Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

Main Page/Quote

2010-04-11T15:59:19Z

71.194.101.232:

<noinclude>
='''READ THE MANUAL''' or your changes will not show up.=
</noinclude>{{Choose|c={{rand|103}}
|I can't put my finger on it. Something about this [[Fire|‼]]Cat tallow roast[[Fire|‼]] tastes funny.
|Toady withdraws from society. Toady has begun a [[Strange_mood|mysterious]] construction!
|Let us never forget the last words of Inod the Stoker, [http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Fortress_Paintrag#1056 "Aaah! Gorillas!"]
|[[Children|Newborn]] Zuglar Baldnessgranite prefers to consume Gorilla. A sure sign of his unparalleled strength!
|[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/video-game-article/duke-nukem-image.php In an unrelated article] - I had no idea elephants could bounce that high!
|[[Toady]] looses a roaring laughter, [[Fey|fell]] and terrible! Toady has butchered a spammer!
|The critical question is this''':''' do elf bones yield more crossbow bolts than the average number of bolts necessary to kill an elf?
|"Dwarf Fortress" ... "Like chess, only with short people that can catch on [[fire]] like [[clothing|rags]] soaked in tar, and lots of [[booze]]." ... "Like chess."
|Dwarf Fortress has taught me that all the world's problems would be substantially reduced had our parent civilizations never minted more than four stacks of [[coins]].
|[[Booze]] does all the work in forts. Dwarves are just booze exoskeletons.
|My unconscious and bleeding [[mayor]] just mandated the construction of some goods.
|I can just imagine a wagon throwing a tantrum and tossing all its contents at people.
|Döbesh Udosdeb has been ecstatic lately. He was forced to eat a friend to survive. He enjoyed a truly decadent meal.
|Iron [[screw pump]] exercise equipment. Pump iron and get superdwarvenly strong!
|The violence, aggression, pain, madness, sadness of the ASCII characters never ceases to amaze me...
|Wait, you're MAKING animals? —''Torak'' At this moment, yes, I am smelting cows. —''Spiders Everywhere''
|"Didn't you read the manual? He he he he... the manual... ..." --[[Toady One]]
|(Compared to real-world years) Dwarven years are shorter. --Sowelu Very fitting to dwarves, I must add. --Sean Mirrsen
|[[Magma]] is not a [[water]] source. Dwarves can't drink it or supply it to their wounded. --[[User:AlienChickenPie|AlienChickenPie]]
|"<nowiki>[B]</nowiki>oats are the enemy of tiles. And tiles are the enemy of boats." --[[Toady One]]
|"I went through and fixed a few places where forbidden/on fire weren't being respected for next time. Burning milkable creatures were still a problem for example." --[[Toady One]]
|"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" --[[User:Savok|Savok]]
|"What happened in 1048?" "Jreengus occurred."
|Making rock instruments isn't nearly as awesome as it sounds --Shandrunn
|The cyclops I was quested to kill had a thousand year history of badassery, and all of that without the leg it lost in the Year 3 (a dwarf bit it off... I should probably deal with that). --[[Toady One]]
|[FIREIMMUNE] makes them think that [[magma]] is safe but doesn't actually make them fireproof. This can lead to some rather interesting results.
|Endok Cerolneth has begun a mysterious construction!
Endok Cerolneth, Planter has given birth to a girl.
|"Incendia sunt socia vestra, armaque vestra, fortesque Montis Domi." "Magma is your ally, your weapon, the strength of the Mountain-Home." --Eita
|"Stopped people from giving quests to kill themselves." --[[Toady One]]
|"...And I simply doubt we have a need for 7 fishery workers. On top of that, a second soap maker. The hell IS soap?!" --Zero
|"This is a terrible pun. All craftsdwarfship is of the poorest quality." - [http://tinyurl.com/6yruly Soup_alex]
|"The default mental state of a dwarf is madness. Sanity is a temporary condition - a PRIVILEGE you have to EARN!" --[[User:Fedor|Fedor]]
|"Why get normal cats? I buy lolcats in the embark screen. Much more fun to engrave about them." --Yanlin
|"Dwarf Fortress taught me it was okay to make a suit out of my neighbour's skin, as long as I gave it a name."
|"Got rid of world gen crash during succession after death of prolific long-standing position holders with inbred descendants" --[[Toady One]]
|"There was a typo in the siegers' campfire code. When the fires went out, so did the game." --[[Toady One]]
|"Hey, what does that flashing red and orange text mean? What? Why is there smoke everywhere? Oh god, are those BABIES on fire?" --[[User:StrawberryBunny|StrawberryBunny]]
|"It's never 'just a game' when you're losing." --George Carlin (if he played Dwarf Fortress)
|Not that building a bridge out of soap makes much sense to begin with anyway.
|Note that while you cannot milk larger animals yourself, civilizations can still milk animals "off screen" for your benefit.
|Tosid Idenarzes likes tentacle demons for their corrupt intentions. "There! Now we've covered all of the seven deadly sins."
|"Litast Idenudesh, baby, is throwing a tantrum! Inod Litastrilem, Mayor, has lost consciousness. Inod Litastrilem, Mayor, has bled to death."
|"Known bug #780: Town guard becomes a criminal after getting an adventurer's stolen weapon stuck in his body."
|"Udib Toblumaid, Axedwarf, cancels sparring in Barracks: too insane." [[User:Ben jamm1n|Ben jamm1n]]
|Kosoth Cilobonol, Bone Carver cancels Drink: Unconscious.
|Sizir the Snail of Bait is a deity of The Fresh Towers. Sizir most often takes the form of a female dwarf and is associated with jealousy.
|Sibrek Tanbim likes Limestone, Tin, Smoky Quartz, the color crimson, bolts, scepters, anvils, and rock blocks for their lack of quality levels.
|Most vermin teleport, so nothing actually contains them. -[[User:Fuzzy|Fuzzy]]
|There are 5 articles in category Lore: Armok, Cave Adaptation, Elephant, Philosopher, and Vomit.
|There is nothing to catch in the magma pipe.
|Bug #563: mayor ordered himself beaten for failing to make crystal glass objects
|If cow cheese is made from cow's milk, what is dwarven cheese made of?
|Bugs are opportunities to cause unprecedented amounts of destruction. --Zorgn
|"You know, Urist, you've got a mind like an +Ash Trap+."--[[User:Destor|Destor]]
|'''Zander J:''' "Is there a way to stop immigration without setting the population cap?" '''Yanlin:''' "Magma."
|An animal trainer just suddenly stopped working and hid himself in a workshop. He's probably going to make a wardog out of rock and goblin skulls.
|Bug #597: Flying creatures give birth in midair, leading to tragedy.
|'''Urdim Kutamèrith, Pump Operator, has created Rakusttenshed, a Glumprong blowgun!''' Urdim, you are a freaking idiot.
|<Forkez> I don't get the game, but I do get that tunnels flooded with water is a bad thing.
|"If you give a dwarf a fire, he will be warm for a night. If you set a dwarf on fire, he will be warm for the rest of his life."
|"Since the Elves said they won't let me cut down any trees, I bought 50 of their logs instead."
|Do not make a trading race that breathes fire. I REPEAT, DON'T!! EVER!!
|Dwarf Fortress: Because burning elves are funny.
|The carp has drowned.
|There's one thing a dwarf needs, and that's stones. And alcohol... and magma... but mainly stones.
|"I swear to god once I saw a dwarf who was labeled as being Strong, Very Agile, Very Tough... and ''Clean''. But it was probably just a bad dream."
|Urist McRandy has been ecstatic lately. He brought somebody to bed lately.
|"Dwarven children kidnapped and incorporated into goblin society might sh... shave." --Toady One
|Bug #871: babies fall to death when born on stairs
|Bug #1031: a merchant pack animal caught at an old dwarf site during adv mode was wearing a full set of clothes
|"[[Magma]] solves everything. [[Fire]] just ruins the [[booze]]." -sonerohi
|You can't yet strangle people with the exposed guts, though I suppose that's now within reach. --[[Toady One]]
|Look, there are roving clumps of sentient lava outside, ... This isn't going to get better. --PTTG??
|...and the only surviving dwarf is a noble who has mandated the construction of crowns and clear glass items to the empty halls. --PTTG??
|Adil Idenlocun is conflicted: "When possible he prefers to consume purring maggot, Dwarven ale and Dwarven syrup. He absolutely detests purring maggots."
|"I had to leave just before I tested the dwarf with the boiling gold blood." -- Toady the Great One
|Urdim Zatinod has been quite content lately. She has lost an annoying friend to tragedy lately.
|I added two levers. One opens the magma. The other sets free all the cats. --Someone in Headshoots
|"As Manbaspecut, Human Merchant is stricken by melancholy!" "Muskox has gone stark raving mad!" I think something is wrong with the human caravan...
|"Somebody needs to build an active volcano inside a fortress inside an active volcano." --Boksi
|It has stats. It can be killed.
|Bug #432: Bones pop out of coffins.
|Thanks. I wish I had known that about three forts ago.
|If I remembered what the fucking lever did, I'd pull it! <...pulls lever anyway...>
|Sarvesh Ralrubal likes olivine, olivine and olivine.
|"So let me get this straight. We managed to destroy a dwarven civilization while only managing a single town??"
|Kara Mase, the Glory of Amusing: Engraved on the wall is an image of a dwarf and an elf. The dwarf is committing a depraved act on the elf.
|Once saw a water skin with red beryl spikes. I still wonder how you would drink from that.
|Watching a kobold thief be chased by batman is very satisfying.
|Kol Tölunimush has been ecstatic lately. He killed somebody by accident while sparring recently. He took joy in slaughter lately. He has lost a lover to tragedy lately. He has witnessed death. He had a satisfying sparring session recently.
|You haven't embarked on a quest - you've joined a religion. --Quietust
|The alert statuses (i.e., "Stay Indoors") have been entirely redone. You may set several custom alerts with user defined [[reactions]].
|There was kind of a violent explosion of boiling human blood when I was testing a human vs a magma man in the arena... it was a little weird, but I guess that's okay. --[[Toady One]]
|Mew? Chop!
|"If Dwarf Fortress geology is to be believed, then the Earth's core is made of microline and demons."
|'They're firing arrows at us! Quickly! Raise the babies!!' -Urdim McSquadLeader, mother of 8
|It started raining, then all my dwarves outside started bleeding to death. On inspection their upper bodies were missing.
|It seems that a fresh recruit given a crossbow and a quiver with ammo in it will opt to run up to the enemy and bash them with the crossbow.
|Bug introduced in the latest version: Firemen can have their flames severed. These flames then just lie around the place.
|You stab Iron Man in the right leg from behind with your adamantine short sword, breaking away a piece of the gas and shattering the iron! The Beak Dog is caught in a burst of Iron Man gas! Beak Dog vomits into the Iron Man gas.
|Urist McDairy, Milker cancels store item in stockpile: handling dangerous creature
|Ildomushat, Fish Cleaner, cancels Clean Self: Could not find path.
|Losing is [[FUN]]!!! --The Motto of Dwarf Fortress
}}<noinclude>[[Category:Humor and stories]]</noinclude>

Main Page/Quote

2010-04-11T15:59:01Z

71.194.101.232: Added "Losing is FUN" (I can't beleive this wasn't already on here!)

<noinclude>
='''READ THE MANUAL''' or your changes will not show up.=
</noinclude>{{Choose|c={{rand|102}}
|I can't put my finger on it. Something about this [[Fire|‼]]Cat tallow roast[[Fire|‼]] tastes funny.
|Toady withdraws from society. Toady has begun a [[Strange_mood|mysterious]] construction!
|Let us never forget the last words of Inod the Stoker, [http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Fortress_Paintrag#1056 "Aaah! Gorillas!"]
|[[Children|Newborn]] Zuglar Baldnessgranite prefers to consume Gorilla. A sure sign of his unparalleled strength!
|[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/video-game-article/duke-nukem-image.php In an unrelated article] - I had no idea elephants could bounce that high!
|[[Toady]] looses a roaring laughter, [[Fey|fell]] and terrible! Toady has butchered a spammer!
|The critical question is this''':''' do elf bones yield more crossbow bolts than the average number of bolts necessary to kill an elf?
|"Dwarf Fortress" ... "Like chess, only with short people that can catch on [[fire]] like [[clothing|rags]] soaked in tar, and lots of [[booze]]." ... "Like chess."
|Dwarf Fortress has taught me that all the world's problems would be substantially reduced had our parent civilizations never minted more than four stacks of [[coins]].
|[[Booze]] does all the work in forts. Dwarves are just booze exoskeletons.
|My unconscious and bleeding [[mayor]] just mandated the construction of some goods.
|I can just imagine a wagon throwing a tantrum and tossing all its contents at people.
|Döbesh Udosdeb has been ecstatic lately. He was forced to eat a friend to survive. He enjoyed a truly decadent meal.
|Iron [[screw pump]] exercise equipment. Pump iron and get superdwarvenly strong!
|The violence, aggression, pain, madness, sadness of the ASCII characters never ceases to amaze me...
|Wait, you're MAKING animals? —''Torak'' At this moment, yes, I am smelting cows. —''Spiders Everywhere''
|"Didn't you read the manual? He he he he... the manual... ..." --[[Toady One]]
|(Compared to real-world years) Dwarven years are shorter. --Sowelu Very fitting to dwarves, I must add. --Sean Mirrsen
|[[Magma]] is not a [[water]] source. Dwarves can't drink it or supply it to their wounded. --[[User:AlienChickenPie|AlienChickenPie]]
|"<nowiki>[B]</nowiki>oats are the enemy of tiles. And tiles are the enemy of boats." --[[Toady One]]
|"I went through and fixed a few places where forbidden/on fire weren't being respected for next time. Burning milkable creatures were still a problem for example." --[[Toady One]]
|"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" --[[User:Savok|Savok]]
|"What happened in 1048?" "Jreengus occurred."
|Making rock instruments isn't nearly as awesome as it sounds --Shandrunn
|The cyclops I was quested to kill had a thousand year history of badassery, and all of that without the leg it lost in the Year 3 (a dwarf bit it off... I should probably deal with that). --[[Toady One]]
|[FIREIMMUNE] makes them think that [[magma]] is safe but doesn't actually make them fireproof. This can lead to some rather interesting results.
|Endok Cerolneth has begun a mysterious construction!
Endok Cerolneth, Planter has given birth to a girl.
|"Incendia sunt socia vestra, armaque vestra, fortesque Montis Domi." "Magma is your ally, your weapon, the strength of the Mountain-Home." --Eita
|"Stopped people from giving quests to kill themselves." --[[Toady One]]
|"...And I simply doubt we have a need for 7 fishery workers. On top of that, a second soap maker. The hell IS soap?!" --Zero
|"This is a terrible pun. All craftsdwarfship is of the poorest quality." - [http://tinyurl.com/6yruly Soup_alex]
|"The default mental state of a dwarf is madness. Sanity is a temporary condition - a PRIVILEGE you have to EARN!" --[[User:Fedor|Fedor]]
|"Why get normal cats? I buy lolcats in the embark screen. Much more fun to engrave about them." --Yanlin
|"Dwarf Fortress taught me it was okay to make a suit out of my neighbour's skin, as long as I gave it a name."
|"Got rid of world gen crash during succession after death of prolific long-standing position holders with inbred descendants" --[[Toady One]]
|"There was a typo in the siegers' campfire code. When the fires went out, so did the game." --[[Toady One]]
|"Hey, what does that flashing red and orange text mean? What? Why is there smoke everywhere? Oh god, are those BABIES on fire?" --[[User:StrawberryBunny|StrawberryBunny]]
|"It's never 'just a game' when you're losing." --George Carlin (if he played Dwarf Fortress)
|Not that building a bridge out of soap makes much sense to begin with anyway.
|Note that while you cannot milk larger animals yourself, civilizations can still milk animals "off screen" for your benefit.
|Tosid Idenarzes likes tentacle demons for their corrupt intentions. "There! Now we've covered all of the seven deadly sins."
|"Litast Idenudesh, baby, is throwing a tantrum! Inod Litastrilem, Mayor, has lost consciousness. Inod Litastrilem, Mayor, has bled to death."
|"Known bug #780: Town guard becomes a criminal after getting an adventurer's stolen weapon stuck in his body."
|"Udib Toblumaid, Axedwarf, cancels sparring in Barracks: too insane." [[User:Ben jamm1n|Ben jamm1n]]
|Kosoth Cilobonol, Bone Carver cancels Drink: Unconscious.
|Sizir the Snail of Bait is a deity of The Fresh Towers. Sizir most often takes the form of a female dwarf and is associated with jealousy.
|Sibrek Tanbim likes Limestone, Tin, Smoky Quartz, the color crimson, bolts, scepters, anvils, and rock blocks for their lack of quality levels.
|Most vermin teleport, so nothing actually contains them. -[[User:Fuzzy|Fuzzy]]
|There are 5 articles in category Lore: Armok, Cave Adaptation, Elephant, Philosopher, and Vomit.
|There is nothing to catch in the magma pipe.
|Bug #563: mayor ordered himself beaten for failing to make crystal glass objects
|If cow cheese is made from cow's milk, what is dwarven cheese made of?
|Bugs are opportunities to cause unprecedented amounts of destruction. --Zorgn
|"You know, Urist, you've got a mind like an +Ash Trap+."--[[User:Destor|Destor]]
|'''Zander J:''' "Is there a way to stop immigration without setting the population cap?" '''Yanlin:''' "Magma."
|An animal trainer just suddenly stopped working and hid himself in a workshop. He's probably going to make a wardog out of rock and goblin skulls.
|Bug #597: Flying creatures give birth in midair, leading to tragedy.
|'''Urdim Kutamèrith, Pump Operator, has created Rakusttenshed, a Glumprong blowgun!''' Urdim, you are a freaking idiot.
|<Forkez> I don't get the game, but I do get that tunnels flooded with water is a bad thing.
|"If you give a dwarf a fire, he will be warm for a night. If you set a dwarf on fire, he will be warm for the rest of his life."
|"Since the Elves said they won't let me cut down any trees, I bought 50 of their logs instead."
|Do not make a trading race that breathes fire. I REPEAT, DON'T!! EVER!!
|Dwarf Fortress: Because burning elves are funny.
|The carp has drowned.
|There's one thing a dwarf needs, and that's stones. And alcohol... and magma... but mainly stones.
|"I swear to god once I saw a dwarf who was labeled as being Strong, Very Agile, Very Tough... and ''Clean''. But it was probably just a bad dream."
|Urist McRandy has been ecstatic lately. He brought somebody to bed lately.
|"Dwarven children kidnapped and incorporated into goblin society might sh... shave." --Toady One
|Bug #871: babies fall to death when born on stairs
|Bug #1031: a merchant pack animal caught at an old dwarf site during adv mode was wearing a full set of clothes
|"[[Magma]] solves everything. [[Fire]] just ruins the [[booze]]." -sonerohi
|You can't yet strangle people with the exposed guts, though I suppose that's now within reach. --[[Toady One]]
|Look, there are roving clumps of sentient lava outside, ... This isn't going to get better. --PTTG??
|...and the only surviving dwarf is a noble who has mandated the construction of crowns and clear glass items to the empty halls. --PTTG??
|Adil Idenlocun is conflicted: "When possible he prefers to consume purring maggot, Dwarven ale and Dwarven syrup. He absolutely detests purring maggots."
|"I had to leave just before I tested the dwarf with the boiling gold blood." -- Toady the Great One
|Urdim Zatinod has been quite content lately. She has lost an annoying friend to tragedy lately.
|I added two levers. One opens the magma. The other sets free all the cats. --Someone in Headshoots
|"As Manbaspecut, Human Merchant is stricken by melancholy!" "Muskox has gone stark raving mad!" I think something is wrong with the human caravan...
|"Somebody needs to build an active volcano inside a fortress inside an active volcano." --Boksi
|It has stats. It can be killed.
|Bug #432: Bones pop out of coffins.
|Thanks. I wish I had known that about three forts ago.
|If I remembered what the fucking lever did, I'd pull it! <...pulls lever anyway...>
|Sarvesh Ralrubal likes olivine, olivine and olivine.
|"So let me get this straight. We managed to destroy a dwarven civilization while only managing a single town??"
|Kara Mase, the Glory of Amusing: Engraved on the wall is an image of a dwarf and an elf. The dwarf is committing a depraved act on the elf.
|Once saw a water skin with red beryl spikes. I still wonder how you would drink from that.
|Watching a kobold thief be chased by batman is very satisfying.
|Kol Tölunimush has been ecstatic lately. He killed somebody by accident while sparring recently. He took joy in slaughter lately. He has lost a lover to tragedy lately. He has witnessed death. He had a satisfying sparring session recently.
|You haven't embarked on a quest - you've joined a religion. --Quietust
|The alert statuses (i.e., "Stay Indoors") have been entirely redone. You may set several custom alerts with user defined [[reactions]].
|There was kind of a violent explosion of boiling human blood when I was testing a human vs a magma man in the arena... it was a little weird, but I guess that's okay. --[[Toady One]]
|Mew? Chop!
|"If Dwarf Fortress geology is to be believed, then the Earth's core is made of microline and demons."
|'They're firing arrows at us! Quickly! Raise the babies!!' -Urdim McSquadLeader, mother of 8
|It started raining, then all my dwarves outside started bleeding to death. On inspection their upper bodies were missing.
|It seems that a fresh recruit given a crossbow and a quiver with ammo in it will opt to run up to the enemy and bash them with the crossbow.
|Bug introduced in the latest version: Firemen can have their flames severed. These flames then just lie around the place.
|You stab Iron Man in the right leg from behind with your adamantine short sword, breaking away a piece of the gas and shattering the iron! The Beak Dog is caught in a burst of Iron Man gas! Beak Dog vomits into the Iron Man gas.
|Urist McDairy, Milker cancels store item in stockpile: handling dangerous creature
|Ildomushat, Fish Cleaner, cancels Clean Self: Could not find path.
|Losing is [[FUN]]!!! --The Motto of Dwarf Fortress
}}<noinclude>[[Category:Humor and stories]]</noinclude>

v0.31 Talk:Dragon

2010-04-10T03:34:30Z

71.194.101.232: /* Dragons w/ armour */

==Dragons w/ armour==
Can someone provide a link to any thread where dragons wearing armour have shown up, or some other proof of such an occurrence? I left the relevant information in since it seems a plausible bug, but I wouldn't mind seeing some confirmation. --[[User:Retro|Retro]] 22:35, 4 April 2010 (UTC)
:I've never seen or even heard of this before; but I think that it might actually be an intentional feature that Toady put in; possibly alluding to some future HFS. [[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 03:34, 10 April 2010 (UTC)

40d Talk:Creature

2010-03-13T03:41:43Z

71.194.101.232: /* Creature Skill Increases */

:''(Moved from "Creatures" to conform to naming conventions. --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 16:39, 2 June 2009 (UTC))''

===Surviving Megabeasts===

Hey, I've got the latest version of Dwarf Fortress, and I've been trying to improve the survival rate of Megabeasts by increasing their GENPOWER tags and their attack abilities, but for some reason, they keep dying out really early. I assume this means I have no chance of capturing and taming them, which is my intention. How would I go about better doing this, does anyone know?

[[User:Jwguy|Jwguy]] 19:20, 23 May 2009 (UTC)
:Try increasing the size and damblock values. Also the GENPOWER tag is apparently obsolete so increasing it does nothing [[User:AKAfreaky|AKAfreaky]] 19:57, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

===Here kitty!===
What are the triggers for semi- and megabeasts? Is there any way to encourage them? [[User:Runspotrun|Runspotrun]] 16:47, 11 November 2007 (EST)

:Pretty sure semimegabeasts don't attack in fortress mode. Don't know what triggers megabeasts in this version. On my current fort, I saw my first (a hydra) after 100 pop, don't know if that's the trigger or if it was just a coincidence.

::Megabeasts used to attack based on your total fortress value. Semi-megabeasts are found in caves and such. --[[User:Nitem4re|Nitem4re]] 17:23, 13 November 2007 (EST)

== Reason for ordering? ==

Is there any particular reason why these aren't alphabetised? --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 17:20, 5 March 2008 (EST)
: You could put each group of creatures into a table, such as:
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name!!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Dog]]||style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Common domestic
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Rhesus macaque]]||style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Temperate shrubland, Temperate savanna, Temperate grassland
|}

If this is acceptable, I can begin changing them to use this format (perhaps a template would be useful?). --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 13:53, 7 March 2008 (EST)

== Page Cleanup ==

Okay, so I've begun a mission to clean up the creatures page. So far, I made a couple of templates for the sortable table, and I've started converting the currently existing lists into tables. Phase II will be to alphabetize the tables.
Would it make sense to change the way the creatures are categorized? It seems less helpful (at least to me) to have them grouped by Neutral, Benign, Evil, etc, then to group them by type or biome?

For example, would it be better to have the table look like this:

=== Natural ===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Symbol
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000;padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:6:0:0}};" | d
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Dog]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Benign
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|None
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000; padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:0:0:1}};" | r
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Large rat]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Neutral
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|4
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Chasm
|}

=== Aquatic ===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Symbol
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000;padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:1:0:0}};" | c
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Coelacanth]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Benign
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|6
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Tropical ocean
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000; padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:7:0:0}};" | ~
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Eel conger|Eel, conger]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Benign
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|7
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Arctic ocean, Temperate ocean
|}

=== Amphibious ===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Symbol
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000;padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:7:0:0}};" | C
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Cave crocodile]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Predator
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Subterranean water
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000; padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:2:0:0}};" | f
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Frogman]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Predator
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Subterranean water
|}
--[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 04:50, 8 March 2008 (EST)
:Perhaps it would be easier to automatically convert the raw data to wikitext than do this all by hand. That way we can avoid errors like listing dogs as benign. If you tell me what creature properties and format you want, I can start doing that. Although if you really prefer doing it by hand, I guess that's fine, too. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 11:48, 9 March 2008 (EDT)
:: If you can do that, it would be a lot easier ;)
The format I have for each row is this:
<nowiki>{{Creature table row|symbol= |color= (format X:0:X) |name= |type= |align= |size= |biome= }}</nowiki>--[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 12:13, 9 March 2008 (EDT)
::: Also, I'm curious to know what you would do to convert the raw data... --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 14:38, 10 March 2008 (EDT)
::Wrote a c++ program to do it. What do you mean by type? What values can type have? Also, you can see what it's currently producing [[User:VengefulDonut/r|here]]. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 19:11, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

::: I haven't used C++ in like 8 years... I've been meaning to brush up on it.... Anyway, I think what you have looks brilliant (and here I was using Copy/Paste like a sucker!) I was planning to use 'Type' to be able to group different creatures, such as Aquatic, Fliers, Natural, etc... but as I dig deeper into the various creatures, I'm seeing that it's very, very hard to split them up in a way that would make sense to someone who just wants to browse a list... we can't very well say "Type: Aquatic, Natural, Predator" and "Type: Flier, Intelligent, Evil", etc, it would end up being too cluttered... unless you can think of anyway to catogorize them in a sensible fashion, I say we just throw that column out... --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 23:22, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

::Hmm. Right now sorting by alignment doesn't mean very much. Perhaps we should split it into a good/neutral/evil column and a benign/neutral/savage column. With what I have now, adding more properties to pull and format won't take much effort. Is there anything else you think we could use? Maybe modvalue? It would be nice if we could have hideable table sections that would have other misc properties to sort by. Without that I guess we need to stick to those common to most creatures. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 01:52, 11 March 2008 (EDT)

::: It looks great! I'm going to go through and try to add in the missing creature pages. I realized that we could probably use the name of the file to determine the creature type... for example: creature_reptiles, creature_large_tundra, etc, could drop the "creatures_", and convert the remaining "_" into spaces... I don't know that it would be particularly necessary... --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 16:23, 11 March 2008 (EDT)

=== Magma Creatures ===

We really need a page just listing all the magma creatures and vermin. --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 22:52, 4 November 2008 (EST)

:[[Fire imp]], [[fire man]], [[magma man]], [[fire snake]]. That's it, according to the raws.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 18:48, 5 November 2008 (EST)

:: Think I should list that under the [[magma]] page. I was trying to search for "magma creature" and found nothing. --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 19:32, 5 November 2008 (EST)

:::Sounds good to me.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 23:34, 5 November 2008 (EST)

== Creation ==

Is there any way for you to make your own creatures for use in the game? You like messing around with the files and stuff? I really want to make Triffid you know from 'Day of the Triffids' [[User:Hoborobo|Hoborobo]] 11:52, 9 May 2008 (EDT)Hoborobo
:You can try the [[Modding Guide]]. [[User:Hex Decimal|Hex Decimal]] 12:36, 9 May 2008 (EDT)

== Spawning and Animal Offspring ==

Is there anything known about how creatures spawn naturally out in the "wild"?
I guess they just randomly walk in from the edge of the map at the beginning of a season unless they are like special event spawning in groups of 3 to 7 maybe.
Spawning might be different for animals and fish which have traits in common with vermin which spawn differently, I think.
I'm wondering if over hunting animals affects what animals enter the map.
I think extinction is only possible for megabeasts.
It doesn't seem to matter if a creature is tamed or not to be able to make children, all it needs is a female and male of the same animal and some code which I should someday learn to fiddle with.
I think there could be problems of making Megabeast children as they don't spawn as Megabeasts should.--[[User:Seaneat|Seaneat]] 12:17, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

== Named creatures ==

I think it should be noted that any creature that kills a dwarf receives a specific name. I noticed this a while back when wolves would kill my marksn00bs. My friend also concluded that this might be the case (All the elephants in his fortress had names. ;-) --[[User:PrettyGrizzly|PrettyGrizzly]] 05:46, 15 July 2008 (EDT)

:Yes, this can happen in both fortress and adventure mode. I guess hunters often give nicknames to dangerous/well-known animals that have been harassing local citizens. Note that your own wolves can get names as well. Also, I think that mass killings will cause even more names to appear, and possibly even a nickname as well? --[[User:AlexFili|AlexFili]] 05:36, 16 July 2008 (EDT)
::They don't appear to need to even be dangerous. I have quite the colony of cave swallowmen sharing the chasm with me, none of them have interrupted/attacked my dwarfs, but after about two seasons (right after the first dwarven caravan left) I got a whole swath of "The dwarves have given a resident Cave Swallowman the name ...". [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 12:01, 13 November 2008 (EST)
:::I'd think that may have to do with the fact that they're [INTELLIGENT].[[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 03:34, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

== Tamed Dangerous Creatures? ==

If you train a dangerous creature like a Tiger or alligator or Megabeast will they help you defend your fortress?

:I believe tamed creatures will attempt to run from danger, just like civilian dwarves, although I expect they'll fight to defend themselves if cornered. Trained creatures (e.g. War dogs) will attack, though. However, IIRC only dogs can be war trained at the moment. I believe it's possible to mod any creature to be trainable though - probably a simple operation if you learn the basics. [[User:MMad|MMad]] 17:57, 31 July 2008 (EDT)

Yes but on the wiki page for creatures it says that tiger's will help defend the fortress, and I can't really imagine a hydra running from a kobold archer...

== Missing Creatures pages ==

Several creatures lack even a basic page, leaving their entry red-linked. This includes such interesting monsters as gremlins and nightwings. Would any enterprising editors that know their way around the raw files be interested in creating these pages and filling them with the basic information? [[User:MMad|MMad]] 17:57, 31 July 2008 (EDT)

== healing rates ==

is there anywhere that says how long it takes for a creature to heal? my poor marksdwarf managed to inflict some slight injuries to an iron man before the iron man beat the marksdwarf to pulp ... is the iron man gonna get better or not?

my postscript is, novices with obsidian short swords seemed more effective than marksdwarves against the iron man.[[User:GarrieIrons|GarrieIrons]] 23:27, 10 September 2008 (EDT)
:That's because Iron Men have no vital organs to puncture, making piercing weapons all but worthless against them. [[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 03:36, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

== The dwarves have given a resident Cave Swallowman the name Ducim Isethilral. ==
They can do that now? What gives? Someone explain me. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 23:19, 28 September 2008 (EDT)
:Basically, any creature near your fortress that is suitably badass can be given a name by the Dwarfs. For example, if the creature in question has a high kill count or something similarly infamous. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 09:12, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
::But these cave swallowmen did nothing. Just flew 'round. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 14:38, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
:::He may be a historical badass, was he named on embark or have you been there for a while before it happened? Perhaps [[Urist]] just likes him for his coloration. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 20:24, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
::::I'll have to check the preferences of my original seven dwarves, then. I was there for like about 3/4 of a year before they were all named. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 20:37, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
:::::As per my new comment above, it seems that dwarves may just decide to name wild creatures that don't migrate in and off site after a few seasons. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 12:10, 13 November 2008 (EST)

:Any creature who kills another named creature gets a name. Some creatures have a history and start out with a name (I had a named tiger at my fort when I first started out). Any individual creature that your dwarves encounter often or long enough (not sure of the exact details) gets named by the dwarves, even if they do nothing special. I had a few zombie cave swallowmen and batman that were named by my dwarves, though they only did so about 4 years in. There were dozens more that were not encountered by my dwarves until I finally sent someone to kill them all -- none of them got a name.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 13:06, 13 November 2008 (EST)

== Value of creatures ==

I'm rather sure the value of caged creatures must have something to do with it's modvalue. However, I don't see it stated clearly anywhere. Anyone help? (Probably a good thing to add to the page)

:This was mentioned in the page cleanup section above. I think it's a great idea. Plus it might be useful to show the modvalue on individual creature pages. (I mean, who's to know that a [[Bonobo]] hide is worth less than [[Naked mole dog]] hide? That's news to me.) [[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 18:34, 26 August 2009 (UTC)
:Can't find the value of a wizards hide on the wiki, going to have to dig in the RAWs for the answer guess. [[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 20:54, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

== Metamorphosis ==

This is rather weird. I had 7 elks on my map when I started, just by the (frozen) brook (I remember for sur because I looked them up). I dig out stuff, make stockpiles, start to build farms and then I look around the brook again. At exactly the same spot, there is now 7 two-humped camels.
No more elks on my map, at all (also checked on the units page). What the hell? For the info, my game isn't modded at all and I didn't leave the game meanwhile. Is it possible for wild animals to leave the map or am I facing some supernatural metamorphosis/bug here? Do elks become two-humped camels when they lose their horns lol?
It's rather annoying because it seems elks are less violent then camels.

I have had animals come and go, so I am pretty sure that this is a normal happening. the number is probably just a coincidence. also, sign your posts with -- ~ ~ ~ ~ (without the spaces) --[[User:Destor|Destor]] 19:46, 5 November 2008 (EST)

== Creature Skill Increases ==

I've been looking around for this, and I haven't been able to find it so far, figured this was the best place to ask. Do creatures gain skill increases? And, in the case that they do, do they show up on their general profile? I've seen Kobolds and Goblins with varying levels of strength, but I'm not sure if that's because they're one of the "civilization" species or not. I'm asking this because I've got a school of Carp in the river (and I'm carefully avoiding them right now, no casualties yet except one [possibly mentally challenged] puppy); I've been sending out migrants I don't want to fight them (to their deaths, of course... Forty Carp make the river run red with the blood of civilians).

While I plan to use a safer method to dispose of them than waves of trained Marksdwarves eventually, should I be worried about Carp strong enough to nudge mountains around and faster than your average Horse?
[[User:Pariah|Pariah]] 01:47, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

:I, too, would like to know if creatures have actual stat increases. I've never seen any evidence of it, as a war dog that survives many sieges tends to still have the same chances of being killed in the next one. And I've never received messages like "Musk Ox has become more skilled". Even so, I wonder if megabeasts become stronger over time or not. Personally, I think it'd be wicked if that were the case, because then, if megabeast population becomes really low, and a long time has passed, the remaining megabeasts would be INTENSE. Er... Sorry for the random speculation. I'm going to go see if I can mod something crazy now. --Kydo 10:10, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

::I think that stat increases are most likely linked to the [CAN_LEARN] token. [[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 03:41, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

== Dragon Breeding? ==

I managed to capture first a female, then a male dragon, both in cage traps, and tame them both. Is there a chance that they will reproduce? And does the fact that the female has a broken neck/upper spine/lower spine going to make a difference? They're out of the cages now and locked in the same room, albeit on chains. Perhaps they just have a really long gestation period, but I've had them a couple of years now.
[[User:BadBoris|BadBoris]] 02:39, 14 July 2009 (EST)

:From what I'm reading of the object data, they don't have any information on any kind of young born, nor growth rate, nor gestation period. Also, they're megabeasts. They're just sort of created at the start of the world, and die off from there on out. If they did bear young, their population wouldn't decrease, or at least not as rapidly, and one of the major factors for the end of world generation would be made irrelevant. 's'what I think, anyways. --Kydo 10:06, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

40d Talk:Creature

2010-03-13T03:36:55Z

71.194.101.232: /* healing rates */

:''(Moved from "Creatures" to conform to naming conventions. --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 16:39, 2 June 2009 (UTC))''

===Surviving Megabeasts===

Hey, I've got the latest version of Dwarf Fortress, and I've been trying to improve the survival rate of Megabeasts by increasing their GENPOWER tags and their attack abilities, but for some reason, they keep dying out really early. I assume this means I have no chance of capturing and taming them, which is my intention. How would I go about better doing this, does anyone know?

[[User:Jwguy|Jwguy]] 19:20, 23 May 2009 (UTC)
:Try increasing the size and damblock values. Also the GENPOWER tag is apparently obsolete so increasing it does nothing [[User:AKAfreaky|AKAfreaky]] 19:57, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

===Here kitty!===
What are the triggers for semi- and megabeasts? Is there any way to encourage them? [[User:Runspotrun|Runspotrun]] 16:47, 11 November 2007 (EST)

:Pretty sure semimegabeasts don't attack in fortress mode. Don't know what triggers megabeasts in this version. On my current fort, I saw my first (a hydra) after 100 pop, don't know if that's the trigger or if it was just a coincidence.

::Megabeasts used to attack based on your total fortress value. Semi-megabeasts are found in caves and such. --[[User:Nitem4re|Nitem4re]] 17:23, 13 November 2007 (EST)

== Reason for ordering? ==

Is there any particular reason why these aren't alphabetised? --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 17:20, 5 March 2008 (EST)
: You could put each group of creatures into a table, such as:
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name!!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Dog]]||style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Common domestic
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Rhesus macaque]]||style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Temperate shrubland, Temperate savanna, Temperate grassland
|}

If this is acceptable, I can begin changing them to use this format (perhaps a template would be useful?). --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 13:53, 7 March 2008 (EST)

== Page Cleanup ==

Okay, so I've begun a mission to clean up the creatures page. So far, I made a couple of templates for the sortable table, and I've started converting the currently existing lists into tables. Phase II will be to alphabetize the tables.
Would it make sense to change the way the creatures are categorized? It seems less helpful (at least to me) to have them grouped by Neutral, Benign, Evil, etc, then to group them by type or biome?

For example, would it be better to have the table look like this:

=== Natural ===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Symbol
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000;padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:6:0:0}};" | d
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Dog]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Benign
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|None
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000; padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:0:0:1}};" | r
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Large rat]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Neutral
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|4
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Chasm
|}

=== Aquatic ===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Symbol
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000;padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:1:0:0}};" | c
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Coelacanth]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Benign
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|6
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Tropical ocean
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000; padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:7:0:0}};" | ~
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Eel conger|Eel, conger]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Benign
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|7
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Arctic ocean, Temperate ocean
|}

=== Amphibious ===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Symbol
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000;padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:7:0:0}};" | C
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Cave crocodile]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Predator
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Subterranean water
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000; padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:2:0:0}};" | f
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Frogman]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Predator
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Subterranean water
|}
--[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 04:50, 8 March 2008 (EST)
:Perhaps it would be easier to automatically convert the raw data to wikitext than do this all by hand. That way we can avoid errors like listing dogs as benign. If you tell me what creature properties and format you want, I can start doing that. Although if you really prefer doing it by hand, I guess that's fine, too. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 11:48, 9 March 2008 (EDT)
:: If you can do that, it would be a lot easier ;)
The format I have for each row is this:
<nowiki>{{Creature table row|symbol= |color= (format X:0:X) |name= |type= |align= |size= |biome= }}</nowiki>--[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 12:13, 9 March 2008 (EDT)
::: Also, I'm curious to know what you would do to convert the raw data... --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 14:38, 10 March 2008 (EDT)
::Wrote a c++ program to do it. What do you mean by type? What values can type have? Also, you can see what it's currently producing [[User:VengefulDonut/r|here]]. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 19:11, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

::: I haven't used C++ in like 8 years... I've been meaning to brush up on it.... Anyway, I think what you have looks brilliant (and here I was using Copy/Paste like a sucker!) I was planning to use 'Type' to be able to group different creatures, such as Aquatic, Fliers, Natural, etc... but as I dig deeper into the various creatures, I'm seeing that it's very, very hard to split them up in a way that would make sense to someone who just wants to browse a list... we can't very well say "Type: Aquatic, Natural, Predator" and "Type: Flier, Intelligent, Evil", etc, it would end up being too cluttered... unless you can think of anyway to catogorize them in a sensible fashion, I say we just throw that column out... --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 23:22, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

::Hmm. Right now sorting by alignment doesn't mean very much. Perhaps we should split it into a good/neutral/evil column and a benign/neutral/savage column. With what I have now, adding more properties to pull and format won't take much effort. Is there anything else you think we could use? Maybe modvalue? It would be nice if we could have hideable table sections that would have other misc properties to sort by. Without that I guess we need to stick to those common to most creatures. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 01:52, 11 March 2008 (EDT)

::: It looks great! I'm going to go through and try to add in the missing creature pages. I realized that we could probably use the name of the file to determine the creature type... for example: creature_reptiles, creature_large_tundra, etc, could drop the "creatures_", and convert the remaining "_" into spaces... I don't know that it would be particularly necessary... --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 16:23, 11 March 2008 (EDT)

=== Magma Creatures ===

We really need a page just listing all the magma creatures and vermin. --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 22:52, 4 November 2008 (EST)

:[[Fire imp]], [[fire man]], [[magma man]], [[fire snake]]. That's it, according to the raws.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 18:48, 5 November 2008 (EST)

:: Think I should list that under the [[magma]] page. I was trying to search for "magma creature" and found nothing. --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 19:32, 5 November 2008 (EST)

:::Sounds good to me.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 23:34, 5 November 2008 (EST)

== Creation ==

Is there any way for you to make your own creatures for use in the game? You like messing around with the files and stuff? I really want to make Triffid you know from 'Day of the Triffids' [[User:Hoborobo|Hoborobo]] 11:52, 9 May 2008 (EDT)Hoborobo
:You can try the [[Modding Guide]]. [[User:Hex Decimal|Hex Decimal]] 12:36, 9 May 2008 (EDT)

== Spawning and Animal Offspring ==

Is there anything known about how creatures spawn naturally out in the "wild"?
I guess they just randomly walk in from the edge of the map at the beginning of a season unless they are like special event spawning in groups of 3 to 7 maybe.
Spawning might be different for animals and fish which have traits in common with vermin which spawn differently, I think.
I'm wondering if over hunting animals affects what animals enter the map.
I think extinction is only possible for megabeasts.
It doesn't seem to matter if a creature is tamed or not to be able to make children, all it needs is a female and male of the same animal and some code which I should someday learn to fiddle with.
I think there could be problems of making Megabeast children as they don't spawn as Megabeasts should.--[[User:Seaneat|Seaneat]] 12:17, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

== Named creatures ==

I think it should be noted that any creature that kills a dwarf receives a specific name. I noticed this a while back when wolves would kill my marksn00bs. My friend also concluded that this might be the case (All the elephants in his fortress had names. ;-) --[[User:PrettyGrizzly|PrettyGrizzly]] 05:46, 15 July 2008 (EDT)

:Yes, this can happen in both fortress and adventure mode. I guess hunters often give nicknames to dangerous/well-known animals that have been harassing local citizens. Note that your own wolves can get names as well. Also, I think that mass killings will cause even more names to appear, and possibly even a nickname as well? --[[User:AlexFili|AlexFili]] 05:36, 16 July 2008 (EDT)
::They don't appear to need to even be dangerous. I have quite the colony of cave swallowmen sharing the chasm with me, none of them have interrupted/attacked my dwarfs, but after about two seasons (right after the first dwarven caravan left) I got a whole swath of "The dwarves have given a resident Cave Swallowman the name ...". [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 12:01, 13 November 2008 (EST)
:::I'd think that may have to do with the fact that they're [INTELLIGENT].[[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 03:34, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

== Tamed Dangerous Creatures? ==

If you train a dangerous creature like a Tiger or alligator or Megabeast will they help you defend your fortress?

:I believe tamed creatures will attempt to run from danger, just like civilian dwarves, although I expect they'll fight to defend themselves if cornered. Trained creatures (e.g. War dogs) will attack, though. However, IIRC only dogs can be war trained at the moment. I believe it's possible to mod any creature to be trainable though - probably a simple operation if you learn the basics. [[User:MMad|MMad]] 17:57, 31 July 2008 (EDT)

Yes but on the wiki page for creatures it says that tiger's will help defend the fortress, and I can't really imagine a hydra running from a kobold archer...

