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Author Topic: Newbie question about professions.  (Read 4678 times)

Ploder

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Newbie question about professions.
« on: July 27, 2011, 11:54:17 am »

I know this is child's play, but after about a week of tinkering and poring through the wiki, I have an unanswered question:

What do you do if there is no brewer or metalworker in your initial group of seven dwarves? I've got wood and mason workshops up and running, but I'm unable to finish the still and the forge--the construction is halted with the message "needs brewer" and "needs any metalwork".

Can you train these professions in dwarves that don't have them, or do you have to wait for a batch of immigrants?
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ImBocaire

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2011, 11:56:39 am »

Any labor can be activated and trained in any dwarf. If you forget to give a dwarf skill in a labor at embark, you can still activate it; they will be pretty slow at it until they gain some skill, but you can get those workshops built, at least.
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Sphalerite

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2011, 11:56:48 am »

Press 'v', move the cursor to a dwarf, then press 'p' and then 'l' to see that dwarf's labor screen.  You can enable any labor on any dwarf through this screen.

If you enable a labor on a dwarf who has no skill in that job, that dwarf will have that skill at 'dabbling' level.  They'll take a long time to get a job done and produce minimum-quality goods.  With practice, they'll gain experience and get better at the job.
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Ploder

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2011, 11:58:19 am »

Ah! See, I knew it would be a simple fix. Thanks!
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laijka

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2011, 12:23:22 pm »

DwarfTherapist http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=66525.0 is a lifesaver in these situations.
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ImBocaire

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #5 on: July 27, 2011, 01:26:19 pm »

Dwarf Therapist is hardly necessary for your starting seven.
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Lytha

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2011, 04:43:50 pm »

Yes, it is. I usually begin a fortress by changing the jobs of the starting 7 quite a bit, and 80 times via the v-menu of DF... that'd drive me mad.
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gtmattz

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #7 on: July 28, 2011, 12:33:24 am »

Dwarf Therapist is hardly necessary for your starting seven.

With DT, it takes maybe 15 seconds to assign whatever needed skills to your starting 7, with the built in interface you are going to take 15 minutes going through them all...
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ImBocaire

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2011, 01:18:24 am »

Huh. I can think of about five things I need done before the first migrant wave arrives. Four of those things are "digging."
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VonCede

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #9 on: July 28, 2011, 03:13:32 am »

Huh. I can think of about five things I need done before the first migrant wave arrives. Four of those things are "digging."

If that one thing left includes*:
- Work your way trough the aquifer
- Kill zombies and skeletons
- Make weapons and armor to your soldiers
- Haul stuff inside

before your first migration wave, then you might need DT.

(* yes, I know, not all embarks are equal.)
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Have you tried Wiki or google it?

Nameless Archon

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #10 on: July 28, 2011, 12:15:40 pm »

Yes, it is. I usually begin a fortress by changing the jobs of the starting 7 quite a bit, and 80 times via the v-menu of DF... that'd drive me mad.
With DT, it takes maybe 15 seconds to assign whatever needed skills to your starting 7, with the built in interface you are going to take 15 minutes going through them all...
All. Of. This.

DF without DT isn't DF, it's a keyboard-based exercise in masochism.
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Sphalerite

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #11 on: July 28, 2011, 12:32:31 pm »

I actually hardly ever use DT to change the professions of my dwarves.

What I do use it for is sorting by skill levels.  If I suddenly need to know which of my 100+ dwarves has the highest Siege Operator skill, I can either search through each one by hand, or go into DT, click on the skill, and instantly see a sorted list.
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ImBocaire

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2011, 02:11:02 pm »

I actually hardly ever use DT to change the professions of my dwarves.

What I do use it for is sorting by skill levels.  If I suddenly need to know which of my 100+ dwarves has the highest Siege Operator skill, I can either search through each one by hand, or go into DT, click on the skill, and instantly see a sorted list.

This. I mod out aquifers (yeah, yeah, I'm a wimp) because I'm utterly terrified of them, and if I embark in an evil area I cut myself off from the outside with ditches. I use DT to *assign* professions, not to *change* them (unless I'm in sudden need of something, like I need a bridge built RIGHT FUCKING NOW and my architect is on break).
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Mushroo

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2011, 02:27:11 pm »

I don't use Dwarf Therapist very often, however this requires discipline in two areas:

1. Migrants must be inspected and labors assigned with each wave. Those with combat skills are immediately drafted, those with useful skills get a descriptive nickname, useless dwarves are destined for a life of hauling.

2. Be patient and resist the urge to enable 20 dabbling masons to build that wall. It will get built eventually with your 5 skilled masons!

Oh and at the risk of being obvious you can use your workshop profiles (assuming you have a manager) to filter out dabbling skill dwarves from important tasks.
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nitus

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Re: Newbie question about professions.
« Reply #14 on: July 28, 2011, 02:33:21 pm »

Ploder: not everyone does this, but what I do is turn every new migrant into a "jack'o'trades" who has ALL labors active. I don't start to restrict labors to specialist dwarves until I have a few with high skill at a given profession. I reject entirely the notion of having 2 medium-skilled dwarves plod away at some major masonry task. for example,  when sending the entire population out there will get it done in minutes. Similarily with mining, woodcutting, plant gathering, etc. I can be ready with 1000s to trade the first caravan and fully stocked with food and booze by deploying those 7 dwarves efficiently -- restricting them to a single task each is not efficient.

Similarily ALL dwarves are in inactive squads that periodically train, until I start seeing several dozen idlers at all times at which time the guard, a melle squad, and a ranged squad become full-time.

I also don't waste embark points on skills, as they are rapidly acquired through practice. Instead I make sure there's an axe or a pick for every starting dwarf and I take enough vital supplies with me in case a map lacks certain stuff.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2011, 02:42:09 pm by nitus »
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