Bay 12 Games Forum

I sent the elf caravan off with a BOATLOAD of profitzz, but the first of two back to back sieges annhilated the human caravan and diplomat, so I somehow doubt the next time the humans visit that they'll bring me grizzley bears.

This time, I got 115 invaders.  Exciting!  First big attack, last time was a paltry 40, except it was just about one month separating the two.  Caught a bunch of kids and haulers outside this time.

The mess will take at least a season to clean up.

Just a note, I no longer use Z levels to equalize pressure.  I have flooded myself too many times.  I now build a "pressure regulator" at the bottom of a cistern, with a floodgate hooked to a lever in a control room.  Its important to sandwitch the floodgate with fortifications, because you don't want debris stuck in your floodgate.

Anyhoo, once you dig the bottom of the cistern, dig the regulators: the regulator takes a straight line flow, and then forces it through a diagonal channel.  I divert flow through two diagonally mined blocks, then back to the straight channel.  That sets a "new top" for the flow, infinitely fed by the cistern.  This is much safer.  Then take that line out to where you want it.  I call that a pipe.  Channel to the next layer, and the pipe will fill.  Close the floodgate, and you have an utterly safe and pressure equalized pipe, into which you can channel from above and install wells.  If it empties out, the pressure regulators inhibit further leakage.  My system is expandable, because I install floodgates at the bottom of the cistern, then I can dig up to those to install new pipeworks.

Heres an image:

 
Note that you do not need pressure regulation for MAGMA.  I just thought the red showed up prettier than the blue.  The tube up top, labeled magma tube here, is my water pipe.  No more flooding despite being fed by a practically infinite supply of liquid on a higher level.  The water comes down the stairwell and then smacks into the pressure regulator with immense force.  It then stops in its tracks and gives you a nice leisurely supply.

My appologies then, I didn't consider it a bug-- the dwarves are doing what you told them to do-- so much as an oversight.  Fair point.

My point was that no, most dwarves wouldn't be bookworms.  On the 0-5000 scale currently used for other attributes, only the highest level (2500+) would really be booklover types.  No crafting profession would require being a book lover.  The book lovers can, however, generate books under my framework, so if you manage to get a legendary craftdwarf who is also a book lover, then they could generate books that could be implemented in the library for child training.  Current professional dwarves have no interest in books and will gain little or anything from them.  (under my narrow framework of the role books play in the society)

I was constructing a new wing of my exterior fortress, when AMBUSH!  Curse Them!

My legendary speardwarf immediatly set off, went over a small waterfall, and drowned.  I got everyone else inside to deal with the weapon crews that were approaching from the north (oh finally, axemen that can FIGHT!)  So, the speardwarf is a lost cause.  But three of the goblins went over the edge with them, and they appear to be swimming just fine-- but are completely incapable of going anywhere.  They don't seem to be drowning, anyhow, and no carp appear to be trying to eat them.

I just got my own marksdwarves activated, and I'm not keen on sending them out to try to pick them off *(i have NO hope that they won't drown themselves instantly)*.  I also don't want to drown my finally trained military, as they're so cute in their steel leggings.

Any suggestions for how to deal with this problem?  I suppose I can build a hanging tower and try to collapse it on them, but my own fort constructions are taking forever because everyone stopped hauling blocks.

I got hit with the made-military-axe men-before-using dwarves as woodcutters bug, and couldn't cut trees as a result.  My solution was to delete all military squads in their entirety.  Remove all the dwarves, delete the squad, delete the equipment stockpiles, make new stockpiles, make new squads.  Then forbid anything you don't want the, to wear.

I read on the wiki things about how a well is a great happy thought source.  Things like building them out of candy with jewel encrusted platinum chains and artifact buckets.

My dinky limestone wells with encrusted silk rope and mahogany buckets still manage to give dwarves sublime well thoughts.

Are there levels of happy thought here?  Are they really happier?

As a corollary, I have two well zones, one in the dining hall- how can I maximize happy thinking from my artifact rope?  Turn off meeting hall settings on the other well zone?