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Messages - Vunutus

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DF Gameplay Questions / Stopping dwarves from drinking in the river?

« on: November 20, 2008, 08:45:29 pm »

So unfortunately the area my fort is in doesn't freeze and has carp infested waters. I've lost about 5 dwarfs to this so far (approaching my third year). Luckily they have all been useless dwarfs (children, peasants and soap makers), but I'd still like to ensure that some important dwarfs don't get dragged into this river of death. I have adequate booze generation, but for some reason some dwarfs occasionally go out to drink from the river. How can I forbid all dwarfs from outside drinking until I set up my well system?

DF Gameplay Questions / Re: Losing...not so fun?

« on: March 17, 2008, 02:10:00 pm »

Thanks for the help guys, I got my food production up just in time (food stores were dropping, now holding steady with new immigrants).

I'll probably end up losing this fortress (only holding steady on plants, no excess to make booze and my river is likely going to freeze over) but I should be able to make more progress on my next one

DF Gameplay Questions / Losing...not so fun?

« on: March 16, 2008, 10:41:00 pm »

I haven't played DF very long. What I have played, I've loved. It is a genius game with so much attention to detail (which is something I love in games). I'm beginning to get frustrated, however, at the fact that I can't seem to accomplish one of the fundamental things to keep my dwarfs alive: feeding and watering them.

I understand that I should farm for food and plants to brew, but it doesn't work for me. I always have one of my starter dwarfs set to be the grower/cook/brewer. As soon as I dig out the essentials in my fortress, I tunnel away to a nice, secure, soil rich underground area to plant my plump helmets in. I have my grower build a field (something like 4x4) and set it to grow plump helmets. I turned off every other labor except farming relating things on my farmer in hopes that he would do nothing but grow plants all day and night. This all seems well and good, but I always come up WAY short on just the amount of plants I need to feed my dwarfs, not to mention make booze for them.

I have the following problems (not all of them, believe me):

1. The farmer doesn't use all of his farm plots. Out of the 16 or so squares he has, he has 4 plants going at a time IF that. I have plenty of seeds (started the game with 100+ plump helmet spawn and haven't used hardly any)

2. When the plants are done, if someone doesn't pick them up to eat them directly, they seem to go to waste and wilt. Nobody wants to store them for some reason. Even if the grower himself is idle they just sit there and wilt.

What am I doing wrong? Should I have more growers or something?

DF Gameplay Questions / Temporary Cheating?

« on: March 26, 2008, 11:38:00 pm »

I just started a new fortress and essentially planned everything out in advance. I have a perfect location (nearly) and my fortress design is great. It scales well, unlike many of my previous forts. I ran into a major problem, however. In order to get a farming operation started near my main fort, I had to set up an irrigation system. I undertook a large engineering project to fill numerous reservoirs from the brook (which is a considerable distance away). Everything concerning that went well (many floodgates and levers, my first time using either), but it took so long to finish that my dwarves demolished all their supplies and are now starving to death). Is there any way that I can cheat to give myself a small boost of food? I really do not want to lose this fort.

DF Gameplay Questions / How does one command dwarves to fight?

« on: March 24, 2008, 10:55:00 pm »

Embarrassingly enough, my entire new fortress was just essentially destroyed by two raccoons. I started a new game and began digging out my fortress from a nearby mountain. Since I didn't have any storage spaces dug out yet, all of my supplies were still in the wagon sitting outside my fort. Along came the two aforementioned raccoons to mess with my wagon (I suspect they may have been eating my food). After a while, my dwarves start needing things from the wagon (like food/water). Every time they go near the supply barrels, they freak out and run away (why would a group of 7 dwarves, some of them armed with picks and battle axes, run away from two small animals anyway?). All of my dwarves are now starting to die of thirst and the raccoons aren't going away so I decide I should do something about the problem. I go to the military screen and activate a miner. He turns into a recruit and I use the squad window to station him at my wagon. So he goes, and stands there. The raccoons are scared of him and keep their distance, but never actually go away (still close enough to scare my thirsty dwarves). My military dwarf doesn't do anything to fight them off. He just stands there. I even set a patrol route for him and he just kept on patrolling like nothing was happening.

Could somebody explain (or give me a link) how to have a functioning military that actually fights things?

DF Gameplay Questions / Fortress Defenses

« on: March 21, 2008, 12:14:00 am »

I believe I've finally grasped most of the basics of DF (in other words, my dwarves survive without hating me) except for when it comes to military matters. I want to start a more serious fortress (all mine thus far have been shortsighted and not scaled well) which means an adequate military and defense. I plan on having my fortress entrance carved into a mountainside with several defensive features. I'd like some suggestions on what I could do better (or if it will even work)

# = Rock
. = Floor
@ = Fortification
* = Trapped floor
F = Exit to wilderness
% = Stairs down to main level

code:


#####################################
@...................................#
@...................................#########
#################################...........#
F**************************** % #.%.Barracks#
#################################...........#
@...................................#########
@...................................#
#####################################

I have a few questions:

1. Are those fortifications adequate for marksdwarves so shoot out? What kind of firing arc do they have?
2. Should there be fortifications carved into the dividing wall of my military area and entry hallway?
3. How big should my military be and how should I divide them up? Obviously I want a few marksdwarves to fire from inside the fort, but what kind of melee fighters should I have?
4. Would it be worthwhile to widen the tunnels with the fortifications to add in a siege weapon? If so, what kind?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Formatting issues

[ March 21, 2008: Message edited by: Vunutus ]