Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

40d:Siege engine

2010-03-29T18:19:25Z

Syzgyn: /* Safety Warning */ typo

{{av}}
A '''siege engine''' in Dwarf Fortress is half building/half heavy weapon, and includes both the '''catapult''' and the '''ballista'''. Both are formidable weapons of tremendous range ''(more than a screen-width, perhaps 100 tiles for a catapult and around 150 for a ballista)'' and capable of dealing out horrendous damage. A [[ballista arrow]] will possibly kill or cripple each and every common creature in its path indiscriminate of friend or foe, and can severely injure even a [[dragon]], and any enemy unlucky enough to be hit by a falling catapult stone is likewise in for a world of hurt (dwarves and tame [[creatures]] are magically immune to catapult ammo ''only'').

Once constructed, they can be instantly turned 90 degrees in any direction, but cannot be moved - they can, however, be deconstructed back into their 3 parts, to be used elsewhere individually or together. Both the manufacture of the parts and the construction of the engine itself require a dwarf with the "Siege Engineering" [[labor]] designated and use the "[[Siege_engineer|Siege Engineer]]" [[skill]], as does the manufacture of ammo for the ballista (and the de-construction of any engines, if desired).

The player determines when/if each engine is actively firing or not; when active, a single engine is crewed by a single [[siege operator]]. Ballistae require specially made [[ammo]], [[ballista arrow]]s, made from wooden [[log]]s at the siege workshop (and optionally tipped with [[metal]] [[ballista arrowhead]]s that have been made at a [[forge]] by a [[weaponsmith]]). Catapults use simple [[stone]] as ammunition.

==Building Siege Engines==

In order to build a siege engine, you first need to produce (at least) three catapult or ballista parts in the [[Siege Workshop]]; catapults are made from any 3 '''catapult parts''', and ballistae are made from any 3 '''ballista parts'''. All parts are made from any type of wood at a [[siege workshop]]. Beyond that, "parts" are generic - there are no particular "sub-types" of parts beyond the distinction between those for the two different engine types. The quality of the parts determines the overall rate of fire and accuracy of the engine - the best are made with 3 masterwork parts. This won't make up for an untrained siege operator, but every little bit helps.

Once you have the parts, you may then build the respective siege engine like any other building, selecting the parts that you wish to construct that particular engine with. It is not known whether the skill of the [[dwarf]] assembling the siege engine has any effect, but the [[quality]] of the parts certainly has: siege engines put together from [[quality|masterpiece]] parts have a much higher rate of fire and accuracy.

The assembled siege engine is, effectively, a 3x3 building. It cannot be moved about other than by taking it down and re-assembling it at the new site. Siege engines do not impede movement, though, so you don't have to worry about building them in a corridor.

==Using Siege Engines (simple)==
{{key|o}} will let you change the orientation, whether the siege engine is pointing north / south / east / west. This takes effect immediately, it does not require a dwarf to come and turn the engine.

{{key|f}} toggles the current status between:
*Not In Use: [[Dwarves]] with the [[Siege operator]] [[job]] will reload unloaded engines and leave them unattended.
*Prepare to Fire: Siege Operators will load the engine and remain stationed for further commands.
*Fire at Will: Siege Operators will fire and load normally.

Once an engine is given orders to fire (or prepare to), a dwarf with the [[siege operating]] labor designated will respond and report to the engine. The dwarf(s) will (re-)load any siege engine that is not currently loaded; there's no way to prevent this short of disabling the labor on all dwarves or forbidding every piece of ammo (or otherwise blocking a [[path]] to it, perhaps by locking [[door]]s.)

[[Ammo]] is destroyed upon landing, unless it falls a z-level, and then it falls harmlessly. (See [[#Catapults as stone movers|below]].)

########
CCC..._#
CCC..._#
CCC..._#
########

The [[channel]] at the end of this firing range preserves the stone. For catapults there is usually so much spare stone that this is not necessary, but it could be used for fast stone transport, or simply to set up a self-contained training area. A similar effect can sometimes be observed when firing a catapult over bumpy ground outside.

The design can be further improved by using a [[drawbridge]] rather than a wall, this way when the drawbridge is raised it acts like a wall deflecting the stone into the channel below. In the case of an attack on your [[fortress]] the drawbridge can be lowered allowing the catapult to fire.

#####################
CCC..._¦.............
CCC..._¦.............
CCC..._¦.............
#####################

Drawbridge raised deflecting stones into channel.

#####################
CCC...[].............
CCC...[].............
CCC...[].............
#####################

Drawbridge lowered allowing catapult to shoot down the corridor.

==Special considerations==

* Both catapults and ballistae have narrow fields of fire - they will only shoot at creatures basically "in front" of them, and so cannot target anything off at an angle. They can be turned 90 degrees, but that often will not solve the problem. (The field of fire is perhaps only 10-20 degrees wide. Wild shots may go (well) beyond this, but those are not aimed.)
* Both catapults and ballistae aim and fire only along one z-level. While ammo from both may drop down z-levels, they do no damage to creatures there. This also means that no "head room" is necessary - ammo just flies out, never up.
* Catapults have a minimum range - at least 30 tiles.
* Catapults can and will fire over any creatures between them and their target.
* Neither are affected by [[fortification]]s.
* [[Siege operator]]s are "civilians", and as such they will run in fear if enemy units come too close to them. "Too close" varies somewhat, but may be as far as 10 tiles.

