Okay, lemme see if I can get the ball rolling. Brainstorming for contents:
- Hot keys
- Basics of Resources
- Basics of Buildings
- Basics of Furniture
- Helpful URL's
Hot keysExamples:
<: Ascend one level
>: Descend one level
v: Details on creature
q. Details on workshop, buildings, stockpiles, and constructions in progress
k: Details on terrain features, other objects; click k twice to see descriptions
t: Contents of workshops, etc.
p: Designate/edit drop-off points for items (Stockpiles). Dwarves will collect the relevant items and drop them off in stockpiles.
d: Designate terrain alterations such as mining, construction of artificial ramps, etc.
b: Place build order for buildings and objects that can be built on site, such as floor bars.
?: Open help documents.
Space: Pause/unpause.
a: Review in-game messages.
Basics of ResourcesExamples:
Wood: Currently the only material that can be used to make beds, siege engines and crossbows. Can also be used in the construction of most buildings and furniture.
Stone: Used in the construction of most buildings and furniture.
Flux Stone: As stone, but also used in production of valuable metals such as steel.
Gems: cut and encrusted into items and furniture at the Jeweler's workshop.
Etc.
Basics of BuildingsExamples:
Carpenter's workshop: produces almost all furniture, etc. made of wood.
Mason's workshop: produces most furniture, etc. made of stone.
Craftsdwarf's workshop: produces siege engines and arrowheads.
Helpful URL's - BAY12 site
- DF Wiki
- Tutorials (play-along and video tuts)
- DF chat (if there is one)?
- Popular applications such as Dwarf Manager and Stonesense
- Boatmurdered (with notes that this is based on an early version of DF)
Here's a quickly made flowchart concept. Ideally we'd have flowcharts for far more things, especially on the Wiki, as they can be incredibly useful (found one on the Wiki that made things tremendously easier for me).
Note that this is an "example" flowchart - it shows how you
could link up an item with another item and leaves the player to explore further himself. A detailed flowchart would list every item that could be linked up to a trigger, as well as listing both pressure plates and levers. Don't know which would be most beginner-friendly - also keep in mind that complex flowcharts can certainly be more off-putting than helpful to newcomers.
Also, of course, these flowcharts take up a good deal of space, so we can't have more than at most one or two in a quick reference sheet. They'll also be made obsolete over time as new updates come out, so we may want to relegate them to the Wiki.