Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

v0.34:Metal industry

2012-08-27T19:19:32Z

JimiD: /* Industry management */

{{av}}
{{Quality|Masterwork|04:44, 24 June 2012 (UTC)}}

The '''metal industry''' is a catch-all phrase for both the smelting of raw [[ore]] into [[metal]] [[bar]]s (including [[Metal#Alloys|alloys]]), and turning those bars into [[crafts]], [[furniture]], [[weapon]]s, and [[armor]]. Some sort of metal industry is pretty much essential in any fortress, as without one your [[military]] will have to fight off [[invader]]s with [[wood]]en weapons and [[leather]] armor. Because of metal's high base value, it can be a very [[wealth|profitable]] industry, allowing the creation of valuable [[statue]]s and [[furniture]] for your fort or as trade goods. Specific information on the [[metal]]s and [[ore]]s themselves are covered on their respective pages, and will not be included on this page.

[[Image:MetalIndustry3.jpg|thumb|500px|Metal Industry Flowchart.]]
{{clear}}
==Ores==
[[Ore]]s are naturally occurring [[stone]]s that leave behind valuable material after being [[mining|mined]], and are your primary source of metal. Although metal bars can be imported via caravans, these come in very limited amounts; you will have to rely on native ores if you wish to build any sort of sizable metal industry.

The [[site finder]] lists two different types of ore occurrence in a region: shallow metal(s), which indicates high [[z-level]] ore(s) in the [[biome]], and deep metal(s), which indicates low z-level ore(s) in the biome. Different biomes can contain different resources; as such, you should scroll through the region with the F keys to see all of the available resources by biome. The exact position of your ores can be influenced by local factors; for instance, if you have embarked on a [[mountain]] adjacent to a flat plain, you can expect all of the ores to be located within the mountainside, and concentrate your search there. If you have neither shallow nor deep metals, surviving in the region will be very [[fun]]. Shallow metals are desirable not only because they are easy to find/access, but because [[iron]] ores are almost always found in shallow sedimentary layers.

Different ores tend to occur in different [[stone layers]] and among different rocks; for instance, two of the ores of iron only occur in the [[sedimentary layer]], while the third occurs both there and in the [[igneous extrusive layer]]. The type of surrounding rock is a clue as to the types of ores it contains. Within these rock layers, ores occur in [[vein]]s -- sinuous, single z-level groupings of the rock that weave through the [[stone layer]] in no discernible pattern (multi-layer veins are planned for future releases) -- or in [[cluster]]s, smaller and more circular groupings of typically rare ores (like [[platinum]]). With luck, you might happen upon valuable ores while digging out your initial fortress, but generally finding your resources requires significant [[exploratory mining]] first, digging up a z-level to discover all of the goodies it contains.

Whenever you strike a new ore on a z-level, the game will [[announcement|announce]] its presence with the message "You have struck <ORE>!", similar to what it does for more mundane stones and for [[gem]]s. Where there is one ore, there is an entire vein or cluster, and this is your cue to mine out the area to explore your new-found resource.

By default, ores are reserved for smelting; that is, they are unavailable for use by [[Mason]]s and [[Stone crafter]]s. If you have found a significant deposit of ore, however, you may wish to change this behavior in the [[Status#Stone status screen|status menu]] to allow your dwarves to make ore stone furniture and goods. This can be advantageous for several reasons:
* Most furniture costs 3 bars, but only 1 stone
* Your [[Mason]] may have higher skill than your rarely-used [[Blacksmith]]
* You may save the cost of fuel, and the time spent hauling/smelting the ore
This does not apply to furniture that cannot be made of stone, such as [[bin]]s; and obviously you cannot make furniture from alloys in this way, since alloys only exist in the form of metal bars or forged items.

==Fuel==
The metal industry consists of two parts: the ores from which the metals are made, and the fuel which powers the making. With the exception of [[stud]]ding, all metalworking requires a unit of fuel (or more, if it is part of the reaction itself). There are currently three types of fuel in Dwarf Fortress.

The simplest is [[charcoal]], made from wood [[log]]s at a [[wood furnace]] by a [[wood burner]] (note: ''not'' [[furnace operator]]). It may be necessary to produce a couple of bars of charcoal at the very least, as creating fuel from the other, mineral sources of fuel requires fuel itself. Charcoal can be used to jump start the process, but if your location is lacking in the other fuel sources, you will have to use charcoal exclusively (and whatever the caravans can bring in). Using charcoal as your main fuel source requires a lot of effort, and a heavily forested environment, as you will have to chop down many, many trees and potentially keep multiple burners on repeat to keep your metalworkers supplied, at least until you get down to [[magma]].

Note that although by the name and method of production there does not seem to be a difference, [[ash]] is distinct from charcoal and cannot be used as fuel.

The next fuel source is [[coke]], made from two types of depository coal: [[lignite]] and [[bituminous coal]]. When lignite is burned at a furnace, it consumes a unit of fuel while producing two units of coke, thus creating a net profit of one fuel; bituminous coal consumes one and produces three, for a net profit of two fuel (obviously being the better of the two). There is currently no way to know if a location does or does not have these resources, except through external utilities like DFHack (which is technically cheating).

The final fuel source is [[magma]]. [[Channel]]ling a hole to a tile containing at least 4 units of magma will allow you to build magma forges, buildings that uses the heat of the magma instead of an actual fuel to do its work. The challenge is getting there; going down that deep requires passing through the [[caverns]] first, a feat to be concluded only by a fairly mature fortress. Once you hit magma, you will no longer need any other fuel source (except for [[Steel|steelmaking]]).

If you have neither trees nor one of the two coals on hand, getting your industry together will be extremely difficult. You will have to buy up every log and as much charcoal as possible, but if you do not have enough trees you will not have enough [[bed]]s either; hurtling towards [[magma]] while avoiding the caverns is possible, although risky. To avoid this problem, try not to embark in a location without wood until you have some experience.

==Smelting==
Ores cannot be made into metal objects raw; first they must be processed into metal [[bar]]s by a [[furnace operator]] at a [[smelter]]. Smelting, like most metalworking, requires a unit of fuel; you can create fuel by making coke from either lignite or bituminous coal, as discussed above.

Smelting itself is pretty simple; make sure to have some dwarves with furnace operating enabled, and be sure to set one or a few of your smelters to continuously smelt lignite or bituminous coal if you have them. Since bars have no quality modifiers, increased furnace operating skill only increases the speed with which the operator works; some ores can produce multiple metals when smelted, or randomly give you one of two. Smelters are very prone to [[clutter]]ing, so having a non-filled bar stockpile and plenty of [[bin]]s is important for efficiency. In addition you should make an ore stockpile nearby, to reduce your furnace operators' walking distance.

==Alloys==
[[Image:Ores_and_alloys_flowchart.png|thumb|Flowchart of ore refining and common alloy formulas.]]
Pure metal bars and, in some cases, ores can be combined at a smelter to produce [[Metal#alloys|metal alloys]]. These are special blends of materials that generally have an advantage over their components, be it in value, a unique color, decreased fuel consumption (when made directly from ores), or military application. For instance, [[brass]] can be smelted for a net gain in value, whereas [[rose gold]] is used for its unique color. In the case of [[bismuth]], its only use (besides as a trade good) is as a component in [[bismuth bronze]]. For a complete list of alloys and their uses, see [[Metal#Alloys]].

