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[Batgirl1]

A zone that, when active, allows Dwarfs to eat their lunch outdoors on blankets or on the bare ground. Hear me out:

The advantages are that Dwarfs would get a happier thought than if they didn't have a table or chair at all, thus making it convenient for the early fort stage. It also can be used to combat cave adaptation by forcing Dwarfs into the sun for a bit (though of course, nobody likes to see their fellow picnickers hurling all over the potato salad...)

The disadvantages are that an outdoor picnic area would still have no tables or chairs, thus making dwarfs less happy than a proper dining room. Instead, Dwarfs may haul a piece of cloth to use as a picnic blanket, thus mitigating the effect of having to sit on the ground (and possibly creating a happy thought if they like the material. Food is self serve, so no server jobs.  However, there may still be entertainers and general socializing.  Also, may attract ants.

What do you think?

[Shonai_Dweller]

Let's ignore the 'but dwarves hate the outside' argument for now (but it is valid, since a lot of dwarves actually do if you check their preferences). Putting aside also the Fun of mixing picnicking with projectile vomit caused by cave adaptation, isn't the picnic well past the 13th century tech cut-off date?

Better just to allow outdoor-type dwarves to enjoy having eaten outdoors.

All for portable eating blankets/seats when elf-site play starts getting looked at in the far future though.

[Golbolco]

The word "pique-nique" appears to have originated in 1692 according to Wikipedia, but the actual concept goes a lot further back. The wikipedia page cites a Persian poem from the 12th century AD called the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam.

Overall, I like the idea, especially because it would introduce blankets which can be used in beds and keeping dwarves warm if temperature is fully implemented.

[Egan_BW]

Some Dwarves do like the outside, so letting them take their lunch out into the sun makes sense. I don't see why you couldn't put out chairs and tables for them, too. Dwarves will obviously not like vomiting from the sunshine, getting rained on, having their meal blow away in the wind, shivering in the snow, or getting eaten by hungry gators. So you will probably still want a proper indoors dining hall, even with chairs and tables outside.

[Batgirl1]

Well, I mainly thought it would work as an intermediary point between Dining Hall and Nothing. I don't see why blankets would need to be formally made, though: Just grab a swath of cloth, eat your lunch, and then make it into a +shirt+ when you're done. Although, I guess the thought of embroidered cloth does have appeal, and this does seem like a logical use for if/when blankets get implemented anyway.

ETA: Oh! One more thing I completely forgot to mention: Being a zone, it wouldn't have to necessarily be outdoors. You could, in theory, have an indoor picnic. However, since tables and chairs can only be constructed indoors, it makes more logical sense to only use picnic zones outside and put taverns and dining rooms in the fort proper.

[Shonai_Dweller]

But what sense does a zone make?

I'm now imagining the Hammerer stalking the corridors bellowing "All picnicers stay within the designated zone! Illegal picnicing will be dealt with harshly!".

Would rather dwarves with an inclination to eat outside of the dining area just grab a blanket (if that's what snowflake dwarves really need these days) and go eat somewhere quiet (presumably near something they like, a tree, a type of gem, a masterwork door, etc).

A group picnic can be like a spontaneous party. Watch out for the daredevil group who enjoy nethercap viewing picnics down in the caverns! What fun, friends, blankets, gorlak dancers. But not if you restrict it to a zone. Then it's just a dining room without chairs (so why ever bother making a dining room).

[Batgirl1]

Then it's just a dining room without chairs (so why ever bother making a dining room).

That's the point, though: It's a lower quality dining area with less location restrictions as a tradeoff.

Although, since you brought up spontaneous parties and such, I suppose it could be handled more like fishing, with designated areas being either mandatory or just preferred if available. That does sound better.

[KittyTac]

I'd like for dorfs to camp out near things they like. The war dog breeding area if they like dogs, for example. (You don't have one? I have one as part of the beast thunderdome I'm constructing RN)

[Batgirl1]

Come to think, one does not rule out the other. It could probably be ranked like:

1. Dining room / Tavern: dwarf gets happiest thoughts and admires furniture.
2. Picnic in zone: Some happy thoughts from entertainment
3. Picnic without zone: Dwarf only gets happy thought if near something liked
4. No blankets or tables at all: Dwarf complains

Eh? Works?

[FantasticDorf]

It could just be a choice of activites for a regular meeting zone, as well as something for idling villagers to do when you encounter them in adventure mode.

Dwarves outside waiting around the wagon decide to lie on the grass while the miner's are busy carving out a entrance, they might not enjoy it but nothing else to pass the time. That's saying that there's more idle activities for dwarves to do other than eternally drink & stand around.

[Batgirl1]

It could just be a choice of activites for a regular meeting zone, as well as something for idling villagers to do when you encounter them in adventure mode.

Dwarves outside waiting around the wagon decide to lie on the grass while the miner's are busy carving out a entrance, they might not enjoy it but nothing else to pass the time. That's saying that there's more idle activities for dwarves to do other than eternally drink & stand around.

Yeah, having it as a task in a meeting zone makes sense. As long as entertainers can be assigned to it, it should work. We wouldn't need to store food or cloth/blankets or anything else in the zone, since the whole point of a picnic is to bring your own stuff. However, maybe instruments would be a good idea for a bandstand kind of thing.