Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

Jute

2015-05-17T08:49:25Z

TinyPirate: Changed quality rating from "Tattered" to "Superior" using the rating script

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{{plantlookup|uses=
* ?|wp=Corchorus
}}
{{av}}

'''Jute''' is an [[aboveground]] [[crop]]. Once harvested, jute plants may be [[plant processing|processed]] at a [[farmer's workshop]] to produce jute plant fiber [[thread]].

In real life, jute is grown almost exclusively in India and surrounding countries because it is dependent upon monsoon rains as part of its life cycle, however, in the current version of DF, it merely requires [[tropical]] climates.

The fabric most associated with jute is burlap, and its tough but rough fibers are frequently used in burlap sacks containing common goods. Amusingly, it is widely used to contain cotton bales, which are used to make clothing.

{{gamedata}}
{{Plants}}

Avocado

2015-05-17T08:46:57Z

TinyPirate: Changed quality rating from "Tattered" to "Superior" using the rating script

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{{Treelookup/0|wiki=Avocado
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{{av}}

'''Avocado''' is one of the many genera of trees found above ground. Like the vast majority of above ground trees, avocado [[wood]] is brown and produces brown products.

{{gamedata}}
{{Plants}}
{{Category|Surface trees}}

Artichoke

2015-05-17T08:46:38Z

TinyPirate: Changed quality rating from "Tattered" to "Superior" using the rating script

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{{plantlookup|uses=
* [[Food]]
* [[Alcohol]]
|other_products=
* Hearts
}}
{{av}}

'''Artichokes''' are an [[aboveground]] [[crop|garden vegetable]]. They can be planted in all seasons and grow a purple flower, leaves, and an artichoke heart, which is edible raw or cooked and can also be [[brewing|brewed]] into [[alcohol|artichoke wine]]. They can be [[preferences|preferred]] by dwarves for their "yummy hearts".

{{gamedata}}
{{Plants}}

Alfalfa

2015-05-17T08:46:18Z

TinyPirate: Changed quality rating from "Tattered" to "Superior" using the rating script

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{{plantlookup|uses=
* ?
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{{av}}

'''Alfalfa''' is an [[aboveground]] [[crop]].

{{gamedata}}
{{Plants}}

Duck

2015-05-17T08:45:05Z

TinyPirate: Changed quality rating from "Superior" to "Exceptional" using the rating script

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{{Creaturelookup/0
|skull=1
|contrib=no
|wiki=yes}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

A duck is a small [[domestic animal|domestic bird]]. A male of the species is known as a "drake" (do not confuse with [[dragon]]!), and the young are known as "ducklings". It is one of the few domestic birds that can also be found as a wild population in the correct [[biome]].

Ducks are the smallest of the common domestic poultry, so small that they need not be [[butchery|butchered]], and indeed cannot be. They take two years to grow to full size, and have a relatively short lifespan. These qualities make raising ducks a poor choice for a [[meat industry]]. However, on average, ducks lay the second most eggs of any domestic bird (8-13, exceeded only by [[turkey]]s' 10-14), and, like all domestic poultry, grow to adulthood in one year, making them a decent choice for [[egg production]].

Some dwarves like ducks for their quacks.

== See also ==

* [[Domestic_animal#Comparison_of_domestic_poultry|Comparison of domestic poultry]]

{{Gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Animals}}

Dungeon master

2015-05-17T08:44:21Z

TinyPirate: Changed quality rating from "Tattered" to "Superior" using the rating script

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{{av}}
The '''Dungeon master''' does not exist since version 0.34.06. [[animal trainer|Animal training]] is done through the [[Animals]] menu, and does not require a specific [[noble]].

Prior to 0.34.06, the Dungeon master appeared in the [[raw file|raw files]], but would never appear.

{{nobles}}

Tantrum

2015-05-17T08:43:26Z

TinyPirate: Changed quality rating from "Tattered" to "Exceptional" using the rating script

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A '''tantrum''' is a temporary emotional breakdown experienced mainly by dwarves with high [[personality trait|propensity to anger]].

Tantruming dwarves will cancel any job they may be doing at the moment and will start misbehaving, which includes throwing items around, starting fist fights (with the possibility of severely [[Wound|injuring]] other dwarves), toppling and destroying buildings or hurting [[pet]]s. This is of course [[Justice|illegal]], and they will be imprisoned or flogged for their behaviour. But even though they are punished, if their punishment is [[Hammerer|more harsh than usual]], their death (or the results of their misbehaviour) may cause increased [[stress]] among your fortress's inhabitants, eventually spiralling out of control and [[fun|destroying your fortress]].

Tantruming may be a warning that the certain dwarf may go [[insane|berserk]].

To make tantrums less likely, see the article on [[keeping your dwarves happy]].

==Mechanics==
The new mechanics for tantrums are not yet known.



==Example==

(This requires lots of friends, married couples, and the oh so common bad luck.)

* Asob, a [[craftsdwarf]], gets the [[Strange mood|urge]] to build a mysterious construction, but unfortunately there are no bones or shells to be had.
* Asob goes [[Insanity|berserk]], kills Bëmbul, and wounds Cilob. Asob is then struck down by Ilral, making an unhappy thought for Asob's friend Edëm.
* Bëmbul's lover Dodók, and friends Edëm and Fikod, get a strong unhappy thought.
* Dodók, going to help Cilob, throws a tantrum. He kills Cilob in his rage, giving another unhappy thought to Cilob's friend Fikod.
* Fikod, now horribly unhappy from the death of two of his friends, throws a tantrum destroying Edëm's and Dodók's beds.
* Edëm, now ''very unhappy'' from two of her friends dying as well as losing her bed, goes [[Insanity|melancholy]] and commits suicide by jumping down the well, giving an unhappy thought for Dodók and Litast; and contaminating the only water source.
* Dodók, despite the happy thought for fighting (and killing) Cilob, is overwhelmed by unhappy thoughts and tantrums again. This time he destroys a bridge, drowning Fikod in the moat (as it has no ramps), and then attacks Geshud.
* Fikod's friends, Kikrost and Litast, both get an unhappy thought.
* Edëm's body, inaccessible, rots, causing Litast to tantrum. He punches Geshud, hospitalizing him.
* Dodók once again punches someone, this time Kikrost - cutting his lip.
* Without fresh water, Geshud dies a slow death of dehydration.
* Kikrost, even more angry due to being punched, punches Dodók back.
* Dodók, finally being overwhelmed, goes stark raving mad.
* Kikrost, angry about being Dodók's punching bag, punches Litast, and Litast punches Ilral.
* Kikrost, unable to wash his lip with clean water combined with all of the rotting corpses, succumbs to infection.
* Dodók dives into magma, creating an unhappy thought for Dodók's friend, Ilral.
* Ilral, a skilled warrior, in the wake of death and [[miasma]] finally goes berserk and finishes the fortress off.



===Summary===

Fortress at the start: 10 "normal" dwarves.

Fortress after tantrum spiral: 9 dead dwarves, 1 berserk dwarf (likely soon to die from starvation/dehydration). Causing fortress-stopping [[Losing|Fun]].

As a result of not having the right bones or any shells, your fortress falls. The main thing that started this mess was Bëmbul's death. And bad luck. Isn't losing [[Losing|Fun]]?

==Damage Control==
It is possible to survive a tantrum spiral, but it's going to take some serious damage control.
*Prioritize making [[alcohol]], [[coffin]]s, and [[food]] over everything else. Stop any unnecessary work.
*Bury all that die, burial lessens the unhappiness of death, and prevents miasma and [[ghost]]s.
*Handle the most unhappy dwarves with special care. Giving them additional rooms and furniture could slow down their happiness decrease. Relieve them from work and let them meet their friends, pets and relatives if they have any. Expedition leader/Mayor/Baron etc. could sometimes give them consolations, or be yelled at, so make him available for meetings. If situation around a certain dwarf seems unresolvable, try to isolate him while you can, preferably with walls.
*Move military inside to kill anyone that berserks. You'll die if an ambush hits you during the spiral anyway.
*Create Jails by placing rope or chains in small rooms. Under Build (b) Restraint (v), then select the restraint using (q) and select Use for Justice (j), much like you would when placing a bed and making a bedroom. This will place people misbehaving or throwing tantrums in jail. Then if they do go berserk, they will be restrained away from everyone else until the military arrives to deal with them. When a fortress starts Tantrum spiraling make as many Jails as needed.
*Also, if, by a stroke of luck, some already-happy migrants come, then they will add to population and you will now have dwarfs who will do work without being interrupted by the need to destroy everything.
*Confining a dwarf to a [[burrow]] will prevent him from starting a fist fight, generating instead the announcement 'Urist McAngry cancels Starting Fist Fight: Target inaccessible.' This only works if his chosen target is outside the burrow designation and is extremely useful in preventing a tantrum spiral, as it prevents any death or injury resulting from the fight. This is presumably a bug.

== Prevention ==
[[Keeping your dwarves happy]] is an important task. While it's easy enough to keep everyone happy under normal circumstances, trying times, like the aftermath of bloody goblin [[ambush]]es, will push any fortress dangerously close to a spiral.

Having a high overall happiness helps, but the best on-the-spot prevention is [[solitary confinement]]. Lavish room and board arrangements into which the dwarves can be locked will prevent their aggravation from spreading, as their upturning of chairs will not affect any of the other fortress occupants, as well as working wonders for even the most hardened of prima donnas.

== Prevention, second method ==

There is another alternative way to avoid tantrum spirals. It is quite a bit more difficult, but generally far more dwarven and !!FUN!!.

The whole point is to expose all of your population to enough violence so that they take the trait "doesn't care about anything anymore".

Most of your military eventually acquires the trait naturally. This trait makes the dwarf not care about death, so they will stay "quite content" and will not generally not throw tantrums.

You have many choices for exposing your dwarves to violence. Dropping dogs, cats or poultry 15 z-levels on top your meeting zone seems to be the safest way to do it. You can also put your whole fort into the military or make everyone a hunter and make them kill animals or enemies, but this is quite long and unwieldy.

Since a dwarf with this trait does not tantrum, tantrums and therefore tantrum spirals will become exceedingly rare, and if you manage to immunize your whole fort, not only tantrum spirals will not happen, but general dwarf mood will be equalized, leading them to not care (much) about Spartan living conditions.

== When the Fun doesn't stop ==

Sometimes a tantrum spiral starts, and doesn't want to stop. This can be disastrous to a fort, and not just the [[Fun|usual]] ways. A lucky fort can linger on long enough even with most of the populace too busy rioting to work. If it gets bad enough the player may be left unable to take any action to salvage the situation, and such a fort's downfall is often from the player abandoning after getting bored staring helplessly at a screen for (in-game, hopefully) months.

At that point, you've got two options. Either hit abandon, or keep waiting to see if things will calm down so you can regain control. Or maybe the dwarves will finally destroy themselves in an entertaining manner.

