Bay 12 Games Forum

Stonesense is a little wonky, it's designed for .16, and the current is .18, which does make a difference.  You need the new memory.xml file, and the places it's found don't give proper instructions on how to install it for any non-programmer...

I can probably figure it out, I do have quite a bit of programming experience, I just really haven't had time to play around with it since I'm heading out of town.  Will probably be a bit before I get any pictures up though.

I think I've decided to defy physics and do mirror pyramids, so something like this:
XXXX
 XXX
   X
 XXX
XXXXX

Along with other creations around them.  I'm trying to get stonesense to work, but it doesn't seem to be working for me, but it will take a while to make significant progress anyway. 

Anyway, once I make some significant progress I'll start posting screens.

So I've decided to start my first megaproject, and not being incredibly creative I've decided to build great pyramids in my current dwarf map, which is about 1/3 volcano, but about 2/3 very flat.  I've also decided that it's not really a good megaproject if I need to turn off invasions, so I'm doing everything with unmodded df (except allowing myself to tame exotic animals) and fighting off invasions with my small military. 
I've also decided that I want to make sure each pyramid is a different color and uses only 1 type of stone (Basalt for black, alunite for white, cinnabar for red, olivine for green, and I will do a gold one, since my embark has a ton of gold, etc.)  And once they're built my dwarfs will make their homes in these pyramids. 

Any ideas on what else I can do besides pyramids?  A sphinx is an obvious idea, but I'm not sure I'm up to the design task.  I've also thought about possibilities of making some sort of skyway system between the pyramids, but I'm not sure how that would work.  I've recently just finished my first pyramid (basalt), and have some others underway, although for some of them the problem is as much finding enough stone (I know it's there cause I used prospector).

Anyway, any suggestions?   

I've never used danger rooms.  After my first few games I've discovered that if I just create squads of 2 early they will train up quickly enough to fight off early sieges as long as I get them at least iron armor.  When I have squads of 2 in their own barracks set to train, they seem to spar a lot.  The more I have per squad the more they waste time organizing and jerking around switching what they're doing every 2 seconds. 

It's not as fast as danger rooms, but in the game I'm playing now I'm in the spring of year 2.  My first pair which started training in the summer of year 1 are both lvl 6 fighters with lvl 4 axedwarves (they got their axes a season after so trained up some wrestling also).  Other pairs which I've started in consecutive seasons are training up at a similar rate.  Usually they're at least lvl 10 after 2 full years of training, and you can start giving the high level fighters new students in their squad once they hit high levels.  I've found this method more than good enough for training in vanilla DF, as by the time I start getting ambushes, unless I'm unlucky a couple of squads will make short work of them, and by the time sieges come I have enough well trained soldiers, that with a few additional meat shields I can fend off most things.   

Before I discovered this training regime I was very tempted to try a danger room even though it seemed exploity, but now I just don't feel the need.  Maybe if I move over to the fortress siege mod...

I've found that dfprospector never tells me about flux stones for some reason.  I could have a shit ton of limestone and it won't appear on the list when I run prospector.

Will dwarfs only adopt animals that they have a preference for?  I have some exotic animals with high pet values set to be available for adoption, but no one adopts any of them.  Will no one adopt a gorilla, for example, unless they specifically prefer gorillas? 

In my current fortress caravans are leaving through the caravans.  Is this normal?  They come in above ground like normal, and there is no impediment to them leaving that way.

wow!  Seriously!?  If there's higher quality armour made and ready then the dorfs'll just pick it up when he/she would normally check for equipment?  That's awesome :O

They go by value, so whatever quality/material combo has the best value for the armor or weapon that they're assigned to.  The value might not always correspond with the best item (i.e. if you make a cotton candy war hammer)