==Flux stone==
Easily the most useful alloy of them all is [[steel]], which requires a complex series of steps to produce, as well as a resource which is not necessary for any of the other alloys: [[flux|flux]]. Flux stones are stones rich in reducing agents, used to remove impurities from iron during the steel smelting process: [[calcite]], [[chalk]], [[dolomite]], [[limestone]], and [[marble]]. Although iron is a good weapons-grade metal, steel is a good deal better, and well worth the investment - if you have the resources. Unlike coal, flux stone appears on the location viewer when you are looking for a site to embark on, and if you want to have a powerful military, a location with flux stones and metals is key. If you have none, it is possible to import it via caravans. Flux stone also have the advantage of being worth more then more mundane stones, and are thus good stonecrafting and masonry material, if you have enough of it.

==Goblinite==
[[Goblinite]] is the humorous name coined by players to the metal of enemy [[siege]]s (usually [[goblin]]s, hence the moniker). [[Reclaim]]ing the remains from killed enemy combatants can be highly profitable; their metal arms and armor can be used as is or [[melt|melted down]] into bars (except in the case of elves, which do not use metal equipment). Once an object has been marked, it will sent to a smelter with an active "Melt Object" job. When an object is melted a full bar will never be produced; the amount of metal recovered from an item is consistent and varies from 10%-60%. The incomplete bar is stored in the Smelter and a bar will be produced once the recovered meter reaches 100%.

The equipment of [[Cage|caged enemies]] can also be taken by mass dumping a caged creature (manually reclaim the caged creature via the {{k|k}} inspect menu to prevent it from being dumped too) and then reclaiming and marking for melting as explained above.

==Smithing==
Once you have the metal bars or alloys created, you are ready to turn them into your finished products at a [[metalsmith's forge]].

Metal bars can be turned into a variety of products for use by your fortress, for the purpose of [[trade|exporting]] [[weight|low-weight]] items such as [[Finished goods#Craft|craft]]s are suggested. Four of the five [[metalsmith]] jobs are perpetrated at this stage:
* [[Weaponsmith]]s can create [[weapon|weapons]], [[trap]] components, [[bolt|bolts]], and [[ballista arrowhead|ballista arrowheads]]
* [[Armorsmith]]s can create [[armor]]
* [[Metal crafter]]s can create [[chain|chains]] and "Other Objects" ([[craft|crafts]], [[coins]], [[goblet|goblets]]), as well as performing [[stud|studding]]
*[[Blacksmith]]s can create [[anvil]]s, [[block]]s, and all [[furniture]] except chains.

In addition, metal bars can be made into [[mechanism]]s by [[mechanic]]s.

The metalsmith's forge also allows you to [[stud]] objects with your newly-created metal. This will give the object decorations and raise its value while consuming the metal bar - unlike every other process, however, it does not require fuel.

==Magma==
The fuel needed to power the metal industry is an expensive enterprise, requiring a large number of your smelters and/or wood burners to keep coke coming. This can be eliminated as described in the fuel section, and thus an important step in a mature fortress is the establishment of a magma metal industry, removing fuel as a concern and thus making most processes 66% cheaper (making an iron barrel, for instance, requires one coke for smelting and one coke for forging).

The establishment of magma forges requires the tackling of two major obstacles, however: first the [[cavern]]s and second the distances involved. The first is a challenge will require a combination of very careful probing, sealing off the main staircase with constructed walls and stairs, and an already well-equipped military to clobber whatever's inside. Ironically, it's the distance, often a hundred or more z-levels from your main fortress, that makes magma forging difficult, requiring excessively long trips between raw material and the smelters and forges, virtually nullifying any benefit drawn from them being fuel-less.

How quickly you want to dig for magma depends, but the better equipped you are militarily the better, in case you dig right into a [[giant cave spider]]. There are a couple of ways to get magma to a practical level, although neither of them are particularly easy. The first is to settle on the magma itself, moving your fortress and its residents close to the heart of the mountain, so to speak. This works when your fortress is still young, especially if you got lucky and skirted by the caverns entirely, but will isolate you from the surface and all it entails: river fishing, hunting, a meat industry, keeping your dwarves from suffering from [[cave adaptation]].

The second and more common way is to build a [[pump stack]] and drive the magma to the surface. This requires a ''lot'' of machinery and labor, however: a conventional, 100 z-level pump stack requires a lattice of 1000 mining designations, 200 channels, 100 [[magma-safe]] screw pumps (and their component pieces), 200 magma-safe doors, and 1000 units of power (which translates into 11 [[water wheel]]s or between 10 and 50 [[windmill]]s. On the other hand, you get surface magma, which can be used to do some ''very'' fun things. This is an enormous megaproject requiring a vast amount of raw resources.

==Management==
===Ore management===
Once you have staked out your metal resources, it's important to think about what resources you will be using for what purposes, as different ores have different [[value]]s and applications. Ores can be sorted into two rough categories: military-grade ores and ores of value (with a value multiplier of 10 or higher; iron and its refinement, steel, is special in that it can do both). For instance, if your fortress has [[hematite]] (iron), [[native copper]], and [[native gold]], you will want to use the iron ore for military production, reserve the copper for smiths in training (and noble demands), and use the gold to produce items of value.

If you do not have a certain metal then alloys come into play. [[Billon]] ([[tetrahedrite]] or [[galena]] plus any form of copper ''or'' just two bars of tetrahedrite) has a material value of 6; [[sphalerite]] plus any form of copper makes [[brass]], with a material value of 7. [[Bronze]] can be made with copper and tin, can nearly match iron in military applications, and has a value of 5, making it a worthy choice as well as well. All the better if you have [[bismuth]] as well, as you can tack it on for an extra point of value (6) for the same uses.

===Industry management===
Of all the industries in Dwarf Fortress, the metal industry is easily the most versatile, able to generate high-value, powerful, and durable arms and armor, crafts, furniture, equipment, and tools. This versatility and the high value of metal goods comes at the cost of effort and logistics, however; as wide and powerful as the metal industry is, it is also difficult to set up, and logistically challenging to keep running.

There are two methods to keep a vibrant metal industry running. The first is through judicious use of the workshop [[repeat]] button by smelting a large amount of fuel on repeat, followed by smelting ores on repeat; the bars generated can then be made into the finished products at the metalsmith's forge. A [[bookkeeper]] and resource management through checking the bars and fuel counts in the [[stocks]] menu are necessary with this method, as you have to know when you are running low on certain resources and need to adjust your processes. In particular, you want to avoid running out of fuel, as your dwarves will have to burn more wood to get the smelters jump-started again.

The second method is through judicious use of the [[manager]]. This has the advantage of being easier to control, easier to follow, and easier to maintain then repeating tasks, but it involves a time delay and necessitates prior planning, as in a fortress with any sizable amount of dwarves the manager must first validate all orders before acting upon them. To use the manager to manage your metal industry, queue up the jobs needed for your finished product in order. For instance, if you want to make 10 steel [[Armor|breastplates]], and you have magma forges and magma smelters, you would have to enqueue the following jobs in the following order:
# Smelt [[coke]] from bituminous coal (4 times, producing 36 coke) '''-or-''' Smelt coke from lignite (6 times, producing 30 coke) '''-or-''' Make [[charcoal]] from wood (30 times, producing 30 charcoal)
# Smelt [[hematite]]/[[magnetite]]/[[limonite]] (8 times, producing 32 iron bars)
# Make [[pig iron]] bars (15 times, producing 15 pig iron bars)
# Make steel bars (15 times, producing 30 steel bars)
# (Once all the other jobs are done) Forge steel breastplates (quantity 10)

This requires 160% (or more) additional coke/charcoal if you don't have magma forges and magma smelters (you'd need a total of 78 coke/charcoal when you begin producing the iron bars, instead of 30).