== The Dreams of a Dwarf ==
{{D for Dwarf}}

[[File:Tantrum while sleeping.PNG|200px|thumb|right|Even when sleeping, a dwarf can throw a tantrum]]

Sleeping is, as all dwarves know, a <s>utter waste of booze-drinking time</s> necessary functionality that exists to prevent the creation of inferior booze. But a dwarf has <s>spoiled child</s> dwarfy needs and, as such, even in the middle of [[Siege|welcoming foreign diplomats]], completely depleted of energy, a dwarf will show his essence and throw a tantrum.

How a dwarf is able to throw a tantrum while sleeping is a mystery for the ages. Urist McDoctor claims that, while the tantrum doesn't manifest physically, mentally, in Dreamland, the dwarf sees himself in the grandest of Fortresses, hurling [[Magma|snowballs]] to their [[Elf|fellow man]], creating dreams worthy of a dwarf.

{{Category|Dwarves}}
{{Category|Thoughts}}
{{Category|Justice}}

DF2014:Help! My civilians keep running into combat!

2015-05-17T08:42:33Z

TinyPirate: Updated quality rating timestamp ("Tattered") using the rating script

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{{av}}
After the bodies start falling, and sometimes even before, citizens will run like madmen right into the middle of a [[combat]] situation. We'd like to think of it as natural selection, but unfortunately all dwarves are just that stupid. The simplest way to deal with this problem is to confine your civilians to a [[burrow]] using a [[civilian alert]].

{{Military FAQ}}
{{Category|Fortress defense}}

Minecart logic

2014-08-20T10:42:22Z

TinyPirate: /* See Also */

{{Migrated_article}}
{{Quality|Superior|20:51, 30 April 2013 (UTC)}}
{{Computing}}
{{av}}

The addition of [[minecart]]s to Dwarf Fortress has opened up new and exciting logic and computing options for the ambitious fortress manager. Minecart-based logic gates and memory cells are easy to build, quick to react, and can even be built without power, water, or creatures. The training your [[doctor]]s will receive is just one of many reasons to compute with minecarts!

==Techniques and Circuits==

There exist a great number of different techniques by which a minecart can receive input, compute, and deliver output. This article does not aim for a comprehensive list of techniques and circuits; the interested reader is encouraged to investigate further. The following examples were chosen to demonstrate both a variety of techniques and a few commonly used gates.

====Key====
Adequately diagramming minecart logic devices can be difficult; each tile on each z-level might need to display up to four slices (track, [[ramp]], [[furniture]], minecart) that can lay on top of each other. Ramps are displayed on the furniture layer for the sake of simplicity, and some slices may be omitted when unnecessary. Components of each lower slice are displayed on the higher slice when unchanged by new components to give the reader a sense of position. Wall {{Raw Tile|O|#FFF|#000}} is typically displayed only where it is essential to the operation of the circuit, and drawn only as sequences of pillars to avoid confusion with track. Unengraved floor {{Raw Tile|,|#FFF|#000}} is sometimes needed for other components, but of course can be smoothed as desired. Track direction is laid out with {{Raw Tile|║|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|═|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╗|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╝|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╚|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╔|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╩|#FFF|#000}} and ends in a tile with {{Raw Tile|╨|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╥|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╡|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╞|#FFF|#000}}. Minecarts {{Raw Tile|■|#FFF|#000}} are accelerated by rollers to the east {{Raw Tile|╟|#FFF|#000}} west {{Raw Tile|╢|#FFF|#000}} north {{Raw Tile|╧|#FFF|#000}} or south {{Raw Tile|╤|#FFF|#000}} and decelerated by track stops {{Raw Tile|≡|#FFF|#000}}. Rollers are controlled via [[Gear_assembly|gear assemblies]], either engaged {{Raw Tile|☼|#FFF|#000}} or disengaged {{Raw Tile|☼|#777|#000}}, typically connected to sufficient [[power]] {{Raw Tile|P|#0F0|#000}}. [[Pressure plate]]s {{Raw Tile|^|#FFF|#000}} provide output and, in some cases, modulate the circuit itself. Up {{Raw Tile|▲|#FFF|#000}} and down {{Raw Tile|▼|#FFF|#000}} ramps may be necessary to travel z-levels or alter minecart velocity; they may be roofed or covered with empty space {{Raw Tile|.|#0FF|#000}} in some views. [[Hatch]]es {{Raw Tile|¢|#FFF|#000}} and retractable [[bridge]]s {{Raw Tile|╬|#000|#CCC}} are commonly used to control the path of minecarts. Where necessary, clarification can be found in the descriptions of each circuit.

===Power to signal===
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
O O
╥, ╤☼
║ [#F0F]^[#0F0]P
╨, ╧☼
O O
track furniture}}

In this, the simplest of all designs, the output plate sends an '''on''' signal when the gear assemblies {{Raw Tile|☼|#FFF|#000}} are powered {{Raw Tile|P|#0F0|#000}}. When power is lost, the minecart settles onto either the northern or southern roller spaces, and the output plate sends an '''off''' signal.

This device is very general purpose. Left as an exercise for the reader, alternate construction can result in edge detection or in a [[repeater]] design.

===Newton's Cradle Memory===
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
O O O
╥, ╤[#0C0]☼[#0F0]P [#000][#0f0]■[#0C0]☼[#0F0]P
║ ║ ║
║ [#F0F]^ [#000][#ff0]■
╨, ╧[#CC0]☼[#0F0]P ╧[#CC0]☼[#0F0]P
O O O
track furniture minecart}}

[[User:TinyPirate|TinyPirate]]'s Newton's Cradle [[Memory_(computing)|memory]] cell is notable both for its small footprint and for demonstrating an important principle of minecarts. When the northern gear assembly {{Raw Tile|☼|#0C0|#000}} is briefly engaged, the northern roller {{Raw Tile|╤|#FFF|#000}} becomes powered, launching the northern minecart {{Raw Tile|■|#000|#0F0}} into the southern minecart {{Raw Tile|■|#000|#FF0}}. The southern minecart then leaves the output plate {{Raw Tile|^|#F0F|#000}} and settles on the southern (unpowered) roller. When the southern gear assembly is briefly engaged, the situation reverses: the southern minecart settles on the output plate, knocking the northern minecart onto the northern (unpowered) roller-- as in its original state.

===Continuous roller OR===
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
╔═╗═╗ ╔═╗═╗
║ ║O║ ║ [#F0F]^O║
║ ║O║ ╤[#0F0]☼╧O║
║ ║O║ [#0F0]P╤[#FF0]☼╧O║
╚═╩═╝ ╚═╧═╝
track furniture}}
[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114923.msg3891809#msg3891809 Veylon's] roller OR continuously evaluates two operands via a minecart traveling counter-clockwise using principles of power transmission through single tile rollers. Should either input {{Raw Tile|☼|#0F0|#000}} or {{Raw Tile|☼|#FF0|#000}} be engaged, power {{Raw Tile|P|#0F0|#000}} is transmitted to the southernmost, S->N roller {{Raw Tile|╧|#FFF|#000}}. Although the minecart is left with diagonal velocity, walls prevent derailment. When neither input is engaged, the minecart continues over the T-junction to the east, missing the output plate {{Raw Tile|^|#F0F|#000}}.

===Roller switched AND===
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
║ ║
╔╗ [#0F0]P[#0F0]╧╗
║║ ║║
╔╗ [#0F0]P[#FF0]╧╗
║║ [#F0F]^║
╚╗ ╚╗
track furniture}}
[[User:Larix|Larix]]'s roller-switched AND takes advantage of the behavior of rollers to avoid troublesome diagonal velocity. It is potentially confusing both for the counter-intuitive direction of its rollers as well as the way that rollers respond to signals. When the minecart encounters either activated (that is, the last signal received was an '''off''') S->N roller {{Raw Tile|╧|#FF0|#000}} or {{Raw Tile|╧|#0F0|#000}}, its velocity is completely rewritten and reversed, sending it onto the alternate (clockwise) path. Should neither roller be activated (that is, the last signal received by both was an '''on'''), the track bends will be ignored and the minecart will travel directly south, over the output plate {{Raw Tile|^|#F0F|#000}}.

===Resetting bridge-derailment AND===
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
O[#0FF].═[#0FF]. O▼═▼ O[#FF0]¢═▼

track ramp furniture
z+1
O╔O╗ O▲O▲ O▲O▲
╚═╚ ╚═▲ [#000][#0f0]╬[#F0F]^▲
╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝
track ramp furniture
z+0}}

When both the yellow hatch {{Raw Tile|¢|#FF0|#000}} and the green retractable bridge {{Raw Tile|╬|#000|#0F0}} are open, minecarts on this circuit make a continuous loop, triggering the output plate {{Raw Tile|^|#F0F|#000}}. If either is closed, the plate is never activated. If the bridge is closed, the minecart derails to the southern path, avoiding the plate. If the hatch is closed, the minecart is unable to drop into the northwest ramp, and so sits on the upper, northwestern tile until the hatch opens.

There are many concerns when using a gate like this. Minecarts can be flung when a bridge changes state underneath them, and unfortunately, hatch covers cannot provide the same derailment effect on flat track. Additionally, because your minecart never evaluates both operands at exactly the same moment, it's possible for this gate to output when neither operand is actually true (i.e., last received an '''on''' signal) at the same moment.

It's not always a problem, but this behavior is common to AND gates. Paradoxically, one solution is to moderate your inputs via an extra AND gate; this design shows how that can be done. When a large number of circuits such as that shown are created and the hatches of all of them are linked to a single lever, a quick flick (on and off) of that lever can guarantee that all of your circuits fire at the same time-- that is, that all of your inputs for the next computation change state simultaneously. The minecarts then return to their position atop the hatches, ready for another flick of your clock lever.

Worth noting, as well, is the central eastern impulse ramp that allows the minecart to maintain enough velocity to complete this circuit. Impulse ramps like this can be used to make unpowered gates. However, their behavior is unintuitive, and they should only be used with extreme caution. For example, in the diagram above, such a device used for continuous AND evaluation (rather than the resetting AND suggested in the text) is likely to accelerate the minecart on each pass, such that the minecart will stop moving after some number of circuits.

===MPL NOT===
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\

O, O,
track ramp
z+2
╔═╗ ╔═╗ ╔═╗
O══[#0FF].[#0FF].╝ O▲═▼▼╝ O▲[#F0F]^▼[#0F0]¢╝
track ramp furniture
z+1

OOO══O OOO▲▲O
track ramp
z+0
}}

Larix's [[User:Larix/MPL/2|powerless logic gates]] avoid the reliability and latency issues that plague many minecart designs through the use of paired impulse ramps and hatches that control not just path, but direction of movement. A minecart traveling the pictured circuit while the input hatch {{Raw Tile|¢|#0F0|#000}} is open will settle into a counter-clockwise path, regardless of the direction of its initial velocity. Yet when the hatch becomes closed, the minecart cannot travel counter-clockwise, but instead is accelerated in the clockwise direction, onto the output plate {{Raw Tile|^|#F0F|#000}}. It will then oscillate between the far east and far west ramps until the hatch is opened, at which point it will resume counter-clockwise motion.