== Missing Creatures pages ==

Several creatures lack even a basic page, leaving their entry red-linked. This includes such interesting monsters as gremlins and nightwings. Would any enterprising editors that know their way around the raw files be interested in creating these pages and filling them with the basic information? [[User:MMad|MMad]] 17:57, 31 July 2008 (EDT)

== healing rates ==

is there anywhere that says how long it takes for a creature to heal? my poor marksdwarf managed to inflict some slight injuries to an iron man before the iron man beat the marksdwarf to pulp ... is the iron man gonna get better or not?

my postscript is, novices with obsidian short swords seemed more effective than marksdwarves against the iron man.[[User:GarrieIrons|GarrieIrons]] 23:27, 10 September 2008 (EDT)
:That's because Iron Men have no vital organs to puncture, making piercing weapons all but worthless against them. [[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 03:36, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

== The dwarves have given a resident Cave Swallowman the name Ducim Isethilral. ==
They can do that now? What gives? Someone explain me. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 23:19, 28 September 2008 (EDT)
:Basically, any creature near your fortress that is suitably badass can be given a name by the Dwarfs. For example, if the creature in question has a high kill count or something similarly infamous. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 09:12, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
::But these cave swallowmen did nothing. Just flew 'round. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 14:38, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
:::He may be a historical badass, was he named on embark or have you been there for a while before it happened? Perhaps [[Urist]] just likes him for his coloration. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 20:24, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
::::I'll have to check the preferences of my original seven dwarves, then. I was there for like about 3/4 of a year before they were all named. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 20:37, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
:::::As per my new comment above, it seems that dwarves may just decide to name wild creatures that don't migrate in and off site after a few seasons. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 12:10, 13 November 2008 (EST)

:Any creature who kills another named creature gets a name. Some creatures have a history and start out with a name (I had a named tiger at my fort when I first started out). Any individual creature that your dwarves encounter often or long enough (not sure of the exact details) gets named by the dwarves, even if they do nothing special. I had a few zombie cave swallowmen and batman that were named by my dwarves, though they only did so about 4 years in. There were dozens more that were not encountered by my dwarves until I finally sent someone to kill them all -- none of them got a name.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 13:06, 13 November 2008 (EST)

== Value of creatures ==

I'm rather sure the value of caged creatures must have something to do with it's modvalue. However, I don't see it stated clearly anywhere. Anyone help? (Probably a good thing to add to the page)

:This was mentioned in the page cleanup section above. I think it's a great idea. Plus it might be useful to show the modvalue on individual creature pages. (I mean, who's to know that a [[Bonobo]] hide is worth less than [[Naked mole dog]] hide? That's news to me.) [[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 18:34, 26 August 2009 (UTC)
:Can't find the value of a wizards hide on the wiki, going to have to dig in the RAWs for the answer guess. [[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 20:54, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

== Metamorphosis ==

This is rather weird. I had 7 elks on my map when I started, just by the (frozen) brook (I remember for sur because I looked them up). I dig out stuff, make stockpiles, start to build farms and then I look around the brook again. At exactly the same spot, there is now 7 two-humped camels.
No more elks on my map, at all (also checked on the units page). What the hell? For the info, my game isn't modded at all and I didn't leave the game meanwhile. Is it possible for wild animals to leave the map or am I facing some supernatural metamorphosis/bug here? Do elks become two-humped camels when they lose their horns lol?
It's rather annoying because it seems elks are less violent then camels.

I have had animals come and go, so I am pretty sure that this is a normal happening. the number is probably just a coincidence. also, sign your posts with -- ~ ~ ~ ~ (without the spaces) --[[User:Destor|Destor]] 19:46, 5 November 2008 (EST)

== Creature Skill Increases ==

I've been looking around for this, and I haven't been able to find it so far, figured this was the best place to ask. Do creatures gain skill increases? And, in the case that they do, do they show up on their general profile? I've seen Kobolds and Goblins with varying levels of strength, but I'm not sure if that's because they're one of the "civilization" species or not. I'm asking this because I've got a school of Carp in the river (and I'm carefully avoiding them right now, no casualties yet except one [possibly mentally challenged] puppy); I've been sending out migrants I don't want to fight them (to their deaths, of course... Forty Carp make the river run red with the blood of civilians).

While I plan to use a safer method to dispose of them than waves of trained Marksdwarves eventually, should I be worried about Carp strong enough to nudge mountains around and faster than your average Horse?
[[User:Pariah|Pariah]] 01:47, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

:I, too, would like to know if creatures have actual stat increases. I've never seen any evidence of it, as a war dog that survives many sieges tends to still have the same chances of being killed in the next one. And I've never received messages like "Musk Ox has become more skilled". Even so, I wonder if megabeasts become stronger over time or not. Personally, I think it'd be wicked if that were the case, because then, if megabeast population becomes really low, and a long time has passed, the remaining megabeasts would be INTENSE. Er... Sorry for the random speculation. I'm going to go see if I can mod something crazy now. --Kydo 10:10, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

== Dragon Breeding? ==

I managed to capture first a female, then a male dragon, both in cage traps, and tame them both. Is there a chance that they will reproduce? And does the fact that the female has a broken neck/upper spine/lower spine going to make a difference? They're out of the cages now and locked in the same room, albeit on chains. Perhaps they just have a really long gestation period, but I've had them a couple of years now.
[[User:BadBoris|BadBoris]] 02:39, 14 July 2009 (EST)

:From what I'm reading of the object data, they don't have any information on any kind of young born, nor growth rate, nor gestation period. Also, they're megabeasts. They're just sort of created at the start of the world, and die off from there on out. If they did bear young, their population wouldn't decrease, or at least not as rapidly, and one of the major factors for the end of world generation would be made irrelevant. 's'what I think, anyways. --Kydo 10:06, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

40d Talk:Creature

2010-03-13T03:34:18Z

71.194.101.232: /* Named creatures */

:''(Moved from "Creatures" to conform to naming conventions. --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 16:39, 2 June 2009 (UTC))''

===Surviving Megabeasts===

Hey, I've got the latest version of Dwarf Fortress, and I've been trying to improve the survival rate of Megabeasts by increasing their GENPOWER tags and their attack abilities, but for some reason, they keep dying out really early. I assume this means I have no chance of capturing and taming them, which is my intention. How would I go about better doing this, does anyone know?

[[User:Jwguy|Jwguy]] 19:20, 23 May 2009 (UTC)
:Try increasing the size and damblock values. Also the GENPOWER tag is apparently obsolete so increasing it does nothing [[User:AKAfreaky|AKAfreaky]] 19:57, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

===Here kitty!===
What are the triggers for semi- and megabeasts? Is there any way to encourage them? [[User:Runspotrun|Runspotrun]] 16:47, 11 November 2007 (EST)

:Pretty sure semimegabeasts don't attack in fortress mode. Don't know what triggers megabeasts in this version. On my current fort, I saw my first (a hydra) after 100 pop, don't know if that's the trigger or if it was just a coincidence.

::Megabeasts used to attack based on your total fortress value. Semi-megabeasts are found in caves and such. --[[User:Nitem4re|Nitem4re]] 17:23, 13 November 2007 (EST)

== Reason for ordering? ==

Is there any particular reason why these aren't alphabetised? --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 17:20, 5 March 2008 (EST)
: You could put each group of creatures into a table, such as:
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name!!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Dog]]||style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Common domestic
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Rhesus macaque]]||style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Temperate shrubland, Temperate savanna, Temperate grassland
|}

If this is acceptable, I can begin changing them to use this format (perhaps a template would be useful?). --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 13:53, 7 March 2008 (EST)

== Page Cleanup ==

Okay, so I've begun a mission to clean up the creatures page. So far, I made a couple of templates for the sortable table, and I've started converting the currently existing lists into tables. Phase II will be to alphabetize the tables.
Would it make sense to change the way the creatures are categorized? It seems less helpful (at least to me) to have them grouped by Neutral, Benign, Evil, etc, then to group them by type or biome?

For example, would it be better to have the table look like this:

=== Natural ===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Symbol
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000;padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:6:0:0}};" | d
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Dog]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Benign
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|None
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000; padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:0:0:1}};" | r
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Large rat]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Neutral
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|4
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Chasm
|}

=== Aquatic ===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Symbol
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000;padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:1:0:0}};" | c
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Coelacanth]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Benign
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|6
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Tropical ocean
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000; padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:7:0:0}};" | ~
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Eel conger|Eel, conger]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Benign
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|7
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Arctic ocean, Temperate ocean
|}

=== Amphibious ===
{| style="margin:1em 1em 1em 0;background:#F9F9F9;border:1px #AAA solid;border-collapse:collapse;" class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:#F2F2F2;text-align:center;"
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Symbol
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Name
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Type
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Size
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" class="unsortable"|Biome
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000;padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:7:0:0}};" | C
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Cave crocodile]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Predator
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|10
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Subterranean water
|-
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;" |
{| style="border-spacing: 0; background: black; padding: 0.2em; border: 1px solid white; margin: 0.1em auto"
|-
! style="font-size: 200%; background: #000; padding: 0.1em 0.25em;color:{{COLOR:2:0:0}};" | f
|}
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|[[Frogman]]
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Predator
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|5
|style="border:1px #AAA solid;padding:0.2em;"|Subterranean water
|}
--[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 04:50, 8 March 2008 (EST)
:Perhaps it would be easier to automatically convert the raw data to wikitext than do this all by hand. That way we can avoid errors like listing dogs as benign. If you tell me what creature properties and format you want, I can start doing that. Although if you really prefer doing it by hand, I guess that's fine, too. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 11:48, 9 March 2008 (EDT)
:: If you can do that, it would be a lot easier ;)
The format I have for each row is this:
<nowiki>{{Creature table row|symbol= |color= (format X:0:X) |name= |type= |align= |size= |biome= }}</nowiki>--[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 12:13, 9 March 2008 (EDT)
::: Also, I'm curious to know what you would do to convert the raw data... --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 14:38, 10 March 2008 (EDT)
::Wrote a c++ program to do it. What do you mean by type? What values can type have? Also, you can see what it's currently producing [[User:VengefulDonut/r|here]]. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 19:11, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

::: I haven't used C++ in like 8 years... I've been meaning to brush up on it.... Anyway, I think what you have looks brilliant (and here I was using Copy/Paste like a sucker!) I was planning to use 'Type' to be able to group different creatures, such as Aquatic, Fliers, Natural, etc... but as I dig deeper into the various creatures, I'm seeing that it's very, very hard to split them up in a way that would make sense to someone who just wants to browse a list... we can't very well say "Type: Aquatic, Natural, Predator" and "Type: Flier, Intelligent, Evil", etc, it would end up being too cluttered... unless you can think of anyway to catogorize them in a sensible fashion, I say we just throw that column out... --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 23:22, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

::Hmm. Right now sorting by alignment doesn't mean very much. Perhaps we should split it into a good/neutral/evil column and a benign/neutral/savage column. With what I have now, adding more properties to pull and format won't take much effort. Is there anything else you think we could use? Maybe modvalue? It would be nice if we could have hideable table sections that would have other misc properties to sort by. Without that I guess we need to stick to those common to most creatures. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 01:52, 11 March 2008 (EDT)

::: It looks great! I'm going to go through and try to add in the missing creature pages. I realized that we could probably use the name of the file to determine the creature type... for example: creature_reptiles, creature_large_tundra, etc, could drop the "creatures_", and convert the remaining "_" into spaces... I don't know that it would be particularly necessary... --[[User:SeiferTim|SeiferTim]] 16:23, 11 March 2008 (EDT)

=== Magma Creatures ===

We really need a page just listing all the magma creatures and vermin. --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 22:52, 4 November 2008 (EST)

:[[Fire imp]], [[fire man]], [[magma man]], [[fire snake]]. That's it, according to the raws.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 18:48, 5 November 2008 (EST)

:: Think I should list that under the [[magma]] page. I was trying to search for "magma creature" and found nothing. --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 19:32, 5 November 2008 (EST)

:::Sounds good to me.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 23:34, 5 November 2008 (EST)

== Creation ==

Is there any way for you to make your own creatures for use in the game? You like messing around with the files and stuff? I really want to make Triffid you know from 'Day of the Triffids' [[User:Hoborobo|Hoborobo]] 11:52, 9 May 2008 (EDT)Hoborobo
:You can try the [[Modding Guide]]. [[User:Hex Decimal|Hex Decimal]] 12:36, 9 May 2008 (EDT)

== Spawning and Animal Offspring ==

Is there anything known about how creatures spawn naturally out in the "wild"?
I guess they just randomly walk in from the edge of the map at the beginning of a season unless they are like special event spawning in groups of 3 to 7 maybe.
Spawning might be different for animals and fish which have traits in common with vermin which spawn differently, I think.
I'm wondering if over hunting animals affects what animals enter the map.
I think extinction is only possible for megabeasts.
It doesn't seem to matter if a creature is tamed or not to be able to make children, all it needs is a female and male of the same animal and some code which I should someday learn to fiddle with.
I think there could be problems of making Megabeast children as they don't spawn as Megabeasts should.--[[User:Seaneat|Seaneat]] 12:17, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

== Named creatures ==

I think it should be noted that any creature that kills a dwarf receives a specific name. I noticed this a while back when wolves would kill my marksn00bs. My friend also concluded that this might be the case (All the elephants in his fortress had names. ;-) --[[User:PrettyGrizzly|PrettyGrizzly]] 05:46, 15 July 2008 (EDT)

:Yes, this can happen in both fortress and adventure mode. I guess hunters often give nicknames to dangerous/well-known animals that have been harassing local citizens. Note that your own wolves can get names as well. Also, I think that mass killings will cause even more names to appear, and possibly even a nickname as well? --[[User:AlexFili|AlexFili]] 05:36, 16 July 2008 (EDT)
::They don't appear to need to even be dangerous. I have quite the colony of cave swallowmen sharing the chasm with me, none of them have interrupted/attacked my dwarfs, but after about two seasons (right after the first dwarven caravan left) I got a whole swath of "The dwarves have given a resident Cave Swallowman the name ...". [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 12:01, 13 November 2008 (EST)
:::I'd think that may have to do with the fact that they're [INTELLIGENT].[[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 03:34, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

== Tamed Dangerous Creatures? ==

If you train a dangerous creature like a Tiger or alligator or Megabeast will they help you defend your fortress?

:I believe tamed creatures will attempt to run from danger, just like civilian dwarves, although I expect they'll fight to defend themselves if cornered. Trained creatures (e.g. War dogs) will attack, though. However, IIRC only dogs can be war trained at the moment. I believe it's possible to mod any creature to be trainable though - probably a simple operation if you learn the basics. [[User:MMad|MMad]] 17:57, 31 July 2008 (EDT)

Yes but on the wiki page for creatures it says that tiger's will help defend the fortress, and I can't really imagine a hydra running from a kobold archer...

== Missing Creatures pages ==

Several creatures lack even a basic page, leaving their entry red-linked. This includes such interesting monsters as gremlins and nightwings. Would any enterprising editors that know their way around the raw files be interested in creating these pages and filling them with the basic information? [[User:MMad|MMad]] 17:57, 31 July 2008 (EDT)

== healing rates ==

is there anywhere that says how long it takes for a creature to heal? my poor marksdwarf managed to inflict some slight injuries to an iron man before the iron man beat the marksdwarf to pulp ... is the iron man gonna get better or not?

my postscript is, novices with obsidian short swords seemed more effective than marksdwarves against the iron man.[[User:GarrieIrons|GarrieIrons]] 23:27, 10 September 2008 (EDT)

== The dwarves have given a resident Cave Swallowman the name Ducim Isethilral. ==
They can do that now? What gives? Someone explain me. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 23:19, 28 September 2008 (EDT)
:Basically, any creature near your fortress that is suitably badass can be given a name by the Dwarfs. For example, if the creature in question has a high kill count or something similarly infamous. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 09:12, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
::But these cave swallowmen did nothing. Just flew 'round. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 14:38, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
:::He may be a historical badass, was he named on embark or have you been there for a while before it happened? Perhaps [[Urist]] just likes him for his coloration. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 20:24, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
::::I'll have to check the preferences of my original seven dwarves, then. I was there for like about 3/4 of a year before they were all named. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 20:37, 29 September 2008 (EDT)
:::::As per my new comment above, it seems that dwarves may just decide to name wild creatures that don't migrate in and off site after a few seasons. [[User:HeWhoIsPale|HeWhoIsPale]] 12:10, 13 November 2008 (EST)

:Any creature who kills another named creature gets a name. Some creatures have a history and start out with a name (I had a named tiger at my fort when I first started out). Any individual creature that your dwarves encounter often or long enough (not sure of the exact details) gets named by the dwarves, even if they do nothing special. I had a few zombie cave swallowmen and batman that were named by my dwarves, though they only did so about 4 years in. There were dozens more that were not encountered by my dwarves until I finally sent someone to kill them all -- none of them got a name.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 13:06, 13 November 2008 (EST)

== Value of creatures ==

I'm rather sure the value of caged creatures must have something to do with it's modvalue. However, I don't see it stated clearly anywhere. Anyone help? (Probably a good thing to add to the page)

:This was mentioned in the page cleanup section above. I think it's a great idea. Plus it might be useful to show the modvalue on individual creature pages. (I mean, who's to know that a [[Bonobo]] hide is worth less than [[Naked mole dog]] hide? That's news to me.) [[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 18:34, 26 August 2009 (UTC)
:Can't find the value of a wizards hide on the wiki, going to have to dig in the RAWs for the answer guess. [[User:3lB33|3lB33]] 20:54, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

== Metamorphosis ==

This is rather weird. I had 7 elks on my map when I started, just by the (frozen) brook (I remember for sur because I looked them up). I dig out stuff, make stockpiles, start to build farms and then I look around the brook again. At exactly the same spot, there is now 7 two-humped camels.
No more elks on my map, at all (also checked on the units page). What the hell? For the info, my game isn't modded at all and I didn't leave the game meanwhile. Is it possible for wild animals to leave the map or am I facing some supernatural metamorphosis/bug here? Do elks become two-humped camels when they lose their horns lol?
It's rather annoying because it seems elks are less violent then camels.

I have had animals come and go, so I am pretty sure that this is a normal happening. the number is probably just a coincidence. also, sign your posts with -- ~ ~ ~ ~ (without the spaces) --[[User:Destor|Destor]] 19:46, 5 November 2008 (EST)

== Creature Skill Increases ==

I've been looking around for this, and I haven't been able to find it so far, figured this was the best place to ask. Do creatures gain skill increases? And, in the case that they do, do they show up on their general profile? I've seen Kobolds and Goblins with varying levels of strength, but I'm not sure if that's because they're one of the "civilization" species or not. I'm asking this because I've got a school of Carp in the river (and I'm carefully avoiding them right now, no casualties yet except one [possibly mentally challenged] puppy); I've been sending out migrants I don't want to fight them (to their deaths, of course... Forty Carp make the river run red with the blood of civilians).

While I plan to use a safer method to dispose of them than waves of trained Marksdwarves eventually, should I be worried about Carp strong enough to nudge mountains around and faster than your average Horse?
[[User:Pariah|Pariah]] 01:47, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

:I, too, would like to know if creatures have actual stat increases. I've never seen any evidence of it, as a war dog that survives many sieges tends to still have the same chances of being killed in the next one. And I've never received messages like "Musk Ox has become more skilled". Even so, I wonder if megabeasts become stronger over time or not. Personally, I think it'd be wicked if that were the case, because then, if megabeast population becomes really low, and a long time has passed, the remaining megabeasts would be INTENSE. Er... Sorry for the random speculation. I'm going to go see if I can mod something crazy now. --Kydo 10:10, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

== Dragon Breeding? ==

I managed to capture first a female, then a male dragon, both in cage traps, and tame them both. Is there a chance that they will reproduce? And does the fact that the female has a broken neck/upper spine/lower spine going to make a difference? They're out of the cages now and locked in the same room, albeit on chains. Perhaps they just have a really long gestation period, but I've had them a couple of years now.
[[User:BadBoris|BadBoris]] 02:39, 14 July 2009 (EST)

:From what I'm reading of the object data, they don't have any information on any kind of young born, nor growth rate, nor gestation period. Also, they're megabeasts. They're just sort of created at the start of the world, and die off from there on out. If they did bear young, their population wouldn't decrease, or at least not as rapidly, and one of the major factors for the end of world generation would be made irrelevant. 's'what I think, anyways. --Kydo 10:06, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

40d Talk:Fire imp

2010-03-13T03:27:55Z

71.194.101.232: /* Fire imp and olmman teamup */

== Wrestling? ==

I just had a mechanic get attacked by one. He moved into its tile (I assume to wrestle) and instantly died of heat. Should this be noted?--[[User:Shadow archmagi|Shadow archmagi]] 19:59, 28 February 2008 (EST)

:That is the imp using his fireball attack on a stupid dwarf, so I guess it's already in the article --[[User:MagicGuigz|MagicGuigz]] 20:27, 3 October 2008 (EDT)

::Just to verify, its very possible to wrestle imps and magmamen to death. I had to do this after embarking, I didn't realize the lava tube would be right next to my wagon and immediately fire imps attacked. I drafted all of my dwarves and wrestled all 3 of them to death, as well as the magma man who came out later. The only dwarf I lost (my woodcutter) was due to a stray fireball. [[User:Forsaken1111|Forsaken1111]] 22:43, 16 October 2008 (EDT)

== Defensive Uses ==

I'm currently exploring the defensive uses of fire imps after bagging a few in cage traps. They don't seem too keen on fireballing goblin attackers, which was my original plan (had them confined behind some fortifications, but they wouldn't fire on the goblins). Further experiments required, or can someone confirm that they won't attack anyone but my dwarves? --[[User:TangoThree|TangoThree]] 16:35, 31 March 2008 (EDT)

::is it possible to tame fire imps with the dungeon master? [[User:Hoborobo|Hoborobo]] 14:12, 12 June 2008 (EDT)

:::There is no PET_EXOTIC tag, so no.[[User:StrawberryBunny|StrawberryBunny]] 09:35, 8 August 2008 (EDT)

::::Is there a safe way to move fire imp fat? If so, you could put it above your fortress entrance and drop it on invaders since it always burns. I really wish armor made from fire imp hide would protect from burning. [[User:Forsaken1111|Forsaken1111]] 22:45, 16 October 2008 (EDT)

:Your fortress is probably long gone by now but for anybody else looking for an answer to the question, one solution would be to chain some pets behind doors connected to levers. If you open the doors, the fire imps will (probably) fire at the pets. Purportedly, this works with giant cave spiders, though some hold that the gcs needs to be able to path to its victim. [[User:CptFastbreak|CptFastbreak]] 11:57, 24 October 2008 (EDT)

:Ok, now I did some experimenting. First, seven tiles is too short for a fire imp with the pressure plate right in front of the bridge, the bridge likely needs to be 10-12 tiles wide. But I also seriously doubt the feasibility of fire imps in defense. For one, it seems that fire imps will not shoot through fortifications, regardless if they can path beyond it. Using a moat made the imp fire a single shot, after that he sat quiet for maybe 2-3 game days, and only then he proceeded to attack the delicious puppy I had chained for him. Overall, I reckon the fire imp is too unreliable to be used in a defense situation. [[User:CptFastbreak|CptFastbreak]] 16:42, 24 October 2008 (EDT)

== A vast understatement! ==

"Fire imps are nasty little creatures that live in magma vents."

Nasty little creatures doesn't cut it. Every time I settle on top of a volcano, an imp will surface, get pissed at anything, be it an immigrating dwarf or a muskox, and cause a wildfire! The worst part is that there is no message for "The world is burning!" so I end up losing a dwarf or two before I notice it!

I think the worst was I lost both of my initial miners because they decided to take a break in the path of the fire. They got the hint when I gave the order "everyone inside" but it was too late, they burned up before they could make it back inside.

That being said, I find some vertical nickel bars do wonders in securing my magma forges from imp tampering. They're a definite "must bring" on any volcanic expedition.--[[User:Alkyon|Alkyon]] 23:02, 23 October 2008 (EDT)
(I didn't know to sign my posts when I wrote this, sorry.)

:Actually I thought that the world burning problem (glitch?) is pretty awesome, except when it burns up your entire booze stock in one go--[[User:Jackrabbit|Jackrabbit]] 22:21, 23 October 2008 (EDT)

::I do think the forest fires are cool too, but it would be nice if it had a warning, perhaps triggered by maybe an external growing past a certain size. It's just the imps cause them every time I've turned my back on them. Also, hunters and imps don't mix.--[[User:Alkyon|Alkyon]] 23:02, 23 October 2008 (EDT)

== crush? ==
''WARNING: Fire imp fat never stops burning. It's also immune to fire damage. Therefore you must crush fire imp fat to stop it from burning.'' - How do you crush it? [[User:Random832|Random832]] 09:31, 24 October 2008 (EDT)
:Probably with a [[cave-in]]. You can manufacture these by building an up ramp and a support, with some floor constructions above it. Link the support to a lever and throw the lever to cause the floor constructions to collapse. You'll definitely want to set a restricted area in the 3x3 zone around the imp fat, plus maybe suspended wall sections (which keep dwarves from standing there when they try to build) to keep some idiot from accidentally setting himself ablaze, though. --[[User:ThunderClaw|ThunderClaw]] 10:53, 24 October 2008 (EDT)
:: Why not simply build a bridge? --[[User:MagicGuigz|MagicGuigz]] 11:28, 24 October 2008 (EDT)
:::Forces you to get closer to the fat itself, so it's more hazardous work. You also can't apply multiple dwarves to the project, and it uses a similar amount of material. Definitely would work, though. --[[User:ThunderClaw|ThunderClaw]] 11:34, 24 October 2008 (EDT)
::::A bridge wouldn't work - you can't build a bridge that's raised by default, so the dwarves have to move the fat out of the way, and thus are set on fire. Also the butcher's shop gets in the way too. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 14:30, 24 October 2008 (EDT)
:::::What happens if you flood the area with water? Just get a lot of steam? Maybe if you could find a way to move it, you could use fire imp fat to set up a steam bath for dwarves. --[[User:Forsaken1111|Forsaken1111]] 22:11, 2 November 2008 (EST)~

== Do Imps, Magma Men and Fire Men respawn? ==

Do they? or is just killing them once enough?
Incidentally, fire imps aren't all that tough. I had a mason (undrafted) dodge a fireball then wrestle one to death, THEN run away screaming. Unfortunately, dwarves tried to build floors next to a bridge, tossing half my party down the chute =/.
--[[User:Blargityblarg|Blargityblarg]]

:I have never seen chasm/pit/magma creators respawn (40d). I understand that in previous versions they did.--[[User:Kwieland|Kwieland]] 14:39, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

:No I have never seen any fire-x creature respawn, and this is quite sad especially if they are so vulnerable. I wanted to make a "fire imp death chamber" for insolent nobles and when I went to investigate my magma pipe, all I saw were fire imp bones everywhere thanks to my insolent hunters (whom I will sacrifice now too). --[[User:Gamli|Gamli]]

== verify? ==
"When a fire imp [[corpse]] is [[butcher]]ed, clouds of "boiling fire imp fat" will briefly bubble out from the [[Butcher's shop]], which can ignite nearby items or [[cloth]]es (at least one butcher has perished to this fate"

I just butchered 4 imp corpses with no sign of that. They were killed in battle - may this only apply to trap caught live butchered imps?

"Fire imp fat never stops burning. It's also immune to fire damage. Therefore you must crush fire imp fat to stop it from burning."

I also see no sign of that. I turned fat into tallow and put it on my food stockpile - no sign of fire or anything. --[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 21:07, 3 August 2009 (UTC)

:I can confirm the explosion from fat - it's random, from a small "pfft" to a massive fireball. I strongly suspect that the fat rarely survives this (any more?), and is gone afterward. I've butchered dozens of imps, all from combat, and every time I get ''some'' sort of effect, if only a small puff - the butcher has just enough time to run before the explosion, and I don't think(?) I've ever seen "Fire Imp fat" left over afterwards.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 21:45, 3 August 2009 (UTC)

::<nowiki>*headesk* *headesk* *turns on temperature* *headesk*</nowiki> --[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 14:03, 4 August 2009 (UTC)

I've seen fire imp fat behave in two ways - sometimes, the fire imp fat will instantly boil away in a red cloud and disappear, and sometimes it'll catch fire and cause horrendous amounts of smoke to emanate from the workshop. In my latest fortress, I managed to get the latter, but when I deconstructed the workshop (as a precursor to preparing a cave-in), the fat simply vanished into thin air. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 15:07, 1 September 2009 (UTC)

== Why their fat boils and stuff ==

Finally figured out what I think is a solid theory. I've tested it, and everything seems to mesh. Wrestling a fire imp fresh out of the magma will set the wrestler's clothes on fire, ''without'' the imp ever breathing fire. Butchering the same imp will result in a cloud of boiling imp fat (though I've yet to see injuries more severe than brown; my butcher rested in bed for literally about 5 real world seconds, then went right back to work). Knocking the imp out on top of flammables can set them on fire, if it remains still long enough. And the meat can set wooden barrels on fire when stored. If the imp is allowed to run around for a season or two, however, it cools down enough to be handled safely (including the fat, which doesn't boil and can be rendered normally). I'm not sure of the minimum time to reach a safe temperature. I also believe it's possible for an imp to reach just the right temperature that the meat doesn't ''immediately'' set a barrel on fire, but transfers heat slowly until it appears to spontaneously combust. This has been confirmed by heating iron weapons with magma briefly, then storing them in a wooden bin. Varying temperature is also most likely why some fat boils, some burns, and some makes delicious ≡fire imp tallow roasts≡, though I didn't do enough testing to produce burning imp fat.

Dwarf Fortress is insane. --[[User:Arrkhal|Arrkhal]] 02:20, 4 January 2010 (UTC)

== Fire imp made it through a locked door??? ==

It ruined my entire map, I had 2 doors connecting the magma pipe to the surface, I had them both locked and sealed tightly, later on I get a warning that someone is bleeding to death, I look, and my entire map is on fire and 2 people are dead. The rest committed suicide.

I reclaimed but somehow the ashy wasteland with unicorn bones everywhere just doesnt feel as mirthful as it used to. --[[User:Radical|Radical]] 08:30, 28 January 2010 (EST)

== Fire imp and olmman teamup ==

I just watched an olmman chase a mountain goat around the map, curious whether he would catch it, when the goat turned towards the magma pipe. A fire imp was sitting just outside the pipe, so I was looking forward to a fight between the three creatures... but the fire imp just roasted the goat (after a few close misses), then went back to his magma. The olmman survived completely unhurt... well, survived the fight anyway. The !!Mountain Goat corpse!! set fire to the grass and trees around it and that killed the olmman. Talk about a late revenge.
The main point is though, the fire imp was completely uninterested in attacking another aggressive creature, but chased the non-aggressive one down as soon as he noticed it. Seems all aggressive wildlife counts as one big team, not just fire beings.
--[[User:Syndic|Syndic]] 18:45, 4 February 2010 (UTC)

::If this remains true in DF 2010, then it definitely should be posted under the creatures section. [[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 03:27, 13 March 2010 (UTC)

40d Talk:Your first fortress

2010-03-11T22:39:41Z

71.194.101.232: /* Have to be in contact with dwarves? */

=Other=
===== Content from [[Getting started]] =====
The goal of this page is to explain in detail, and for newbies, how to:
#Generate a world (possibly from a seed)(probably will link to article(s) on the topic)
#Pick a fortress location
#Name your fortress and starting group
#Buy skills and items, for the biome type picked in #2 (probably will give the newbie build from the [[starting builds]] page)
#Play the first month or two of the game, for the biome type picked in #2
I don't know how to write an article that does this, but I do know that this is what this article should be. 
--[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:19, 2 November 2007 (EDT)

I'd like to avoid having an overabundance of tutorial articles again. It sounds to me like all of the above would fit into [[Your first fortress]] just as easily. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 12:00, 2 November 2007 (EDT)

:Should we go ahead and just #redirect it?--[[User:Draco18s|Draco18s]] 12:07, 2 November 2007 (EDT)

::Done. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 12:14, 2 November 2007 (EDT)

===== Recording a Movie =====
I was thinking that someone could record a movie following the steps given here, as a visual aid. As DF is very structure-based it would help to visualize how the fortress is supposed to look. [[User:Memo|Memo]] 15:13, 4 November 2007 (EST)

=Choosing a location=
==Your surrondings==

===== flux, iron, etc. =====

Is it really necessary to recommend a sedimentary layer? You don't really need to start with iron at all, you can just let the goblins import it for you and melt their armor for an essentially infinite supply. Unless this changes at the end of Army Arc I'm not sure starting iron is needed.

*Who said this? Anyway, goblins aren't that reliable, at least in the early years. I've settled in everything but Terrifying regions and I've yet to be sieged or raided. Kobold thieves up the wazoo but no goblins except the odd snatcher. [[User:Corona688|Corona688]] 19:24, 30 October 2008 (EDT)
*Melting is a terrible way to get metal unless you have magma, that's pretty much impossible to argue. Goblins show up at population hurdles, though, so you probably just haven't gotten big enough yet. Regardless, iron-level equipment can be replicated with masterwork leather and bone equipment. Iron is far from critical. Helpful, but not critical. --[[User:ThunderClaw|ThunderClaw]] 20:23, 30 October 2008 (EDT)
*_IF_ you have a magma source, you can also easily strip human and dwarven caravans of all their iron/steel items if you want to. Plus order more bars. This is terrible under an economic point of view, but even a single skilled stonecrafter will turn out more wealth than you ever reasonably need, so from your second or third year on this should not be a problem. Especially since you hardly ever need iron or steel except for high quality weapons and armour. [[User:Qwertyu|Qwertyu]] 07:31, 5 November 2008 (EST)
*:I have to second this. Between goblins and traders you can eventually amass a couple hundred iron (or steel if you've got access to flux). Masterwork leather is really not too bad, but masterwork steel is 2.67 times better, plus metal armor can be layered. Masterwork leather armor offers 20 points of protection; to this you can potentially add a masterwork coat, totaling 35. However, if you add steel chain and plate over that, you can get up to 155/115 for the upper body. And you need it: I've seen dwarves get head injuries when sparring even when wearing a top-quality steel cap ''and'' steel helm. I just got through a siege where one dwarf who is an adept armor user and high master shield user received a brown neck injury (and lost an eye) despite a exceptional steel cap and helm and shield. It was probably the elite bowman that did it. Without all that steel, she'd probably be pulp now. It may be a lot more trouble to get your steel through melting than smelting, but get it any way you can.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 22:23, 7 November 2008 (EST)

===== Have to be in contact with dwarves? =====

"You will want to be in contact with dwarves to get immigrants and a dwarven trading caravan."

Is it even possible to settle somewhere without dwarves? --[[User:Juckto|Juckto]] 18:18, 24 May 2008 (EDT)

:Nope. Even on a volcanic island on the opposite side of the map from any dwarven mountainhome, caravans visited. It's worth noting that the local map was all land, but still they took ships over to get to the island itself, I suppose.--[[User:Dadamh|Dadamh]] 14:49, 30 May 2008 (EDT)

::Ships don't exist. <tt>"Boats are the enemy of tiles. And tiles are the enemy of boats." --Toady One</tt>
::They don't need to, either - the caravans just bring along seven units of lava, one block of green glass, and a legendary glassmaker. Once they get to the beach, they turn a tiny patch of sand into an ocean-spanning bridge.
::That, or they tunnel under the ocean with an unskilled miner - he'll become legendary soon enough. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 23:01, 30 May 2008 (EDT)

:::Well, I sort of meant it as a joke. Off-screen boats. My entire tile was flat land, but they still got there somehow, so I was supposing boats over the water.--[[User:Dadamh|Dadamh]] 07:32, 31 May 2008 (EDT)

::::What if every map edge is water (ex. really large embark zone on a really small island)? What would happen then? [[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 22:39, 11 March 2010 (UTC)

=Buying Skills and Items=
==Skills==
===== Skill choices =====
I know skill choices are largely a matter of preference, but the inclusion of a Bookkeeper, Manager, Expedition Leader, and Broker in the landing party definitely merit a mention, as well as whether or not a beginning player should throw a few skill points at improving his Broker's and Leader's key skills. Being able to talk that first dwarven caravan into throwing some extra sides of meat in could mean the difference in survival for a newer player.--[[User:Xazak|Xazak]] 19:29, 3 November 2007 (EDT)
:I agree with this. When I make a new Caravan, I often make a Leader-type with ONLY leader/trade related skills. Even just having the ability to SEE the values of the items (even if you have them memorized) helps aid in making a good first-year trade session. And the first-year Dwarven caravan doesn't expect a large profit. I've done large deals with them that only netted them a 10-coin profit. --[[User:Nekojin|Nekojin]] 12:45, 14 November 2007 (EST)

I think good bridging points are the seasons and end of the years; To aid readability and to separate into chunks, I think a listing of 'things to accomplish by winter', 'things to accomplish by spring (your first immingants!)', that sort of thing -- To avoid having a gigantic page, it might be better to split them off into "your first year", "your second year", especially because the gameplay changes signifiantly when you start getting nobles and your construction focus starts to shift from mere survival into making your dwarves happy, trading, and onward to economy and such. If people are interested in taking this approach, I'd certainly help with the writing. [[User:Bhodi|Bhodi]] 13:10, 4 November 2007 (EST)

Current skill list could be improved. Gem setter? Just wait for immigrant... Starting points can be spent in better ways. Mechanic/architect won't have time for architecture if he has well-planned day. Woodcutting goes up really quick. 4 points in axedwarf will give you enough active defense for everything that isn't strong enough to force you to lock all dwarves underground. Weaponsmith isn't really needed at start. Your unskilled dwarves aren't good fighters, and this 20-40% damage won't change much. Proficient in herbalism is too much. It's either only to bootstrap aboveground farming or to replace it entirely (for starting fortresses) in which case you don't need grower skill. --[[User:Someone-else|Someone-else]] 16:35, 24 April 2008 (EDT)
:Speaking of gem setters, they're completely worthless because it takes more time to stud 300 exceptional mugs with gems than it takes to make 300 masterwork mugs. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMario]] 16:50, 24 April 2008 (EDT)
::Hey now, the point of gem setting (after you've gotten a legendary one of course) isn't to stud your mugs, its to decorate those statues/thrones/tables/doors for the king or just general enjoyment of the fortress. Its not like you need gems or gem-studded objects for trade, buying out caravans is so trivially easy without that. And if you're going to stud a tradegood with gems, stud something with more intrinsic value than a mug - even a masterwork one isn't worth all that much.
::More generally on skills, i've been finding that once you get comfortable with the game you want to load up on skills that are harder to level up. I haven't even been starting with miners my last couple games, leveling miners is pretty easy. I often grab dwarves who can do one to two of the following: Carpentry, Building Design, Masonry, Mechanics, Weaponsmith, Armorsmith, Metalsmith. After that, choose one of Clothier or Glassworker (and possibly grab some related profession skills). Make sure one dwarf has leader skills (I prefer 1 in each of Negotiator/Appraiser/Judge Intent/Persuader/Consoler). Combine these as you see fit (though I generally combo Architect/Mason and make my Mechanic my broker/trader/bookkeeper/hopefully leader). And make sure to get a Brewer/Grower to handle your food needs (starting with a trained cook I find to be less important than a trained brewer). Anything left I put into other possibly useful and hard to train skills - gem cutter or setter being most typical. The real trick is suitably micromanaging the 'easy-train' necessary jobs to avoid polluting your desired mood skill before the first wave of immigrants arrive. I've also been starting with an anvil most of the time too, and crafting my axe (and sometimes my picks, although you don't save much doing that).
::Which isn't to say beginners shouldn't start with some experienced miners and so forth. But the herbalist is wholely unnecessary (I've only above ground farmed once, and that was for dye plants and 4 years in). It would be more worthwhile to recommend they start in an area with a soil layer to make underground farming easier (and soil layers seem to be pretty common). But the starting advice recommends so much food that the only difficulty is figuring out how to irrigate, not having the time to do so before they run out of food. Finally, defensive skills are overrated. You want defense? That's what the mechanic is for. Stonefall traps are far more reliable than a military dwarf, and won't take ages getting into position, be sleeping/eating/drinking when you need them, or take an unlucky hit and die instead of finishing the critter. Far too much of a gamble, especially for a new player. (Kobold thieves are easily dealt with by drafting everyone within a small radius, or just letting it run away if only one dwarf is nearby - they won't try to engage your dwarves once spotted - or by dogs for that matter).
::--[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 01:31, 30 April 2008 (EDT)

I have a concern that fisherdwarf is a suggested skill. If you are along a river or ocean, chances are any fisherdwarves will be horribly mauled by deadly carp and longnose gar. Fish are deadly enough to any dwarves getting a drink from a river without tempting fate by actually fishing. One dwarf dying along a river creates a deadly cycle of dwarves attempting to loot the body and then being killed by fish.--[[User:Quartic|quartic]] 14:19, 30 May 2008 (EDT)

Of note, if your map has at least one layer of sand, it's better to spend your skill points on your miners into something else like mechanics instead of mining. Sand digs fast even with unskilled miners and they skill up at a fast rate. A much faster rate then any trade-skill, so it's a far more efficient setup. Also, if you embark to any location with stone a Proficient Stonecrafter is essential for generating wealth and more importantly clearing up all the stone laying around.--[[User:Robbox|Robbox]] 20:25, 17 October 2008 (EDT)

===== Dwarf with appropriate skills not necessarily the leader =====
I used a skill assignment similar to those recommended here and my presumptive leader with mining/judge of intent/consoler/appraiser/record-keeper/organizer was passed over for the weaponsmith/armorsmith. He was assigned outpost leader, manager, trader, and bookkeeper despite not having a single appropriate skill. And to really rub it it in, one of his traits is "never speaks out or attempts to direct activities." At least I was able to switch the jobs other than leader back to the right dwarf for the job (and I'm forcing the smith to smooth stone all day for his presumption.) One other factor that may have been involved is that the smith is friends with 5 others and the intended boss-dwarf has but one friend and one grudge. --[[User:Danny Rathjens|Danny Rathjens]] 02:12, 7 April 2008 (EDT)
:I believe giving the intended leader a couple points of social skills (Negotiator/Consoler/etc) prevents this, but it could use some testing. [[User:Walliard|Walliard]] 11:43, 4 November 2008 (EST)

===== Switching out Weaponsmith/Armorsmith =====
I was thinking, instead of switching out the weapon/armor smith for a fisher, you could switch them out for a craftsdwarf and remove 1 point from building design for fisherdwarf. --[[User:0todd0|0todd0]] 19:57, 1 September 2008 (EDT)

:The weapon/armor smith is certainly the weakest in this setup, I don't take him with me also. It mostly takes quite a while until you are ready to smelter stuff, usually having quite some migrants already at the time. And even if you have an untrained dwarf. Working with metal is seldom something you need to go really fast. So I for one always take 1 military trained dwarf (marksdwarf) with me instead of the smith, to take care of the early monsters, which can otherwise be quite a pain. --[[User:Catpaw|Catpaw]] 08:56, 22 September 2008 (EDT)

==Items==
=====Huh?=====
Is this still up to date? In the newest version of DF, you don't seem to spend money on skills, but rather use points from a collective pool. There doesn't seem to be enough points to even come close to creating the suggested group. I've never actually played a game (hence my consultation of the "first fortress" page), so I'm not sure if I'm just missing something, though. Any advice? --[[User:DuckAndCower|DuckAndCower]] 23:47, 29 April 2008 (EDT)

:Nevermind... I just realized I needed to remove items from the pool first. Maybe a note that you have to hit Tab to get to the items page would help? --[[User:DuckAndCower|DuckAndCower]] 23:52, 29 April 2008 (EDT)

::Personally, I can't seem to get rid of any items, and I only started with 200 points. Any tips? --[[User:MrGuy|MrGuy]] 08:08, 22 November 2008 (EST)

:::I haven't read over the redone article yet, so the following answer is said in ignorance of it, but that shouldn't matter.
:::To increase the number of items, press {{k|+}}, so to decrease, press {{k|-}}. This may not work with a laptop. If you are using a laptop, see [[Key_bindings]], which may help you. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:00, 22 November 2008 (EST)

=Beginning the Fortress=
==Intro==
===== Wall of text =====
I think the "Beginning the Fortress" section isn't very pleasant to read. The bullet points help a bit, but I think numbered ones (matching the "TOC" above it) would be a bit more helpful. I'd however prefer to split the steps using numbered headlines, then it'd clearly define each step and automatically be indexed at the top. Thoughts? --[[User:TwoD|TwoD]] 13:03, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
:That's beyond me, but anyone who can should feel free to clean it up and make it as readable as possible. --[[User:BahamutZERO|BahamutZERO]] 01:37, 3 November 2007 (EDT)

I believe the following sentence to be much to hard to understand for its continued existence:
"Stairs can go as deep as you want in a stack if you keep making up/down stairways on top of each other. You can continue stairs from both the top and the bottom of up/down stairways, but only from the bottom of downward stairways, and only from the top of upward stairways so only use the upward stairway or downward stairway when you're not planning to ever go further that direction."
[[User:Iluziat|Iluziat]] 02:23, 15 September 2008 (EDT)

== Trading ==
=====Anvil=====
The caravan is by no means guaranteed to bring an anvil the first year. (Out of ten games started and played through first year, I think I've gotten an anvil twice.) You can request one from the liason, though. I'd edit the entry myself, but I'm not certain how to word it without totally changing that whole paragraph.--[[User:Xazak|Xazak]] 15:41, 11 November 2007 (EST)

:I think that Humans always bring an anvil or two, but I may be wrong. [[User:Memo|Memo]] 17:02, 11 November 2007 (EST)
:: You are not correct, Memo. I've had fortresses that have gone anvil-less for 2 years before a Dwarven Caravan finally brought one (brought three, actually). Edit: The first year's caravans (Fall Dwarven, Spring Elven, and Summer Human) are largely randomized. I've seen vastly different products being brought in on all three of those, with roughly similar settlements and trade requests. --[[User:Nekojin|Nekojin]] 12:18, 14 November 2007 (EST)

===== Trading vs Growing=====
Is it just me, or is it much easier to teach people how to trade for food than it is to farm/grow/brew? I find one dedicated stonecrafter is more than enough to purchase all the food that can be possibly thrown at you, and will likely even be legendary by the time the second trade caravan comes along. For a "newb strategy" this might be the way to go instead of trying to explain floodgates and channels right off the bat. [[User:Weasello|Weasello]] 10:50, 21 March 2008 (EDT)

:Yeah, but you're forgetting something. If a trade caravan gets ambushed or if they don't sell anything to you, then you're in trouble. And of course, trading with an Elf is like trying to get blood out of a stone.
My recommendation is to get food three ways;
1) Grow Plump Helmet
2) Fish
3) Kill animals for meat.[[User:AlexFili|AlexFili]] 07:43, 30 April 2008 (EDT)

::Eeeeeexcept you don't know how to properly trade with the elves. As a general rule of thumb, if it once lived, don't sell it to them. Silk is fine, buy shit from the elves using the *cave spider silk sock*s you made from the dwarves' cave spider silk cloth that you bought with your *cat meat roast [40]*. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMario]] 15:16, 30 April 2008 (EDT)

:::Alternately, trade them craploads of stonecrafts. I mean, there are two ways to clear a fortress of excess stone (stone blocks and stonecrafts), and one of them provides tradegoods, so stonecraft like mad. You'll get nice clean hallways too. Mechanisms would almost work, except they can't be binned. They're also a great early trade good, but elves will complain about the weight - you can unload a couple on the elves generally though if you clear them out (supplemented by lighter things, like... stonecrafts). Mechanisms are far better for doing things like buying metal bars and an anvil off the dwarf caravan, because they're more value/mass than those are.
:::You can also unload all those Narrow Giant Spider Silk loincloths you'll start collecting on elves, just make sure to check for blood spatters - elves don't like those too much.
:::--[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 17:20, 30 April 2008 (EDT)

===== Office not required to meet with liaison =====
I met him in my barracks with no office built. :) --[[User:Danny Rathjens|Danny Rathjens]] 02:00, 7 April 2008 (EDT)
:I confirm. When I forgot to assign office to my Exp leader, he conducted meeting with liaison at meeting hall (designated from well)--[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 03:46, 7 April 2008 (EDT)

::I also confirm, my leader's thoughts included 'was embarassed to hold a meeting in a dining room'.--[[User:Dwarven Gemologist|Gemmy]] 13:35, 23 April 2008 (EDT)

:::Despite having built an office for him, he refused to use it while he was still an expedition leader - and received no bad thought because of it. From a different game, after becoming mayor he does receive an embarassed thought if no office is assigned. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 13:48, 23 April 2008 (EDT)

:I fixed this in the article a week ago. [[User:Anydwarf|Anydwarf]] 15:24, 23 April 2008 (EDT)

==Stockpiles==
===== Moving refuse stockpile inside =====
Section about stockpiles recommends moving all stockpiles inside as soon as possible. It's wrong thing as it creates miasma if not handled properly. Best thing that can be done is either making custom stockpiles - one for bones/shells/skulls (inside, near craftdwarf shop) and one for rest (outside, near tanner), designing special anti-miasma room for refuse or order dwarves to dump rotting things into water/magma/chasm etc.