===Safety Warning===

'''Ballistae can and will kill anything in their path!''' Ballista arrows appear to hit any units in any square that the head passes through. They are devastatingly dangerous weapons, and should never be used with friendlies anywhere in their cone of fire, including the space the ballista arrowhead occupies when loaded on the engine. Always designate a [[traffic|restricted traffic area]] for a lot of tiles along the firing arc and keep dwarves out of the area or, better, wall off anything in front of them with fortifications to prevent all friendly traffic, or both. The shots appear to travel until they hit a wall or fly off the screen; the maximum range is about 150 tiles for an ordinary ballista.{{version|0.28.181.40d}} If the bolt passes through a [[tree]], the tree will disappear, presumably reduced to toothpicks.

Surprisingly, catapults are relatively safe. Catapult operators will target enemies (and wild [[animals]]) if there are any in their field of fire. If not, they will loose the shot in a high arc (not requiring additional [[z-level]]s, though) that misses everything until it lands. It is perfectly safe to operate a catapult in the cave: just point it at a nearby wall of solid rock. A nice side effect is that this will in due time clear the whole area of stone.

Using catapults to shoot into the open may provide some [[meat]]: as said above, the operators will target animals if there are any. However, [[elephant]]s don't take nicely if you slay some of them. You also have a slight risk of killing your own dwarves or [[caravan]] escorts if they happen to be hunting the selfsame animal (and hence are close to it).

'''"Fire at Will" does ''not'' mean there has to be anything to shoot at!''' The Siege engine will simply continue to be loaded and fired, simply launching ammo (stone or arrows) downrange with no (visible) target if given this command. This can be good against unseen [[ambush]]es, or if you wish to move [[stone]] across a map, but not if you are worried about depleting an ammo stockpile.

==Using Siege Engines (advanced)==
===Placement===
Siege engines can almost only shoot at targets right in front of them on the same Z-level. The target may deviate only slightly, as the field of fire is about 20-30 degrees wide. Because of the huge blind spots, it is advisable to [[Fortress_defense#Siege_weapons|prepare the position]] so that the enemy will be channeled through the field of fire.

Siege operators are civilians! They will drop their work and run if the enemy comes too close, which is around 20 tiles. You should therefore place the engines behind a [[moat]] or a wall of [[fortification]]s that will keep the enemy at a safe distance, or shield access to their location in some other fashion.

Siege engines can shoot through [[fortification]]s, just like any other projectile weapon. As fortifications appear to provide some protection against incoming [[bolt]]s and [[arrow]]s, it's usually a good idea to protect the siege engine in that way. The siege engine only needs a one tile wide fortification to shoot out.

===Skill and Quality===

The quality of the siege engine parts affects the engine's accuracy and reload time. It is not known whether the siege engine itself also can be of a certain quality. The quality and material of the ammunition (in case of ballista arrows) affects the damage and possibly accuracy as well.

The only way of obtaining high-quality siege engine parts is to have them made by a trained engineer; the only way to train an engineer is to make parts or ammunition. Assembling and disassembling siege engines does not train the [[engineer]] skill. Dwarves will occasionally produce masterpieces long before reaching [[Legendary]] skill level, but be prepared to waste hundreds of logs until you have three masterpiece parts. Bringing an engineer to [[Experience|Proficient]] level (the highest you could buy when starting a new fortress) will take about 120 logs. Becoming Legendary requires the wood of 600 trees.

The operator skill certainly affects reload time. It will take a whole month for an unskilled dwarf to load a catapult; a Legendary operator with nearby ammo will get several shots at a running enemy. Operator skill has little or no effect on accuracy.

Operators are best trained on catapults, as these require nothing but cheap stone for ammo. It is recommended to have a number of dedicated operators that will follow no other line of work, and enough catapults for all of them to play with. As they're often going for a drink or sleep, you may get along with three catapults for four operators, and even two pieces would go a long way. Since the dwarf must hold the heavy stone in his inventory during the entire loading procedure, dwarves that have increased their strength statistic load catapults much more rapidly than others, making them good candidates for operator duty. You should start training early: it can take one year for an operator to become Proficient, and two more years until he finally reaches Legendary level; by then he will have spent 300 rounds.

Loading ballista arrows seems to be much faster than loading catapults, probably due to the much lighter weight of the projectile.

An alternative approach is cross-training any highly-skilled dwarves who aren't doing anything useful at the moment. With a couple levels each in strength and agility, a decent-quality catapult, and an ample supply of ammunition nearby, a dwarf can become a Legendary siege operator within a few seasons at most, giving more flexibility in defense and several more levels for the fortunate dwarf. [[Cross-training|Rotating]] Legendary [[miner]]s out to siege-operation and then to stone-hauling duties sets up an efficient cycle.

===In Battle===

Ballistae hit any unit that the ballista arrowhead passes through. This makes them an order of magnitude more effective in combat than catapults, which fire in an arc that hits only a few tiles per shot and is nearly useless against anything smaller than a troop of [[goblin]]s. Also, ballista arrows fired through too many successive targets will be destroyed or lost. The limit seems to be roughly 5-6 goblin-sized targets hit before the arrow is lost.

A siege engine you want to use for actual defense should be not set to fire at will, as this likely means that it's not loaded and ready at the time you actually need it. You should train your operators on other pieces.

When the time comes, switch off all training engines and set all of the ones you'll be using to prepare to fire so the operators will be on-station; if some of them are currently not loaded, designate them to be disassembled so to prevent your operators from loading the training weapons instead of firing the real ones.

