Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

v0.34:Squad

2012-06-01T12:22:00Z

Quinnius: /* Reported Squad-Related Bugs */ from 5/31 devlog, "Here are the last changes for the month. cleared kill orders after completion"

{{quality|Exceptional|23:27, 3 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

A '''squad''' is a group of [[military]] dwarves who share the same [[scheduling|schedule]] and active military orders. Squads are a fundamental part of your fortress' military — they are the units who carry out all the orders you give them. Your ability to manage these iron-blooded dwarves could spell the difference between a healthy fort's life and death.

For quick reference: from the main menu the '''military''' screen is accessible through the {{k|m}} key and the '''squads''' screen is accessible through the {{k|s}} key. The military screen and all its tabs are mouse-compatible, and can be navigated through mouse clicks rather than strictly keys (when in windowed mode).

For a simple, ''very'' basic, unarmed/unarmoured "How to attack a creature", see [[attack]].

==Forming Squads==

Before you can do anything with your military you may want to go into the [[noble]]s screen ({{k|n}}) and designate a '''[[militia commander]]'''. Your fortress can only have one militia commander, who acts as the commander-in-chief of all squads. The militia commander is also the captain of your first squad.

Each squad after the first will have its own captain, who reports to the militia commander. Squad captains can be designated through the nobles screen, or by creating a new squad on the {{k|m}}ilitary screen and then assigning a dwarf to the first position of that squad.

When you have designated a commander or captain, going to the military screen will show that dwarf under the "Squads/Leaders" heading and you'll notice an option to create a new squad. You can also create a new squad before you designate your militia commander; the first dwarf you choose will automatically be thrust into the position.

When you create a squad, you will be asked what uniform to give them. The game creates three uniforms by default; if you aren't sure what to use, or if you want to customize their uniform, choose ''No uniform''. (See [[#Equipping Soldiers|Equipping Soldiers]], below, for details.)

Once the first squad has been created, you can then fill out the squad with any dwarves in the fort. No more than ten dwarves can be assigned to any one squad. When you add a dwarf to one squad they will be removed from another; for this reason you will always see the majority of your dwarves in the rightmost pane. Dwarves that are already in a military squad will have the name of that squad in the uppermost box, allowing you to skip them over if necessary.

==Equipping Soldiers==

In the military screen, press {{k|n}} to open the '''uniforms''' tab. Each listing under the 'Uniforms' header is essentially a pre-designed set of equipment that you can quickly apply to any individual soldier or entire squad, much like a template. You can create new uniforms if you want, and add or remove items from any uniform (even the standard ones). Uniforms are only ''created'' or ''modified'' in this tab, not applied.

While still in the military screen, press {{k|e}} to open the '''equipment''' tab. The default sub-tab, {{k|V}}iew/Customize, will be open. We'll come back to that in a moment. To apply one of your uniform templates, press {{k|U}} to open the Assign Uniforms sub-tab. Make sure the squad you want is highlighted under Squads/Leaders and then move the selector to the Position Uniform header. Pressing {{k|enter}} will apply the selected uniform to the individual dwarf of your choosing, and {{k|shift}}+{{k|enter}} will apply the selected uniform to the entire squad. If you edit a uniform after this, you will need to reapply the uniform for the dwarves to recognise the changes.

In the {{k|V}}iew/Customize sub-tab, you can select individual dwarves (technically squad positions) and apply individual pieces of equipment to them - {{k|A}}rmor, {{k|L}}eggings, {{k|H}}elms, {{k|G}}loves, {{k|B}}oots, {{k|S}}hields, and {{k|W}}eapons. You can also specify {{k|M}}aterial and {{k|C}}olor depending on the piece of equipment highlighted. Finally, there are two settings that can be toggled for each dwarf: ''Ove{{k|r}} clothing'' and ''Partial {{k|m}}atches''. These are both on (highlighted) by default. ''Over clothing'' means the dwarf will do his best to wear his uniform in addition to his civilian [[clothing]]; if toggled, it becomes ''Replace clothing'', and the dwarf will strip naked before donning his military gear. ''Partial matches'' means that if a dwarf cannot satisfy an equipment assignment, he'll substitute something close; if toggled to ''Exact matches'', he'll go without rather than making do with a substitute.