Use of ramps with high-velocity minecarts may necessitate ceilings as demonstrated on z+2. The exact nature of the ceiling (floor, wall) is unimportant. Some diagrammed walls are unnecessary for the design and are drawn to help the reader in orientation.

===Other techniques and gates===
Any logic gate can be made with a combination of those shown. NAND, for instance, is NOT AND; XOR is OR AND (NOT AND). Clocks and edge detection are suggested and proven designs exist, if not on this page. But the examples above were chosen for the disparate techniques they demonstrate. The interested reader is encouraged to further research, or the design of his or her own gates.

Doors can be used to block the travel of a minecart through a circuit, or to prevent derailment, although for reliability's sake, care needs to be taken that the door cannot change state while the minecart is in motion, or it may jam on top of the minecart. [[Floodgate]]s won't jam in this fashion, although they do introduce some latency. Minecarts of multiple weights, with pressure plates that trigger only on the weight of one, may be used in certain designs; Bloodbeard's fantastically tiny [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114923.msg3532411#msg3532411 load-adjusted memory cell] is a good example. Rollers can be used perpendicularly to a track to derail a cart and impart diagonal velocity. Switchable track stops can prevent or permit derailment. The possibilities are far from exhausted-- and that's assuming one is only interested in ''practical'' techniques.

==Integration with other disciplines==
There's no reason minecart logic needs to be used in isolation. Combining it with other logical disciplines allows one to use each where it is strong, and avoid each where it is weak.

===[[Mechanical logic]]===
This is the most obvious choice. Mechanical logic offers the potential for incredible speed, yet requires a medium to generate useful signals or to create delay (hence, to create repeaters), and it's hard to use gear assemblies as memory cells. Minecart logic excels at precisely these tasks. Minecart-based power-to-signal and memory are tiny and fast. Minecart-based delay is precisely tunable. The superiority of minecart logic has made water obsolete for these purposes.

===[[Creature logic]]===
Minecart logic, particularly Larix's powerless MPL logic, has replaced creature logic as the logic-of-last-resort (for when power and fluid are unavailable) or first-resort (for when computation is desired before power can be set up or fluid accessed). However, for the borg logic hobbyist, integration with minecarts suggests interesting possibilities. It is difficult to imagine a simpler clock than a minecart with a "push always after x days" condition, and guided minecarts offer unprecedented control over the path of [[dwarf|dwarves]].

===[[Fluid logic]]===
Minecart logic outperforms fluid logic sufficiently to have mostly replaced it. However, the problem of automated fluid delivery may be best solved through some fluid logic techniques, and may suggest some [[stupid dwarf trick]]s for those that want to use the fluid capacity of minecarts to compute.

== See Also ==
* BloodBeard's [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114923.0 Minecart Dwarfputing Ideas] thread.
* TinyPirate's [http://youtu.be/qgfDPZbdI0A Minecart Logic 101] instructional video.
* [[User:Larix/MPL|Powerless logic]] based on hatch-switched minecarts. [[User:Larix/MPL/2|Logic gates]] built under this design doctrine.

{{Category|Fortress mode}}
{{Category|Computing}}
{{Category|Logic}}

User talk:TinyPirate

2014-07-21T10:26:11Z

TinyPirate:

Author of "Getting Started with Dwarf Fortress" and contributor to pages on mechanical logic (especially minecarts). Inventor of Dwarf Fortress' smallest PSC!

v0.34 Talk:Minecart logic

2014-03-29T07:30:43Z

TinyPirate: /* General Comments */

==Double-carted power-to-signal converter==
"The light green gear is still engaged but no power is being sent to it because the dark green is off." - Why is this the case? Is the pressure plate linked to the dark green gear assembly in addition to the intended output machines? If so, why is this not stated in the article? --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 10:52, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

** Power is coming in on the bottom gear, so when it is disengaged by the pressure plate it doesn't matter that the top gear is engaged, or not, no power can be transmitted up the axel to activate the roller. It made sense to me... but that whole area needs re-writing to remove the personal voice anyway, I guess. --[[User:TinyPirate|TinyPirate]] 10:57, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

::: Isn't this more of a latch? If i understand it correctly, it must be switched off with a signal and won't turn off when power to the gear is cut. --[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 17:57, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
::: PS: if i haven't got it completely wrong, it's simply a NOT gate, but this fact is obscured by the complicated operation. The proof of a Power-to-Signal generator is ''deconstructing'' an axle or other powered component so power connection is lost without signals: this should turn the device off. --[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 01:55, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

== MPL ==

I added a mention of the stuff i've worked on and added a link to my user page. Edits and suggestions for improvement are welcome.--[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 17:59, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

==ASCII diagrams==
Planning a bit of a redesign, including implementing ASCII diagrams (which I believe are preferred? but correct me if mistaken). Problem: anybody know where I can find that minecart character? better yet, anybody willing to just paste it into a response for me? [[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] ([[User talk:Vasiln|talk]]) 04:50, 20 February 2014 (UTC)
:It's at [[character table]] somewhere (the variable-width font makes it hard to tell, especially on mobile, so I'm not sure exactly what it is).
:Also, I've been working on a diagram replacement, which will hopefully be up soon once Briess gets a chance to deploy it. It has more syntax features and actually displays things in the DF font. :) (feel free go ahead and set up diagrams, though - I feel like diagrams are more efficient than a series of small pictures). —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 12:50, 20 February 2014 (UTC)
:Okay, according to the raws it's 254, which looks like a square to me on the table (and here): <code>{{char|254}}</code>
:{{diagram|■}} also looks like a square, so I'm not really sure if that's right or not. —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 13:01, 20 February 2014 (UTC)
:Never mind, it has [INVERTED_TILE]. Just change the colors and it should work. —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 13:04, 20 February 2014 (UTC)
::Thank you very much!

:::I should have mentioned how to do background colors - currently they work like this: <code>[fg][bg]x</code>
:::So a minecart would be <code>[#000][#ccc]{{#char:254}}</code>, which produces:
{{diagram|spaces=yes|minecart: [#000][#ccc]{{#char:254}} (extra padding)}}
:::(Minecarts don't display very well with the diagram font, unfortunately.)
:::I also made a new parser function: {{<nowiki/>#char}}. It converts a number into the corresponding character, so <nowiki>{{#char:254}}</nowiki> produces {{#char:254}}. Hopefully it's easier than copying things from the character table individually. —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 19:49, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
::Will get it nicer over next few days. Iterative process :)[[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] ([[User talk:Vasiln|talk]]) 01:45, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

== Examples ==

I agree that the examples were a bit lengthy, but maybe we could move them to a subpage (e.g. [[DF2012:Minecart logic/Examples]]) instead of removing them entirely. I think some people would still prefer to have examples available somewhere, even if they're not on this page. —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 00:47, 22 February 2014 (UTC)
:The examples I got rid of were all on bloodbeard's thread, which is still linked at the bottom of the page. Other logic pages handle the potential for variation similarly: linking to threads and user pages. Of course, that doesn't mean it's ideal. I believe that when this page is fleshed out a bit more (which I will do over the next week) it won't seem as severe. Summary: that might be a good idea, but I think we should wait a bit before deciding?[[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] ([[User talk:Vasiln|talk]]) 01:45, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

::That's fine with me (I must have missed the links at the bottom). I did think this page needed reworking, so go right ahead. :) —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 02:56, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

:::Coming along nicely. I think the examples give a good impression of the basic doctrines of minecart logic. I'd suggest a better design for the powered Path-Switch example:

:::===Roller-switched NOR===
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
║ ║
╔╗ [#0F0]P[#0F0]╧╗
║║ ║║
╔╗ [#0F0]P[#0FF]╧╗
║║ [#F0F]^║
╚╗ ╚╗
track furniture}}

:::Using your basic design, but without causing derailing/rerailing (diagonal movement forced by perpendicular rollers) and thus cutting out the need for restricting walls to the east. Rollers working against the cart's movement direction instantly revert it, and corners, even on the same tile as the roller, redirect the cart without issue.

:::When the rollers are off, the cart will still pass in a straight line without any complications. This switch design is somewhat unintuitive, since it uses a roller direction apparently opposed to any desired output directions, but it's the most compact and well-behaved switch design.--[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 05:16, 25 February 2014 (UTC)
Thanks, I've put it in. It looks like an AND to me, although it is a bit of a puzzle, thanks to easily conflated power/signal and the weird behavior of rollers (deactivate-on-open). I'm not perfectly confident, so if I'm mistaken, feel free to correct the page. And as a further comment, there are still a few principles that may need demonstration. I am unsure if any more belong. Increasingly, I say to myself, "You could do that, but why?" about further techniques. [[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] ([[User talk:Vasiln|talk]]) 22:27, 25 February 2014 (UTC)

: I tend to prefer articles that stay reasonably compact. Very long articles can become difficult to navigate (cf. the Minecart article, which has grown so large it could really use splitting up). This article is probably nowhere near this point yet, but i'd be careful about further expansion. As it stands, the article shows the main realistically applicable doctrines of minecart usage in logic and gives good explanations of how they work. There are other techniques, but those that i know of are for now solidly in the realm of stupid dwarf tricks.

: And you're absolutely right: by default, when using un-toggled gears to run the rollers, this works as an AND gate. Terminology in DF logic is always difficult to keep transparent, particularly mechanical logic is prone to confusion with its toggle rules, and powered minecarts inherit some of that.--[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 16:28, 26 February 2014 (UTC)

== General Comments ==
Hi all. Wow, this page has come along brilliantly! I'm wondering why the ramp-based PSC got canned from the page? [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114923.msg3604219#msg3604219 here's the link] - it's simpler and cheaper to build than the ones on the page and just as effective. Maybe I'm missing something? :D [[User:TinyPirate|TinyPirate]] ([[User talk:TinyPirate|talk]]) 08:17, 25 March 2014 (UTC)

Hello.
I can't speak for VasilN, but the purpose of the re-work was to show the variety of minecart logic, through exemplary, not necessarily the best circuits. So i guess while your PSC is small, cheap and easy to build, he didn't find it particularly "typical" of its discipline. The first shown design is probably the most "typical" example of a cart-and-roller PSC and also demonstrates the versatility of combining mechanical logic with minecarts, since it can be reconfigured not only into a repeater (can be done with all PSCs) but also into an edge detector.