You dont understand the point - if your miasma creating stuff is usually put outside, the shit hits the fan one or another way when u have the first siege or even only ambush. Made this clearer in the article.--[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 21:36, 23 April 2008 (EDT)

Just for an example, I store my refuge and graveyard in a nearby cave/mountain/basement. I usually make the corridors a bit more winding then usual, and I put a few doors in for an air-lock effect. a 5x5 refuge pit should be enough for the first year, and 1-3 coffins in the graveyard just in case. [[User:AlexFili|AlexFili]] 07:41, 30 April 2008 (EDT)

=Long Term Planning=
Should we add a section discussing what sort of population percentages might be assigned to various tasks once migrants start coming in? Or perhaps adding a page discussing Mid-game and Full Population fortresses and what people can do during them? --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 21:41, 25 October 2008 (EDT)

:Sure, I'd love to compare notes. I've got a late-game fortress right now with 164 dwarves. 50 are doing skilled work, 15 are soldiers, 17 are <s>leeches</s> nobles and children, and the remainder (82) are hauling full-time. Legendary dwarves of any sort can turn out so much product, you need like 3 or 4 haulers for each of them just to keep them supplied and their workshops free of clutter.

:Of those 50 skilled dwarves, 4 are miners; 7 are woodcutters who actually spend a lot more time wood hauling; 2-3 are bone carvers or wood crafters turning out practice bolts; one's a glassmaker; 2 are fisherdwarves (they waste most of their time hauling the fish they've caught); 3 are growers who actually haven't grown anything for like three years (they turned out about 5,000 plants in the early years, and booze-roasting and trading for food has kept the fort well-fed since then); one's a brewer/cook doing the booze-roasting; one's a mechanic who made most of my trade goods in the early years (he's mostly hauling these days though); one's a blacksmith churning out nickel bins; and 14 are furnace operators (I've got 3,000 bars, half of which are copper). Most of the hauling at this point is bringing ore to the smelters, bones and corpses to the carvers, and cramming all their output into bins. In the previous "phase", I had at least five dwarves doing everything they could to keep my forges clear of copper armor while I trained up an armorsmith to Legendary+5.

:Oh, and I also have a full-time miller getting rid of all this dimple cup I grew in the first years. Not sure why, I don't have any clothing industry to speak of. And a few of the soldiers with nervous injuries are killing wildlife for the bone carvers to process. I suppose I could butcher some of them but I've got too much meat and leather from the traders as it is. One of the soldiers has 13 goblin kills, 27 elephants, and over 100 other animals. Attaboy.

:The earliest phase of the fortress centered around the farms. After a few years I shut them down altogether and had about 40 clearing all the stone out of an enormous room near the magma pipe, then started up smelting operations. Everybody not involved with that started hauling all the food to the new fort center. The miners have continuously been seeking out ores and digging/widening corridors. Everybody sleeps in a big barracks. Bedrooms are for sissies.

:A few years back I sent some soldiers out to clear the chasm of hostiles, in concert with miners sent to breach their lairs. I've had three sieges and I think four ambushes, with few casualties. The worst losses I've had were to failed moods and The Ogre Incident in the first year. Been quite lucky in this fort. Wardogs took the brunt of the last siege, though I've been replenishing them through trade and still have 58 plus 10 untrained dogs.

:About a year ago I moved my depot to the back of the fortress, where the new operations are, and I finally bridged the chasm, which was visible from the surface and actually was a great natural defensive line against invaders from the south. (The new bridge path is heavily trapped.)

:I still haven't gone hunting for adamantine. I want to train another 20 marksdwarves first. I certainly have enough bolts for it now (about 6,000). And plenty of exceptional steel armor... which the recruits can't carry just yet.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 02:15, 26 October 2008 (EDT)

:Just thought I'd add my two cents to this... 275 dwarves (100 children, 48 soldiers, rest workers) I have 10 legendary masons that make blocks full time (for my castle/village I'm building), 4 smelters, 2 wood burners (no lava, kill me now!), 2 armorers, 2 weaponsmiths, 4 mechanics (gates/portcullis/pumps for fountains, etc.), 2 butchers, 2 tanners, 2 weavers, 2 clothiers, 4 brewers (you would be SHOCKED how fast 2k beer disappears with 100 children...), 2 weavers, 2 threshers, 4 planters (need plump helmets for food/beer, I import ~1000 meat a year to supplement my stocks...), 1 gem cutter, 1 gem setter, 4 miners, 4 woodcutters... 40ish haulers, and another 40 engravers/masons (who put up blocks full time). The rest... nobles, and people I'm too lazy to check their labor on.

:Noticing 15 years in my dwarves are invulnerable, 16 axedwarves is overkill when one can rout the goblin sieges (14 toughness, 10 agility, 9 strength... just one of them. He was originally a level 72 woodcutter... wonder how many trees that was?) Even my children usually have one or two maxed out stats when they hit puberty. God only knows what I'd do with the economy enabled, probably die. If you don't have any big construction works in mind, anything over 150 seems superfluous. --Gotthard 23:36, 9 November 2008 (EST)

=Rewrite=
I suggest an almost total overhaul for this article. The major headings are good, as are the images, but it kind of stops there. When talking about your first fortress, we should be explaining the core concepts of the game, providing links to more detailed reading, and encouraging the user to think for themselves, using examples to illustrate the concepts. The way this is set up is a loose example that railroads the user to a specific mold that doesn't even work that well for many people. We should refocus it onto a clear, full explanation of the interface and the considerations for getting started, then use a specific sample from a real game to show the thought process involved. Any other suggestions? --[[User:ThunderClaw|ThunderClaw]] 17:54, 30 October 2008 (EDT)

:I agree. Our "newbie overview" material is scattered all over the place and incomplete. The [[quickstart guide]] has a heavy focus on the interface, like I believe you're suggesting here, although it's really minimal. Other important stuff is scattered throughout the FAQs and [[:category:guides|guides]]. Then there's also [[Indecisive's illustrated fortress mode tutorial]], which is good in its own right, though there's a lot of redundancy between it and other pages. We need to do a lot of consolidation and streamlining of this advice.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 18:46, 30 October 2008 (EDT)

:Actually, in further scrutinizing this page, it's quite good; the only thing I could fault it for is that the recommended [[starting build]] is too specific, which is part of your complaint.

:What interface advice do you think is missing from this page?--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 18:58, 30 October 2008 (EDT)
::All the data is there, that's not my gripe. The gripe is that the way it's presented, you already have to know what you're looking for. Most guides that are attempting to introduce concepts will enumerate the concepts very clearly, then list specifics after it's been explicitly described what they're dealing with.

::For example: the descripion of the embark location screen.
# [[Temperature]], amount of [[tree]]s, amount of [[plant]]s, and a hint at the sort of [[Animal|wildlife]] at the center of the selection rectangle.
#* Look at the example picture again. Notice that you are told that you'll see no trees or plants here ([[mountain]]s being too high for either to grow), but that's only true for the exact center of the local area.
#* You'll notice that the local area includes some trees and plants on the edges, which is often all you need.
#* To get more information about the non-mountain areas you can press {{k|F1}} {{k|F2}} {{k|F3}} or {{k|F4}} to view the different types of [[biomes]].
# Nearby [[civilization]]s that are capable of interacting with you. Other settlements are shown with various symbols on the regional map.
#* You will want to be in contact with dwarves to get [[immigrant]]s and a dwarven trading caravan. However, dwarves are, sometimes seemingly magically, everywhere - it is impossible to settle anywhere without dwarves (assuming there is at least one surviving dwarf civilization).
#*You'll want to trade with [[human]]s and [[elves]] if possible.
#*[[Goblin]]s mean trouble, but it's hard to avoid them without hiding on an island and you will be attacked by Goblins some point in the game anyway. Just don't set up your first fortress right on top of a goblin fort.

::In this example, what does Temperature actually mean? How should I interpret the tree count? Why do I care how many plants there are? What is this nebulous hint about the kind of animals I'm going to run into? Aside from what I see in the example pictures, what should I expect to see? The answers to these are NOT obvious for newcomers to the game, but are taken for granted by veterans like us. The biome comments are one of the biggest offenders. I had to read this wiki for hours before I had a good handle on what the alignment and biomes added up to.

::We need ''introduction'', ''enumeration'', ''explanation'', ''example'', in that order. That is how all Prima strategy guides are written, that is how all instruction manuals are written, and that is how most academic textbooks are written, too. It is simply the best way to present alien information, especially when you are in possession of an exhaustive list of topics (which we are, in this case). Currently, we're extremely light on enumeration and and explanation, and too narrow-minded in the examples. Fixing all that is likely going to require a complete rewrite. --[[User:ThunderClaw|ThunderClaw]] 01:22, 31 October 2008 (EDT)

::: I suggest that if you want to "completely rewrite" a tutorial, it would be better to keep the tutorial as it is and write up a completely new one. A variety of examples is more useful than a single thoroughly edited tutorial. There are differences between a Prima Strategy Guide and a wiki. These differences should be harnessed in a way that empowers the wiki.
::: Here's an example that is beyond my own wiki-editing capabilities, but should give ThunderClaw what s/he's looking for without requiring a complete rewrite, or a new tutorial: create a "why" tag which, like the verify tag, allows newbies to easily ask for expansion. This could even be a FAQ-like new category, so that we could quickly edit this tutorial in small, easily managed chunks that more users would likely contribute to. Eg,
[[Temperature]], amount of [[tree]]s ([[why trees]]?), amount of [[plant]]s ([[why plants]]?), and a hint at the sort of [[Animal|wildlife]] ([[why hunt]]?) at the center of the selection rectangle.
::: Put another way, introduction to concepts and keyboard commands should be distinct content, and a step-by-step guide should contain only enough enumeration and/or examples to cover all exceptions once. Additional exploration should be available as links. But then again, that's just my take on it, and the prize goes to the guy who actually does the deed. --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 20:38, 4 November 2008 (EST)
::::That is a good way to deal with the ''example'' part of what I was talking about. It'll shorten the article fantastically for people who don't feel they need detailed explanations, but it doesn't address the other problems: bad enumeration and incomplete explanation. The bad enumeration part is really what's killing this guide most, because many times concepts run together and it's difficult follow.
::::This isn't just a 'Prima' thing, this is the fundamentals of technical/instructional writing that all engineers, scientists, mathematicians, researchers, and most liberal arts majors have to learn in college because it just panders to the way that humans traditionally process information and concepts. Wiki formatting and such will definitely be different from a paper strategy guide, but I still maintain that the writing in this article is fundamentally flawed because of the poor enumeration that leads to incomplete and confusing explanation.
::::Anyway, I'm going to do up a rewrite of this pretty soon. The history will always let us revert if everyone universally considers it crap. --[[User:ThunderClaw|ThunderClaw]] 10:07, 5 November 2008 (EST)

::::: To be clear, I wasn't questioning Prima's quality.
::::: It worked perfectly well for me when I first started playing a few weeks ago. For a certain subset of the population, the best way to learn is to make a bunch of random choices and then see why those choices are imperfect. Further, I question if it "panders to the way that humans process info," or if it merely panders to the way AMERICANS process info.
::::: Regardless, space is abundant and memory is cheap. What's wrong with keeping this copy intact as is, and then writing up a "Your First Fortress v2.0" guide, possibly based on this one? I still say that two guides are better than one. --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 18:18, 5 November 2008 (EST)
:::::Oxford follows the same rules that I'm advocating, so I seriously doubt it's 'just an american thing'. Toyko University also advocates writing like this. The problem isn't space, the problem is that it violates so many basic writing tenents that many people could find it unreadable. I'm glad it worked for you, but it certainly didn't for the community I tried to get into the game (who, incidentally, are from America, Canada, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Mexico), who almost universally called this guide confusing and frustrating. --[[User:ThunderClaw|ThunderClaw]] 12:59, 6 November 2008 (EST)

First part of the rewrite is done. We really need more images. Hopefully I'll be able to get to that soon. I'm going to finish with the actual play explanation a little bit later. Savok's play tutorial got branched off into a sample game, and not deleted. So far really it's just been an overhaul of how things are arranged. --[[User:ThunderClaw|ThunderClaw]] 12:59, 6 November 2008 (EST)

: Thanks for keeping Savok's guide somewhere. Really excellent work. I see what you mean about readability now. --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 21:52, 6 November 2008 (EST)

==Bringing along coal==
I modified the anvil embarking strategy to encompass bringing along coal and lignite as well as a single unit of charcoal; the problem with bringing a 1-1 ratio of charcoal to items for smelting is that while a single unit of charcoal costs 10☼, a unit of coal/lignite costs 3☼ and can produce 3 units of coke; a 27☼ discount after the first charcoal needed to start the coal industry.
:Oh, good call. I couldn't remember how much a hunk of charcoal costs when I was writing it. Thanks for the catch. --[[User:ThunderClaw|ThunderClaw]] 13:49, 6 November 2008 (EST)

==Food/Booze Numbers==
I think it would be very helpful to newbies to quantify how much food and booze they'll need per dwarf. I think the relevant pages say that a healthy dwarf drinks something like 9 units of booze per season, but newbies may not know. We might want to have a section that just tells them straight up how much food and booze 7 dwarves will go through in a year. If they've got that much, then they can rest assured that they won't starve their fortress to death.

Just a thought.
[[Special:Contributions/68.102.237.253|68.102.237.253]] 01:52, 22 October 2009 (UTC)
:That's more than covered under both [[starting build]] and [[food]] & [[drink]]. The numbers suggested in this article are enough for'' a year'' - that's ''more'' than ample, even for a newbie. (I bring enough for 1-1.5 seasons, depending on the expected challenges on the current map.) If they want, they can do the math (dividing by 4 seasons and then by 7 dwarves - not too tough.)--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 02:15, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

40d:Challenges

2010-03-11T04:56:04Z

71.194.101.232: /* World Domination */

:''Part of this article was originally taken from the DF forums thread [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=466.0 "Goal-Based Dwarf Fortress"].''

The general goal of [[Fortress Mode]] is to survive, acquire wealth, defend your stronghold, and become the capital of your civilization. However, many players find that fighting off repeated [[siege|sieges]], keeping their people alive, and expanding just aren't enough anymore. They begin to experiment with different sets of starting builds, arbitrary requirements and restrictions, and even feats of construction to appease Armok, in search of more difficulty and [[fun]]. These are some goals to attempt or use as inspiration.

==Pre-Embark Build Ideas==
Before you embark, you can optimize or sabotage your fortress from the very start, depending on how you distribute your points. After a few years, a well-developing fortress may or may not stabilize (depending on your idea of [[fun]]), leaving you to other challenges.

=== Diplomacy ===
* Six dwarves with only social [[skill]]s
* One skilled dwarf

Six courtiers of the king's court made some ill-advised remarks within earshot of the king, and as a result have been ordered to go found an outpost. They've hired you to make sure they survive. The six nobles only have social skills and refuse to do any work that is beneath them.

=== Minimalist/Survivalist build===

* 1 anvil
* 2 copper ore

Nothing else. From that alone, forge your pick and axe. (Figure it out yourself, or see the [[DIY#Minimalist_challenge_build|Do it Yourself]] article for a step-by-step "how to".)

===Peasantry===
* Spend 0 Points on embark

This challenge is moderately to very difficult, depending on the wildlife and outdoor food sources. Note that the three logs from the wagon are just enough to build a trade depot.

=== Stranded Scout Squad ===
* Military skills
* Weapons, ammunition, armor, war dogs
* Picks are not weapons

Your civilian 'friends' promised a caravan in the fall as they left, laughing. Hopefully, you can survive until then with your forward scouts.

==Races==
Pretend to be another race! You can mod the game or just pretend that Elves have hair. It doesn't matter what you look like, just what you build, with what materials, and what's for lunch after we build it.

===Elves - The Ultimate Hippy Challenge===
Peace, man.
* Don't gather plants except those you plant yourself.
* Don't gather wood nor trade for it with humans or dwarves.
* Trade for plants and wood only with the elves; they understand your environmental code.
* Don't burn any [[fuel|coal]]. Do you know what that does to the environment, man?
**Magma-smelting is an option, but steel can't be had.
* Don't cause any creature's death, except in self-defense.
**No military, induced submerging, or lethal implementation of corkscrews.
* Only use cage traps, and either tame the creatures you catch, or release them back into the wild.
* [[Elf|Hippies]] prefer sunlight and wooded areas, with minimal use of rock (digging and building).

For an extra challenge try this in an area with a cave.

===Humans - Living Large and Standing Tall===
Pretend you're a filthy above-ground dwelling [[Human|humie]].
* Build a town wall.
** Only hovels and farms outside the town walls.
* House your dwarves in small town homes
** 5-10 dwarves per house (they had pretty big families back in the day)
** Upstairs bedrooms, small dining room, maybe a single level basement.
* House your workshops according to profession, not convenience.
* Build warehouses for stockpiles, and set guards outside them.
* Create a keep, with its own wall, barracks, treasury, etc.
** House your nobles within the keep.
* Create a market square.
* Create a main street from the town wall to the market square and/or keep. Well-paved blocks, statues and decorative shubbery are a must.
* No underground connections between different areas.
* For obtaining stone, metal, etc. a mine may be built, but must have separate entrance from other buildings. It can be outside the fortress, but must not connect to the interior, or vice versa.
** If you create a side hill mine, only carve large (at least 2 tiles) tunnels, and create shaft to the surface to allow air circulation.
** Or better than that, create an open pit mine / quarry, with ramps to access lower floors.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Build a large, multiple-z-level fountain complete with decorations.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Human Inn, containing your only booze stockpile and should be party-oriented.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Farm simulation, complete with crops and free-range livestock, etc.
* BONUS: Easy Play: Embark on top of a Human Town.
* BONUS: Advanced Play: Modify the raws and actually use humans to make the fort.
* MEGABONUS: Build your entire fortress as [[mega constructions|one huge arcology]].
* MEGABONUS: Build your City in a giant, artificial cave.

===Luddite===
Shun technology and contraptions. Who can really trust them, with those [[Gremlin|gremlins]] around. This may be challenging, as it forbids easy isolation/defense from attacks, all traps and wells. Irrigation is reduced to solid elbow grease and maybe a bucket or two. This challenge may be even harder combined with another challenge.
* No mechanics or [[mechanism]]s
* No [[machine]]s

===Earthworms===
Live constantly tunneling. Churn up the soil as you go and visit the surface only rarely to collect the stuff you need..
* Create one long tunnel. Dig forward at one end whilst sealing off (collapsing, building walls across) the other end.
* Workshops should be built directly behind the row of miners. When they reach the point where they would be destroyed, take them apart and rebuild back by the miners again.
* To make it easier, you can come up to the surface now and then.
* Try to keep the tunnel as short as possible.
* Like this: ||||||||==========> (| is walled off end section, = is tunnel and > is the miners.
* BONUS: Leave those pesky nobles walled in as you tunnel away from them!
* BONUS: Leave stockpiles of armour and weapons for any future diggers to find!
* MEGABONUS: Surprise a goblin siege by tunneling up underneath them!

==Utter Dwarfiness==
Need new ways to behave or new techniques to dip your toes into? Give any or all of your starting 7 some quirks to live up to. Want to try making your Boss a hell-bent, paranoid despot? Or establish a routine mass murder of small animals to provide your fort with raw meat by a vaguely intimidating, estranged butcher?

===Bandit Camp===
* Three or more Marksdwarves (perhaps with [[Ambush|ambushing]])
* Embark site featuring places to hide

Attack and loot every enemy sentient creature you can find, such as goblins & kobolds. Develop sneaky and even horrific methods of trapping and 'processing' friendly sentients (merchants, diplomats, and even migrants). Take no prisoners and leave no evidence of foul play.

===City-States===
* All dwarves embark as peasants
* 7 or multiple of 7 of everything you bring (especially picks and axes)

At the start your dwarves split everything equally and move to 7 different locales that are not interconnected. They have to mine their own rooms, plant their own crops, use their own craft piles. This will probably require a bit of cross-fertilization until you get [[door]]s and can lock everyone in, but after that it is every dwarf for him/herself!

This challenge may be easier to perform after Burrows are implemented.

===Dwarftopia===
*Find a place that has at least magma, preferably with and underground river and/or chasm too; everything a fully self-sufficient underground city need.
*Embark only with dwarves that have max skills, with no more than one miner; but bring extra copper picks.
*Separate the fortress into 2 parts: a vibrant city above, and a depressed slum below.
**BONUS: Reverse the order; elite dwarves get to live underground, while the poor have to scratch a living off the surface.
*Throw all low-skill immigrants into the pits, were they will spend the rest of their lives (unless called up for the draft).
*'''DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES''' let said immigrants socialize whatsoever with the Elite; so nobody (who matters) will be upset when they die.
**BONUS: Make it impossible for anybody to escape by using trapdoors to drop them in and bridge-a-paults for sending goods out (preferably with a carp-based sterilization system).
***MEGADWARFBONUS: Set it all up so that none of the 'elite' have to do any work; all their needs are met by the laborers. Watch what happens and laugh as the laborers die out and high society breaks down.

===Equaland===
* No embark requirements
* Construct a successful fortress
* All dwarves are given equal attention regarding quarters, dining, armament and burial
* One dwarf elected to be "The Leader" commands a lever system capable of killing a single dwarf of your choice in their room, however you wish
* Allow the Leader (your id) free reign on his power, enforcing impossible and unannounced criteria on your other dwarves with death being the only punishment

===Hermit===
* Spend points ONLY on ONE [[Pick]]

A well known and popular challenge. Kill off 6 starting dwarves and any [[immigrants]] as they arrive, and try to make a living for the last dwarf. Turn away merchants. If they don't leave, kill them.

'''Variants'''
To moderate difficulty, feel free to allow these exceptions:
* Keep one male and one female dwarf as the Dwarven Adam and Eve.
* Keep your starting seven, but no immigrants.
* Selectively admit dwarves based on name, profession, etc.
* Embark with an anvil as well.

===Hunting Party===
* One Marksman+Ambusher
* One Cook+Farmer
* One Brewer+Farmer
* Four exclusively social dwarves
* Embark with no anvil, many hunting dogs, into a challenging biome (terrifying areas may have no supply of wood)

===Immigration and customs enforcement===
* One miner/mason/architect
* One woodcutter/carpenter/architect
* Five military dwarves
* Embark into a canyon or on a road
* Don't embark with an anvil

Spend the first year building fortifications to interdict traffic. Immigrants can build a town around you, but your original seven dwarves remain dedicated to their mission (purely military in purpose).

==="Let Loose the Dogs of War"===
* No military Dwarves are permitted, including Fortress Guard.
* No weapons or armor may be forged, and any obtained from looting must be melted down.
* War dogs must be your only form of attack and defense.
** Bonus : No traps or defense mechanisms of any kind may be utilized, only dogs.

===28 Days Later===

*Embark at a terrifying biome(Scary Biome), make sure there are zombie somethings. Set up a five thick wall around your camp. Never leave the perimeters. All migrants would be wandering survivors, let them in or don't, as they might be infected.
*Bonus: If you have "reason" to believe the migrants are infected, sacrifice them to the Blood God. Remember he loves Magma.
*Bonus: Only Marksdwarves for defence, You shouldn't get near the zombies, as they bite.If they are wounded, they must be quarantined, and shall therefore die.
*AdvancedPlay: Add zombie to the creatures list and set them as [EVIL].
Bonus: Send one heroic guy to save the migrants from the zombies, like in 28 days later.
Remember Elves can not be trusted and should be treated as infectees, and should be Dwarven atom smashed(Magma and Chasms work equally well).(Note this is also true for normal Dwarf Fortress).
*Elf skin clothing anyone?
*Keep a diary from one of the characters perspectives, to be read when the world is repopulated.

===Master Of One===
Pre-Embark:
* All starting dwarves must have only one skill

Post-Embark:
* No changes are allowed on any dwarf's labor screen, except to ''disable'' hauling labors (enabling hauling is forbidden)
* All immigrants must stay with the profession(s) they arrive with
* All peasants must be activated into the military

'''Variant:'''
*Only allow one dwarf for each skill to remain in your fort (1 mason, 1 miner, 1 farmer, etc.). Slaughter or draft all other dwarves.

===Monarch with a grudge===
* Forbid any and all use of stone and metal
* No exposed tile may be labeled "Underground"
* Artifacts containing stone and metal are to be destroyed '''utterly''' (magma or the [[Dwarven_Atom_Smasher|DAS]])

"Nay, no ponderous stone doors or shining silver arcades, not while I live!"
The new king has decided rocks and metals can no longer be used in construction. He'll be overthrown shortly, but in the meantime construct your fortress without them.

'''Variants'''
* Embark with no construction materials, into an area devoid of trees.
* Construct a fortress made entirely out of glass. Try not using magma or limit yourself only to clear and crystal glass.
* Build with soap bars. Show those elven traders just how much you despise their philosophies by building with stuff derived from dead trees ''and'' dead animals. Cats are an excellent source of tallow.
* Choose one type of rock, one type of metal, one type of gem, one type of wood, and optionally one type of glass. All constructions can only use those types in their construction. An easy way to enforce this with stone is to mark all but your choice "Economical".
* Bonus points: Stone is forbidden along with digging

===Noblesse requiro===
* Construct a fortress only to please nobles (who, for the sake of this challenge, are all criminally psychotic)
* Criminals who deserve justice should be incarcerated, tortured, and executed for ''any'' offense. Use your imagination for every step of the process. Remember, there is no right to a fair and speedy trial in Armok's eyes.
* All Nobles must be treated to the highest quality living conditions
* All others must be treated to the bare minimum needed to physically keep them alive
* Elected nobles are to be treated as regular dwarves, but mandates hold equal sway regarding justice

===Sitting on trees===
* Construct a wooden "tree" or several, spanning many (a dozen or so) z-levels
* Establish a successful fortress not inside, but around, these constructed trees

===Stop, Hey, What's that Sound===
* (Optionally) Generate a world with abundant cave systems
* Establish a fort near a very large cave
* Imitate the role of "Angband", leading small parties inside on military excursions
* No more than 3 dwarves can enter at a time
* Siege equipment and other weapons (or dangerous contraptions) that a dwarf can't carry on him is forbidden when cave-exploring

'''Variants'''
* Only solo adventurers are allowed to enter the dungeon
* Only use 'Thieves' to steal loot and create traps inside the dungeon

===The Mad Butcher===
* One dedicated Butcher+Tanner
* Minimal supplies and skills, so you can bring...
* As many puppies and kittens you can afford
* All food-gathering skills (except your Butcher+Tanner and Brewing) are forbidden

Caging your animals will increase performance to prepare a suitable butchery. Construct a wide, deep shaft to be zoned as an animal pit. At the bottom, outfit an isolation chamber complete with food and alcohol stockpiles, a bed, a butchery and a tanner's workshop. An active well will prevent mishaps. You should include during the construction either an airlock chamber (to enable the butcher to pass on food) or a second pit where the butcher dumps his created food. After construction, seal your butcher+tanner inside and live only off of his work.

===The World is Flat===
* No pre-embark requirements
* You'll probably want a region with lots of hills/mountains.
* You may only work/build/live on the original Z level where your wagon was
* No moats allowed, as this requires a channel, which goes below your z-level

==="I guess it's up to us to repopulate the planet..."===
* Embark on a loner site - this means one where traders, siegers, migrants, etc. simply don't show up, ever.
* Kill five of your starting seven, leaving one male and one female.
* You will get no population influx in any way (ever!) aside from breeding. Uncertain if inbreeding is possible for more generations of dwarves - unlikely. Hope the McUrists are prepared for a big family...

===Hunter and Gatherer===
Pre-Embark (World-Gen)
* Try creating a world in year 1 (optional)
Post-Embark
* Everything allowed except Farming.
Bonus
* Embark in a desert, so only hunting and (aquifier) fishing.
** Extra Points: Dont fish in the aquifier. How could the turtles get there anyway?
** Create a huge pyramid and sacrifice living beings or valuables to Armok for rain by dropping it in the hollow inaccessible pyramid from the top.
*** Extended version: Fill the pyramid with magma!
** Create lines like the Nazca to honour Armok, so he will send some rain (maybe).

==Arbitrary Law==
Rule your fortress with a Soapen Fist! Or see how far you get until a (voluntary) significant flaw sends you into an inevitable sadness spiral. Whatever it is, be sure to stick by it or you'll be meeting the Hammerer.

===ASPCA===
* [[Animals]] are forbidden from the fortress
* Animals following immigrants cannot enter the fortress
* Lethal traps forbidden, caged non-sentients must be immediately released
* Butchery is forbidden, but leatherworking is allowed

Rather than forbidding immigrant pets from entering, you can choose to deal with the owner of that pet instead for a more sadistic challenge.

===Commune===
* After embarking, enable all labors on all dwarves (including immigrants)
* Beds can only be designated as barracks, and no dwarf can be assigned to a bed (even nobles)
* Coins are forbidden
* Be aware that nobles are to be considered part of the "bourgeoisie" and [[Unfortunate accident|dealt with]] immeadiatly

===Couples only===
* As soon as a married couple exists in your fortress:
** Kill all single dwarves
** Kill all incoming single dwarves
** Try to save children, until they are adult and single

===Dieting Dwarves===
* Exclusively dine on a food type of your choice (meat, fish, plants, alcohol)
* Optionally, forbid alcohol consumption to limit carbohydrate intake
**Note: forbidding alcohol permanently is as good as accepting a slow but continuous fortress death

===Dwarf Liberation Movement===
* Nobles are worthless scum, we give them nothing!
* As soon as possible, cage your expedition leader.
* Never appoint any dwarf into becoming a noble.
* Cage any dwarf that appears on the nobles and administrators screen.
* When your population elects a new mayor, release your old one and cage the new one.
** Bonus : Cage the king and all of his escorts!
** Extra Bonus : Once you have caged all nobles, administrators, the king and his advisor; you must unleash the Dwarf Atom-Smasher upon them.

===Fight for your name===
* Before embarking, randomly generate a fortress name and be sure to know its English translation
* Do the same with your group name
* Creatively designate a serious goal for your fortress, based on these names
* Fanatically reach your goal

===Fort Geneva===
* Lethal traps are forbidden
* Caged sentient creatures are to be considered prisoners of war and treated humanely

Suggested provisions for prisoners: a bed, a personal cell, a commons area, aboveground exercise yard, and the clothes the creature was wearing when captured. For more inspiration, go to: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions Geneva Conventions]

===Government in Exile===
* Only Military and Social skills can be purchased and enabled in your entire fortress

All dwarves are either nobles or in the military. The only useful dwarves you'll have will be your broker, manager, mayor, bookkeeper, and dungeon master. If you can survive until the sheriff arrives, transfer your entire military into the fortress guard. With a little luck, and a lot of exported roasts, you too can rule without proletarian interference.

===Hardcore Altruism===
* Do not allow the death of any Dwarf

Though not viscerally entertaining, an incredible challenge. All strange moods must be given what they crave. All medical attention must be done ASAP. Mining, fishing and hunting must be done with much care. Sadness must be met with excellent social skills and quality furniture.

===Industrial Plant===
* Choose one industry that produces commercial goods
* No other industries permitted, only imported

===Johannesfort===
* Find a starting location with a lot of gabbro, containing Kimberlite
* Mine and cut all the diamonds on the map
* Only gems can be traded.

===Sexist Segregation===
* Establish two functioning and stable fortress
* One must be entirely male, the other entirely female
* Married couples are to be processed

===THIS! IS! SPARTAAAA!===
* At least half of your fortress population must be active in the military.
* Crossbows and traps are forbidden.
* Only spears, swords, wrestling, helmets (helms) and shields may be equipped by military and used to fight.
** BONUS: All weapons and armour must be made from bronze.
* Civilian dwarves have all labors enabled.
** If ever activated, cannot use quality weapons or armor.
* Maimed dwarves (perceived to be) incapable of being fully healed must be killed. (This includes incurable spinal injuries in military dwarves!)
* Devise methods of dropping Liaisons down pits during meetings. Yell, "THIS IS SPAARRTAAAAA..." at your monitor.
* Demand goods be turned over from all caravans.
* Recreation is forbidden, as well as any 'improving' action, such as smoothing/engraving, or constructing things out of metals what can be done with rock and wood (besides spears, swords and shields).

Note that the above suggestions are modeled on the popular movie [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_(film) 300], an adaption of the visual novel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_(comics) 300], both of which historically inaccurate. For a more "realistic dwarven Sparta", try reading the Wikipedia article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta#Society Spartan society].

===Mesoamerican Dwarfs===
* All food must be grown above ground, on small plots, surrounded by canals (chinampas)
** BONUS: Flood the farms annually.
* All buildings must be above ground.
* Capture as many of your enemies as possible.
* Build a massive step pyramid at the center of your fortress. Appoint one dwarf high priest and have him kill the prisoners at the top.
** BONUS: Build it upside-down.
*** MEGABONUS: Build the entire city on top of the upside-down pyramid, with another pyramid-temple in the middle.
* Surround your fortress with an artificial lake.
** BONUS: Build it in the middle of a natural lake.
* Use only copper or bronze metal (except for iron anvils).
* Soldiers can only use obsidian short swords. Axes are only for wood cutting.
* No armor except leather and only let champions use it. All others must fight unarmored.
** BONUS: Divide your soldiers into "Jaguar[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_warrior]" and "Eagle[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_warrior]" warrior societies and outfit them with leather armor made from their respective animals.
* Demand that all non-dwarf caravans surrender their goods as tribute.
* Build a giant, multistory building for holding skulls.

==Megaprojects==
Instead of deliberately inhibiting yourself, create a wonder of the dwarven world that would make the Mountainhomes proud. Be sure to upload it to the [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ Dwarf Fortress Map Archive] when it's finished. More projects can be found where [[Stupid_dwarf_trick|stupid dwarves try crazy tricks]]. [[Mega construction|Incredible feats of construction]] are usually very [[Fun|fun]] so you'll see many different (and probably similar) constructions across the Wiki. Use whatever ideas you think are ingenious.

===Aqueducts===
For some reason, a noble was harmlessly pulling a lever when suddenly, magma flooded the river and exploded the booze! The king requires your band of seven to build a great aqueduct to bring water to the capital. Start with supports, and build up your aqueduct until it is 10 z-levels high!

BONUS: Start over a human town, build a wall around it, pump water through the aqueduct and into it!

===Biodome===
All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants... well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

No chasms/underground rivers/magma vents allowed.

===Casting===
Who needs to construct giant statues?! We need ours made from natural walls, however, we want it above ground level as well. For casting your goal is to create some giant structure out of natural obsidian walls through the use of an extremely elaborate scaffold of lava and water pools and screw pumps. When you are finished, just deconstruct the scaffolding and smooth/engrave the statue as you go. Just imagine the bridge over that chasm, now complete with two giant dwarf statues on either side to strike fear into all who enter and to show them the power of your fortress.

BONUS: Make the statues spit lava.

===Castle===
Build a castle, greater than anything built by human, elf or dwarf. This is highly time
consuming if you want it to be a good castle. There must be floor indoors, and no underground
constructions except for mining operations and cellars. For an even greater challenge, build
a gigantic tower in the middle, where the nobles stay.

===Ceremonial Sacrifices===
Build an amazingly complex or spectacular killing device. A shaft that extends across the entire Z-plane is a good start. A constantly shifting maze of atomsmasher drawbridges is another. For the minimalist, a very confined space where you will drop a dwarf wrestler along with the gobbos once in a while. Perhaps a waterslide that carries your prisoner all the way down into a chasm? Whatever your idea, build it and dedicate your fort to the construction, maintenance and improvement of your device.

Do not kill any of your invaders. Capture them using cage traps, and them set them off in your device. Keep a record of the number of victims you drop into it.

BONUS: Create a statue garden to memorialize your victims, with one statue per victim. Structure your fortress such that sacrificial victims have to pass through the garden on the way to their demise.

===Computing===
Can your dwarves build the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera mechanism]? Can you program the fortress to play tic-tac-toe? More details at [[computing]].

===Colosseum===
Build a pit, around it on steps lots of Thrones, make the whole thing a meeting area, train Gladiators, capture goblins, leave them their weapons and let them fight against your gladiators. If they win, let them go.

===Crematory Fortress===
* Requires a [[magma pipe]] and [[bauxite]].

Build a temple structure above a [[magma pipe]] and [[engrave]] every available surface. The temple should be as opulent as possible. In the temple, build a retracting [[bridge]] over a hole in the floor, and designate a [[coffin]] [[stockpile]] on it. Whenever a dwarf dies, build a [[bauxite]] or other [[magma-proof]] [[coffin]] for him, place it on the [[bridge]], and retract it, committing his body to the [[magma|fiery blood of the mountain]].

::Note: Since coffins are unassigned and emptied when deconstructed and cannot be constructed on top of a bridge, this will not actually work. An alternative would be to place the coffins in individual chambers which can then be flooded with magma afterwards.

::: You could expose the magma pipe, build a one-tile wide floor span across it, and then above that build a support that holds up your temple floor on the z-level above. The temple floor would be separated from the walls of the temple and would be connected for walking access diagonally. The support holds it up. You would have to construct the coffins in the temple, then when someone gets buried you pull the lever attached to the support. You then rebuild the narrow span below, the temple floor, and the support, then link the lever to the new support.
::: You can do this without scaffolding if you build the temple floor access straight in, and then the span below and the support, then once the support is in place you destroy the straight temple access leaving only a diagonal temple access.

===Doomsday Clock===
Build a water or mechanical clock whose final state triggers the support which holds your fortress up or a megabeast out.
See how much wealth you can achieve before the clock runs out.
*Bonus: Create something that resets itself, as well as purging the map, so that you can reuse the same fortress over and over.
*Super-Bonus: Create something that involves pressure plates and a small kitten, when the pressure plates are hit in the right order, your map ends. Toss the kitten in and hope for the best. Alternatively, make the sequence quite unlikely, but add 2 kittens; breeding introduces a probability of doomsday that is a function of time (depending on the mechanisms involved)
*Super-Bonus: Create the super-bonus above, but place the kitten on the lowest Z-level and never return to either look at it or see how many of the conditions for the doomsday device have been met. This way, the kitty mimicks Schrodinger's cat: we cannot observe the state of the kitty, but we can infer it from the state of the world (spin-pairs effectively).

===Dwarf like an Egyptian===
*Build a pyramid of epic proportion.

Build a legendary dwarven pyramid, with a corridor running to a central tomb for your favourite noble. Then construct lots of different [[traps]] in it to avoid grave robbery. Perhaps build it entirely out of glass? Or try to make the top twist in a bit of a swirl. Alternatively, make your entire fortress inside a pyramid, which stretches below the ground.

*Build rows of Obelisks

Build a double row of Obelisks before the Pyramid, and engrave the sides. Build ramps on the tops.

*Build the whole thing upside down.
** And then another one on the upside-down one.

*When the time has come, or when your fortress is about to be destroyed by a siege etc perform the ceremony to translate the mortal form of the noble to the underworld. Give him a ritual death, and make sure you kill his servants as well. If the tomb is built for your king make every dwarf die but one, who inters everyone into their resting place. His final act will be to pull a level that seals the tomb as well as kills him. Then enjoy going back and reclaiming your fortress to observe your efforts.

===Graveyard Master===
Every dwarf deserves a decent resting place:
*Build a tomb for ever dwarf that dies, the more dwarves you manage to bury the better.
*Tombs must be rooms with exactly 5x5 of size and 1 of height, with only one entrance tile that must be closed by a door.
*Tombs must have all its surfaces engraved.
*Tomb must contain at least 4 statues.
*Once complete, the door must be locked and the tomb must not be ever entered again.

===How high can you go?===
Construction, construction, construction! Just how big a tower can you build? Out of glass maybe, clear glass? Steel? Pump water to the top? Make your tower a ''pinnacle'' of achievement and stun humans, elves and goblins alike - for they know nothing of construction and engineering like dwarves do!

===Land battleship===
Turn your mountain into a huge battle-station, complete with crew quarters, decks, command centre, cantina, and a large collection of deadly weapons : Batteries of marksdwarves, ballista cannons, catapults, boarding bridges and -teams, but also lava projector or remote explosive devices (ie cave-ins in a part of the map triggered by a lever). Make sure it ends up looking like a real battleship, with nothing but plains surrounding it (you could build it on an actual plain, or destroy a mountain, choice is yours). The battleship has to be autonomous, and dwarves shouldn't wander outside it.

*Bonus: The weaponry covers every tile of the map (i.e., everything that enters the map can be shot)
*Bonus: Build several other ships, maybe dedicated to a specific product (food, ammo etc.)
**Bonus: Find a way to let them fight each other in a naval battle
*Bonus: Each crew member has a civil and military formation, and when the enemy arrives, stop every economic activity. All hands to quarters !
*Mega Bonus: After building your Ship(s), flood the surrounding countryside.

===Moria===
Build a huge hall - at least 3 z-levels high. Leave few pillars symmetrically placed in the hall (don't build them, carve them out). Smooth and possibly engrave everything (not only the lowest z-level!). Then build thin bridge (not the bridge building, just a thin piece of rock to walk on) above magma - support it with bauxite supports connected to a lever (bauxite mechanisms needed in support). Destroy stone holding it at the both ends and replace it with floor hatches (so when you pull the lever it all goes down). After that build a bridge above the chasm.
When it's all done seal your dwarves deep inside in safe place and get invaded by goblins. At the same time dig out HFS. Lead the HFS across the both bridges and then collapse the second one when one of the champions clashes with it (it doesn't matter that the champion has killed the HFS with one hit).

===Mountain audit/core sample===
Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

===Project Mayhem===

*You do not talk about project Mayhem
*Build a series of towers, at least 10 z-levels high, of different size and shape. They must be supported by a series of supports linked to a lever.
*Store all your riches in the towers : crafts, precious metal bars, gems, artifacts, everything. You may also want to house your nobles on top of the towers.
*Pull the lever and watch the collapse of financial history.

Bonus : make the towers' walls out of glass!

Bonus : Make soap! And remember, human fat is ideal...

===Santa Claus===
Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.

===Skull collector===
What proves the might of a civilization better than a hall full of skulls?
*Try to collect as many skulls as you can during your fortress life, and put then in a special skulls-only storage. The more skulls the better.

BONUS: Cover all the skulls in blood, and make the stockpile also a throne room.
SUPERBONUS: Also fill the throne room with kittens.

===Space Ship===
Create a giant space ship fit for space travel. It should be able to hold about 100 dwarves for at least 2 years.

*BONUS: Use exploding [[booze]] as ignitable fuel.
*BONUS: Make a removable [[ramp]] for boarding.
*BONUS: Make the [[water]] for the 2 years be on the ship using removable pumps.
*BONUS+: Make it totally self sufficient. (Make an internal system which pumps the [[water]] supply through a room every few years to muddy the floor. Plant [[seed|seeds]] in the [[mud]] that's now on the floor. Manage your consumption to maintain self sufficiency.)
*Modding BONUS: Mod the game so that merchants can fly their new wagonships into your docking bays. ''(If possible)''
*BONUS+: Make it all out of [[steel]].
*[[fun|FUN]]: Let it be held by a single [[support]], ignite the [[booze]], remove the support an let it "fly".
*EVEN BETTER: Drop it down a chasm.
*More [[fun|FUN]]: Set up a mining operation on the surface and dig into the HFS. Watch the alien creatures take over your ship and hunt down your dwarves. Form a squad of heroes to overload the booze reactor to prevent the aliens from reaching earth. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28video_game%29 Dead Space] and/or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28film%29 the Alien series])

===Swiss Precision===
Build a working clock. The clock should accurately track DF days, months, and years.

Bonus Points:
*If the clock has a mechanical effect in the fortress proper to announce new days
*If the clock creates seasonally appropriate effects at the change of months and/or seasons.
*If the clock is used to aid in the operation of the fortress in addition to its role as a clock (automatically controls farmland irrigation at particular times, automatically opens the <s>blast doors</s> <s>floodgates</s> Magma Channels in time for merchants, etc...).
*If the clock governs the schedule of a working rail station (which is always on time). (Definitions of 'working' and 'rail station' are subject to player imagination).
*If the clock takes measures to protect itself. ''"I can't let you do that, Urist."''

But don't worry about the bonus points, a precision time device should be hard enough.

===Temple===
Designing a temple to Armok. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there are no stained-glass windows and domed ceilings carved with frescoes. To gain more favor, make regular sacrifices and keep the fountains and rivers red with [[blood]].

===The cube===
Play a fort as usual, but emphasize catching goblins in cages to support and fill this construction:
Construct a series of rooms in a symmetrical fashion, all connected to each other with appropriate doors. Of course, enough rooms to make a maze-like structure, and if you feel like it, an exit that is hard to reach. Fill a bunch of the rooms with traps and pressureplates. Then fill one room with 4-6 goblins (preferably in cages, opened by an outside lever), release them and watch them randomly walk around the rooms dying to traps and whatnots.

*Bonus: Do multiple story maze (3d-maze)
*Bonus: Use pressureplates to open/close the exit randomly; otherwise, all the goblins will just follow the shortest route to the exit.

===The great brewery===
Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing [[Fire|‼]]<nowiki></nowiki>peasant[[Fire|‼]] visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping — create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible, and give or trade it to the dwarven [[caravan]] each year.

===The Great Wall of Urist===
Build a dwarven great wall of china that splits the map in half. Must be at least 10 tiles thick and reach the highest z-level.
* BONUS: Make it block the <s>mongols</s> goblins out of your half of the map.
* BONUS: Make it out of obsidian.
**BONUS+: Embark on a map without obsidian.
* BONUS: Find a way to make it touch the boundaries.
* BONUS: Build one gate
* BONUS: Arm it with ballistas.

