Well, I have some rules that I have found out in all my "wisdom" and "shame", and like to share them with you. Its my guideline for starting a fortress, without having the problems that I have to abandon my fortress within 5 years.
- Never embark on watery soil, unless you know a way to get through.
- Never embark next to someone else.
- Try to embark next to a river. Chances of fish are high in those areas.
- Know your surroundings. Evil areas are more annoying than calm areas.
- Strike the earth ASAP. The faster you are underground, the faster you can get your dwarves to sleep in a bed.
- Plan your fortress ahead. Know what you want to design.
- The less walls, the better.
- Farms need water, lots of them. Making a pond takes too long.
- Never connect caverns directly to your fortress.
- The ideal width for a large road is 3, for a medium sized road its 2, and a chokepoints is 1.
- Design your trading depot after the traps.
- Cage traps are good, but only useful for survivors. Slaughter the enemy first, and cage any survivors.
- Never think that caverns are safe. Underground can be worse than up
- Some animals can swim! Dont think that if you dont see animals, that they are not there!
- Always have some traps in the cavern entrance. This makes sure that nobody gets in.
- Forgotten beasts have trouble opening doors. Adding a door makes a huge difference between a surprise attack and a long wait for the enemy.
- Always have an army prepared, no matter what the size of your fortress is.
- Forgotten beasts can be attacked with lots of brute force at the same time.
- Give the army weapons, else they will be wrestlers/cannon fodder
- The ideal size to kill someone with weapon traps is 3, combined with 2 cage traps behind.
- Cage traps are effective if you want to keep monsters alive.
- Flooding works best by first making the trap, then making the flood. Not the other way around.
- Automated refill of a trap gives a good boost for when under siege.
If you have more rules for a good fortress, please put them below and I will add them to the list.