Remember, operators are civilians. They do not care that the fortress is at stake: hunger, thirst and sleep always go first. That's why you trained more operators than you actually need; that's also why you disabled all other work that might distract them. The most effective way to ensure that your operators won't run off is to lock them in with the siege engine when the time comes.

===Ballista battery===

If you place ballistae close enough together, you can completely cover a two or three tile wide corridor. Because siege engines are 3x3, they need to be staggered, so each one fires through the edge of the one ahead of it. This can be dangerous for your operators. To minimize risk, place [[fortification]]s to keep dwarves from wandering too far, and have only one entrance to the ballista room. There is still some risk that dwarves might wander into the line of fire, even with no reason to do so.

:<br />'''Three tile-wide corridor''' (battery room 5 tiles wide)

╔═══
══════════════════════════╦══╦══╝▐▀\
Entrance++++++++++++▼·····╬ ╬▐▀\◄═« (~ammo~)
Entrance++++++++++++▼·····╬▐▀\◄═«▐▄/
Entrance++++++++++++▼·····╬◄═«▐▄/ (~ammo~)
══════════════════════════╣▐▄/ (~ammo~)
╚═════════
:*<tt>+</tt> - floor
:*<tt>═</tt> - wall
:*<tt>▼</tt> - ramp (down)
:*<tt>·</tt> - channel (aka "empty space" on this level)
:*<tt>╬</tt> - fortification

Due to the rare wild shot, the staggering should always be from one side to the other, and not put one ballista far ahead of the one it overlaps, as this may increase friendly-fire accidents.

Ammo storage can be on the same level, or via [[stair]]s or [[ramp]]s on another [[z-level]]. Expand the room as desired for more storage. Also note that ballista arrows are stored in [[Stockpile#Furniture_Storage|furniture stockpiles]], not ammo stockpiles.

An alternate strategy could be to place a [[floodgate]] or retracting [[bridge]] in the center of the 3x3 hallway, and activate it during times of crisis so that the Goblins are forced to fight in two separate 1x1 corridors rather than a single 3x3 corridor. If the corridors are further lined with spike traps and weapon traps, this combined defense can assure your dwarfs that any attempts to assault your base will be very, very bloody.

A drawbridge can be combined with the channeled area to provide a practice area, as discussed above. The channels would be accessible from the battery area via a staircase, keeping the dwarfs below/behind the lines of fire at all times.

==Catapults as stone movers==
When a catapult throws a stone, that stone is destroyed upon landing, unless it falls a z-level, where it lands harmlessly. That means that if you can arrange it so ammo hits a wall (or door, or raised bridge), and there is empty space immediately under that, the stones arrive at that point. If ammo reaches its maximum range, again, it falls harmlessly. Even with a single, no-quality catapult and an untrained crew, this is massively faster than hauling stone by hand. Ammo that hits [[stair]]s is destroyed, even if it can fall a z-level.

----

'''See Also:'''
:*[[Defense design]]
:*[[cross-training#Army corps of engineers|Army corps of engineers]]

[[Category:Buildings]]
[[Category:Fortress defense]]

v0.31 Talk:Release information

2010-03-29T18:05:36Z

Syzgyn: /* release date reference */

50-100 layers? That’s so <s>sweet</s>dwarfish! Looking forward!<small>– [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:WFrag|WFrag]]</small>
:Looking forward to a lot of game lag! Can you say 1 frame/second? Urgh... ''(and remember to sign your comments, pls!)''--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 05:38, 27 February 2010 (UTC)
::Thought of that too, but I really hope closing mined out parts with walls will help. Haven't tried on current version, though. <small>– ANOTHER [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:WFrag|WFrag]]</small>10:49, 10 March 2010 (UTC)

"The material system has been rewritten, and just about everything is made from a material now." Does this potentially mean that constructions can burn and melt now with the 2010 version?--[[User:Jargo|Jargo]] 2:48 PST, March 02 2010
:I think I remember hearing Toady say that constructions *wouldn't* burn or melt yet, but I could be imagining that. --[[User:Doomchild|Doomchild]] 20:47, 4 March 2010 (UTC)

Will dwarfs realize fire is bad? - anon

This page is in dire need of [[material]] links.

how about armor for wardogs? [[User:Wunksta|Wunksta]] 21:34, 17 March 2010 (UTC)
:There's a "suggestions" sub-forum in the [[forums]].--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 00:40, 18 March 2010 (UTC)

== Overview of "2010" once it's released? ==

Once the new version is released, the new articles will start being written (as "fact", rather than guesswork) - cool. Then this page will be... what? I'm wondering... Mason posted this:
I had actually originally intended to take the DF2010 article and split it into a bunch of articles
so people can read about each of the new features in a full article that would later develop into
the details when they were available after release.
Well, that's not practical for a number of reasons, as we're finding out.

But would it be an idea to break this article into a ''very few'' "What has changed?" articles, to help players know what they should read up on? Some stuff won't change, a LOT of stuff won't matter in game play (raw changes, "hair", some combat, etc), some will be optional/advanced ''(for example, you either use Burrows, or you don't - but if you don't, the game won't kill you for your oversight. I hope.)'' But some will be IMPORTANT to know and be aware of - and while we don't want redundant articles explaining those changes, an article ''pointing to'' the important, critical changes that players "should read" might be a good thing, and a natural development from this article.