To select a specific piece of equipment (such as an artifact), select 'specific _____' under that equipment type (eg. 'specific armor' in the Armor field); for your convenience, highest-quality equipment is listed first.

You have the option to wear equipment over clothing or to replace clothing using the {{k|r}} key on the equipment screen. Wearing armor over clothing can cause problems if the soldier is wearing many items of clothing on a particular body part, causing the soldier to repeatedly drop and reacquire equipment, with the resulting hauling jobs preventing training and other duties. If your soldiers are constantly shuffling equipment, order them to replace clothing.

For ranged soldiers, open the '''ammunition''' tab ({{k|f}}). If you chose the ''Archer'' uniform when you created the squad, then the game has already assigned 250 bolts to this squad. Otherwise, you must assign them some ammo. If you don't care what type of bolts they use, just pick "bolts" and they will use any bolts they can find.

If you want them to train at an [[archery target]], assigning at least ''two'' piles of ammunition with two separate use designations is recommended. Assign one pile for training and one for combat, or they will use all of their bolts training and end up attempting to whack enemies with their crossbows. By default, both training and combat use are allowed for the same pile. Use {{k|C}} and {{k|T}} to toggle these settings. If the letter is present next to the ammunition, the use is turned on.

Soldiers who have more than one item to put on will not use distance to determine which of the remaining items will be equipped next. Therefore it it best to keep all dwarf-usable equipment within a small area.

The {{k|m}}ilitary-{{k|e}}quipment screen can also be used to ''see'' what equipment has been assigned, without changing it. A green checkmark will appear next to each equipment that has successfully been assigned to a dwarf (which doesn't necessarily mean the dwarf has actually picked it up yet). For example, if your 9th and 10th squad members don't have a checkmark next to their gauntlets, then you may want to make some more. Pressing {{k|P}} lets you see ''precisely'' what items the dwarf has been assigned.

===Changing Equipment===
Let's suppose you started with the ''Leather armor '' uniform and then smithed some metal armor, and now you want to change your squads to the metal armor. From the military screen {{k|m}}, access the '''equipment''' view {{k|e}}. Then open the uniforms sub-view {{k|U}} which will show the standard Leather, Metal, and Archer uniforms on the right (if you haven't deleted them). To change a full squad, select the squad on the left, then select the uniform (metal) on the right, and hit {{k|shift}}-{{k|enter}} (if you only hit {{k|enter}} it will only apply the change to the lone selected squad member). Just hope you have enough metal armor and that Urist goes and picks it up!

Dwarves will not always pick up their military equipment immediately. An off-duty dwarf will sometimes prefer to perform one of his civilian jobs rather than putting on armor. Giving squads an [[#Orders|order]] will put them on duty and force them to gather their equipment with a bit more hustle.

===Equipping Bone and Shell Armor===
One peculiarity for equipping [[bone]] and [[shell]] armor is that, for the purposes of the '''equipment''' and '''uniforms''' tabs, bone and shell are metals. Further, they are not explicitly listed in the {{k|M}}aterial of the {{k|V}}iew/Customize sub-tab. A workaround for this problem is that bone and shell are the only "metals" that are both white colored and can be used to make armor by default. So, to add bone or shell armor items to a preset uniform template, you need to add a specific type of armor (a helm, for instance) with the modifiers of "white metal" (thus, a "white metal helm"). This workaround is ONLY effective if you also have no unique artifact armor made out of a white metal (such as an Aluminum Breastplate, Platinum Helm, or Silver Low Boot). It also requires that the armor template be for "Exact matches" (not "Partial matches") using the {{k|m}} in the Uniforms tab.