{{Category|Industry}}
{{Industry}}

v0.34:Ceramic industry

2012-08-27T19:17:24Z

JimiD: /* Industry management */ hyper link

{{quality|Masterwork|01:40, 3 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

The '''ceramic industry''' is one of the major crafting industries, using [[clay]], [[kaolinite]], and [[fuel]] at a [[kiln]] to form fairly expensive ceramic goods with the [[pottery]] and [[glazing]] skills. It is one of three industries that necessitates fuel, the others being the [[glass industry]] (to which it is very similar) and the [[metal industry]]. Although it has a fairly limited variety of goods when compared to masonry or similar trades, ceramic goods are naturally worth three to ten times those of common stone or wood, making it a lucrative option for building wealth. The goods that can be produced are [[jug]]s, [[large pot]]s, [[block|bricks]] (clay [[block]]s), [[statue]]s, [[craft]]s, and [[hive|beehives]], made out of three types of [[ceramic]]s: [[earthenware]], [[stoneware]], and [[porcelain]].

==Raw materials==
The most important raw material for ceramics is [[clay]], which is a type of [[soil]] that appears in [[layer]]s. Finding out whether or not you have clay is easy: unlike the base material for the glass industry, [[sand]], clay is reported as either "clay" or "shallow clay" in the [[embark]] screen, and if you want to establish a ceramic industry you should have clay available. What type of clay you have available cannot be determined ahead of time.

Garden variety [[clay]], [[clay loam]], [[sandy clay]], and [[silty clay]] are used to produce [[earthenware]], the most common ceramic material, with a [[value]] multiplier of three, which is more than any wood and any stone other than [[obsidian]]. The chief disadvantage of earthenware is that it must be [[glaze]]d in order to store liquids, a process that is described below.

Fire clay, which has a value multiplier of four, is used to make [[stoneware]], does not need glaze to store liquids, and is more valuable despite not being more difficult to produce. If you have fire clay, it is a free 25% value boost to your ceramic industry.

As long as you have even a single square of clay, you will be able to create as many ceramic goods as your fuel sources allow; any clay square will generate clay when worked, although clay will only be collected from squares designated with a clay collection [[activity zone]].

The only non-clay source of ceramics is also the most valuable - [[kaolinite]], which produces [[porcelain]]. This is a dark red stone found in sedimentary layers that must be [[mining|mined]] out, making it a finite resource, unlike the other two types of ceramics (and very similar to [[crystal glass]]). This is balanced by the fact that porcelain goods have a value multiplier of ten, on par with mid-range ores like [[silver]]; since it is no more difficult to produce (just requiring some mining) and also does not require glazing, having kaolinite on the map is a boon for any fortress.

==Clay collection==
Before you can create any ceramic goods you must first collect some clay. To do so, you must designate a clay collection [[activity zone]] ({{k|i}}) with at least one valid clay tile somewhere in it (although having only one will cause supply issues). Dwarves with the [[Hauling#Item hauling|item hauling]] labor enabled will either take it to an appropriate stone [[stockpile]], or leave it there for the potter to retrieve. Because you will constantly need more clay, it is a good idea to build and put a kiln on repeat collection orders, preferably with nine redundant iterations to prevent the [[manager]] from tasking anything else there. Unlike [[sand]] for the [[glass industry]], collecting clay does not require any sort of container.

==Firing==
One you have the clay (or kaolinite) collected and the fuel ready (if needed), you can designate stuff at the [[kiln]] to be fired by a [[potter]]. A standard [[kiln]] will consume one unit of [[fuel]] per job; a [[magma kiln]] uses no fuel. For a discussion of fuel sources, see the [[fuel industry]]. The kiln does not allow you to select which type of ceramic to produce; instead, the potter will take the closest available material, be it ordinary clay, fire clay, or kaolinite. If no glazing is needed, this is the final step, and a skilled [[potter]] working a kiln can produce his/her goods at a steady clip.

==Glazing==
[[Glazing]] is a process that covers a material in a coat of varnish, protecting it, making it shiny, and, as with other "embellishment" processes, adding to its value. If you have a lot of earthenware materials and want to use them for storing liquids, glazing is necessary; otherwise, it just makes your things more valuable. Glaze can be applied at a kiln to [[jug]]s, [[statue]]s, [[large pot]]s, and [[craft]]s made from either stone or ceramics, by a [[glazer]].

There are two types of glazes: [[ash glaze]] and [[tin glaze]]. The first uses a unit of [[ash]], produced by a [[wood burner]] at a [[wood furnace]] with the logs of felled [[tree]]s. The second uses [[tin]] [[bar]]s, a relatively scarce metal only available if you have [[cassiterite]] on your map, and is thus sourced from your [[metal industry]]. Much like kaolinite, this is a mineral resource you may or may not have, but are lucky to get: where ash glaze is worth 50☼, tin glaze is worth 100☼.

==Industry management==
The clay collection order occupies a kiln and requires the [[hauling#Item hauling|item hauling]] labor, not pottery or furnace operating. Since clay collection is time-consuming, you may start to see job cancellations as the potter's increasing skill outpaces his/her suppliers; to ensure a smooth process, either have multiple dwarves with item hauling enabled, or make sure you have a large gathering area and a large number of people with the job enabled (or both).

The biggest frustration with the ceramic industry is that you can't fine-tune what your dwarves will use through the kiln menu or the Manager's screen. You can't tell them exactly what material to fire or what kind of thing to glaze, only what to make and what type of item to glaze. This can be solved by using the 'give' and 'take' options within stockpiles. A stockpile next to the collection area will collect all the clay from a given source. A second stockpile, next to the kiln, can be set to 'take' from the first stockpile. If this second stockpile is set only to accept materials from the first, and to 'give' to the kiln, then the kiln will only use this single clay. If a kiln, or other workshop, has a stockpile set to 'give', then it must be supplied with all its required resources from other stockpiles set to 'give' as well. For the kiln this may be fuel, material for glazing or items to be glazed. The [[Stockpile]] page has further detail.

Another approach uses the fact that dwarves will go for the nearest available resource; make a stockpile right next to the kilns, choose what goes in there, and you can more or less force the potters to use one material over another, albeit with some tedium. This has the major disadvantage of requiring you to haul things back and forth when you switch orders, as dwarves will have to carry away the no longer needed material and carry in the newly desired one.

{{Category|Industry}}
{{Industry}}

v0.34:Ceramic industry

2012-08-27T19:16:34Z

JimiD: /* Industry management /* explanation of using stockpiles to control what is used at a kiln.

{{quality|Masterwork|01:40, 3 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

The '''ceramic industry''' is one of the major crafting industries, using [[clay]], [[kaolinite]], and [[fuel]] at a [[kiln]] to form fairly expensive ceramic goods with the [[pottery]] and [[glazing]] skills. It is one of three industries that necessitates fuel, the others being the [[glass industry]] (to which it is very similar) and the [[metal industry]]. Although it has a fairly limited variety of goods when compared to masonry or similar trades, ceramic goods are naturally worth three to ten times those of common stone or wood, making it a lucrative option for building wealth. The goods that can be produced are [[jug]]s, [[large pot]]s, [[block|bricks]] (clay [[block]]s), [[statue]]s, [[craft]]s, and [[hive|beehives]], made out of three types of [[ceramic]]s: [[earthenware]], [[stoneware]], and [[porcelain]].