Bloodbeard's Minecart Logic thread is linked from the bottom of the page, as first "further reading" suggestion.
--[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 11:21, 25 March 2014 (UTC)

:No worries, makes sense! [[User:TinyPirate|TinyPirate]] ([[User talk:TinyPirate|talk]]) 07:30, 29 March 2014 (UTC)

v0.34 Talk:Minecart logic

2014-03-25T08:18:22Z

TinyPirate:

v0.34 Talk:Minecart logic

2014-03-25T08:17:51Z

TinyPirate:

==Double-carted power-to-signal converter==
"The light green gear is still engaged but no power is being sent to it because the dark green is off." - Why is this the case? Is the pressure plate linked to the dark green gear assembly in addition to the intended output machines? If so, why is this not stated in the article? --[[User:Quietust|Quietust]] 10:52, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

** Power is coming in on the bottom gear, so when it is disengaged by the pressure plate it doesn't matter that the top gear is engaged, or not, no power can be transmitted up the axel to activate the roller. It made sense to me... but that whole area needs re-writing to remove the personal voice anyway, I guess. --[[User:TinyPirate|TinyPirate]] 10:57, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

::: Isn't this more of a latch? If i understand it correctly, it must be switched off with a signal and won't turn off when power to the gear is cut. --[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 17:57, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
::: PS: if i haven't got it completely wrong, it's simply a NOT gate, but this fact is obscured by the complicated operation. The proof of a Power-to-Signal generator is ''deconstructing'' an axle or other powered component so power connection is lost without signals: this should turn the device off. --[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 01:55, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

== MPL ==

I added a mention of the stuff i've worked on and added a link to my user page. Edits and suggestions for improvement are welcome.--[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 17:59, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

==ASCII diagrams==
Planning a bit of a redesign, including implementing ASCII diagrams (which I believe are preferred? but correct me if mistaken). Problem: anybody know where I can find that minecart character? better yet, anybody willing to just paste it into a response for me? [[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] ([[User talk:Vasiln|talk]]) 04:50, 20 February 2014 (UTC)
:It's at [[character table]] somewhere (the variable-width font makes it hard to tell, especially on mobile, so I'm not sure exactly what it is).
:Also, I've been working on a diagram replacement, which will hopefully be up soon once Briess gets a chance to deploy it. It has more syntax features and actually displays things in the DF font. :) (feel free go ahead and set up diagrams, though - I feel like diagrams are more efficient than a series of small pictures). —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 12:50, 20 February 2014 (UTC)
:Okay, according to the raws it's 254, which looks like a square to me on the table (and here): <code>{{char|254}}</code>
:{{diagram|■}} also looks like a square, so I'm not really sure if that's right or not. —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 13:01, 20 February 2014 (UTC)
:Never mind, it has [INVERTED_TILE]. Just change the colors and it should work. —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 13:04, 20 February 2014 (UTC)
::Thank you very much!

:::I should have mentioned how to do background colors - currently they work like this: <code>[fg][bg]x</code>
:::So a minecart would be <code>[#000][#ccc]{{#char:254}}</code>, which produces:
{{diagram|spaces=yes|minecart: [#000][#ccc]{{#char:254}} (extra padding)}}
:::(Minecarts don't display very well with the diagram font, unfortunately.)
:::I also made a new parser function: {{<nowiki/>#char}}. It converts a number into the corresponding character, so <nowiki>{{#char:254}}</nowiki> produces {{#char:254}}. Hopefully it's easier than copying things from the character table individually. —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 19:49, 21 February 2014 (UTC)
::Will get it nicer over next few days. Iterative process :)[[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] ([[User talk:Vasiln|talk]]) 01:45, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

== Examples ==

I agree that the examples were a bit lengthy, but maybe we could move them to a subpage (e.g. [[DF2012:Minecart logic/Examples]]) instead of removing them entirely. I think some people would still prefer to have examples available somewhere, even if they're not on this page. —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 00:47, 22 February 2014 (UTC)
:The examples I got rid of were all on bloodbeard's thread, which is still linked at the bottom of the page. Other logic pages handle the potential for variation similarly: linking to threads and user pages. Of course, that doesn't mean it's ideal. I believe that when this page is fleshed out a bit more (which I will do over the next week) it won't seem as severe. Summary: that might be a good idea, but I think we should wait a bit before deciding?[[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] ([[User talk:Vasiln|talk]]) 01:45, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

::That's fine with me (I must have missed the links at the bottom). I did think this page needed reworking, so go right ahead. :) —[[User:Lethosor|Lethosor]] ([[User talk:Lethosor|talk]]) 02:56, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

:::Coming along nicely. I think the examples give a good impression of the basic doctrines of minecart logic. I'd suggest a better design for the powered Path-Switch example:

:::===Roller-switched NOR===
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
║ ║
╔╗ [#0F0]P[#0F0]╧╗
║║ ║║
╔╗ [#0F0]P[#0FF]╧╗
║║ [#F0F]^║
╚╗ ╚╗
track furniture}}

:::Using your basic design, but without causing derailing/rerailing (diagonal movement forced by perpendicular rollers) and thus cutting out the need for restricting walls to the east. Rollers working against the cart's movement direction instantly revert it, and corners, even on the same tile as the roller, redirect the cart without issue.

:::When the rollers are off, the cart will still pass in a straight line without any complications. This switch design is somewhat unintuitive, since it uses a roller direction apparently opposed to any desired output directions, but it's the most compact and well-behaved switch design.--[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 05:16, 25 February 2014 (UTC)
Thanks, I've put it in. It looks like an AND to me, although it is a bit of a puzzle, thanks to easily conflated power/signal and the weird behavior of rollers (deactivate-on-open). I'm not perfectly confident, so if I'm mistaken, feel free to correct the page. And as a further comment, there are still a few principles that may need demonstration. I am unsure if any more belong. Increasingly, I say to myself, "You could do that, but why?" about further techniques. [[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] ([[User talk:Vasiln|talk]]) 22:27, 25 February 2014 (UTC)

: I tend to prefer articles that stay reasonably compact. Very long articles can become difficult to navigate (cf. the Minecart article, which has grown so large it could really use splitting up). This article is probably nowhere near this point yet, but i'd be careful about further expansion. As it stands, the article shows the main realistically applicable doctrines of minecart usage in logic and gives good explanations of how they work. There are other techniques, but those that i know of are for now solidly in the realm of stupid dwarf tricks.

: And you're absolutely right: by default, when using un-toggled gears to run the rollers, this works as an AND gate. Terminology in DF logic is always difficult to keep transparent, particularly mechanical logic is prone to confusion with its toggle rules, and powered minecarts inherit some of that.--[[User:Larix|Larix]] ([[User talk:Larix|talk]]) 16:28, 26 February 2014 (UTC)

Hi all. Wow, this page has come along brilliantly! I'm wondering why the ramp-based PSC got canned from the page? [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114923.msg3604219#msg3604219 here's the link] - it's simpler and cheaper to build than the ones on the page and just as effective. Maybe I'm missing something? :D [[User:TinyPirate|TinyPirate]] ([[User talk:TinyPirate|talk]]) 08:17, 25 March 2014 (UTC)

User:TinyPirate

2012-09-26T11:59:22Z

TinyPirate:

* Author of [http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920022565.do Getting Started with Dwarf Fortress]
* Say hi [http://twitter.com/tinypirate @tinypirate]
* Here to contribute some work to the minecarts/computing sections - when I work out how to do so well.
* I've [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu-j8TsYEsQ made a video] showing off a minecart shotgun and some minecart-based logic gates.
* I've [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrt9qRTWFmY made a video] showing how to make a minecart logic cell.

v0.34:Minecart logic

2012-09-26T11:58:01Z

TinyPirate: /* See Also */

The addition of minecarts to Dwarf Fortress has opened up new and exciting logic and computing options for the ambitious fortress manager. Minecart-based logic gates and memory cells are easy to build (arguably easier than [[fluid logic]] systems, they are easy to reconfigure, and react quickly.

== Binary Memory Cells ==
Binary Memory Cells store binary data as a 1 or 0 (on or off). For minecarts this means a minecart occupies a pressure plate to create a 1 and by some means removed to make a 0.

=== Load adjusted memory cell ===

[[File:3tdcbm.png]]

The image is split into three versions to show where the minecarts go, what's beneath the minecarts and what's beneath the rollers and pressure plates.

The load adjusted memory cell utilizes a pressure plates' load adjusting feature to only trigger at certain weights. In this example the pressure plate is set to trigger at a weight of 350. The iron minecart occupying the plate weighs less then that so it doesn't trigger while the copper cart (being the heavier of the two at 357) would trigger it. Sending power to the northern roller (which pushes south) will push the copper cart into the iron cart, sending it to the southern roller (which pushes north but is currently inactive) before being pushed itself onto the pressure plate, triggering it. The reverse is done to turn the memory cell off.

This design is the most space-efficient of the memory cells but lacks the activation speed of the next design due to the first cart having to push the second cart before being allowed to trigger the pressure plate.

A modular example of this design, accounting for extra gears to allow complex logic gates:

[[File:Modular3tdcbm.png]]

Compared to the [http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2012:Latch#Mechanical_Logic fluid-mechanical hybrid memory cell] it's nearly 3x smaller and functions just the same without the hassle of getting water to where you need it.

=== Newton's cradle memory cell ===

[[File:Tpmch.png]]

This design has the advantage of activating the pressure plate almost immediately upon power being sent, on par with the [http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2012:Latch#Mechanical_Logic fluid-mechanical hybrid] equivalent. Power is sent to the light green gear, pushing the top cart into the second cart. Like a Newton Cradle, the first cart transfers its momentum to the second cart, knocking it to the other end while the first cart rests on the pressure plate to send an on signal. The gear is then turned off. To turn it off power is sent to the dark green and the reverse happens. The modular design of the load adjusted memory cell can be applied to this as well to save space.

== Power-to-Signal Converters ==

A power-to-signal converter sends an on signal when power is applied and an off signal when power is cut.

=== 2x2 power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:2x2pts.png]]

When power is sent to the gear, the roller sends the cart around in a loop, passing over the pressure plate repeatedly to maintain on on signal. When power is cut the cart returns to the starting position and disengages the pressure plate. The roller in this example pushes the cart from E->W. Pay close attention to the track layout to make sure it works properly. The 2 walls at the top are all that's needed to keep it from derailing.

A modular layout:

[[File:Modular2x2pts.png]]

=== Single-carted power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:Scpts.png]]

The rollers are directed towards the center, so when power is applied to any of the gears the minecart continuously passes over the pressure plate to maintain an on signal, reverting to an off signal when the power is cut.

A modular layout:

[[File:Modularscpts.png]]

More gears than necessary were added to the example above to show how complex you can make the logic gates while maintaining a compact layout.

=== Ramp-based power-to-signal converter ===

[[file:Pscdesign.png]]

Arguably the most efficient design, a PSC that relies on a ramp to return the cart to the start position cuts out the need for a second set of rollers and the power and resource requirements therein.