===The Monolith===
As the inevitability of a fortress-wide mental breakdown looms over every single fortress why not have something that alludes to that precipice of [[insanity]]. Like the book and feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey you must have a Monolith. This has to be made from [[obsidian]] and have a completely smooth surface (You cannot build it from blocks) You can have it be any size as long as it is outside, at least 2 tiles thick to ensure there are no pillar tiles, and has about the same ratio of width to height as it does in the movie (1:4:9) to make it as close to the real thing as possible. It would be preferable to make it large so that it seems to be dominating the landscape and your dwarves' psyche. The bigger the better.

*If the rock obsidian strata isn't deep enough in parts to make a monolith feasible consider casting a monolith with a large rectangular block in the exact same dimensional criteria as above.

===Statue of greatness===
Build a giant statue, spanning 10-20 z-levels and make it in the shape of say, a dwarf you like or an animal you like.
* Bonus: make it in the shape of a teapot that has a working boiling system and a spout that water can come out of.

===Underwater fortress===
Encase your entire fortress in [[water]]! Your fortress should be watersealed: surrounded by water against all [[wall]]s and the top of the fortress.
* Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
* Bonus: Use [[magma]] instead of water!
* Bonus: Build it in the [[ocean]] or a non-freezing lake
* Bonus: Build large glass domes that encase the fortress. A dome 20 tiles wide should be 20 z-levels tall. Which may be hard to cover in water.
** NOTE: Actually, a dome 20 tiles wide should be 10 tiles tall, or less, since the steepest dome will be only semi-spherical, and most domes will start out at an angle anyway.
*** ANOTHER NOTE: 1 tile does '''NOT''' necessarily equal 1 Z-level; after all even the steepest mountains change a Z-level only every 3 or 4 tiles.
* Bonus: Have a mechanism for dropping your enemies into the water to drown! Or fill the water with carp.
* Mod: Make your dwarves amphibious and include airlocks between the wet fortress and the dry.
* Remake: Make Rapture city from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock Bioshock]

===Wealth===
The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

===World Domination===
Pretend you are an evil mastermind. Now come up with some device or machine to render the world (or at least your portion of the map) totally unlivable, aside from, of course, your hidden lair.

You will receive bonus points for making a more realistic World Domination setup. Some suggestions:

* Make one dwarf the evil mastermind. The evil mastermind will have no empathy whatsoever, and they will hate all other races, and put no value on the lives of his minions. Protect him at all cost. If he should die, switch his position to his oldest child (who will avenge his father, because insanity is hereditary.) or the most insane, diabolical dwarf in your fort.
* Impractical, overkill solutions to everyday problems ("Sir, the dungeon master wants a better room" "Well then turn his room into a tomb and flood it with magma, and do not bother me with such trivial matters again or I will have you shot.")
* Give the evil mastermind a pet to obsess over. Give it a name like Mr. Bigglesworth or Snuggles.
* Have a science lab. Use living creatures and people as test subjects.

Doomsday device suggestions:
* Flood the map with water/magma (may require building walls around the edge of the map)
**BONUS: the water has carp in it.
* Build an "Earthquake Machine" (the entire map is supported by a single support, which is connected to a lever)
* Build an extensive holding cell network for "scientific purposes". Fill it with megabeasts and <s>elephants</s> <s>unicorns,</s> skeletal carp in secret. Have a lever that lets everything free to feed on the general population.
* Embark in an evil area, and capture and tame all those undead animals if possible to create your own undead army
* Bonus: Eliminate the dwarves who constructed your device before you set it off. They must not be allowed to warn the rest of the citizens.
* Build an orbital weapons platform in space (which should be 12-15 stories above the ground, use your imagination), then arm it with magma bombs (droppable tank of magma) to glass the planet, rendering it uninhabitable for a few years.
* <s>You can also recreate the most evil society in history and try a Nazi-dwarf concentration camp.</s> (Yeah, great f***in' idea.)


[[Category:Guides]]

=== The Grand Treasury ===
At first, have the king come to you. Then excavate a laaarge room and fill it with i.e.: Lots of coins, shiny gems, artifacts, golden statues, silver mugs, etc. pp. But the king is still not satisfied with his possessions, so he wants more and more shiny and sparky things.
Of course sooner or later (probably sooner) those filthy kobolds and goblins will come and try to steal this enormous hoard. We must never tolerate this! Turn your treasury into a strongroom like the world has never seen before! Secret doors, traps in abundance, guards at every door, ballistae, guard dogs, the whole program. If anything gets lost, you have proven your incompetence, and the king will have your fortress abandoned and founded another to guard his treasures.

*Bonus: Build up the treasury and raid it successfully in Adventure Mode

=== Heaven ===
Build a dwarven version of heaven. Every dwarf must want to come to you! Important pieces:
# Streets paved with gold.
# The mindless hordes are held back by pearly gates -- or at least a close equivalent. Marble doors with diamond encrustations.
# No dwarves die (except for criminals). Heaven is everlasting.
# All criminals must be cast into the fires of Hell. Ideally, this would either be HFS or the bottom of a magma pipe.
# Nothing is ever stolen. St. Peter doesn't screw up.
# After the King has arrived, any male children he has must be sent out to fight sieges alone.

BONUS: No dwarves are ever unhappy -- no tantrums and no insanity. 
BONUS: When migrants arrive at the pearly gates, view their thoughts and preferences and only allow those with a similar/same Diety as your population. 
BONUS: Make Heaven 10 stories above the ground 
Mod: Make Angel dwarves and a godly being. (suggestions: Cacame, Morul, Ironblood.) 
ULTRABONUS: Make Heaven in the air, an earthly society on the ground (a wooden town perhaps?), and carve the HFS place into Hell, complete with a lake of Magma/fire.Look up the character of every dwarf and send him to the appropriate place. 
MEGABONUS-(Re)Make: The Seven Seals have been broken and the Apocalypse arrives.
# The Sky darkens (an obsidian ceiling spanning over the map).
# Meteors (opened lava tanks and cave-ins) devastate the earth.
# All bodies of water turn bloody.
# Dig into the HFS and have a battle between Heaven and Hell. 

=== City of Ember ===
Show those filthy humans that when dwarves build a secret underground refuge, they build to last! In other words, recreate Ember from the film "City of Ember" (yes, everyone is aware there is a book), but do it right - none of these leaking pipes and crumbling buildings stuff, after only two and a half centuries underground!
# Mine out a massive cavern multiple z-layers high , and build a human-style city underneath it instead of carving out various chambers.
# You must seal it off. How long you wait to do this is up to you, but once it is sealed, you cannot unseal it for at least 200 years (if you decide to play that long). Ideally, use a utility to embark with a full set of dwarves (to represent the immigrating population) and seal the city off within one year of embarking.
# Build individual houses with their own dining rooms and bedrooms. Multiple dwarves can live in one house, but usually only a single family will live in one house.
# Build streets connecting all of the buildings, in the way that in the film, Ember didn't really have any space that wasn't either paved or built on until you got to the outskirts of the city.
# Have a "greenhouse" out on the outskirts for farming.
# You MUST have an underground river and use it for power.
# You MUST have magma and use it for power.
# Build City Hall, where the mayor has his office, with a nice fountain out front that actually works (probably involving water pressure, and as a testament to the fact that dwarves do it better, and their underground refuge isn't running desperately short of food, water, or power).
# No military, because there is simply no need for one, but have a fortress guard (to function as police, basically).
# After 200 or more years, unseal the city and colonize the surface.

BONUS: Instead of building your houses/other structures out of blocks or rocks, plan it all out beforehand and simply don't dig out the tiles that you want to be the walls of buildings, and smooth it all down so it looks the same, but your buildings are actually made out of solid natural rock. 
BONUS: Actually cause some kind of catastrophe on the surface (flood it with magma or something) that makes it uninhabitable, to FORCE yourself to stay underground, but when you unseal the city after 200 years, the surface should have healed and be habitable again. So, don't do something permanent.

40d:Challenges

2010-03-11T04:52:53Z

71.194.101.232: /* Underwater fortress */

:''Part of this article was originally taken from the DF forums thread [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=466.0 "Goal-Based Dwarf Fortress"].''

The general goal of [[Fortress Mode]] is to survive, acquire wealth, defend your stronghold, and become the capital of your civilization. However, many players find that fighting off repeated [[siege|sieges]], keeping their people alive, and expanding just aren't enough anymore. They begin to experiment with different sets of starting builds, arbitrary requirements and restrictions, and even feats of construction to appease Armok, in search of more difficulty and [[fun]]. These are some goals to attempt or use as inspiration.

==Pre-Embark Build Ideas==
Before you embark, you can optimize or sabotage your fortress from the very start, depending on how you distribute your points. After a few years, a well-developing fortress may or may not stabilize (depending on your idea of [[fun]]), leaving you to other challenges.

=== Diplomacy ===
* Six dwarves with only social [[skill]]s
* One skilled dwarf

Six courtiers of the king's court made some ill-advised remarks within earshot of the king, and as a result have been ordered to go found an outpost. They've hired you to make sure they survive. The six nobles only have social skills and refuse to do any work that is beneath them.

=== Minimalist/Survivalist build===

* 1 anvil
* 2 copper ore

Nothing else. From that alone, forge your pick and axe. (Figure it out yourself, or see the [[DIY#Minimalist_challenge_build|Do it Yourself]] article for a step-by-step "how to".)

===Peasantry===
* Spend 0 Points on embark

This challenge is moderately to very difficult, depending on the wildlife and outdoor food sources. Note that the three logs from the wagon are just enough to build a trade depot.

=== Stranded Scout Squad ===
* Military skills
* Weapons, ammunition, armor, war dogs
* Picks are not weapons

Your civilian 'friends' promised a caravan in the fall as they left, laughing. Hopefully, you can survive until then with your forward scouts.

==Races==
Pretend to be another race! You can mod the game or just pretend that Elves have hair. It doesn't matter what you look like, just what you build, with what materials, and what's for lunch after we build it.

===Elves - The Ultimate Hippy Challenge===
Peace, man.
* Don't gather plants except those you plant yourself.
* Don't gather wood nor trade for it with humans or dwarves.
* Trade for plants and wood only with the elves; they understand your environmental code.
* Don't burn any [[fuel|coal]]. Do you know what that does to the environment, man?
**Magma-smelting is an option, but steel can't be had.
* Don't cause any creature's death, except in self-defense.
**No military, induced submerging, or lethal implementation of corkscrews.
* Only use cage traps, and either tame the creatures you catch, or release them back into the wild.
* [[Elf|Hippies]] prefer sunlight and wooded areas, with minimal use of rock (digging and building).

For an extra challenge try this in an area with a cave.

===Humans - Living Large and Standing Tall===
Pretend you're a filthy above-ground dwelling [[Human|humie]].
* Build a town wall.
** Only hovels and farms outside the town walls.
* House your dwarves in small town homes
** 5-10 dwarves per house (they had pretty big families back in the day)
** Upstairs bedrooms, small dining room, maybe a single level basement.
* House your workshops according to profession, not convenience.
* Build warehouses for stockpiles, and set guards outside them.
* Create a keep, with its own wall, barracks, treasury, etc.
** House your nobles within the keep.
* Create a market square.
* Create a main street from the town wall to the market square and/or keep. Well-paved blocks, statues and decorative shubbery are a must.
* No underground connections between different areas.
* For obtaining stone, metal, etc. a mine may be built, but must have separate entrance from other buildings. It can be outside the fortress, but must not connect to the interior, or vice versa.
** If you create a side hill mine, only carve large (at least 2 tiles) tunnels, and create shaft to the surface to allow air circulation.
** Or better than that, create an open pit mine / quarry, with ramps to access lower floors.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Build a large, multiple-z-level fountain complete with decorations.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Human Inn, containing your only booze stockpile and should be party-oriented.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Farm simulation, complete with crops and free-range livestock, etc.
* BONUS: Easy Play: Embark on top of a Human Town.
* BONUS: Advanced Play: Modify the raws and actually use humans to make the fort.
* MEGABONUS: Build your entire fortress as [[mega constructions|one huge arcology]].
* MEGABONUS: Build your City in a giant, artificial cave.

===Luddite===
Shun technology and contraptions. Who can really trust them, with those [[Gremlin|gremlins]] around. This may be challenging, as it forbids easy isolation/defense from attacks, all traps and wells. Irrigation is reduced to solid elbow grease and maybe a bucket or two. This challenge may be even harder combined with another challenge.
* No mechanics or [[mechanism]]s
* No [[machine]]s

===Earthworms===
Live constantly tunneling. Churn up the soil as you go and visit the surface only rarely to collect the stuff you need..
* Create one long tunnel. Dig forward at one end whilst sealing off (collapsing, building walls across) the other end.
* Workshops should be built directly behind the row of miners. When they reach the point where they would be destroyed, take them apart and rebuild back by the miners again.
* To make it easier, you can come up to the surface now and then.
* Try to keep the tunnel as short as possible.
* Like this: ||||||||==========> (| is walled off end section, = is tunnel and > is the miners.
* BONUS: Leave those pesky nobles walled in as you tunnel away from them!
* BONUS: Leave stockpiles of armour and weapons for any future diggers to find!
* MEGABONUS: Surprise a goblin siege by tunneling up underneath them!

==Utter Dwarfiness==
Need new ways to behave or new techniques to dip your toes into? Give any or all of your starting 7 some quirks to live up to. Want to try making your Boss a hell-bent, paranoid despot? Or establish a routine mass murder of small animals to provide your fort with raw meat by a vaguely intimidating, estranged butcher?

===Bandit Camp===
* Three or more Marksdwarves (perhaps with [[Ambush|ambushing]])
* Embark site featuring places to hide

Attack and loot every enemy sentient creature you can find, such as goblins & kobolds. Develop sneaky and even horrific methods of trapping and 'processing' friendly sentients (merchants, diplomats, and even migrants). Take no prisoners and leave no evidence of foul play.

===City-States===
* All dwarves embark as peasants
* 7 or multiple of 7 of everything you bring (especially picks and axes)

At the start your dwarves split everything equally and move to 7 different locales that are not interconnected. They have to mine their own rooms, plant their own crops, use their own craft piles. This will probably require a bit of cross-fertilization until you get [[door]]s and can lock everyone in, but after that it is every dwarf for him/herself!

This challenge may be easier to perform after Burrows are implemented.

===Dwarftopia===
*Find a place that has at least magma, preferably with and underground river and/or chasm too; everything a fully self-sufficient underground city need.
*Embark only with dwarves that have max skills, with no more than one miner; but bring extra copper picks.
*Separate the fortress into 2 parts: a vibrant city above, and a depressed slum below.
**BONUS: Reverse the order; elite dwarves get to live underground, while the poor have to scratch a living off the surface.
*Throw all low-skill immigrants into the pits, were they will spend the rest of their lives (unless called up for the draft).
*'''DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES''' let said immigrants socialize whatsoever with the Elite; so nobody (who matters) will be upset when they die.
**BONUS: Make it impossible for anybody to escape by using trapdoors to drop them in and bridge-a-paults for sending goods out (preferably with a carp-based sterilization system).
***MEGADWARFBONUS: Set it all up so that none of the 'elite' have to do any work; all their needs are met by the laborers. Watch what happens and laugh as the laborers die out and high society breaks down.

===Equaland===
* No embark requirements
* Construct a successful fortress
* All dwarves are given equal attention regarding quarters, dining, armament and burial
* One dwarf elected to be "The Leader" commands a lever system capable of killing a single dwarf of your choice in their room, however you wish
* Allow the Leader (your id) free reign on his power, enforcing impossible and unannounced criteria on your other dwarves with death being the only punishment

===Hermit===
* Spend points ONLY on ONE [[Pick]]

A well known and popular challenge. Kill off 6 starting dwarves and any [[immigrants]] as they arrive, and try to make a living for the last dwarf. Turn away merchants. If they don't leave, kill them.

'''Variants'''
To moderate difficulty, feel free to allow these exceptions:
* Keep one male and one female dwarf as the Dwarven Adam and Eve.
* Keep your starting seven, but no immigrants.
* Selectively admit dwarves based on name, profession, etc.
* Embark with an anvil as well.

===Hunting Party===
* One Marksman+Ambusher
* One Cook+Farmer
* One Brewer+Farmer
* Four exclusively social dwarves
* Embark with no anvil, many hunting dogs, into a challenging biome (terrifying areas may have no supply of wood)

===Immigration and customs enforcement===
* One miner/mason/architect
* One woodcutter/carpenter/architect
* Five military dwarves
* Embark into a canyon or on a road
* Don't embark with an anvil

Spend the first year building fortifications to interdict traffic. Immigrants can build a town around you, but your original seven dwarves remain dedicated to their mission (purely military in purpose).

==="Let Loose the Dogs of War"===
* No military Dwarves are permitted, including Fortress Guard.
* No weapons or armor may be forged, and any obtained from looting must be melted down.
* War dogs must be your only form of attack and defense.
** Bonus : No traps or defense mechanisms of any kind may be utilized, only dogs.

===28 Days Later===

*Embark at a terrifying biome(Scary Biome), make sure there are zombie somethings. Set up a five thick wall around your camp. Never leave the perimeters. All migrants would be wandering survivors, let them in or don't, as they might be infected.
*Bonus: If you have "reason" to believe the migrants are infected, sacrifice them to the Blood God. Remember he loves Magma.
*Bonus: Only Marksdwarves for defence, You shouldn't get near the zombies, as they bite.If they are wounded, they must be quarantined, and shall therefore die.
*AdvancedPlay: Add zombie to the creatures list and set them as [EVIL].
Bonus: Send one heroic guy to save the migrants from the zombies, like in 28 days later.
Remember Elves can not be trusted and should be treated as infectees, and should be Dwarven atom smashed(Magma and Chasms work equally well).(Note this is also true for normal Dwarf Fortress).
*Elf skin clothing anyone?
*Keep a diary from one of the characters perspectives, to be read when the world is repopulated.

===Master Of One===
Pre-Embark:
* All starting dwarves must have only one skill

Post-Embark:
* No changes are allowed on any dwarf's labor screen, except to ''disable'' hauling labors (enabling hauling is forbidden)
* All immigrants must stay with the profession(s) they arrive with
* All peasants must be activated into the military

'''Variant:'''
*Only allow one dwarf for each skill to remain in your fort (1 mason, 1 miner, 1 farmer, etc.). Slaughter or draft all other dwarves.

===Monarch with a grudge===
* Forbid any and all use of stone and metal
* No exposed tile may be labeled "Underground"
* Artifacts containing stone and metal are to be destroyed '''utterly''' (magma or the [[Dwarven_Atom_Smasher|DAS]])

"Nay, no ponderous stone doors or shining silver arcades, not while I live!"
The new king has decided rocks and metals can no longer be used in construction. He'll be overthrown shortly, but in the meantime construct your fortress without them.

'''Variants'''
* Embark with no construction materials, into an area devoid of trees.
* Construct a fortress made entirely out of glass. Try not using magma or limit yourself only to clear and crystal glass.
* Build with soap bars. Show those elven traders just how much you despise their philosophies by building with stuff derived from dead trees ''and'' dead animals. Cats are an excellent source of tallow.
* Choose one type of rock, one type of metal, one type of gem, one type of wood, and optionally one type of glass. All constructions can only use those types in their construction. An easy way to enforce this with stone is to mark all but your choice "Economical".
* Bonus points: Stone is forbidden along with digging

===Noblesse requiro===
* Construct a fortress only to please nobles (who, for the sake of this challenge, are all criminally psychotic)
* Criminals who deserve justice should be incarcerated, tortured, and executed for ''any'' offense. Use your imagination for every step of the process. Remember, there is no right to a fair and speedy trial in Armok's eyes.
* All Nobles must be treated to the highest quality living conditions
* All others must be treated to the bare minimum needed to physically keep them alive
* Elected nobles are to be treated as regular dwarves, but mandates hold equal sway regarding justice

===Sitting on trees===
* Construct a wooden "tree" or several, spanning many (a dozen or so) z-levels
* Establish a successful fortress not inside, but around, these constructed trees

===Stop, Hey, What's that Sound===
* (Optionally) Generate a world with abundant cave systems
* Establish a fort near a very large cave
* Imitate the role of "Angband", leading small parties inside on military excursions
* No more than 3 dwarves can enter at a time
* Siege equipment and other weapons (or dangerous contraptions) that a dwarf can't carry on him is forbidden when cave-exploring

'''Variants'''
* Only solo adventurers are allowed to enter the dungeon
* Only use 'Thieves' to steal loot and create traps inside the dungeon

===The Mad Butcher===
* One dedicated Butcher+Tanner
* Minimal supplies and skills, so you can bring...
* As many puppies and kittens you can afford
* All food-gathering skills (except your Butcher+Tanner and Brewing) are forbidden

Caging your animals will increase performance to prepare a suitable butchery. Construct a wide, deep shaft to be zoned as an animal pit. At the bottom, outfit an isolation chamber complete with food and alcohol stockpiles, a bed, a butchery and a tanner's workshop. An active well will prevent mishaps. You should include during the construction either an airlock chamber (to enable the butcher to pass on food) or a second pit where the butcher dumps his created food. After construction, seal your butcher+tanner inside and live only off of his work.

===The World is Flat===
* No pre-embark requirements
* You'll probably want a region with lots of hills/mountains.
* You may only work/build/live on the original Z level where your wagon was
* No moats allowed, as this requires a channel, which goes below your z-level

==="I guess it's up to us to repopulate the planet..."===
* Embark on a loner site - this means one where traders, siegers, migrants, etc. simply don't show up, ever.
* Kill five of your starting seven, leaving one male and one female.
* You will get no population influx in any way (ever!) aside from breeding. Uncertain if inbreeding is possible for more generations of dwarves - unlikely. Hope the McUrists are prepared for a big family...

===Hunter and Gatherer===
Pre-Embark (World-Gen)
* Try creating a world in year 1 (optional)
Post-Embark
* Everything allowed except Farming.
Bonus
* Embark in a desert, so only hunting and (aquifier) fishing.
** Extra Points: Dont fish in the aquifier. How could the turtles get there anyway?
** Create a huge pyramid and sacrifice living beings or valuables to Armok for rain by dropping it in the hollow inaccessible pyramid from the top.
*** Extended version: Fill the pyramid with magma!
** Create lines like the Nazca to honour Armok, so he will send some rain (maybe).

==Arbitrary Law==
Rule your fortress with a Soapen Fist! Or see how far you get until a (voluntary) significant flaw sends you into an inevitable sadness spiral. Whatever it is, be sure to stick by it or you'll be meeting the Hammerer.

===ASPCA===
* [[Animals]] are forbidden from the fortress
* Animals following immigrants cannot enter the fortress
* Lethal traps forbidden, caged non-sentients must be immediately released
* Butchery is forbidden, but leatherworking is allowed

Rather than forbidding immigrant pets from entering, you can choose to deal with the owner of that pet instead for a more sadistic challenge.

===Commune===
* After embarking, enable all labors on all dwarves (including immigrants)
* Beds can only be designated as barracks, and no dwarf can be assigned to a bed (even nobles)
* Coins are forbidden
* Be aware that nobles are to be considered part of the "bourgeoisie" and [[Unfortunate accident|dealt with]] immeadiatly

===Couples only===
* As soon as a married couple exists in your fortress:
** Kill all single dwarves
** Kill all incoming single dwarves
** Try to save children, until they are adult and single

===Dieting Dwarves===
* Exclusively dine on a food type of your choice (meat, fish, plants, alcohol)
* Optionally, forbid alcohol consumption to limit carbohydrate intake
**Note: forbidding alcohol permanently is as good as accepting a slow but continuous fortress death

===Dwarf Liberation Movement===
* Nobles are worthless scum, we give them nothing!
* As soon as possible, cage your expedition leader.
* Never appoint any dwarf into becoming a noble.
* Cage any dwarf that appears on the nobles and administrators screen.
* When your population elects a new mayor, release your old one and cage the new one.
** Bonus : Cage the king and all of his escorts!
** Extra Bonus : Once you have caged all nobles, administrators, the king and his advisor; you must unleash the Dwarf Atom-Smasher upon them.

===Fight for your name===
* Before embarking, randomly generate a fortress name and be sure to know its English translation
* Do the same with your group name
* Creatively designate a serious goal for your fortress, based on these names
* Fanatically reach your goal

===Fort Geneva===
* Lethal traps are forbidden
* Caged sentient creatures are to be considered prisoners of war and treated humanely

Suggested provisions for prisoners: a bed, a personal cell, a commons area, aboveground exercise yard, and the clothes the creature was wearing when captured. For more inspiration, go to: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions Geneva Conventions]

===Government in Exile===
* Only Military and Social skills can be purchased and enabled in your entire fortress

All dwarves are either nobles or in the military. The only useful dwarves you'll have will be your broker, manager, mayor, bookkeeper, and dungeon master. If you can survive until the sheriff arrives, transfer your entire military into the fortress guard. With a little luck, and a lot of exported roasts, you too can rule without proletarian interference.

===Hardcore Altruism===
* Do not allow the death of any Dwarf

Though not viscerally entertaining, an incredible challenge. All strange moods must be given what they crave. All medical attention must be done ASAP. Mining, fishing and hunting must be done with much care. Sadness must be met with excellent social skills and quality furniture.

===Industrial Plant===
* Choose one industry that produces commercial goods
* No other industries permitted, only imported

===Johannesfort===
* Find a starting location with a lot of gabbro, containing Kimberlite
* Mine and cut all the diamonds on the map
* Only gems can be traded.

===Sexist Segregation===
* Establish two functioning and stable fortress
* One must be entirely male, the other entirely female
* Married couples are to be processed

===THIS! IS! SPARTAAAA!===
* At least half of your fortress population must be active in the military.
* Crossbows and traps are forbidden.
* Only spears, swords, wrestling, helmets (helms) and shields may be equipped by military and used to fight.
** BONUS: All weapons and armour must be made from bronze.
* Civilian dwarves have all labors enabled.
** If ever activated, cannot use quality weapons or armor.
* Maimed dwarves (perceived to be) incapable of being fully healed must be killed. (This includes incurable spinal injuries in military dwarves!)
* Devise methods of dropping Liaisons down pits during meetings. Yell, "THIS IS SPAARRTAAAAA..." at your monitor.
* Demand goods be turned over from all caravans.
* Recreation is forbidden, as well as any 'improving' action, such as smoothing/engraving, or constructing things out of metals what can be done with rock and wood (besides spears, swords and shields).

Note that the above suggestions are modeled on the popular movie [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_(film) 300], an adaption of the visual novel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_(comics) 300], both of which historically inaccurate. For a more "realistic dwarven Sparta", try reading the Wikipedia article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta#Society Spartan society].

===Mesoamerican Dwarfs===
* All food must be grown above ground, on small plots, surrounded by canals (chinampas)
** BONUS: Flood the farms annually.
* All buildings must be above ground.
* Capture as many of your enemies as possible.
* Build a massive step pyramid at the center of your fortress. Appoint one dwarf high priest and have him kill the prisoners at the top.
** BONUS: Build it upside-down.
*** MEGABONUS: Build the entire city on top of the upside-down pyramid, with another pyramid-temple in the middle.
* Surround your fortress with an artificial lake.
** BONUS: Build it in the middle of a natural lake.
* Use only copper or bronze metal (except for iron anvils).
* Soldiers can only use obsidian short swords. Axes are only for wood cutting.
* No armor except leather and only let champions use it. All others must fight unarmored.
** BONUS: Divide your soldiers into "Jaguar[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_warrior]" and "Eagle[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_warrior]" warrior societies and outfit them with leather armor made from their respective animals.
* Demand that all non-dwarf caravans surrender their goods as tribute.
* Build a giant, multistory building for holding skulls.

==Megaprojects==
Instead of deliberately inhibiting yourself, create a wonder of the dwarven world that would make the Mountainhomes proud. Be sure to upload it to the [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ Dwarf Fortress Map Archive] when it's finished. More projects can be found where [[Stupid_dwarf_trick|stupid dwarves try crazy tricks]]. [[Mega construction|Incredible feats of construction]] are usually very [[Fun|fun]] so you'll see many different (and probably similar) constructions across the Wiki. Use whatever ideas you think are ingenious.

===Aqueducts===
For some reason, a noble was harmlessly pulling a lever when suddenly, magma flooded the river and exploded the booze! The king requires your band of seven to build a great aqueduct to bring water to the capital. Start with supports, and build up your aqueduct until it is 10 z-levels high!

BONUS: Start over a human town, build a wall around it, pump water through the aqueduct and into it!

===Biodome===
All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants... well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

No chasms/underground rivers/magma vents allowed.

===Casting===
Who needs to construct giant statues?! We need ours made from natural walls, however, we want it above ground level as well. For casting your goal is to create some giant structure out of natural obsidian walls through the use of an extremely elaborate scaffold of lava and water pools and screw pumps. When you are finished, just deconstruct the scaffolding and smooth/engrave the statue as you go. Just imagine the bridge over that chasm, now complete with two giant dwarf statues on either side to strike fear into all who enter and to show them the power of your fortress.

BONUS: Make the statues spit lava.

===Castle===
Build a castle, greater than anything built by human, elf or dwarf. This is highly time
consuming if you want it to be a good castle. There must be floor indoors, and no underground
constructions except for mining operations and cellars. For an even greater challenge, build
a gigantic tower in the middle, where the nobles stay.

===Ceremonial Sacrifices===
Build an amazingly complex or spectacular killing device. A shaft that extends across the entire Z-plane is a good start. A constantly shifting maze of atomsmasher drawbridges is another. For the minimalist, a very confined space where you will drop a dwarf wrestler along with the gobbos once in a while. Perhaps a waterslide that carries your prisoner all the way down into a chasm? Whatever your idea, build it and dedicate your fort to the construction, maintenance and improvement of your device.

Do not kill any of your invaders. Capture them using cage traps, and them set them off in your device. Keep a record of the number of victims you drop into it.

BONUS: Create a statue garden to memorialize your victims, with one statue per victim. Structure your fortress such that sacrificial victims have to pass through the garden on the way to their demise.

===Computing===
Can your dwarves build the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera mechanism]? Can you program the fortress to play tic-tac-toe? More details at [[computing]].

===Colosseum===
Build a pit, around it on steps lots of Thrones, make the whole thing a meeting area, train Gladiators, capture goblins, leave them their weapons and let them fight against your gladiators. If they win, let them go.

===Crematory Fortress===
* Requires a [[magma pipe]] and [[bauxite]].

Build a temple structure above a [[magma pipe]] and [[engrave]] every available surface. The temple should be as opulent as possible. In the temple, build a retracting [[bridge]] over a hole in the floor, and designate a [[coffin]] [[stockpile]] on it. Whenever a dwarf dies, build a [[bauxite]] or other [[magma-proof]] [[coffin]] for him, place it on the [[bridge]], and retract it, committing his body to the [[magma|fiery blood of the mountain]].

::Note: Since coffins are unassigned and emptied when deconstructed and cannot be constructed on top of a bridge, this will not actually work. An alternative would be to place the coffins in individual chambers which can then be flooded with magma afterwards.

::: You could expose the magma pipe, build a one-tile wide floor span across it, and then above that build a support that holds up your temple floor on the z-level above. The temple floor would be separated from the walls of the temple and would be connected for walking access diagonally. The support holds it up. You would have to construct the coffins in the temple, then when someone gets buried you pull the lever attached to the support. You then rebuild the narrow span below, the temple floor, and the support, then link the lever to the new support.
::: You can do this without scaffolding if you build the temple floor access straight in, and then the span below and the support, then once the support is in place you destroy the straight temple access leaving only a diagonal temple access.

===Doomsday Clock===
Build a water or mechanical clock whose final state triggers the support which holds your fortress up or a megabeast out.
See how much wealth you can achieve before the clock runs out.
*Bonus: Create something that resets itself, as well as purging the map, so that you can reuse the same fortress over and over.
*Super-Bonus: Create something that involves pressure plates and a small kitten, when the pressure plates are hit in the right order, your map ends. Toss the kitten in and hope for the best. Alternatively, make the sequence quite unlikely, but add 2 kittens; breeding introduces a probability of doomsday that is a function of time (depending on the mechanisms involved)
*Super-Bonus: Create the super-bonus above, but place the kitten on the lowest Z-level and never return to either look at it or see how many of the conditions for the doomsday device have been met. This way, the kitty mimicks Schrodinger's cat: we cannot observe the state of the kitty, but we can infer it from the state of the world (spin-pairs effectively).

===Dwarf like an Egyptian===
*Build a pyramid of epic proportion.

Build a legendary dwarven pyramid, with a corridor running to a central tomb for your favourite noble. Then construct lots of different [[traps]] in it to avoid grave robbery. Perhaps build it entirely out of glass? Or try to make the top twist in a bit of a swirl. Alternatively, make your entire fortress inside a pyramid, which stretches below the ground.

*Build rows of Obelisks

Build a double row of Obelisks before the Pyramid, and engrave the sides. Build ramps on the tops.

*Build the whole thing upside down.
** And then another one on the upside-down one.

*When the time has come, or when your fortress is about to be destroyed by a siege etc perform the ceremony to translate the mortal form of the noble to the underworld. Give him a ritual death, and make sure you kill his servants as well. If the tomb is built for your king make every dwarf die but one, who inters everyone into their resting place. His final act will be to pull a level that seals the tomb as well as kills him. Then enjoy going back and reclaiming your fortress to observe your efforts.

===Graveyard Master===
Every dwarf deserves a decent resting place:
*Build a tomb for ever dwarf that dies, the more dwarves you manage to bury the better.
*Tombs must be rooms with exactly 5x5 of size and 1 of height, with only one entrance tile that must be closed by a door.
*Tombs must have all its surfaces engraved.
*Tomb must contain at least 4 statues.
*Once complete, the door must be locked and the tomb must not be ever entered again.

===How high can you go?===
Construction, construction, construction! Just how big a tower can you build? Out of glass maybe, clear glass? Steel? Pump water to the top? Make your tower a ''pinnacle'' of achievement and stun humans, elves and goblins alike - for they know nothing of construction and engineering like dwarves do!

===Land battleship===
Turn your mountain into a huge battle-station, complete with crew quarters, decks, command centre, cantina, and a large collection of deadly weapons : Batteries of marksdwarves, ballista cannons, catapults, boarding bridges and -teams, but also lava projector or remote explosive devices (ie cave-ins in a part of the map triggered by a lever). Make sure it ends up looking like a real battleship, with nothing but plains surrounding it (you could build it on an actual plain, or destroy a mountain, choice is yours). The battleship has to be autonomous, and dwarves shouldn't wander outside it.

*Bonus: The weaponry covers every tile of the map (i.e., everything that enters the map can be shot)
*Bonus: Build several other ships, maybe dedicated to a specific product (food, ammo etc.)
**Bonus: Find a way to let them fight each other in a naval battle
*Bonus: Each crew member has a civil and military formation, and when the enemy arrives, stop every economic activity. All hands to quarters !
*Mega Bonus: After building your Ship(s), flood the surrounding countryside.

===Moria===
Build a huge hall - at least 3 z-levels high. Leave few pillars symmetrically placed in the hall (don't build them, carve them out). Smooth and possibly engrave everything (not only the lowest z-level!). Then build thin bridge (not the bridge building, just a thin piece of rock to walk on) above magma - support it with bauxite supports connected to a lever (bauxite mechanisms needed in support). Destroy stone holding it at the both ends and replace it with floor hatches (so when you pull the lever it all goes down). After that build a bridge above the chasm.
When it's all done seal your dwarves deep inside in safe place and get invaded by goblins. At the same time dig out HFS. Lead the HFS across the both bridges and then collapse the second one when one of the champions clashes with it (it doesn't matter that the champion has killed the HFS with one hit).

===Mountain audit/core sample===
Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

===Project Mayhem===

*You do not talk about project Mayhem
*Build a series of towers, at least 10 z-levels high, of different size and shape. They must be supported by a series of supports linked to a lever.
*Store all your riches in the towers : crafts, precious metal bars, gems, artifacts, everything. You may also want to house your nobles on top of the towers.
*Pull the lever and watch the collapse of financial history.

Bonus : make the towers' walls out of glass!

Bonus : Make soap! And remember, human fat is ideal...

===Santa Claus===
Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.

===Skull collector===
What proves the might of a civilization better than a hall full of skulls?
*Try to collect as many skulls as you can during your fortress life, and put then in a special skulls-only storage. The more skulls the better.

BONUS: Cover all the skulls in blood, and make the stockpile also a throne room.
SUPERBONUS: Also fill the throne room with kittens.

===Space Ship===
Create a giant space ship fit for space travel. It should be able to hold about 100 dwarves for at least 2 years.

*BONUS: Use exploding [[booze]] as ignitable fuel.
*BONUS: Make a removable [[ramp]] for boarding.
*BONUS: Make the [[water]] for the 2 years be on the ship using removable pumps.
*BONUS+: Make it totally self sufficient. (Make an internal system which pumps the [[water]] supply through a room every few years to muddy the floor. Plant [[seed|seeds]] in the [[mud]] that's now on the floor. Manage your consumption to maintain self sufficiency.)
*Modding BONUS: Mod the game so that merchants can fly their new wagonships into your docking bays. ''(If possible)''
*BONUS+: Make it all out of [[steel]].
*[[fun|FUN]]: Let it be held by a single [[support]], ignite the [[booze]], remove the support an let it "fly".
*EVEN BETTER: Drop it down a chasm.
*More [[fun|FUN]]: Set up a mining operation on the surface and dig into the HFS. Watch the alien creatures take over your ship and hunt down your dwarves. Form a squad of heroes to overload the booze reactor to prevent the aliens from reaching earth. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28video_game%29 Dead Space] and/or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28film%29 the Alien series])

===Swiss Precision===
Build a working clock. The clock should accurately track DF days, months, and years.

Bonus Points:
*If the clock has a mechanical effect in the fortress proper to announce new days
*If the clock creates seasonally appropriate effects at the change of months and/or seasons.
*If the clock is used to aid in the operation of the fortress in addition to its role as a clock (automatically controls farmland irrigation at particular times, automatically opens the <s>blast doors</s> <s>floodgates</s> Magma Channels in time for merchants, etc...).
*If the clock governs the schedule of a working rail station (which is always on time). (Definitions of 'working' and 'rail station' are subject to player imagination).
*If the clock takes measures to protect itself. ''"I can't let you do that, Urist."''

But don't worry about the bonus points, a precision time device should be hard enough.

===Temple===
Designing a temple to Armok. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there are no stained-glass windows and domed ceilings carved with frescoes. To gain more favor, make regular sacrifices and keep the fountains and rivers red with [[blood]].

===The cube===
Play a fort as usual, but emphasize catching goblins in cages to support and fill this construction:
Construct a series of rooms in a symmetrical fashion, all connected to each other with appropriate doors. Of course, enough rooms to make a maze-like structure, and if you feel like it, an exit that is hard to reach. Fill a bunch of the rooms with traps and pressureplates. Then fill one room with 4-6 goblins (preferably in cages, opened by an outside lever), release them and watch them randomly walk around the rooms dying to traps and whatnots.

*Bonus: Do multiple story maze (3d-maze)
*Bonus: Use pressureplates to open/close the exit randomly; otherwise, all the goblins will just follow the shortest route to the exit.

===The great brewery===
Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing [[Fire|‼]]<nowiki></nowiki>peasant[[Fire|‼]] visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping — create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible, and give or trade it to the dwarven [[caravan]] each year.

===The Great Wall of Urist===
Build a dwarven great wall of china that splits the map in half. Must be at least 10 tiles thick and reach the highest z-level.
* BONUS: Make it block the <s>mongols</s> goblins out of your half of the map.
* BONUS: Make it out of obsidian.
**BONUS+: Embark on a map without obsidian.
* BONUS: Find a way to make it touch the boundaries.
* BONUS: Build one gate
* BONUS: Arm it with ballistas.

===The Monolith===
As the inevitability of a fortress-wide mental breakdown looms over every single fortress why not have something that alludes to that precipice of [[insanity]]. Like the book and feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey you must have a Monolith. This has to be made from [[obsidian]] and have a completely smooth surface (You cannot build it from blocks) You can have it be any size as long as it is outside, at least 2 tiles thick to ensure there are no pillar tiles, and has about the same ratio of width to height as it does in the movie (1:4:9) to make it as close to the real thing as possible. It would be preferable to make it large so that it seems to be dominating the landscape and your dwarves' psyche. The bigger the better.

*If the rock obsidian strata isn't deep enough in parts to make a monolith feasible consider casting a monolith with a large rectangular block in the exact same dimensional criteria as above.

===Statue of greatness===
Build a giant statue, spanning 10-20 z-levels and make it in the shape of say, a dwarf you like or an animal you like.
* Bonus: make it in the shape of a teapot that has a working boiling system and a spout that water can come out of.

===Underwater fortress===
Encase your entire fortress in [[water]]! Your fortress should be watersealed: surrounded by water against all [[wall]]s and the top of the fortress.
* Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
* Bonus: Use [[magma]] instead of water!
* Bonus: Build it in the [[ocean]] or a non-freezing lake
* Bonus: Build large glass domes that encase the fortress. A dome 20 tiles wide should be 20 z-levels tall. Which may be hard to cover in water.
** NOTE: Actually, a dome 20 tiles wide should be 10 tiles tall, or less, since the steepest dome will be only semi-spherical, and most domes will start out at an angle anyway.
*** ANOTHER NOTE: 1 tile does '''NOT''' necessarily equal 1 Z-level; after all even the steepest mountains change a Z-level only every 3 or 4 tiles.
* Bonus: Have a mechanism for dropping your enemies into the water to drown! Or fill the water with carp.
* Mod: Make your dwarves amphibious and include airlocks between the wet fortress and the dry.
* Remake: Make Rapture city from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock Bioshock]

===Wealth===
The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

===World Domination===
Pretend you are an evil mastermind. Now come up with some device or machine to render the world (or at least your portion of the map) totally unlivable, aside from, of course, your hidden lair.

You will receive bonus points for making a more realistic World Domination setup. Some suggestions:

* Make one dwarf the evil mastermind. The evil mastermind will have no empathy whatsoever, and they will hate all other races, and put no value on the lives of his minions. Protect him at all cost. If he should die, switch his position to his oldest child (who will avenge his father, because insanity is hereditary.) or the most insane, diabolical dwarf in your fort.
* Impractical, overkill solutions to everyday problems ("Sir, the dungeon master wants a better room" "Well then turn his room into a tomb and flood it with magma, and do not bother me with such trivial matters again or I will have you shot.")
* Give the evil mastermind a pet to obsess over. Give it a name like Mr. Bigglesworth or Snuggles.
* Have a science lab. Use living creatures and people as test subjects.

Doomsday device suggestions:
* Flood the map with water/magma (may require building walls around the edge of the map)
**BONUS: the water has carp in it.
* Build an "Earthquake Machine" (the entire map is supported by a single support, which is connected to a lever)
* Build an extensive holding cell network for "scientific purposes". Fill it with megabeasts and <s>elephants</s> unicorns in secret. Have a lever that lets everything free to feed on the general population.
* Embark in an evil area, and capture and tame all those undead animals if possible to create your own undead army
* Bonus: Eliminate the dwarves who constructed your device before you set it off. They must not be allowed to warn the rest of the citizens.
* Build an orbital weapons platform in space (which should be 12-15 stories above the ground, use your imagination), then arm it with magma bombs (droppable tank of magma) to glass the planet, rendering it uninhabitable for a few years.
* <s>You can also recreate the most evil society in history and try a Nazi-dwarf concentration camp.</s> (Yeah, great f***in' idea.)


[[Category:Guides]]

=== The Grand Treasury ===
At first, have the king come to you. Then excavate a laaarge room and fill it with i.e.: Lots of coins, shiny gems, artifacts, golden statues, silver mugs, etc. pp. But the king is still not satisfied with his possessions, so he wants more and more shiny and sparky things.
Of course sooner or later (probably sooner) those filthy kobolds and goblins will come and try to steal this enormous hoard. We must never tolerate this! Turn your treasury into a strongroom like the world has never seen before! Secret doors, traps in abundance, guards at every door, ballistae, guard dogs, the whole program. If anything gets lost, you have proven your incompetence, and the king will have your fortress abandoned and founded another to guard his treasures.

*Bonus: Build up the treasury and raid it successfully in Adventure Mode

=== Heaven ===
Build a dwarven version of heaven. Every dwarf must want to come to you! Important pieces:
# Streets paved with gold.
# The mindless hordes are held back by pearly gates -- or at least a close equivalent. Marble doors with diamond encrustations.
# No dwarves die (except for criminals). Heaven is everlasting.
# All criminals must be cast into the fires of Hell. Ideally, this would either be HFS or the bottom of a magma pipe.
# Nothing is ever stolen. St. Peter doesn't screw up.
# After the King has arrived, any male children he has must be sent out to fight sieges alone.

BONUS: No dwarves are ever unhappy -- no tantrums and no insanity. 
BONUS: When migrants arrive at the pearly gates, view their thoughts and preferences and only allow those with a similar/same Diety as your population. 
BONUS: Make Heaven 10 stories above the ground 
Mod: Make Angel dwarves and a godly being. (suggestions: Cacame, Morul, Ironblood.) 
ULTRABONUS: Make Heaven in the air, an earthly society on the ground (a wooden town perhaps?), and carve the HFS place into Hell, complete with a lake of Magma/fire.Look up the character of every dwarf and send him to the appropriate place. 
MEGABONUS-(Re)Make: The Seven Seals have been broken and the Apocalypse arrives.
# The Sky darkens (an obsidian ceiling spanning over the map).
# Meteors (opened lava tanks and cave-ins) devastate the earth.
# All bodies of water turn bloody.
# Dig into the HFS and have a battle between Heaven and Hell. 

=== City of Ember ===
Show those filthy humans that when dwarves build a secret underground refuge, they build to last! In other words, recreate Ember from the film "City of Ember" (yes, everyone is aware there is a book), but do it right - none of these leaking pipes and crumbling buildings stuff, after only two and a half centuries underground!
# Mine out a massive cavern multiple z-layers high , and build a human-style city underneath it instead of carving out various chambers.
# You must seal it off. How long you wait to do this is up to you, but once it is sealed, you cannot unseal it for at least 200 years (if you decide to play that long). Ideally, use a utility to embark with a full set of dwarves (to represent the immigrating population) and seal the city off within one year of embarking.
# Build individual houses with their own dining rooms and bedrooms. Multiple dwarves can live in one house, but usually only a single family will live in one house.
# Build streets connecting all of the buildings, in the way that in the film, Ember didn't really have any space that wasn't either paved or built on until you got to the outskirts of the city.
# Have a "greenhouse" out on the outskirts for farming.
# You MUST have an underground river and use it for power.
# You MUST have magma and use it for power.
# Build City Hall, where the mayor has his office, with a nice fountain out front that actually works (probably involving water pressure, and as a testament to the fact that dwarves do it better, and their underground refuge isn't running desperately short of food, water, or power).
# No military, because there is simply no need for one, but have a fortress guard (to function as police, basically).
# After 200 or more years, unseal the city and colonize the surface.

