Dwarf Fortress > DF Suggestions

A suggestion lucky dip (accumulation of ideas)

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Fedor:
<<dumps>><<hopes ppl won't mind the length>>
(Haulage and Production)Speaking generally:  Dwarves are lightning-fast producers with very short legs. They spend the majority of their time commuting and much of their work time is not spent actually doing work, but on gathering materials. This seems off to me. Making something, especially something important or valuable, should take a lot more time and movement and shifting stuff around much less.1) Controlling the work dwarves do, especially hauling work, is *extremely tedious* within the game (hence the creation of utilities like Dwarf Foreman). The best idea I've read on the forums is to allow the user to either prioritize general tasks or assign preferences to individual dwarves. I really want to see my haulers first make sure that no food rots in the kitchen, the bedrooms or the depot, then remove rotting things within the fortress before they stink up the place, and only then handle other work. I want to see my metalsmiths working in their forges, then ensuring a supply of metal bars, then helping to shift ore to the smelters. I want to see my farmers harvesting first, then building any designated plots, then planting, then shifting food.2) Haulage can be made more effective and more interesting with dwarven-style mechanical aids. How about rolling kegs down the corridor, wagons trundling goblin ironmongery to the forges, wheelbarrows full of old clothing bound for the chasm, and a dwarf-or-animal-powered rail system for mass transfer of ore?  Dwarves are just the sort of folk to do haulage better than anyone. I'd love to set up one-way movement, build rails out of wood or brass or iron and freight cars to ride them, and see master haulers given the respect they deserve!  Haulers also need to be paid a lot more.3) The pace of work is far too similar between tasks. It should take more time to make plate mail than a bucket and more time to engrave than to smooth.4) It would be really cool if work jobs had an option to "make carefully". Toggling this on would bump up quality somewhat, let a dwarf learn more from making the object, but also take substantially more time. It might also be helpful to do the opposite; let highly-skilled dwarves focus on quantity at the expense of quality. Basically, I'm arguing for a clearer separation between a dwarf's work speed and the quality of what he produces.5) Training dwarves through labor takes too many resources in some cases. Getting a good metalworker should not require the expenditure of entire ore seams. Same story with wood-scarce forts; carpenters and engineers should be able to train up, given time, without chopping down forests that don't exist.
(General)1) One (very satisfying) way of playing this game is to maximize dwarven happiness. At present, happiness of +50 or above is shown as "ecstatic" (so I'm told by the wiki). I'd very much like to see more levels of happiness, from "tantruming/menancholy mad", to "enraged/devastated", "furious/despondant", "bitter/mournful", "angry/gloomy", "grumpy/unhappy", "content", "satisfied", "happy", "very happy", "joyous", "delighted", and finally "estatic" at +100 happiness or better. Unhappiness could profitably be divided into two categories; unhappiness due to anger, and that due to sorrow, each with appropriate extreme responses. Happiness might also be divided, into that due to life positives, and that due to a sort of fey crisis-surmounting exaltation. Minor closing comment:  happiness and unhappiness can at present be gotten through several different items of the same category (drinks or clothes for instance), if they were considered of different qualities or annoyance.2) If an build option on a workshop or furnace requires labor or materials not available (labor type not selected for any dwarf, material already tasked, etc.), it should be shown in a different color or some such.3) Object-based actions. Instead of only being able to requesting an action (melt object) from the workshop or manager, also make it possible to request that something be done to *this particular object*, including melt, chasm, decorate, toss outside, destroy, and stow away (if owned). There are four owned items of clothing strewn about in what I want to be a beautiful garden; I want them moved, but can't communicate that to my dwarves.4) Add to the 'd' selection command an option to select outside stuff. Gear and refuse outside the mountain that is not selected will be ignored.5) Coal should not be treated as gems for mining purposes. A legendary miner should be able to extract it all, just as with ores.6) When working on an item, the weight-encumbrance of that item should normally not be a factor in production speed. It rests on a worktable or such and the dwarf doesn't have to carry it. An example is making catapult parts. An exception is loading a catapult.7) There should be fewer nobles, but more children. I'd also like to see a shorter childhood, unrealistic though that would be, because of the overall pace of the game. At present, virtually all fortresses are demographic sinkholes even before any demons get involved; more dwarves die than are born and live to adulthood. I'd like a sporting chance to reverse this and so create a true homeland for them. Stopping children from wandering about in the magma forges would also be much appreciated...8) The hard 15-artifact limit could profitably be changed by a soft limit on attempted Moods. By a soft limit, I mean one that depends on fortress size, age, and perhaps accomplishments, with