~IF~ users want to go there, this should be broken up into a series of several categories, linked from the top of this page - perhaps each titled "[[Ver1234: What has changed with _______]]". In those, one will not see the changes, merely a list of what ''has'' changed, and links to those articles. I see "What has changed with: '''Combat''' (inc Arenas, which is a "combat sandbox"), '''Healing''', the '''World''' (inc creatures, materials, the map, underground features, world gen)... and I think that might cover it. If someone wanted to do '''Modding''', I could certainly see that too, even if it overlapped with some of the above.

Again - these would not be overview - the idea is that not much detail whatsoever will be on these pages, rather to simply point to those articles that will explain the important changes in that category, and be tighter and more relevant to "important changes" than this beast.
Thoughts?--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 16:51, 22 March 2010 (UTC)
: I think that's a great idea. I think the best thing to do though is take this article after release and have some brief "overview" information about the version. Some details about the major features (ex: "[[Burrows]] allow you to group dwarves into particular areas"), and then we can have a list of changes afterwords. [[User:Mason11987|Mason]] <sup>([[User talk:Mason11987|T]]-[[Special:Contributions/Mason11987|C]])</sup> 19:38, 22 March 2010 (UTC)
::Well, what I'd rather ''not'' see is a quick and dirty "explanation" of a subject - like "burrows", which is then fully explained elsewhere - that breaks the "no redundancy" rule, and accomplishes little that the main article wouldn't (in theory). Rather, these would act as a clearing house, trying to give players a rough overview of what articles they ''should'' read and what are less important. For "burrows", a simple line like ''"Burrows allow you to group your dwarves by area - read [[burrows]]"''. Each user can then decide if they want to read that or not. But for game-''critical'' changes, like how a dwarf heals, these articles would emphasize that "You should read how it works now". And the flipside, for those that are completely behind the scenes, the user is told they can safely ignore them if they choose and their fortress won't fail because of the changes.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 20:56, 23 March 2010 (UTC)

== new.df/wagn? ==

The links to new.df.magmawiki.net/wagn/Burrows aren't working. What was that pointing to? --[[User:Bombcar|Bombcar]] 21:33, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
:Just to [[Burrows]] AFAIK. [[User:Mason11987|Mason]] <sup>([[User talk:Mason11987|T]]-[[Special:Contributions/Mason11987|C]])</sup> 21:34, 27 March 2010 (UTC)
::It was pointing to an idea that was abandoned.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 16:25, 28 March 2010 (UTC)

== release date reference ==

Does anyone have the link to where Toady actually mentions an upcoming release date? In the forums, I presume - just curious as to what was said exactly. thnx.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 17:19, 29 March 2010 (UTC)
* [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev_now.html The Dev Blog] the 03/26/2010 post. --{{User:Syzgyn/Sig}} 18:05, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Civilization Forge

2010-03-13T20:55:28Z

Syzgyn: moved Civilization Forge to Modification:Civilization Forge

#REDIRECT [[Modification:Civilization Forge]]

Modification:Civilization Forge

2010-03-13T20:55:28Z

Syzgyn: moved Civilization Forge to Modification:Civilization Forge

{{mod}}
{{Modification
|name = Civilization Forge
|version = 1.81
|df version = 0.28.181.40d
|last update = 04/16/2009
|download = http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=161
}}
This page is an in-depth Wiki for the '''Civilization Forge [[Modding|Mod]]'''.

The basis for the mod is pretty simple, it's my own edited version of Dwarf Fortress with a bunch of elements that I wanted to add in. New races, creatures, metals, stones, gems, plants, pretty much everything. These are all additions to the basic DF, so this isn't a full conversion mod. Much of what I want to do is still impossible, but as Toady fleshes out Dwarf Fortress more I'll be able to tweak things to my satisfaction.

[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=161 Download the Mod Here]

===New Races===

I've added in quite a few new races to this mod. They add flavor, increase your trading options, and give a bit more challenge besides. Originally Hobgoblins, Dyansauri, and Frost Giants were enemies, but with the Army Arc changes they've been reduced to minor trading partners unless you managed to start at war with them. Hopefully as the Army Arc continues they'll go back to being their vicious, conquering selves. Until then, the various baby-snatching races will have to do.

The High Elves and Chaos Dwarves may end up going away at some point, since my main reason for adding them in was to get some racial variety. If we can get Steel-using elves or Mad evil Dwarves out of the basic races, I'll be happy. In any case their creature files are effectively identical to Elves and Dwarves, it's just the civ entries that make them different.

'''High Elves''' - Noble and Wise, the high elves are a little more similar to Humans then their woodland cousins, living in cities and using metal weapons and armor. They are known for forging weapons of great beauty and power. They will accept items made of wood, but still hold life in high regard.

'''Silver Xelics''' - A strange race of Insectoids, these creatures live in the wetlands of the world. The Silver Xelics appear as large, humanoid beetles with brilliantly silver carapaces. While at peace with the world, like Elves, they do not seem to mind other races cutting down trees they way Elves do.

'''Vamarii''' - A race of ice-dwelling fox-like humanoids, they live off of the land and sea. When the snows come, they bring wagonloads of goods to trade for dwarven crafts, metals, and weapons.

'''Chaos Dwarves''' - A twisted branch of dwarves dedicated to dark gods. They have no honor, black souls, and foul tempers. Otherwise, identical to normal dwarves. Chaos dwarves are a baby snatching race, and are always your enemies. They are a difficult foe, since they fight as well as dwarves and avoid most traps. However, since they are dwarves all of the equipment they drop is readily used by your own soldiers.