BONUS: Instead of building your houses/other structures out of blocks or rocks, plan it all out beforehand and simply don't dig out the tiles that you want to be the walls of buildings, and smooth it all down so it looks the same, but your buildings are actually made out of solid natural rock. 
BONUS: Actually cause some kind of catastrophe on the surface (flood it with magma or something) that makes it uninhabitable, to FORCE yourself to stay underground, but when you unseal the city after 200 years, the surface should have healed and be habitable again. So, don't do something permanent.

40d Talk:Computing

2010-03-09T02:37:52Z

71.194.101.232: /* Practical applications */

I created this page because I think it's a very interesting part of the game for advanced players. I'm not at all familiar with creating wiki pages, so if someone else who was familiar with the concepts could write a section or two themselves, that would be grand. Right now I think it's been proven possible to create logical input and output gates using fluid dynamics, axles and gears, and even the movements of dwarves utilizing pressure plates.

It was on the 4th of Galena 1097 that the Fortress 'The Net of Skies' became self-aware. Panicked mechanics attempted to disengage the mechanisms, but the fortress interpreted this as an attack and designated all Dwarves as hostile... --[[User:WyldKarde|WyldKarde]] 13:17, 23 November 2007 (EST)

:A suggested component: The one-use lever.

ó _X_ ___ / = ramp X = door
#" ¯ /### " = bridge
#########

:The lever has a Pull The Lever repeat job on it. The door only opens when access is required. Upon being pulled, the lever opens the bridge and drops the dwarf that pulled it. -- [[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]] 14:56, 23 November 2007 (EST)
:Problem detected: the lever doesn't obstruct, so the dwarf can be left hanging on the lever's tile.

I think we should strive to include an example of an NAND gate and/or a NOR gate for each style since that's the bare minimum for operation.--[[User:AlBorland|AlBorland]] 22:09, 23 November 2007 (EST)

== Machine logic ==

The machine logic gates as they stand are incomplete. The inputs are levers, but the outputs are machine components. In order to connect a machine logic gate to another gate, the machine signal needs to be converted back into a lever signal. The only way I can see to do that is with a water tank, a pump, and a pressure plate. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 12:38, 28 November 2007 (EST)

== Anthills ==

Kudos to whoever mods ants to be trainable for borg machines... Hex anyone? :D [[User:N35t0r|N35t0r]] 20:28, 8 December 2007 (EST)
: This would make that person my favoritest ever. --[[User:Geofferic|Geofferic]] 01:36, 9 December 2007 (EST)
: Agreed. [[User:Madmadmadmage|Madmadmadmage]] 15:13, 9 December 2007 (EST)
:More specifically, Langton's ant...{{user:yrael/sig|on that note, two words: dwarf bread.|DATE=13:00, 12 May 2008 (EDT)}}

== Fluid logic gates ==

Link to original information is at [[User:Madmadmadmage/Logic_Gates]]. Moved to clean up page.

Have you tested these at all? I translated your multi-level NOT gate into a form I could understand better after designing some gates myself, and looked at it. It doesn't look to me like it would work at all - First, water flows diagonally, so the water would just flow around the floodgate. Second, if water didn't flow diagonally, and you opened the floodgate because of an input signal, water from the reservoir would then hold the floodgate open by covering the pressure plate even if you shut off the input signal. You'd also need to do something other than just have the drain always open or you might not even trigger the pressure plate because it's draining too fast. --[[User:SL|SL]] 19:17, 23 December 2007 (EST)

No, I did not test any of these. I forgot that water flows around corners; I usually work with straight passages and put my gates in places where it doesn't matter. I'll fix that. As for draining water, you're correct on one point: the water would drain off too fast to trigger the plates. It would drain out to one, so the part about it not draining out isn't a problem. The draining-too-fast problem can also be solved: set the plate to activate on any depth-two water. That would mean it would take a tiny bit longer to drain (although not much), but it would also make it open if any water at all were coming to the input. Additionally, minimizing delays would be very, very useful. Remember, these don't have to be all separated like I have them. You could design these with everything compressed into three-long channels (the minimum length of a NAND gate plus an input), which would greatly optimize performance. Maybe using something like an aquifer for the water source would also help. I'll have to build a fortress specifically to test fluid gates (translate as: dig through aquifer). Give me a few weeks. [[User:Madmadmadmage|Madmadmadmage]] 02:14, 27 December 2007 (EST)

I've finished my own logic gates now - designed, built, and tested them all. They transfer signals between gates using mechanisms rather than water flow, but use water internally for processing logic. In addition to the standard gates (NOT, AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR), I've also made repeaters (repeatedly toggle two output signals) and memory gates (one input signal sets the gate's output to ON, the other input signal resets it to OFF - this is useful to replace one-use pressure plates with resettable versions). They only need to be built on top of a murky pool (with water in it), or an aquifer, brook, stream, river, dwarf-made cistern, whatever, and require power for one or two pumps each. I've posted them here [[User:SL/Logic_Gates]] for now, with all the information needed to build and use them, and advice on doing so. --[[User:SL|SL]] 13:30, 4 January 2008 (EST)

These look really good to me. Since I rarely use screw pumps, I never even thought of using using them. They're slower to build than simple channels, but they're faster, more efficient, and far more predictable. Good idea. Secondarily, I'm moving my stuff to another page to make everything neater. Links to [[User:Madmadmadmage/Logic_Gates]] here and at the top of the section. [[User:Madmadmadmage|Madmadmadmage]] 20:19, 4 January 2008 (EST)

== Practical applications ==

::'''One-way door'''
Hi! I'm new here and I am not sure where to put this, but I thought that it may be helpful, and it could use some refinement, and I couldn't find it anywhere else...

I noticed when trying to stop my civilians from having fun that if I locked the door whenever a dwarf was about to escape that they would find something else to do and give up on clearing that trap... While the dwarves outside generally just mill about waiting for the doors to open on account of having nothing else to do...

So I made a door which closes whenever a dwarf walks up to it from one side, and has a lever to keep it open regardless...
:The one-way door:
# - wall
D - door
R - bottom of ramp
-> - screw pump (west to east)
<- - east to west
_ - open space
o - vertical axle
W - unlimited water supply

1 - door connected to plate 1
2 - lever connected to door 2
3 - pressure plates connected to door 3, triggered by friendly dwarves(weight6)
---------------------------
################
2 D3333333331 D
D3333333331 D
################

:This is my current mechanism(lowest ground to highest ground):

1 - pressure plate connected to doors 1, triggered by water depth 0-2
2 - door connected to lever 2
3 - door connected to pressure plates 3
---------------------------
#######
# R####
# #####
# #
#######
---------------------------
#######___
## 123<-__
###D###___ ####
## <-_# <-_W
###D### ####
---------------------------
#######
### o#
#######
##_->
#######
---------------------------

:it could probably be compressed into something more like this:
---------------------------
############
# 132<-_<-_W
############
---------------------------
############
#_-> o _o #
############

:I have two requests, firstly, could this please be formatted and moved to somewhere good. And also, would someone please calculate how far a dwarven acrobat can travel before this will trigger, I have plates about 10 deep and some still get through...

:Be advised that if anything is in the door when it is triggered it will remain open, to reset it the water must be removed from plate 1, this can be done by toggling lever 2 or persuading the dwarves to get off the plates 3...
[[User:RAM|RAM]] 04:33, 1 March 2009 (EST)

::I'm not too keen on attempting to read your diagram, so here's what I would do to create a door which closes when a dwarf steps near it but stays constantly open when a lever is set.
::[[Image:Onewaydoor.PNG]]
::Do tell me if you build it or need more details, optionally through #bay12games! --[[User:Zort|Zort]] 20:51, 12 May 2009 (UTC)

::'''Animal Logic'''
:::I think that a simpler method of one-way door could be used in an animal logic system:
---------------------------
#<#
##D##
+DPD+
#####
---------------------------
Two of the doors are connected to other parts of the machine; the third is is directly linked to the pressure plate in the middle so that it closes when the animal is in the center, and leads to outside. When the entry door opens, the animal walks in seeking the exit, which closes before it get there. The animal then has nowhere to go but out the next door, but only after that door is opened. [[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 02:37, 9 March 2010 (UTC)

== Base 8? ==
It says in '''Fluid Logic''', "Fluid logic allows for computing in up to base 8." How does this work? Pressure plates cannot be made to distinguish between the 8 different water levels... Of course, you could use many counters in such a way as to simulate base 8, but base 2 would be more natural. --[[User:Zort|Zort]] 20:04, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
:Pressure plates can distinguish between different levels, and can be set to go off at a range between any two numbers. They can also determine the difference between water and magma. It is at the bottom of the trigger menu. i2amroy 22:48, 11 May 2009
::Exactly. They can detect a range between two given numbers, but, if a plate is set to 0-4, it cannot distinguish between 5, 6, or 7, levels of water. --[[User:Zort|Zort]] 12:20, 12 May 2009 (UTC)
:::One way that computing in base eight could be possible would be to have a pressure plate that triggered at 7-7 water and whenever you were going to 'add' something, you add a certain number of water 1/7's to that pressure plate. Then, whenever the pressure plate had 7/7 water, it would trigger the pump once, drawing out one 7/7 block of water. This could then activate another pressure plate that would add one 1/7 block of water to another pressure plate. This then means that each 1/7 of water in the second pressure area equals seven 1/7 blocks of water in the first. This allows adding in base eight. Highly complicated, but it still works. i2amroy 7:56 (MST), May 12 2009
::::Er, do you mean this:
::::[[Image:Prototypememory.PNG]]
::::Or do you mean a row of 8 pressure plates, each set to 1-1 (or some other level if I haven't thought about it enough)? This row of plates I would personally consider to be binary, I suppose it doesn't matter. Complexity is no obstacle for Dwarfputing. [[User:Zort|Zort]] 22:00, 12 May 2009 (UTC)
::::Even with the adding-1/7-water example you'll stay binary. While it's an interesting way to create an special counter, you'll be unable to read numbers other than 8,8^2,8^3,... You'll stick to the binary information 8/NOT 8. Additionally evaporation and the fact that you can't move 1/7 water away will make it somehow impossible, like everything else that works with ammounts of water somehow. --[[User:Kami|Kami]] 09:28, 2 December 2009 (UTC)

== A practical use for borg logic ==

*I think that you could easily use borg logic in a (living) fortress to make a randomly changing labyrinth. Have dozens of plates strewed across the floor of your main feast hall; each is connected to a 'memory' switch that does something random in the labyrinth, and/or clears a different switch. Memory switches are very easily constructed should you have a chasm, where you can use gravity instead of a pump; said chasm is also often useful in populating said chasm with dangerous creatures. If you're clever enough to be able to build a 'clear all' switch, you can eventually make it so that the labyrinth inhabitants themselves are doing the computations for you! (something that's necessary if you want it to work in adventurer mode!)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::--[[User:Arkenstone|Arkenstone]] 12:50, 9 August 2009 (EST)

== Water Clock Questions ==

I was thinking about creating a water clock for my fort so that I would not get surprised by the seasons every time. However, there are a few items that might pose a bit of a problem for me here (not the least of which is the fact that this would be my first attempt at water logic) so I thought I would ask around and see if anyone knew some answers that might help me out.

First, is the rate of water evaporation constant, or random? If it’s random, I’m not sure this would work. I’m pretty sure I would need a constant value for the rate at which my various reservoirs would fill up.

Second, does anyone know the number of steps in a season, how many steps it takes for a 6/7 tile of water to spread into two 3/7 tiles, and if steps are the right unit of measurement here?

Thirdly, there is no thirdly. That’s it. Thanks for any input in advance. [[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 19:26, 17 November 2009 (UTC)
:The rate of water evaporation is random. This is easy to test by filling a large area with 1/7 water and watching it evaporate - it doesn't evaporate nicely in the order it filled. I'm not sure about the answer to the second question. --[[User:LaVacaMorada|LaVacaMorada]] 00:57, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
::There's another article about creating a system of pumps that basically pumps one level of water (or maybe two?) constantly creating a never ending waterfall. It's apparently "neverending" because the pumps will pump the water faster then it can evaporate. This means, from my perspective, that the rate of water evaporation must have, at least, a minimum timeframe for it to exist before the code tests to see if it might evaporate (otherwise that neverending waterfall wouldn't work). And *that* means that it should be possible to fill at least small areas with water quickly enough that you don't need to worry about any evaporation rates. If that's true, then perhaps I can do this water clock thing after all. All I really need to figure out is the rate at which all this will happen. If there is anyone who's figured this out (I haven't seen the info I need anywhere in the wiki) then please let me know. Otherwise it will be a little while before I can do the needed tests. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 01:27, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

::ROFLOL. I didn’t even see the calendar on the inventory screen until just this morning. Well, I guess I can still try for a water clock, but I will need to somehow make it useful. I think I could have it dump a tile worth of water over top of my magma vent at the start of spring each year. This will freeze the game due to a “cave in” (the produced obsidian floor falling to the bottom of the vent) and alert me that it’s time to get my winter-working dwarves inside before the start of the first season’s goblin ambushes. So I guess there is still a point to creating a water clock.

::In case anyone was wondering I tested out the length of days in steps, and comparing my tests to what is mentioned on the article under “calendar”, I am fairly certain that the length of a day is 1200 steps.

::Also, I think I’ve figured out how to not have to worry about evaporation; make use of water pressure. If I build all the logic gates for my clock on a low enough level, and have them be filled from a multi-level cistern fairly high up, then the water pressure should cause the water to spread fast enough that evaporation won’t be an issue. If it works the way I’m thinking it will, then there definitely is a way to build all these logic gates in a way that is dependable from a timing standpoint. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:16, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

:::Hmmmm. I think all this talk might be better handled on my user page. I will attempt to sort through it and figure out what to leave here and move the rest over at a later point. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:24, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

== This is either a very good or a very bad idea. ==

Is Dwarf Fortress Turing complete? If so, some very interesting ideas are in order.

:Starcraft is Turing complete - i'm guessing that makes DF so. (Admittedly, one can program Tetris in Starcraft, and that seems hard in DF... no wait, i think i could make something that was logically equivalent, but it would *suck* to play it). --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 22:24, 1 December 2009 (UTC)
:: I'd say it is turing complete, but it's hard to proof. (Btw, I like the tetris idea...) --[[User:Kami|Kami]] 09:05, 2 December 2009 (UTC)

40d Talk:Computing

2010-03-09T02:37:11Z

71.194.101.232: /* Practical applications */

I created this page because I think it's a very interesting part of the game for advanced players. I'm not at all familiar with creating wiki pages, so if someone else who was familiar with the concepts could write a section or two themselves, that would be grand. Right now I think it's been proven possible to create logical input and output gates using fluid dynamics, axles and gears, and even the movements of dwarves utilizing pressure plates.

It was on the 4th of Galena 1097 that the Fortress 'The Net of Skies' became self-aware. Panicked mechanics attempted to disengage the mechanisms, but the fortress interpreted this as an attack and designated all Dwarves as hostile... --[[User:WyldKarde|WyldKarde]] 13:17, 23 November 2007 (EST)

:A suggested component: The one-use lever.

ó _X_ ___ / = ramp X = door
#" ¯ /### " = bridge
#########

:The lever has a Pull The Lever repeat job on it. The door only opens when access is required. Upon being pulled, the lever opens the bridge and drops the dwarf that pulled it. -- [[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]] 14:56, 23 November 2007 (EST)
:Problem detected: the lever doesn't obstruct, so the dwarf can be left hanging on the lever's tile.

I think we should strive to include an example of an NAND gate and/or a NOR gate for each style since that's the bare minimum for operation.--[[User:AlBorland|AlBorland]] 22:09, 23 November 2007 (EST)

== Machine logic ==

The machine logic gates as they stand are incomplete. The inputs are levers, but the outputs are machine components. In order to connect a machine logic gate to another gate, the machine signal needs to be converted back into a lever signal. The only way I can see to do that is with a water tank, a pump, and a pressure plate. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 12:38, 28 November 2007 (EST)

== Anthills ==

Kudos to whoever mods ants to be trainable for borg machines... Hex anyone? :D [[User:N35t0r|N35t0r]] 20:28, 8 December 2007 (EST)
: This would make that person my favoritest ever. --[[User:Geofferic|Geofferic]] 01:36, 9 December 2007 (EST)
: Agreed. [[User:Madmadmadmage|Madmadmadmage]] 15:13, 9 December 2007 (EST)
:More specifically, Langton's ant...{{user:yrael/sig|on that note, two words: dwarf bread.|DATE=13:00, 12 May 2008 (EDT)}}

== Fluid logic gates ==

Link to original information is at [[User:Madmadmadmage/Logic_Gates]]. Moved to clean up page.

Have you tested these at all? I translated your multi-level NOT gate into a form I could understand better after designing some gates myself, and looked at it. It doesn't look to me like it would work at all - First, water flows diagonally, so the water would just flow around the floodgate. Second, if water didn't flow diagonally, and you opened the floodgate because of an input signal, water from the reservoir would then hold the floodgate open by covering the pressure plate even if you shut off the input signal. You'd also need to do something other than just have the drain always open or you might not even trigger the pressure plate because it's draining too fast. --[[User:SL|SL]] 19:17, 23 December 2007 (EST)

No, I did not test any of these. I forgot that water flows around corners; I usually work with straight passages and put my gates in places where it doesn't matter. I'll fix that. As for draining water, you're correct on one point: the water would drain off too fast to trigger the plates. It would drain out to one, so the part about it not draining out isn't a problem. The draining-too-fast problem can also be solved: set the plate to activate on any depth-two water. That would mean it would take a tiny bit longer to drain (although not much), but it would also make it open if any water at all were coming to the input. Additionally, minimizing delays would be very, very useful. Remember, these don't have to be all separated like I have them. You could design these with everything compressed into three-long channels (the minimum length of a NAND gate plus an input), which would greatly optimize performance. Maybe using something like an aquifer for the water source would also help. I'll have to build a fortress specifically to test fluid gates (translate as: dig through aquifer). Give me a few weeks. [[User:Madmadmadmage|Madmadmadmage]] 02:14, 27 December 2007 (EST)

I've finished my own logic gates now - designed, built, and tested them all. They transfer signals between gates using mechanisms rather than water flow, but use water internally for processing logic. In addition to the standard gates (NOT, AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR), I've also made repeaters (repeatedly toggle two output signals) and memory gates (one input signal sets the gate's output to ON, the other input signal resets it to OFF - this is useful to replace one-use pressure plates with resettable versions). They only need to be built on top of a murky pool (with water in it), or an aquifer, brook, stream, river, dwarf-made cistern, whatever, and require power for one or two pumps each. I've posted them here [[User:SL/Logic_Gates]] for now, with all the information needed to build and use them, and advice on doing so. --[[User:SL|SL]] 13:30, 4 January 2008 (EST)

These look really good to me. Since I rarely use screw pumps, I never even thought of using using them. They're slower to build than simple channels, but they're faster, more efficient, and far more predictable. Good idea. Secondarily, I'm moving my stuff to another page to make everything neater. Links to [[User:Madmadmadmage/Logic_Gates]] here and at the top of the section. [[User:Madmadmadmage|Madmadmadmage]] 20:19, 4 January 2008 (EST)

== Practical applications ==

::'''One-way door'''
Hi! I'm new here and I am not sure where to put this, but I thought that it may be helpful, and it could use some refinement, and I couldn't find it anywhere else...

I noticed when trying to stop my civilians from having fun that if I locked the door whenever a dwarf was about to escape that they would find something else to do and give up on clearing that trap... While the dwarves outside generally just mill about waiting for the doors to open on account of having nothing else to do...

So I made a door which closes whenever a dwarf walks up to it from one side, and has a lever to keep it open regardless...
:The one-way door:
# - wall
D - door
R - bottom of ramp
-> - screw pump (west to east)
<- - east to west
_ - open space
o - vertical axle
W - unlimited water supply

1 - door connected to plate 1
2 - lever connected to door 2
3 - pressure plates connected to door 3, triggered by friendly dwarves(weight6)
---------------------------
################
2 D3333333331 D
D3333333331 D
################

:This is my current mechanism(lowest ground to highest ground):

1 - pressure plate connected to doors 1, triggered by water depth 0-2
2 - door connected to lever 2
3 - door connected to pressure plates 3
---------------------------
#######
# R####
# #####
# #
#######
---------------------------
#######___
## 123<-__
###D###___ ####
## <-_# <-_W
###D### ####
---------------------------
#######
### o#
#######
##_->
#######
---------------------------

:it could probably be compressed into something more like this:
---------------------------
############
# 132<-_<-_W
############
---------------------------
############
#_-> o _o #
############

:I have two requests, firstly, could this please be formatted and moved to somewhere good. And also, would someone please calculate how far a dwarven acrobat can travel before this will trigger, I have plates about 10 deep and some still get through...

:Be advised that if anything is in the door when it is triggered it will remain open, to reset it the water must be removed from plate 1, this can be done by toggling lever 2 or persuading the dwarves to get off the plates 3...
[[User:RAM|RAM]] 04:33, 1 March 2009 (EST)

::I'm not too keen on attempting to read your diagram, so here's what I would do to create a door which closes when a dwarf steps near it but stays constantly open when a lever is set.
::[[Image:Onewaydoor.PNG]]
::Do tell me if you build it or need more details, optionally through #bay12games! --[[User:Zort|Zort]] 20:51, 12 May 2009 (UTC)

::'''Animal Logic'''
:::I think that a simpler method of one-way door could be used in an animal logic system:
---------------------------
#<#
##D##
+DPD+
#####
---------------------------
Two of the doors are connected to other parts of the machine; the third is is directly linked to the pressure plate in the middle so that it closes when the animal is in the center, and leads to outside. When the entry door opens, the animal walks in seeking the exit, which closes before it get there. The animal then has nowhere to go but out the next door, but only after that door is opened.

== Base 8? ==
It says in '''Fluid Logic''', "Fluid logic allows for computing in up to base 8." How does this work? Pressure plates cannot be made to distinguish between the 8 different water levels... Of course, you could use many counters in such a way as to simulate base 8, but base 2 would be more natural. --[[User:Zort|Zort]] 20:04, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
:Pressure plates can distinguish between different levels, and can be set to go off at a range between any two numbers. They can also determine the difference between water and magma. It is at the bottom of the trigger menu. i2amroy 22:48, 11 May 2009
::Exactly. They can detect a range between two given numbers, but, if a plate is set to 0-4, it cannot distinguish between 5, 6, or 7, levels of water. --[[User:Zort|Zort]] 12:20, 12 May 2009 (UTC)
:::One way that computing in base eight could be possible would be to have a pressure plate that triggered at 7-7 water and whenever you were going to 'add' something, you add a certain number of water 1/7's to that pressure plate. Then, whenever the pressure plate had 7/7 water, it would trigger the pump once, drawing out one 7/7 block of water. This could then activate another pressure plate that would add one 1/7 block of water to another pressure plate. This then means that each 1/7 of water in the second pressure area equals seven 1/7 blocks of water in the first. This allows adding in base eight. Highly complicated, but it still works. i2amroy 7:56 (MST), May 12 2009
::::Er, do you mean this:
::::[[Image:Prototypememory.PNG]]
::::Or do you mean a row of 8 pressure plates, each set to 1-1 (or some other level if I haven't thought about it enough)? This row of plates I would personally consider to be binary, I suppose it doesn't matter. Complexity is no obstacle for Dwarfputing. [[User:Zort|Zort]] 22:00, 12 May 2009 (UTC)
::::Even with the adding-1/7-water example you'll stay binary. While it's an interesting way to create an special counter, you'll be unable to read numbers other than 8,8^2,8^3,... You'll stick to the binary information 8/NOT 8. Additionally evaporation and the fact that you can't move 1/7 water away will make it somehow impossible, like everything else that works with ammounts of water somehow. --[[User:Kami|Kami]] 09:28, 2 December 2009 (UTC)

== A practical use for borg logic ==

*I think that you could easily use borg logic in a (living) fortress to make a randomly changing labyrinth. Have dozens of plates strewed across the floor of your main feast hall; each is connected to a 'memory' switch that does something random in the labyrinth, and/or clears a different switch. Memory switches are very easily constructed should you have a chasm, where you can use gravity instead of a pump; said chasm is also often useful in populating said chasm with dangerous creatures. If you're clever enough to be able to build a 'clear all' switch, you can eventually make it so that the labyrinth inhabitants themselves are doing the computations for you! (something that's necessary if you want it to work in adventurer mode!)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::--[[User:Arkenstone|Arkenstone]] 12:50, 9 August 2009 (EST)

== Water Clock Questions ==

I was thinking about creating a water clock for my fort so that I would not get surprised by the seasons every time. However, there are a few items that might pose a bit of a problem for me here (not the least of which is the fact that this would be my first attempt at water logic) so I thought I would ask around and see if anyone knew some answers that might help me out.

First, is the rate of water evaporation constant, or random? If it’s random, I’m not sure this would work. I’m pretty sure I would need a constant value for the rate at which my various reservoirs would fill up.

Second, does anyone know the number of steps in a season, how many steps it takes for a 6/7 tile of water to spread into two 3/7 tiles, and if steps are the right unit of measurement here?

Thirdly, there is no thirdly. That’s it. Thanks for any input in advance. [[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 19:26, 17 November 2009 (UTC)
:The rate of water evaporation is random. This is easy to test by filling a large area with 1/7 water and watching it evaporate - it doesn't evaporate nicely in the order it filled. I'm not sure about the answer to the second question. --[[User:LaVacaMorada|LaVacaMorada]] 00:57, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
::There's another article about creating a system of pumps that basically pumps one level of water (or maybe two?) constantly creating a never ending waterfall. It's apparently "neverending" because the pumps will pump the water faster then it can evaporate. This means, from my perspective, that the rate of water evaporation must have, at least, a minimum timeframe for it to exist before the code tests to see if it might evaporate (otherwise that neverending waterfall wouldn't work). And *that* means that it should be possible to fill at least small areas with water quickly enough that you don't need to worry about any evaporation rates. If that's true, then perhaps I can do this water clock thing after all. All I really need to figure out is the rate at which all this will happen. If there is anyone who's figured this out (I haven't seen the info I need anywhere in the wiki) then please let me know. Otherwise it will be a little while before I can do the needed tests. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 01:27, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

::ROFLOL. I didn’t even see the calendar on the inventory screen until just this morning. Well, I guess I can still try for a water clock, but I will need to somehow make it useful. I think I could have it dump a tile worth of water over top of my magma vent at the start of spring each year. This will freeze the game due to a “cave in” (the produced obsidian floor falling to the bottom of the vent) and alert me that it’s time to get my winter-working dwarves inside before the start of the first season’s goblin ambushes. So I guess there is still a point to creating a water clock.

::In case anyone was wondering I tested out the length of days in steps, and comparing my tests to what is mentioned on the article under “calendar”, I am fairly certain that the length of a day is 1200 steps.

::Also, I think I’ve figured out how to not have to worry about evaporation; make use of water pressure. If I build all the logic gates for my clock on a low enough level, and have them be filled from a multi-level cistern fairly high up, then the water pressure should cause the water to spread fast enough that evaporation won’t be an issue. If it works the way I’m thinking it will, then there definitely is a way to build all these logic gates in a way that is dependable from a timing standpoint. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:16, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

:::Hmmmm. I think all this talk might be better handled on my user page. I will attempt to sort through it and figure out what to leave here and move the rest over at a later point. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:24, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

== This is either a very good or a very bad idea. ==

Is Dwarf Fortress Turing complete? If so, some very interesting ideas are in order.

:Starcraft is Turing complete - i'm guessing that makes DF so. (Admittedly, one can program Tetris in Starcraft, and that seems hard in DF... no wait, i think i could make something that was logically equivalent, but it would *suck* to play it). --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 22:24, 1 December 2009 (UTC)
:: I'd say it is turing complete, but it's hard to proof. (Btw, I like the tetris idea...) --[[User:Kami|Kami]] 09:05, 2 December 2009 (UTC)

40d Talk:Computing

2010-03-09T02:34:57Z

71.194.101.232: /* Practical applications */

I created this page because I think it's a very interesting part of the game for advanced players. I'm not at all familiar with creating wiki pages, so if someone else who was familiar with the concepts could write a section or two themselves, that would be grand. Right now I think it's been proven possible to create logical input and output gates using fluid dynamics, axles and gears, and even the movements of dwarves utilizing pressure plates.

It was on the 4th of Galena 1097 that the Fortress 'The Net of Skies' became self-aware. Panicked mechanics attempted to disengage the mechanisms, but the fortress interpreted this as an attack and designated all Dwarves as hostile... --[[User:WyldKarde|WyldKarde]] 13:17, 23 November 2007 (EST)

:A suggested component: The one-use lever.

ó _X_ ___ / = ramp X = door
#" ¯ /### " = bridge
#########

:The lever has a Pull The Lever repeat job on it. The door only opens when access is required. Upon being pulled, the lever opens the bridge and drops the dwarf that pulled it. -- [[User:Zaratustra|Zaratustra]] 14:56, 23 November 2007 (EST)
:Problem detected: the lever doesn't obstruct, so the dwarf can be left hanging on the lever's tile.

I think we should strive to include an example of an NAND gate and/or a NOR gate for each style since that's the bare minimum for operation.--[[User:AlBorland|AlBorland]] 22:09, 23 November 2007 (EST)

== Machine logic ==

The machine logic gates as they stand are incomplete. The inputs are levers, but the outputs are machine components. In order to connect a machine logic gate to another gate, the machine signal needs to be converted back into a lever signal. The only way I can see to do that is with a water tank, a pump, and a pressure plate. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 12:38, 28 November 2007 (EST)

== Anthills ==

Kudos to whoever mods ants to be trainable for borg machines... Hex anyone? :D [[User:N35t0r|N35t0r]] 20:28, 8 December 2007 (EST)
: This would make that person my favoritest ever. --[[User:Geofferic|Geofferic]] 01:36, 9 December 2007 (EST)
: Agreed. [[User:Madmadmadmage|Madmadmadmage]] 15:13, 9 December 2007 (EST)
:More specifically, Langton's ant...{{user:yrael/sig|on that note, two words: dwarf bread.|DATE=13:00, 12 May 2008 (EDT)}}

== Fluid logic gates ==

Link to original information is at [[User:Madmadmadmage/Logic_Gates]]. Moved to clean up page.

Have you tested these at all? I translated your multi-level NOT gate into a form I could understand better after designing some gates myself, and looked at it. It doesn't look to me like it would work at all - First, water flows diagonally, so the water would just flow around the floodgate. Second, if water didn't flow diagonally, and you opened the floodgate because of an input signal, water from the reservoir would then hold the floodgate open by covering the pressure plate even if you shut off the input signal. You'd also need to do something other than just have the drain always open or you might not even trigger the pressure plate because it's draining too fast. --[[User:SL|SL]] 19:17, 23 December 2007 (EST)

No, I did not test any of these. I forgot that water flows around corners; I usually work with straight passages and put my gates in places where it doesn't matter. I'll fix that. As for draining water, you're correct on one point: the water would drain off too fast to trigger the plates. It would drain out to one, so the part about it not draining out isn't a problem. The draining-too-fast problem can also be solved: set the plate to activate on any depth-two water. That would mean it would take a tiny bit longer to drain (although not much), but it would also make it open if any water at all were coming to the input. Additionally, minimizing delays would be very, very useful. Remember, these don't have to be all separated like I have them. You could design these with everything compressed into three-long channels (the minimum length of a NAND gate plus an input), which would greatly optimize performance. Maybe using something like an aquifer for the water source would also help. I'll have to build a fortress specifically to test fluid gates (translate as: dig through aquifer). Give me a few weeks. [[User:Madmadmadmage|Madmadmadmage]] 02:14, 27 December 2007 (EST)

I've finished my own logic gates now - designed, built, and tested them all. They transfer signals between gates using mechanisms rather than water flow, but use water internally for processing logic. In addition to the standard gates (NOT, AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR), I've also made repeaters (repeatedly toggle two output signals) and memory gates (one input signal sets the gate's output to ON, the other input signal resets it to OFF - this is useful to replace one-use pressure plates with resettable versions). They only need to be built on top of a murky pool (with water in it), or an aquifer, brook, stream, river, dwarf-made cistern, whatever, and require power for one or two pumps each. I've posted them here [[User:SL/Logic_Gates]] for now, with all the information needed to build and use them, and advice on doing so. --[[User:SL|SL]] 13:30, 4 January 2008 (EST)

These look really good to me. Since I rarely use screw pumps, I never even thought of using using them. They're slower to build than simple channels, but they're faster, more efficient, and far more predictable. Good idea. Secondarily, I'm moving my stuff to another page to make everything neater. Links to [[User:Madmadmadmage/Logic_Gates]] here and at the top of the section. [[User:Madmadmadmage|Madmadmadmage]] 20:19, 4 January 2008 (EST)

== Practical applications ==

::'''One-way door'''
Hi! I'm new here and I am not sure where to put this, but I thought that it may be helpful, and it could use some refinement, and I couldn't find it anywhere else...

I noticed when trying to stop my civilians from having fun that if I locked the door whenever a dwarf was about to escape that they would find something else to do and give up on clearing that trap... While the dwarves outside generally just mill about waiting for the doors to open on account of having nothing else to do...

So I made a door which closes whenever a dwarf walks up to it from one side, and has a lever to keep it open regardless...
:The one-way door:
# - wall
D - door
R - bottom of ramp
-> - screw pump (west to east)
<- - east to west
_ - open space
o - vertical axle
W - unlimited water supply

1 - door connected to plate 1
2 - lever connected to door 2
3 - pressure plates connected to door 3, triggered by friendly dwarves(weight6)
---------------------------
################
2 D3333333331 D
D3333333331 D
################

:This is my current mechanism(lowest ground to highest ground):

1 - pressure plate connected to doors 1, triggered by water depth 0-2
2 - door connected to lever 2
3 - door connected to pressure plates 3
---------------------------
#######
# R####
# #####
# #
#######
---------------------------
#######___
## 123<-__
###D###___ ####
## <-_# <-_W
###D### ####
---------------------------
#######
### o#
#######
##_->
#######
---------------------------

:it could probably be compressed into something more like this:
---------------------------
############
# 132<-_<-_W
############
---------------------------
############
#_-> o _o #
############

:I have two requests, firstly, could this please be formatted and moved to somewhere good. And also, would someone please calculate how far a dwarven acrobat can travel before this will trigger, I have plates about 10 deep and some still get through...

:Be advised that if anything is in the door when it is triggered it will remain open, to reset it the water must be removed from plate 1, this can be done by toggling lever 2 or persuading the dwarves to get off the plates 3...
[[User:RAM|RAM]] 04:33, 1 March 2009 (EST)

::I'm not too keen on attempting to read your diagram, so here's what I would do to create a door which closes when a dwarf steps near it but stays constantly open when a lever is set.
::[[Image:Onewaydoor.PNG]]
::Do tell me if you build it or need more details, optionally through #bay12games! --[[User:Zort|Zort]] 20:51, 12 May 2009 (UTC)

::'''Animal Logic'''
:::I think that a simpler method of one-way door could be used in an animal logic system:
#<#
##D##
+DPD+
#####
Two of the doors are connected to other parts of the machine; the third is is directly linked to the pressure plate in the middle so that it closes when the animal is in the center, and leads to outside. When the entry door opens, the animal walks in seeking the exit, which closes before it get there. The animal then has nowhere to go but out the next door, but only after that door is opened.

== Base 8? ==
It says in '''Fluid Logic''', "Fluid logic allows for computing in up to base 8." How does this work? Pressure plates cannot be made to distinguish between the 8 different water levels... Of course, you could use many counters in such a way as to simulate base 8, but base 2 would be more natural. --[[User:Zort|Zort]] 20:04, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
:Pressure plates can distinguish between different levels, and can be set to go off at a range between any two numbers. They can also determine the difference between water and magma. It is at the bottom of the trigger menu. i2amroy 22:48, 11 May 2009
::Exactly. They can detect a range between two given numbers, but, if a plate is set to 0-4, it cannot distinguish between 5, 6, or 7, levels of water. --[[User:Zort|Zort]] 12:20, 12 May 2009 (UTC)
:::One way that computing in base eight could be possible would be to have a pressure plate that triggered at 7-7 water and whenever you were going to 'add' something, you add a certain number of water 1/7's to that pressure plate. Then, whenever the pressure plate had 7/7 water, it would trigger the pump once, drawing out one 7/7 block of water. This could then activate another pressure plate that would add one 1/7 block of water to another pressure plate. This then means that each 1/7 of water in the second pressure area equals seven 1/7 blocks of water in the first. This allows adding in base eight. Highly complicated, but it still works. i2amroy 7:56 (MST), May 12 2009
::::Er, do you mean this:
::::[[Image:Prototypememory.PNG]]
::::Or do you mean a row of 8 pressure plates, each set to 1-1 (or some other level if I haven't thought about it enough)? This row of plates I would personally consider to be binary, I suppose it doesn't matter. Complexity is no obstacle for Dwarfputing. [[User:Zort|Zort]] 22:00, 12 May 2009 (UTC)
::::Even with the adding-1/7-water example you'll stay binary. While it's an interesting way to create an special counter, you'll be unable to read numbers other than 8,8^2,8^3,... You'll stick to the binary information 8/NOT 8. Additionally evaporation and the fact that you can't move 1/7 water away will make it somehow impossible, like everything else that works with ammounts of water somehow. --[[User:Kami|Kami]] 09:28, 2 December 2009 (UTC)

== A practical use for borg logic ==

*I think that you could easily use borg logic in a (living) fortress to make a randomly changing labyrinth. Have dozens of plates strewed across the floor of your main feast hall; each is connected to a 'memory' switch that does something random in the labyrinth, and/or clears a different switch. Memory switches are very easily constructed should you have a chasm, where you can use gravity instead of a pump; said chasm is also often useful in populating said chasm with dangerous creatures. If you're clever enough to be able to build a 'clear all' switch, you can eventually make it so that the labyrinth inhabitants themselves are doing the computations for you! (something that's necessary if you want it to work in adventurer mode!)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::--[[User:Arkenstone|Arkenstone]] 12:50, 9 August 2009 (EST)

== Water Clock Questions ==

I was thinking about creating a water clock for my fort so that I would not get surprised by the seasons every time. However, there are a few items that might pose a bit of a problem for me here (not the least of which is the fact that this would be my first attempt at water logic) so I thought I would ask around and see if anyone knew some answers that might help me out.

First, is the rate of water evaporation constant, or random? If it’s random, I’m not sure this would work. I’m pretty sure I would need a constant value for the rate at which my various reservoirs would fill up.

Second, does anyone know the number of steps in a season, how many steps it takes for a 6/7 tile of water to spread into two 3/7 tiles, and if steps are the right unit of measurement here?

Thirdly, there is no thirdly. That’s it. Thanks for any input in advance. [[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 19:26, 17 November 2009 (UTC)
:The rate of water evaporation is random. This is easy to test by filling a large area with 1/7 water and watching it evaporate - it doesn't evaporate nicely in the order it filled. I'm not sure about the answer to the second question. --[[User:LaVacaMorada|LaVacaMorada]] 00:57, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
::There's another article about creating a system of pumps that basically pumps one level of water (or maybe two?) constantly creating a never ending waterfall. It's apparently "neverending" because the pumps will pump the water faster then it can evaporate. This means, from my perspective, that the rate of water evaporation must have, at least, a minimum timeframe for it to exist before the code tests to see if it might evaporate (otherwise that neverending waterfall wouldn't work). And *that* means that it should be possible to fill at least small areas with water quickly enough that you don't need to worry about any evaporation rates. If that's true, then perhaps I can do this water clock thing after all. All I really need to figure out is the rate at which all this will happen. If there is anyone who's figured this out (I haven't seen the info I need anywhere in the wiki) then please let me know. Otherwise it will be a little while before I can do the needed tests. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 01:27, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

::ROFLOL. I didn’t even see the calendar on the inventory screen until just this morning. Well, I guess I can still try for a water clock, but I will need to somehow make it useful. I think I could have it dump a tile worth of water over top of my magma vent at the start of spring each year. This will freeze the game due to a “cave in” (the produced obsidian floor falling to the bottom of the vent) and alert me that it’s time to get my winter-working dwarves inside before the start of the first season’s goblin ambushes. So I guess there is still a point to creating a water clock.

::In case anyone was wondering I tested out the length of days in steps, and comparing my tests to what is mentioned on the article under “calendar”, I am fairly certain that the length of a day is 1200 steps.

::Also, I think I’ve figured out how to not have to worry about evaporation; make use of water pressure. If I build all the logic gates for my clock on a low enough level, and have them be filled from a multi-level cistern fairly high up, then the water pressure should cause the water to spread fast enough that evaporation won’t be an issue. If it works the way I’m thinking it will, then there definitely is a way to build all these logic gates in a way that is dependable from a timing standpoint. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:16, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

:::Hmmmm. I think all this talk might be better handled on my user page. I will attempt to sort through it and figure out what to leave here and move the rest over at a later point. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:24, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

== This is either a very good or a very bad idea. ==

Is Dwarf Fortress Turing complete? If so, some very interesting ideas are in order.

:Starcraft is Turing complete - i'm guessing that makes DF so. (Admittedly, one can program Tetris in Starcraft, and that seems hard in DF... no wait, i think i could make something that was logically equivalent, but it would *suck* to play it). --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 22:24, 1 December 2009 (UTC)
:: I'd say it is turing complete, but it's hard to proof. (Btw, I like the tetris idea...) --[[User:Kami|Kami]] 09:05, 2 December 2009 (UTC)

40d Talk:Undead

2010-03-08T23:21:39Z

71.194.101.232: /* Flying Fish!!! */ new section

__TOC__

== "Is used to tragedy"? ==
One question: I had two dwarves that were not always occupied hunt small zombies and skeletons (hoary marmots, mountain goat and such). Apart from getting really good at wrestling, they both seemed to gain "Is used to tragedy" as a character trait. Can anyone confirm that? -- [[User:qwertyu|qwertyu]] 12:34, 9 March 2008 (CET)

:That always happens regardless of what they are killing.

==Pitting problems==
Should we include the fact that attempting to pit undead animals of any kind will result in them attacking the moment they are released, regardless of how close they are to the pit. (They can be right next to it but still attack the pit-ter once they are out of the cages)
--[[User:Umiman|Umiman]] 07:39, 29 May 2008 (EDT)

:I believe we should put it in as a warning to those who attempt to put captured undead in pits.
:--Rickola

::Should it be mentioned that the Undead versions are much more tougher than 'normal' creatures, once I had an entire fortress wiped out by a single Undead Racoon. --[[User:Hoborobo|Hoborobo]] 06:47, 10 August 2008 (EDT)

:::I think zombies are a lot harder than skeletons. Maybe undead horses are just absurdly hard anyway, but I put all seven of my starting dwarves on a single zombie horse. Sure, they were untrained and unarmored and were wrestling it to death (except for the miners), but all seven dwarves went from untrained in wrestling to novice wrestlers, became tired/exhausted, AND two dwarves died and three got yellow/red injuries, before that single zombie horse went down. Then the other four zombie horses wandered in... Skeletons seem to be a lot easier to kill. --[[User:Sowelu|Sowelu]] 04:15, 22 November 2008 (EST)

::::Though zombies are easy to run away from. My dwarves sidestep zombies whenever they see them (which is often, on my current map), but skeletons would corner them. Zombies are, however, famously difficult to kill by wrestling. Use an axe or sword.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 16:25, 22 November 2008 (EST)

:::::Zombies are utterly impossible to kill with wrestling. The only wrestling move that can kill at all is strangling, and zombies don't breathe or bleed. Dwarves set to wrestle undead will only ever destroy them with punches. If you're heading into an evil biome, I'd recommend bringing a well-armed macedwarf! That'll teach 'em to stay dead, pretty darn quick. Swords aren't so good, spears and picks even worse, though axes will do okay. In a pinch, at least make your dwarves shields to bash with. It's a matter of raw damage. --[[User:Navian|Navian]] 17:27, 22 November 2008 (EST)

::::::(It's not true that strangling is the "only" kill move - wrestling also includes punches, and a lucky punch can damage the throat or an organ. Not relevant here, but just saying for accuracy.)--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 06:11, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

:::::::{If you read what he said, you'll notice that he said that '''punches''' were the only way to 'kill' them with wrestling} --[[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 23:07, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

== Skeleton Corpse ==

I have a Skeleton Horse Corpses. That's not normal, right? It appears to have fallen several levels into a river. Adjacent to it (well... adjacent if you ignore the z-difference) are bridge squares and weapon traps. --[[User:Groveller|Groveller]] 11:55, 23 August 2008 (EDT)

:I saw [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=22793.0 this report] a while ago on the bugs board. May be worth resurrecting it (especially if you can supply saves)? --[[User:Raumkraut|Raumkraut]] 14:21, 23 August 2008 (EDT)

::Hmm, just noticed it wasn't on the bugs board, but on the gameplay questions board. May be worth starting a thread on the bugs board then? --[[User:Raumkraut|Raumkraut]] 15:49, 23 August 2008 (EDT)

::: Ah, the board. I hadn't even looked at that yet. Anyway, the person you linked to posted in the bugs board too, so I guess this is known. I didn't think of getting a save... --[[User:Groveller|Groveller]] 07:24, 25 August 2008 (EDT)

== Skeletal creatures ==

I was told that skeletal creatures would lose their limbs whenever they hit broken status. Is this true?

As another note, if that is true, I have a bug that occured. Under the assumption broken bones = removed bones for the skeletons, one of my hammerdwarves hit a skeletal dragon so hard that its upper body was instantly mangled, skipping the broken (and thusly removed) state entirely.[[User:Milskidasith|Milskidasith]] 17:17, 9 November 2008 (EST)

Assuming the 'sever on break' tag applies to skeletons, it only applies to limbs. You can't 'sever' a torso. --[[User:Navian|Navian]] 17:27, 22 November 2008 (EST)

==Undead Megabeasts ==

Could this be elaborated on a bit? I've never seen an undead megabeast in the legends screen. How does this work? How rare is it (absurdly rare, I guess)? [[User:Lastofthelight|Lastofthelight]]

:I've had a zombie Titan... no idea why it was a zombie but it was the only megabeast i'd seen. Really, megabeasts are far too rare now that they can be killed off in world gen. --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 10:29, 8 January 2009 (EST)

::Agreed. Somehow, I've managed to avoid seeing a megabeast entirely as of yet. Zombies and skeletons are hard enough to find; megabeasts are nearly impossible.