each additional mood requiring ever-greater amounts of these. Similar to attributes (although I suggest a steeper rise in requirements). Because they are caused by external divine intervention rather than internal inspiration, possessions should not count for as much against the limit as other moods. Consider giving (small, about +5/-5) bonuses or penalties to happiness for all dwarves based on whether the most recent attempt at artifact-creation succeeded or failed.9) A dwarf with a serious wound should not be bedridden for an indefinite period. Either he should die or recover (possibly as a cripple) within at most six months. Infection will be the leading cause of death. A crippled dwarf will be able to carry less, move more slowly (if hurt in the legs or feet), work more slowly (if hurt in the arms or hands), may require food/drink/materials to be brought to him, or have many tasks greyed out. Weaving, sewing, most kinds of craftsworking, cooking, cleaning, bringing food and drink, and child care are all things many partially crippled dwarves can do effectively.10) Dwarves become extremely unhappy when a masterpiece they made is lost. While the idea of dwarves taking quality seriously is an enriching one, the implemention is grossly unfair. When a masterpiece door is washed into the river, when the antmen trip a dwarf with a masterpiece cap into the chasm, when a masterpiece cave spider silk tunic wears out, when some dolt drops a masterpiece dinner in his bedroom and nobody cleans it up, the maker should NOT go insta-tantrum, bridge-smashing, dwarf-killing bonkers!  It's perfectly reasonable to get enraged if the player deliberately mines through a masterpiece engraving, or deliberately chasms or melts a masterpiece item, but turning masterpiece objects into sowed mines contributes nothing to the game.11) A dwarf bitten by a cave spider should either not go unconscious so often, or at least not spam me with messages about his fainting spells forever.12) Engraved tiles are too bright and distracting; many people much prefer the bright-on-dark appearance of both rough and smoothed tiles. If engraved tiles were better backgrounds for furniture and such it would make engraving more visually appealing.13) The rules on rotting and miasma-creation are overly strict within the game as it currently stands. Tiny vermin getting strewn around by cats in some major corridor, propping open doors, and annoying half the dwarves in the fortress is especially irksome. I really should not have to worry about every butterfly.14) Object values and object material consumption should either be more closely related, or the difference should be attributable to the time requirement to make the object. This is especially important for objects that use materials in limited supply, such as metalware. Specifically, I'd like to see most furniture other than statues use 1.5 or 2 bars and each one of a pair of gauntlets or boots be worth half as much. Random comment: Ballista arrowheads really should use only 1 bar;  a few kilograms of metal suffice to tip even a giant-killing bolt, and most actual ballista warheads found in archeological digs weigh much less than that.15) A larger limit on tower-caps and the ability to deliberately cultivate them more densely (within limits) would be great. Instead of having a system like "at most one tree per X grids", something like "Designate an area. The game will tell you have many trees you can plant in that area (more if you've fertilized and added extra organic matter), and you have some flexibility about where to plant them in that area." would make for more interesting tower-cap plantations. Underground gardens with tower-caps and grass and seasonal flowers would be even more wonderful. Can I hire an elf gardener?  I'd pay him well!16) The "idlers" count is very helpful. It could be made even more helpful if it did not include dwarves momentarily between jobs but only those who really don't know what to do.  If certain activities such as talking to guild representatives could be separated out from the "no job" category, I would be able to stop spending so much time wondering why certain dwarves seem to refuse to do anything.  I have three dwarves conscripted because I just could not get them do anything as civilians.17) Any chance of nobles making fewer production mandates?  There are enough nobles, and they each ask for enough to be produced, that it gets distracting to even partially satisfy them when you've got other things to manage. More specifically:  Asking for rare gems is unreasonable because the chance of finding them is so low, asking for coffins to be made after a production run of 20 has just been completed is silly, my poor jewelers are whimpering for a little relief, and asking for limestone items often enough might just be the death of a certain noble some fine day.18) Dwarves have appallingly little social resiliance. When things go bad, they take forever to rescue each other, they don't mob something attacking another civilian near them, and they don't shout warnings to each other. Worst of all they go into tantrums when made unhappy - and wounds, death, miasmas, the loss of loved ones and friends, and the destruction of masterpieces by hostile forces each qualify as immediate unhappinesses. This is most un-Dwarvish. There are a lot of reasons why dwarves would logically tantrum or sulk, but when the goblins are at the gate, what they do doesn't make a Real Dwarf whine. A Real Dwarf rises to the occasion, sees off the threat, gets food on the table ... and, crisis over, takes some time alone, wandering by still waters, weeping for the lost.