==Orders==

Getting your military to actually ''do'' something is the second step. Squads receive '''passive orders''' through [[scheduling]], and you can give '''direct orders''' to '''attack''' one or more specific targets or to '''move''' to a specific location at will through the {{k|s}}quads menu.

Passive orders are programming that a squad will follow in the absence of direct orders. Passive orders are typically used for training and defense, while direct orders are used for taking the fight to the enemy. The ''squads'' menu is predominantly used for direct orders, and the ''Alerts'' and ''Schedule'' tabs of the ''military'' menu are used for passive orders. This article will focus on active commands; for more information on passive orders, see [[scheduling]].

A squad that is following a direct command is free to go wherever it is ordered to go, unhindered by any [[burrow]] restrictions.

===Selecting Squads/Soldiers===

When needed, soldiers can be sent to do specific tasks to <strike>satiate the blood god</strike> defend your fortress. Once these orders have been cancelled, your dwarves will return to their passive orders (if on duty), or their civilian lives (if off duty).

In the {{k|s}}quad menu, you can press {{k|a}}/{{k|b}}/{{k|c}}/etc to select the squad that will execute an order, or hold {{k|shift}} to select multiple at once. You may press {{k|p}} if you want to toggle between having an individual dwarf or the squad perform the order.

If a squad is off duty when you give them an order, they will switch to on-duty status before carrying out the order. This may mean they need to pick up new equipment before they will carry out their orders.

There are two types of active orders that can be given to your dwarves: a move order or an attack order.

====Move Order====

From the {{k|s}}quad menu, a '''move order''' (also known as a ''Station'' order) is issued by selecting a squad, pressing {{k|m}}, choosing an area, and pressing {{k|enter}}.

Each dwarf in the squad will select a random (reachable) point within 3 tiles of the spot you specify, and will move directly to that point. He will stand there until you cancel the order, or until he is overcome by hunger, thirst, or exhaustion.

On-duty soldiers will pursue and attack any hostile targets they see, either en route to their station point, or after arriving. Hostile targets may include certain wild animals that are deemed dangerous. If the dwarf loses sight of the enemy, he will return to his chosen station point.

====Attack Order====

The '''attack order''', sometimes referenced to as the '''kill command''', instructs your squad to pursue and attack one or more specific targets. It is a very unsubtle way of beating into your dwarves' booze-addled minds that they are to kill your target or be killed in the attempt. A kill order can be used to chase a kobold thief or goblin snatcher who is running away with your precious loot, or it may very well be your last command to your dwarves if things are getting desperate.

After selecting which squad will execute the kill order, press {{k|k}} to Attack. You now have several options: you can move the cursor to what you want to attack and press {{k|enter}}, press {{k|l}}ist and select what you want to attack from a list, or {{k|r}}ectangle to select an area of things you want dead. Upon pressing {{k|enter}} your dwarves will happily run off to execute the order by executing the target.

Each dwarf in the squad will attempt to move toward the target until he is within striking distance. Ranged attackers will not do anything clever like climbing up to the top of your archery tower. If you want them to fire from a specific position, use a move order instead.

This order will remain after the intended victim is killed, leaving your squad standing over the corpse of their slain enemy waiting for new orders. Similar behavior will emerge if the intended target is caught in a [[trap|cage trap]]; when the caged target is hauled to the animal stockpile, the dwarves given the orders to kill it will follow the cage as it is hauled and wait around it once it is stockpiled until the kill order is canceled.

Dwarves go about this with a little more vigor than required and will also attack any other creatures nearby. As a result it is very difficult to attack members of an enemy group with any sort of precision, and if your dwarves cannot take down their target there is no real way to get them out of combat; it's do-or-die. It is unknown whether this is a bug or a feature {{version|0.34.07}}.

====Cancelling Orders====

Pressing the {{k|o}} key in the {{k|s}}quad screen will '''cancel''' the selected dwarves' active orders, sending them back to their civilian or pre-scheduled military lives. It appears that this does not always work properly; as a result, your over-eager dwarves may get themselves into some trouble. Take caution when sending them deep into unfamiliar territory.