==Raw materials==
The most important raw material for ceramics is [[clay]], which is a type of [[soil]] that appears in [[layer]]s. Finding out whether or not you have clay is easy: unlike the base material for the glass industry, [[sand]], clay is reported as either "clay" or "shallow clay" in the [[embark]] screen, and if you want to establish a ceramic industry you should have clay available. What type of clay you have available cannot be determined ahead of time.

Garden variety [[clay]], [[clay loam]], [[sandy clay]], and [[silty clay]] are used to produce [[earthenware]], the most common ceramic material, with a [[value]] multiplier of three, which is more than any wood and any stone other than [[obsidian]]. The chief disadvantage of earthenware is that it must be [[glaze]]d in order to store liquids, a process that is described below.

Fire clay, which has a value multiplier of four, is used to make [[stoneware]], does not need glaze to store liquids, and is more valuable despite not being more difficult to produce. If you have fire clay, it is a free 25% value boost to your ceramic industry.

As long as you have even a single square of clay, you will be able to create as many ceramic goods as your fuel sources allow; any clay square will generate clay when worked, although clay will only be collected from squares designated with a clay collection [[activity zone]].

The only non-clay source of ceramics is also the most valuable - [[kaolinite]], which produces [[porcelain]]. This is a dark red stone found in sedimentary layers that must be [[mining|mined]] out, making it a finite resource, unlike the other two types of ceramics (and very similar to [[crystal glass]]). This is balanced by the fact that porcelain goods have a value multiplier of ten, on par with mid-range ores like [[silver]]; since it is no more difficult to produce (just requiring some mining) and also does not require glazing, having kaolinite on the map is a boon for any fortress.

==Clay collection==
Before you can create any ceramic goods you must first collect some clay. To do so, you must designate a clay collection [[activity zone]] ({{k|i}}) with at least one valid clay tile somewhere in it (although having only one will cause supply issues). Dwarves with the [[Hauling#Item hauling|item hauling]] labor enabled will either take it to an appropriate stone [[stockpile]], or leave it there for the potter to retrieve. Because you will constantly need more clay, it is a good idea to build and put a kiln on repeat collection orders, preferably with nine redundant iterations to prevent the [[manager]] from tasking anything else there. Unlike [[sand]] for the [[glass industry]], collecting clay does not require any sort of container.

==Firing==
One you have the clay (or kaolinite) collected and the fuel ready (if needed), you can designate stuff at the [[kiln]] to be fired by a [[potter]]. A standard [[kiln]] will consume one unit of [[fuel]] per job; a [[magma kiln]] uses no fuel. For a discussion of fuel sources, see the [[fuel industry]]. The kiln does not allow you to select which type of ceramic to produce; instead, the potter will take the closest available material, be it ordinary clay, fire clay, or kaolinite. If no glazing is needed, this is the final step, and a skilled [[potter]] working a kiln can produce his/her goods at a steady clip.

==Glazing==
[[Glazing]] is a process that covers a material in a coat of varnish, protecting it, making it shiny, and, as with other "embellishment" processes, adding to its value. If you have a lot of earthenware materials and want to use them for storing liquids, glazing is necessary; otherwise, it just makes your things more valuable. Glaze can be applied at a kiln to [[jug]]s, [[statue]]s, [[large pot]]s, and [[craft]]s made from either stone or ceramics, by a [[glazer]].

There are two types of glazes: [[ash glaze]] and [[tin glaze]]. The first uses a unit of [[ash]], produced by a [[wood burner]] at a [[wood furnace]] with the logs of felled [[tree]]s. The second uses [[tin]] [[bar]]s, a relatively scarce metal only available if you have [[cassiterite]] on your map, and is thus sourced from your [[metal industry]]. Much like kaolinite, this is a mineral resource you may or may not have, but are lucky to get: where ash glaze is worth 50☼, tin glaze is worth 100☼.

==Industry management==
The clay collection order occupies a kiln and requires the [[hauling#Item hauling|item hauling]] labor, not pottery or furnace operating. Since clay collection is time-consuming, you may start to see job cancellations as the potter's increasing skill outpaces his/her suppliers; to ensure a smooth process, either have multiple dwarves with item hauling enabled, or make sure you have a large gathering area and a large number of people with the job enabled (or both).

The biggest frustration with the ceramic industry is that you can't fine-tune what your dwarves will use through the kiln menu or the Manager's screen. You can't tell them exactly what material to fire or what kind of thing to glaze, only what to make and what type of item to glaze. This can be solved by using the 'give' and 'take' options within stockpiles. A stockpile next to the collection area will collect all the clay from a given source. A second stockpile, next to the kiln, can be set to 'take' from the first stockpile. If this second stockpile is set only to accept materials from the first, and to 'give' to the kiln, then the kiln will only use this single clay. If a kiln, or other workshop, has a stockpile set to 'give', then it must be supplied with all its required resources from other stockpiles set to 'give' as well. For the kiln this may be fuel, material for glazing or items to be glazed. The stockpiles page has further detail.

Another approach uses the fact that dwarves will go for the nearest available resource; make a stockpile right next to the kilns, choose what goes in there, and you can more or less force the potters to use one material over another, albeit with some tedium. This has the major disadvantage of requiring you to haul things back and forth when you switch orders, as dwarves will have to carry away the no longer needed material and carry in the newly desired one.

{{Category|Industry}}
{{Industry}}

v0.34:Fishing industry

2012-08-26T13:41:47Z

JimiD: Edit for plain English

{{quality|Masterwork|12:59, 28 April 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}{{Buggy}}

'''The fishing industry''' is one of five [[food]]-producing [[industry|industries]] (along with [[farming]], the [[meat industry]], the [[poultry industry]], and the [[beekeeping industry]]). In addition to sustaining your hungry dwarves, the fishing industry produces non-edible raw materials that can be used by your workshops, like [[shell]]s and [[extract]]s. Fishing is an excellent way to keep your dwarves fed that requires very little setup or maintenance.

==Fishing==
[[Fisherdwarf|Fishing]] is the primary activity associated with the fishing industry, as it is the main way to acquire fish. Fishing is a bit unique in that unlike [[hunting]] or [[trapping]], dwarves need no special equipment to catch fish; they just pull them right out of the water with their bare hands. The [[fish]] that they catch are usually [[vermin]] fish (or really aquatic animals in general, not just fish), which makes keeping track of stocks much more difficult. Each fish caught will each yield one meal, once prepared. Note that the presence of vermin fish on-screen does not signify there are fish there for fishing.

If you simply tell your fisherdwarves to go fish, they will do so in the nearest source of water. Most water sources more than a few tiles in size have some stock of fish, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you want your dwarves fishing there; stocks of fish in bodies of water that do not [[flow]] are currently non-renewable.{{bug|2780}} Even large [[lake]]s may eventually run dry because of this bug, so the best source of fish is a [[river]], into which fish are constantly both arriving and leaving, giving you a rolling stock to catch.