Armok:
Really god suggestions.

Fishersalwaysdie:
You can change the time children need to grow up in the raws.

Earthquake Damage:
RE:  rotting butterfliesYou can add [NOSMELLYROT] to most (or all, though I think rats and such should still stink) vermin in the raws.  That'll remove most the irritation there.  Won't stop their remains from blocking doors and floodgates though.
RE:  intelligent emotional response to siegesI heartily agree.  During a siege, bad thoughts from wounds, death, etc should be subdued greatly, if not entirely.  Perhaps it could tie in with your Anger vs Sadness suggestion, with wartime thoughts increasing Sadness when the siege is broken.  Dwarves might still go melancholy, but aren't going to tantrum the fortress to hell the moment the attackers rout.
RE:  social resilienceI think letting dwarves, in the absence of a military (sheriff doesn't count), help defend one another is a fine idea.  In fact, all dwarves should be able to cry for help when under attack (and perhaps when thieving raccoons are spotted, but not mild-mannered groundhogs and ducks and such).  If you want a limited range on such shouts, maybe all dwarves within earshot can propogate it.A cry for help would propogate until some number of soldiers/guardsmen respond (don't want the entire military to leap at every single ogre or lizardman sighting), which of course implies the same telepathy they already use to tell the entire fort "hey guys, that plump helmet at such-and-such coordinates is mine so don't touch it" when hungry.  The response team will then only deviate from their butt-kicking mission if they directly see hostiles along the way (maybe they can run a path check to make sure the ones they see are truly closer, in case they're seen through a window or something).  Furthermore, if absolutely necessary (nobody else awake and ready to help), soldiers/guardsmen can be roused from their sleep/meal/etc with a minor negative thought (if asleep, I figure the existing "difficulty sleeping due to noise" one will do).The Fortress Guard should take priority in most cases.  On-duty soldiers take second priority.  Royal Guardsmen should react either if a noble cries for help (maybe true nobility only?) or if there are no on-duty soldiers.  Off-duty soldiers should help fight anything they see personally.  I'm not sure whether or not I'd prefer they handles crises when nobody else will or not (I figure I can always put them on-duty for that -- though you'd have to track a list of recent threat alerts for when the player has to manually put someone on-duty to handle it).  The Sheriff/Captain of the Guard, of course, should function as a Fortress Guard for this sort of thing, or maybe Royal Guard when he becomes Captain.Actually, on second thought, perhaps soldiers could be ignored entirely.  If you want them stationed at key locations, they ought to stay there.  So only guardsmen and the Sheriff should respond to cries for help.Ultimately, having reliable (interrupt Sleep/Eat/Drink nonsense) responsive defenders would remove a lot of the micro-management woes associated with the existing military.  You'd still have to control some things manually.  Major threats (colossi, sieges, etc) would require more than the 2-4 dwarves that might respond automatically.  You could add even more player control to such a system by creating security level designations.  Dwarves in a Secure area (e.g. fortress proper, magma industry, trade depot) would receive assistance when threatened but anyone cutting trees halfway across the map would be ignored.Also, while a guardsman or two may be woken as necessary to do their job, other sleeping dwarves shouldn't get the "noise" thought.  Otherwise it'd get pretty ridiculous with the entire fort population being perpetually grumpy.I think I had another idea or two to flesh this out further, but I lost it.

BurnedToast:
a bunch of good ideas. some notes though:artifacts are not limited to 15, I have had 17. it seems to already be linked to how deep you have dug, see the wiki discussion page on moods for more info. don't know how it's going to work in the new version.IIRC toady said eventually there is going to be some sort of scarring system put in, and mangled limbs and such healing is waiting till that is done. Also, disease and infections are on the 'to do' list already. I do really like the idea of greying out certain tasks for cripples dwarves though - your miner with a damaged leg might be forced to take up stonecrafting instead and your master smith with heavy brain damage might not be much good except in the military anymore. next version the tower cap limit is removed, and they can also grow on any muddy tile in the fort (right now they can only grow 110 tiles from the cliff face iirc). the only limit is they won't grow too close together to prevent clumping. maybe not as good as planting them yourself, but it is a big step up.nobles are (I think) totally reworked in the new version. most of them have been removed, the 'worker' type ones (book keeper, broker, manager) are appointed and can do other jobs in addition to the noble jobs. I don't know how mandates work but with less nobles it should be ALOT less annoying even if they are the same as they are now.

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