The roller pushes the cart around the loop, over the pressure plate and on to the ramp, whereupon the minecart rolls back down and on to the rollers again. Rinse and repeat. When the rollers are deactivated the minecart rolls back on to them, allowing the pressure plate to reset. This design does not rely on the floor above being accessible to the minecart (no need to channel anything), the track ramp can be built with floor directly above it.

Obviously, this design could be set to be straight, or curved (as this one is). Straight-line ramp-based PSCs are probably easier to pack together in large numbers if required.

== Other Examples ==

Other components useful for computing in DF

=== Modified load adjusted memory cell ===

[[File:Dcpts.png]]

Perhaps a power-to-signal converter, but perhaps not. I'll put it under other since i'm unsure.

This functions much like the memory cell, but with different linkages (and an axle). Both gears are off by default and power is connected to the dark green gear. Be it by lever or pressure plate, both gears are switched, sending power to both rollers (directed to the center). The copper cart pushes the iron one to the other side, but before the southern roller has time to push it back north the copper cart is rolled onto the pressure plate which is linked to the dark green gear, turning it (and the souther roller) off instantly. The light green gear is still engaged but no power is being sent to it.

Both gears are switched again when you want to turn it off, activating the dark green gear and disengaging the light green, sending both carts back to their starting points, deactivating the pressure plate which turns the dark green off again (but keeps the roller on long enough to push the iron cart thanks to the pressure plates 'off' delay).

With the other examples of power-to-signal converters, only 1 gear is needed to be switched to turn them on and off. If you treat both of these gears as you would a single gear then I guess you could also call it a power-to-signal converter, and would be the only one that has no moving water or minecarts when it's in the on position. Useful if you have a whole bunch of them and want to minimize lag.

== See Also ==
* BloodBeard's [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114923.0 Minecart Dwarfputing Ideas] thread.
* TinyPirate's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrt9qRTWFmY Minecart Logic 101] instructional video.

{{Category|Fortress mode}}
{{Category|Computing}}

v0.34:Minecart logic

2012-09-12T10:37:16Z

TinyPirate: /* Power-to-Signal Converters */

File:Pscdesign.png

2012-09-12T10:33:22Z

TinyPirate: A design I invented for a single-roller power to signal converter.

A design I invented for a single-roller power to signal converter.

v0.34:Computing

2012-09-08T10:04:43Z

TinyPirate: /* Mechanical logic */

{{av}}
{{Quality|Exceptional}}
[[File:7x191.PNG|right|thumb|Dwarven Computing at its best: this calculator has more processing power than twenty dwarves combined! However, that's not really saying much.]]
Computing in Dwarf Fortress is the practice of setting up complex constructions to perform logical operations and calculations; ideally, to control some functionality of your fortress. Even if it isn't a young concept anymore, there is still much room for improvement and development. One reason is that there are many ways to solve one problem. Innovation and invention are encouraged.
=== Binary information ===
Binary information can have one of two possible states: true or false, respectively 1 or 0. In dwarf fortress they can be represented by different entities:
* on/off state or signal of a trigger ([[pressure plate]] or [[lever]])
* power or connection state of a [[machine component]]
* open or closed state of a [[door]] or similar buildings
* [[pressure plate|low/high]] or [[flow|flowing/standing]] [[water|fluid]]
* present [[creature]]s and [[dwarf|borgs]]

Electronic devices and computers base on this elementary form of information, and if you want to go into computing, you’ll have to familiarize yourself with it. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propositional_calculus propositional calculus]
=== Input/Output ===
Input can be any device which can be linked to another device with mechanisms, such as [[lever|levers]] or [[pressure plate|pressure plates]]. Pressure plates can measure water, magma, or creature weight, and can be set to react to your own dwarves if measuring creature weight. If measuring water or magma you specify the minimum and maximum levels at which it should output 'on', and at all other levels it will output an 'off' signal. Regardless of the actual amount of water, magma, or creature weight on your pressure plate, the plate can only output an 'on' or 'off' signal (1 or 0) to whatever devices it is linked to. So everything you build will have a binary base.

====Input elements====
* manual: [[lever]] -> binary on/off signal
* triggered: [[pressure plate]] -> binary on/off signal

According to input, output can be anything that is able to react to an on/off signal. This can be doors, bridges, floodgates allowing or stopping flow, gears controlling pumps and much more. In some special configurations - when [[mechanical logic]] is involved - output may not be a on/off signal but power, thus running or not running a machine component.

Currently to convert from power to an on/off signal, the only way is to use a kind of [[Mechanical_logic#Power_to_signal_converter|power to signal converter]], a screw pump connected to that power source, and a pressure plate to measure whether water is being pumped.


====Output elements====
* signal: [[pressure plate]] -> binary on/off signal -> linkable Object(s)
* power: [[gear assembly]] -> binary power on/power off -> machine

=== Binary logic ===
Basic binary logic takes one or two input bits and creates an output based on them. The devices that perform these operations are commonly called '''logic gates'''. 
* NOT - takes one input and returns the opposite of the input 
{| class="wikitable" border=1
|-
! input A
! NOT
|-
| 0
| 1
|-
| 1
| 0
|} 
* AND - takes two inputs and returns true if both inputs are true
* OR - takes two inputs and returns true if at least one input is true
* XOR - takes two inputs and returns true if exactly one input is true
* NAND - takes two inputs and returns true if either input is false
* NOR - takes two inputs and returns true if both inputs are false
* XNOR - takes two inputs and returns true if both inputs are identical 
{| class="wikitable" border=1
|-
! input A
! input B
! AND
! OR
! XOR
! NAND
! NOR
! NXOR
|-
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 1
| 1
|-
| 0
| 1
| 0
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 0
| 0
|-
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 0
| 0
|-
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 1
|} 
The most human-understandable logic system requires NOT, AND and OR gates, but having a design for either a NAND or a NOR gate is enough to build any of the other gates. Some gates are easier to create or need fewer components than others depending on what discipline your logic relies on. Designing each individual gate that you will need (or using designs that had each individual gate designed) rather than building a gate out of multiple NAND gates or the like will generally result in your dorfputer reacting faster and using less resources (power, water, kittens, construction materials, what-have-you).

=== Complex gates ===
* [[Latch]] - storing and reading a single binary value
* [[Repeater]] - sending a repeating signal
* [[Adder (Computing)|Counter/Adder]] - binary calculation

== Disciplines ==
There are 3 main disciplines of dwarfputing, depending on what would drive the dwarfputer. Each of them has its assets and drawbacks.

The three disciplines are:
=== Fluid logic ===
[[Fluid logic]] is controlling the ''flow of fluid'' over different pressure plates. Fluid logic can be easily constructed and every known logic gate in dwarf fortress has already been built with it. On the other hand this discipline depends on a somehow unlimited source of the used fluid to deal with its [[evaporation]] and [[Water#Water in Fortress Mode|destruction]].

=== Mechanical logic ===
[[Mechanical logic]] uses systems of axles and [[gear assembly|gear assemblies]] to build logical gates. Mechanical logic reacts very fast and can be easily constructed, except for the need for a fluid-pump-based power->signal converter in every gate. Since every gear can itself be linked to a trigger (or multiple triggers), and automatically connect to adjacent gears for transferring either power or load, mechanical logic gates are very flexible and don't require anywhere near the number of different devices that tend to be used in fluid logic gates (except, again, for the requirement for a fluid-pump-based power->signal converter in every gate, unless you intend to use it to control a pump). On the other hand this discipline uses a LOT of mechanical power, and due to the lack of a power->signal converter, also referred to as a "rotation sensor" (a device to convert from power to on/off link signals), you need to build one using fluid logic components if you want to connect multiple mechanical logic gates together or connect a mechanical logic gate to any output other than a pump. There is, however, now a fully functional fluid preserving rotation sensor design. So, in truth, current mechanical logic is more correctly termed mechanical-fluid hybrid logic, as you need some source of fluid to "prime" the rotation sensors your design will need. Along with new techniques to construct logic gates by "pre-toggling" a gear assembly (see [[Pre-Toggled Mechanical Logic]]), any logical circuit can be built, given enough space in the game to do it. [[Minecart logic]] is a great way of deploying mechanical logic in your fortress.

=== Creature logic ===
[[Creature logic]] uses pressure plates and constraints on creatures' movement through buildings such as doors and [[hatch cover|hatches]], in conjunction with their [[path]]ing behavior, to build logical gates. Creature logic is very space intensive, but requires no power, fluid, or valuable materials. Every kind of logical circuit can built with creature logic.

[[Animal logic]] is a special kind of creature logic that relies on animals attempting to path through tightly closed doors. Animal logic circuits can be much more space efficient than other forms of creature logic, but is somewhat unreliable.

===Examples of things you could do with logic gates===
* Repeater: Repeatedly toggling hatches open and closed, or spikes up and down.
* Latch: Making resettable one-use pressure plates which are reset by a lever.
* NOT gate: Reversing the effect of a switch or creature-sensing pressure plate, generally linked to a latch device. You can, of course, mod the latch device to send the opposite signal instead of using a NOT gate.
* AND gate: Requiring more than one condition to be true for something to occur. For instance, you could have a group of AND gates, with a system on/off switch, and and other triggers, with each trigger linked to a different AND gate with the system on/off switch linked to the the second input on all the AND gates, so that when the system on/off switch is OFF the output will be OFF on all the AND gates.
* OR gate: You could link two 1-7 water sensors to an OR gate, and link that to a NOT gate, and link that to some floodgates or doors which act as emergency bulkheads, closing when water is detected in the area. Or, link the OR gate to bridges which raise instead (but you may crush things, and bridges are slower than doors).
* XOR gate: You could use pressure plates hooked to latches at different points in your fort to detect enemy intrusion, and set them up to seal off the area with both an interior and exterior bulkhead when the intrusion occurs, but hook your latches up with an XOR gate and hook the output to the interior bulkhead to unseal that one if your pressure plates have detected that the enemy has gotten past it.
* NOR gate: A NOR gate returns TRUE (ON) only if both inputs are FALSE. Instead of using the OR gate example with a NOT gate, you could use a NOR gate linked to two 1-7 water sensors, whose output goes to doors or floodgates. When the pressure plates are both waterless, the floodgates will be open. When one detects water, the floodgates close. (If you used 0-0 pressure plates with an OR, you would get an OFF signal if both plates detected water, or an ON signal otherwise (which is the same as 1-7 NAND 1-7))
* NAND gate: A NAND gate returns TRUE (ON) whenever both inputs are not both TRUE (e.g. ON NAND ON is OFF, but every other combination is ON). Instead of the OR NOT or NOR example, you could link two 0-0 water sensors to a NAND gate, and link the NAND gate's output to raising bridges. 0-0 NAND 0-0 is the same as 1-7 OR 1-7. If there is no water on both pressure plates, the NAND gate will output an OFF signal. If, however, either has water, it will output an ON signal.