== Fishing Zone==
Fishing [[zone]]s are preferred areas to fish and changing [[standing orders]] to zone-only fishing with {{k|o}}-{{k|z}}, and then setting fishing to zone-only will force all fishing to be done in the zone. To set up fishing zones, designate a zone({{k|i}}) as usual, on shore tile adjacent to water. You can only set the zone to be used for {{K|f}}ishing if there is some fish-bearing water inside, or if it is not yet known if there are any fish there. If there are no fish in a particular region, you will get the [[announcement]] "There is nothing to catch in the [region] swamps", and designating a zone next to water in that region will show "0" for fishing.

==Fish cleaning==
Freshly caught '''raw fish''' cannot be eaten; they must first be cleaned at a [[fishery]]. The presence of raw fish automatically triggers "Prepare a raw fish" to be queued up at the nearest fishery. So long as you have enough [[fish cleaning|fish cleaners]] and [[fishery|fisheries]] to keep up with your fisherdwarves, fish cleaning should be an automated process. Raw fish is a classification in the [[stocks]] menu for fish that have yet to be cleaned, useful for seeing how backlogged the [[fishing industry]] is, or isn't. On the main [[status]] menu raw fish is counted under the "Fish" count, so that number is somewhat misleading.

Once a dwarf catches a fish, he will carry it off to the nearest stockpile and return to fishing; even if the dwarf has fish cleaning enabled, he will almost never perform the task on his catch, as fishing is regarded as higher-priority, even if fish in your stockpile are in danger of rotting.{{verify}}  A rule of thumb is to have twice as many fish cleaners as fishers, as fishers generally catch fish faster than cleaners can process them. To this effect, mature fortresses often have dedicated cooks/brewers/fish cleaners tasked to their food preparation areas. It is especially important to have [[barrel]]s and/or [[large pot]]s in stock if you have a fishing industry, as openly stored fish rot very quickly.

Once a fish is cleaned, it is known as a "prepared" fish, and can be immediately eaten. Animals with shells, like [[pond turtle]]s, will also leave behind their [[shell]]s, useful for the purposes of [[bone carving]] and appeasing [[strange mood|moody]] dwarves. Fish, both raw and prepared, can also be cooked into food at a [[kitchen]]; since this loses your shell, you probably want to disable this behavior for animals that have them ([[turtle]]s, [[mussel]]s, and [[oyster]]s).

[[Pearl]]s are a as-of-yet unimplemented [[mussel]] and [[oyster]] product. Although you can tell your dwarves to decorate with pearl at a craftsdwarf's workshop, nothing will actually happen, as there are no pearls in the game; this is actually one of the longest-running and most obvious missing features, having persisted since 23a.

==Trading==
You can buy processed fish at embark and from traders, in which case the key word is processed; they will always already be prepared, and will never require preparation or have a shell. Buying fish from [[caravan]]s is often a good idea if you do not have a strong fishing industry, as it adds to the dwarven diet variety, which is always a good thing.

==Fish dissection==
Fisheries can also queue up a "capture a live fish" task; to fulfill this task a fisherdwarf will grab an [[animal trap]] and set it in the river, retrieving it when it catches something. Note that if no animal trap is available, the task will occupy the fishery forever, preventing its other functions from taking place. [[Captured live fish]] can serve as an attraction in an [[Cage|aquarium]], or be made into [[extract]]s with the "dissect a live fish" task at the fishery, using the [[fish dissection]] skill. In particular, dissected [[moghopper]]s yield five units of [[mog juice]], each worth 50☼, making it quite lucrative for something that would otherwise have served little more than a single meal.

==Fish hunting==
Larger, non-vermin fish cannot be caught with bare hands for obvious reasons. Large fish like [[carp]] and [[shark]]s are individual [[creature]]s, and appear as such on the [[Menu|unit list]], and must be [[butcher]]ed, producing dozens or, in the case of [[whale]]s, hundreds of meat products. Note that fish hunting is mostly an oceanic activity - rivers will only ever have occasional carp runs and the like.

Advanced fortresses located near the [[ocean]], a [[lake]], or large and well-occupied sections of [[river]] may make use of a fishing-adapted [[drowning chamber]]: a large room lined with all sorts of traps into which water is allowed to filter through via [[Screw pump|water pump]] pressure. No creature knows of the evils of the chambers as do the [[Merperson|merpeople]], whose numbers were, in the past, constantly reduced by dwarves seeking their extremely valuable innards.

Large fish can be caught in or killed by [[trap]]s located along the river bottom. The issue is setting the traps and retrieving their bodies for butchering, both tasks that require a dry riverbed; this means that you must dam or redirect river flow, build the traps, funnel it back through, and then have a way to quickly get rid of the water (probably with [[screw pump]]s) so your dwarves can drag them back to the butcher's shop. Such river control, as well as the construction of genocidal chambers, is a fairly complex engineering project.

==Industry management==
For the most part, the fishing industry is self-sustaining. Have some fishers, have some fisheries, and have some fish cleaners, and everything should run smoothly. However, a big part of fishing inefficiency is hauling the fish from the river to the table; solving this requires bringing the river closer to home, necessary for [[well]]s as well and potentially doubling or even tripling your production as dwarves can toss fish right into the nearest food stockpile.

The largest challenge in the fishing industry is ensuring the safety of your fisherdwarves. When working outdoors, they are susceptible to [[ambush]]ers. The process of building an artificial river is out of the scope of this article, but creating an internal fishery is easy once you have the [[pressure]] worked out: simply [[channel]] down to your river, just like with a well, and build some [[floor grate]]s, as dwarves have no trouble fishing through them. Doing so removes the danger of being far from home in case of a potential siege or ambush and keeps your fisherdwarves happily inside at all times.

==Industry Flowchart==

{| style="border-spacing: 0;"

|-
{{Skill Block|skill=[[Fishing]]
|color=7:0|
| |E|| |
|E| |C|#ccc|L|#ccc|
| |A|#ccc| |
}}
{{Arrow Block|
| |E| | |
|L|#ccc|C|#ccc|E||
| |A|#ccc| |
}}
{{Empty Block}}
{{Empty Block}}
|-

{{Item Block|title=Raw Fish
|background=#000|
|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|
|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|
}}
{{Item Block|title=Live Fish
|background=#000|
|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|
|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|
}}
{{Empty Block}}
{{Empty Block}}
|-
{{Workshop Block|workshop=Fishery|skill=[[Fish cleaning|Fish<br>Cleaning]]
|color=6:0|
| |L|#AEE| |
|E| |C|#AEE|E| |
| |L|#AEE| |
}}
{{Workshop Block|workshop=Fishery|skill=[[Fish dissection|Fish<br>Dissection]]
|color=6:0|
| |L|#EEE| |
|E| |C|#EEE|L|#EEE|
| |E| | |
}}
{{Arrow Block|
| |E| | |
|L|#EEE|T|#EEE|A|#EEE|Extracts for trading
| |E|| |
}}
{{Empty Block}}
|-
{{Arrow Block|
| |L|#AEE| |
|E| |C|#AEE|L|#AEE|
| |A|#AEE| |
}}
{{Arrow Block|
| |E| | |
|L|#AEE|C|#AEE|A|#AEE|
| |E| | |
}}
{{Item Block|title=Shell
|background=#000|
|²|#FFF|²|#FFF|²|#FFF|²|#FFF|
|²|#FFF|²|#FFF|²|#FFF|²|#FFF|
}}
{{Arrow Block|
| |E| | |
|L|#fff|C|#fff|E| |
| |A|#fff| |
}}
|-
{{Item Block|title=Fish
|background=#000|
|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|
|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|α|#FFF|
}}
{{Arrow Block|
| |E| | |
|L|#fff|C|#fff|A|#fff|
| |E| | |
}}
{{Industry Block|industry=Industry{{!}}Food industry
|background=#fff|
}}
{{Industry Block|industry=Industry{{!}}Craft industry
|background=#fff|
}}
|}

