 2012, 06:46:01 pm

And now

248. Sometimes migrants won't show up not because of lack of trade or too many deaths, but because you kept forgetting to up the population limit in the int. file.

249. Fuck mayoral election and thier disrupting of negotiations.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sus on September 16, 2012, 08:38:29 pm

250. Dumping small items, especially x(clothes)x, en masse without DFHack's autodump is counter-productive.
Why, you ask?
1) Well, items marked for dumping will never be stored in bins, for one. Every last stinking X(large troll fur sock)X will have to be carried to the dump site individually. You can probably imagine how efficient this is.
2) Dump item is a very low priority job. In fact, Store item in stockpile is way above it. This leads to...
3) your finished goods stockpile getting cluttered with individually stored pieces of x(junk)x that practically nobody is willing to touch. This means they're stuck in there forever, taking up space that could be used for finished goods bins.

As silly as it seemns, the most effective non-dfhack way to get rid of useless crap is to sell it to the carbagemen caravans.
Obviuously, vanilla DF still has a lot of work to do on the de-cluttering aspect.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: pixl97 on September 17, 2012, 09:42:44 am

251. Dumping continued. When quantum dumping all the goblinite bars from your cluttered smelters, make sure that you don't channel beside your dump zone, and that the new ramp is now the best path to take to the next level. Dwarfs will now throw heavy metal bars in to the pit smashing heads in.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sus on September 18, 2012, 12:48:06 am

252. The unpassable tile of magma workshop goes on top of the magma hole. For the magma forge, this is mid-left or mid-right; for all others it is top-mid. Armok, inc. does not accept any liability, direct or otherwise, for monsters, fireballs, basalt globs or ‼Fun‼ in general pouring out of uncapped magma pits, nor any damage or loss of life caused by the above.

253. When digging a multi-level channel, make sure multiple levels are not worked on at the same time. Nothing ruins your day like a pitchblende boulder to the head of your Legendary+5 Miner.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sus on September 21, 2012, 11:08:08 pm

254. After you've just designated 256 bedrooms, save. the. game. Immediately.

[DF.exe has stopped responding]

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 21, 2012, 11:10:22 pm

255. Expect casualties when you need to dig into the caverns out of sheer desperation because you forgot to bring enough booze to see you to the caravan.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Urist McPenguinhead on September 22, 2012, 03:03:50 am

256. Doors do not stop FBs, they are building destroyers >:|

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Melzer on September 28, 2012, 09:35:31 am

Quote from: DanteThanatos on September 03, 2012, 01:28:32 pm

It wasn't even a necro...kinda.
I just...updated it to today.
We can't have a Thread that calls for 200 Things and stop at 173.

It's not dead! Exactly, we can't have a Thread that calls for 400 either and stop at 256. Can we now?

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on September 28, 2012, 09:42:27 am

cue whats his name moaning about necroing this.

Anyway,

257. War elephants are terribly effective antialligator systems, but they can only fight one at a time. And when three elephants are tied up fighting three out of 5 gators, a bunch of dwarves scattered around fighting troglodytes are fairly easy prey.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: DiezIrae on September 28, 2012, 04:22:10 pm

258: Isolating someone that fought a Werebeast should happen before he slaughters his wife and child. :/

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sabretache on October 06, 2012, 10:10:43 pm

259: Undead Yak Bulls are Death Incarnate...

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on October 06, 2012, 10:19:53 pm

260. Leaving the game on in the background can lead to dwarves running out of food and being forced to drink water just as migrants arrive.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Broseph Stalin on October 06, 2012, 10:21:37 pm

261. When constructing tiles dwarves will do everything in their power to render the project unfinishable.
262. When deconstructing tiles dwarves will do everything in their power to cause a cave in.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Kilroy the Grand on October 06, 2012, 10:25:48 pm

263. You shouldn't leave corpses around your necromancer experimentation/training pit. Especially if that corpse is of another necromancer.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Urist McKoga on October 09, 2012, 10:40:32 pm

264. Someday, you might think you have a wagon pulled by alligators, and will be late to realize how much fun it is.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: crazysheep on October 09, 2012, 10:52:36 pm

265. You can engrave natural ice floors and walls.
265a. If you use this to train up engraving skill in biome where water melts seasonally, prepare for tantrums as those ice engravings melt.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on October 09, 2012, 10:56:06 pm

Quote from: crazysheep on October 09, 2012, 10:52:36 pm

265. You can engrave natural ice floors and walls.
265a. If you use this to train up engraving skill in biome where water melts seasonally, prepare for tantrums as those ice engravings melt.

Mind=blown

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loud Whispers on October 10, 2012, 11:32:14 am

Quote from: crazysheep on October 09, 2012, 10:52:36 pm

265. You can engrave natural ice floors and walls.
265a. If you use this to train up engraving skill in biome where water melts seasonally, prepare for tantrums as those ice engravings melt.

It also causes the water to overflow :D

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: chaosgear on October 10, 2012, 02:13:28 pm

266. Don't let Nauseous dwarves into your food stockpile, kitchen, or dining room.

267. If you're gonna build a wall, make it top priority, otherwise your dwarves will procrastinate it for years.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on October 10, 2012, 02:32:50 pm

268. Even when armed, dwarve will rarely defend themselves if attacked.
 268a. Carpenter/Woodcutters don't fare very well against giant flying squirrels. Miners however, are brutally effective.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Scow2 on October 10, 2012, 03:03:08 pm

269. Giving everyone every job, instead of improving efficiency by always ensuring there's someone available to do whatever needs to be done, reduces efficiency by ensuring that everyone's wasting time on the most trivial task possible.

270. Aquifers fill faster than you think they will.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Gamerboy4life on October 10, 2012, 03:52:11 pm

271: Water can move diagonally, through a wall you think was secure.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: JimboM12 on October 10, 2012, 07:50:15 pm

272. Remember to set your minecarts to guide if its in a high traffic area.

Title: Re: 200 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sutremaine on October 11, 2012, 12:29:53 am

Quote from: Splint on September 11, 2012, 04:22:11 pm

243. SOldiers can and will commit suicide by walking out into a siege for absolutly no reason. Literally no reaso> no equippment was out there, nothing.

Where was the last place you stationed him? Did he make a kill outside recently? I've noticed that dwarves like to wander to the last place they did something and then stand around for a while. With soldiers you can get around this by stationing them in the barracks after they've finished with the rest of their direct orders. Then you can cancel that and let them go back to training or whatever they do in their spare time.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on October 11, 2012, 12:42:48 am

I got him back due to a save scum.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sutremaine on October 11, 2012, 01:10:35 am

Okay, keep on doing that if it keeps happening.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: GoombaGeek on October 11, 2012, 08:53:22 am

273. Elven sissy wooden weapons are capable of major damage. Fortunately, this worked in my favor when a pilfered (+birchen long sword+) commandeered by a lowly Thresher sliced off an ettin's left head in one strike.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: megahelmet on October 11, 2012, 10:55:45 am

274. Undead Orca, Whales, and Sharks are very, very, very deadly. Like stupidly deadly. More deadly than any undead Mule, Donkey, or Muskox. Undead Orcas are more than a match for iron clad dwarves. My military ended up like a battered can of tomato sauce--dented with red goo oozing out.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Eric Blank on October 11, 2012, 12:31:30 pm

Orcas are NOT pleasant animals to be around IRL. They're called "killer whales" for a damn reason. Biggest predator in their branch of the tree of life, and nobody fucks with them.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: megahelmet on October 11, 2012, 01:21:28 pm

Ya. At first I was excited. My military had been killing off smaller fish that were crawling up on land and I was getting huge returns on butchering. Oh wow! An orca! I bet I could get enough meat for an entire year!

There were no survivors.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: JimDale on October 11, 2012, 02:34:39 pm

275.
Don't put the damn tombs on the same floor as your bedrooms, dining rooms, statue rooms, pastures, and offices.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Seraphim342 on October 11, 2012, 03:55:44 pm

276.  Poorly placed dragon pillboxes bring a whole new meaning to the term "friendly fire"

277.  Legendary Dodger is a liability when fighting on an elevated platform.  Plan accordingly.
277a.  This can be used to hold seasonal Master Goblin base-jumping competitions. 

278. For protecting against theft, Brinks Home Security has nothing on a pack of Giant War Lions pastured at your stockpile entrance. 