* And here's a more complicated example, omitting the details of what gates to use: An automated swimming training room, where you pull a lever to close exit doors and open hatches to drop water into it, then pressure plates detect when there's enough water and close the hatches, and after a certain amount of time (using a very slow repeater, for instance), drains and exit doors open and the system resets until you pull the lever again. Or, the lever could be taken out entirely and the system could be made fully automatic (with dwarves set to train in the room, for instance) using the repeater.

== Examples ==
There are few examples of a really useful dwarfputer and some concepts which have the potential to become useful for others. But in most cases they are made just for fun. What doesn't mean to diminish their designers achievements, because these are in general the more complex ones. At the moment there are no known examples of animal or borg logic.
=== Useful ===
* Magma trap
** This is an example of a useful dwarfputer controlling a magma trap. It automatically floods an area with lava, cleans up and resets afterwards. The timing is perfectly adjusted to let the victims vanish only leaving their valuable metal behind. video: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1808-perfectmagmatrap design: http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/ss208/kanddak/magmatrap.png

=== Concepts ===
* repeater
** mechanical logic http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1370-pump-basedautorepeater
* adding machine
** mechanical logic, 6-bit: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1561-addingmachine
** fluid logic, 8-bit: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1084-numberabbeydemonstration
=== Such a doddle ===
* decimal display for 4-bit binary input
** mechanical logic, decimal with overflow-bit: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1745-dwarfputerv01
** probably fluid logic: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1657-7segmentlcddisplay
** fluid logic, hexadecimal: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1092-7-segmentdisplaydemonstration
* tic tac toe
** mechanical logic http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1813-tictactoev10simple

== Related user pages ==
*[[User:BaronW]] - The Almighty Dwarven Calculator
*[[User:Jong/Dwarven_Computer]] - The first fully programmable digital Dwarven Computer
*[[User:SL/Logic Gates]] - These use mechanisms for connecting gates and devices and so forth, but fluid for logic. They're built on top of a body of water, and require power (for a pump or two per gate).
*[[User:Kyace/Adder]] - A full adder built using fluid logic, with a video of a rough prototype. Trivial to combine 8 of these to make a fluid device capable of adding two 8 bit numbers together.
*[[User:Soundandfury#Logic_Gates]] - These have a water supply reservoir above and a drain below. The drained water can be pumped back to the supply reservoir.
*[[User:Bidok]] - Animal logic with all gates, memory, repeater and counter. All powered by kittens.
*[[User:LordOOTFD#Animal_Logic]] - Animal logic with fast complex gates, building upon Bidok's kitten powered systems.
*[[User:Hussell#Assorted_Devices]] - Fluid logic
*[[User:Gammon]] - Fluid logic. Very detailed CMOS gates.
*[[User:Root Infinity]] - Misc. logic gates.
*[[User:Vasiln/Goblin Logic 1]] - Theory and practice of invader-based creature logic.

{{buildings}}
{{Category|Computing}}

v0.34 Talk:Minecart logic

2012-09-07T10:57:24Z

TinyPirate:

v0.34:Minecart logic

2012-09-07T10:45:55Z

TinyPirate: /* See Also */

The addition of minecarts to Dwarf Fortress has opened up new and exciting logic and computing options for the ambitious fortress manager. Minecart-based logic gates and memory cells are easy to build (arguably easier than [[fluid logic]] systems, they are easy to reconfigure, and react quickly.

== Binary Memory Cells ==
Binary Memory Cells store binary data as a 1 or 0 (on or off). For minecarts this means a minecart occupies a pressure plate to create a 1 and by some means removed to make a 0.

=== Three-tracked double-carted binary memory cell ===

[[File:3tdcbm.png]]

The image is split into three versions to show where the minecarts go, what's beneath the minecarts and what's beneath the rollers and pressure plates.

How this works: There are 2 carts, a copper one at the top and an iron one in the center. A copper cart weighs 357 Urists and an iron cart 314 Urists. The pressure plate in the center is set to activate at 350 Urists, so the iron cart doesn't trigger it. Activating the gear/roller (the light green one), making the copper cart push the iron cart to the other end before rolling onto the pressure plate will trigger it and send an on signal. Vice versa (the iron cart will push the copper cart just fine even though it's a little bit lighter) to send an off signal. This design is the most space-efficient of the memory cells but lacks the activation speed of the next design due to the first cart having to push the second cart before being moved onto the pressure plate itself.

A modular example of this design:

[[File:Modular3tdcbm.png]]

It's a bit bulky looking but compared to the water based cell which needs 5 z-levels minimum to be of any worth, it's nearly 3x smaller and functions just the same.

=== Newton's Cradle Binary Memory Cell ===

[[File:Tpmch.png]]

This design is slightly larger, having four tracks instead of three, but has the advantage of activating the pressure plate almost immediately upon power being sent. To activate, power is sent to the light green gear, pushing the top cart into the second cart. Like a Newton Cradle, the first cart transfers its momentum to the second cart, knocking it to the other end while the first cart rests on the pressure plate to send an on signal. The gear is then turned off. To turn it off power is sent to the dark green and the reverse happens. The modular design of the first memory cell can be applied to this as well, and you can actually fit in more gears for a more complex logic gate because of the increased length.

== Power to Signal Converters ==

A power to signal converter sends an on signal when power is applied and an off signal when power is cut.

=== 2x2 power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:2x2pts.png]]

When power is sent to the gear, the roller sends the cart around in a loop, passing over the pressure plate repeatedly to maintain on on signal. When power is cut the cart returns to the starting position and disengages the pressure plate. The roller in this example pushes the cart from E->W. Pay close attention to the track layout to make sure it works properly. The 2 walls at the top are all that's needed to keep it from derailing.

A modular design.

[[File:Modular2x2pts.png]]

=== Single-carted power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:Scpts.png]]

The rollers are directed at the center like always, so when power is applied to any of the gears the minecart continuously passes over the pressure plate to maintain an on signal, reverting to an off signal when the power is cut.

A modular design.

[[File:Modularscpts.png]]

It's possible to butt each main component closer to each other and put the extra gears on other z-levels but they're so small it's impossible to join the gears together in a more efficient design. It might look like there are too many unneeded gears but if you're going to be making something that needs this much stuff you'll need 2 or 3 extra gears to form logic gates.

=== Double-carted power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:Dcpts.png]]

BloodBeard, who invented this compact design, has this to say about it: "I was able to take the load adjusting pressure plate concept of my memory cell and put it into a power-to-signal converter. It functions much like the memory cell, but with different linkages (and an axle). Now I'm not so sure if this can be called a power-to-signal converter since you don't simply send power to a gear and the thing maintains an 'on' signal, but it's really all about how you use it.

Both gears are off by default and the power is connected to the dark green gear. Be it by lever or pressure plate, both gears are switched on, sending power to both rollers (directed to the center). The copper cart pushes the iron one to the other side, but before the southern roller has time to push it back north the copper cart is rolled onto the pressure plate which turns off the dark green gear (and the southern roller). The light green gear is still engaged but no power is being sent to it because the dark green is off. This was the sort of "eureka!" moment when I saw that rollers immediately stop when power is cut (unlike screwpumps) to allow this. (sorry if this is common knowledge, I'm a bit late to the game in getting into the 2012 versions)

Both gears are switched again when you want to turn it off, activating the dark green gear and disengaging the light green, sending both carts back to their starting points, deactivating the pressure plate which turns the dark green off again (but keeps the roller on long enough to push the iron cart thanks to the pressure plates 'off' delay). Everything is back to how it was at the start.

With the other examples, only 1 gear is needed to be switched to turn them on and off. If you treat both of these gears as you would a single gear then I guess you could also call it a power-to-signal converter, and is the only one that has no moving water or minecarts when it's in the on position. Useful if you have a whole bunch of them and want to minimize lag.

Now i'm not sure, but the implications of that last component might be huge for dwarfputing. That with a single lever or single pressure plate you can trigger an on and off signal on another component without any continuous moving parts wasn't possible with the mechanical-fluid logic examples I listed at the top of this post. It might be possible to use it as a binary memory cell as well, except I don't think there would be a 'standard' design and the gearing/linkages would need to be customized to the task it performs. I might have to make something, or at least plan it to see."

== See Also ==
* BloodBeard's [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114923.0 Minecart Dwarfputing Ideas] thread.

{{Category|Fortress mode}}

v0.34:Minecart logic

2012-09-07T10:45:29Z

TinyPirate:

The addition of minecarts to Dwarf Fortress has opened up new and exciting logic and computing options for the ambitious fortress manager. Minecart-based logic gates and memory cells are easy to build (arguably easier than [[fluid logic]] systems, they are easy to reconfigure, and react quickly.

== Binary Memory Cells ==
Binary Memory Cells store binary data as a 1 or 0 (on or off). For minecarts this means a minecart occupies a pressure plate to create a 1 and by some means removed to make a 0.

=== Three-tracked double-carted binary memory cell ===

[[File:3tdcbm.png]]

The image is split into three versions to show where the minecarts go, what's beneath the minecarts and what's beneath the rollers and pressure plates.

How this works: There are 2 carts, a copper one at the top and an iron one in the center. A copper cart weighs 357 Urists and an iron cart 314 Urists. The pressure plate in the center is set to activate at 350 Urists, so the iron cart doesn't trigger it. Activating the gear/roller (the light green one), making the copper cart push the iron cart to the other end before rolling onto the pressure plate will trigger it and send an on signal. Vice versa (the iron cart will push the copper cart just fine even though it's a little bit lighter) to send an off signal. This design is the most space-efficient of the memory cells but lacks the activation speed of the next design due to the first cart having to push the second cart before being moved onto the pressure plate itself.

A modular example of this design:

[[File:Modular3tdcbm.png]]

It's a bit bulky looking but compared to the water based cell which needs 5 z-levels minimum to be of any worth, it's nearly 3x smaller and functions just the same.

=== Newton's Cradle Binary Memory Cell ===

[[File:Tpmch.png]]

This design is slightly larger, having four tracks instead of three, but has the advantage of activating the pressure plate almost immediately upon power being sent. To activate, power is sent to the light green gear, pushing the top cart into the second cart. Like a Newton Cradle, the first cart transfers its momentum to the second cart, knocking it to the other end while the first cart rests on the pressure plate to send an on signal. The gear is then turned off. To turn it off power is sent to the dark green and the reverse happens. The modular design of the first memory cell can be applied to this as well, and you can actually fit in more gears for a more complex logic gate because of the increased length.

== Power to Signal Converters ==

A power to signal converter sends an on signal when power is applied and an off signal when power is cut.

=== 2x2 power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:2x2pts.png]]

When power is sent to the gear, the roller sends the cart around in a loop, passing over the pressure plate repeatedly to maintain on on signal. When power is cut the cart returns to the starting position and disengages the pressure plate. The roller in this example pushes the cart from E->W. Pay close attention to the track layout to make sure it works properly. The 2 walls at the top are all that's needed to keep it from derailing.