'''Hobgoblins''' - A cruel but noble race, the Hobgoblins have more honor then their smaller cousins. They do not hold with the thieving ways of goblins, and will not approach an enemy until it is rich enough to be worthwhile attacking. When they come, however, it is in force. At this point, they only attack if they are at war with you. Otherwise, they are minor trading partners, mostly bringing leather, cloth, and meat.

'''Bugbears''' - Large and brutish, unskilled in metalworking, they attempt to take what they cannot make themselves. Generally an easier foe then goblins, and found in the deep forests of the world. They are a baby snatching race, and are always your enemies.

'''Dyansauri''' - A race of Savage saurian warriors who live to fight and die in battle. They do not sneak, they do not steal, and they will attack as soon as they know of your existence.
At this point, they only attack if they are at war with you. Otherwise, they are minor trading partners, mostly bringing leather, cloth, and meat.

'''Violet Xelics''' - Evil kindred to the Silver Xelics, the Violets ones make dark fortresses within the swamps of the world. They use no armor, nor do they need it. Unlike goblins, a single Xelic is more then a match for a dwarf, and fighting them should be done cautiously. The Violet Xelics appear as large, humanoid beetles with multi-hued purple carapaces. They are a baby snatching race, and are always your enemies. Xelic warriors use their four arms to good effect, carrying multiple shields into battle.

'''Frost Giants''' - Twice as large as a dwarf, and with hearts as cold as the glaciers they live on. Frost giants use no bows, and have no use for thieves. At this point, they only attack if they are at war with you. Otherwise, they are minor trading partners, mostly bringing leather, cloth, and meat. On the bright side, their caravan guards are more then a match for any ambushing forces.

'''Sand Raiders''' - A mysterious race of robed humanoids that lives in the deserts of the world. They frequently raid surrounding settlements. They are very stealthy, and even their sieges are done in stealth. They are a baby snatching race, and are always your enemies.

'''Zephyrs''' - A mountain-dwelling race of intelligent rodents. They're thieves like Kobolds, and usually killed for the vermin they are.

'''Jawas''' - A strange desert dwelling race. They sometimes sneak into the settlements of other races to steal things, or perhaps just cause a bit of mischief. They use iron, and can speak, which makes them a little more noticeable in the world then kobolds.

===New Animals===

'''Giant Beetle''' - A domestic animal used frequently by dwarves, the Giant Beetle can be used as both a pack animal as well as trained for war or hunting.

'''Emerald Wasp''' - About the size of a kitten, the Emerald Wasp is used by dwarves to hunt down vermin. Very affectionate to the right people. Also make good distractions for enemy archers.

'''Cave Crab''' - Another cavern based domestic animal, the Cave crab is a hardy creature. It is often trained for war or hunting.

'''Giant Wasp''' - Dangerous versions of their smaller cousins, the Giant wasps inhabit the Temperate zones of the world. Be wary around them, although the lucky fortress that captures them can train a very powerful war beast.

'''Giant Ants''' - Common animals in many area, the giant ants are several feet long and can show up in large numbers. Often hunted for their meat and chitin.

'''Sugar Beetles''' - A large beetle (about cat sized) that builds up lots of sugary goodness in its meat.

'''Dinosaurs''' - Several different types. You can find them in Untamed Wilds

'''Oozes''' - Dangerous oozes now inhabit the swamps of the world

'''Flying jellyfish''' - Normally drifting among the clouds, they occasionally get swept down to the surface areas of the world. Some are edible, others are just dangerous.

'''Moose''' - New cold-weather animal

'''Woolly Mammoth''' - Elephants of the Tundra

'''Arctic Fox''' - Silver-white fox

'''Ice Troll''' - Cold weather version of the normal Troll

'''Frost Ogre''' - Cold weather version of the normal Ogre

'''Ice Drake''' - Domesticated by the Frost Giants, these distant relatives of the dragon are found in the icy wastelands of the world

New megabeasts and semimegabeasts. You get to find out about them on your own.

===Guardians===

Guardians are stone golems created by dwarven priests. How they are made is a secret, but their use is well known. The guardians are taken as 'pets' by dwarves, which causes the Guardian to follow the dwarf around and protect it from harm. Some fortresses prefer to have the Guardians unattached to any particular dwarf, and instead have them freely roaming the halls and grounds. They make excellent thief detectors and can be instrumental in holding off an ambush party long enough for civilian dwarves to flee.

There are three types of Guardians.

'''Felsite''' - The basic guardian. It is tough and strong, and like all Guardians, it's about Dwarf sized.

'''Diorite''' - A very durable guardian. It can take more punishment then the other types.

'''Obsidian''' - These Guardians are equipped with razor-sharp blades on their arms, making them effective fighters.

===New Plants===

====Underground====
'''Glowcaps''' - Strange glowing mushrooms. They take a long time to grow, and the yield is small, but they produce one of the finest drinks in the world.

'''Crystal stalk grasses''' - The crystals that grow on these fibrous plants makes excellent dyes. The types are Golden, Verdant, Crimson, and Dark

'''Slime Mold''' - Not very tasty, but edible and grows fast.

'''Cave Bulb''' - Milled into spice, or brewed into a drink, this is a grand addition to any dwarven kitchen.

====Above Ground====
'''Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Crowberries, Lingonberries''' - Just to add some variety. They're on par with wild strawberries.

'''Cotton''' - new, high value clothing plant

'''Cinnamon, Black pepper''' - more spices.

'''Rime Berries''' - A rare tundra plant, these berries make a drink of unsurpassed quality

===New Equipment===

====New Weapon====
War Axe - A two handed axe used by the Dwarves to cause more damage to their enemies.