==Bugs==
*If you designate a fishing zone in an [[cavern|underground pool]], fishers will never give up fishing there even when there aren't any fish to catch. {{Bug|1854}}
*Stocks of fish in the water might be not renewable. Usually, they will renew themselves, but with heavy fishing, the fish on the map may go extinct {{bug|2780}}.
{{Workshops FAQ}}
{{Category|Guides}}
{{Category|Industry}}
{{Industry}}

v0.31 Talk:Screw press

2011-07-09T06:41:15Z

JimiD: Created page with 'Corrected pile where jugs are stored. Added reference to fixed bug, but I may not have completed this fully.~~~~'

Corrected pile where jugs are stored. Added reference to fixed bug, but I may not have completed this fully.[[User:JimiD|JimiD]] 06:41, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

v0.31:Screw press

2011-07-09T06:39:18Z

JimiD: Added reference to the fixing on one bug.

{{quality|Exceptional|18:18, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{buggy}}
{{Workshop|name=Screw press|key=P|job={{l|Presser}}
|construction=
* 2 {{l|Mechanism}}s
|construction_job=
* {{l|Mechanic}}
|use=
* {{l|Quarry bush|Rock nut paste}}
* {{l|Honey bee|Honeycomb}}
* Empty glazed {{l|jug}}s
|production=
* {{l|Quarry bush|Rock nut oil}}
* {{l|Quarry bush|Rock nut press cake}}
* {{l|Honey|Honey bee honey}}
* {{l|Honey bee|Honey bee wax cake}}
}}{{av}}

A '''screw press''' is a special workshop used to press liquids out of various substances. Currently, this consists of pressing rock nut paste to yield {{L|rock nut oil|oil}} (which can then be made into {{L|soap}} or cooked) and press cake (which can be cooked), and pressing honeycombs to yield {{L|honey}} (which can then be brewed into mead) and wax cake (which can be made into wax crafts).

== Bugs ==
* If the glazed earthenware or glass jug is in a stockpile, the screw press workshop will not allow the job to be initiated. You must have at least one unforbidden, non-stockpiled jug available. This is reportedly fixed in 31.20.

* Royal jelly is stored in jugs, what can be stored in 2 stockpiles: finished goods / tools, and food / animal extract. In the first case, the dwarfs handle the jug as an item, not a royal jelly container. In both cases it will stocked in bins, not barrels.

{{Workshops}}
{{buildings}}

v0.31:Screw press

2011-07-09T06:34:42Z

JimiD: Changed pile from furniture to Finished Goods

{{quality|Exceptional|18:18, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{buggy}}
{{Workshop|name=Screw press|key=P|job={{l|Presser}}
|construction=
* 2 {{l|Mechanism}}s
|construction_job=
* {{l|Mechanic}}
|use=
* {{l|Quarry bush|Rock nut paste}}
* {{l|Honey bee|Honeycomb}}
* Empty glazed {{l|jug}}s
|production=
* {{l|Quarry bush|Rock nut oil}}
* {{l|Quarry bush|Rock nut press cake}}
* {{l|Honey|Honey bee honey}}
* {{l|Honey bee|Honey bee wax cake}}
}}{{av}}

A '''screw press''' is a special workshop used to press liquids out of various substances. Currently, this consists of pressing rock nut paste to yield {{L|rock nut oil|oil}} (which can then be made into {{L|soap}} or cooked) and press cake (which can be cooked), and pressing honeycombs to yield {{L|honey}} (which can then be brewed into mead) and wax cake (which can be made into wax crafts).

== Bugs ==
* If the glazed earthenware or glass jug is in a stockpile, the screw press workshop will not allow the job to be initiated. You must have at least one unforbidden, non-stockpiled jug available.

* Royal jelly is stored in jugs, what can be stored in 2 stockpiles: finished goods / tools, and food / animal extract. In the first case, the dwarfs handle the jug as an item, not a royal jelly container. In both cases it will stocked in bins, not barrels.

{{Workshops}}
{{buildings}}

v0.31 Talk:Maximizing framerate

2010-05-28T09:06:15Z

JimiD: Created page with ''''World Gen editing to speed Fortress Mode''' On an old slow computer, I have found that editing the world_gen.txt file in the date/init folder to help: [CAVERN_LAYER_COUNT:3…'

'''World Gen editing to speed Fortress Mode'''

On an old slow computer, I have found that editing the world_gen.txt file in the date/init folder to help:

[CAVERN_LAYER_COUNT:3] - reduce for fewer cavern layers, so less fun, but more speed.
[CAVERN_LAYER_OPENNESS_MIN:0]
[CAVERN_LAYER_OPENNESS_MAX:20] not entirely sure what these do, but these were the figures when I stopped testing.
[CAVERN_LAYER_PASSAGE_DENSITY_MIN:0]
[CAVERN_LAYER_PASSAGE_DENSITY_MAX:0] restricts the density of passages, at these figures the caves are not filled with tiny passages

Since I havent tested exhaustively I dont feel this should be on the front page yet. - JimiD

40d Talk:Aquarium

2009-05-04T19:27:43Z

JimiD:

Added the part from an article marked for deletion.
-- Sadness203.

I'd suggest that this be merged into [[Cage]]--[[User:Solarshado|Solarshado]] 22:24, 6 March 2009 (EST)

I have removed the reference to having to fill an aquarium, since there is no task to assign, and asking on the forums got me the answer that you dont need too.

Please put it back again if this is wrong, but it confused me for a while.

40d:Aquarium

2009-05-04T19:26:07Z

JimiD:

An '''aquarium''' holds [[Fish|fish]] and is made of [[Glass|glass]]. To construct one, a [[terrarium]] must first be built. Then this building may be switched to an aquarium by pressing {{K|q}} then {{K|w}}. You place [[captured live fish]] into an aquarium. Aquariums work like terrariums and [[cage]]s and they can be designated as [[zoo]]s.

{{Expand Topic}}
[[category:Items]]

40d:Trading

2009-05-01T08:10:45Z

JimiD: Added warning that two depots will mean neither works

{{Building|name=Trade depot|key=D
|job=
1 of:
* [[Broker]] noble
* None (See description)
|construction=
3 of
* [[Block]]
* [[Metal bar]]
* [[Stone]]
* [[Wood]]
|construction_job=
* [[Architecture]]
* and 1 of:
** [[Metalsmithing]]
** [[Masonry]]
** [[Carpentry]]
|purpose=
Trade goods with other races.
}}
'''Trading''' in Dwarf Fortress first occurs in the first [[autumn]] after establishing your fortress, with the arrival of the [[dwarf|Dwarven]] [[Trading#Caravans|caravan]]. Trading is a good way to acquire resources that are not available or are rare in the local area. It also allows for more freedom in selecting starting gear, because items can always be obtained through trade later, e.g. one can drop the expensive [[anvil]] to bring 500 extra units of [[alcohol|booze]] or purchase additional skills for the expedition party. New players can [[Your_first_fortress#Trading|look here]] for advice on trading with the first caravan.