279.  Necromancers can be very Fun, but a constantly-reanimating piece of Cat Skin is an excellent marksdwarf training tool.
279a.  If you build this, make sure it's isolated from your fort, nowhere near a refuse pile, and equipped with a magma-dumping panic button.

280.  If you try to irrigate an underground area with water from a lake or river, use a bridge instead of floodgates to control flow.  Otherwise a carp WILL jam it open.  No exceptions. 

281.  Eating a lavish dish of yak tripe with a side of whip wine in a legendary dining room, then going to sleep on a masterwork bed in a legendary barracks may be enough to make Urist McLegenddwarf forget all about bashing his undead wife's rotting head in with a hammer after she came to life and killed his pet kitten, but Armok help you if he then gets caught in the rain when he wakes up.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Ruhn on October 12, 2012, 04:10:07 pm

282. Don't try and use various drawbridges to "atom smash" the goblins that your elite military dwarves are engaged in melee combat with.  The timing doesn't work so well.

283. Include in fortress design some way to kill merchants that leave after refusing to trade.

284. Don't try to use drawbridges to catapult merchants who refused to trade, it can be tough to time that too.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hanslanda on October 12, 2012, 10:29:25 pm

Quote from: Ruhn on October 12, 2012, 04:10:07 pm

282. Don't try and use various drawbridges to "atom smash" the goblins that your elite military dwarves are engaged in melee combat with.  The timing doesn't work so well.

283. Include in fortress design some way to kill merchants that leave after refusing to trade.

284. Don't try to use drawbridges to catapult merchants who refused to trade, it can be tough to time that too.

283a: Drowning chambers work great. But do not leave any holes at the top. They will escape out.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Seraphim342 on October 12, 2012, 10:56:52 pm

285.  A Dwarven Atom Smasher used for garbage disposal can turn into a massive projectile weapon if used (im)properly.  Plan accordingly. 

286.  Dwarven Railguns, F.R.O.G.G.E.R. defenses and Auto Shotguns are one jammed cart away from becoming Dwarven Supercolliders. 
286a.  Always remember to have a backup plan in place for stopping these weapons in case said accidental experiments into dwarven physics jam a door/hatch open. 

287.  Dwarven Orbital Defenses are powerful systems that should be treated with respect.  And well-labelled. 
287a.  If using a V.A.M.P.I.R.E. self-contained control system, make sure the operator is happy at all times.  Remember: Complete Armageddon is only a tantrum away. 
287b.  As with all artificial cave-in based defenses, ensure that there is a solid level between the surface and any of your underground facilities.  Blocks from Armok are bunker-busters. 

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Melzer on December 29, 2012, 07:07:07 am

288. Sometimes the death of a fortress is a very, very good thing.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: kardwill on December 29, 2012, 08:00:51 am

289 : A locked door will stop a goblin ambush squad, until a goblin master thief picks the lock and opens it.
289a : You won't be able to lock it again before the ambushers are in the middle of your undefended fortress.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on December 29, 2012, 03:44:58 pm

290. If you try to mod the game, expect to not play the game for a very long time.
290a. Or never again, if you get bored midway.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on December 29, 2012, 05:45:30 pm

291: Human hunters are idiots who think ambushing an ambush predator (A GCS no less) is a good idea and only the virtue of being abnormally big for a human and their leather cap will save their sorry ass from being spider food.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: P(ony)SI on December 29, 2012, 05:54:07 pm

292: If you see a hostile migrant appear in a wave of migrants, do not attack it. Loyalty cascades will ensue.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: maluraq on January 23, 2013, 02:42:50 pm

Quote from: crazysheep on July 11, 2012, 12:11:05 am

Quote from: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 12:06:42 am

Oh, I read that as, "You can dye adamantine cloth" and I got excited.

lol.. I wasn't clear enough. Yes, you can dye adamantine strands. The item description will tell you that it has been dyed. "This is a (sic) adamantine strand. It is emerald green with emerald dye." And you can still use it to make adamantine wafers. The bit where I say "wasted unit of dye" was because I was making adamantine wafers, not cloth, so naturally the unit of dye used to dye the adamantine strand was wasted.

I just found this post while trying to figure out why my dwarves refuse to make me more wafers.  I noticed that I'd been accidentally dying my adamantine strands and now I have 12 bundles of adamantine strands 2 tiles away from my magma smelter and yet adamantine wafers is still greyed out as an option.

Any ideas?

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: wierd on January 23, 2013, 02:58:09 pm

Weave the strands into cloth, then (m)elt them, and recycle the cloth into wafers that way?

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: BoredVirulence on January 23, 2013, 06:00:51 pm

293: When in an evil reanimation biome plan for everything, including recovery of wounded from the battle field while under a civillian alert.
294: When in an evil reanimation biome, don't send military outside to kill the 1 undead dwarven child to save the outpost liason. Not worth it.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: wierd on January 23, 2013, 06:09:32 pm

295: Urist will always find the most inappropriate tile to stand on when doing any of the following activities:

Digging a channel
Deconstructing a floor
Building a wall
Deconstructing a support (with a dependent overhead floor)
Tapping a magma flow
Doing anything outside (in the late winter, early summer months)

Attempts at preventing Urist from being retarded in this fashion will always fail, or backfire in some spectacular way.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Naryar on January 23, 2013, 06:10:56 pm

296. Magma moats may be cool, but fighting next to them tends to end poorly.
297. Same for magma powered smelters and forges.
298. When channeling around magma, check what will it do 1 z-level lower.
299. Re-read 298. Consider it equally valid for water.
300. Double check the construction of any obsidian trap or obsidian farm. If something can go wrong with it, you can bet it will.
301. Keep friend-making to a minimum.
302. Be careful about what beasts enter the caverns, most especially when there are important dwarves in there. Trap the entrances into them, no exceptions.
303. Be very careful about who or what is outside your fort on the second half of a season's last month, most especially around day 25. Expect a sudden goblin archer ambush at the worst possible position.
304. Make a burrow out of your main fortress, link it to an alert, and be sure it contains only safe locations. (hint : NOT the caverns)
305. Do not underestimate magma crabs. Do not let dwarves too close to an open volcano's mouth.
306. When digging a tile just next to a source of magma, check your dwarf's plan of escape. If it is not solid enough, redo it. Mine something else to make it leave asap.
307. Remember : tiles do NOT attach diagonally.
308. If you really want to lure that GCS in a cage trap with statues, remove furniture hauling from your most important dwarves. There's a potash maker with no useful skills right next to your grand master weaponsmith. Take him instead.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: LilGunmanX on January 23, 2013, 08:30:47 pm

309. You actually can level up your military to maximum by killing boars over and over again.
310. Don't be intimidated by the ratio of idlers to working Dwarves. Dwarves aren't the most demanding creatures in the world, and they're yours to command them to do what you want them to do. Just remember to feed and booze them and they'll be okay; don't feel like you need to spend over half of your game-time staring at Dwarf Therapist to remedy inefficiency.
311. On the topic of #310: Seriously, remember to booze them.
312. Gas-breathing FBs make for an excellent and creative way to both dispose of animals and prisoners, assuming you know how to cage them.
313. If you actually do try to cage a Gas-breathing FB, you are likely to lose your GCS appx. 1/3rd of the time using a simple method.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Larix on January 23, 2013, 09:00:34 pm

314. If you link up a screw pump to a power source, it's instantly on the moment the connection is established, you don't get an activate/deactivate toggle like with a manually operated one. I didn't know this, so didn't build an off-switch into the setup. Oops.

315. Triggering a cave-in by removing a floor tile is _not_ safe for the dwarf performing the deconstruction. It's ultra not safe if you want to cave-in-dump the coffin of an annoying dwarf (wanted shells on a 100% shell-less map) into the volcano.

316. Cave-ins can punch through floors, and such holes are not immediately evident. This can be lots of fun if you funnel the magma for your second forgeroom through a reservoir directly above the massive bar stockpile. Well, it wasn't like i really needed those 120 bars of aluminium...

