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[Jim Groovester]

Usually, no. There are a few workshops which typically give new players trouble, though. The jeweler's workshop for one, since one whole side of it is impassible.

When you build a workshop, there will be a pattern of light green and dark green Xs. The dark green Xs are impassible areas of the workshop. So make sure that when you build a workshop the center tile is accessible to the outside.

If you put space around your workshops, you never need to worry about this problem.

[jayseesee]

Each workshop has a space or few that can't be stood in.  They are the dark green "X" while placing them.  You CAN stack workshops side by side if you want in an empty room, though, if you get a mood that can't be finished, you may have Fun on your hands.

[Rat Of Wisdom]

How do you handle the massive amount of rocks excavated? Should I designate exterior stockpiles for all of the low end stuff?

Some players consider this an exploit, but especially for stone it's highly useful: designate a small (as small as 1x1) activ(i)ty zone, mark it as a (g)arbage dump, (a)ctivate it and make sure any other garbage dumps you have are inactive. Then designate for (d)umping all the stone that's in your way (the hard way, by loo(k)ing at each tile with stone on it and marking each one individually, the less-than-hard way by selecting a dump designation (d-b-d), or the easy but perhaps too comprehensive way of going to the z-stocks screen, finding that kind of stone and designating all of it in your entire fortress).

This preserves your stone for making crafts out of, so you might want to make the dump zone somewhere near your masons'/craftsdorfs'/mechanic's workshops. Another option is to use a dwarven atom smasher, which eliminates the stone so it doesn't cause you lag (essentially a 2x1 raising bridge at the smallest, over solid floor, which crushes anything under it out of existence when it comes down).

And if I create a custom stockpile for some rocks, while some stockpiles are for all rocks, will the special rocks be placed preferably in their custom stockpile, or not?

I don't know, but I suspect the pathfinding involved here may be slightly odd; I think things get placed in the closest stockpile that accepts them, so that may turn out to be either one depending on where the target stone is to begin with. You can edit stockpile settings on-the-fly, though, the same way you add tasks to a workshop (the q key) so I'd suggest simply making a specialized stockpile for the stone and then disabling it on your other stone stockpiles (if you end up using them at all: see above method).

[Rolan7]

How do you handle the massive amount of rocks excavated? Should I designate exterior stockpiles for all of the low end stuff?

Some players consider this an exploit, but especially for stone it's highly useful: designate a small (as small as 1x1) activ(i)ty zone, mark it as a (g)arbage dump, (a)ctivate it and make sure any other garbage dumps you have are inactive. Then designate for (d)umping all the stone that's in your way (the hard way, by loo(k)ing at each tile with stone on it and marking each one individually, the less-than-hard way by selecting a dump designation (d-b-d), or the easy but perhaps too comprehensive way of going to the z-stocks screen, finding that kind of stone and designating all of it in your entire fortress).

This preserves your stone for making crafts out of, so you might want to make the dump zone somewhere near your masons'/craftsdorfs'/mechanic's workshops. Another option is to use a dwarven atom smasher, which eliminates the stone so it doesn't cause you lag (essentially a 2x1 raising bridge at the smallest, over solid floor, which crushes anything under it out of existence when it comes down).

Good explanation.  The next step is to "reclaim" the stone, since it'll be "forbidden" after it is dumped.  You can do this with d-b-something (just like marking an area of stone for dumping, mark the dump tile "reclaimed"), or use the z-stocks screen and press 'f' on the 'F'orbidden stones.  Until you do this, it'll be forbidden, which means it won't be used for anything at all.

One minor side affect of all this dumping: if you somehow mark a workshop's component stone for dumping (the stocks screen method will do this), the workshop will work still fine.  If you ever disassemble the workshop however, the dwarves will dump the material.

And if I create a custom stockpile for some rocks, while some stockpiles are for all rocks, will the special rocks be placed preferably in their custom stockpile, or not?

I don't know, but I suspect the pathfinding involved here may be slightly odd; I think things get placed in the closest stockpile that accepts them, so that may turn out to be either one depending on where the target stone is to begin with. You can edit stockpile settings on-the-fly, though, the same way you add tasks to a workshop (the q key) so I'd suggest simply making a specialized stockpile for the stone and then disabling it on your other stone stockpiles (if you end up using them at all: see above method).

Pretty sure they go to the nearest applicable stockpile, yeah.
To have the stones go to the more specific stockpile, either:
1) Deselect the special stone type from all other stone stockpiles, so it'll only have one place to go
or
2) Have the special stockpile "Take from stockpile", and select the normal stockpile.  Dwarves may still bring things to the normal stockpile first, but then they'll shift special stones to the special stockpile.  I use this a lot.

[Rat Of Wisdom]

The next step is to "reclaim" the stone, since it'll be "forbidden" after it is dumped.

Hey, I had the feeling I might've forgotten something.

One minor side affect of all this dumping: if you somehow mark a workshop's component stone for dumping (the stocks screen method will do this), the workshop will work still fine.  If you ever disassemble the workshop however, the dwarves will dump the material.