== Trade Depot ==
Building a '''Trade Depot''' ({{K|b}} - {{K|D}}) will allow you the opportunity to trade with caravans that arrive at your fortress. Trade depots can be created from almost any material, and construction requires the [[Architecture]] skill along with the appropriate craft labor ([[Carpentry]], [[Masonry]], or [[Metalsmithing]]).

While it may be convenient to build a Trade Depot outside first, it is usually a good idea to move it inside or build fortifications around it to protect caravans and your goods from [[thief|thieves]] and [[goblin]]s.

Hit {{K|q}} to bring up the building interaction mode, and then move your cursor over the Trade Depot to gain access to the following options.

Do not build two Trade Depots however, as then neither will work properly.

=== Move Goods to/from Depot ===
{{K|g}}: This command becomes active when a caravan arrives on your map. Choosing items from this menu will mark them as [PENDING] and [[dwarves]] will begin moving them to the depot (all dwarves regardless of labor settings will move goods to the depot when necessary). Items that have been brought to the depot are ready for trade and will be marked as [TRADING]. Items nominated for trading will remain at the depot until the caravan leaves, or the [PENDING] / [TRADING] flag is cleared by choosing the item again. Once no longer required at the depot, items will be available for use or hauling to stockpiles as normal.

=== No trader needed at depot or Trader requested at depot ===
{{K|r}}: This requests a dwarf to come to the depot. To conduct trades with caravans, a trader must be present at the Trade Depot. Once requested, a dwarf will make their way to the depot, and remain there until released with this setting, or the dwarf decides to drink, sleep, or eat.

=== Only broker may trade or Anyone may trade ===
{{K|b}}: This setting determines who will perform the trade. If '''Only broker may trade''' is active, then only the [[Broker]] [[noble]] will respond to the trader request. This can become a problem when the broker is sleeping or otherwise occupied, but dwarves with low [[Broker skills]] will receive poorer deals when trading.

=== Trade ===
{{K|t}}: This option becomes available once the caravan and your trader are both at the depot. It begins trading.

==Trading==
{{:Trading/Flowchart}}
After entering the trade menu, select the items to offer from the right, and the desired items from the left. All caravans have a weight limit which cannot be exceeded, and the allowed additional weight is displayed in the lower right corner. If the acting broker has at least Novice or better [[Appraisal]] skill, the value of all items will be displayed. Once the proposal is ready, press {{K|t}} to make an offer, but merchants will not agree unless they make adequate profit. Be sure to use '''trade''', not '''offer''' {{K|o}}, as this will make a gift of the selected items. The amount of acceptable profit is determined by the broker's [[Broker skills|skills]] and the merchant's mood, described below. Merchants may attempt to propose counteroffers if they do not accept the proposal, which can then be accepted, rejected, or further amended by the broker.

A good rule of thumb for inexperienced brokers is to give merchants a 50% or better profit. For example, if the desired goods are worth 500☼, make sure their profit is at least 250☼ (which would make the total worth of the offered goods 750☼). This should ensure that the merchants are happy with the trading and that they accept the trade immediately without making ridiculous counteroffers. With more experienced brokers or pleased merchants, even marginally profitable trades can be successful, and counteroffers can be rejected safely, offering the same trade again.

=== Trading cue colors ===

* Items in brown have been created (or modified) by your fortress. They can be traded away or offered as a gift.
* Items in white were created by another source. They can be traded, but if one of these items has been selected, the entire selection cannot be offered as a gift.
* Items in purple are under a no-export mandate and should not be traded away unless exceptional circumstances (or masochism) push you to do this.
* Items in green have just been gifted to the caravan and they will not trade it back.
* Items in red have been seized from another caravan and cannot be traded as is; you will need to decorate them or turn them into other items for them to become "valid" trading items.

=== Merchant mood ===
If your broker has Novice or better [[Judge of Intent]] skill, there will be a line added below the merchant's dialogue describing the caravan's attitude. Their attitude rises with successful trades (especially if they get lots of profit) and falls when you propose deals they don't like.

* (trader) seems ecstatic with the trading
* (trader) seems very happy about the trading
* (trader) seems pleased with the trading
* (trader) seems willing to trade (Default, at least for humans)
* (trader) seems to be rapidly losing patience
* (trader) is not going to take much more of this
* (trader) is unwilling to trade

The happier you make a merchant, the less profit margin he will demand in a trade. If merchants reach the lowest level, no further trade will be possible, and they will immediately pack up and leave your depot. Since annoyed traders are more likely to reject deals, you should be generous in initial negotiations. Skilled negotiators seem less likely to offend traders with unsuccessful deals.

=== Seizing items ===

Pressing {{K|s}} from the trade menu will seize the selected items of the merchant's. If you seize goods from a caravan, the merchant will respond "Take what you want. I can't stop you." and then leave immediately without the seized goods. Items cannot be seized from the dwarven caravan, and other races will not buy stolen goods (marked in red) unless they are tricked into asking for them via counteroffer, or the items are "naturalized" by decoration or used to create other goods. Seizing goods will hurt diplomatic relations, but is not grounds for an automatic [[siege]].

Pressing the seize button while no goods are selected will result in the merchant interpreting your seizure as a joke. This apparently does nothing to benefit or hinder your trading.

As a side note, if you remove your trade depot, all the caravan's items will drop to the ground, to be readily hauled away by your dwarves. This does not mark the item as stolen, and the caravan will leave.

Another way to steal without marking as stolen is to forbid traders' goods. They will leave them in depot.

Note that the civilization attached to a particular caravan will keep track of the value of items the caravan was carrying when they set out to trade, and they will compare this value with the value of items they return home with. Regardless of what method you use to confiscate items from a caravan, even if you came to possess the goods through no fault of your own (an [[ambush]] killed the caravaners, for example) the parent civilization may decide that you stole from them and send a [[siege]] instead of a caravan the following year. It is prudent to take measures to protect caravans visiting your lands!

===Offering items===

{{key|o}} You can also give away items, as gifts to the leaders of the [[civilization]] you are trading with. This presumably helps relations between yourself and the other faction. The exact effects are unknown but it is believed that offering goods increases the quantity and variety of trade goods brought by next year's caravan. Also the [[King]] may require offerings before his arrival.

== Caravans ==
Each friendly race will send a caravan once per year, but only if that race considers the fortress site accessible (as denoted on the embark screen). The exception is dwarves, who always arrive. Caravans appear to enter the map from a random direction which does not coincide with the relative direction of the originating [[civilization]], and they may appear from different directions or z-levels each year. Caravans may leave without trading if it takes too long to reach the trade depot, and they cannot use stairs. Caravans will embark on their journey exactly one month after their arrival, whether they have succeeded in reaching the depot or not.

=== Wagons ===
[[Image:Depot alley.png|thumb|right|A depot in the fortress, with a narrow, trapped accessway.]]
[[Image:Depot accessible.png|thumb|right|Composite image of depot access screen. Strategically arranged walls and natural obstacles (boulders) force wagons to enter and exit the map immediately to the east of the depot.]]
All races except elves will send [[wagon]]s with their caravans, which have a much greater capacity for bringing foreign imports and accepting dwarven exports. Unfortunately, wagons require paths that are three tiles wide to pass. Wagons may enter the map in a location different from merchants with pack [[animals]], if the point the animals entered was inaccessible to the wagons. If wagons are unable to find an open path to your trade depot (or if you have not built a depot at all), they will bypass your site and you will only be able to trade for what is available on the pack animals.