317. If your wagon ended up on the ice ten days before the spring thaw, remember to blanket-forbid everything that ended up under water. Otherwise, you'll wonder why your dwarfs are dehydrating when 50 units of drink are still displayed (but are sitting in 7/7 water).
317a. And draft your hunters to a squad that's active for exactly those two weeks. The yearly sacrifices to the ocean because some moron had to hunt albatrosses on the thawing ice are seriously annoying.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sutremaine on January 23, 2013, 09:30:28 pm

Quote from: maluraq on January 23, 2013, 02:42:50 pm

I just found this post while trying to figure out why my dwarves refuse to make me more wafers.  I noticed that I'd been accidentally dying my adamantine strands and now I have 12 bundles of adamantine strands 2 tiles away from my magma smelter and yet adamantine wafers is still greyed out as an option.

Any ideas?

Are the smelter and the strands in the same burrow?

This isn't really the best topic for this, btw. Try starting a new one with a descriptive title. Usually those are answered quickly.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: birdy51 on January 23, 2013, 09:30:57 pm

318. Simply because your people are housed inside the walls of a river canyon connected by bridges, that doesn't mean that Goblins still can't shoot them from above while your Dwarves use said bridges.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: wierd on January 23, 2013, 09:44:39 pm

318a
  When at a disadvantage by having the lowground, and turtling using bridges, always use retracting ones with a solid constructed topper, and protective sidewalls.

Observe:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]


Bridge level:

OOOOOOOOOOOO    .;:..;.:
                                               ;...:..
BBBBBBBBBBBBB+++.;:...:
BBBBBBBBBBBBB+++....;..:;.
BBBBBBBBBBBBB+++;:...:;..
                                                ;:...:;;:...
OOOOOOOOOOOO      ;:..;:;.

Level above bridge

++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++



Note the empty space between the bridge and the wall.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Scorch on January 23, 2013, 10:02:56 pm

319. Build escape stairs for your well. Having a legendary armorsmith drown is annoying.
320. Remember to fill your well before you are besieged.
321. Make soap before you get injured dorfs.
322. Filed under "Advice for people in this thread". Forbid everything on death. All of it. Your dwarves, enemy stuff... everything. From the Orders -> Forbid menu. It will prevent mass Sock Retrieval deaths, deaths from dwarves eager to open their Goblin Christmas presents, and other such dwarven stupidity. Don't forget to mass claim stuff after a siege too.
323a. Danger rooms are powerful tools for training your military.
323b. Danger rooms are powerful tools for killing babbies, pets, and random item-hauling dorfs.

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: PainRack on January 23, 2013, 11:54:53 pm

Quote from: maluraq on January 23, 2013, 02:42:50 pm

Quote from: crazysheep on July 11, 2012, 12:11:05 am

Quote from: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 12:06:42 am

Oh, I read that as, "You can dye adamantine cloth" and I got excited.

lol.. I wasn't clear enough. Yes, you can dye adamantine strands. The item description will tell you that it has been dyed. "This is a (sic) adamantine strand. It is emerald green with emerald dye." And you can still use it to make adamantine wafers. The bit where I say "wasted unit of dye" was because I was making adamantine wafers, not cloth, so naturally the unit of dye used to dye the adamantine strand was wasted.

Queue manager
I just found this post while trying to figure out why my dwarves refuse to make me more wafers.  I noticed that I'd been accidentally dying my adamantine strands and now I have 12 bundles of adamantine strands 2 tiles away from my magma smelter and yet adamantine wafers is still greyed out as an option.

Any ideas?

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: wierd on January 23, 2013, 11:58:20 pm

Quote from: PainRack on January 23, 2013, 11:54:53 pm

Quote from: maluraq on January 23, 2013, 02:42:50 pm

Quote from: crazysheep on July 11, 2012, 12:11:05 am

Quote from: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 12:06:42 am

Oh, I read that as, "You can dye adamantine cloth" and I got excited.

lol.. I wasn't clear enough. Yes, you can dye adamantine strands. The item description will tell you that it has been dyed. "This is a (sic) adamantine strand. It is emerald green with emerald dye." And you can still use it to make adamantine wafers. The bit where I say "wasted unit of dye" was because I was making adamantine wafers, not cloth, so naturally the unit of dye used to dye the adamantine strand was wasted.

Queue manager
I just found this post while trying to figure out why my dwarves refuse to make me more wafers.  I noticed that I'd been accidentally dying my adamantine strands and now I have 12 bundles of adamantine strands 2 tiles away from my magma smelter and yet adamantine wafers is still greyed out as an option.

Any ideas?

Go into the stocks screen, forbid everything but the dyed adamantine threads. Make adamantine cloth from it, then (m)elt the cloth to make adamantine wafer?

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: GuesssWho on January 24, 2013, 01:51:51 am

324: A brand new fortress plus 10 migrants from your last tantruming doomfest equals FUN.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Necrisha on January 24, 2013, 02:55:31 am

I suppose you can't set dyed adamantine strands to by melted and melt metal object then... :P

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Modrean on January 24, 2013, 03:12:22 am

325: Watch out that moody dwarfs. They're a kind of "funny" people. İf you can, lock the workshop (am i serious ._. )

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Orange Wizard on January 24, 2013, 04:02:44 am

326: Masterwork silver warhammers are useless when your military only has one pair of chain pants between the 20 of them.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Crustypeanut on January 24, 2013, 08:18:46 am

#327: Dwarves can survive up to about a 9-story drop, though it seems 10-stories and up guarantees death.

#328: When dropping a mother and her 8-day old child from 9-stories, the child will land on the mother, causing the child to sustain only minor injuries.  The mother will probably be less fortunate.  However, the child cannot be operated on until it goes up.

#329: When performing Dwarf-Dropping Experiments, make sure to keep the test subjects separated at all times to avoid tantrumming.

#330: Elven Merchants' Donkeys can kill a giant moose when it goes berserk, then kill half of your military and cause a trantrum spiral, which will invariable kill your fort's doctor.

#331: When attempting to get your doctor to become legendary in all of his medical skills, expect to go through many, many dwarves, and probably have your thread locked when you attempt to make a medical journal on it. 


And on that: Crusty's back! :P

Title: Re: 100 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Larix on January 24, 2013, 08:51:14 am

Quote from: wierd on January 23, 2013, 11:58:20 pm

Quote from: PainRack on January 23, 2013, 11:54:53 pm

Quote from: maluraq on January 23, 2013, 02:42:50 pm

Quote from: crazysheep on July 11, 2012, 12:11:05 am

Quote from: Hanslanda on July 11, 2012, 12:06:42 am

Oh, I read that as, "You can dye adamantine cloth" and I got excited.

lol.. I wasn't clear enough. Yes, you can dye adamantine strands. The item description will tell you that it has been dyed. "This is a (sic) adamantine strand. It is emerald green with emerald dye." And you can still use it to make adamantine wafers. The bit where I say "wasted unit of dye" was because I was making adamantine wafers, not cloth, so naturally the unit of dye used to dye the adamantine strand was wasted.

Queue manager
I just found this post while trying to figure out why my dwarves refuse to make me more wafers.  I noticed that I'd been accidentally dying my adamantine strands and now I have 12 bundles of adamantine strands 2 tiles away from my magma smelter and yet adamantine wafers is still greyed out as an option.

Any ideas?

Go into the stocks screen, forbid everything but the dyed adamantine threads. Make adamantine cloth from it, then (m)elt the cloth to make adamantine wafer?

AFAIK, dying doesn't change the way adamantine strands are handled, so that sounds more like an access problem, or uneven magma supply, or stockpile links preventing use or the strange bug where possible reactions don't properly show up on magma smelters. Hell, maybe the smelter doesn't check for strands stored in cloth bins?

To the best of my knowledge, a dyed adamantine strand is just that - a wasted unit of dye. They appear to get smelted into wafers just fine, and if you weave them into cloth, the dye will not carry over. In fact, the quality of the cloth isn't even taken into account when making adamantine clothing - a masterwork bolt of adamantine cloth is, at 25200 dwarfbucks, more valuable than anything you can make out of it, apart from artefacts.

