Dwarf Fortress : Cikomyr interrupts "Post Reply": Thread Missing

[Cikomyr]

After taking a look, it seems the old Dwarf Fortress thread has disappeared beyond the Necromancy Horizon, so I decided to simply get a new one started and kickin'!

After nearly 3 years of absence, I decided to reinstall this little gem of a game and experience what's new. Apparently, there was quite a few numbers of things that changed.

The Burrow system. That looks a mix of blessings and complicated stuff. Am wary to use it as anything more than my Dwarf's Emergency Civilian Shelter, stacked with beds, food and booze.

The new military system: it looks much more nifty. I love the new schedule system!! And the fact that we now have wooden weapons, awesome!!

Healthcare: a much, much needed change. I hated seeing my poor dorfs getting bedridden with nothing I could do. I had even explored the possibility of setting up special flooding infirmary that would fill and area with 4/7 of water, not ennough to drown a dwarf, but enough to make him swim for survival, thu beefing up his Toughness stat. This new health care system sounds just like a generally better idea. Although it looks complicated as heck.

Wheelbarrows: yayyyyy!!!

Minecart: this animal just look WAY too complcated for my taste at the moment. Way. Way. Way too complicated. I'll stick with wheelbarrows.

Vampires: ahh.. Did we really needed a new danger from INSIDE the fortress?!?

Necromancer: these sounds just pure awesome and dangerous. I already plan to go as an adventurer, and hunting every single one of them, destroy their books and burry their slads deep into the earth (or magma?). Props to Toady for his first magic system, both creepy and effective (hell, an animated animal skin?! Why not?! XD

Otherwise, not sure what else I missed yet. Will be starting my first fort tonight, hope it'll go as well as the last one I did!!

[Shpadoinkle]

The new medical system seems a lot more complicated than it is. Really, all you need to do to set up a hospital is this:

- Set a hospital zone like you would a pasture. In this zone, do the following:
-- Set up some coffers (for storing medical supplies)
-- Set up some beds with tables next to them (for surgery)
- Make some hospital supplies. Splints, thread, soap, and crutches mainly. Cloth will also be stored but as far as I know it isn't used for anything besides casts, which you can't make without gypsum plaster. If you don't have any gypsum plaster, that's fine, splints do the same job casts do just as well.

Setting up a well is also pretty highly recommended, since injured dwarves don't drink booze and dirty water can cause problems (infections and slower recovery time.) When someone gets injured, enable all medical labors on a couple dwarves and disable all their other jobs.

Anyway, wheelbarrows are... an interesting addition. All they do is let dwarves haul heavy things (logs and stones) without being slowed by them. They can still haul them around barehanded though.

There are a fair few annoyances, though... soldiers are pretty bad about equipping their uniforms, for instance. Clothes wear out and dwarves get bad thoughts from that, and they'll replace stuff with the slightest amount of wear for new items.

One of the MOST annoying, in my experience, is that dwarves harvesting items from farm plots or gathering plants will go "pick" the item, then leave it there while they go grab a barrel, bring it back to where they dropped the plant, THEN put it in the barrel which they then carry back to the food stockpile- in other words, they make two trips when they only need to make one. On the other hand, dwarves will grab a bin and go clean out as many crafts or weapons or whatever from a workshop as the bin will hold in one trip, so it's definitely a net gain in productivity... but that doesn't stop seeing tons of plants blinking in your farm plots from being annoying.

[Dragonus45]

While we are here would anyone be interested in a legacy game?

I would love to be involved in one as long as i could get someone to give me a few pointers to get not nearly so damn rusty.

[Cikomyr]

I was considering building watchtowers here and there around the map and man these with marksdwaves. The towers would only e accessible from underground.

Someone tried it?

[Shpadoinkle]

I'd be up for a succession game if anyone else is. There were a couple others on the board that I was involved in. I'd suggest that whoever organizes it have a rather firm hand, as one of the previous games sort of died after a couple players signed up then disappeared immediately before their turns came around (almost like they'd planned it.)

As for marksdwarf towers, many players have done that. The general consensus is that they're good against melee squads, but against archers or marksmen the fortifications don't help much.

[Cikomyr]

As for marksdwarf towers, many players have done that. The general consensus is that they're good against melee squads, but against archers or marksmen the fortifications don't help much.

I see... any effective strategy against archers?

[Dragonus45]

I'd be up for a succession game if anyone else is. There were a couple others on the board that I was involved in. I'd suggest that whoever organizes it have a rather firm hand, as one of the previous games sort of died after a couple players signed up then disappeared immediately before their turns came around (almost like they'd planned it.)