A modular design.

[[File:Modular2x2pts.png]]

=== Single-carted power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:Scpts.png]]

The rollers are directed at the center like always, so when power is applied to any of the gears the minecart continuously passes over the pressure plate to maintain an on signal, reverting to an off signal when the power is cut.

A modular design.

[[File:Modularscpts.png]]

It's possible to butt each main component closer to each other and put the extra gears on other z-levels but they're so small it's impossible to join the gears together in a more efficient design. It might look like there are too many unneeded gears but if you're going to be making something that needs this much stuff you'll need 2 or 3 extra gears to form logic gates.

=== Double-carted power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:Dcpts.png]]

BloodBeard, who invented this compact design, has this to say about it: "I was able to take the load adjusting pressure plate concept of my memory cell and put it into a power-to-signal converter. It functions much like the memory cell, but with different linkages (and an axle). Now I'm not so sure if this can be called a power-to-signal converter since you don't simply send power to a gear and the thing maintains an 'on' signal, but it's really all about how you use it.

Both gears are off by default and the power is connected to the dark green gear. Be it by lever or pressure plate, both gears are switched on, sending power to both rollers (directed to the center). The copper cart pushes the iron one to the other side, but before the southern roller has time to push it back north the copper cart is rolled onto the pressure plate which turns off the dark green gear (and the southern roller). The light green gear is still engaged but no power is being sent to it because the dark green is off. This was the sort of "eureka!" moment when I saw that rollers immediately stop when power is cut (unlike screwpumps) to allow this. (sorry if this is common knowledge, I'm a bit late to the game in getting into the 2012 versions)

Both gears are switched again when you want to turn it off, activating the dark green gear and disengaging the light green, sending both carts back to their starting points, deactivating the pressure plate which turns the dark green off again (but keeps the roller on long enough to push the iron cart thanks to the pressure plates 'off' delay). Everything is back to how it was at the start.

With the other examples, only 1 gear is needed to be switched to turn them on and off. If you treat both of these gears as you would a single gear then I guess you could also call it a power-to-signal converter, and is the only one that has no moving water or minecarts when it's in the on position. Useful if you have a whole bunch of them and want to minimize lag.

Now i'm not sure, but the implications of that last component might be huge for dwarfputing. That with a single lever or single pressure plate you can trigger an on and off signal on another component without any continuous moving parts wasn't possible with the mechanical-fluid logic examples I listed at the top of this post. It might be possible to use it as a binary memory cell as well, except I don't think there would be a 'standard' design and the gearing/linkages would need to be customized to the task it performs. I might have to make something, or at least plan it to see."

== See Also ==
* BloodBeard's [[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114923.0 Minecart Dwarfputing Ideas] thread.

{{Category|Fortress mode}}

v0.34:Minecart logic

2012-09-07T10:44:05Z

TinyPirate:

The addition of minecarts to Dwarf Fortress has opened up new and exciting logic and computing options for the ambitious fortress manager. Minecart-based logic gates and memory cells are easy to build (arguably easier than [[fluid logic]] systems, they are easy to reconfigure, and react quickly.

== Binary Memory Cells ==
Binary Memory Cells store binary data as a 1 or 0 (on or off). For minecarts this means a minecart occupies a pressure plate to create a 1 and by some means removed to make a 0.

=== Three-tracked double-carted binary memory cell ===

[[File:3tdcbm.png]]

The image is split into three versions to show where the minecarts go, what's beneath the minecarts and what's beneath the rollers and pressure plates.

How this works: There are 2 carts, a copper one at the top and an iron one in the center. A copper cart weighs 357 Urists and an iron cart 314 Urists. The pressure plate in the center is set to activate at 350 Urists, so the iron cart doesn't trigger it. Activating the gear/roller (the light green one), making the copper cart push the iron cart to the other end before rolling onto the pressure plate will trigger it and send an on signal. Vice versa (the iron cart will push the copper cart just fine even though it's a little bit lighter) to send an off signal. This design is the most space-efficient of the memory cells but lacks the activation speed of the next design due to the first cart having to push the second cart before being moved onto the pressure plate itself.

A modular example of this design:

[[File:Modular3tdcbm.png]]

It's a bit bulky looking but compared to the water based cell which needs 5 z-levels minimum to be of any worth, it's nearly 3x smaller and functions just the same.

=== Newton's Cradle Binary Memory Cell ===

[[File:Tpmch.png]]

This design is slightly larger, having four tracks instead of three, but has the advantage of activating the pressure plate almost immediately upon power being sent. To activate, power is sent to the light green gear, pushing the top cart into the second cart. Like a Newton Cradle, the first cart transfers its momentum to the second cart, knocking it to the other end while the first cart rests on the pressure plate to send an on signal. The gear is then turned off. To turn it off power is sent to the dark green and the reverse happens. The modular design of the first memory cell can be applied to this as well, and you can actually fit in more gears for a more complex logic gate because of the increased length.

== Power to Signal Converters ==

A power to signal converter sends an on signal when power is applied and an off signal when power is cut.

=== 2x2 power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:2x2pts.png]]

When power is sent to the gear, the roller sends the cart around in a loop, passing over the pressure plate repeatedly to maintain on on signal. When power is cut the cart returns to the starting position and disengages the pressure plate. The roller in this example pushes the cart from E->W. Pay close attention to the track layout to make sure it works properly. The 2 walls at the top are all that's needed to keep it from derailing.

A modular design.

[[File:Modular2x2pts.png]]

=== Single-carted power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:Scpts.png]]

The rollers are directed at the center like always, so when power is applied to any of the gears the minecart continuously passes over the pressure plate to maintain an on signal, reverting to an off signal when the power is cut.

A modular design.

[[File:Modularscpts.png]]

It's possible to butt each main component closer to each other and put the extra gears on other z-levels but they're so small it's impossible to join the gears together in a more efficient design. It might look like there are too many unneeded gears but if you're going to be making something that needs this much stuff you'll need 2 or 3 extra gears to form logic gates.

=== Double-carted power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:Dcpts.png]]

BloodBeard, who invented this compact design, has this to say about it: "I was able to take the load adjusting pressure plate concept of my memory cell and put it into a power-to-signal converter. It functions much like the memory cell, but with different linkages (and an axle). Now I'm not so sure if this can be called a power-to-signal converter since you don't simply send power to a gear and the thing maintains an 'on' signal, but it's really all about how you use it.

Both gears are off by default and the power is connected to the dark green gear. Be it by lever or pressure plate, both gears are switched on, sending power to both rollers (directed to the center). The copper cart pushes the iron one to the other side, but before the southern roller has time to push it back north the copper cart is rolled onto the pressure plate which turns off the dark green gear (and the southern roller). The light green gear is still engaged but no power is being sent to it because the dark green is off. This was the sort of "eureka!" moment when I saw that rollers immediately stop when power is cut (unlike screwpumps) to allow this. (sorry if this is common knowledge, I'm a bit late to the game in getting into the 2012 versions)

Both gears are switched again when you want to turn it off, activating the dark green gear and disengaging the light green, sending both carts back to their starting points, deactivating the pressure plate which turns the dark green off again (but keeps the roller on long enough to push the iron cart thanks to the pressure plates 'off' delay). Everything is back to how it was at the start.

With the other examples, only 1 gear is needed to be switched to turn them on and off. If you treat both of these gears as you would a single gear then I guess you could also call it a power-to-signal converter, and is the only one that has no moving water or minecarts when it's in the on position. Useful if you have a whole bunch of them and want to minimize lag.

Now i'm not sure, but the implications of that last component might be huge for dwarfputing. That with a single lever or single pressure plate you can trigger an on and off signal on another component without any continuous moving parts wasn't possible with the mechanical-fluid logic examples I listed at the top of this post. It might be possible to use it as a binary memory cell as well, except I don't think there would be a 'standard' design and the gearing/linkages would need to be customized to the task it performs. I might have to make something, or at least plan it to see."

{{Category|Fortress mode}}

v0.34:Minecart

2012-09-07T10:43:55Z

TinyPirate: Added "minecart logic" link near top.

{{quality|Fine|22:04, 14 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}{{Buggy}}
A '''minecart''' is a [[tool]] used mostly for [[hauling]]. It is made of [[wood]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]], or [[metal]] at a [[metalsmith's forge]]. Minecarts store up to five times as many items as [[wheelbarrow]]s and are quite a bit faster than hauling dwarves, but have the disadvantage of requiring a dedicated track network and a complex route setup. Minecart tracks also take up a lot of space, may be complicated to construct, and can be resource-intensive.

Just like wheelbarrows, minecarts are considered [[item]]s and are stored in a [[furniture]] [[stockpile]]. Despite their five times greater capacity, they are only one third larger than wheelbarrows and are identical in base [[item value|value]] when made from the same [[material]] (the value may differ due to the [[item quality]]). As items, [[thief|thieves]] or even mischievous animals can steal minecarts, even when moving on a track. If a minecart is moving fast enough, or if it has a rider, thieves will be unable to steal the minecarts.

Although most of the utility of minecarts is in [[fortress mode]], an [[adventure mode|adventurer]] can also ride in a minecart. Adventurers can also pick up and relocate minecarts.

Since their introduction in version 0.34.08, a new [[hauling]] [[labor]] preference was added to all dwarves, called "Push/Haul Vehicles", turned on by default.

The invention of minecarts revolutionized the [[minecart logic|Science of Dwarfputing]] by enablin smaller, faster logic systems to be built.

== Track ==
Tracks can be built in two ways:
*A single-tile wide strip of natural stone can be designated to be [[Engraver|carved]] (with {{K|d}} {{k|T}}), which will create a straight two-way track. The creation of corners, crossings, and T-junctions is as simple as designating another strip of track that overlaps an existant or newly-designated track. Engraved tracks are removed by [[smoothing]] the rock they're on, which results in a smooth floor (that can be re-engraved if necessary), or by building a [[floor]] on top and subsequently removing it.
**The carving of natural ramps is a little more confusing: to carve a two-way track on a ramp (natural only, does not work on constructed ramps), you must designate the ramp '''and one square beyond''' in the direction you want the track to go. For the side of the ramp square you want to head upward, there '''must''' be either a natural or constructed wall in the square next to it, otherwise the game assumes you are trying to carve it on the same level -- this can result in the track being carved underneath a door or other object. If you have accidentally done this, you can correct it by smoothing the ramp and constructing a single square of wall next to it, then re-carving the ramp correctly. (However, the wall must stay there permanently, removing it will disconnect the track.)