332. An aesthetically pleasing 'panic room' area is not very useful if you don't stock food and drink inside, and things get even worse when you don't realise one of the tantrummers threw the access lever, sealing the place off. Dwarfs will not consider lowering the bridge again if they're too busy tantrumming, berserking and dehydrating.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: TheKaspa on January 24, 2013, 09:11:40 am

#333: Although dwarves prefer alcohol, they will die of thirst if you are unable to provide them water, even if your booze stockpile is full
#334: When you reclaim a fortress (that died of thirst), you'll found that every animal of the previous owners will be dead, and every previous possession will be dispersed all over the embark site. Usually, you'll find the least important ones INSIDE, while the armor, the weapons and the food will be OUTSIDE, where it will be stolen by a Kea

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sutremaine on January 24, 2013, 01:32:24 pm

Quote from: TheKaspa on January 24, 2013, 09:11:40 am

#333: Although dwarves prefer alcohol, they will die of thirst if you are unable to provide them water, even if your booze stockpile is full

Only if they can't get to the booze themselves.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: TheKaspa on January 24, 2013, 02:08:50 pm

Quote from: Sutremaine on January 24, 2013, 01:32:24 pm

Quote from: TheKaspa on January 24, 2013, 09:11:40 am

#333: Although dwarves prefer alcohol, they will die of thirst if you are unable to provide them water, even if your booze stockpile is full

Only if they can't get to the booze themselves.

It was right to the mason workshop. Not forbidden.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Tally on January 24, 2013, 03:27:01 pm

#335: Dwarves hate elves so much that they will put off trading with the caravan until it leaves.

#336: Actually they just hate dealing with anyone they don't know. The only reason a dwarf will go to the depot to trade is if they literally have nothing else to do (hint: turn off all labors).

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Orange Wizard on January 25, 2013, 04:15:21 am

Quote from: Tally on January 24, 2013, 03:27:01 pm

The only reason a dwarf will go to the depot to trade is if they literally have nothing else to do (hint: turn off all labors).

No, that doesn't work. As soon as you request a trader to go to the depot, your broker will automatically eat, drink, sleep, go on break and generally just screw around until the caravan leaves.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Necrisha on January 25, 2013, 04:53:26 am

337: regular sized keas can and will hurt merchants. the one time they show up en-masse is during your first caravan in a serene location when you barely managed to build the depot above ground due to fun with magma in your first year. and then the bloody merchants will screw off before you can finally trade.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Larix on January 25, 2013, 09:04:20 am

338. Just because it's the default option, nothing requires me to stick to 'only broker may trade'. If i can live with less-than-perfect trades (which is the case in 100% of my forts) 'anyone may trade' has no real downside and gets the trades done.
338a. The only downside is that with that setting "trade at depot" is yet another thing your noble can do instead of holding the damn meeting. If only "anyone can hold meetings" were an option (or if nobles got fixed and treated meetings as an actual job instead of idle time)...

339. If you want to play with invaders, you gotta be lamely paranoid. If you try to colonise the surface, it's much too easy to have infiltration routes for goblin ambushes. Playing the game can become quite annoying if every single ambush results in two months of tantrums, only clearing up enough by the time the next ambush is due.

340. Don't give your legendary hunters free reign in the caverns. While they can track down and bag a draltha quite nicely, they will also target a giant cave spider, which is slightly above their ken. The real problem won't be the loss of the hunter, though, it'll be the rush of haulers pouring into the caverns to collect the hunter's socks. And the haulers who then decide they must get the haulers' socks...

341. No hole is too small for a magma crab to get or shoot through. Plugged-up holes, magma channels isolated from the magma sea and floored over/walled off volcano basins aren't just an aesthetic measure, they're vital to prevent dwarfs getting their heart torn apart by basalt spittle or getting incinerated by fire balls from imps.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: BoredVirulence on January 25, 2013, 12:18:25 pm

Quote from: TheKaspa on January 24, 2013, 02:08:50 pm

Quote from: Sutremaine on January 24, 2013, 01:32:24 pm

Quote from: TheKaspa on January 24, 2013, 09:11:40 am

#333: Although dwarves prefer alcohol, they will die of thirst if you are unable to provide them water, even if your booze stockpile is full

Only if they can't get to the booze themselves.

It was right to the mason workshop. Not forbidden.

Did you only have 1 type of booze? I learned in my 3rd fort that lack of variety is the same as having none. Everyone quit drinking the dwarven wine, tried water, found none and died of thirst. Of course none of this became apparent until the first death.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Yeknom on January 25, 2013, 05:58:25 pm

339. Elk Birds can't fly. So when the goblins turn up mounted on them just raise the bridges and wait it out instead of thinking that you need to fight them (with a woefully under trained military) because they would just fly over the wall if you try to lock them out.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: crekit on January 25, 2013, 09:56:38 pm

340. If it's calm for awhile, that's because there are lots and lots and lots of ambushes all queuing up to jump you at the same time.

340a. Build scout towers with chickens in them and random cage traps.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sutremaine on January 25, 2013, 09:58:11 pm

Quote from: BoredVirulence on January 25, 2013, 12:18:25 pm

I learned in my 3rd fort that lack of variety is the same as having none. Everyone quit drinking the dwarven wine, tried water, found none and died of thirst.

Dwarves will always drink alcohol when it's accessable. They'll get tired of drinking the same old booze, but they will carry on drinking it.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: hiroshi42 on January 26, 2013, 04:48:40 am

341.  Check the units screen for dangerous critters before sending the entire fortress on a clearcutting expedition.

342.  When doing something that involves sending large numbers of dwarves outside or into the caverns do not allow yourself to be distracted as wildlife maulings decrease dwarven productivity.
342a. Especially not when you have modded things like cave dragons or GCS to appear on all cavern levels in packs of 3-5 with a high frequency.

343.  The time to make coffins is before you need them.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Scorch on January 27, 2013, 07:38:44 am

344. Necromancers can raise your buried dead.

I have nigh on four hundred undead in the middle of my fortress.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: TheKaspa on January 27, 2013, 11:08:48 am

# 345: Lava is not a fluid. Lava is a gas. You cannot dig a diafram between you and the lava like you do with a river. You have to channel and hope that the miner won't fell in the gap.

And so I lost an iron pick too. If I can avoid the tantrum, I'll get over it.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: TheDarkStar on January 27, 2013, 08:27:05 pm

#346: Do not attempt to mine large candy deposits without a cave-in for safety (and a good military), or it goes badly.
#347: Do not make your entire fort haul things from near the bottom of the world all the way up, or any FBs/clowns/random DF monsters will kill your entire fort. Even worse if combined with #346.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Orange Wizard on January 28, 2013, 03:02:52 am

#347b: Unless that was your goal originally.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: locustgate on January 28, 2013, 08:26:20 am

#348: A giant wolverine can wipe out my entire (animal) textile, milk, and meat industry with in the space of 1 notice.
#348b: A giant wolverine would make a great war beast.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: enizer on January 28, 2013, 08:39:18 am

349: digging straight to cavern #3 for pretty red and blue trees in year one, may result in a easily accessible candy cane
mining and processing the candy at this point can cause the nearby GOBLINS to say "ooh candy" and send 10x goblin master lasher's, on cave dragons... in year 3 of your fort

350: the area 2x tiles from the magma forges, and 2x z-levels down, is a no dig zone
any violation of this rule may result in unexpected !!FUN!!

edit:
351: any animals, especially cats and dogs, are a nightmare in a reanimation biome
8x zombie cats are deadly to your dwarves, especially before they even start digging
351a: war dogs dont help with zombie cats, that will soon be a group of zombie cats, with zombie dogs
351b: in a reanimation biome, any fisherdwarf will soon become a zombie fisherdwarf

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: BFEL on January 28, 2013, 08:31:11 pm

352: While Titans composed of water are indeed easy to kill, Water Titans with webs can still destroy your entire military before you know why everyone is dead.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: enizer on January 28, 2013, 10:12:58 pm

353: when engraving en masse, consider potential future corridors ahead of time, and DONT engrave those tiles
a lot of people get inconvenienced when the whole engravers guild throws a tantrum at the same time due to new corridor/masterwork art collisions

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Iceflame on January 30, 2013, 06:54:53 am

354: Evil Biome + Meat industry equals Fun

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Knick on January 30, 2013, 09:12:41 am

355:  No matter how many coffins you make, or how big your catacombs, you will never put the ghosts of previous inhabitant to rest if you don't categorize, mass unforbid/claim, and collect their remains.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Silverlock on January 30, 2013, 05:24:34 pm

356: Fluids are fully capable of killing your entire fortress.  They also intent upon it, and they never, ever sleep.
357: Keas and kea men are powered by the spirit of Loki and must all die.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Naryar on January 30, 2013, 06:52:58 pm

357 : I seemingly need to be reminded that webs make a forgotten beast an absolute god of war in melee.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on January 30, 2013, 06:55:09 pm

358. Forgetting to make sure a lump of ice you marked for digging doesn't have more ice on top of it makes for a bunch of dead miners fairly quickly.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Klitri on January 30, 2013, 09:35:40 pm

359. Not looking where you are embarking can cause a lot of issues for an above ground city, especially when you embarked beside a necromancer tower.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: flabort on February 02, 2013, 12:29:51 am

360. When reclaiming in an evil biome, or partially evil map, keep in mind that all objects get scattered to all sections of the map. That includes 80+ bodyparts into the evil rains.
360a. When preparing a millitarized reclaim crew, be sure to remember to prepare the items and not just skills. 5 hammer dwarves, 3 picks, 1 axe. Yeah....