Hand Axe - A light axe used mostly for chopping wood

Club - a crude bludgeoning weapon

Kopesh - Large axe-sword, used by Bugbears. Not a very efficient design, but it packs a punch.

Falcata - Similar to a long sword, but curved inward for a more powerful hit. Doesn't have the improved chance at crits that a long sword does, but does more damage.

Falcion - Similar to a short sword, but heavy and curved for a more powerful hit. Doesn't have the improved chance at crits that a short sword does, but does more damage.

Flambard - A long sword with a wavy blade. Simply for flavor.

Raven's Beak - Also called a bec de corbin or crow's beak. It is effectivly a two-handed war hammer.

Mattock - Large two-handed pick. Miners will need to be set to use two weapons to use it, but it makes them more effective if they have to fight.

Dire Weapons - New huge weapons used by the Frost Giants in combat

====New Armor====
Lamellar - A new chain-like armor. It's a little better then chain.

Heavy Lamellar - A new plate-like armor. It's a little worse then plate.

Dwarves do not generally use either of these armors, although they have been known to show up from strange moods.

===New Materials===

====Stone====
Bladestone - A rock found in small pockets around the world, this stone can be easily chipped into very sharp stone weapons.

Marble variations - Marble will now have veins of Green, Black, Midnight, and Celestial marble running through it. They are used primarily for decorative purposes, although Celestial Marble is very valuable and the others can be used as flux.

Verdenite - A new bright green stone, which I added in to round out the selection of stone colors to work with. Also works as a good source of rock crystal and various types of jade. Common to many stone layers.

Nightstone - A bright blue stone. It's mainly a decorative stone to use for crafts and furniture. Worth more then basic stone. Generally found in Alunite and Orthoclase.

New micas - Lepidolite, Zinnwaldite, Muscovite, Phlogophite. These show up as colored mica veins within the mica blobs. Not quite accurate, but it adds some additional flavor. They're worth more then normal stones, so they're worth mining out.

Nivocite - A blueish-gray stone, this mineral is highly resistant to heat. It shows up in volcanic regions. According to some scholars, it is the result of magma coming in contact with traces of elemental water.

Levitite - A rare bright green ore found in Marble. It contains copper and traces of Levisium.

Truesilver - A rare purple ore found in Granite and Gneiss, it contains silver and traces of Mithril.

====Gems====
Fine Jet - Gemstone quality Jet. Should be fairly common in jet clusters.

Amazonite - Gemstone quality Microcline.

Fireheart - This rare gem, when cut properly, can be infused into iron to create Incendium, which can be used to make vastly superior weapons. Found in Granite, Schist, and Marble.

Frost Crystal - This rare gem, when cut properly, can be infused into iron to create Glacium, which can be used to make superior armor and weapons. Found in Microcline.

Storm Crystal - This rare gem, when cut properly, can infused into iron to create Tempestium, which can be used to make vastly superior bolts. Found in Granite, Schist, and Marble.

Ward Crystal- This rare gem, when cut properly, can be infused into iron to create Ward Iron, which can be used to make vastly superior armor. Found in Granite, Schist, and Marble.

Flare Crystal - This rare gem, when cut properly, can be used to fuel the forges of the fortress for quite a long time. Found in Granite, Schist, and Marble.

====Metals====
Tempered Crystal - Raw crystal glass can be tempered in the smelter to create bars of crystal suitable for making weapons and armor. It is better then copper, but worse than bronze or iron.

Blood Crystal - Crystal tempered with Cinnabar makes a blood red crystal that makes weapons superior to iron, though not as good as Steel.

Night Crystal - Crystal tempered with Cobaltite makes a dark blue crystal that makes armor superior to bronze, though not as good as Steel.

Void Crystal - Crystal tempered with both Cinnabar and Cobaltite makes a dark purple crystal that is superior to Steel.

Mithril - This bright silvery metal is lighter, stronger, and holds an edge better then steel. It is quite rare.

Levisium - This bright green metal is virtually weightless. While only slightly stronger than copper, it is very malleable can be used to make a wide variety of things, including clothing.

====Alloys====
Incendium - This bright red metal is infused with Elemental Fire. It makes for vastly superior weapons. It is created by infusing Iron with cut Fireheart crystals.

Glacium - This bright blue metal is infused with Elemental Water. It makes for superior weapons. It is created by infusing Iron with cut Frost Crystals.

Ward Iron - This green metal is infused with Elemental Earth. It makes for vastly superior armor. It is created by infusing Iron with cut Ward Crystals.

Tempestium - This blue metal is infused with Elemental Air. It makes for vastly superior bolts and arrows. It is created by infusing Iron with cut Storm Crystals.

Elementium - This purple metal is infused with Elemental Fire, Water, and Air. It makes for superior armor and weapons.

Bright Silver - An alloy of Silver and Mithril, this white metal makes for Good armor and weapons.

Royal Bronze - An alloy of Mithril, Copper, and Tin, this violet metal makes for Good armor and decent weapons.

Orihalcum - An alloy of Gold, Platinum, and Mithril, this red metal makes for excellent armor and weapons. It is quite heavy, however.

Shimmersteel - When Levisium is added to iron and pig iron in steel creation, you get Shimmersteel. It is slightly weaker, but much lighter.

Verdent Bronze - An alloy of Copper, Tin, and Levisium, this bright green metal makes for decent armor and moderate weapons. All are much lighter then bronze.