::To be honest, I'm really hoping Toady hurries up and brings back the undead event that was talked about in [[Core components]]. That is, undead dwarves and pets that died in your fortress would pop through the floor and attack you. Spooky. ~ [[User:Midna|Midna]] 07:10, 1 February 2009 (EST)

::I got a skeletal dragon. Disappointingly, it succumbed to a cage trap. I used savescumming to run some experiments, and it seems it's quite hardy but not particularly powerful. The dragon is now sitting in a dragonfire pillbox in my fortress - by the way, it seems that the undead BUILDINGDESTROYER:1 tag overrides BUILDINGDESTROYER:2, so it can be stopped by a raised drawbridge. I tried activating the pillbox and engaging it with my marksdwarves - it took an extremely long time to even begin to return fire, and only ignited one marksdwarf. On the plus side, being skeletal, I'm pretty sure that ranged attacks won't even scratch it - but now it's going to be a glorified fire trap. --[[Special:Contributions/155.69.95.232|155.69.95.232]] 09:34, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

== Zombie Gas Warfare ==

It should be noted that "live" zombies also spread miasma if they are indoors. I have seen this on several occasions, but all with zombie fire imps, so I can't actually confirm that it happens with other zombie types.--[[User:Zipdog|Zipdog]] 02:17, 23 April 2009 (UTC)
:I'm not even sure how having undead [[fire imp]]s is even ''possible''. You'd think that a zombie fire imp, for example, would roast itself to the point where it would die.... ~ [[User:Midna|Midna]] 04:27, 9 December 2009 (UTC)
:: I embarked near a volcano in an evil biome. I was beset with ''skeletal'' fire imps. And yes, they do breathe fire! [[User:Iapetus|Iapetus]] 11:56, 27 December 2009 (UTC)

== Undead Building Destroyer ==
I have seen evidence that skeletal creatures have building destroyer. Has anyone had any experience with this or more evidence of it happening? Do they also trapavoid? If undead creatures do destroy buildings normally, it should be on the page, yes? -- [[User:CultOfTheRaven|CultOfTheRaven]] 18:39, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

: I believe that undead retain the traits of the base animal -- at least, I've had a skeletal raccoon steal items just like a regular raccoon does. --[[User:Sev|Sev]] 02:27, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

::The animal was a skeletal fox. I'm pretty sure regular foxes can't destroy doors. -- [[User:CultOfTheRaven|CultOfTheRaven]] 05:27, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

== Hammer vs Axe ==

After getting my 7 starting dwarves torn apart by a pack of skeletal muskox, I'd like to know just in case it happens again: what is more effective against undead, slashing or bludgeoning? --[[User:Smartmo|Smartmo]] 22:42, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

:I think bludgeon, as it has more raw damage while slashing has the advantage of easier bleeding, which is lost against undeads.[[User:Wagawaga|Wagawaga]] 20:36, 29 July 2009 (UTC)
:: Axes are very useful against the undead, since their criticals dismember limbs, it isn't uncommon for an axedwarf to cleave off a skeleton or zombies head killing it instantly even at low skill levels. You can test this yourself in adventure mode, using a Mace user and then an axe user to fight several undead encounters in evil zones. The combat system is inherently random, but after 20 or so fights each you'll quickly see some sort relevant data.anonymous edit - & see next section

== Cut apart to kill? ==
Undead can ~only~ be destroyed after losing thier Head, Upper Body, or Lower Body. Even after having lost all of their limbs they'll still be quite "alive", so to speak.

This was an anonymous (IP only) post, with this as an editors comment:
Tested this information while leveling an adverturer to legendary in almost exclusively undead encounters.

I'm removing it for now, at least until someone with a User name shows up to discuss it. Verification is needed before an absolute statement like this is made. Same in fortress mode? ''All'' undead?! Some of the above posts suggest that a hammer is a fine weapon for its brute damage potential, with or without smashing an undead into bits. --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 06:11, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

== Depletion ==
Does the local population of undead deplete like normal wild animals? --[[User:Bouchart|Bouchart]] 23:38, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

== Tameability? ==

I was not able to find any information on taming the undead in the Tame or Pet articles, so I thought I'd bring it up here. Is it at all possible to tame zombie or skeletal creatures? Because I'd certainly love to have a bunch of skeletal giant eagles floating around my fortress as an alternative to bowling them over with my military every time one shows up. The goats and marmots... eh, not so much. [[Special:Contributions/24.22.239.156|24.22.239.156]] 03:04, 2 December 2009 (UTC)
:I believe undead creatures are inherently hostile toward all non-undead creatures - using Dwarf Companion to make a tame animal undead makes it attack everyone. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 04:01, 2 December 2009 (UTC)

== Undead vs Living Creatures? ==

In one evil fortress, most of the dwarves' opposition came in the form of undead mountain goats and hoary marmots. For the first few years it was just them, but then I ordered a dwarf, who wouldn't spar due to a spinal injury, to have a go at them since I needed bones. After killing a bunch of them, I saw for the first time LIVING mountain goats on the map. I think it may be possible that killing off enough undead beasties can cause them to lose influence, though I have no way of testing this.

FWIW, it was a part-good part-evil map. Unicorns hung around the northeast corner of the map in the spring and liked to stumble into cage traps, though this was the first occurance of living ''goats.'' ~~[[User:Loyal|Loyal]] 01:55, 28 December 2009 (EST)

== Flying Fish!!! ==

You know, I always thought that the undead-fish-on-dry-land phenomena was just them flying around in a ghostly, possessed kind of way.
:Speaking of ghosts, are they on the Dev lists? Maybe after magic is implemented? --[[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 23:21, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

40d Talk:Undead

2010-03-08T23:07:00Z

71.194.101.232: /* Pitting problems */

40d:Unfortunate accident

2010-03-08T22:47:31Z

71.194.101.232: added section: == Go to Hell! ==

{{D for Dwarf}}

The life of a [[noble]] is difficult. They are cursed with highly refined tastes that are difficult to satisfy. Because of this burden, they often fall prey to tragic accidents. Here's a simple guide to ensuring the safety and happiness of the upper classes.

==Entertaining lever==

Any dwarf of high standing should have a well-crafted [[lever]] among the amenities in his spacious quarters. If he should find himself stressed by overdue [[mandate]]s, or accidentally locked in his room, he can amuse himself by pulling it repeatedly. Pulling levers is one of the few tasks only fit for nobles, after all. For some nobles, pulling a lever is a show of solidarity with the working classes. ''"See? I contribute to the well-being of our great civilization! I understand the plight of the [[pump operator]], the [[mechanic]], and the [[craftsdwarf]]!"'' Other, more anal retentive nobles have levers installed so that they can pull them in the optimal sequence before calling for the production of [[adamantine]] piccolos. Some nobles call for a lever to be installed as a bell-pull, the better to alert the rest of the fortress that one of their nobles has a request. Whatever the reason, be sure to include a high-quality lever in ''all'' of your nobles' quarters.

A lever can be made personal to a specific noble in the {{k|q}} {{k|P}}rofile for that lever, just as if it were a common, lowly workshop.

==Impressive spike==

What could be more dwarven than a [[menacing spike]]? Better make it retractable, in case your noble needs the space. Put this steely symbol of dwarven strength in one of your noble's rooms, possibly next to the lever.

[[Hammerer]]s just can't get enough spikes.

It is worth noting that nice masterwork steel spike encrusted with rubies looks very nice and may boost the room's value.

==In-room waterfall==

All dwarves love the soothing [[mist]] of a [[waterfall]]. Why not give your noble an opulent waterfall of his own? The hypnotic cascade of falling water will help relax him after a hard day of mandates, and the soothing sound will help him sleep. Take care that the drainage system is working properly. Any obstruction could cause the room to fill with water, and water can ruin the ''best'' leather cloaks. Remember to put an attractive [[grate]] over the drain, to keep anything from falling in and stinking up your plumbing.

==Private zoo==

Everyone loves a [[zoo]]. Why not put a savage, exotic beast right in your noble's room? Who wouldn't want to see a [[giant desert scorpion]] or [[zombie]] [[carp]] every day? Just make sure it doesn't escape. It may be prudent to hook this up to another lever in the noble's room, so they can secure the cage door if the creature somehow manages to escape.

== Impressive Throne ==

Your highest noble will meet with various visitors and emissaries in his [[office|throne room]]. To give him that extra edge in negotiations, make it intimidating. Put a [[magma]] pool right there in the throne room. Watch as your fortress wins valuable trade agreements at the table, securing the future for your great dwarven civilization. No glittery [[gold]] throne, either - make one out of [[iron]], [[steel]], or some other material with a high [[Temperature scale|melting point]].

== Vault of Kings ==

Nobles are precious and fragile things. To make sure that your nobles don't get injured in battle, you might want to hook up their chamber doors to levers so they can be sealed firmly in case of [[siege|invasion]]. Since the noble <s>trapped</s> <s>hiding</s> safely secured inside wouldn't know when it was safe to come out again, best to put the lever somewhere outside. That way, once the confusion of battle is over, some dwarf will surely miss the noble and remember to release him. It may seem logical to put some food and water in with your noble, but this could lead to rot and [[miasma]] in your noble's safe room, which would only serve to make a difficult situation even worse.

For extra impenetrability, construct a wall in front of the door. Be sure to make note which section of wall the noble is behind so you'll be able to find it again later when it's time to let him out!

== Sacred pulpit ==

For the most regal of nobles, nothing less than a balcony perched above a pool of magma will do when trying to get the attention of the underlings. The construction of such a sacred pulpit is elaborate, but a true noble would expect nothing less.

A [[support]] must be built on the edge of a sheer cliff overlooking the attention-getting feature (magma is always impressive, although a pulpit overlooking a chasm can also produce a pleasing resonance for those nobles who enjoy haranguing the masses). A [[bridge]] must be built to the edge of this support, and a floor placed on top of the support. Provide the noble with a lever on top of this floor which retracts the bridge -- it's not a proper pulpit if the masses can reach the noble while he or she speaks. The lever is also connected to the support beneath the floor -- this is a safety precaution, we are told.

Before using the system, an additional lever should be built elsewhere in the fortress that attaches to the bridge, in case the noble's lever should... happen to jam. Then, invite the noble to inaugurate the platform by pulling the sacred lever placed on top of it. Be certain that ''only'' the noble is [[Workshop#Profiles|allowed to pull this lever]] -- it would not do to have a commoner desecrate the holy pulpit.

Each noble who wishes to use the pulpit must be provided with a newly-built platform (column, floor, and lever). Only the best for our nobles.

==Demonstration of military might==

Nobles are prone to worry, and reassurance is often hard to come by. However, many a noble is comforted by the sight of [[siege engine|ballistae]] hurling spears across the countryside. As such, you may wish to treat some of your nobles to an artillery show. Build a ballista emplacement, and a spot for the noble to watch from. This vantage point should have a [[channel]] around it, to prevent any wild animals, perhaps enraged by the spears hurtling through their habitat, from getting at them. Make the central throne accessible by bridge, with a lever next to the noble's seat, for retraction. Ask your noble to pull the lever, and begin the demonstration. Be careful not to put your noble in the line of fire, for ballista bolts are traditionally engraved with the words, "To Whom It May Concern".

== <s>Madhouse</s> Sealed noble-exclusive area ==

Why should your nobles have to eat, sleep, <s>be useless</s> work to improve the fortress, and mingle with the common rabble, many of whom clean their beards with a [[pick|pickax]], for Armok's sake? Give your nobility a quality apartment all to themselves, preferably one sealed off from the dirty plebes. Ideally, only nobles would be allowed into this part of the fortress; servants would lower food and other necessities into a compartment that only the nobles can physically access. Just make sure the servants are quick to meet the needs of your nobles; desperation among the upper classes could lead to unsettling results.

== Go to Hell! ==

The King is very unhappy to see the war and bloodshed that has resulted from a simple dispute over mining rights, and in the very hold he lives in too! He has decided to send his most beloved <s>drinking friends</s> representatives to jump down into what will surely be a *warm* reception. If all else fails, his majesty may even decide to go himself!

40d:Engraving

2010-03-08T22:29:16Z

71.194.101.232: /* Trivia */

'''Engraving''' [[smoothing|smooth]] [[wall]]s and [[floor]]s will increase the [[value of a room]]. This is done by [[dwarves]] with [[Stone Detailing]] labor enabled and uses the [[engraver]] skill.

Engravings may cause happy [[thought]]s, and are a good way to keep a record of the fort's [[Legends|history]]. You can view them with loo{{k|k}} + {{k|enter}}.

== Engraving an area ==

# Press {{K|d}} to open the designate menu.
# Press {{K|e}} to select "Engrave Stone".
# Move the cursor to a position on or near a wall and press {{K|enter}}.
# The spot you marked changes to a blinking green "+" indicating where the area you wish to engrave extends from.
# Move the cursor to any position, across the area you wish to engrave and press {{K|enter}} again.
# The wall tiles in the area you defined should blink with a light blue regular pattern.
# Wait for a [[dwarf]] to engrave the [[stone]] on the walls.

'''NOTE: You must smooth an area before you can engrave on it. Designating an area for smoothing is just the same as engraving, but you must press {{K|s}} to Smooth Stone from the designate menu.'''

== Art value ==
Engraved surfaces raise the [[value]] of [[room]]s, depending on the [[quality]] and material of the engraving. Engravings only affect the value of the room on the side they were made on, though smoothing affects both sides.[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=26201.msg307267#msg307267] The value of smooth and engraved walls is considered "Architecture" under the "Fortress [[Wealth]]" table.

==Value & content==
[[File:DF_Cheese.jpg|208px|thumb|right|A dwarf eating cheese]]
Quality affects what is inscribed on an engraving. Normal-quality engravings will never have the history of your [[fortress]] on them, and are usually about random things in the [[world]]. Engravings made with a quality of well-crafted and up will often contain pieces of historical information about your fortress' past. Engravers are inspired by the history of your fort and will use them in the engraving. Like when your [[axedwarf]] bravely held a crucial part of the fort and slew some [[goblin]]s, your engravers can make a graven image of it.

An engraving of a subject that a dwarf dislikes will reduce the the effective value of that room for that dwarf.[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=27361.0]

[[Adventurer]]s are able to view these by revisiting your old fortress (use {{K|l}} to look around, then {{K|a}} over an engraving you want to look at), and will see a much more detailed description of the engraved happening. The art and the story behind the engraving will show up in the [[legends]] mode. Alternatively, you can edit [[init.txt]] and enable the '''SHOW_ALL_HISTORY_IN_DWARF_MODE''' setting to make the same history information visible in Fortress mode.

== Toggle engravings ==
Engraved walls and floors are represented by default with pictures on a gray background, sometimes making it difficult to differentiate between them. It is possible to display engraved surfaces as smooth ones with the "toggle engraving" option, with the difference between smoothed and engraved surfaces being shown by the engraved surface having a gray background, as opposed to the smoothed surface's black.

To change the display of individual engravings in-game, select "Toggle Engraving" in the designation menu ({{K|d}}-{{K|v}}) and select the area you wish to display differently (this has no effect on gameplay).

The display default is set in the [[init]] file line '''[ENGRAVINGS_START_OBSCURED:NO]'''. Replacing '''NO''' by '''YES''' will cause new engravings to show as smooth surfaces.

== Art defacement ==
A [[Quality|masterful]] engraving that is destroyed or defaced* will cause an unhappy [[thought]] in the [[engraver]]. (see the [[Quality]] article for details).
:''(* [[Mining]], [[magma]], and [[tower cap]]s do the job nicely, though magma and tower caps will only destroy floor engravings.)''

Oddly, even if [[Justice]] is in effect, the dwarf that defaced the artwork will not be held accountable for his crimes.

== Trivia ==
*If you engrave while under siege, it is quite possible for the battles to be depicted before the entire siege is over. This will mainly show single events that have happened during the siege already, such as deaths of certain creatures.
**CHALLENGE: when you start to experience [[Fun]], have your master engravers record it all in a completely sealed room. Make sure that they have plenty of space to record the Death of the Hold, as well as their own slow death by starvation.
*You can remove an engraving by building a wall over it. This will also remove the smoothed floor.

== How Dwarves Engrave==
{{D for Dwarf}}
*It is a well-known fact that dwarves use their coarse, thick beards in order to smooth rough areas of stone. More skilled dwarves can engrave images onto stone, which has led some scientists to believe that a dwarf's beard is a separate, sentient lifeform in symbiosis with the dwarves. The dwarves provide the beards with nourishment in their spilled alcohol and food, along with the prodigous amounts of sweat working dwarves produce. The beards provide warmth, storage for goods and a pouch of sorts for baby dwarves.
[[Category:Designations]]

40d:Engraving

2010-03-08T22:28:42Z

71.194.101.232: /* Trivia */ **Challenge: when you start to experience Fun, have your master engravers record it all in a completely sealed room. Make sure that they have plenty of space to record the Death of t

'''Engraving''' [[smoothing|smooth]] [[wall]]s and [[floor]]s will increase the [[value of a room]]. This is done by [[dwarves]] with [[Stone Detailing]] labor enabled and uses the [[engraver]] skill.

Engravings may cause happy [[thought]]s, and are a good way to keep a record of the fort's [[Legends|history]]. You can view them with loo{{k|k}} + {{k|enter}}.

== Engraving an area ==

# Press {{K|d}} to open the designate menu.
# Press {{K|e}} to select "Engrave Stone".
# Move the cursor to a position on or near a wall and press {{K|enter}}.
# The spot you marked changes to a blinking green "+" indicating where the area you wish to engrave extends from.
# Move the cursor to any position, across the area you wish to engrave and press {{K|enter}} again.
# The wall tiles in the area you defined should blink with a light blue regular pattern.
# Wait for a [[dwarf]] to engrave the [[stone]] on the walls.

'''NOTE: You must smooth an area before you can engrave on it. Designating an area for smoothing is just the same as engraving, but you must press {{K|s}} to Smooth Stone from the designate menu.'''

== Art value ==
Engraved surfaces raise the [[value]] of [[room]]s, depending on the [[quality]] and material of the engraving. Engravings only affect the value of the room on the side they were made on, though smoothing affects both sides.[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=26201.msg307267#msg307267] The value of smooth and engraved walls is considered "Architecture" under the "Fortress [[Wealth]]" table.

==Value & content==
[[File:DF_Cheese.jpg|208px|thumb|right|A dwarf eating cheese]]
Quality affects what is inscribed on an engraving. Normal-quality engravings will never have the history of your [[fortress]] on them, and are usually about random things in the [[world]]. Engravings made with a quality of well-crafted and up will often contain pieces of historical information about your fortress' past. Engravers are inspired by the history of your fort and will use them in the engraving. Like when your [[axedwarf]] bravely held a crucial part of the fort and slew some [[goblin]]s, your engravers can make a graven image of it.

An engraving of a subject that a dwarf dislikes will reduce the the effective value of that room for that dwarf.[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=27361.0]

[[Adventurer]]s are able to view these by revisiting your old fortress (use {{K|l}} to look around, then {{K|a}} over an engraving you want to look at), and will see a much more detailed description of the engraved happening. The art and the story behind the engraving will show up in the [[legends]] mode. Alternatively, you can edit [[init.txt]] and enable the '''SHOW_ALL_HISTORY_IN_DWARF_MODE''' setting to make the same history information visible in Fortress mode.

== Toggle engravings ==
Engraved walls and floors are represented by default with pictures on a gray background, sometimes making it difficult to differentiate between them. It is possible to display engraved surfaces as smooth ones with the "toggle engraving" option, with the difference between smoothed and engraved surfaces being shown by the engraved surface having a gray background, as opposed to the smoothed surface's black.

To change the display of individual engravings in-game, select "Toggle Engraving" in the designation menu ({{K|d}}-{{K|v}}) and select the area you wish to display differently (this has no effect on gameplay).

The display default is set in the [[init]] file line '''[ENGRAVINGS_START_OBSCURED:NO]'''. Replacing '''NO''' by '''YES''' will cause new engravings to show as smooth surfaces.

== Art defacement ==
A [[Quality|masterful]] engraving that is destroyed or defaced* will cause an unhappy [[thought]] in the [[engraver]]. (see the [[Quality]] article for details).
:''(* [[Mining]], [[magma]], and [[tower cap]]s do the job nicely, though magma and tower caps will only destroy floor engravings.)''

Oddly, even if [[Justice]] is in effect, the dwarf that defaced the artwork will not be held accountable for his crimes.

== Trivia ==
*If you engrave while under siege, it is quite possible for the battles to be depicted before the entire siege is over. This will mainly show single events that have happened during the siege already, such as deaths of certain creatures.
**Challenge: when you start to experience [[Fun]], have your master engravers record it all in a completely sealed room. Make sure that they have plenty of space to record the Death of the Hold, as well as their own slow death by starvation.
*You can remove an engraving by building a wall over it. This will also remove the smoothed floor.

== How Dwarves Engrave==
{{D for Dwarf}}
*It is a well-known fact that dwarves use their coarse, thick beards in order to smooth rough areas of stone. More skilled dwarves can engrave images onto stone, which has led some scientists to believe that a dwarf's beard is a separate, sentient lifeform in symbiosis with the dwarves. The dwarves provide the beards with nourishment in their spilled alcohol and food, along with the prodigous amounts of sweat working dwarves produce. The beards provide warmth, storage for goods and a pouch of sorts for baby dwarves.
[[Category:Designations]]

40d Talk:Giant cave spider

2010-03-08T22:06:51Z

71.194.101.232: /* Harvesting Giant Cave Spider Silk */ changed to "Harvesting Tame Giant Cave Spider Silk" to make things a bit more clear

==Anecdotes on article page==
THEY ARE EVIL. One killed 2 of my proficient miners on its own! It has a breath attack that shoots webs and it rips off people limbs! Dont attack them if you know whats good for you! --[[User:Diabl0658]]
:What is this? I did not write this in the comments! [[User:Diabl0658|Diabl0658]] 22:23, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
::The article page was cleaned up - less personal (the 'my' aspect of it - that only applies to ''your'' (Diabl0658's) experience and not necessarily that of any future editor). JT copied the anecdote in the article to the talk page and attributed it to you. (Side consideration sub pages of /anecdote for this type of thing?) --[[User:Shagie|Shagie]] 22:44, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::What Shagie said. I figure the articles themselves should be left for "fact" (you can inject subtle humour or hearsay if it's between the lines), while any personal experiences or questions can be mentioned on the Talk pages. (I dunno if an anecdotal page is necessary. Do we really need so many more stub pages?) That's the general idea on Wikipedia, anyway... --[[User:JT|JT]] 23:13, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::: The sub page idea could be a way of clearly making a place for anecdotes that would otherwise show up in article pages or talk pages (where talk pages would (in theory) be more about the factual/design content of the articles themselves. One of the wikis I am involved with is particularly prone to vandalism - the funny vandalism they move off to a sub page. This way, its still there as a record but isn't hampering discussion or reading the article itself. Realize I'm not calling anecdotes vandalism, but rather suggesting a similar way that they can be put somewhere so they don't hamper discussion or the article. --[[User:Shagie|Shagie]] 23:25, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::::Besides, Giant Cave Spiders are clearly ''not'' labeled [EVIL]. [[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 21:56, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

==Categories?==
Should this article not be under the "creatures" section? --[[User:Talith|Talith]]
==Phantom vs GC spiders==
I've noticed a few references to "phantom spiders" in material lists and such. Is it possible that a phantom spider is in fact what created that hellishly large web in the picture, or is it known that that was a regular giant cave spider? --[[User:AlBorland|AlBorland]]

:Nope, that's a bona fide giant cave spider. You can see it towards the centre of the web. Phantom spiders are vermin-sized critters which appear only on evil maps. --[[User:JT|JT]] 01:06, 6 November 2007 (EST)

You should probably upload that web picture to the wiki rather than an external host. -[[User:EarthquakeDamage|EarthquakeDamage]] 02:18, 10 November 2007 (EST)

== The Spidernator ==

Added a line half intended to bring a chuckle to readers, though well with intent of warning of one of their greatest threats that wasn't previously mentioned; they can't be stunned or incapacitated in any way, due to having such tokens as [NOPAIN] and [NOSTUN], along with several other immunities. I modified the "quote" a bit so that it more accurately fits the description for more practical purposes. --[[User:Hesitris|Hesitris]] 21:53 EST, 15 November 2007

== Giant Spider Silk ==

Sure, they can poison you and web you up and eat you later. (Attercob! Attercob!) But don't their webs make the loveliest high-value [[silk]] shirts and cloaks? --[[User:Jellyfishgreen|Jellyfishgreen]] 11:11, 1 October 2008 (EDT)
: I understand they can be tamed by a [[Dungeon Master]]; does anyone know if they will still produce silk for the loom if tame? Is the webbing they spray at attacking enemies collectible for the loom? --[[User:Jellyfishgreen|Jellyfishgreen]] 10:08, 14 January 2009 (EST)
::To catch it, you would probably need a ton of cage traps and AT LEAST half a dozen recruits for bait (the faster the better). Beware: 'bait' has 90% fatality rate, and you may cause a tantrum spiral. Use a wave of immigrants you don't want for this (insane) task. --[[User:Arkenstone|Arkenstone]] 04:47, 13 August 2009 (EST)
:::Alternatively, if it's inside a bottomless pit (and you know which level it's on), you can dig a tunnel up to it (but not all the way), build a cage trap, chain a puppy behind the trap, then dig out the final wall (and make sure everything inside the pit is forbidden, such as any ratman bones). If the spider has already revealed itself, place the tunnel somewhere in its line of sight - once it sees the chained animal, it'll make a beeline toward it and walk straight into the cage trap. In my latest fortress, I got impatient and unchained the first dog to reveal the spider, then chained a second one to lure it into the trap - my GCS silk farm can easily generate over a hundred webs per season. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 17:57, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
:::The way I managed to capture one was by digging a tunnel that was in as direct a line as possible from where the Giant Spider was hanging out to the entrance of my fort. (Making sure the end point of the tunnel was far enough away from the spiddy that it didn't "trigger" it to attack.) Then I built a cage trap inside and activated a dwarf of mine who was supper agile (fast) and slowly walked him towards the spider. As soon as the spider started moving I deactivated my dwarf and the civilianized dwarf headed back twards my fort taking the shortest route possible (through the tunnel). Spider followed and got caught. I lost my first dwarf trying this out, but was successful with my second. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 16:52, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
::So, the question still stands: Can you use tame GCS to produce webbing? Do they only shoot it at enemies, and can you collect it? --[[Special:Contributions/24.179.141.137|24.179.141.137]] 23:30, 24 December 2009 (UTC)
:::I imagine it best not to tame them to harvest the silk. Instead, try to entomb them hostile into a 1x1 room with a fortification in it which faces your silk industry. Dwarves going to work in the shop or hauling from the stockpile will anger the spider enough to make it vomit web through the fortification, continually replenishing your stocks? [[Special:Contributions/76.185.61.24|76.185.61.24]] 11:15, 29 December 2009 (UTC)
::::GCS silk farms work just fine if the spider is tame, provided you use hostile bait. Also, your described setup would not work at all - a GCS won't shoot webs unless it has a valid path to its target (ideally involving unlocked but pet-impassable doors, due to a pathfinding bug), and putting it right near your workshops would make it impossible for your dwarves to do anything at all, instead constantly '''running away''' from what they perceive to be a hostile creature. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 13:34, 29 December 2009 (UTC)
::::Problem is, it'll scare the dwarves and you'll be flooded with job cancellation spam. Actually, I bet most of the silk would never even be collected, as everyone would be too scared to go close enough to the cage to get it. --Arrkhal (not logged in)
::::Oh, and a tame one ''will'' still shoot webs at hostiles. Just use captured, unarmed goblins. Either with the spider in a fortification "cage," or the lazy way and just "feed" it the gobbos. --Arrkhal (not logged in)

== Visible invisible web ==

I've seen giant cave spider silk webs in my pit in my most recent fort (haven't bothered to touch them yet, haha). Could it be that new pieces of web are visible from creation point? --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 17:30, 4 November 2008 (EST)
:I've got the same thing in my bottomless pit. I've had five units of Giant Cave Spider Silk Web visible on my stocks screen since embark, despite the pit not being revealed (probably a bug). --[[Special:Contributions/24.179.141.137|24.179.141.137]] 23:30, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

== Escaping a web ==

Could someone who knows include information in this article regarding whether a dwarf can escape a web or be freed from one?
When my dwarf gets stuck in a web he invariably gets killed...--[[User:Jpwrunyan|Jpwrunyan]] 00:30, 3 February 2009 (EST)
:Well, when the spider cannot reach entangled dwarf, the paralysis wears away pretty quickly.--[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 01:40, 3 February 2009 (EST)
::Thanks, I think I understand now. The web just "paralyzes" the dwarf for an amount of time after which he is able to move again and get stuck again.--[[User:Jpwrunyan|Jpwrunyan]] 02:23, 4 February 2009 (EST)

== Stray Giant Cave Spider (tame) bleeds to death ==

Anyone have this problem? I've a tame giant cave spider that just keeps randomly dying while staying in my meeting hall. It was perfectly healthy. I assume that the creature is somehow "freezing" to death, even though I'm on a warm map? I come to this conclusion because of its homeotherm:10040 and no layering, perhaps, and I'm thinking that it is too hot for the creature. -[[User:Belathus|Belathus]] 07:17, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

:Upon further review, I think a friendly trade caravan is killing it. Either way, it is bothersome. -[[User:Belathus|Belathus]] 07:52, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

== Wall climbing abilities? ==
I was in the middle of constructing my spider moat (it involves a sealed of room with a cow(and a trap in front of it), the other room contains the soon-to-be-captured GCS, my plan was to have the not tame GCS kill everything in my moat and then get re-caught but they i realized "couldn't it simply climb out?" How does GCS's move around in their almost cliff-like pits and chasms? do they have some kind of wall climb abilities? - [[User:Sava2004|Sava2004]] 20:04, 30 May 2009 (EST)

:As far as I know, there are no creatures that can climb walls. I've never seen a GCS change z-levels in a pit or chasm unless they were at the surface, where there were ramps. --[[User:Elvang|Elvang]] 10:11, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

== Sensitive to Motion ==
Anyone else find that Giant Spiders appear to be sensitive to motion? Needs more testing, but A) when my sacrificial pet entered a giant spider’s lair it was safe while it didn’t move. As soon as it moved the spider shot at it with webbing and proceeded to devour it. And B) when a soldier stood in front of a row of fortifications with a giant spider behind it nothing happened, but when he was set to “patrol” along the border of the fortifications the giant spider would occasionally shoot at him with webbing. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:00, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

:Don't move! It can't see us if we don't move! (Ahh, if only you could add this to a T-Rex; oh, wait... that theory's been discredited....) --[[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 22:04, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

== Harvesting Tame Giant Cave Spider Silk ==
For those who are inclined to try, it is definitely possible to harvest Giant Cave Spider (GCS) silk. While profitable, it can also be fairly costly in terms of how many dwarves end up dying in the attempt to capture the creature, but once captured there are at least two methods of harvesting the GCS silk.

1) Build a series of rooms which are connected by floodgates (floodgates can’t get stuck open) each of which has a tile channeled out above it and an activity zone making the hole a pit into the GCS’s den. Then all you need to do is drop in an animal and the GCS will (eventually) shoot at it with its webbing and eat it up. Once the GCS moves to another of the connected rooms you can go in to harvest the webs.

2) Slightly more efficient then the above method, you can also place your captured GCS in its cage along the length of a wall, link the cage to a lever, build fortifications around the cage so that the GCS can’t escape, and pull the lever releasing the GCS. Once it is released, place a recruit on patrol along the length of the fortifications. The GCS will occasionally shoot at the soldier causing webbing to appear which can be harvested. (No dwarves or animals are harmed with this method.)
Anyone else know of any GCS silk harvesting methods? --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:25, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
:Floodgates '''will''' get jammed open if there's anything there, and I'm pretty sure spider webs are included. If you want a gate that will never get jammed, better make it a raising bridge. As for actually farming the silk, there are several methods that involve pet-impassable doors and chained creatures such that the spider can't reach its target but shoots webs anyways. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 17:37, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
::I don't know why, but for some reason I was under the impression that floodgates would crunch anything that gets caught in them. I have no idea why I thought that, however. I guess I'm going to have to pay a bit more attention to my spider den now that I know the doors can get stuck open. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:48, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
:::I'll venture a guess as to why you'd think that: the Nethack castle drawbridge. --[[Special:Contributions/77.160.191.85|77.160.191.85]] 14:41, 31 January 2010 (UTC)
::::The Nethack castle drawbridge is actually much more similar to a Dwarf Fortress drawbridge - both act as atom smashers, utterly destroying anything in their tiles when they raise/lower (except for monsters that can phase through walls, of course). --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 21:38, 31 January 2010 (UTC)
 
 
:You're overcomplicating this. I don't have the patience to go out and capture anything like a GCS, but this method should work:
#Build a 3x8 room.
#Build a 3x1 floodgate line down the middle, closer to the exit. Connect to a lever.
#Build a 3x1 grate line down the middle, farther to the exit. Connect to another lever.
#Build a chain in the dead center of the section that connects to the outside world.
#Build your GCS cage in the other half. Connect to another lever.
#Build a cage trap in a narrow hallway that leads out of the silking room.
#Build a floodgate infront of this cage trap - this is the actual barrier keeping civilized dwarves from the spider lair.
#Chain a cat or something to the silking room.
#Release your spider.
#Open the floodgates.
#Let the spider silk the cat.
#Close the gates.
#Collect webs.
#???
#Profit!

--[[User:Iban|Iban]] 00:46, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

== Web Spinning ==

What causes the GCS to spin visible webs for reasons other than attacking? --[[User:Iban|Iban]] 08:24, 1 January 2010 (UTC)

== Can they walk on their webs? ==

Can a GCS walk on the webs that are built over the chasm? [[User:TheWealthyAardvark|TheWealthyAardvark]] 18:21, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

== Cave Spider vs. Giant Cave Spider webs ==

My bottomless pit has a load of items shown as Cave Spider Webs, however it seems whatever is making them is a GCS. One, almost every Batman in the pit has broken legs, even when they didn't go by the troll (yeah, it has a troll). Second, no cave spiders show up- I've personally seen the webs pop out of nowhere and ensnare (vermin) bats, then k'd over the spot and found nothing. Is it marked as normal cave spider webs because the spider is still in ambush mode, or just because that's how they always are? --[[User:Rotten|Rotten]] 03:56, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

: Eh, apparently never mind. I did some looking and they are definitely normal cave spider webs. --[[User:Rotten|Rotten]] 04:01, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

== Giant Cave Spiders web-shooting attack and Fortifications ==

Can Giant Cave Spiders shoot their webbing through Fortifications? If they can, then it might be a good idea to (if possible) entomb a GCS in a square of fortifications and leave cats in there or something for it to spit webs at. --[[User:DarthCloakedDwarf|DarthCloakedDwarf]] 17:06, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
:Read the other discussions on this talk page and you should find an answer to your questions. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 19:57, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

40d Talk:Giant cave spider

2010-03-08T22:04:27Z

71.194.101.232: /* Sensitive to Motion */

==Anecdotes on article page==
THEY ARE EVIL. One killed 2 of my proficient miners on its own! It has a breath attack that shoots webs and it rips off people limbs! Dont attack them if you know whats good for you! --[[User:Diabl0658]]
:What is this? I did not write this in the comments! [[User:Diabl0658|Diabl0658]] 22:23, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
::The article page was cleaned up - less personal (the 'my' aspect of it - that only applies to ''your'' (Diabl0658's) experience and not necessarily that of any future editor). JT copied the anecdote in the article to the talk page and attributed it to you. (Side consideration sub pages of /anecdote for this type of thing?) --[[User:Shagie|Shagie]] 22:44, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::What Shagie said. I figure the articles themselves should be left for "fact" (you can inject subtle humour or hearsay if it's between the lines), while any personal experiences or questions can be mentioned on the Talk pages. (I dunno if an anecdotal page is necessary. Do we really need so many more stub pages?) That's the general idea on Wikipedia, anyway... --[[User:JT|JT]] 23:13, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::: The sub page idea could be a way of clearly making a place for anecdotes that would otherwise show up in article pages or talk pages (where talk pages would (in theory) be more about the factual/design content of the articles themselves. One of the wikis I am involved with is particularly prone to vandalism - the funny vandalism they move off to a sub page. This way, its still there as a record but isn't hampering discussion or reading the article itself. Realize I'm not calling anecdotes vandalism, but rather suggesting a similar way that they can be put somewhere so they don't hamper discussion or the article. --[[User:Shagie|Shagie]] 23:25, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::::Besides, Giant Cave Spiders are clearly ''not'' labeled [EVIL]. [[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 21:56, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

==Categories?==
Should this article not be under the "creatures" section? --[[User:Talith|Talith]]
==Phantom vs GC spiders==
I've noticed a few references to "phantom spiders" in material lists and such. Is it possible that a phantom spider is in fact what created that hellishly large web in the picture, or is it known that that was a regular giant cave spider? --[[User:AlBorland|AlBorland]]

:Nope, that's a bona fide giant cave spider. You can see it towards the centre of the web. Phantom spiders are vermin-sized critters which appear only on evil maps. --[[User:JT|JT]] 01:06, 6 November 2007 (EST)

You should probably upload that web picture to the wiki rather than an external host. -[[User:EarthquakeDamage|EarthquakeDamage]] 02:18, 10 November 2007 (EST)

== The Spidernator ==

Added a line half intended to bring a chuckle to readers, though well with intent of warning of one of their greatest threats that wasn't previously mentioned; they can't be stunned or incapacitated in any way, due to having such tokens as [NOPAIN] and [NOSTUN], along with several other immunities. I modified the "quote" a bit so that it more accurately fits the description for more practical purposes. --[[User:Hesitris|Hesitris]] 21:53 EST, 15 November 2007

== Giant Spider Silk ==

Sure, they can poison you and web you up and eat you later. (Attercob! Attercob!) But don't their webs make the loveliest high-value [[silk]] shirts and cloaks? --[[User:Jellyfishgreen|Jellyfishgreen]] 11:11, 1 October 2008 (EDT)
: I understand they can be tamed by a [[Dungeon Master]]; does anyone know if they will still produce silk for the loom if tame? Is the webbing they spray at attacking enemies collectible for the loom? --[[User:Jellyfishgreen|Jellyfishgreen]] 10:08, 14 January 2009 (EST)
::To catch it, you would probably need a ton of cage traps and AT LEAST half a dozen recruits for bait (the faster the better). Beware: 'bait' has 90% fatality rate, and you may cause a tantrum spiral. Use a wave of immigrants you don't want for this (insane) task. --[[User:Arkenstone|Arkenstone]] 04:47, 13 August 2009 (EST)
:::Alternatively, if it's inside a bottomless pit (and you know which level it's on), you can dig a tunnel up to it (but not all the way), build a cage trap, chain a puppy behind the trap, then dig out the final wall (and make sure everything inside the pit is forbidden, such as any ratman bones). If the spider has already revealed itself, place the tunnel somewhere in its line of sight - once it sees the chained animal, it'll make a beeline toward it and walk straight into the cage trap. In my latest fortress, I got impatient and unchained the first dog to reveal the spider, then chained a second one to lure it into the trap - my GCS silk farm can easily generate over a hundred webs per season. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 17:57, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
:::The way I managed to capture one was by digging a tunnel that was in as direct a line as possible from where the Giant Spider was hanging out to the entrance of my fort. (Making sure the end point of the tunnel was far enough away from the spiddy that it didn't "trigger" it to attack.) Then I built a cage trap inside and activated a dwarf of mine who was supper agile (fast) and slowly walked him towards the spider. As soon as the spider started moving I deactivated my dwarf and the civilianized dwarf headed back twards my fort taking the shortest route possible (through the tunnel). Spider followed and got caught. I lost my first dwarf trying this out, but was successful with my second. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 16:52, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
::So, the question still stands: Can you use tame GCS to produce webbing? Do they only shoot it at enemies, and can you collect it? --[[Special:Contributions/24.179.141.137|24.179.141.137]] 23:30, 24 December 2009 (UTC)
:::I imagine it best not to tame them to harvest the silk. Instead, try to entomb them hostile into a 1x1 room with a fortification in it which faces your silk industry. Dwarves going to work in the shop or hauling from the stockpile will anger the spider enough to make it vomit web through the fortification, continually replenishing your stocks? [[Special:Contributions/76.185.61.24|76.185.61.24]] 11:15, 29 December 2009 (UTC)
::::GCS silk farms work just fine if the spider is tame, provided you use hostile bait. Also, your described setup would not work at all - a GCS won't shoot webs unless it has a valid path to its target (ideally involving unlocked but pet-impassable doors, due to a pathfinding bug), and putting it right near your workshops would make it impossible for your dwarves to do anything at all, instead constantly '''running away''' from what they perceive to be a hostile creature. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 13:34, 29 December 2009 (UTC)
::::Problem is, it'll scare the dwarves and you'll be flooded with job cancellation spam. Actually, I bet most of the silk would never even be collected, as everyone would be too scared to go close enough to the cage to get it. --Arrkhal (not logged in)
::::Oh, and a tame one ''will'' still shoot webs at hostiles. Just use captured, unarmed goblins. Either with the spider in a fortification "cage," or the lazy way and just "feed" it the gobbos. --Arrkhal (not logged in)

== Visible invisible web ==

I've seen giant cave spider silk webs in my pit in my most recent fort (haven't bothered to touch them yet, haha). Could it be that new pieces of web are visible from creation point? --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 17:30, 4 November 2008 (EST)
:I've got the same thing in my bottomless pit. I've had five units of Giant Cave Spider Silk Web visible on my stocks screen since embark, despite the pit not being revealed (probably a bug). --[[Special:Contributions/24.179.141.137|24.179.141.137]] 23:30, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

== Escaping a web ==

Could someone who knows include information in this article regarding whether a dwarf can escape a web or be freed from one?
When my dwarf gets stuck in a web he invariably gets killed...--[[User:Jpwrunyan|Jpwrunyan]] 00:30, 3 February 2009 (EST)
:Well, when the spider cannot reach entangled dwarf, the paralysis wears away pretty quickly.--[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 01:40, 3 February 2009 (EST)
::Thanks, I think I understand now. The web just "paralyzes" the dwarf for an amount of time after which he is able to move again and get stuck again.--[[User:Jpwrunyan|Jpwrunyan]] 02:23, 4 February 2009 (EST)

== Stray Giant Cave Spider (tame) bleeds to death ==

Anyone have this problem? I've a tame giant cave spider that just keeps randomly dying while staying in my meeting hall. It was perfectly healthy. I assume that the creature is somehow "freezing" to death, even though I'm on a warm map? I come to this conclusion because of its homeotherm:10040 and no layering, perhaps, and I'm thinking that it is too hot for the creature. -[[User:Belathus|Belathus]] 07:17, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

:Upon further review, I think a friendly trade caravan is killing it. Either way, it is bothersome. -[[User:Belathus|Belathus]] 07:52, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

== Wall climbing abilities? ==
I was in the middle of constructing my spider moat (it involves a sealed of room with a cow(and a trap in front of it), the other room contains the soon-to-be-captured GCS, my plan was to have the not tame GCS kill everything in my moat and then get re-caught but they i realized "couldn't it simply climb out?" How does GCS's move around in their almost cliff-like pits and chasms? do they have some kind of wall climb abilities? - [[User:Sava2004|Sava2004]] 20:04, 30 May 2009 (EST)

:As far as I know, there are no creatures that can climb walls. I've never seen a GCS change z-levels in a pit or chasm unless they were at the surface, where there were ramps. --[[User:Elvang|Elvang]] 10:11, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

== Sensitive to Motion ==
Anyone else find that Giant Spiders appear to be sensitive to motion? Needs more testing, but A) when my sacrificial pet entered a giant spider’s lair it was safe while it didn’t move. As soon as it moved the spider shot at it with webbing and proceeded to devour it. And B) when a soldier stood in front of a row of fortifications with a giant spider behind it nothing happened, but when he was set to “patrol” along the border of the fortifications the giant spider would occasionally shoot at him with webbing. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:00, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

:Don't move! It can't see us if we don't move! (Ahh, if only you could add this to a T-Rex; oh, wait... that theory's been discredited....) --[[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 22:04, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

== Harvesting Giant Cave Spider Silk ==
For those who are inclined to try, it is definitely possible to harvest Giant Cave Spider (GCS) silk. While profitable, it can also be fairly costly in terms of how many dwarves end up dying in the attempt to capture the creature, but once captured there are at least two methods of harvesting the GCS silk.

1) Build a series of rooms which are connected by floodgates (floodgates can’t get stuck open) each of which has a tile channeled out above it and an activity zone making the hole a pit into the GCS’s den. Then all you need to do is drop in an animal and the GCS will (eventually) shoot at it with its webbing and eat it up. Once the GCS moves to another of the connected rooms you can go in to harvest the webs.

2) Slightly more efficient then the above method, you can also place your captured GCS in its cage along the length of a wall, link the cage to a lever, build fortifications around the cage so that the GCS can’t escape, and pull the lever releasing the GCS. Once it is released, place a recruit on patrol along the length of the fortifications. The GCS will occasionally shoot at the soldier causing webbing to appear which can be harvested. (No dwarves or animals are harmed with this method.)
Anyone else know of any GCS silk harvesting methods? --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:25, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
:Floodgates '''will''' get jammed open if there's anything there, and I'm pretty sure spider webs are included. If you want a gate that will never get jammed, better make it a raising bridge. As for actually farming the silk, there are several methods that involve pet-impassable doors and chained creatures such that the spider can't reach its target but shoots webs anyways. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 17:37, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
::I don't know why, but for some reason I was under the impression that floodgates would crunch anything that gets caught in them. I have no idea why I thought that, however. I guess I'm going to have to pay a bit more attention to my spider den now that I know the doors can get stuck open. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:48, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
:::I'll venture a guess as to why you'd think that: the Nethack castle drawbridge. --[[Special:Contributions/77.160.191.85|77.160.191.85]] 14:41, 31 January 2010 (UTC)
::::The Nethack castle drawbridge is actually much more similar to a Dwarf Fortress drawbridge - both act as atom smashers, utterly destroying anything in their tiles when they raise/lower (except for monsters that can phase through walls, of course). --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 21:38, 31 January 2010 (UTC)
 
 
:You're overcomplicating this. I don't have the patience to go out and capture anything like a GCS, but this method should work:
#Build a 3x8 room.
#Build a 3x1 floodgate line down the middle, closer to the exit. Connect to a lever.
#Build a 3x1 grate line down the middle, farther to the exit. Connect to another lever.
#Build a chain in the dead center of the section that connects to the outside world.
#Build your GCS cage in the other half. Connect to another lever.
#Build a cage trap in a narrow hallway that leads out of the silking room.
#Build a floodgate infront of this cage trap - this is the actual barrier keeping civilized dwarves from the spider lair.
#Chain a cat or something to the silking room.
#Release your spider.
#Open the floodgates.
#Let the spider silk the cat.
#Close the gates.
#Collect webs.
#???
#Profit!