==Order Scheduling==

''Full article: [[Scheduling]]''

From the squad menu you can cycle through any alerts you have defined quite quickly by pressing {{k|t}}. This will set the order schedule for the entire squad even if you only have a single dwarf selected.

To edit an existing order schedule or create a new one you need to visit the military schedule screen. This can be done directly from the squad menu by pressing {{k|s}} or alternatively you can back out of the squad menu and use {{k|m}}-{{k|s}} to get to the schedule page from the military screen. The details of setting up an order schedule are described on the [[scheduling]] page.

==Reported Squad-Related Bugs==
* When selecting new dwarves to place in a squad the cursor always returns to the first available dwarf instead of remaining where it is.
* Soldiers who have completed a kill task do not cancel their kill task. This is fixed in an upcoming version. Workaround - set a {{k|m}}-move task, then {{k|o}}-cancel it.

{{Military}}

v0.34:Soldier

2012-03-24T14:16:45Z

Quinnius: /* Champion */ removed note about bug, it has been resolved in 34.06

{{quality|Exceptional|22:37, 19 September 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

:''This article is about individual soldiers and their training; for information on [[squads|maneuvering]], [[scheduling]], or [[equipment|equipping]], your dwarves, see the respective pages. For a general overview, see [[Military]].

Your '''soldiers''' are the dwarves who make up each '''[[squad]]''' of your '''[[military]]'''. Turning your [[lye maker|useless civilians]] into hardened harbingers of death is one of the most important jobs in the fort. With all the [[forgotten beast|horrors]] [[megabeast|awaiting]] [[titan|you]], you'll need the toughest dwarves you can get.

Note that soldiers will not follow any orders, alerts or schedules when they are in line of sight of an "enemy", be it a goblin, alligator or even a hoary marmot. Instead they will chase right into the perceived opponent, no matter how badly outnumbered they are. Removing them from their squads "works", for a certain value of "works", but has additional downsides.

=Weapons and Skills=

Dwarves will train with whatever [[weapon]]s (they often carry more than one) they ''carry'' (not necessarily what you've assigned them) or use [[wrestling]] (if they're weaponless). At a certain level of skill in a weapon, they will turn from recruits to specialized soldiers (ie. a [[sword]]-using recruit would become a swordsdwarf). Once they reach the level of Great or higher in a weapon skill, they will become a Hero, or ''elite'' soldier (ie. swordsdwarf becomes swordmaster). All dwarves can wear armor and wield a shield along with their weapon. Occasionally, dwarves may become attached to and even name their weapons and shields.

In previous versions, Heroes could not be deactivated from the military. This is no longer true; a military dwarf returns to civilian status when removed from their squad. This does not necessarily mean he will ever work again; usually he will keep training in the barracks. Recruits are dwarves who have not specialized in a fighting style. A civilian with no military skills will get a [[thought|bad thought]] from being drafted into the military and becoming a Recruit; similarly, a soldier with no civilian skills will get a bad thought from being taken ''off'' duty and becoming a Peasant.

==Skills==

''Dwarves can specialize in any of the following weapon skills. Not all of these skills are easily trained: some weapons, like pikes and whips, are 'foreign' and cannot be manufactured by dwarves.
:* [[Axedwarf]]
:* [[Hammerdwarf]]
:* [[Macedwarf]]
:* [[Marksdwarf]]
:* [[Speardwarf]]
:* [[Swordsdwarf]]
:* [[Wrestler]]
:* [[Combat skill|Pikedwarf]]
:* [[Combat skill|Lasher]]
:* [[Combat skill|Knife User]]
:* [[Combat skill|Blowgunner]]
:* [[Combat skill|Bowdwarf]]

''Other military skills cannot be specialized in, but are equally important.
:* [[Armor user]]
:* [[Dodger]]
:* [[Fighter]]
:* [[Kicker]]
:* [[Shield user]]
:* [[Striker]]
:* [[Archer]]

''Yet more civilian skills are important for a soldier to have in order to learn (or teach) better during demonstrations. 
:* [[Concentration]]
:* [[Leader]]
:* [[Observer]]
:* [[Student]]
:* [[Teacher]]

==Soldier professions==

Every [[weapon]] has an associated skill. Soldiers will have professions according to what weapon they are most skilled at using, as long as they are at least a novice rank in one. Thus a soldier whose highest weapon skill is with a [[spear]] will be known as a Speardwarf, even if the soldier has been reassigned to train with an [[axe]] instead.