===Variants===
[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=909 Frost Giant Citadel] - Replaces dwarves with the Frost Giants as the Fortress mode race.

[http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1247 Civilization Forge: Unleashed] - Dyansauri, Hobgoblins, and Frost Giants will now siege instead of trade with you.

===Graphics===
Stridor has started making a [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=831 Graphics pack] for the mod.

Undeadstag has taken up the mantel, and has a fairly [http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1119 complete Graphics pack] done.

[[Category:Mods]]

2010-03-12T20:18:17Z

Syzgyn: /* Modification namespace */

I was led astray a long while as I looked for information on modding before I found [[40d:Modding guide]].

Right now we have [[Mods]] and [[Modding]] which are nearly duplicates of one another. Messy, messy. Delete/merge.

Furthermore, link the surviving category to [[40d:Modding guide]]--[[User:Carlthuringer|Carlthuringer]] 13:23, 11 March 2010 (UTC)
:See reply, top of [[40d Talk:Modding guide]].--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 15:34, 11 March 2010 (UTC)

Cranked out this outline/draft.--[[User:Carlthuringer|Carlthuringer]] 10:40, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

== Community Guidelines ==
[[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Community_Portal#N|N]] is for Names. New pages should be singular nouns wherever applicable with few exceptions.
[[Mod]] Should probably redirect to [[Mods]] which seems to follow well with [[Creatures]], [[Skills]], [[Buildings]] as a category comprised of many similar items. [[Mod]] currently redirects to Template:Mod.

[[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Community_Portal#R|R]] is for Redundancy.
We want to try to avoid categorizing pages under [[Mods]] and [[Modding]] of course, and after looking carefully over both categories I found that there is little or none of that going on. However, I would propose that due to the nature of 99% of articles categorized under [[Modding]] that we should consider moving to the more specific (and noun-like!) [[40d:Modding_reference]] for all articles currently classified under [[Modding]]. I think this would eliminate all potential for double- or cross-categorization between the two.

I consider that [[Modding]] might then redirect naturally to [[40d:Modding_guide]], which can link to [[40d:Modding_reference]].

Then [[Mods]] will have sub-category [[40d:Modding_reference]] and also link to [[40d:Modding_guide]]

===Unofficial Naming Conventions===
Editors have run into a similar confusion with other topics where "theory" vs "examples" tended to muddy each other. The solution was to create "design" articles, pages whose ''sole'' function was to act as a repository and showcase for user-created examples, their personal spin on the topic. See [[trap]] vs. [[trap design]], or [[bed]] vs. [[bedroom]] vs. [[bedroom design]], each of which have specifically different content, the game item vs theory vs examples. So that would suggest changing the name of that article from "Mods" to "Mod design", to keep it parallel to other articles. And the search word "mods" could then redirect either to here, or to the Category or the Guide. As a thought.--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 14:19, 12 March 2010 (UTC)
:I agree with your assessment on this, Albedo. --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 15:14, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

== Pages linked to [[Mods]] and [[Modding]] ==
[[Main_Page]] Links to [[Modding]]. (Note all the other categories grammatical leaning: Dwarves, World, Buildings, Modding, Items, Interface. Wouldn't the plural noun 'Mods' fit better, logically, in that table than the Gerunnd 'modding'?) Furthermore, [[Modding]] is an index of token references, which won't help new players one bit, IMHO.
It should probably link to [[Mods]].
:[[Mods]] are finished products, not a discussion of "modding", which is what most using that word in the Search function are looking for. "Modding" should link to the [[Modding guide]], which should then, in turn, link users to all the other related articles, like "mods"... (& see comments immed below) --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 13:53, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

[[40d:Civilization]]

[[User:MaxVance/Main_Glade|The Elf Forest Wiki]] Huh. Anyways, it's mostly a copy of [[Main_Page]]

[[40d:Wizard]] Linked by the Gerund form 'modding,' evidence for the redirection argument.

[[Mods]] "If you want to know how to create Mods, see [[Modding]]." Except that [[Modding]] doesnt' tell you how to create mods, so good luck, there!

[[User:Mason11987/All_Categories]] A list of all the categories.

[[User_talk:Briess]] Part of discussion suggesting a custom namespace, 'Mod' to cover all mod-related pages on the wiki. Sounds like namespace nightmare, what with the 40d namespace beginning to propogate and become standard.