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: thehman03 on February 02, 2013, 03:30:04 am

361: whenever somebody tells you water is useful, THEY LIE.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: hiroshi42 on February 04, 2013, 05:19:06 am

362:  There is no completely safe way to use a necromancer to train melee dwarves, not even cavies.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: flabort on February 04, 2013, 09:50:21 am

363: When embarking without wood, going straight for the caverns can result in ‼Fun‼.
363a: When sealing off sections of the caverns, make sure they're small enough to seal.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Larix on February 04, 2013, 11:02:07 am

364: building a spout to dump water into the middle of a magma pool is _not_ a good idea; all the obsidian will be generated entirely unsupported and instantly falls to the bottom, where it gets destroyed by the semi-molten rock. Enjoy your constant cave-in messages until the end of the fort.

365: pumps can drain a small river to the point that waterwheels downriver from the pump may stop working. And your dwarfs will consider the riverbed downstream from the pump safe to cross, which is not at all good for your nerves when there's a 15z-waterfall perhaps thirty steps from the pump.

366: dumping a bunch of cats and wardogs into the caverns to fight the cavefishmen will not kill the animalmen. It will only train them until they're incredibly good at blocking and dodging.
366a: while dumping a bunch of crabs to the training room for your soldiers to fight is about the only reasonable thing you can do with those animals, exercise moderation: 20 crabs to a single recruit is excessive.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Silverlock on February 11, 2013, 04:09:42 pm

367.  If you are on an evil biome -- even partly -- there is no such thing as "too soon" to build a way to seal yourself away from the outside world.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: fractalman on February 14, 2013, 04:37:25 am

I went on for about 4 years or so. 
then all of a sudden my harvesters (read: nearly half my fort) trip 5 or so goblin ambushes at once. 

One of which had a goblin too close to my fort and it slipped in, and started running around disrupting work so I couldn't even try to fix things up...
next fort will have rows of cage traps lining the entrance corridor to deal with those goblins.  and ho

hopefully i'll get a marksdwarf squad started up in time next attempt. 

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on February 14, 2013, 04:51:04 am

368. While sending hammer and macemen against a chitinous foe is a bad idea, it is qually bad for the enemy to send such troops against chitinous creatures under your employ.

However when most of your army is made of squishy normal soldiers, they tend to be beaten into paste rather quickly when you forget to armor them.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Gaybarowner on February 14, 2013, 10:34:50 am

369: Husk clouds cannot and I repeat CANNOT be contained without losing 50 dwarves

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Houndstooth on February 14, 2013, 06:27:50 pm

370: Building an above-ground fortress only accessible by bridge seems like a great idea, until a dorf goes berserk and breaks it. Enjoy your miasma and !!FUN!!

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: TheDarkStar on February 14, 2013, 10:32:04 pm

371: Not only will breaching the circus lead to !!!fun!!! and the death of your fortress, when you abandon and start a new fortress on the same world, a portion of your migrants will drop dead from injuries almost as soon as they enter the map. Especially the valuable metalworkers and legendaries.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sutremaine on February 14, 2013, 11:16:38 pm

372: If you sealed off your caverns in such a way that most of your space is over the non-evil part of the site, double-check where you're putting the butcher's shop. Chitin the size of an elephant, in the sealed food production pod...

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Awessum Possum on February 15, 2013, 09:34:16 am

373: Sealing the caverns should be done in stages overseen by numerous soldiers.

374: By all that is good and holy, WATCH YOUR DESIGNATIONS!

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Demdemeh on February 15, 2013, 12:07:59 pm

375: Towers do not respect difficulty curves. If you embark near one, don't be surprised when The Dead Walk!!! within your first year.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Larix on February 15, 2013, 08:19:24 pm

376: If your embark is partially savage temperate mountain, taking the minimum possible size embark means all those juicy Giant Wolverines and wolverine men spawn right next to the plentiful outside installations. Better get that moat dug quick.
376a: Seven unarmed peasants cannot kill a Giant Wolverine, because its skull is too thick to punch/kick through (and everyone worships headshots too much to try anything _effective_ after they've managed to punch a big enemy unconscious). I still wonder how i managed to smith a spear and hand it over to one of the dwarfs before the wolverine had time to recover and murder the crew.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Silverlock on February 15, 2013, 08:47:54 pm

Quote from: Sutremaine on February 14, 2013, 11:16:38 pm

372: If you sealed off your caverns in such a way that most of your space is over the non-evil part of the site, double-check where you're putting the butcher's shop. Chitin the size of an elephant, in the sealed food production pod...

Ouchie.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Thermi on February 16, 2013, 01:40:27 am

377.Artifact floodgates are NOT save from building destroyers. Better have a drawbridge as an exit from your pit of death then a floodgate. Using a floodgate will result in !!FUN!!.
Background story: I dug a pit 3 z-levels deep to throw all my Goblin and Troll-Prisoners in. It was separated by 2 airlocks. I then proceeded to move my whole military to the fortifications in the pit walls through the airlocks. As I opened the last one, the floodgate of the pit was broken (it was an artifact one and was just destroyed as a building and dropped as an artifact). I the rushed all of my military inside (1 squad of hammerdwarves, 1 squad of sworddwarves, 1 squad of speardwarves and 2 squads of Crossbowdwarves). The proceeding fight spilled to the whole fortress, because I left all the airlocks open to rush my guys inside. Luckily, goblins and trolls try to path to the border and don't stop to fight, hence all enemies were slain and no dwarves were lost. SUCCESS! Kind of.
378. Troll and Goblin blood on all walls in the fortress look great!

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: VATAV on February 16, 2013, 03:42:11 pm

378: Necromancer Towers are to be feared.
(http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u376/VATAV/Necromancers_zps49837be7.jpg)
(Been under siege by the undead since the first winter, it been 5 years now since they started...)

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Orange Wizard on February 16, 2013, 07:22:21 pm

Quote from: VATAV on February 16, 2013, 03:42:11 pm

378: Necromancer Towers are to be feared.
(http://i1064.photobucket.com/albums/u376/VATAV/Necromancers_zps49837be7.jpg)
(Been under siege by the undead since the first winter, it been 5 years now since they started...)

Armok's adamantine balls...

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: VATAV on February 16, 2013, 08:31:05 pm

Quote from: InsanityIncarnate on February 16, 2013, 07:22:21 pm

Armok's adamantine balls...

It now at 658 undead and 5 Necromancers.
Working of a plan to beat the siege, just hope my miner survives it...

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Ivir_Baggins on February 17, 2013, 08:04:39 am

The Necro method, is it?

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: warlordzephyr on February 17, 2013, 11:15:18 am

Forgetting to put traps in an entrance corridor is not a good idea.
The new military system it not at all like the old military system, and should not be treated as such.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: jimbobobby on February 19, 2013, 05:42:32 am

380: Always make sure your moat isn't channeled out above anything you haven't walled off, flooding a fortress you spent 30 minutes pre-designating isn't fun at all.
381: Mine carts save time and destroy cats, this can replace the fun wasted on step 380.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Ianflow on February 19, 2013, 10:16:26 pm

#382 It is best that any dwarf expanding a pond, or digging a well, actually know how to swim

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Grax on February 23, 2013, 12:10:29 am

383. Once you realize how to play Dwarf Fortress and what all these ASCII symbols mean, there's no way back. You doomed. You'll never find the strength to not play DF. Especially new release. Plan your future life accordingly.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on February 23, 2013, 12:40:54 am

383b. Unless you get bored of it, like me.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: flabort on February 23, 2013, 01:22:59 am

Quote from: Slayerhero90 on February 23, 2013, 12:40:54 am

383b. Unless you get bored of it, like me.