=== [[Axeman|Axedwarves]] ===

Axedwarves, thought by some to be the only true dwarven soldiers, specialize in the slash [[damage type]], also known as the fine art of severing limbs.

=== [[Hammerman|Hammerdwarves]] ===

Hammerdwarves, the other true dwarven soldiers, specialize in the blunt [[damage type]], which breaks the bones of the enemy and will often repel the enemy some distance, causing extra damage if they are bashed into a wall.

Human Hammermen often use a two-handed maul instead of a war hammer. More powerful, mauls focus on breaking bones rather than mangling limbs, though that does also happen on the occasion. They have a greater chance to knock back an opponent than a mace does but comes at the cost of speed and lack of a shield. Also should someone be knocked back into an obstacle, they'll take extra damage.

=== [[Maceman|Macedwarves]] ===

Macedwarves use blunt weapons that are suited against plate armored opponents like hammerdwarves, it remains however a singlegrasp weapon, allowing it to be used with a shield without a penalty to hit unlike hammers. If you plan to use the dwarves as marksdwarves it may be better to use hammers instead, as the hammer skill determines the effectiveness of crossbows used in melee.

=== [[Spearman|Speardwarves]] ===

Speardwarves specialize in edged damage, and will puncture an enemy's organs quickly and critically once in range. The spear doesn't hit as hard as an axe, but it has a higher chance of piercing organs, making it a better choice against large, living creatures like demons or dragons. These dwarves are your monster killers; they specialize mainly in killing unarmored targets but are still extremely deadly against armored targets since they can puncture organs. While your other dwarves disable the enemy, the speardwarves will finish them off quickly. Definitely have a squad of them in your military. 

=== [[Swordsman|Swordsdwarves]] ===

A Jack-of-All-Trades weapon, Swordsdwaves deal edged damage. Swords can cut off limbs, like an axe, but also reasonably good at hitting internal organs, like a spear. They are useful for a general-purpose squad or a stormtrooper squad of sorts. 

=== [[Marksman|Marksdwarves]] ===

Marksdwarves, the only ranged soldiers, are armed with [[crossbow|crossbows]] and deal edge damage from afar. A [[bolt]] does a fine job at destroying the internal organs of a creature while also doing some damage to outside parts. This is of limited use against creatures without organs, such as [[bronze colossus]]es or creatures made out of non-solid materials, such as [[magma man|magma men]]. Occasionally a bolt will get stuck in a target. The only known use for this is that a [[wrestling]] dwarf may grab the bolt and twist it in the [[wound]]. 

Generally they are used as a first line of defense; stick them in your tower behind fortifications to slow down/injure enemies coming in so that your melee dwarfs can take them out easier. Don't rely on them too much; it takes a while for them to kill their enemies unless they score a lucky hit.

A Marksdwarf who is forced into melee will use the [[hammer]] skill to bash enemies with their crossbow, so you may consider crosstraining them as hammerdwarves.

Immigrating [[Trapper|Trappers]] often arrive with some training in the Marksdwarf skill.

=== [[Wrestler|Wrestlers]] ===

Wrestlers focus on tying the opponent into knots, choking them, and breaking limbs. Creatures tied up in [[wrestling]] will do nothing else and remain immobile, perfect for a marksdwarf to pick off the creature at a range or an armed dwarf to carve into bite-sized pieces. Also note that this skill is often used in extremely close combat regardless of what weapon a dwarf is holding, so it can be useful even for a dwarf with a weapon equipped. Wrestlers are much weaker than any other soldier type, but forcing powerful opponents to wrestle can exhaust them and make them easy prey for other soldiers.

