With the addition of orientation in the recent versions of Dwarf Fortress, the process of creating babies to populate the fortress in the future has become much more difficult than previously.
This is a thread devoted to finding out the exact science behind what will cause a dwarf to marry or not, how to encourage or discourage such events, and all things reproduction related.
There has been some science undertaken on this, however, much more is needed to be done. Tacomagic has been a key contributor to this cause, although I'm certain there have been other people who have put forth valuable information.
What we know so far:
Note: I'll update this as new information comes to light, and when I get home and can find previously discovered conclusions and hypotheses.
- only heterosexual marriages can produce offspring
- once married, so long as the related population cap hasn't been reached (strict pop cap?), a baby will pop out each year (is the availability of beds a factor here?)
- marriage relationships much progress through the stages: friend -> lover -> husband/wife
- a dwarf can be heterosexual, homosexual, or asexual
- dwarves can be uninterested in marriage, but still form "lover" relationships
- homosexual dwarves can be involved in heterosexual relationships
- personality traits has a significant effect on whether a dwarf will form positive relationships, including marrige
- mood has a significant effect on the formation of relationships
- idle time is required for relationships to form, although parties are not
There's still a lot to discover on this topic, which will hopefully assist in any dwarven breeding programs people create, and if anyone has questions, theories, or contributions, post them here