383c. Any time without a craving for dwarf fortress is a temporary lull. You will, eventually, grow bored of being bored. Especially around the time of a new release.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: TheDarkStar on February 23, 2013, 09:15:00 am

384. Make sure not to have all your crossbow ammo laying forbidden across the map.
385. Don't unforbid those bolts during a siege or your entire fort suicides into the goblins.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: StubbornAlcoholic on February 23, 2013, 02:04:38 pm

386. Dwarf artwork is never rooted in happy subjects, yet is uniformly hilarious.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg211/hermanJnr112/MacabreCage_zps225fde48.png)

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Lord Snow on February 23, 2013, 02:52:53 pm

387. If dwarves migrate too fast, it is hard to bond with them and the game becomes boring.
387a. It's a lot of work to atomsmash 2x/30 dwarves every migration wave.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Orange Wizard on February 23, 2013, 03:18:19 pm

388. It's even more work to dump them in a sealed, +menacing steel spike+ danger room and make them fight an FB, but is far more rewarding.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: eliphas8 on February 24, 2013, 03:17:25 am

389. Lavish meals made by high skilled cook attract a massive price from merchants and can pay for far more food than it took to make it. Plan accordingly for this. (not bad so much as awesome)
390. Tantrum Spirals are made infinitely worse by having only one central staircase.
391. Wooden spears accidentally placed in the danger room rather than their training counterparts will kill the member of the militia member who is most popular.
392. A tantrumming legendary hammer dwarf is entirely capable of wiping out my entire militia of grand master hammer dwarfs.
393. Platinum Forgotten Beasts are kind of disappointing but their spittle rots the nervous tissues of your dwarves after awhile.
394. Having a kickass dining room only prevents tantrums up to a point.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on February 24, 2013, 03:21:21 am

395. It's possible to get a handless migrant. Said migrant will still somehow manage to not die because they can somehow operate machinery that requires hands.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: WannabeSpartan on February 24, 2013, 11:23:19 am

396. Never underestimate the power of walls.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: fractalman on February 26, 2013, 12:44:10 pm

397.  In a biome with passive reanimation, a coffin is NOT enough.  You need to have cage traps by the coffins.  and your garbage dump (quantum stockpile) needs to be surrounded by cage traps. 

I save scummed.  I don't feel particularly guilty, because a coffin SHOULD have been enough. 

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Larix on February 26, 2013, 12:53:55 pm

398: Attaching a waterwheel directly to a pump's nozzle may be elegant, but it's not very efficient - the pump removes so much water that the wheel loses power whenever it turns on.

Title: Re: 4000 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: GuesssWho on February 26, 2013, 04:08:47 pm

399: If you embark near an entrance to the caverns, do NOT try to build in there first thing.

400: Trying to drop an island in the aquifer results in many drowned miners before you figure it out.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on February 26, 2013, 04:10:04 pm

401: Giant moles make for great herding animals with the new taming mechanic, but that won't stop them from mauling a couple workers before you get cage traps set up.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Urist_McUser on February 26, 2013, 04:29:53 pm

402: East is right ---> , west is left <---.
Always remember this when you construct a track stop to dump your maga-filled minecarts. (Or else one of your dwarfs will probably take a bath in liquid fun)

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Spectrelight on February 26, 2013, 05:31:54 pm

403. Deconstructing your trade depot while the merchants are there will get you a lot of free stuff. It will also get you a lot of unwanted attention, as your fortress value will increase very rapidly.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Niccolo on February 27, 2013, 12:31:28 am

WE SHOULD TRY FOR SIX HUNDRED.


404. If you're on the border of Joyous/Terrifying, kill the unicorns on the joyous side.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Grax on February 27, 2013, 12:53:15 am

405. When you set a HUNDRED THINGS as a primary goal, be prepared to receive more. And an unpredictably lot more GOALS while trying to stop it.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: CapnUrist on February 27, 2013, 04:33:10 pm

406. Setting up a fortress entrance under a frozen river is awesome... Until the river thaws and the fortress becomes an aquarium because Urist McMason is on break and has been since last fall.
407. When you build a bridge across that 15 z-level canyon, put walls on it. Soldiers are so brave they'll dodge into the air... And then into the riverbed.
408. No matter how prepared you feel, something out there can, will, and is planning on killing your dwarves. And it's probably already in your fortress.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: flabort on February 27, 2013, 08:42:29 pm

409. You have not genned enough worlds.
409a. No, you still haven't.
409b. Oh, you have? NEW VERSION  :D !!!

Title: Re: 500 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Urist Mcfortwrecker on June 08, 2013, 09:33:12 pm

410:artifact doors are excellent at averting FUN, but wooden artifact doors are not good at averting !!FUN!!

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Splint on June 09, 2013, 05:34:57 am

411. Giant moles are indeed much better fighters than rookie swordsdwarves.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Urist Mc Dwarf on June 09, 2013, 07:06:24 am

412. Modded in tame zombie whales will eventually become savage a gain. Use carefully because most  trainers won't work with them

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on June 09, 2013, 07:08:21 am

413: One troll can do a lot of damage to your fort.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: anzelm on June 09, 2013, 01:36:55 pm

Quote from: Slayerhero90 on June 09, 2013, 07:08:21 am

413: One troll magma crab can do a lot of damage to your fort.

Fixed that for ya.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Mr Space Cat on June 09, 2013, 02:27:08 pm

414. The chances of a workshop being claimed in a mood increases based on several factors: how inconveniently placed is the shop, and how important is that shop at that moment, and how many flights of stairs are there between the mooding dwarf and the shop.

415. Just because you let only two dwarves work at the candy refining craftsdwarf shops does not mean the shops will never be chosen for moods, even if the shops are down in the magma forges located a hundred levels below the rest of the fort. Based upon the rules of 414, it means these shops will always get picked for all the useless moods.

416. Don't send the twohander melee troops out to fight firebreathers.

417. Don't send the melee troops out to fight in open fields against an unknown number of foes. Those elves the scouts spotted that appear to be so hopelessly outmatched by your metalclad dwarves are in fact riding giant war polar bears that your scouts did not spot, and are supported by ten squads of still-hidden elves and war polar bears.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on June 09, 2013, 10:39:05 pm

Quote from: anzelm on June 09, 2013, 01:36:55 pm

Quote from: Slayerhero90 on June 09, 2013, 07:08:21 am

413: One troll magma crab can do a lot of damage to your fort.

Fixed that for ya.

There is a reason I said troll on item 413. For one, magma crabs have never been problematic. And two, well... heheh.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: flabort on June 09, 2013, 10:43:33 pm

I'm guessing yours are modded, eh?

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on June 09, 2013, 10:48:17 pm

Quote from: flabort on June 09, 2013, 10:43:33 pm

I'm guessing yours are modded, eh?

Nope.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Eric Blank on June 09, 2013, 10:50:34 pm

Magma crabs or trolls?

My miners beat a troll to death without casualty. My local pipe-infesting omnipresent magma crab killed a bunny and a miner without so much as a wink, just by tossing basalt at them. The worst part is, you can't just floor over the magma pipe to get rid of your crabs: the crabs will kill anybody that tries to box them in.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on June 09, 2013, 10:58:40 pm

Quote from: Eric Blank on June 09, 2013, 10:50:34 pm

Magma crabs or trolls?

My miners beat a troll to death without casualty. My local pipe-infesting omnipresent magma crab killed a bunny and a miner without so much as a wink, just by tossing basalt at them. The worst part is, you can't just floor over the magma pipe to get rid of your crabs: the crabs will kill anybody that tries to box them in.