:(cont'd from immed above)
:...I think the title of this subsection points to one of the current problems - that users might type in "mod" or "mods" or "modding" to Search for a "How to" article, but NONE of those lead to it. When I created that green "M Category:Modding" template, I also created a redirect for the word [[mod]], since that's the word in the template, " <nowiki>{{mod}}</nowiki> ". (It made more sense to me than any other template name at the time, and fewer letters to type).
:Similarly (I'm guessing), when the user ([[Nate879]]) later created this category (and Thanks to them for doing so!), they created a redirect for the word [[modding]] to more easily navigate back to this page, since the article name is " [[:category:modding]] " and that ''cannot'' be used as a link (it turns invisible unless typed as <nowiki>[[:category:modding]]</nowiki>, as any category tag does!) That may have made sense at the time, but it doesn't work for users now seeking information on "modding".
:And that's what started the problem. When a user types in "mod", they get the template (wrong), so they then type in "modding" and find themselves here. And that's why the (inappropriate) stub article on modding exists on this page. (That, and no one has ever created links TO the [[modding Guide]]! HINT HINT!)
:So, currently...
::* [[mod]] redirects to the template itself.
::* [[mods]] redirects to a list of completed, user-created mods.
::* [[modding]] ''(at the time of this writing, but not for long)'' redirects to [[:category:modding]], which lists anything that has been put in this category using the " <nowiki>[[category:modding]]</nowiki> " tag - which is all the mods ''plus'' articles on [[token]]s etc., etc.
:And that last is what's fueling the problem. So I'm going to Be Bold and fix that, at least, redirecting "modding" to the "modding guide". I suggest that most of that "article" be copied/pasted to the Modding Guide (and/or in part to the top of the [[mods]] page, which '''DESPERATELY''' needs some explanation and a "How to"), and also that some Disambig-style comment be added to the top of this article (this wiki uses few formal "disambig" pages - see [[block]] or [[brew]] for what we need here, rather than [[pike]] or [[pool]]). All that should be here is a comment on how to use the category tag, similar to comments on the [[del]] category page. Users who want to help should find appropriate articles to add links to the [[modding guide]], which can now (as you read this) just be linked via the word "modding".--[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 13:53, 12 March 2010 (UTC)
::A number of modding articles have already been moved into the Modification namespace; since it's listed as a content repository, any search should bring up those articles if a redirect doesn't already exist. --[[User:Briess|Briess]] 15:14, 12 March 2010 (UTC)
== Pages linked from [[Mods]] ==
[[Modding]] and [[Mods]] link to each other as subcategories recursively. R is for Redundant, and Recursive? Which is the category and which is the subcategory?

[[40d Talk:Armor]] As [[User:Albedo]] pointed out with the mod template, this ain't about mods!

[[40d:Basilisk_mod]] Some information on a mod, but no information about acquiring/installing/setting up the mod itself.

[[40d:Cheating]] A pretty decent article about using some simple modding to make the game easier.

[[40d:Color_schemes]] I don't agree that this is modding, since it's in the realm of init changes, but whatever.

[[40d:Deserted_squad_mod]] A good example for the [[40d:Basilisk_mod|Basilisk]] page, even though it still doesn't have install files or instructions.

[[40d:Dwarf_silk]] An even better mod example, using a collapsed 'game data' field at the bottom of the article to contain the raw code for adding the silk-bearded dwarves.

[[40d:Graphics_set_repository]] A different sort of mod that I think improves usability for new players. Still, can step outside the vanilla experience and also involves some more careful text editing and therefore not for the faint of heart.

[[40d:Key_bindings]]

[[40d:Modding_guide]] The excellent Modding Guide!!!

[[40d:New_Plants]] Some decent added plant stuff.

[[40d:Wizard]] I really don't consider this a mod at all.

[[Civilization_Forge]] A good, full page for the Civilization Forge mod.

[[Creature_Modding_Gui]] Stub.

[[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Request_for_Adminship/Albedo]] This is in 'Category:Mods' for some reason. Mods, as in moderators? Don't get me wrong, I do like [[User:Albedo]] ;D.

[[List_of_mods]] Best place ever to post your mod, rather than on its own stub page, or its own page period. Put 'em all in one place.

[[Memory_hacking/v0.28.181.40d18]] I assume this is for advanced modders, people running debuggers, or developing things like LifeVis/3Dwarf.

[[Modification:Chaos_Reigns]] A pretty solid-looking mod. Title 'modification:...' inspires some consideration. vs. 'Mod:...'

[[Modification:Dracon_mod]] This is barely more than a stub with little to no information, and also no links to raw data or downloads.

[[New_Hats]] A simple little paste-this-code-here add on for your game. Great stuff, maybe worth considering a sub-category 'Addons:...' for just such small tweaks to the game.

[[New_creatures]] A few new creatures. Could take a tip from [[New_Hats]] with putting the paste-able code into <code>&ltpre&gt</code> tags.

[[New_frontier]] A total-conversion type mod that again has no downloads. Another concern: No dates, so there's no telling without looking at the history whether progress is recent, or stagnant.

[[Orc]] Says Orcs are sometimes modded into games, but not listed as a race in this Wiki. So why do they have a page, a near-stub, even?

[[Speech_mods]] A guide for modifying the speech that characters use. A good candidate for linking from the [[40d:Modding_Guide]].

[[Tileset_repository]] Well... It's filed under mods, but changing tilesets is pretty easy and since DF already comes with a few tilesets in Vanilla form, is it really that much of a mod? Most of them simply try to nice-up the appearance of walls and objects without making other features or letters look funky in the process.

[[User:Booken]] Keeping a Wyrm addon in a userpage. Formatted nicely similar to [[40d:Dwarf_silk]].

[[User:Exponent/Mineral_Mod]] An incomplete mineral overhaul. Has paste-able code, though, which I approve of.

[[User:Sphr/gfx_set]] An absolutely incredible resource for a Graphics set. Other sets ought to have 1/10 this much information, which is pretty lacking in the [[40d:Graphics_set_repository]]

== Modification namespace ==

I'm gonna go ahead and create a little template box for mods (Name, version, last updated, download link, etc) and then start making pages for everything in [[Mods]]. --{{User:Syzgyn/Sig}} 20:18, 12 March 2010 (UTC)

Category talk:Mods

2010-03-12T20:17:55Z

Syzgyn: /* Modification namespace */

2010-03-10T22:42:26Z

Syzgyn: Fixed double-redirect

#redirect [[40d:Item designations]]

40d:Make Your Own Weapons

2010-03-10T22:41:36Z

Syzgyn: Fixed double-redirect

#REDIRECT [[40d:Make your own weapons]]