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Author Topic: I wrote a Quick Start Guide for Dwarf Fortress  (Read 3293 times)

Nyxalinth

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I wrote a Quick Start Guide for Dwarf Fortress
« on: May 10, 2017, 05:34:02 pm »

https://hubpages.com/games-hobbies/Strike-the-Earth-A-Qucik-Start-Guide-for-Dwarf-Fortress

There are many like it, but this one is mine. Just covers enough to ease the initial "OMG WHAT IS THIS AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THIS!1111!eleventyone" that afflict newcomers.

I'll eventually do a follow up article. What would you cover next?
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Nyxalinth likes the color blue, gaming, writing, art, cats for their aloofness,  Transformers for their sentience and ability to transform, and the Constructicons for their hard work and building skills. Whenever possible, she prefers to consume bacon cheeseburgers and pinot noir. She absolutely detests stupid people.

Thisfox

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Re: I wrote a Quick Start Guide for Dwarf Fortress
« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2017, 10:13:38 pm »

It's always good to encourage new players. It's a lovely little review you've written there. I'm glad you're using the DF font, and not a tileset :)

The thing I'd mention to your readers is the wiki, and you've done that. It's essential.

Two questions: I thought wooden training axes didn't cut trees down any more. Maybe I'm wrong about that? The other thing I have to ask is why there stills are "under farming workshops"? Is the game different in a windows machine? Because for me, I build a still with b-w-l, and farming workshops with b-w-w. How does that make stills be underneath farming workshops? Am I missing something significant?

Also, as someone who brews in the real world, I don't consider a still to be a place to make alcohol, but a place to make it stronger, so it took me a while to understand what a DF style still was for: I had to be told by the wiki. Yeah, I guess I was a bit thick.

....You might also want to warn them not to dig a fort on an aquifer as their first try. Aquifers are great, but they require a certain amount of learning curve first....
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Shonai_Dweller

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Re: I wrote a Quick Start Guide for Dwarf Fortress
« Reply #2 on: May 11, 2017, 01:30:14 am »

Don't forget, the menu isn't actually on the right when a noob starts up a brand new vanilla game, the screen's split into three parts with an annoying map which no-one uses on the right. This makes the start seem even more scary!

A quick hint to hit 'tab' a couple of times to get the screen looking like your screenshot would be useful.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2017, 01:31:55 am by Shonai_Dweller »
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overseer05-15

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Re: I wrote a Quick Start Guide for Dwarf Fortress
« Reply #3 on: May 11, 2017, 06:58:40 am »

Don't forget, the menu isn't actually on the right when a noob starts up a brand new vanilla game, the screen's split into three parts with an annoying map which no-one uses on the right. This makes the start seem even more scary!

A quick hint to hit 'tab' a couple of times to get the screen looking like your screenshot would be useful.

Hey I use the map fight me
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lethosor

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Re: I wrote a Quick Start Guide for Dwarf Fortress
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2017, 10:16:22 am »

Two questions: I thought wooden training axes didn't cut trees down any more. Maybe I'm wrong about that? The other thing I have to ask is why there stills are "under farming workshops"? Is the game different in a windows machine? Because for me, I build a still with b-w-l, and farming workshops with b-w-w. How does that make stills be underneath farming workshops? Am I missing something significant?
You are correct about the training axes - that was changed in 0.43.03.

Pretty much nothing is different on different platforms (except possibly a few rendering quirks). I was about to suggest that it meant that stills were below farmer's workshops (in the same menu), but it turns out that stills are directly above farmer's workshops. My guess is that it means "under workshops".

A quick hint to hit 'tab' a couple of times to get the screen looking like your screenshot would be useful.
There are screenshots with neither sidebar visible, with both visible, and with just the menu sidebar visible. I do agree that mentioning the "tab" feature would be useful, though. (And I do use the map sometimes - I tend to keep it around in large windows, since it doesn't take up that much space relative to the main map.)
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