Bay 12 Games Forum

Used to do 3 wide halls, this fort took it to 2 wide, not a fan, but doesn't seem to adversely affect them. Shops are grouped in 4's by function, so craft/mason/mason/mechanic, butcher/fisher/kitchen/tanner, etc etc.

Fort organized 2x1 groups, so 8x2 room blocks. Rooms are 5x5, stockpiles 11x11, fits in the grid pattern nicely and makes the shift move highly useful. Center tile between the 4 like rooms removed for diagonal movement, in the stone group there's a stone dump there. Food group, the diagonal is the only access to butcher/fishery to prevent miasma spread. Dining hall start 11x11, expanded to 11x22 as necessary.

Doors to shops staggered, so going down the hall, 2 doors beside each other on left, the a bit further on right, then intersection, the repeat. High traffic lane weaving back and forth avoiding the doorways.

Bedrooms are 2x2 rooms arranged in an 8x2 pattern, stairway in the middle for access. Built above/below main halls on a low traffic side.

4 breweries in an 11x11 plant stockpile across the hall from 9 3x3 farm plots in a 11x11 seed stockpile, 4 plots outside plants. They seem to keep pace with each other nicely, 200 dwarfs fort, currently 3,000 drinks and rising. 1,000 lavish meals and rising.

Dwarves are fairly specialized, 2 of each main skill focused on only that job, currently 10 military in training, will break into 10 squads to train new recruits when they are finished (accidentally embarked with no goblins, all friendly civs; training to do battle in hell). The rest as haulers, all hauling enabled, plus mason/carptenter/plantgatherer/miner. Mason/carpenter shops set to proficient and above so haulers won't interfere, but can still very quickly build... Anything. There's 80 of them :p Architecture, As well.

3 doctors, haulers act as nurses, a few specialized nobles. Everything engraved, all furniture masterwork, so even though I just lost 30 dwarves to mining accidents, I only had 5 tantrums, then 4, then 3, etc, etc. Still need to set up mist generators.

All incoming dwarves are stripped of labors and borrowed into a locked room for the hunger/thirst test. Most become haulers, unless I need something one is good at. I generally run about 30 idlers, all haulers with nothing to do, so they part and have babies.

Most of my haulers are mining out a 146 z-level magma piston, hence the recent deaths. Most will become military once I have enough metal gear, once fully trained, I will lay siege on hell. 100 legendary warriors in all masterwork gear is the goal, plus seige engines and traps, etc, etc. As many as possible with candy, but only the front lines if necessary.