OT: Dwarf Fortress

[DominionsFan]

This game looks very interesting. I will give it a try for sure. Thanks for letting us know about it.

[tibbs]

Nevermind. I figured it out. Thanks

Ok, im playing the game and trying to figure it out, but I can't get my dwarves to mine anything. I set up two dwarves at the beginning with the mining skill but they don't seem to do anything and I can't figure out how to select the area to mine.

Thanks for any help,
Chris

[Endoperez]

tibbs said:
Nevermind. I figured it out. Thanks

Ok, im playing the game and trying to figure it out, but I can't get my dwarves to mine anything. I set up two dwarves at the beginning with the mining skill but they don't seem to do anything and I can't figure out how to select the area to mine.

Thanks for any help,
Chris

'd'esignate

mine stone or cut wood for raw materials with which to build buildings. Some buildings require processed goods. Stone blocks are made in the mason's workshop, and can be used instead of normal stone almost everywhere, but the difference is minimal. However, stone blocks and wooden buckets (made in the carpener's worshop) are needed for wells, which help quite a bit.

[DominionsFan]

I just generated a new world and started to play. This game is very confusing at first look, I think it will take some time to figure out what to do. This ASCII gfx is also "hardcore" at first.

[Reverend_MrBlack]

I'm really enjoying this game! Something to do until Oct. 2nd, I guess.

Thanks for linking to it.

[PhilD]

OK, what I don't seem to get is this thing about stockpiles. When creating a stockpile, are you just designating a zone (supposedly inside your fortress) where dwarves are supposed to drop stuff? And do you need one square per item?

(I Managed to get a few dwarves to dig in the mountain, but I apparently cannot build a bed to create a bedroom; and I don't see a way to craft stuff)

[quantum_mechani]

PhilD said:
OK, what I don't seem to get is this thing about stockpiles. When creating a stockpile, are you just designating a zone (supposedly inside your fortress) where dwarves are supposed to drop stuff? And do you need one square per item?

(I Managed to get a few dwarves to dig in the mountain, but I apparently cannot build a bed to create a bedroom; and I don't see a way to craft stuff)

I had this exact problem. Found out you have to first build a carpenter's shop (under workshops) then order it to create a bed then when it's done place the bed through the building menu.

Btw, has anyone managed farming or fishing yet? I got so frustrated with them, my last dwarf fort I just spent most my points on bringing food stockpiles so I didn't have to worry about it.

[Endoperez]

PhilD said:
OK, what I don't seem to get is this thing about stockpiles. When creating a stockpile, are you just designating a zone (supposedly inside your fortress) where dwarves are supposed to drop stuff? And do you need one square per item?

(I Managed to get a few dwarves to dig in the mountain, but I apparently cannot build a bed to create a bedroom; and I don't see a way to craft stuff)

Stockpiles - that's correct. 'p' for those who haven't found the feature yet. You can build bins in the Carpenter's workshop, which store more things in them. Some things, like raw stone and wood, don't go into bins. You can't decide how the dwarves use bins, though, so you can just hope they go where you want them to go. Barrels are bins for food. They also keep food from spoiling.

Stockpiles can also be put outside. Wood stockpile might be easier to have outside. Carpenter's workshop can also be outside. You MUST build refuse stockpile outside. Refuse rots, and becomes - MIASMA! Luckily, it isn't quite as ominous as I first thought. I only makes dwarves unhappy, which is still pretty severe but not instant death sentence.

To "build" furniture you need one piece of furniture made in the Mason's or the Carpenter's workshop. Beds can only be made from wood, so you need a carpenter. Coffins/Caskets, Thrones/Chairs and various other items can be built in both. Buckets, needed for wells and for bringing water for wounded, can be made from wood or metal, but wood is much easier to get.

[Archonsod]

Endoperez said:
Refuse rots, and becomes - MIASMA! Luckily, it isn't quite as ominous as I first thought. I only makes dwarves unhappy, which is still pretty severe but not instant death sentence.

It can cause problems if dwarves stay in it too long.I've seen a dwarf faint due to prolonged miasma, and I suspect it can eventually cause death.

I find the essentials for the starting colony are a carpenter's workshop, a mason's workshop and at least one food workshop, depending on what your using (fish cleaners for fishing, butcher for hunting). A mechanist is also essential to get your farming industry up. Try and build a well as soon as possible to make a meeting hall (just be careful of frogmen spawning from it), a barracks (a room with several beds) and head east till you hit the river.
Remember to designate the area for tree cutting - fairly common newbie mistake.
I also find it a good idea to take along a number of dogs. War dogs are much more powerful than armed dwarves until you can build decent weapons, and a hunting dog tends to die far less than training a dwarf as a hunter (btw if your taking the hunting route, remember to give the dwarf some combat skills).A cat can be useful to keep the number of rats and similar down.

[DominionsFan]

I just dont understand, that why is this execellent game uses ASCII as "gfx". Its very annoying imho. It would take 1-2 days to create basic tiles and add them to the game. Even if those tiles would be ugly, it would be much better then ASCII.
The game is a pearl, I must say. Its really addictive and complex. Also its got a great potential. [Hopefully we will see real gfx in the game sometime soon]