--[[User:Iban|Iban]] 00:46, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

== Web Spinning ==

What causes the GCS to spin visible webs for reasons other than attacking? --[[User:Iban|Iban]] 08:24, 1 January 2010 (UTC)

== Can they walk on their webs? ==

Can a GCS walk on the webs that are built over the chasm? [[User:TheWealthyAardvark|TheWealthyAardvark]] 18:21, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

== Cave Spider vs. Giant Cave Spider webs ==

My bottomless pit has a load of items shown as Cave Spider Webs, however it seems whatever is making them is a GCS. One, almost every Batman in the pit has broken legs, even when they didn't go by the troll (yeah, it has a troll). Second, no cave spiders show up- I've personally seen the webs pop out of nowhere and ensnare (vermin) bats, then k'd over the spot and found nothing. Is it marked as normal cave spider webs because the spider is still in ambush mode, or just because that's how they always are? --[[User:Rotten|Rotten]] 03:56, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

: Eh, apparently never mind. I did some looking and they are definitely normal cave spider webs. --[[User:Rotten|Rotten]] 04:01, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

== Giant Cave Spiders web-shooting attack and Fortifications ==

Can Giant Cave Spiders shoot their webbing through Fortifications? If they can, then it might be a good idea to (if possible) entomb a GCS in a square of fortifications and leave cats in there or something for it to spit webs at. --[[User:DarthCloakedDwarf|DarthCloakedDwarf]] 17:06, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
:Read the other discussions on this talk page and you should find an answer to your questions. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 19:57, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

40d Talk:Giant cave spider

2010-03-08T21:56:56Z

71.194.101.232: /* Anecdotes on article page */

==Anecdotes on article page==
THEY ARE EVIL. One killed 2 of my proficient miners on its own! It has a breath attack that shoots webs and it rips off people limbs! Dont attack them if you know whats good for you! --[[User:Diabl0658]]
:What is this? I did not write this in the comments! [[User:Diabl0658|Diabl0658]] 22:23, 31 October 2007 (EDT)
::The article page was cleaned up - less personal (the 'my' aspect of it - that only applies to ''your'' (Diabl0658's) experience and not necessarily that of any future editor). JT copied the anecdote in the article to the talk page and attributed it to you. (Side consideration sub pages of /anecdote for this type of thing?) --[[User:Shagie|Shagie]] 22:44, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::What Shagie said. I figure the articles themselves should be left for "fact" (you can inject subtle humour or hearsay if it's between the lines), while any personal experiences or questions can be mentioned on the Talk pages. (I dunno if an anecdotal page is necessary. Do we really need so many more stub pages?) That's the general idea on Wikipedia, anyway... --[[User:JT|JT]] 23:13, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::: The sub page idea could be a way of clearly making a place for anecdotes that would otherwise show up in article pages or talk pages (where talk pages would (in theory) be more about the factual/design content of the articles themselves. One of the wikis I am involved with is particularly prone to vandalism - the funny vandalism they move off to a sub page. This way, its still there as a record but isn't hampering discussion or reading the article itself. Realize I'm not calling anecdotes vandalism, but rather suggesting a similar way that they can be put somewhere so they don't hamper discussion or the article. --[[User:Shagie|Shagie]] 23:25, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::::Besides, Giant Cave Spiders are clearly ''not'' labeled [EVIL]. [[Special:Contributions/71.194.101.232|71.194.101.232]] 21:56, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

==Categories?==
Should this article not be under the "creatures" section? --[[User:Talith|Talith]]
==Phantom vs GC spiders==
I've noticed a few references to "phantom spiders" in material lists and such. Is it possible that a phantom spider is in fact what created that hellishly large web in the picture, or is it known that that was a regular giant cave spider? --[[User:AlBorland|AlBorland]]

:Nope, that's a bona fide giant cave spider. You can see it towards the centre of the web. Phantom spiders are vermin-sized critters which appear only on evil maps. --[[User:JT|JT]] 01:06, 6 November 2007 (EST)

You should probably upload that web picture to the wiki rather than an external host. -[[User:EarthquakeDamage|EarthquakeDamage]] 02:18, 10 November 2007 (EST)

== The Spidernator ==

Added a line half intended to bring a chuckle to readers, though well with intent of warning of one of their greatest threats that wasn't previously mentioned; they can't be stunned or incapacitated in any way, due to having such tokens as [NOPAIN] and [NOSTUN], along with several other immunities. I modified the "quote" a bit so that it more accurately fits the description for more practical purposes. --[[User:Hesitris|Hesitris]] 21:53 EST, 15 November 2007

== Giant Spider Silk ==

Sure, they can poison you and web you up and eat you later. (Attercob! Attercob!) But don't their webs make the loveliest high-value [[silk]] shirts and cloaks? --[[User:Jellyfishgreen|Jellyfishgreen]] 11:11, 1 October 2008 (EDT)
: I understand they can be tamed by a [[Dungeon Master]]; does anyone know if they will still produce silk for the loom if tame? Is the webbing they spray at attacking enemies collectible for the loom? --[[User:Jellyfishgreen|Jellyfishgreen]] 10:08, 14 January 2009 (EST)
::To catch it, you would probably need a ton of cage traps and AT LEAST half a dozen recruits for bait (the faster the better). Beware: 'bait' has 90% fatality rate, and you may cause a tantrum spiral. Use a wave of immigrants you don't want for this (insane) task. --[[User:Arkenstone|Arkenstone]] 04:47, 13 August 2009 (EST)
:::Alternatively, if it's inside a bottomless pit (and you know which level it's on), you can dig a tunnel up to it (but not all the way), build a cage trap, chain a puppy behind the trap, then dig out the final wall (and make sure everything inside the pit is forbidden, such as any ratman bones). If the spider has already revealed itself, place the tunnel somewhere in its line of sight - once it sees the chained animal, it'll make a beeline toward it and walk straight into the cage trap. In my latest fortress, I got impatient and unchained the first dog to reveal the spider, then chained a second one to lure it into the trap - my GCS silk farm can easily generate over a hundred webs per season. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 17:57, 8 September 2009 (UTC)
:::The way I managed to capture one was by digging a tunnel that was in as direct a line as possible from where the Giant Spider was hanging out to the entrance of my fort. (Making sure the end point of the tunnel was far enough away from the spiddy that it didn't "trigger" it to attack.) Then I built a cage trap inside and activated a dwarf of mine who was supper agile (fast) and slowly walked him towards the spider. As soon as the spider started moving I deactivated my dwarf and the civilianized dwarf headed back twards my fort taking the shortest route possible (through the tunnel). Spider followed and got caught. I lost my first dwarf trying this out, but was successful with my second. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 16:52, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
::So, the question still stands: Can you use tame GCS to produce webbing? Do they only shoot it at enemies, and can you collect it? --[[Special:Contributions/24.179.141.137|24.179.141.137]] 23:30, 24 December 2009 (UTC)
:::I imagine it best not to tame them to harvest the silk. Instead, try to entomb them hostile into a 1x1 room with a fortification in it which faces your silk industry. Dwarves going to work in the shop or hauling from the stockpile will anger the spider enough to make it vomit web through the fortification, continually replenishing your stocks? [[Special:Contributions/76.185.61.24|76.185.61.24]] 11:15, 29 December 2009 (UTC)
::::GCS silk farms work just fine if the spider is tame, provided you use hostile bait. Also, your described setup would not work at all - a GCS won't shoot webs unless it has a valid path to its target (ideally involving unlocked but pet-impassable doors, due to a pathfinding bug), and putting it right near your workshops would make it impossible for your dwarves to do anything at all, instead constantly '''running away''' from what they perceive to be a hostile creature. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 13:34, 29 December 2009 (UTC)
::::Problem is, it'll scare the dwarves and you'll be flooded with job cancellation spam. Actually, I bet most of the silk would never even be collected, as everyone would be too scared to go close enough to the cage to get it. --Arrkhal (not logged in)
::::Oh, and a tame one ''will'' still shoot webs at hostiles. Just use captured, unarmed goblins. Either with the spider in a fortification "cage," or the lazy way and just "feed" it the gobbos. --Arrkhal (not logged in)

== Visible invisible web ==

I've seen giant cave spider silk webs in my pit in my most recent fort (haven't bothered to touch them yet, haha). Could it be that new pieces of web are visible from creation point? --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 17:30, 4 November 2008 (EST)
:I've got the same thing in my bottomless pit. I've had five units of Giant Cave Spider Silk Web visible on my stocks screen since embark, despite the pit not being revealed (probably a bug). --[[Special:Contributions/24.179.141.137|24.179.141.137]] 23:30, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

== Escaping a web ==

Could someone who knows include information in this article regarding whether a dwarf can escape a web or be freed from one?
When my dwarf gets stuck in a web he invariably gets killed...--[[User:Jpwrunyan|Jpwrunyan]] 00:30, 3 February 2009 (EST)
:Well, when the spider cannot reach entangled dwarf, the paralysis wears away pretty quickly.--[[User:Dorten|Dorten]] 01:40, 3 February 2009 (EST)
::Thanks, I think I understand now. The web just "paralyzes" the dwarf for an amount of time after which he is able to move again and get stuck again.--[[User:Jpwrunyan|Jpwrunyan]] 02:23, 4 February 2009 (EST)

== Stray Giant Cave Spider (tame) bleeds to death ==

Anyone have this problem? I've a tame giant cave spider that just keeps randomly dying while staying in my meeting hall. It was perfectly healthy. I assume that the creature is somehow "freezing" to death, even though I'm on a warm map? I come to this conclusion because of its homeotherm:10040 and no layering, perhaps, and I'm thinking that it is too hot for the creature. -[[User:Belathus|Belathus]] 07:17, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

:Upon further review, I think a friendly trade caravan is killing it. Either way, it is bothersome. -[[User:Belathus|Belathus]] 07:52, 12 April 2009 (UTC)

== Wall climbing abilities? ==
I was in the middle of constructing my spider moat (it involves a sealed of room with a cow(and a trap in front of it), the other room contains the soon-to-be-captured GCS, my plan was to have the not tame GCS kill everything in my moat and then get re-caught but they i realized "couldn't it simply climb out?" How does GCS's move around in their almost cliff-like pits and chasms? do they have some kind of wall climb abilities? - [[User:Sava2004|Sava2004]] 20:04, 30 May 2009 (EST)

:As far as I know, there are no creatures that can climb walls. I've never seen a GCS change z-levels in a pit or chasm unless they were at the surface, where there were ramps. --[[User:Elvang|Elvang]] 10:11, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

== Sensitive to Motion ==
Anyone else find that Giant Spiders appear to be sensitive to motion? Needs more testing, but A) when my sacrificial pet entered a giant spider’s lair it was safe while it didn’t move. As soon as it moved the spider shot at it with webbing and proceeded to devour it. And B) when a soldier stood in front of a row of fortifications with a giant spider behind it nothing happened, but when he was set to “patrol” along the border of the fortifications the giant spider would occasionally shoot at him with webbing. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:00, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

== Harvesting Giant Cave Spider Silk ==
For those who are inclined to try, it is definitely possible to harvest Giant Cave Spider (GCS) silk. While profitable, it can also be fairly costly in terms of how many dwarves end up dying in the attempt to capture the creature, but once captured there are at least two methods of harvesting the GCS silk.

1) Build a series of rooms which are connected by floodgates (floodgates can’t get stuck open) each of which has a tile channeled out above it and an activity zone making the hole a pit into the GCS’s den. Then all you need to do is drop in an animal and the GCS will (eventually) shoot at it with its webbing and eat it up. Once the GCS moves to another of the connected rooms you can go in to harvest the webs.

2) Slightly more efficient then the above method, you can also place your captured GCS in its cage along the length of a wall, link the cage to a lever, build fortifications around the cage so that the GCS can’t escape, and pull the lever releasing the GCS. Once it is released, place a recruit on patrol along the length of the fortifications. The GCS will occasionally shoot at the soldier causing webbing to appear which can be harvested. (No dwarves or animals are harmed with this method.)
Anyone else know of any GCS silk harvesting methods? --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:25, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
:Floodgates '''will''' get jammed open if there's anything there, and I'm pretty sure spider webs are included. If you want a gate that will never get jammed, better make it a raising bridge. As for actually farming the silk, there are several methods that involve pet-impassable doors and chained creatures such that the spider can't reach its target but shoots webs anyways. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 17:37, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
::I don't know why, but for some reason I was under the impression that floodgates would crunch anything that gets caught in them. I have no idea why I thought that, however. I guess I'm going to have to pay a bit more attention to my spider den now that I know the doors can get stuck open. --[[User:Frewfrux|Frewfrux]] 17:48, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
:::I'll venture a guess as to why you'd think that: the Nethack castle drawbridge. --[[Special:Contributions/77.160.191.85|77.160.191.85]] 14:41, 31 January 2010 (UTC)
::::The Nethack castle drawbridge is actually much more similar to a Dwarf Fortress drawbridge - both act as atom smashers, utterly destroying anything in their tiles when they raise/lower (except for monsters that can phase through walls, of course). --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 21:38, 31 January 2010 (UTC)
 
 
:You're overcomplicating this. I don't have the patience to go out and capture anything like a GCS, but this method should work:
#Build a 3x8 room.
#Build a 3x1 floodgate line down the middle, closer to the exit. Connect to a lever.
#Build a 3x1 grate line down the middle, farther to the exit. Connect to another lever.
#Build a chain in the dead center of the section that connects to the outside world.
#Build your GCS cage in the other half. Connect to another lever.
#Build a cage trap in a narrow hallway that leads out of the silking room.
#Build a floodgate infront of this cage trap - this is the actual barrier keeping civilized dwarves from the spider lair.
#Chain a cat or something to the silking room.
#Release your spider.
#Open the floodgates.
#Let the spider silk the cat.
#Close the gates.
#Collect webs.
#???
#Profit!

--[[User:Iban|Iban]] 00:46, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

== Web Spinning ==

What causes the GCS to spin visible webs for reasons other than attacking? --[[User:Iban|Iban]] 08:24, 1 January 2010 (UTC)

== Can they walk on their webs? ==

Can a GCS walk on the webs that are built over the chasm? [[User:TheWealthyAardvark|TheWealthyAardvark]] 18:21, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

== Cave Spider vs. Giant Cave Spider webs ==

My bottomless pit has a load of items shown as Cave Spider Webs, however it seems whatever is making them is a GCS. One, almost every Batman in the pit has broken legs, even when they didn't go by the troll (yeah, it has a troll). Second, no cave spiders show up- I've personally seen the webs pop out of nowhere and ensnare (vermin) bats, then k'd over the spot and found nothing. Is it marked as normal cave spider webs because the spider is still in ambush mode, or just because that's how they always are? --[[User:Rotten|Rotten]] 03:56, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

: Eh, apparently never mind. I did some looking and they are definitely normal cave spider webs. --[[User:Rotten|Rotten]] 04:01, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

== Giant Cave Spiders web-shooting attack and Fortifications ==

Can Giant Cave Spiders shoot their webbing through Fortifications? If they can, then it might be a good idea to (if possible) entomb a GCS in a square of fortifications and leave cats in there or something for it to spit webs at. --[[User:DarthCloakedDwarf|DarthCloakedDwarf]] 17:06, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
:Read the other discussions on this talk page and you should find an answer to your questions. --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 19:57, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

40d:Challenges

2010-03-08T04:12:10Z

71.194.101.232: /* Utter Dwarfiness */ added ===Dwarftopia===

:''Part of this article was originally taken from the DF forums thread [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=466.0 "Goal-Based Dwarf Fortress"].''

The general goal of [[Fortress Mode]] is to survive, acquire wealth, defend your stronghold, and become the capital of your civilization. However, many players find that fighting off repeated [[siege|sieges]], keeping their people alive, and expanding just aren't enough anymore. They begin to experiment with different sets of starting builds, arbitrary requirements and restrictions, and even feats of construction to appease Armok, in search of more difficulty and [[fun]]. These are some goals to attempt or use as inspiration.

==Pre-Embark Build Ideas==
Before you embark, you can optimize or sabotage your fortress from the very start, depending on how you distribute your points. After a few years, a well-developing fortress may or may not stabilize (depending on your idea of [[fun]]), leaving you to other challenges.

=== Diplomacy ===
* Six dwarves with only social [[skill]]s
* One skilled dwarf

Six courtiers of the king's court made some ill-advised remarks within earshot of the king, and as a result have been ordered to go found an outpost. They've hired you to make sure they survive. The six nobles only have social skills and refuse to do any work that is beneath them.

=== Minimalist/Survivalist build===

* 1 anvil
* 2 copper ore

Nothing else. From that alone, forge your pick and axe. (Figure it out yourself, or see the [[DIY#Minimalist_challenge_build|Do it Yourself]] article for a step-by-step "how to".)

===Peasantry===
* Spend 0 Points on embark

This challenge is moderately to very difficult, depending on the wildlife and outdoor food sources. Note that the three logs from the wagon are just enough to build a trade depot.

=== Stranded Scout Squad ===
* Military skills
* Weapons, ammunition, armor, war dogs
* Picks are not weapons

Your civilian 'friends' promised a caravan in the fall as they left, laughing. Hopefully, you can survive until then with your forward scouts.

==Races==
Pretend to be another race! You can mod the game or just pretend that Elves have hair. It doesn't matter what you look like, just what you build, with what materials, and what's for lunch after we build it.

===Elves - The Ultimate Hippy Challenge===
Peace, man.
* Don't gather plants except those you plant yourself.
* Don't gather wood nor trade for it with humans or dwarves.
* Trade for plants and wood only with the elves; they understand your environmental code.
* Don't burn any [[fuel|coal]]. Do you know what that does to the environment, man?
**Magma-smelting is an option, but steel can't be had.
* Don't cause any creature's death, except in self-defense.
**No military, induced submerging, or lethal implementation of corkscrews.
* Only use cage traps, and either tame the creatures you catch, or release them back into the wild.
* [[Elf|Hippies]] prefer sunlight and wooded areas, with minimal use of rock (digging and building).

For an extra challenge try this in an area with a cave.

===Humans - Living Large and Standing Tall===
Pretend you're a filthy above-ground dwelling [[Human|humie]].
* Build a town wall.
** Only hovels and farms outside the town walls.
* House your dwarves in small town homes
** 5-10 dwarves per house (they had pretty big families back in the day)
** Upstairs bedrooms, small dining room, maybe a single level basement.
* House your workshops according to profession, not convenience.
* Build warehouses for stockpiles, and set guards outside them.
* Create a keep, with its own wall, barracks, treasury, etc.
** House your nobles within the keep.
* Create a market square.
* Create a main street from the town wall to the market square and/or keep. Well-paved blocks, statues and decorative shubbery are a must.
* No underground connections between different areas.
* For obtaining stone, metal, etc. a mine may be built, but must have separate entrance from other buildings. It can be outside the fortress, but must not connect to the interior, or vice versa.
** If you create a side hill mine, only carve large (at least 2 tiles) tunnels, and create shaft to the surface to allow air circulation.
** Or better than that, create an open pit mine / quarry, with ramps to access lower floors.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Build a large, multiple-z-level fountain complete with decorations.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Human Inn, containing your only booze stockpile and should be party-oriented.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Farm simulation, complete with crops and free-range livestock, etc.
* BONUS: Easy Play: Embark on top of a Human Town.
* BONUS: Advanced Play: Modify the raws and actually use humans to make the fort.
* MEGABONUS: Build your entire fortress as [[mega constructions|one huge arcology]].
* MEGABONUS: Build your City in a giant, artificial cave.

===Luddite===
Shun technology and contraptions. Who can really trust them, with those [[Gremlin|gremlins]] around. This may be challenging, as it forbids easy isolation/defense from attacks, all traps and wells. Irrigation is reduced to solid elbow grease and maybe a bucket or two. This challenge may be even harder combined with another challenge.
* No mechanics or [[mechanism]]s
* No [[machine]]s

===Earthworms===
Live constantly tunneling. Churn up the soil as you go and visit the surface only rarely to collect the stuff you need..
* Create one long tunnel. Dig forward at one end whilst sealing off (collapsing, building walls across) the other end.
* Workshops should be built directly behind the row of miners. When they reach the point where they would be destroyed, take them apart and rebuild back by the miners again.
* To make it easier, you can come up to the surface now and then.
* Try to keep the tunnel as short as possible.
* Like this: ||||||||==========> (| is walled off end section, = is tunnel and > is the miners.
* BONUS: Leave those pesky nobles walled in as you tunnel away from them!
* BONUS: Leave stockpiles of armour and weapons for any future diggers to find!
* MEGABONUS: Surprise a goblin siege by tunneling up underneath them!

==Utter Dwarfiness==
Need new ways to behave or new techniques to dip your toes into? Give any or all of your starting 7 some quirks to live up to. Want to try making your Boss a hell-bent, paranoid despot? Or establish a routine mass murder of small animals to provide your fort with raw meat by a vaguely intimidating, estranged butcher?

===Bandit Camp===
* Three or more Marksdwarves (perhaps with [[Ambush|ambushing]])
* Embark site featuring places to hide

Attack and loot every enemy sentient creature you can find, such as goblins & kobolds. Develop sneaky and even horrific methods of trapping and 'processing' friendly sentients (merchants, diplomats, and even migrants). Take no prisoners and leave no evidence of foul play.

===City-States===
* All dwarves embark as peasants
* 7 or multiple of 7 of everything you bring (especially picks and axes)

At the start your dwarves split everything equally and move to 7 different locales that are not interconnected. They have to mine their own rooms, plant their own crops, use their own craft piles. This will probably require a bit of cross-fertilization until you get [[door]]s and can lock everyone in, but after that it is every dwarf for him/herself!

This challenge may be easier to perform after Burrows are implemented.

===Dwarftopia===
*Find a place that has at least magma, preferably with and underground river and/or chasm too; everything a fully self-sufficient underground city need.
*Embark only with dwarves that have max skills, with no more than one miner; but bring extra copper picks.
*Separate the fortress into 2 parts: a vibrant city above, and a depressed slum below.
**BONUS: Reverse the order; elite dwarves get to live underground, while the poor have to scratch a living off the surface.
*Throw all low-skill immigrants into the pits, were they will spend the rest of their lives (unless called up for the draft).
*'''DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES''' let said immigrants socialize whatsoever with the Elite; so nobody (who matters) will be upset when they die.
**BONUS: Make it impossible for anybody to escape by using trapdoors to drop them in and bridge-a-paults for sending goods out (preferably with a carp-based sterilization system).
***MEGADWARFBONUS: Set it all up so that none of the 'elite' have to do any work; all their needs are met by the laborers. Watch what happens and laugh as the laborers die out and high society breaks down.

===Equaland===
* No embark requirements
* Construct a successful fortress
* All dwarves are given equal attention regarding quarters, dining, armament and burial
* One dwarf elected to be "The Leader" commands a lever system capable of killing a single dwarf of your choice in their room, however you wish
* Allow the Leader (your id) free reign on his power, enforcing impossible and unannounced criteria on your other dwarves with death being the only punishment

===Hermit===
* Spend points ONLY on ONE [[Pick]]

A well known and popular challenge. Kill off 6 starting dwarves and any [[immigrants]] as they arrive, and try to make a living for the last dwarf. Turn away merchants. If they don't leave, kill them.

'''Variants'''
To moderate difficulty, feel free to allow these exceptions:
* Keep one male and one female dwarf as the Dwarven Adam and Eve.
* Keep your starting seven, but no immigrants.
* Selectively admit dwarves based on name, profession, etc.
* Embark with an anvil as well.

===Hunting Party===
* One Marksman+Ambusher
* One Cook+Farmer
* One Brewer+Farmer
* Four exclusively social dwarves
* Embark with no anvil, many hunting dogs, into a challenging biome (terrifying areas may have no supply of wood)

===Immigration and customs enforcement===
* One miner/mason/architect
* One woodcutter/carpenter/architect
* Five military dwarves
* Embark into a canyon or on a road
* Don't embark with an anvil

Spend the first year building fortifications to interdict traffic. Immigrants can build a town around you, but your original seven dwarves remain dedicated to their mission (purely military in purpose).

==="Let Loose the Dogs of War"===
* No military Dwarves are permitted, including Fortress Guard.
* No weapons or armor may be forged, and any obtained from looting must be melted down.
* War dogs must be your only form of attack and defense.
** Bonus : No traps or defense mechanisms of any kind may be utilized, only dogs.

===28 Days Later===

*Embark at a terrifying biome(Scary Biome), make sure there are zombie somethings. Set up a five thick wall around your camp. Never leave the perimeters. All migrants would be wandering survivors, let them in or don't, as they might be infected.
*Bonus: If you have "reason" to believe the migrants are infected, sacrifice them to the Blood God. Remember he loves Magma.
*Bonus: Only Marksdwarves for defence, You shouldn't get near the zombies, as they bite.If they are wounded, they must be quarantined, and shall therefore die.
*AdvancedPlay: Add zombie to the creatures list and set them as [EVIL].
Bonus: Send one heroic guy to save the migrants from the zombies, like in 28 days later.
Remember Elves can not be trusted and should be treated as infectees, and should be Dwarven atom smashed(Magma and Chasms work equally well).(Note this is also true for normal Dwarf Fortress).
*Elf skin clothing anyone?
*Keep a diary from one of the characters perspectives, to be read when the world is repopulated.

===Master Of One===
Pre-Embark:
* All starting dwarves must have only one skill

Post-Embark:
* No changes are allowed on any dwarf's labor screen, except to ''disable'' hauling labors (enabling hauling is forbidden)
* All immigrants must stay with the profession(s) they arrive with
* All peasants must be activated into the military

'''Variant:'''
*Only allow one dwarf for each skill to remain in your fort (1 mason, 1 miner, 1 farmer, etc.). Slaughter or draft all other dwarves.

===Monarch with a grudge===
* Forbid any and all use of stone and metal
* No exposed tile may be labeled "Underground"
* Artifacts containing stone and metal are to be destroyed '''utterly''' (magma or the [[Dwarven_Atom_Smasher|DAS]])

"Nay, no ponderous stone doors or shining silver arcades, not while I live!"
The new king has decided rocks and metals can no longer be used in construction. He'll be overthrown shortly, but in the meantime construct your fortress without them.

'''Variants'''
* Embark with no construction materials, into an area devoid of trees.
* Construct a fortress made entirely out of glass. Try not using magma or limit yourself only to clear and crystal glass.
* Build with soap bars. Show those elven traders just how much you despise their philosophies by building with stuff derived from dead trees ''and'' dead animals. Cats are an excellent source of tallow.
* Choose one type of rock, one type of metal, one type of gem, one type of wood, and optionally one type of glass. All constructions can only use those types in their construction. An easy way to enforce this with stone is to mark all but your choice "Economical".
* Bonus points: Stone is forbidden along with digging

===Noblesse requiro===
* Construct a fortress only to please nobles (who, for the sake of this challenge, are all criminally psychotic)
* Criminals who deserve justice should be incarcerated, tortured, and executed for ''any'' offense. Use your imagination for every step of the process. Remember, there is no right to a fair and speedy trial in Armok's eyes.
* All Nobles must be treated to the highest quality living conditions
* All others must be treated to the bare minimum needed to physically keep them alive
* Elected nobles are to be treated as regular dwarves, but mandates hold equal sway regarding justice

===Sitting on trees===
* Construct a wooden "tree" or several, spanning many (a dozen or so) z-levels
* Establish a successful fortress not inside, but around, these constructed trees

===Stop, Hey, What's that Sound===
* (Optionally) Generate a world with abundant cave systems
* Establish a fort near a very large cave
* Imitate the role of "Angband", leading small parties inside on military excursions
* No more than 3 dwarves can enter at a time
* Siege equipment and other weapons (or dangerous contraptions) that a dwarf can't carry on him is forbidden when cave-exploring

'''Variants'''
* Only solo adventurers are allowed to enter the dungeon
* Only use 'Thieves' to steal loot and create traps inside the dungeon

===The Mad Butcher===
* One dedicated Butcher+Tanner
* Minimal supplies and skills, so you can bring...
* As many puppies and kittens you can afford
* All food-gathering skills (except your Butcher+Tanner and Brewing) are forbidden

Caging your animals will increase performance to prepare a suitable butchery. Construct a wide, deep shaft to be zoned as an animal pit. At the bottom, outfit an isolation chamber complete with food and alcohol stockpiles, a bed, a butchery and a tanner's workshop. An active well will prevent mishaps. You should include during the construction either an airlock chamber (to enable the butcher to pass on food) or a second pit where the butcher dumps his created food. After construction, seal your butcher+tanner inside and live only off of his work.

===The World is Flat===
* No pre-embark requirements
* You'll probably want a region with lots of hills/mountains.
* You may only work/build/live on the original Z level where your wagon was
* No moats allowed, as this requires a channel, which goes below your z-level

==="I guess it's up to us to repopulate the planet..."===
* Embark on a loner site - this means one where traders, siegers, migrants, etc. simply don't show up, ever.
* Kill five of your starting seven, leaving one male and one female.
* You will get no population influx in any way (ever!) aside from breeding. Uncertain if inbreeding is possible for more generations of dwarves - unlikely. Hope the McUrists are prepared for a big family...

===Hunter and Gatherer===
Pre-Embark (World-Gen)
* Try creating a world in year 1 (optional)
Post-Embark
* Everything allowed except Farming.
Bonus
* Embark in a desert, so only hunting and (aquifier) fishing.
** Extra Points: Dont fish in the aquifier. How could the turtles get there anyway?
** Create a huge pyramid and sacrifice living beings or valuables to Armok for rain by dropping it in the hollow inaccessible pyramid from the top.
*** Extended version: Fill the pyramid with magma!
** Create lines like the Nazca to honour Armok, so he will send some rain (maybe).

==Arbitrary Law==
Rule your fortress with a Soapen Fist! Or see how far you get until a (voluntary) significant flaw sends you into an inevitable sadness spiral. Whatever it is, be sure to stick by it or you'll be meeting the Hammerer.

===ASPCA===
* [[Animals]] are forbidden from the fortress
* Animals following immigrants cannot enter the fortress
* Lethal traps forbidden, caged non-sentients must be immediately released
* Butchery is forbidden, but leatherworking is allowed

Rather than forbidding immigrant pets from entering, you can choose to deal with the owner of that pet instead for a more sadistic challenge.

===Commune===
* After embarking, enable all labors on all dwarves (including immigrants)
* Beds can only be designated as barracks, and no dwarf can be assigned to a bed (even nobles)
* Coins are forbidden
* Be aware that nobles are to be considered part of the "bourgeoisie" and [[Unfortunate accident|dealt with]] immeadiatly

===Couples only===
* As soon as a married couple exists in your fortress:
** Kill all single dwarves
** Kill all incoming single dwarves
** Try to save children, until they are adult and single

===Dieting Dwarves===
* Exclusively dine on a food type of your choice (meat, fish, plants, alcohol)
* Optionally, forbid alcohol consumption to limit carbohydrate intake
**Note: forbidding alcohol permanently is as good as accepting a slow but continuous fortress death

===Dwarf Liberation Movement===
* Nobles are worthless scum, we give them nothing!
* As soon as possible, cage your expedition leader.
* Never appoint any dwarf into becoming a noble.
* Cage any dwarf that appears on the nobles and administrators screen.
* When your population elects a new mayor, release your old one and cage the new one.
** Bonus : Cage the king and all of his escorts!
** Extra Bonus : Once you have caged all nobles, administrators, the king and his advisor; you must unleash the Dwarf Atom-Smasher upon them.

===Fight for your name===
* Before embarking, randomly generate a fortress name and be sure to know its English translation
* Do the same with your group name
* Creatively designate a serious goal for your fortress, based on these names
* Fanatically reach your goal

===Fort Geneva===
* Lethal traps are forbidden
* Caged sentient creatures are to be considered prisoners of war and treated humanely

Suggested provisions for prisoners: a bed, a personal cell, a commons area, aboveground exercise yard, and the clothes the creature was wearing when captured. For more inspiration, go to: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions Geneva Conventions]

===Government in Exile===
* Only Military and Social skills can be purchased and enabled in your entire fortress

All dwarves are either nobles or in the military. The only useful dwarves you'll have will be your broker, manager, mayor, bookkeeper, and dungeon master. If you can survive until the sheriff arrives, transfer your entire military into the fortress guard. With a little luck, and a lot of exported roasts, you too can rule without proletarian interference.

===Hardcore Altruism===
* Do not allow the death of any Dwarf

Though not viscerally entertaining, an incredible challenge. All strange moods must be given what they crave. All medical attention must be done ASAP. Mining, fishing and hunting must be done with much care. Sadness must be met with excellent social skills and quality furniture.

===Industrial Plant===
* Choose one industry that produces commercial goods
* No other industries permitted, only imported

===Johannesfort===
* Find a starting location with a lot of gabbro, containing Kimberlite
* Mine and cut all the diamonds on the map
* Only gems can be traded.

===Sexist Segregation===
* Establish two functioning and stable fortress
* One must be entirely male, the other entirely female
* Married couples are to be processed

===THIS! IS! SPARTAAAA!===
* At least half of your fortress population must be active in the military.
* Crossbows and traps are forbidden.
* Only spears, swords, wrestling, helmets (helms) and shields may be equipped by military and used to fight.
** BONUS: All weapons and armour must be made from bronze.
* Civilian dwarves have all labors enabled.
** If ever activated, cannot use quality weapons or armor.
* Maimed dwarves (perceived to be) incapable of being fully healed must be killed. (This includes incurable spinal injuries in military dwarves!)
* Devise methods of dropping Liaisons down pits during meetings. Yell, "THIS IS SPAARRTAAAAA..." at your monitor.
* Demand goods be turned over from all caravans.
* Recreation is forbidden, as well as any 'improving' action, such as smoothing/engraving, or constructing things out of metals what can be done with rock and wood (besides spears, swords and shields).

Note that the above suggestions are modeled on the popular movie [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_(film) 300], an adaption of the visual novel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_(comics) 300], both of which historically inaccurate. For a more "realistic dwarven Sparta", try reading the Wikipedia article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta#Society Spartan society].

===Mesoamerican Dwarfs===
* All food must be grown above ground, on small plots, surrounded by canals (chinampas)
** BONUS: Flood the farms annually.
* All buildings must be above ground.
* Capture as many of your enemies as possible.
* Build a massive step pyramid at the center of your fortress. Appoint one dwarf high priest and have him kill the prisoners at the top.
** BONUS: Build it upside-down.
*** MEGABONUS: Build the entire city on top of the upside-down pyramid, with another pyramid-temple in the middle.
* Surround your fortress with an artificial lake.
** BONUS: Build it in the middle of a natural lake.
* Use only copper or bronze metal (except for iron anvils).
* Soldiers can only use obsidian short swords. Axes are only for wood cutting.
* No armor except leather and only let champions use it. All others must fight unarmored.
** BONUS: Divide your soldiers into "Jaguar[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_warrior]" and "Eagle[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_warrior]" warrior societies and outfit them with leather armor made from their respective animals.
* Demand that all non-dwarf caravans surrender their goods as tribute.
* Build a giant, multistory building for holding skulls.

==Megaprojects==
Instead of deliberately inhibiting yourself, create a wonder of the dwarven world that would make the Mountainhomes proud. Be sure to upload it to the [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ Dwarf Fortress Map Archive] when it's finished. More projects can be found where [[Stupid_dwarf_trick|stupid dwarves try crazy tricks]]. [[Mega construction|Incredible feats of construction]] are usually very [[Fun|fun]] so you'll see many different (and probably similar) constructions across the Wiki. Use whatever ideas you think are ingenious.

===Aqueducts===
For some reason, a noble was harmlessly pulling a lever when suddenly, magma flooded the river and exploded the booze! The king requires your band of seven to build a great aqueduct to bring water to the capital. Start with supports, and build up your aqueduct until it is 10 z-levels high!

BONUS: Start over a human town, build a wall around it, pump water through the aqueduct and into it!

===Biodome===
All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants... well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

No chasms/underground rivers/magma vents allowed.

===Casting===
Who needs to construct giant statues?! We need ours made from natural walls, however, we want it above ground level as well. For casting your goal is to create some giant structure out of natural obsidian walls through the use of an extremely elaborate scaffold of lava and water pools and screw pumps. When you are finished, just deconstruct the scaffolding and smooth/engrave the statue as you go. Just imagine the bridge over that chasm, now complete with two giant dwarf statues on either side to strike fear into all who enter and to show them the power of your fortress.

BONUS: Make the statues spit lava.

===Castle===
Build a castle, greater than anything built by human, elf or dwarf. This is highly time
consuming if you want it to be a good castle. There must be floor indoors, and no underground
constructions except for mining operations and cellars. For an even greater challenge, build
a gigantic tower in the middle, where the nobles stay.

===Ceremonial Sacrifices===
Build an amazingly complex or spectacular killing device. A shaft that extends across the entire Z-plane is a good start. A constantly shifting maze of atomsmasher drawbridges is another. For the minimalist, a very confined space where you will drop a dwarf wrestler along with the gobbos once in a while. Perhaps a waterslide that carries your prisoner all the way down into a chasm? Whatever your idea, build it and dedicate your fort to the construction, maintenance and improvement of your device.

Do not kill any of your invaders. Capture them using cage traps, and them set them off in your device. Keep a record of the number of victims you drop into it.

BONUS: Create a statue garden to memorialize your victims, with one statue per victim. Structure your fortress such that sacrificial victims have to pass through the garden on the way to their demise.

===Computing===
Can your dwarves build the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera mechanism]? Can you program the fortress to play tic-tac-toe? More details at [[computing]].

===Colosseum===
Build a pit, around it on steps lots of Thrones, make the whole thing a meeting area, train Gladiators, capture goblins, leave them their weapons and let them fight against your gladiators. If they win, let them go.

===Crematory Fortress===
* Requires a [[magma pipe]] and [[bauxite]].

Build a temple structure above a [[magma pipe]] and [[engrave]] every available surface. The temple should be as opulent as possible. In the temple, build a retracting [[bridge]] over a hole in the floor, and designate a [[coffin]] [[stockpile]] on it. Whenever a dwarf dies, build a [[bauxite]] or other [[magma-proof]] [[coffin]] for him, place it on the [[bridge]], and retract it, committing his body to the [[magma|fiery blood of the mountain]].

::Note: Since coffins are unassigned and emptied when deconstructed and cannot be constructed on top of a bridge, this will not actually work. An alternative would be to place the coffins in individual chambers which can then be flooded with magma afterwards.

::: You could expose the magma pipe, build a one-tile wide floor span across it, and then above that build a support that holds up your temple floor on the z-level above. The temple floor would be separated from the walls of the temple and would be connected for walking access diagonally. The support holds it up. You would have to construct the coffins in the temple, then when someone gets buried you pull the lever attached to the support. You then rebuild the narrow span below, the temple floor, and the support, then link the lever to the new support.
::: You can do this without scaffolding if you build the temple floor access straight in, and then the span below and the support, then once the support is in place you destroy the straight temple access leaving only a diagonal temple access.

===Doomsday Clock===
Build a water or mechanical clock whose final state triggers the support which holds your fortress up or a megabeast out.
See how much wealth you can achieve before the clock runs out.
*Bonus: Create something that resets itself, as well as purging the map, so that you can reuse the same fortress over and over.
*Super-Bonus: Create something that involves pressure plates and a small kitten, when the pressure plates are hit in the right order, your map ends. Toss the kitten in and hope for the best. Alternatively, make the sequence quite unlikely, but add 2 kittens; breeding introduces a probability of doomsday that is a function of time (depending on the mechanisms involved)
*Super-Bonus: Create the super-bonus above, but place the kitten on the lowest Z-level and never return to either look at it or see how many of the conditions for the doomsday device have been met. This way, the kitty mimicks Schrodinger's cat: we cannot observe the state of the kitty, but we can infer it from the state of the world (spin-pairs effectively).

===Dwarf like an Egyptian===
*Build a pyramid of epic proportion.

Build a legendary dwarven pyramid, with a corridor running to a central tomb for your favourite noble. Then construct lots of different [[traps]] in it to avoid grave robbery. Perhaps build it entirely out of glass? Or try to make the top twist in a bit of a swirl. Alternatively, make your entire fortress inside a pyramid, which stretches below the ground.

*Build rows of Obelisks

Build a double row of Obelisks before the Pyramid, and engrave the sides. Build ramps on the tops.

*Build the whole thing upside down.
** And then another one on the upside-down one.

*When the time has come, or when your fortress is about to be destroyed by a siege etc perform the ceremony to translate the mortal form of the noble to the underworld. Give him a ritual death, and make sure you kill his servants as well. If the tomb is built for your king make every dwarf die but one, who inters everyone into their resting place. His final act will be to pull a level that seals the tomb as well as kills him. Then enjoy going back and reclaiming your fortress to observe your efforts.

===Graveyard Master===
Every dwarf deserves a decent resting place:
*Build a tomb for ever dwarf that dies, the more dwarves you manage to bury the better.
*Tombs must be rooms with exactly 5x5 of size and 1 of height, with only one entrance tile that must be closed by a door.
*Tombs must have all its surfaces engraved.
*Tomb must contain at least 4 statues.
*Once complete, the door must be locked and the tomb must not be ever entered again.

===How high can you go?===
Construction, construction, construction! Just how big a tower can you build? Out of glass maybe, clear glass? Steel? Pump water to the top? Make your tower a ''pinnacle'' of achievement and stun humans, elves and goblins alike - for they know nothing of construction and engineering like dwarves do!

===Land battleship===
Turn your mountain into a huge battle-station, complete with crew quarters, decks, command centre, cantina, and a large collection of deadly weapons : Batteries of marksdwarves, ballista cannons, catapults, boarding bridges and -teams, but also lava projector or remote explosive devices (ie cave-ins in a part of the map triggered by a lever). Make sure it ends up looking like a real battleship, with nothing but plains surrounding it (you could build it on an actual plain, or destroy a mountain, choice is yours). The battleship has to be autonomous, and dwarves shouldn't wander outside it.

*Bonus: The weaponry covers every tile of the map (i.e., everything that enters the map can be shot)
*Bonus: Build several other ships, maybe dedicated to a specific product (food, ammo etc.)
**Bonus: Find a way to let them fight each other in a naval battle
*Bonus: Each crew member has a civil and military formation, and when the enemy arrives, stop every economic activity. All hands to quarters !
*Mega Bonus: After building your Ship(s), flood the surrounding countryside.

===Moria===
Build a huge hall - at least 3 z-levels high. Leave few pillars symmetrically placed in the hall (don't build them, carve them out). Smooth and possibly engrave everything (not only the lowest z-level!). Then build thin bridge (not the bridge building, just a thin piece of rock to walk on) above magma - support it with bauxite supports connected to a lever (bauxite mechanisms needed in support). Destroy stone holding it at the both ends and replace it with floor hatches (so when you pull the lever it all goes down). After that build a bridge above the chasm.
When it's all done seal your dwarves deep inside in safe place and get invaded by goblins. At the same time dig out HFS. Lead the HFS across the both bridges and then collapse the second one when one of the champions clashes with it (it doesn't matter that the champion has killed the HFS with one hit).

===Mountain audit/core sample===
Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

===Project Mayhem===

*You do not talk about project Mayhem
*Build a series of towers, at least 10 z-levels high, of different size and shape. They must be supported by a series of supports linked to a lever.
*Store all your riches in the towers : crafts, precious metal bars, gems, artifacts, everything. You may also want to house your nobles on top of the towers.
*Pull the lever and watch the collapse of financial history.

Bonus : make the towers' walls out of glass!

Bonus : Make soap! And remember, human fat is ideal...

===Santa Claus===
Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.

===Skull collector===
What proves the might of a civilization better than a hall full of skulls?
*Try to collect as many skulls as you can during your fortress life, and put then in a special skulls-only storage. The more skulls the better.

BONUS: Cover all the skulls in blood, and make the stockpile also a throne room.
SUPERBONUS: Also fill the throne room with kittens.

===Space Ship===
Create a giant space ship fit for space travel. It should be able to hold about 100 dwarves for at least 2 years.

*BONUS: Use exploding [[booze]] as ignitable fuel.
*BONUS: Make a removable [[ramp]] for boarding.
*BONUS: Make the [[water]] for the 2 years be on the ship using removable pumps.
*BONUS+: Make it totally self sufficient. (Make an internal system which pumps the [[water]] supply through a room every few years to muddy the floor. Plant [[seed|seeds]] in the [[mud]] that's now on the floor. Manage your consumption to maintain self sufficiency.)
*Modding BONUS: Mod the game so that merchants can fly their new wagonships into your docking bays. ''(If possible)''
*BONUS+: Make it all out of [[steel]].
*[[fun|FUN]]: Let it be held by a single [[support]], ignite the [[booze]], remove the support an let it "fly".
*EVEN BETTER: Drop it down a chasm.
*More [[fun|FUN]]: Set up a mining operation on the surface and dig into the HFS. Watch the alien creatures take over your ship and hunt down your dwarves. Form a squad of heroes to overload the booze reactor to prevent the aliens from reaching earth. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28video_game%29 Dead Space] and/or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28film%29 the Alien series])

===Swiss Precision===
Build a working clock. The clock should accurately track DF days, months, and years.

Bonus Points:
*If the clock has a mechanical effect in the fortress proper to announce new days
*If the clock creates seasonally appropriate effects at the change of months and/or seasons.
*If the clock is used to aid in the operation of the fortress in addition to its role as a clock (automatically controls farmland irrigation at particular times, automatically opens the <s>blast doors</s> <s>floodgates</s> Magma Channels in time for merchants, etc...).
*If the clock governs the schedule of a working rail station (which is always on time). (Definitions of 'working' and 'rail station' are subject to player imagination).
*If the clock takes measures to protect itself. ''"I can't let you do that, Urist."''

But don't worry about the bonus points, a precision time device should be hard enough.

===Temple===
Designing a temple to Armok. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there are no stained-glass windows and domed ceilings carved with frescoes. To gain more favor, make regular sacrifices and keep the fountains and rivers red with [[blood]].

===The cube===
Play a fort as usual, but emphasize catching goblins in cages to support and fill this construction:
Construct a series of rooms in a symmetrical fashion, all connected to each other with appropriate doors. Of course, enough rooms to make a maze-like structure, and if you feel like it, an exit that is hard to reach. Fill a bunch of the rooms with traps and pressureplates. Then fill one room with 4-6 goblins (preferably in cages, opened by an outside lever), release them and watch them randomly walk around the rooms dying to traps and whatnots.

*Bonus: Do multiple story maze (3d-maze)
*Bonus: Use pressureplates to open/close the exit randomly; otherwise, all the goblins will just follow the shortest route to the exit.

===The great brewery===
Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing [[Fire|‼]]<nowiki></nowiki>peasant[[Fire|‼]] visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping — create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible, and give or trade it to the dwarven [[caravan]] each year.