As soon as I find cavern layer 1, I'm usually screwed. Trogs and trolls are scary.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: anzelm on June 10, 2013, 03:00:53 am

Lost 7 of my 8 metalworkers to a single crab once. It sat happily under the magma smelter and took potshots at my metalworkers. Damn camper.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Mr S on June 10, 2013, 10:04:24 am

He was level grinding.  ::)

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loctavus on June 12, 2013, 07:55:03 am

414. If you wait to see if that titan web spitting fly is going to find your entrance, it's probably too late to build a wall in the tunnel when it does.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: TheDarkStar on June 12, 2013, 12:59:29 pm

417. If you set up a cave-in, it will go off before you want it to. RIP Urist McMiners 1-4.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on June 12, 2013, 01:29:54 pm

Quote from: TheDarkStar on June 12, 2013, 12:59:29 pm

417. If you set up a cave-in, it will go off before you want it to. RIP Urist McMiners 1-4.

You skipped two entire numbers.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Lielac on June 12, 2013, 05:34:43 pm

Quote from: anzelm on June 10, 2013, 03:00:53 am

Lost 7 of my 8 metalworkers to a single crab once. It sat happily under the magma smelter and took potshots at my metalworkers. Damn camper.

Sigged as soon as I stop laughing too hard for breathing.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Mr Space Cat on June 12, 2013, 06:05:34 pm

Quote from: Slayerhero90 on June 12, 2013, 01:29:54 pm

Quote from: TheDarkStar on June 12, 2013, 12:59:29 pm

417. If you set up a cave-in, it will go off before you want it to. RIP Urist McMiners 1-4.

You skipped two entire numbers.

Technically it's at 418, and the last two both screwed up. My contribution stopped at 417. How do lists, man.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Loctavus on June 13, 2013, 05:25:22 am

That was my bad, I somehow completely missed your post when I was scanning for the last numbers.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: anzelm on June 13, 2013, 11:05:34 am

Huh? Since when do dwarves care about numbers? They need a dedicated specialist to count above ten  ;) It's way over 400 anyway.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Okami No Rei on June 13, 2013, 06:48:27 pm

419: Ramps need to be adjacent to a wall.  Otherwise your miner can't climb back up, and will die of thirst.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Lielac on June 13, 2013, 07:33:25 pm

Quote from: Okami No Rei on June 13, 2013, 06:48:27 pm

419: Ramps need to be adjacent to a wall.  Otherwise your miner can't climb back up, and will die of thirst.

420: The tile above the wall adjacent to the ramp has to be a floor. Otherwise... see above consequences.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: anzelm on June 14, 2013, 02:16:57 am

400?: FBs composed of rock are basically immune to crossbow bolts. And crossbow butts. Ouch.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Larix on June 14, 2013, 03:58:42 am

Quote from: Okami No Rei on June 13, 2013, 06:48:27 pm

419: Ramps need to be adjacent to a wall.  Otherwise your miner can't climb back up, and will die of thirst.

419a: when the entrance to the chillout-lounge you prepared for your uninvited guest has open space below it, the 'adjacent' ramp won't give them access. If you're patiently waiting for them to enter, you have a long wait before you.

422: pumped magma is pressurised; it moves very quickly and will fill up to the level of the pump. Count yourself lucky if an unused area outdoors gets flooded first, giving you enough time to deactivate the pump before the magma comes knocking at your door.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: anzelm on June 14, 2013, 04:17:27 am

423: Your dwarves will die of thirst if you make too much food.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: flabort on June 14, 2013, 11:59:09 am

On a related note

424: Always make sure the dwarves are disallowed from cooking with alcohol. It cooks away.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: TheKaspa on June 16, 2013, 04:59:25 am

425: If you need the miners to dig a specific place !!NOW!!, they will be on break
425a: If you don't need to dig in a specific order, they'll start digging in the least useful spot, that will also be the most labour-intensive to dig.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: TheDarkStar on June 16, 2013, 08:18:14 am

425b. If you tell dwarves to channel, they will channel under your other miners.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Slayerhero90 on June 16, 2013, 10:51:27 am

426: Dwarves almost always start at the most recently designated area. They will prioritize digging out that patch of gems that are a different color than the ones in your stockpile (seriously, screw prase) over digging out that stockpile for gems, but it will be your fault.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: xandalis on June 16, 2013, 12:26:11 pm

427: In lieu of coffins, memorial slabs are a great way to handle the ghosts of all the migrants that I lock outside after reaching "population-stable" numbers.
427a: The migrants' ghosts don't care that they never actually met anyone from INSIDE the fortress... they'll haunt them anyway.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: maluraq on October 03, 2013, 02:09:00 pm

428: when adding a new outdoor entrance to your fort, build the traps first -- inevitably a raid will happen as soon as the first opening is made

429: magma can be forced up through openings, especially by dropping things into it

430: check if your military are actually wielding the weapons they say they are; handless and armless soldiers will claim equipment they can't actually pick up.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: KingBacon on October 03, 2013, 02:33:12 pm

431: If you plan on digging up and you a below all the cavern layers, which have not been adequately explored, do not be surprised if you dig up into an underground lake.

432: If you are draining a volcano and building down into said volcano, note there will be many burn victims.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Pinstar on October 03, 2013, 02:34:16 pm

433: Having a dwarf operate a screw pump next to an ocean (to desalinate the water) is not recommended if you don't fully understand fluid physics. That 1 tile deep channel on the other side isn't enough to handle the outflow and the water will build up and wash your pump operator into the sea.

434: Double check your cavern seal. If a giant toad randomly wanders into your dining room, the seal isn't complete and nastier things will likely follow it.

435: Just because you embarked on a two-biome spot that has 'metal' listed for each biome doesn't mean you'll be able to self-supply weapons and armor...not when your two metals are zinc and lead.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: flabort on October 03, 2013, 02:51:58 pm

436: just cause you have steel doesn't mean you can use it, if you don't have enough dwarves to build a military.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: darkrider2 on October 03, 2013, 04:54:33 pm

437. Shoving corpses in random rooms and locking the door behind you WILL come back to haunt you eventually.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: jcochran on October 03, 2013, 06:24:12 pm

438. Undead wolverines may be small, but they're nasty. A pack of them can wipe out entire waves of migrants and a few caravans as well.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: itisnotlogical on October 03, 2013, 09:07:59 pm

439. You will get almost nothing substantial done before the first migrant wave, as dwarves will need to haul their own materials around unless you want to waste a dwarf and specifically bring a hauler.

440. NEVER EVER EVER PICK PLAY NOW. YOU WILL GET TWO FISH CLEANERS, A MEDIOCRE JEWELER AND NO FARMER.

441. It's better to have weapon traps before you actually need them.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: flabort on October 03, 2013, 10:44:16 pm

Quote from: itisnotlogical on October 03, 2013, 09:07:59 pm

439. You will get almost nothing substantial done before the first migrant wave, as dwarves will need to haul their own materials around unless you want to waste a dwarf and specifically bring a hauler.

Theory: Give him military skills. Don't activate him until the first wave arrives with dwarves better suited to haul stuff.
Is it a waste then? Or not a waste? What is the best way to find out?

Title: Re:600 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Torrasque666 on October 04, 2013, 07:04:54 am

442: Any idea that you may have had for how you wanted your fortress to look like should be scrapped immediately. You will end up modifying it to make room for industry, and your awesome castle made out of green glass will never achieve completion.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: PaleBlueHammer on October 04, 2013, 07:54:14 am

Quote from: flabort on October 03, 2013, 10:44:16 pm

Quote from: itisnotlogical on October 03, 2013, 09:07:59 pm

439. You will get almost nothing substantial done before the first migrant wave, as dwarves will need to haul their own materials around unless you want to waste a dwarf and specifically bring a hauler.

Theory: Give him military skills. Don't activate him until the first wave arrives with dwarves better suited to haul stuff.
Is it a waste then? Or not a waste? What is the best way to find out?

I do this.  One dwarf as my commander / captain who will (hopefully) end up leading the army, he acts as a hauler or fills in somewhere in an emergency until needed.  A few times, in more chaotic environments, I've had to activate him immediately and station him at the wagon to avoid mandrill attacks and the like... and that is well worth it just to score a victory against thieving critters.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: LoneChipmunk on December 06, 2013, 06:28:21 pm

443: When your dwarves are tantruming left and right and your miners/miltary are busy massacring your population on your orders, waiting for the spiral to stop at a stable level is very unlikely to happen.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Sutremaine on December 06, 2013, 10:19:09 pm

Quote from: LoneChipmunk on December 06, 2013, 06:28:21 pm

443: When your dwarves are tantruming left and right and your miners/miltary are busy massacring your population on your orders, waiting for the spiral to stop at a stable level is very unlikely to happen.

