Bay 12 Games Forum

1. Never too early to start a military. Although, you probably won't want soliders with no military skill. When wave arrive, inspect every newcomer. Look at his skills. If he has something you need, leave him alone. Otherwise, assign him something you need. You can hardly have too much crafters, medics or farmers, even if they start newbies. Those with military skills - assign into squads, one day you will equip them and send into battle.

2. Design as you please. There is noise, so try to put bedrooms levels away from mining operations and workshops. One bed per bedroom, chest/coffer and cabinet (Or so I do). I have level-wide grid of 3x3 rooms separated by 1 tile-wide corridor, but it was proven to be bad for pathfinding. I don't think you should have any kind of "stockpile level" - have workshops/furnaces surrounded by raw materials. Have finished goods stockpile close to trade deport, but exclude "armor, footwear, headwear and legwear" from it and put those into separate, or you get overflown by clothes.

3. It is inefficient, unless you somehow need war dogs NOW.

4. After you create military, dig deep below, until you find cavern. That's where fun start. Unless fun come to you from surface.

I always dreamed of poisonous gases. We already have gas mechanics (Both vapor and miasma, not sure if it the same). I wish I could make some deadly poison in barrels and then open them with lever/plate to unleash toxic gases on my enemies (and friends who got in the way)

Mosaics seem like a gem-sink. I always end up with too many gems that are too tiresome to utilize all, letting me waste them on art would be cool.

I find this map useful - it helps me navigate through my own fortress, until I memorize the outline.

Trees like to randomly grow and block the path. You better arrange paved roads across the soil, if you live in the forest.

Minotaurs, I'd say, need to carry weapon on them more often. It's ridiculous how they come barehanded.

I had to abandon the fort after all, my attempt at quarantine failed. I nobody of my haulers get infected, they all wore gloves, as I bought lots of cloth and made lots of clothing. Problem is that they put contaminated clothes on themselves. Also, there seem to be contaminated ground. I wouldn't be surprised if food was infected as well, considering how many dorfs died while eating.

I couldn't find anyone with coating of dust, like Chaia suggested, but likely they all instantly dropped dead.