===The Great Wall of Urist===
Build a dwarven great wall of china that splits the map in half. Must be at least 10 tiles thick and reach the highest z-level.
* BONUS: Make it block the <s>mongols</s> goblins out of your half of the map.
* BONUS: Make it out of obsidian.
**BONUS+: Embark on a map without obsidian.
* BONUS: Find a way to make it touch the boundaries.
* BONUS: Build one gate
* BONUS: Arm it with ballistas.

===The Monolith===
As the inevitability of a fortress-wide mental breakdown looms over every single fortress why not have something that alludes to that precipice of [[insanity]]. Like the book and feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey you must have a Monolith. This has to be made from [[obsidian]] and have a completely smooth surface (You cannot build it from blocks) You can have it be any size as long as it is outside, at least 2 tiles thick to ensure there are no pillar tiles, and has about the same ratio of width to height as it does in the movie (1:4:9) to make it as close to the real thing as possible. It would be preferable to make it large so that it seems to be dominating the landscape and your dwarves' psyche. The bigger the better.

*If the rock obsidian strata isn't deep enough in parts to make a monolith feasible consider casting a monolith with a large rectangular block in the exact same dimensional criteria as above.

===Statue of greatness===
Build a giant statue, spanning 10-20 z-levels and make it in the shape of say, a dwarf you like or an animal you like.
* Bonus: make it in the shape of a teapot that has a working boiling system and a spout that water can come out of.

===Underwater fortress===
Encase your entire fortress in [[water]]! Your fortress should be watersealed: surrounded by water against all [[wall]]s and the top of the fortress.
* Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
* Bonus: Use [[magma]] instead of water!
* Bonus: Build it in the [[ocean]] or a non-freezing lake
* Bonus: Build large glass domes that encase the fortress. A dome 20 tiles wide should be 20 z-levels tall. Which may be hard to cover in water.
** NOTE: Actually, a dome 20 tiles wide should be 10 tiles tall, or less, since the steepest dome will be only semi-spherical, and most domes will start out at an angle anyway.
* Bonus: Have a mechanism for dropping your enemies into the water to drown! Or fill the water with carp.
* Mod: Make your dwarves amphibious and include airlocks between the wet fortress and the dry.
* Remake: Make Rapture city from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock Bioshock]

===Wealth===
The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

===World Domination===
Pretend you are an evil mastermind. Now come up with some device or machine to render the world (or at least your portion of the map) totally unlivable, aside from, of course, your hidden lair.

You will receive bonus points for making a more realistic World Domination setup. Some suggestions:

* Make one dwarf the evil mastermind. The evil mastermind will have no empathy whatsoever, and they will hate all other races, and put no value on the lives of his minions. Protect him at all cost. If he should die, switch his position to his oldest child (who will avenge his father, because insanity is hereditary.) or the most insane, diabolical dwarf in your fort.
* Impractical, overkill solutions to everyday problems ("Sir, the dungeon master wants a better room" "Well then turn his room into a tomb and flood it with magma, and do not bother me with such trivial matters again or I will have you shot.")
* Give the evil mastermind a pet to obsess over. Give it a name like Mr. Bigglesworth or Snuggles.
* Have a science lab. Use living creatures and people as test subjects.

Doomsday device suggestions:
* Flood the map with water/magma (may require building walls around the edge of the map)
**BONUS: the water has carp in it.
* Build an "Earthquake Machine" (the entire map is supported by a single support, which is connected to a lever)
* Build an extensive holding cell network for "scientific purposes". Fill it with megabeasts and <s>elephants</s> unicorns in secret. Have a lever that lets everything free to feed on the general population.
* Embark in an evil area, and capture and tame all those undead animals if possible to create your own undead army
* Bonus: Eliminate the dwarves who constructed your device before you set it off. They must not be allowed to warn the rest of the citizens.
* Build an orbital weapons platform in space (which should be 12-15 stories above the ground, use your imagination), then arm it with magma bombs (droppable tank of magma) to glass the planet, rendering it uninhabitable for a few years.
* You can also recreate the most evil society in history and try a Nazi-dwarf concentration camp.


[[Category:Guides]]

=== The Grand Treasury ===
At first, have the king come to you. Then excavate a laaarge room and fill it with i.e.: Lots of coins, shiny gems, artifacts, golden statues, silver mugs, etc. pp. But the king is still not satisfied with his possessions, so he wants more and more shiny and sparky things.
Of course sooner or later (probably sooner) those filthy kobolds and goblins will come and try to steal this enormous hoard. We must never tolerate this! Turn your treasury into a strongroom like the world has never seen before! Secret doors, traps in abundance, guards at every door, ballistae, guard dogs, the whole program. If anything gets lost, you have proven your incompetence, and the king will have your fortress abandoned and founded another to guard his treasures.

*Bonus: Build up the treasury and raid it successfully in Adventure Mode

=== Heaven ===
Build a dwarven version of heaven. Every dwarf must want to come to you! Important pieces:
# Streets paved with gold.
# The mindless hordes are held back by pearly gates -- or at least a close equivalent. Marble doors with diamond encrustations.
# No dwarves die (except for criminals). Heaven is everlasting.
# All criminals must be cast into the fires of Hell. Ideally, this would either be HFS or the bottom of a magma pipe.
# Nothing is ever stolen. St. Peter doesn't screw up.
# After the King has arrived, any male children he has must be sent out to fight sieges alone.

BONUS: No dwarves are ever unhappy -- no tantrums and no insanity. 
BONUS: When migrants arrive at the pearly gates, view their thoughts and preferences and only allow those with a similar/same Diety as your population. 
BONUS: Make Heaven 10 stories above the ground 
Mod: Make Angel dwarves and a godly being. (suggestions: Cacame, Morul, Ironblood.) 
ULTRABONUS: Make Heaven in the air, an earthly society on the ground (a wooden town perhaps?), and carve the HFS place into Hell, complete with a lake of Magma/fire.Look up the character of every dwarf and send him to the appropriate place. 
MEGABONUS-(Re)Make: The Seven Seals have been broken and the Apocalypse arrives.
# The Sky darkens (an obsidian ceiling spanning over the map).
# Meteors (opened lava tanks and cave-ins) devastate the earth.
# All bodies of water turn bloody.
# Dig into the HFS and have a battle between Heaven and Hell. 

=== City of Ember ===
Show those filthy humans that when dwarves build a secret underground refuge, they build to last! In other words, recreate Ember from the film "City of Ember" (yes, everyone is aware there is a book), but do it right - none of these leaking pipes and crumbling buildings stuff, after only two and a half centuries underground!
# Mine out a massive cavern multiple z-layers high , and build a human-style city underneath it instead of carving out various chambers.
# You must seal it off. How long you wait to do this is up to you, but once it is sealed, you cannot unseal it for at least 200 years (if you decide to play that long). Ideally, use a utility to embark with a full set of dwarves (to represent the immigrating population) and seal the city off within one year of embarking.
# Build individual houses with their own dining rooms and bedrooms. Multiple dwarves can live in one house, but usually only a single family will live in one house.
# Build streets connecting all of the buildings, in the way that in the film, Ember didn't really have any space that wasn't either paved or built on until you got to the outskirts of the city.
# Have a "greenhouse" out on the outskirts for farming.
# You MUST have an underground river and use it for power.
# You MUST have magma and use it for power.
# Build City Hall, where the mayor has his office, with a nice fountain out front that actually works (probably involving water pressure, and as a testament to the fact that dwarves do it better, and their underground refuge isn't running desperately short of food, water, or power).
# No military, because there is simply no need for one, but have a fortress guard (to function as police, basically).
# After 200 or more years, unseal the city and colonize the surface.

BONUS: Instead of building your houses/other structures out of blocks or rocks, plan it all out beforehand and simply don't dig out the tiles that you want to be the walls of buildings, and smooth it all down so it looks the same, but your buildings are actually made out of solid natural rock. 
BONUS: Actually cause some kind of catastrophe on the surface (flood it with magma or something) that makes it uninhabitable, to FORCE yourself to stay underground, but when you unseal the city after 200 years, the surface should have healed and be habitable again. So, don't do something permanent.

40d:Challenges

2010-03-08T03:03:54Z

71.194.101.232: /* Mesoamerican Dwarfs */ ** BONUS: Build it upside-down. *** MEGABONUS: Build the entire city on top of the upside-down pyramid, with another pyramid-temple in the middle.

:''Part of this article was originally taken from the DF forums thread [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=466.0 "Goal-Based Dwarf Fortress"].''

The general goal of [[Fortress Mode]] is to survive, acquire wealth, defend your stronghold, and become the capital of your civilization. However, many players find that fighting off repeated [[siege|sieges]], keeping their people alive, and expanding just aren't enough anymore. They begin to experiment with different sets of starting builds, arbitrary requirements and restrictions, and even feats of construction to appease Armok, in search of more difficulty and [[fun]]. These are some goals to attempt or use as inspiration.

==Pre-Embark Build Ideas==
Before you embark, you can optimize or sabotage your fortress from the very start, depending on how you distribute your points. After a few years, a well-developing fortress may or may not stabilize (depending on your idea of [[fun]]), leaving you to other challenges.

=== Diplomacy ===
* Six dwarves with only social [[skill]]s
* One skilled dwarf

Six courtiers of the king's court made some ill-advised remarks within earshot of the king, and as a result have been ordered to go found an outpost. They've hired you to make sure they survive. The six nobles only have social skills and refuse to do any work that is beneath them.

=== Minimalist/Survivalist build===

* 1 anvil
* 2 copper ore

Nothing else. From that alone, forge your pick and axe. (Figure it out yourself, or see the [[DIY#Minimalist_challenge_build|Do it Yourself]] article for a step-by-step "how to".)

===Peasantry===
* Spend 0 Points on embark

This challenge is moderately to very difficult, depending on the wildlife and outdoor food sources. Note that the three logs from the wagon are just enough to build a trade depot.

=== Stranded Scout Squad ===
* Military skills
* Weapons, ammunition, armor, war dogs
* Picks are not weapons

Your civilian 'friends' promised a caravan in the fall as they left, laughing. Hopefully, you can survive until then with your forward scouts.

==Races==
Pretend to be another race! You can mod the game or just pretend that Elves have hair. It doesn't matter what you look like, just what you build, with what materials, and what's for lunch after we build it.

===Elves - The Ultimate Hippy Challenge===
Peace, man.
* Don't gather plants except those you plant yourself.
* Don't gather wood nor trade for it with humans or dwarves.
* Trade for plants and wood only with the elves; they understand your environmental code.
* Don't burn any [[fuel|coal]]. Do you know what that does to the environment, man?
**Magma-smelting is an option, but steel can't be had.
* Don't cause any creature's death, except in self-defense.
**No military, induced submerging, or lethal implementation of corkscrews.
* Only use cage traps, and either tame the creatures you catch, or release them back into the wild.
* [[Elf|Hippies]] prefer sunlight and wooded areas, with minimal use of rock (digging and building).

For an extra challenge try this in an area with a cave.

===Humans - Living Large and Standing Tall===
Pretend you're a filthy above-ground dwelling [[Human|humie]].
* Build a town wall.
** Only hovels and farms outside the town walls.
* House your dwarves in small town homes
** 5-10 dwarves per house (they had pretty big families back in the day)
** Upstairs bedrooms, small dining room, maybe a single level basement.
* House your workshops according to profession, not convenience.
* Build warehouses for stockpiles, and set guards outside them.
* Create a keep, with its own wall, barracks, treasury, etc.
** House your nobles within the keep.
* Create a market square.
* Create a main street from the town wall to the market square and/or keep. Well-paved blocks, statues and decorative shubbery are a must.
* No underground connections between different areas.
* For obtaining stone, metal, etc. a mine may be built, but must have separate entrance from other buildings. It can be outside the fortress, but must not connect to the interior, or vice versa.
** If you create a side hill mine, only carve large (at least 2 tiles) tunnels, and create shaft to the surface to allow air circulation.
** Or better than that, create an open pit mine / quarry, with ramps to access lower floors.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Build a large, multiple-z-level fountain complete with decorations.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Human Inn, containing your only booze stockpile and should be party-oriented.
* BONUS: Miniproject: Farm simulation, complete with crops and free-range livestock, etc.
* BONUS: Easy Play: Embark on top of a Human Town.
* BONUS: Advanced Play: Modify the raws and actually use humans to make the fort.
* MEGABONUS: Build your entire fortress as [[mega constructions|one huge arcology]].
* MEGABONUS: Build your City in a giant, artificial cave.

===Luddite===
Shun technology and contraptions. Who can really trust them, with those [[Gremlin|gremlins]] around. This may be challenging, as it forbids easy isolation/defense from attacks, all traps and wells. Irrigation is reduced to solid elbow grease and maybe a bucket or two. This challenge may be even harder combined with another challenge.
* No mechanics or [[mechanism]]s
* No [[machine]]s

===Earthworms===
Live constantly tunneling. Churn up the soil as you go and visit the surface only rarely to collect the stuff you need..
* Create one long tunnel. Dig forward at one end whilst sealing off (collapsing, building walls across) the other end.
* Workshops should be built directly behind the row of miners. When they reach the point where they would be destroyed, take them apart and rebuild back by the miners again.
* To make it easier, you can come up to the surface now and then.
* Try to keep the tunnel as short as possible.
* Like this: ||||||||==========> (| is walled off end section, = is tunnel and > is the miners.
* BONUS: Leave those pesky nobles walled in as you tunnel away from them!
* BONUS: Leave stockpiles of armour and weapons for any future diggers to find!
* MEGABONUS: Surprise a goblin siege by tunneling up underneath them!

==Utter Dwarfiness==
Need new ways to behave or new techniques to dip your toes into? Give any or all of your starting 7 some quirks to live up to. Want to try making your Boss a hell-bent, paranoid despot? Or establish a routine mass murder of small animals to provide your fort with raw meat by a vaguely intimidating, estranged butcher?

===Bandit Camp===
* Three or more Marksdwarves (perhaps with [[Ambush|ambushing]])
* Embark site featuring places to hide

Attack and loot every enemy sentient creature you can find, such as goblins & kobolds. Develop sneaky and even horrific methods of trapping and 'processing' friendly sentients (merchants, diplomats, and even migrants). Take no prisoners and leave no evidence of foul play.

===City-States===
* All dwarves embark as peasants
* 7 or multiple of 7 of everything you bring (especially picks and axes)

At the start your dwarves split everything equally and move to 7 different locales that are not interconnected. They have to mine their own rooms, plant their own crops, use their own craft piles. This will probably require a bit of cross-fertilization until you get [[door]]s and can lock everyone in, but after that it is every dwarf for him/herself!

This challenge may be easier to perform after Burrows are implemented.

===Equaland===
* No embark requirements
* Construct a successful fortress
* All dwarves are given equal attention regarding quarters, dining, armament and burial
* One dwarf elected to be "The Leader" commands a lever system capable of killing a single dwarf of your choice in their room, however you wish
* Allow the Leader (your id) free reign on his power, enforcing impossible and unannounced criteria on your other dwarves with death being the only punishment

===Hermit===
* Spend points ONLY on ONE [[Pick]]

A well known and popular challenge. Kill off 6 starting dwarves and any [[immigrants]] as they arrive, and try to make a living for the last dwarf. Turn away merchants. If they don't leave, kill them.

'''Variants'''
To moderate difficulty, feel free to allow these exceptions:
* Keep one male and one female dwarf as the Dwarven Adam and Eve.
* Keep your starting seven, but no immigrants.
* Selectively admit dwarves based on name, profession, etc.
* Embark with an anvil as well.

===Hunting Party===
* One Marksman+Ambusher
* One Cook+Farmer
* One Brewer+Farmer
* Four exclusively social dwarves
* Embark with no anvil, many hunting dogs, into a challenging biome (terrifying areas may have no supply of wood)

===Immigration and customs enforcement===
* One miner/mason/architect
* One woodcutter/carpenter/architect
* Five military dwarves
* Embark into a canyon or on a road
* Don't embark with an anvil

Spend the first year building fortifications to interdict traffic. Immigrants can build a town around you, but your original seven dwarves remain dedicated to their mission (purely military in purpose).

==="Let Loose the Dogs of War"===
* No military Dwarves are permitted, including Fortress Guard.
* No weapons or armor may be forged, and any obtained from looting must be melted down.
* War dogs must be your only form of attack and defense.
** Bonus : No traps or defense mechanisms of any kind may be utilized, only dogs.

===28 Days Later===

*Embark at a terrifying biome(Scary Biome), make sure there are zombie somethings. Set up a five thick wall around your camp. Never leave the perimeters. All migrants would be wandering survivors, let them in or don't, as they might be infected.
*Bonus: If you have "reason" to believe the migrants are infected, sacrifice them to the Blood God. Remember he loves Magma.
*Bonus: Only Marksdwarves for defence, You shouldn't get near the zombies, as they bite.If they are wounded, they must be quarantined, and shall therefore die.
*AdvancedPlay: Add zombie to the creatures list and set them as [EVIL].
Bonus: Send one heroic guy to save the migrants from the zombies, like in 28 days later.
Remember Elves can not be trusted and should be treated as infectees, and should be Dwarven atom smashed(Magma and Chasms work equally well).(Note this is also true for normal Dwarf Fortress).
*Elf skin clothing anyone?
*Keep a diary from one of the characters perspectives, to be read when the world is repopulated.

===Master Of One===
Pre-Embark:
* All starting dwarves must have only one skill

Post-Embark:
* No changes are allowed on any dwarf's labor screen, except to ''disable'' hauling labors (enabling hauling is forbidden)
* All immigrants must stay with the profession(s) they arrive with
* All peasants must be activated into the military

'''Variant:'''
*Only allow one dwarf for each skill to remain in your fort (1 mason, 1 miner, 1 farmer, etc.). Slaughter or draft all other dwarves.

===Monarch with a grudge===
* Forbid any and all use of stone and metal
* No exposed tile may be labeled "Underground"
* Artifacts containing stone and metal are to be destroyed '''utterly''' (magma or the [[Dwarven_Atom_Smasher|DAS]])

"Nay, no ponderous stone doors or shining silver arcades, not while I live!"
The new king has decided rocks and metals can no longer be used in construction. He'll be overthrown shortly, but in the meantime construct your fortress without them.

'''Variants'''
* Embark with no construction materials, into an area devoid of trees.
* Construct a fortress made entirely out of glass. Try not using magma or limit yourself only to clear and crystal glass.
* Build with soap bars. Show those elven traders just how much you despise their philosophies by building with stuff derived from dead trees ''and'' dead animals. Cats are an excellent source of tallow.
* Choose one type of rock, one type of metal, one type of gem, one type of wood, and optionally one type of glass. All constructions can only use those types in their construction. An easy way to enforce this with stone is to mark all but your choice "Economical".
* Bonus points: Stone is forbidden along with digging

===Noblesse requiro===
* Construct a fortress only to please nobles (who, for the sake of this challenge, are all criminally psychotic)
* Criminals who deserve justice should be incarcerated, tortured, and executed for ''any'' offense. Use your imagination for every step of the process. Remember, there is no right to a fair and speedy trial in Armok's eyes.
* All Nobles must be treated to the highest quality living conditions
* All others must be treated to the bare minimum needed to physically keep them alive
* Elected nobles are to be treated as regular dwarves, but mandates hold equal sway regarding justice

===Sitting on trees===
* Construct a wooden "tree" or several, spanning many (a dozen or so) z-levels
* Establish a successful fortress not inside, but around, these constructed trees

===Stop, Hey, What's that Sound===
* (Optionally) Generate a world with abundant cave systems
* Establish a fort near a very large cave
* Imitate the role of "Angband", leading small parties inside on military excursions
* No more than 3 dwarves can enter at a time
* Siege equipment and other weapons (or dangerous contraptions) that a dwarf can't carry on him is forbidden when cave-exploring

'''Variants'''
* Only solo adventurers are allowed to enter the dungeon
* Only use 'Thieves' to steal loot and create traps inside the dungeon

===The Mad Butcher===
* One dedicated Butcher+Tanner
* Minimal supplies and skills, so you can bring...
* As many puppies and kittens you can afford
* All food-gathering skills (except your Butcher+Tanner and Brewing) are forbidden

Caging your animals will increase performance to prepare a suitable butchery. Construct a wide, deep shaft to be zoned as an animal pit. At the bottom, outfit an isolation chamber complete with food and alcohol stockpiles, a bed, a butchery and a tanner's workshop. An active well will prevent mishaps. You should include during the construction either an airlock chamber (to enable the butcher to pass on food) or a second pit where the butcher dumps his created food. After construction, seal your butcher+tanner inside and live only off of his work.

===The World is Flat===
* No pre-embark requirements
* You'll probably want a region with lots of hills/mountains.
* You may only work/build/live on the original Z level where your wagon was
* No moats allowed, as this requires a channel, which goes below your z-level

==="I guess it's up to us to repopulate the planet..."===
* Embark on a loner site - this means one where traders, siegers, migrants, etc. simply don't show up, ever.
* Kill five of your starting seven, leaving one male and one female.
* You will get no population influx in any way (ever!) aside from breeding. Uncertain if inbreeding is possible for more generations of dwarves - unlikely. Hope the McUrists are prepared for a big family...

===Hunter and Gatherer===
Pre-Embark (World-Gen)
* Try creating a world in year 1 (optional)
Post-Embark
* Everything allowed except Farming.
Bonus
* Embark in a desert, so only hunting and (aquifier) fishing.
** Extra Points: Dont fish in the aquifier. How could the turtles get there anyway?
** Create a huge pyramid and sacrifice living beings or valuables to Armok for rain by dropping it in the hollow inaccessible pyramid from the top.
*** Extended version: Fill the pyramid with magma!
** Create lines like the Nazca to honour Armok, so he will send some rain (maybe).

==Arbitrary Law==
Rule your fortress with a Soapen Fist! Or see how far you get until a (voluntary) significant flaw sends you into an inevitable sadness spiral. Whatever it is, be sure to stick by it or you'll be meeting the Hammerer.

===ASPCA===
* [[Animals]] are forbidden from the fortress
* Animals following immigrants cannot enter the fortress
* Lethal traps forbidden, caged non-sentients must be immediately released
* Butchery is forbidden, but leatherworking is allowed

Rather than forbidding immigrant pets from entering, you can choose to deal with the owner of that pet instead for a more sadistic challenge.

===Commune===
* After embarking, enable all labors on all dwarves (including immigrants)
* Beds can only be designated as barracks, and no dwarf can be assigned to a bed (even nobles)
* Coins are forbidden
* Be aware that nobles are to be considered part of the "bourgeoisie" and [[Unfortunate accident|dealt with]] immeadiatly

===Couples only===
* As soon as a married couple exists in your fortress:
** Kill all single dwarves
** Kill all incoming single dwarves
** Try to save children, until they are adult and single

===Dieting Dwarves===
* Exclusively dine on a food type of your choice (meat, fish, plants, alcohol)
* Optionally, forbid alcohol consumption to limit carbohydrate intake
**Note: forbidding alcohol permanently is as good as accepting a slow but continuous fortress death

===Dwarf Liberation Movement===
* Nobles are worthless scum, we give them nothing!
* As soon as possible, cage your expedition leader.
* Never appoint any dwarf into becoming a noble.
* Cage any dwarf that appears on the nobles and administrators screen.
* When your population elects a new mayor, release your old one and cage the new one.
** Bonus : Cage the king and all of his escorts!
** Extra Bonus : Once you have caged all nobles, administrators, the king and his advisor; you must unleash the Dwarf Atom-Smasher upon them.

===Fight for your name===
* Before embarking, randomly generate a fortress name and be sure to know its English translation
* Do the same with your group name
* Creatively designate a serious goal for your fortress, based on these names
* Fanatically reach your goal

===Fort Geneva===
* Lethal traps are forbidden
* Caged sentient creatures are to be considered prisoners of war and treated humanely

Suggested provisions for prisoners: a bed, a personal cell, a commons area, aboveground exercise yard, and the clothes the creature was wearing when captured. For more inspiration, go to: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions Geneva Conventions]

===Government in Exile===
* Only Military and Social skills can be purchased and enabled in your entire fortress

All dwarves are either nobles or in the military. The only useful dwarves you'll have will be your broker, manager, mayor, bookkeeper, and dungeon master. If you can survive until the sheriff arrives, transfer your entire military into the fortress guard. With a little luck, and a lot of exported roasts, you too can rule without proletarian interference.

===Hardcore Altruism===
* Do not allow the death of any Dwarf

Though not viscerally entertaining, an incredible challenge. All strange moods must be given what they crave. All medical attention must be done ASAP. Mining, fishing and hunting must be done with much care. Sadness must be met with excellent social skills and quality furniture.

===Industrial Plant===
* Choose one industry that produces commercial goods
* No other industries permitted, only imported

===Johannesfort===
* Find a starting location with a lot of gabbro, containing Kimberlite
* Mine and cut all the diamonds on the map
* Only gems can be traded.

===Sexist Segregation===
* Establish two functioning and stable fortress
* One must be entirely male, the other entirely female
* Married couples are to be processed

===THIS! IS! SPARTAAAA!===
* At least half of your fortress population must be active in the military.
* Crossbows and traps are forbidden.
* Only spears, swords, wrestling, helmets (helms) and shields may be equipped by military and used to fight.
** BONUS: All weapons and armour must be made from bronze.
* Civilian dwarves have all labors enabled.
** If ever activated, cannot use quality weapons or armor.
* Maimed dwarves (perceived to be) incapable of being fully healed must be killed. (This includes incurable spinal injuries in military dwarves!)
* Devise methods of dropping Liaisons down pits during meetings. Yell, "THIS IS SPAARRTAAAAA..." at your monitor.
* Demand goods be turned over from all caravans.
* Recreation is forbidden, as well as any 'improving' action, such as smoothing/engraving, or constructing things out of metals what can be done with rock and wood (besides spears, swords and shields).

Note that the above suggestions are modeled on the popular movie [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_(film) 300], an adaption of the visual novel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_(comics) 300], both of which historically inaccurate. For a more "realistic dwarven Sparta", try reading the Wikipedia article on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta#Society Spartan society].

===Mesoamerican Dwarfs===
* All food must be grown above ground, on small plots, surrounded by canals (chinampas)
** BONUS: Flood the farms annually.
* All buildings must be above ground.
* Capture as many of your enemies as possible.
* Build a massive step pyramid at the center of your fortress. Appoint one dwarf high priest and have him kill the prisoners at the top.
** BONUS: Build it upside-down.
*** MEGABONUS: Build the entire city on top of the upside-down pyramid, with another pyramid-temple in the middle.
* Surround your fortress with an artificial lake.
** BONUS: Build it in the middle of a natural lake.
* Use only copper or bronze metal (except for iron anvils).
* Soldiers can only use obsidian short swords. Axes are only for wood cutting.
* No armor except leather and only let champions use it. All others must fight unarmored.
** BONUS: Divide your soldiers into "Jaguar[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_warrior]" and "Eagle[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_warrior]" warrior societies and outfit them with leather armor made from their respective animals.
* Demand that all non-dwarf caravans surrender their goods as tribute.
* Build a giant, multistory building for holding skulls.

==Megaprojects==
Instead of deliberately inhibiting yourself, create a wonder of the dwarven world that would make the Mountainhomes proud. Be sure to upload it to the [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ Dwarf Fortress Map Archive] when it's finished. More projects can be found where [[Stupid_dwarf_trick|stupid dwarves try crazy tricks]]. [[Mega construction|Incredible feats of construction]] are usually very [[Fun|fun]] so you'll see many different (and probably similar) constructions across the Wiki. Use whatever ideas you think are ingenious.

===Aqueducts===
For some reason, a noble was harmlessly pulling a lever when suddenly, magma flooded the river and exploded the booze! The king requires your band of seven to build a great aqueduct to bring water to the capital. Start with supports, and build up your aqueduct until it is 10 z-levels high!

BONUS: Start over a human town, build a wall around it, pump water through the aqueduct and into it!

===Biodome===
All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants... well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

No chasms/underground rivers/magma vents allowed.

===Casting===
Who needs to construct giant statues?! We need ours made from natural walls, however, we want it above ground level as well. For casting your goal is to create some giant structure out of natural obsidian walls through the use of an extremely elaborate scaffold of lava and water pools and screw pumps. When you are finished, just deconstruct the scaffolding and smooth/engrave the statue as you go. Just imagine the bridge over that chasm, now complete with two giant dwarf statues on either side to strike fear into all who enter and to show them the power of your fortress.

BONUS: Make the statues spit lava.

===Castle===
Build a castle, greater than anything built by human, elf or dwarf. This is highly time
consuming if you want it to be a good castle. There must be floor indoors, and no underground
constructions except for mining operations and cellars. For an even greater challenge, build
a gigantic tower in the middle, where the nobles stay.

===Ceremonial Sacrifices===
Build an amazingly complex or spectacular killing device. A shaft that extends across the entire Z-plane is a good start. A constantly shifting maze of atomsmasher drawbridges is another. For the minimalist, a very confined space where you will drop a dwarf wrestler along with the gobbos once in a while. Perhaps a waterslide that carries your prisoner all the way down into a chasm? Whatever your idea, build it and dedicate your fort to the construction, maintenance and improvement of your device.

Do not kill any of your invaders. Capture them using cage traps, and them set them off in your device. Keep a record of the number of victims you drop into it.

BONUS: Create a statue garden to memorialize your victims, with one statue per victim. Structure your fortress such that sacrificial victims have to pass through the garden on the way to their demise.

===Computing===
Can your dwarves build the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera mechanism]? Can you program the fortress to play tic-tac-toe? More details at [[computing]].

===Colosseum===
Build a pit, around it on steps lots of Thrones, make the whole thing a meeting area, train Gladiators, capture goblins, leave them their weapons and let them fight against your gladiators. If they win, let them go.

===Crematory Fortress===
* Requires a [[magma pipe]] and [[bauxite]].

Build a temple structure above a [[magma pipe]] and [[engrave]] every available surface. The temple should be as opulent as possible. In the temple, build a retracting [[bridge]] over a hole in the floor, and designate a [[coffin]] [[stockpile]] on it. Whenever a dwarf dies, build a [[bauxite]] or other [[magma-proof]] [[coffin]] for him, place it on the [[bridge]], and retract it, committing his body to the [[magma|fiery blood of the mountain]].

::Note: Since coffins are unassigned and emptied when deconstructed and cannot be constructed on top of a bridge, this will not actually work. An alternative would be to place the coffins in individual chambers which can then be flooded with magma afterwards.

::: You could expose the magma pipe, build a one-tile wide floor span across it, and then above that build a support that holds up your temple floor on the z-level above. The temple floor would be separated from the walls of the temple and would be connected for walking access diagonally. The support holds it up. You would have to construct the coffins in the temple, then when someone gets buried you pull the lever attached to the support. You then rebuild the narrow span below, the temple floor, and the support, then link the lever to the new support.
::: You can do this without scaffolding if you build the temple floor access straight in, and then the span below and the support, then once the support is in place you destroy the straight temple access leaving only a diagonal temple access.

===Doomsday Clock===
Build a water or mechanical clock whose final state triggers the support which holds your fortress up or a megabeast out.
See how much wealth you can achieve before the clock runs out.
*Bonus: Create something that resets itself, as well as purging the map, so that you can reuse the same fortress over and over.
*Super-Bonus: Create something that involves pressure plates and a small kitten, when the pressure plates are hit in the right order, your map ends. Toss the kitten in and hope for the best. Alternatively, make the sequence quite unlikely, but add 2 kittens; breeding introduces a probability of doomsday that is a function of time (depending on the mechanisms involved)
*Super-Bonus: Create the super-bonus above, but place the kitten on the lowest Z-level and never return to either look at it or see how many of the conditions for the doomsday device have been met. This way, the kitty mimicks Schrodinger's cat: we cannot observe the state of the kitty, but we can infer it from the state of the world (spin-pairs effectively).

===Dwarf like an Egyptian===
*Build a pyramid of epic proportion.

Build a legendary dwarven pyramid, with a corridor running to a central tomb for your favourite noble. Then construct lots of different [[traps]] in it to avoid grave robbery. Perhaps build it entirely out of glass? Or try to make the top twist in a bit of a swirl. Alternatively, make your entire fortress inside a pyramid, which stretches below the ground.

*Build rows of Obelisks

Build a double row of Obelisks before the Pyramid, and engrave the sides. Build ramps on the tops.

*Build the whole thing upside down.
** And then another one on the upside-down one.

*When the time has come, or when your fortress is about to be destroyed by a siege etc perform the ceremony to translate the mortal form of the noble to the underworld. Give him a ritual death, and make sure you kill his servants as well. If the tomb is built for your king make every dwarf die but one, who inters everyone into their resting place. His final act will be to pull a level that seals the tomb as well as kills him. Then enjoy going back and reclaiming your fortress to observe your efforts.

===Graveyard Master===
Every dwarf deserves a decent resting place:
*Build a tomb for ever dwarf that dies, the more dwarves you manage to bury the better.
*Tombs must be rooms with exactly 5x5 of size and 1 of height, with only one entrance tile that must be closed by a door.
*Tombs must have all its surfaces engraved.
*Tomb must contain at least 4 statues.
*Once complete, the door must be locked and the tomb must not be ever entered again.

===How high can you go?===
Construction, construction, construction! Just how big a tower can you build? Out of glass maybe, clear glass? Steel? Pump water to the top? Make your tower a ''pinnacle'' of achievement and stun humans, elves and goblins alike - for they know nothing of construction and engineering like dwarves do!

===Land battleship===
Turn your mountain into a huge battle-station, complete with crew quarters, decks, command centre, cantina, and a large collection of deadly weapons : Batteries of marksdwarves, ballista cannons, catapults, boarding bridges and -teams, but also lava projector or remote explosive devices (ie cave-ins in a part of the map triggered by a lever). Make sure it ends up looking like a real battleship, with nothing but plains surrounding it (you could build it on an actual plain, or destroy a mountain, choice is yours). The battleship has to be autonomous, and dwarves shouldn't wander outside it.

*Bonus: The weaponry covers every tile of the map (i.e., everything that enters the map can be shot)
*Bonus: Build several other ships, maybe dedicated to a specific product (food, ammo etc.)
**Bonus: Find a way to let them fight each other in a naval battle
*Bonus: Each crew member has a civil and military formation, and when the enemy arrives, stop every economic activity. All hands to quarters !
*Mega Bonus: After building your Ship(s), flood the surrounding countryside.

===Moria===
Build a huge hall - at least 3 z-levels high. Leave few pillars symmetrically placed in the hall (don't build them, carve them out). Smooth and possibly engrave everything (not only the lowest z-level!). Then build thin bridge (not the bridge building, just a thin piece of rock to walk on) above magma - support it with bauxite supports connected to a lever (bauxite mechanisms needed in support). Destroy stone holding it at the both ends and replace it with floor hatches (so when you pull the lever it all goes down). After that build a bridge above the chasm.
When it's all done seal your dwarves deep inside in safe place and get invaded by goblins. At the same time dig out HFS. Lead the HFS across the both bridges and then collapse the second one when one of the champions clashes with it (it doesn't matter that the champion has killed the HFS with one hit).

===Mountain audit/core sample===
Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

===Project Mayhem===

*You do not talk about project Mayhem
*Build a series of towers, at least 10 z-levels high, of different size and shape. They must be supported by a series of supports linked to a lever.
*Store all your riches in the towers : crafts, precious metal bars, gems, artifacts, everything. You may also want to house your nobles on top of the towers.
*Pull the lever and watch the collapse of financial history.

Bonus : make the towers' walls out of glass!

Bonus : Make soap! And remember, human fat is ideal...

===Santa Claus===
Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.

===Skull collector===
What proves the might of a civilization better than a hall full of skulls?
*Try to collect as many skulls as you can during your fortress life, and put then in a special skulls-only storage. The more skulls the better.

BONUS: Cover all the skulls in blood, and make the stockpile also a throne room.
SUPERBONUS: Also fill the throne room with kittens.

===Space Ship===
Create a giant space ship fit for space travel. It should be able to hold about 100 dwarves for at least 2 years.

*BONUS: Use exploding [[booze]] as ignitable fuel.
*BONUS: Make a removable [[ramp]] for boarding.
*BONUS: Make the [[water]] for the 2 years be on the ship using removable pumps.
*BONUS+: Make it totally self sufficient. (Make an internal system which pumps the [[water]] supply through a room every few years to muddy the floor. Plant [[seed|seeds]] in the [[mud]] that's now on the floor. Manage your consumption to maintain self sufficiency.)
*Modding BONUS: Mod the game so that merchants can fly their new wagonships into your docking bays. ''(If possible)''
*BONUS+: Make it all out of [[steel]].
*[[fun|FUN]]: Let it be held by a single [[support]], ignite the [[booze]], remove the support an let it "fly".
*EVEN BETTER: Drop it down a chasm.
*More [[fun|FUN]]: Set up a mining operation on the surface and dig into the HFS. Watch the alien creatures take over your ship and hunt down your dwarves. Form a squad of heroes to overload the booze reactor to prevent the aliens from reaching earth. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28video_game%29 Dead Space] and/or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28film%29 the Alien series])

===Swiss Precision===
Build a working clock. The clock should accurately track DF days, months, and years.

Bonus Points:
*If the clock has a mechanical effect in the fortress proper to announce new days
*If the clock creates seasonally appropriate effects at the change of months and/or seasons.
*If the clock is used to aid in the operation of the fortress in addition to its role as a clock (automatically controls farmland irrigation at particular times, automatically opens the <s>blast doors</s> <s>floodgates</s> Magma Channels in time for merchants, etc...).
*If the clock governs the schedule of a working rail station (which is always on time). (Definitions of 'working' and 'rail station' are subject to player imagination).
*If the clock takes measures to protect itself. ''"I can't let you do that, Urist."''

But don't worry about the bonus points, a precision time device should be hard enough.

===Temple===
Designing a temple to Armok. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there are no stained-glass windows and domed ceilings carved with frescoes. To gain more favor, make regular sacrifices and keep the fountains and rivers red with [[blood]].

===The cube===
Play a fort as usual, but emphasize catching goblins in cages to support and fill this construction:
Construct a series of rooms in a symmetrical fashion, all connected to each other with appropriate doors. Of course, enough rooms to make a maze-like structure, and if you feel like it, an exit that is hard to reach. Fill a bunch of the rooms with traps and pressureplates. Then fill one room with 4-6 goblins (preferably in cages, opened by an outside lever), release them and watch them randomly walk around the rooms dying to traps and whatnots.

*Bonus: Do multiple story maze (3d-maze)
*Bonus: Use pressureplates to open/close the exit randomly; otherwise, all the goblins will just follow the shortest route to the exit.

===The great brewery===
Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing [[Fire|‼]]<nowiki></nowiki>peasant[[Fire|‼]] visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping — create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible, and give or trade it to the dwarven [[caravan]] each year.

===The Great Wall of Urist===
Build a dwarven great wall of china that splits the map in half. Must be at least 10 tiles thick and reach the highest z-level.
* BONUS: Make it block the <s>mongols</s> goblins out of your half of the map.
* BONUS: Make it out of obsidian.
**BONUS+: Embark on a map without obsidian.
* BONUS: Find a way to make it touch the boundaries.
* BONUS: Build one gate
* BONUS: Arm it with ballistas.

===The Monolith===
As the inevitability of a fortress-wide mental breakdown looms over every single fortress why not have something that alludes to that precipice of [[insanity]]. Like the book and feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey you must have a Monolith. This has to be made from [[obsidian]] and have a completely smooth surface (You cannot build it from blocks) You can have it be any size as long as it is outside, at least 2 tiles thick to ensure there are no pillar tiles, and has about the same ratio of width to height as it does in the movie (1:4:9) to make it as close to the real thing as possible. It would be preferable to make it large so that it seems to be dominating the landscape and your dwarves' psyche. The bigger the better.

*If the rock obsidian strata isn't deep enough in parts to make a monolith feasible consider casting a monolith with a large rectangular block in the exact same dimensional criteria as above.

===Statue of greatness===
Build a giant statue, spanning 10-20 z-levels and make it in the shape of say, a dwarf you like or an animal you like.
* Bonus: make it in the shape of a teapot that has a working boiling system and a spout that water can come out of.

===Underwater fortress===
Encase your entire fortress in [[water]]! Your fortress should be watersealed: surrounded by water against all [[wall]]s and the top of the fortress.
* Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
* Bonus: Use [[magma]] instead of water!
* Bonus: Build it in the [[ocean]] or a non-freezing lake
* Bonus: Build large glass domes that encase the fortress. A dome 20 tiles wide should be 20 z-levels tall. Which may be hard to cover in water.
** NOTE: Actually, a dome 20 tiles wide should be 10 tiles tall, or less, since the steepest dome will be only semi-spherical, and most domes will start out at an angle anyway.
* Bonus: Have a mechanism for dropping your enemies into the water to drown! Or fill the water with carp.
* Mod: Make your dwarves amphibious and include airlocks between the wet fortress and the dry.
* Remake: Make Rapture city from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock Bioshock]

===Wealth===
The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

===World Domination===
Pretend you are an evil mastermind. Now come up with some device or machine to render the world (or at least your portion of the map) totally unlivable, aside from, of course, your hidden lair.

You will receive bonus points for making a more realistic World Domination setup. Some suggestions:

* Make one dwarf the evil mastermind. The evil mastermind will have no empathy whatsoever, and they will hate all other races, and put no value on the lives of his minions. Protect him at all cost. If he should die, switch his position to his oldest child (who will avenge his father, because insanity is hereditary.) or the most insane, diabolical dwarf in your fort.
* Impractical, overkill solutions to everyday problems ("Sir, the dungeon master wants a better room" "Well then turn his room into a tomb and flood it with magma, and do not bother me with such trivial matters again or I will have you shot.")
* Give the evil mastermind a pet to obsess over. Give it a name like Mr. Bigglesworth or Snuggles.
* Have a science lab. Use living creatures and people as test subjects.

Doomsday device suggestions:
* Flood the map with water/magma (may require building walls around the edge of the map)
**BONUS: the water has carp in it.
* Build an "Earthquake Machine" (the entire map is supported by a single support, which is connected to a lever)
* Build an extensive holding cell network for "scientific purposes". Fill it with megabeasts and <s>elephants</s> unicorns in secret. Have a lever that lets everything free to feed on the general population.
* Embark in an evil area, and capture and tame all those undead animals if possible to create your own undead army
* Bonus: Eliminate the dwarves who constructed your device before you set it off. They must not be allowed to warn the rest of the citizens.
* Build an orbital weapons platform in space (which should be 12-15 stories above the ground, use your imagination), then arm it with magma bombs (droppable tank of magma) to glass the planet, rendering it uninhabitable for a few years.
* You can also recreate the most evil society in history and try a Nazi-dwarf concentration camp.


[[Category:Guides]]

=== The Grand Treasury ===
At first, have the king come to you. Then excavate a laaarge room and fill it with i.e.: Lots of coins, shiny gems, artifacts, golden statues, silver mugs, etc. pp. But the king is still not satisfied with his possessions, so he wants more and more shiny and sparky things.
Of course sooner or later (probably sooner) those filthy kobolds and goblins will come and try to steal this enormous hoard. We must never tolerate this! Turn your treasury into a strongroom like the world has never seen before! Secret doors, traps in abundance, guards at every door, ballistae, guard dogs, the whole program. If anything gets lost, you have proven your incompetence, and the king will have your fortress abandoned and founded another to guard his treasures.

*Bonus: Build up the treasury and raid it successfully in Adventure Mode

=== Heaven ===
Build a dwarven version of heaven. Every dwarf must want to come to you! Important pieces:
# Streets paved with gold.
# The mindless hordes are held back by pearly gates -- or at least a close equivalent. Marble doors with diamond encrustations.
# No dwarves die (except for criminals). Heaven is everlasting.
# All criminals must be cast into the fires of Hell. Ideally, this would either be HFS or the bottom of a magma pipe.
# Nothing is ever stolen. St. Peter doesn't screw up.
# After the King has arrived, any male children he has must be sent out to fight sieges alone.

BONUS: No dwarves are ever unhappy -- no tantrums and no insanity. 
BONUS: When migrants arrive at the pearly gates, view their thoughts and preferences and only allow those with a similar/same Diety as your population. 
BONUS: Make Heaven 10 stories above the ground 
Mod: Make Angel dwarves and a godly being. (suggestions: Cacame, Morul, Ironblood.) 
ULTRABONUS: Make Heaven in the air, an earthly society on the ground (a wooden town perhaps?), and carve the HFS place into Hell, complete with a lake of Magma/fire.Look up the character of every dwarf and send him to the appropriate place. 
MEGABONUS-(Re)Make: The Seven Seals have been broken and the Apocalypse arrives.
# The Sky darkens (an obsidian ceiling spanning over the map).
# Meteors (opened lava tanks and cave-ins) devastate the earth.
# All bodies of water turn bloody.
# Dig into the HFS and have a battle between Heaven and Hell. 

=== City of Ember ===
Show those filthy humans that when dwarves build a secret underground refuge, they build to last! In other words, recreate Ember from the film "City of Ember" (yes, everyone is aware there is a book), but do it right - none of these leaking pipes and crumbling buildings stuff, after only two and a half centuries underground!
# Mine out a massive cavern multiple z-layers high , and build a human-style city underneath it instead of carving out various chambers.
# You must seal it off. How long you wait to do this is up to you, but once it is sealed, you cannot unseal it for at least 200 years (if you decide to play that long). Ideally, use a utility to embark with a full set of dwarves (to represent the immigrating population) and seal the city off within one year of embarking.
# Build individual houses with their own dining rooms and bedrooms. Multiple dwarves can live in one house, but usually only a single family will live in one house.
# Build streets connecting all of the buildings, in the way that in the film, Ember didn't really have any space that wasn't either paved or built on until you got to the outskirts of the city.
# Have a "greenhouse" out on the outskirts for farming.
# You MUST have an underground river and use it for power.
# You MUST have magma and use it for power.
# Build City Hall, where the mayor has his office, with a nice fountain out front that actually works (probably involving water pressure, and as a testament to the fact that dwarves do it better, and their underground refuge isn't running desperately short of food, water, or power).
# No military, because there is simply no need for one, but have a fortress guard (to function as police, basically).
# After 200 or more years, unseal the city and colonize the surface.

BONUS: Instead of building your houses/other structures out of blocks or rocks, plan it all out beforehand and simply don't dig out the tiles that you want to be the walls of buildings, and smooth it all down so it looks the same, but your buildings are actually made out of solid natural rock. 
BONUS: Actually cause some kind of catastrophe on the surface (flood it with magma or something) that makes it uninhabitable, to FORCE yourself to stay underground, but when you unseal the city after 200 years, the surface should have healed and be habitable again. So, don't do something permanent.