Very true. If you don't have enough coffins (or a corpse stockpile, if the deaths aren't spread out*), enough chains for half the population plus food and drink with arm's reach, plus a mist generator and statues and such where everybody can enjoy them, then you don't have the luxury of carrying on with normal production and waiting the spiral out.

I once had to order an emergency mist generator completed four times because the first three dwarves working on it went nuts mid-job.

*Dwarves can take a ridiculously long time to bury another dwarf, if teeth have been knocked out. So what you want to do is get the corpse pieces and the coffins as close as possible before the burials start, and carry the coffins as little as possible unless they're made of wood or another light material. Dealing with the dead is really two jobs -- the first is to stop them from filling the place with miasma, and the second is to stop ghosts and bad thoughts about decay.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Merari on December 07, 2013, 02:58:12 pm

I have lost more than one fortress due to mistakes made while diverting a river.
Also more than a handful of hunger/ thirst and the resultant tantrum spirals, way back when I didn't really knew how the game worked yet.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Falconbridge on December 07, 2013, 04:06:14 pm

444: "urist mclegendary has been found drained of blood" is not caused by leechs or mosquitos, and any amount of animal traps won't help.

445: FB are trapavoid

446: giant kea are deadlier than you'd think for a big parrot.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: KingBacon on December 07, 2013, 05:00:11 pm

447. One can have a melee squad survive either fire breathing and web spewing enemies, they cannot however survive both simultaneously.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: LoneChipmunk on December 07, 2013, 09:16:23 pm

448. A squad of miners seems to make an excellent miltary squad, especially at the start

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Bludulukus on December 08, 2013, 03:06:23 am

449. You can't atom smash blind cave ogres, your bridge will be wrecked and the ogres will wipe your fort.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Erils on December 08, 2013, 09:57:26 am

450. Throwing rocks in the air with a bridgeapult will result in said rocks landing on the dwarf who pulled the lever.

451. Never assign a large area to be channeled.

Also why doesn't the poll above have an option for starvation/dehydration. Half my farmers usually sit around doing nothing even when all their labor is enabled untill we starve.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Nyxalinth on December 10, 2013, 04:42:42 pm

Quote from: Erils on December 08, 2013, 09:57:26 am

450. Throwing rocks in the air with a bridgeapult will result in said rocks landing on the dwarf who pulled the lever.

451. Never assign a large area to be channeled.

Also why doesn't the poll above have an option for starvation/dehydration. Half my farmers usually sit around doing nothing even when all their labor is enabled untill we starve.

Are things forbidden?  Can they path to the appropriate areas?  Do you think you have buildings/farm plots, but they were destroyed by a creature with the building destroyer tag?

That last one brings me to...

452.  Always check to see if you still have butcher/tannery/farm plots etc after an invasion by creatures like Trolls.  Otherwise, you'll be curing your farmers for doing nothing when you've marked 20 pigs for slaughter.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Erils on December 10, 2013, 04:50:58 pm

Quote from: Nyxalinth on December 10, 2013, 04:42:42 pm

Quote from: Erils on December 08, 2013, 09:57:26 am

Also why doesn't the poll above have an option for starvation/dehydration. Half my farmers usually sit around doing nothing even when all their labor is enabled untill we starve.

Are things forbidden?  Can they path to the appropriate areas?  Do you think you have buildings/farm plots, but they were destroyed by a creature with the building destroyer tag?

Nothing is forbidden. Not the seeds, beer, food, nor even socks. There are paths enough to the areas with no forbidden doors or bridges. There are multiple plots, but only one is being used by the one farmer who has decided to work. I checked and nothing has been destroyed. I have even set the farmers to only have farming related and hauling preferences set. I set all the farming ones on in an attempt to get them to do something, but nothing happens.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Aslandus on December 11, 2013, 11:47:59 am

453. Glass weapons are reletively cheap on resources and endless, but when you manufacture ten per trap, the value of your fortress will reach siege level before you've got the traps ready...

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Aslandus on December 11, 2013, 11:50:38 am

Quote from: Erils on December 10, 2013, 04:50:58 pm

Quote from: Nyxalinth on December 10, 2013, 04:42:42 pm

Quote from: Erils on December 08, 2013, 09:57:26 am

Also why doesn't the poll above have an option for starvation/dehydration. Half my farmers usually sit around doing nothing even when all their labor is enabled untill we starve.

Are things forbidden?  Can they path to the appropriate areas?  Do you think you have buildings/farm plots, but they were destroyed by a creature with the building destroyer tag?

Nothing is forbidden. Not the seeds, beer, food, nor even socks. There are paths enough to the areas with no forbidden doors or bridges. There are multiple plots, but only one is being used by the one farmer who has decided to work. I checked and nothing has been destroyed. I have even set the farmers to only have farming related and hauling preferences set. I set all the farming ones on in an attempt to get them to do something, but nothing happens.

This may seem condescending, but you did remember to mark on the plots what crops to plant right? they won't plant if there's nothing scheduled for that season

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Erils on December 11, 2013, 12:20:50 pm

Quote from: Aslandus on December 11, 2013, 11:50:38 am

Quote from: Erils on December 10, 2013, 04:50:58 pm

Quote from: Nyxalinth on December 10, 2013, 04:42:42 pm

Quote from: Erils on December 08, 2013, 09:57:26 am

Also why doesn't the poll above have an option for starvation/dehydration. Half my farmers usually sit around doing nothing even when all their labor is enabled untill we starve.

Are things forbidden?  Can they path to the appropriate areas?  Do you think you have buildings/farm plots, but they were destroyed by a creature with the building destroyer tag?

Nothing is forbidden. Not the seeds, beer, food, nor even socks. There are paths enough to the areas with no forbidden doors or bridges. There are multiple plots, but only one is being used by the one farmer who has decided to work. I checked and nothing has been destroyed. I have even set the farmers to only have farming related and hauling preferences set. I set all the farming ones on in an attempt to get them to do something, but nothing happens.

This may seem condescending, but you did remember to mark on the plots what crops to plant right? they won't plant if there's nothing scheduled for that season

Yes I did. They all have plants for every season, and there are more than enough seeds. Only one farmer dwarf is working, the rest aren't doing anything and aren't even saying that they are on break, just that they have 'no job.'

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: VerdantSF on December 11, 2013, 12:27:27 pm

[Older Versions] To dig out escape ramps on ponds and lakes, especially in cold biomes.  I'm glad Toady added natural ramps.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: KingBacon on December 11, 2013, 12:31:33 pm

454. Digging a death pit may results in unintended deaths.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Lielac on December 11, 2013, 12:42:24 pm

Quote from: KingBacon on December 11, 2013, 12:31:33 pm

454. Digging a death pit may results in unintended deaths.

Unintended? But it's a friggin' death pit!

455. Don't send a female miner down to open the caverns for FB-luring purposes. Her kids will retrace her steps and get eaten.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Imperial Guardsman on December 11, 2013, 05:19:39 pm

456. Sending a brand new migrant to kill a Roc before checking if they happen to be a legendary carpenter is bad.

Also remove HFS from the poll please.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Hans Lemurson on December 11, 2013, 07:38:01 pm

457.  Coffins, not matter how heavy their lid, do NOT prevent reanimated corpses from escaping.

Title: Re: 400 things you learned the hard way. FORTRESS EDITION
Post by: Larix on December 12, 2013, 06:29:45 am

458. For the purpose of export bans, it doesn't matter what the status of mandates was when the deal was made. What matters is whether or not the ban was in effect when the items left the map.

Quote from: Erils on December 11, 2013, 12:20:50 pm

Quote from: Erils on December 08, 2013, 09:57:26 am

Also why doesn't the poll above have an option for starvation/dehydration. Half my farmers usually sit around doing nothing even when all their labor is enabled untill we starve.

They all have plants for every season, and there are more than enough seeds. Only one farmer dwarf is working, the rest aren't doing anything and aren't even saying that they are on break, just that they have 'no job.'
[/quote]

This sort of thing generally is caused by some kind of user error. Maybe next time this happens to you, save the fort (preferably while the farming area is on the screen), upload the (zipped) saved archive folder (e.g. to http://dffd.wimbli.com/ ) and ask people to take a look at it.