As for marksdwarf towers, many players have done that. The general consensus is that they're good against melee squads, but against archers or marksmen the fortifications don't help much.

I would be lying if i said i probably wasn't one of those people in one of those games. So could anyone point me at one of the mods that gives the game graphics. I was trying to get back into it and i just realized how much i despise the games text based graphics.

[Cikomyr]

I would be lying if i said i probably wasn't one of those people in one of those games. So could anyone point me at one of the mods that gives the game graphics. I was trying to get back into it and i just realized how much i despise the games text based graphics.

The Lazy Newb Pack (http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=59026.0)

Gives you the opportunity to allow or disallow elements you don't like, there are default starting loadup available, a special Newb World you can use, integrated Dwarven Therapist and 3 different graphic sets.

[The_Jackal]

I see... any effective strategy against archers?

Magma (http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/v0.31:Magma).

[Cikomyr]

Not fair. That's also the answer for demons, dragons and cheesemakers.

Something a bit less... err.. universal?

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Get some really good shield users and then archers aren't nearly as scary. You could also try to give your guys cover by having a bunch of 1x1 bridges retract when there are hostile archers oncoming. If they can't get good line of sight on you, then that is less distance for your guys to cover under fire.

[Wookieetank]

Not fair. That's also the answer for demons, dragons and cheesemakers.

Something a bit less... err.. universal?

Ballistas, flooding the map with water, undead, pit traps, orbital magma cannon, etc. :smallwink:

[Aragehaor]

Hmm, I've always wanted to get into this game - but i never got pass the initial learning cliff. Can anyone recommend a guide to help me get started? I'd like to try again.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

There was a series of tutorial videos on youtube, but I think that was for the old .40d version. There has been quite a bit of changing (particularly the burrows and military) since those videos.

[Cikomyr]

Hmm, I've always wanted to get into this game - but i never got pass the initial learning cliff. Can anyone recommend a guide to help me get started? I'd like to try again.

Search "dwarf fortress tutorial" on YouTube.
It'll show you how to start with the lazy newb pack

Enjoy!!!

[MonarchAnarch]

I was considering building watchtowers here and there around the map and man these with marksdwaves. The towers would only e accessible from underground.

Someone tried it?

I've done it before. Made towers of obsidian, black monoliths of death. Tunnels to the towers ran directly to the training barracks and ammo/gear stockpiles. Also had beds/ammo/food in each tower, and each tower was about 7 stories tall, 8x8ish floor plan. Was a fantastic project.

Went on to intigrate walls and moats, flood plains etc. Was a great time. :)

[MonarchAnarch]

There was a series of tutorial videos on youtube, but I think that was for the old .40d version. There has been quite a bit of changing (particularly the burrows and military) since those videos.


Captain Duck videos will get you a good start on things.

[Grif]

I would be lying if i said i probably wasn't one of those people in one of those games. So could anyone point me at one of the mods that gives the game graphics. I was trying to get back into it and i just realized how much i despise the games text based graphics.

After awhile, I actually preferred the original text based graphics (the square version, of course.) It eliminates clutter in the text and is surprisingly elegant once you get down to it.

[TheSummoner]

Vampires: ahh.. Did we really needed a new danger from INSIDE the fortress?!?

Yes. Desperately. We need more dangers from inside.

With the current state of the game (and even moreso in previous versions), it's easy enough to seal yourself away and become entirely self-sustaining. Vampires are a good start, though still not enough... They can't get in if you don't let migrants in, so they're only marginally more effective than a siege would be.

Haven't played the game in a while myself, but I have been following the recent progress Toady has been making.

[Aragehaor]

Search "dwarf fortress tutorial" on YouTube.
It'll show you how to start with the lazy newb pack

Enjoy!!!


Captain Duck videos will get you a good start on things.

Thanks! I'll look. :smallsmile:

[Gnoman]

After awhile, I actually preferred the original text based graphics (the square version, of course.) It eliminates clutter in the text and is surprisingly elegant once you get down to it.

It's not quite stable, but the latest versions have TrueType support for the actual text, eliminating one of the principle problems with replacing the psuedo-ascii.

[Shpadoinkle]

Glazedcoast! (http://brokenforum.com/index.php?threads/dwarf-fortress-vd-staying-dry.1003/)

A solo LP in a , but the sheer insanity of it is still pretty entertaining. It's ongoing and Bleaktea seems to be updating irregularly (the last update was the 13th,) but what's there now is still worth the read.