And hey, this reminds me. I viewed the i(t)ems in my smelters one time, and for some reason forbade the stone used to build them, and from then on the non-floor tiles of the workshop (not just the impassable ones, I mean the ones that looked like something other than the ground) showed up highlighted as forbidden whenever I used designations, and the dwarves didn't use them until I unforbade the building stone. The job manager never queued any tasks to them either, so whether it was intentional or not it's a good way to keep certain workshops from being used.

[vorpal+5]

thanks a lot!

How can I park all these stupids animals? I have an ox on my dinning table, puppies playing on barrels of beer and a camel looking over the shoulder of my carpenter (and his breath his foul*)


*: carpenter's breath I mean

[Flaede]

How can I park all these stupids animals?

cages. butchers.

those are your options.

well, that or deisgnating your bottomless cavern as a "pit" and "pitting" the animals. (http://dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Activity_zone#Pit.2FPond)

[vorpal+5]

I managed to cage one dromadery, one ox and 6 horses into a single cage, is it a problem?

Also, the wiki indicates that cage should be used on an animal stockpile, but I did not do that, I defined the cage as part of a room (a zoo?) and the selected animals went in...

So for what things are used animals stockpile? to park them without cage?

[Rolan7]

I managed to cage one dromadery, one ox and 6 horses into a single cage, is it a problem?

Nah, that's normal.  Seems to be the intended behavior for now.

Also, the wiki indicates that cage should be used on an animal stockpile, but I did not do that, I defined the cage as part of a room (a zoo?) and the selected animals went in...

So for what things are used animals stockpile? to park them without cage?

The animal stockpile holds cages that haven't been built as buildings.  When you buy an animal from a trader, or capture one in a cage trap, the cage containing that animal is hauled to an animal stockpile.

Animals will last forever in cages, don't worry about them.  They won't breed, but surprisingly they will give birth if already pregnant.

[Garrie]

<snip>[various discussion about the fundamental nature of sandbox games]</snip>
Anyway, back to actual questions!

Without me looking at the new version thread - is pack animals for use within your fort coming this version?

I don't believe so. I'm pretty sure that's part of the Caravan development arc, which will involve making caravans actually move about the world map instead of just appearing at your fort as well as allowing you to create caravans from your own fort. Use of pack animals, minecarts, and other material-carrying aids is suggested fairly often because of how useful and realistic it would be, but hasn't been done yet.

Thank you.
Crap.

[Garrie]

How do you handle the massive amount of rocks excavated? Should I designate exterior stockpiles for all of the low end stuff?

Some players consider this an exploit, but especially for stone it's highly useful:

One other thing that works nicely: you will notice that say a Kennel is easily built by anyone with Animal Trainer enabled. So if you have a 5x5 area you want clear, activate Animal Trainer on one of your haulers and set them to build a Kennel. Hauler will clear rock from a 5x5 area - if you wish you can put a row of them next to each other.
(it might be best if you make sure you haven't go any "train animal" tasks active at the time!)
In a room 5 tiles wid by ? tiles long you will end up with a bunch of rocks on one row of tiles. Which is where you build your mechanics/stone crafter / masons workshop.

[Steev]

How can I optimize hauling?

I have a massive list of hauling jobs due to training new Siege Operators and starting Operation: Deforestation after I got 3 Wood Cutters and those damned Elves didn't show up.

So what ends up is that my fortress is now full of Urist McRetard's who decide that it is better to haul a stone than dump the now miasma causing roach remains.

[Garrie]

If I dig this in an aquifer, where the W & w are undug wall, will the w's stop leaking when I tunnel them out?

Code: [Select]

WWWWWWWWW
WXXwwXXWW
WXXwwXXWW
WXXwwXXWW
WWWWWWWWW



[Garrie]

How can I optimize hauling?

I have a massive list of hauling jobs due to training new Siege Operators and starting Operation: Deforestation after I got 3 Wood Cutters and those damned Elves didn't show up.

So what ends up is that my fortress is now full of Urist McRetard's who decide that it is better to haul a stone than dump the now miasma causing roach remains.

Kill all your stone & wood stockpiles. Mark stuff for dumping instead. You will usually dump a few 10x10 blocks at once.
Set up things like asheries out in the woods, so you can haul bins of ash instead of individual logs.
Use junk stone to train your siege operators instead of hauling it. Just launch it to a trench underneath your mason/stonecrafter/smelters. (make sure there is noone wandering that corridor at the time!)
Haul in waves: use a manager to wipe out all the hauling except for one (refuse, food, stone, wood, items in turns not altogether at the same time). When you have hauled enough wood, tell them to haul stone.

[Garrie]

thanks a lot!

How can I park all these stupids animals? I have an ox on my dinning table, puppies playing on barrels of beer and a camel looking over the shoulder of my carpenter (and his breath his foul*)

The favored option seems to be:
Dig a pit 5 or so layers deep.
On a couple of the levels build retracting bridges that take up 1/4 to 1/3 of the width.
Mark the top as a pit. Have all the bridges "extended".
Build your butchers shop and tanners shop at the bottom of the stack.
Put levers in there for the bridges.
Put lever operated door on the bottom level.
Mark the floor as "refuse stockpile" for dead animals.
When the butcher walks in and pulls the lever animals fall down & die. Assign butcher dead animal / repeat.