Bay 12 Games Forum

DFFD won't do images tho - just download links.
Also, the [*url]...[*url] shows the text of the link, so if you'd rather use a hyperlink like this, just use the format of <*a href="URL here">linky word/phrase<*/a>, (deleting the *asterisks*).

??!

Wait, so you can set cropland up without having to muddy indoor stone first?  Teach me, oh guru, in the ways of surface farming!

Out of curiosity, I downloaded the year 134 save and retired the fort.  By spawning a "human outsider" hero, I may have solved the mystery of why no-one's been sieging you:

The next shop over, are goblin and dwarven leatherworkers working quite cheerfully together.

It was originally the capitol of a goblin civ called "The Tactical Horror", but The Bodices of Paint began attacking them in 51, joined soon after by the humans of The Geared Empires in 94.  Unitespider fell in 105 and was annexed by The Bodices of Paint.  The governor installed there instituted a massive digging project called "The Mansion of Mining" and had built the "Cathedral of Starvation" to remind the goblins what happened to those who tried to rebel.  A former slave of the humans from Savedtrees journeyed to Unitespider in 106 and was hired as both cultural liaison and General of their combined dwarven/goblin forces.

The Geared Empires continued to persecute a "War of Skinning" against the goblins, pillaging Unitespider several times more in their zeal, which led to some dwarven conflict with the governor there as well.  Any adventurer wishing to hire a mercenary from either the dwarven or human camps within the city should be aware that tensions are still fresh from the constant pillaging and enslavement of any goblin, dwarf or human that makes Unitespider their home...

It's interesting to note that all goblin resistance had pretty much ended by 113.  A militant camp far to the southwest of Unitespider called "Witcharrows" attempted to maintain their independence from outside rule, but frequent attacks by humans bearing skinning knives and elves bearing murderous bows contested that attempt quite strenuously until by the winter of 113, the elven assaults met no resistance whatsoever. Succeeding sweeps by human and elven forces mopped up any stragglers until by 121, they'd successfully destroyed that camp, the Geared Empire annexing a couple of the free-gob hamlets nearby into the Empire.

Stokershoots may indeed be ahead of its time trying to be more human-like.  If The Geared Empire has its way, it'll try to annex everyone else before too long.

In a work of art so complex, we are all (except maybe a few luminaries like Meph, Putnam or Japa) noobs in one form or another.  No worries - we all tend to build on each-other's strengths in here.

Timeless Bob the farmer says:
"There's an aquifer here, friends. So all we need to do is dig a ladder shaft down to meet it, then expand it with the well-shaft proper.

As the resident farmer, I feel it is my duty to mention that we need to start growing food right away! I suggest the old bucket brigade 'false pond' method. If we start building some buckets when we get the chance, those of us that would otherwise sit around doing nothing <nods significantly toward the gemcutter>, will instead be able to dredge muddy water up from the bottom of the well and toss it into a series of channels designated as 'ponds'.  They should fill up rather nicely here in the cool underground.  Well, once they've been filled up, we stop filling em, then expand the channels until all the water has thinned out to a depth of about 1/7 or so.  The water will mix with the dirt created by widening the channels and viola!: Farmland!  I can 'plot' that mud in no time and get our seeds 'n spawn in the ground soon enough after, to keep everyone fed and more importantly, keep us boozed up too!  What happens when the migrants eat us out of house n hole, I ask you?  A well stocked larder is a thing o beauty, as me ma used to say."

@Ravendarksky: If you enable the grid ("g") in the Refined Large view, each red dash conforms to one of the 16 embark squares.  Just count down and over twice to figure out the X/Y Coords for possible embarks on interesting features.

Incidentally, did you know that if you make a statue garden and assign it to a child, they'll set up parties for other children and all the kids will hang out there a lot.  Freestanding blank slabs seem very similar to chalk-boards, so put these two little items together and lots of kiddies will happily cluster in their "classrooms".

I'm up for a turn.