[DominionsFan]

Endoperez said:
'z' allows you to define what is used for cooking in the kitchen (generally, store seeds you want to farm; wild strawberry seeds etc above-ground plants can be cooked for food ), what animals to butcher (you can't butcher pets - yet), etc. I think it also shows date, month and season in there. Later on, when you get more nobles, you'll see more information. Especially, when the Sheriff comes, check how many metal cages and/or restraints (metal chains or silk/plant fiber ropes) he wants. He can go mad very easily, so be sure to make the cages quickly.

Animals can be trained in the Kennel building. It's on the second page of 'b'uild menu. You can only train dogs, and tame creatures caught in animal traps (small things) or cage traps (inside the mountain).

v-p-l (view a dwarf - preferences - labor) allows you to set a dwarf to do different tasks. Jewel making and gem cutting are probably somewhere there. A jeweler is needed to have the correct building built. You can also order the new jeweler to encrust various items with jewels.

Also, I had crazy luck when I started. My first fortress is still going strong, with 60 dwarves before the last immigration, and some nobles. I think I started in a tundra with no natural hostilities at all - two or three surprise attacks in all these years, and nothing worse than cougars in the wild.

Eh I started in hardcore areas [Haunted for example]...its very hard to start a fortress there. Im a newbie in this game, so I started in a very calm this time.