Bay 12 Games Forum

Playing LNP 43.03.  Stopped getting migrants and caravans.  Was getting both elves and dorf traders previously.  Had three migriant waves before capping the pop in LNP.  Removed pop cap. Civ is not dead.  No pile of corpses outside the trade depo.  Depo is accessable.  I turtled for the two years and then had a five month zombie siege I waited out so I never actually traded with the dwarfs or elves.  Haven't got a caravan since the zombie siege though I have had goblin seiges since then.  Looks like someone else had a similar problem recently - https://www.reddit.com/r/dwarffortress/comments/cb6gg/no_traders_or_migrants/  Any thoughts?

I am having an issue where workshop repeat jobs are being canceled due to lack of materials even though there are materials available in a nearby stockpile.  This seems to mainly happen with items stored in bins and barrels.  I have to forbid the bin or barrel containing the item and then unforbid it to get the repeat jobs going again.  For instance I'll be brewing plump helmets on repeat and the job will suspend due to lack of brewable plants; if I try to resume the job it will suspend immediatly; if I forbid and unforbid the PH barrel I can resume the job and it will repeat for a while before suspending again due to lack of plants. 

Notes on my setup:  All of the stockpiles where this is happening are being fed by other stockpiles.  It seems to happen weather the stockpiles are set to give to the workshops or not.  It seems to happen weather DFHack workflow is enabled or not.  DFHack Stockflow is enabled but not in use, I'll try disabling this next time I play.  I am running DF 0.24.04 with LNP.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar?  Thanks

It seems that in this new version there is the possibility to influence your dwarf's beliefs through reading.  From the devlog-

Dwarves read books in the library (they don't need to be scholars)
Values can be passed in writing and through adventure mode arguments

According to the wiki entry for philosophy http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Topic#Philosophy-

Writers can push value "agendas" if they are skilled enough.  Description format: The [worthlessness | value | nature] of [belief] The specific view that a philosopher takes on, say, the nature of beauty or methods of education will depend on their individual/cultural values, where they apply, and a philosopher that encounters a philosophy book on beauty can then provide their own take (having acquired the innovation).

Looking at the wiki entry for beliefs http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Personality_trait#Beliefs  there are a few that stand out as value agendas that would be good to promote like hard work, martial prowess and stoicism. 

It seems that the personal values of your philosophers and visiting philosophers could have a serious effect on your civilization.  You wouldn't want a philosopher who "finds the proposition that one should work hard in life utterly abhorrent" to write the book called The Worthlessness of Hard Work.  It might seriously effect productivity in your fort.

I'm going to try to do some Science on this in my new fort by  starting a number of my settlers with high Critical thinker skills.  Once I get my fort up and stable I may switch to adventurer mode and visit my fort to argue with my philosophers to see if I can introduce values that way.

A few questions I have-
Are all dwarfs capable of reading?
Is there a way to entice dwarfs to read in a library?
Is there a way to develop the Critical Thinking skill?
Is there a way to limit what books are in a library?

There was a common belief in western polytheistic religions that the tribal god lived in the temple that the tribe built for the god.  Biblical scholar Margret Baker's books The Great Angel and Temple Theology are good introductions to this belief system although they largely focuses on her theories about early Judaism.  I think that this could be a great religious mechanic for Dwarf Fortress.  Here is how I imagine it could work.

• Temples would have to be built according to strict specifications in order to successfully attract the god
• A high priest would have to be trained in order to attract a god
• Once the god inhabited the temple certain benefits would result i.e. evil biomes would no longer reanimate
• The god would place restrictions on fort activities similar to nobles
• The god would demand regular sacrifices
• The god would demand festivals to be held in his honor
• Only the high priest would be allowed to enter the naus (living place of the god) of the temple; any other dwarf would die if they looked at the god
• The god would abandon the temple if his requirements were not met or if his restrictions were violated to often
• Abandonment of a temple by a god would result in fun for the fortress

I think this could be an interesting religious mechanic that would fit in well with current and planned (festivals) mechanics.  It could also be expanded upon if mechanics like religious factions were implemented.  Additionally it would open up some interesting possibilities in adventure mode.