Bay 12 Games Forum

Congratulations! You have just created an all-powerful MacGuffin that will attract even more goblins to your fort.

I never had problems with export bans. It was usually on millstones, battle axes and other stuff I didn't want to export anyway. Sometimes mugs, but I had enough other crafts to cope with that.

Constructed fortifications are not indestructible. I once built some out of rhyolite, and it melted when magma flew through it (it turned into smooth floor). However, fortifications in natural walls are indestructible.

Fire imps are really not that tough. I could defeat one by drafting a peasant who got attacked by it. As long as the imp doesn't hit your dwarf with its fire attack, you are fine. Stationing some marksdwarves near the magma tunnel is also a good idea.

More complicated contraptions can also be built without bauxite, though it is a bit more complicated. Just use pumps instead of floodgates to regulate magma flow. If you turn off the power, the magma won't flow. Beware that magma coming out from pumps will be pressurized though. And gear assemblies react differently if more then one lever is connected to them than floodgates.

Just forbid or atom smash everything that is not made of metal or giant cave spider silk. Melt the metal, decorate the gcss clothes, and leave everything else be.

When I had economy started, I had lots of 3x3 engraved rooms. So I had to build a bunch of cheaper ones, in the range of 200-500, so most dwarves won't get unhappy, and reserve the expensive ones to legendary dwarves (by that time, you should have quiet many of them). And if you have a legendary dining room, you make the booze and food with legendary brewers/cooks, have lots of thing to admire in your fortress (especially the meeting area) then even your evicted dwarves won't get unhappy, provided that you have enough barracks beds.

Aside from evictions, I didn't find much change in their behaviour in economy mode. Maybe that if they don't have enough work, they start to complain to your manager. Ironically, it was my manager who complained, so he had nobody to complain to.

For refuse piles, I usually set up one that accepts everything that rots, and one inside, close to the craftsdwarfs workshop which accepts bones, skulls and shells.

I don't think water would drain upwards. As soon as it reaches below the level of your channel, the draining will stop. If you want to drain something upwards, you should either use pump or drain into a chasm.