Wrestler skill will be improved somewhat even while practicing with a weapon.

=== Recruits ===

Any dwarf without at least one of the above skills at [[skill|Novice]] level or higher will be classified as recruits. If you keep them off of active duty, they will train at their selected weapon until they reach Novice skill in it, at which point they will turn into one of the above weaponsdwarves.

==Heroes==
[[Image:Champions.png|thumb|left|Melee goblins are no match for a champion Axedwarf.]]

Once soldiers reach ''great'' [[skill]] level ''(the 11th level)'' in any weapon, they will become '''heroes''', will be called Lord/Master/Elite and have a different color shade, and will turn off all of their [[labor]]s{{bug|3100}}. Heroes can be removed from duty regardless of skill level, but gain a [[thought|very bad thought]] from this if they have no civilian skills and become Peasants. Heroes can be kept on active duty indefinitely, since they love training and will no longer complain about long patrol duty.

Note that non-weapon (like shield or armor) or wrestling skills ''do not'' make dwarf a hero.

:'''Exception:''' If a dwarf gains Great skill (or above) in a weapons skill while a civilian (usually as a [[Hunter]]), they will not become a Hero, not even when activated ''as'' military. To become a Hero, some experience over the limit must be gained ''while'' activated as a soldier. Weapon skills can only be improved as a civilian while [[Hunting]], through in-active training, or on the chance occasion that a civilian dwarf is forced into combat by an enemy. If the dwarf is then activated as military and gains any experience in a weapon that is at rank 11 or better, the dwarf becomes a Hero as usual.

===Champion===
:''For information on the Champion title given to legendary soldiers in previous versions see [[40d:Soldier#Heroes_and_Champions|here]].

The '''[[champion]]''' is a noble position appointed by the [[Baron]] (that is, you can appoint it, but you can't do so without a baron or greater [[noble]] being present). A champion has no special room requirements, but may make a single demand eventually. As the title of champion is now bestowed by appointment rather than merit, you may want to have your best [[teacher]] be the champion and conduct weapon demonstrations to boost the morale of training soldiers while your toughest killers go out and fight [[goblin]]s.

=Training=

Once you've drafted some dwarves, you should start training them. Dwarves will perform 'Individual Training' when they have no [[squads|active order]] or [[scheduling]] to follow. They will spar, or observe/teach combat demonstrations when they are following the 'Train' schedule order. Dwarves will train with whatever weapon they carry. [[Marksdwarf|Marksdwarves]] require an archery target to train, as well as bolts (assigned in the military/ammunition window). If this is not available, they will simply do combat demonstrations in the barracks; if you do not assign them a barracks, they will simply stand in your meeting areas with the job "Soldier (cannot follow orders)".

Squads train in their assigned [[barracks]]. To assign a squad, build a bed or storage building (ie. weapon rack) and turn it into a room, then use the secondary up/down selector to pick your squad and press {{k|t}} to tell the squad to train there. You may wish to build your barracks outside to avoid [[cave adaptation]].

===Duty Roster===

Dwarves will get a [[thought|bad thought]] if left on duty too long. When [[scheduling]] your squads, give them the occasional free month off, and make sure to keep the number of dwarves an order criteria requires at 50-75% of the squad's population so that dwarves can rotate in and out of duty.

===Rations===

You can assign what squad carries how much or little food and alcohol through the military screen's '''supplies tab'''. Make sure your dwarves have access to [[flask]]s, [[waterskin]]s and [[backpack]]s. Carrying rations will not prevent your dwarves from going off duty to eat or drink, but it will reduce the amount of time they are off duty. The downside of assigning food to soldiers is that they will likely drop it in their barracks, where it will rot and produce miasma.

----

'''See Also:'''

:* [[Weapon]]s
:* [[Armor]]

{{Military}}
{{Category|Dwarves}}
{{Category|Military}}