Wagons cannot cross [[stair]]s or [[door]]s (even if the doors span an area ordinarily wide enough for the wagon to pass). Obstructing [[boulder]]s must be smoothed ( {{K|d}} - {{K|s}} ), and [[tree]]s must be cut down ( {{K|d}} - {{K|t}} ). [[Shrub]]s do not obstruct wagons, and neither do [[ramp]]s, [[bridge]]s, [[road]]s, or [[floor]] tiles. (However, ramps covered by a [[hatch]] do obstruct.) The impassable tiles of [[workshop]]s and other buildings will obstruct, but the passable tiles of those buildings will not. Any buildings which are normally passable, including [[restraint]]s and [[trap]]s, will not obstruct wagons either, nor will creatures, whether restrained or free.

To keep trees from growing and blocking a path, you should build roads, bridges, or floor tiles over any [[soil]] tiles that make up part of the path. Ramps must be used to adjust [[z-level]] elevation. A wagon can't go directly from a ramp to a bridge, there must be floor tiles in between.

After a trade depot is built, you can use {{K|D}} to check wagon accessibility. The display is somewhat misleading: tiles marked in green mean a wagon can ''fit'' in that space, not that it can necessarily reach it from the edge of the map. Further, the green {{Raw Tile|W|{{COLOR:2:0:1}}|{{COLOR:2:0:0}}}}s only represent where the ''center'' of the wagon can fit -- so a three-tile wide path, which can fit a wagon, will only show up as one-tile wide line of {{Raw Tile|W|{{COLOR:2:0:1}}|{{COLOR:2:0:0}}}}s. When the route they would take goes over hills (ramps), it's hard to eye whether it is continuous all the way to the edge of the map, so be sure you see the words "depot accessible" on the depot access screen.

As long as you have a three-tile wide path to the depot that reaches ''any'' edge of the map, wagons will be able to reach the depot. If there is only one path they can take, they will take that path. You can force them to enter and exit the map in an exact spot -- preferably very near your depot -- by erecting walls or digging channels so that all paths but the one you want them to take are blocked.

=== Liaisons ===
[[Liaison]]s may be sent with caravans to speak to important dwarves. They will allow you to choose the type of items that your fortress is interested in, and will focus on bringing more of that kind of item on the next caravan (however those items will also be more expensive). They will also present you with a list of the items they're willing to pay more for, which will be effective upon their next arrival.

Trade agreements can be viewed at a later time through the Civilization menu ({{k|c}}). These trade agreements are cleared when a liason of the corresponding civilization enters the screen, so they are generally not accessible after the caravan has arrived.

=== Races ===
The following races send caravans.

==== [[Dwarves]] ====
The dwarven caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|autumn]].
* employs wagons to bring more goods.
* typically carries [[food]], [[alcohol|booze]], [[leather]], and supplies. Dwarves alone may carry [[steel]] and steel goods.
* tends to be well guarded.
* sends a liaison who will speak with the [[Expedition leader]] (or [[Mayor]]) to negotiate prices.
* is responsible for the number of immigrants received (when the caravan escapes alive).
* will not cause sieges when repeatedly destroyed or lost.
* is the only caravan to arrive during a fortress' first year.
* always arrives regardless of embark location.
* cannot have its goods seized from the trade menu.

==== [[elf|Elves]] ====
[[Image:Evil_elves.png|thumb|400px|A typical elven caravan.]]

The elven caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|spring]].
* does not send wagons.
* typically carries [[cloth]], [[rope]], various above ground [[plants]] and their byproducts, [[log]]s, [[wood]]en [[craft]]s & [[weapon]]s, large-sized clothing and [[armor]], and may carry tame [[creatures]].
* carries more wood logs the smaller a fort's wood stockpile.
* tends to be unguarded.
* may send a diplomat who imposes a tree cutting quota.
* does not accept some items in trade.

Elven traders do not like to be offered any tree byproducts. Forbidden items include{{ver|0.28.181.40d}}:

* [[Wood]]en items, and items derived from wood (including [[tower-cap]] logs), such as [[charcoal]] and [[pearlash]]
* All [[glass]]; formerly believed to be confined to clear and crystal glass (because [[pearlash]] is used in their creation) but also includes green glass from a magma glass furnace.
* Items [[decoration|decorated]] with any of the above materials
* [[Obsidian]] shortswords (since they have wooden handles)
* [[Soap]] (made with [[ash]])

Offering or trading forbidden items will cause the caravan to refuse to trade any more that season and will leave immediately. Additionally you will be called uncouth, crude, and barbaric for suggesting it. Tragic incidence can befall name callers which if repeated can lead to [[siege|interesting times]] and even great [[fun]]!

However, [[stone]] and [[metal]] items, even when [[charcoal]] is used in production, are acceptable. Items made from [[silk]] are acceptable, as are all non-wooden plant-derived products such as [[cloth]] and [[thread]]. Different from previous versions, items made of bone and shell are acceptable. You can also transport your goods to the [[trade depot]] in a wooden [[bin]], as long as you do not try to sell the bin. Living animals are acceptable, as long as the [[cage]] or [[trap]] is not made of [[wood]].

Be especially careful with reselling items from other caravans, as decorated items made out of a non-living material may include decorative materials that were made of living materials. All items that elven caravans sell are also unacceptable to sell back to elves, as the dwarves have no means of proving that they were made in an "elf kosher" way — and all dwarves know that elves have terrible memory.

==== [[Human]]s ====
The human caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|summer]].
* employs wagons to bring more goods.
* typically carries a very large quantity and variety of goods.
* tends to be moderately guarded.
* sends a liaison who will speak with the broker to negotiate prices.

==== [[Goblin]]s ====
A goblin caravan may arrive if your civilization is at peace with the goblins.

The goblin caravan:
*does not send wagons
*tends to be unguarded
*brings mostly food and cloth
*does not send a liaison or a guild representative
*does not make import/export agreements

=== Destruction ===
If caravans are destroyed (intentionally or unintentionally), the items may remain for use. Traders caught in a [[cave-in]] will flee as if they were attacked but will leave all the items dropped by the caravan behind. Pack animals carrying items are affected just like a normal tamed [[mule]] and must be killed in the cave-in for them to drop items on the ground. It is however much more likely that the pack animal(s) will only be stunned or rendered unconscious and flee shortly after recovering from the hit. Wagons will collapse if caught in a cave-in, leaving all that it was carrying on the ground as a result. Wagons can also be destroyed by [[ocean]] waves coming up onto the shore if you have settled in the appropriate area. The only difference between collapsing under waves or a cave-in is a higher probably of recovering items if the wagon is destroyed by a wave.

While caravans can defend themselves, they don't like being ambushed. An encounter with unfriendly creatures may cause them to retreat and forget about trading with you for the season.

Repeated caravan destruction (intentional or unintentional) will strain diplomatic relations and may result in a [[siege]].

=== Caravan Delay ===
If a caravan has arrived at your trade depot and is unable to leave, the merchants and animals will soon go insane. This can result in a bunch of merchants attacking your dwarves, or just standing around moping until they starve to death. It is not known if this hurts diplomatic relations.