*Tracks can also be built as regular [[construction]]s (through {{K|b}} {{K|C}} {{K|T}}). This method is resource-expensive, since each track tile requires one stone, [[bar]], or [[block]] for construction, and time-consuming, since you can't designate strips larger than 10 tiles at a time. Corners, crossings, T-junctions, and ramps also have to be designated individually. However, it is usually the only way to build tracks above ground (barring the [[Obsidian farming|creation of obsidian]]), and the only way to create one-way tracks. Constructed tracks are designated for removal like any regular construction; be aware that removing track ramps built on top of natural ones will also remove the original ramp, leaving a flat floor.

Every track, when complete, will designate the tile with a low-priority [[traffic|traffic order]]. This reduces the odds of dwarves walking into a high-speed minecart; however, it should be noted that pets and livestock ignore traffic orders. Note that removing the track doesn't reset that tile back to normal traffic priority, so you may wish to manually clean up traffic designation afterward. Also note that bridges that are used as tracks don't have their traffic priority changed automatically (since they're just normal bridges), which could cause dwarves to pathfind normally through dangerous minecart entrances in your fort's walls if you're not careful.

As constructions or tile features, [[door]]s and other furniture can be built on tracks. A [[door]] or [[floodgate]] can be turned on or off by a [[lever]], effectively controlling the flow of automated minecarts. This may be dangerous, however. 

[[Bridge]]s can also act as tracks, but only if they're lowered or not retracted. This property can enable levers to turn tracks on and off. However, care should be taken to ensure that such bridges are never operated while a cart is on top of them, as the cart will be flung off the track. It's worth noting that it's often faster, and cheaper, to construct large bridges than long sections of constructed track. It's also worth noting that bridges do not automatically have a low pathfinding traffic priority assigned to them, however.

== Hauling route ==
The proper setting up of routes is essential for a working rail system. Routes, stops, departure conditions and stockpile links are managed from the {{k|h}}auling menu.

=== Route ===
New routes are created with the {{k|h}}auling key. Existing ones can be removed (without confirmation) with the {{k|x}} key, and also {{k|n}}icknamed. Before operating, the route must have at least one {{k|v}}ehicle assigned to it (this can be done with either the route or a stop selected). Assigning a full minecart to a route may result in a slow hauling job if the contents are heavy.

=== Stop ===
Stops are designated by moving the cursor on top of the desired tile and pressing the {{k|s}} key afterwards. They can be removed with and nicknamed with the same hotkeys as routes. Stops can also be reordered with the {{k|p}}romote key. Without a definition, however, a stop is fairly useless: pressing the {{k|Enter}} key with a stop selected in the route menu opens its stop definition screen, from which departure conditions and stockpile links can be set up.

==== Stockpile links ====
By placing the cursor on top of a stockpile and using {{k|s}}, you can create stockpile links for a track stop. Links can also be redefined by selecting them, placing the cursor over a different stockpile, and pressing {{k|p}}.

==== Departure condition ====
Departure conditions involve setting conditions in which the minecart will leave on the route. Each condition includes:
# A departure mode (Guide, Ride or Push).
# A departure direction (NSEW).
# A timer, before which the departure condition cannot be met.
# Conditions on the amount of items in the cart.
Departure conditions are created with the {{k|n}} key. A new departure condition will read: "guide north immediately when empty of desired items". This condition can be changed between basic presets with {{k|c}}. "Advanced" mode ({{k|C}}) allows for more precise control over departure conditions: fine tuning the percentage from 0 to 100 in 25% steps ({{k|f}} and {{k|F}}), switching it being either the maximum or the minimum amount of items for the condition to be met ({{k|m}}), and whether the cart accepts all or only a specific set of items ({{k|l}}). Common to both screens are the departure mode ({{k|p}}, Push, Ride or Guide), {{k|d}}irection, and timer ({{k|t}} and {{k|T}}) options.

To have a cart only carry a specific set of items, the stop can be set to only carry "desired" items, opening the selection screen with the {{k|Enter}} key while having said stop condition selected, and toggling as desired, or it can simply be linked to a restricted stockpile and set to depart with any items.

== Physics ==


Minecart physics depend greatly on the departure mode set in the route stop conditions.

When set to "Push" or "Ride", minecarts will move according to the regular laws of momentum, gaining speed when going downhill, losing it slowly due to friction when on a flat plane, and more quickly when going uphill. In these modes, minecarts will move along the track in a straight line until they either run off the tracks or encounter a turn. A minecart will continue straight at a T junction if possible but if it is not possible the track is treated as a dead end and may jump track. The cart's behavior also depends on the weight of its contents (including fluids and dwarves): heavily loaded carts are harder to accelerate and to stop, and gain more momentum when going downhill. In either case, dwarves can not push nor ride an unpowered cart up a ramp, bouncing back the direction it came. At best, this is a waste of time; at worst, it will give your cart-pushing dwarf a [[fun|fun surprise]]. To solve this, the player can either use Rollers (see below) or set the cart to be Guided.

When set to "Guide", minecarts seem to ignore all laws of physics. They:
*Ignore the weight of any and all items inside. Therefore:
**Move at the speed of the dwarf that is guiding them. It is thus recommended to pick the most [[attribute#Agility|agile]] of your dwarves for cart-guiding tasks.
*Ignore working rollers.
*Will ''not'' collide with other guided carts even when a full frontal collision would be expected.
*Will go up ramps like nobody's business.
This is therefore the recommended method of transport for simple non-powered rail systems, despite it diverting a dwarf from other, potentially more important tasks.

Some samples with behavior:

A <-> B A <-> C A <-> B
B╥ B╥ B╥
║ ║ ║
A╞══╝ A╞══╩══╡C A╞══╬╗
You can only go A->B ╚╝
Works when the cart Works
is in Guide mode.

In the second example above, if you attempt to "Push" from B to A or C, [[Fun|''the cart will go careening off of the tracks'']].

=== Skipping ===
If a minecart is moving fast enough, it can skip over [[water]] or [[magma]], making splashes of [[mist]] (or [[magma mist]]) as it attempts to move on them horizontally. This horizontal movement is independent of the minecart and its content's [[weight]].

=== Track Jumping ===
If a minecart encounters the end of the track or a T junction where it can not continue straight it may jump off of the track if it is going fast enough. The minecart will now continue in a straight line until in encounters an obstacle, slows to a stop, or encounters another (properly aligned) Track. An escaped minecart will follow another track even if it is a corner.

=== Falling ===
When falling, a minecart appears to cause no damage upon collision with a creature, possibly to allow cart "stacking" across Z-levels. {{verify}} A dwarf riding in a minecart that is dropped multiple z-levels suffers normal fall damage. Minecarts can fall through up/down stairs.

=== Stacking ===
If a minecart lands on another minecart in exactly the perfect orientation and time, they may form a stack (effectively a pillar) of minecarts. This pillar, aside from the [[megaprojects]] uses possible, is also useful for [[trap design]] with minecarts as the weaponry.

The location of the upper minecarts, above what seems to be thin air, can be confusing. These minecarts generally need to be struck with another minecart to move out, or have their support removed. The latter option can be somewhat dangerous, however.

=== Danger ===
Minecarts are not without [[Fun|danger]]. Although designating a track automatically sets the [[traffic]] designation to low, dwarves ''may'' still walk on them, and [[creature]]s ignore traffic designations altogether. If an unlucky dwarf or creature fails to [[dodger|dodge]] a minecart, they can be injured. Most of this danger can be avoided by setting the minecart {{k|h}}auling commands to guide instead of push or ride, as dwarves guiding minecarts will ignore traffic restrictions, by [[pasture|pasturing]] domestic animals, and preventing the access of other creatures to the tracks.

Danger does not always involve living victims: careless route designation can also result in minecarts careening off tracks or colliding with each other. If this occurs, the [[item]]s may be scattered; this can cause even more hauling jobs than the minecart aimed to eliminate. Even <s>better</s> worse, scattered items, especially [[weapon]]s, can injure passing [[dwarf|dwarves]] or other [[creature]]s; in the words of Toady One the Great, "Accidental grapeshotting of the dining room should be possible now."

Of course, the danger of using minecarts means they can also be used as weapons by imaginative players.

== Automation ==

=== Track stop ===
Track stops are constructions that allow further automation of minecart systems via adjustable features such as braking by friction and automatic dumping of contents. They can be built from logs, bars and blocks through {{K|b}} {{K|C}} {{K|S}}; friction amount, dumping toggle and dumping direction must be set '''before''' construction, and these settings can be neither changed nor seen thereafter; however, track stops can be linked to [[pressure plate]]s or [[lever]]s to toggle friction upon activation. Take care not to set track stops at a loading site to dump their contents, or dwarves will never be able to fill the cart.

Track stops are not mandatory; in fact, their main use is in automated rail systems, to stop and hold extremely fast-moving minecarts or to dump contents mid-way without stopping. However, even in basic rail systems it can be useful to set a track stop to dump items: this saves time that dwarves would otherwise spend in removing items from the cart, time that is better spent driving the cart back to where it's needed.

If a stockpile is built on the square that a track stop is set to dump to, it can act as a [[ Exploit#Quantum_stockpiles|quantum stockpile]] and any items dumped from a minecart that match the storage settings of the stockpile will remain there and accumulate. Normally trackstops are built on top of existing track to operate on moving minecarts, but they can also be used without tracks to create [[Exploit#The_Minecart_Stop|automatic quantum stockpiles]] (see also [[#Example|route example]]).

Counter-intuitive to their construction method, track stops are considered [[building]]s and must be removed by {{k|q}} {{k|x}}.

=== Roller ===
A '''roller''' is a [[power]]ed [[machine component]] for the automated propulsion of minecarts. They are built with {{K|b}} {{K|M}} {{K|r}}, requiring a [[mechanic]], one or more [[mechanism]]s and a [[rope]]. Rollers are very useful to maintain a cart's momentum along long routes, to get them to climb Z-levels without dwarfpower involved, and to get them to reach speeds unattainable by guiding dwarves. These devices are variable-length, variable-direction, and variable-power, all traits that can be set at construction time; at the highest speed, a roller uses two units of power per tile it is long.

Rollers may apparently be placed directly on ramps to help pull carts up Z levels. Currently rollers can only be placed on ramps if it would result in it being connected to a preexisting power connection (gears, axles, or pumps). Rollers will transfer power along their sides but not from their front or back (the edges on the track).

Care must be taken in [[glacier]]s and other extremely cold [[biome]]s, since rollers can be rendered inoperable when exposed to freezing [[temperature]]s.

Because of their one-way nature, rollers are unsuitable for most two-way minecart tracks. However, a minecart set to be ''guided'' is not affected by rollers at all — this allows a one-way track to be used in both directions. In addition, rollers do not affect minecarts when disengaged: switching mechanisms (such as a [[pressure plate]] attached to powering [[gear assembly]]) can be used to create complex paths.

Rollers cannot be powered from above.

=== Switching ===


A rudimentary track switch can be constructed by building a T-junction as illustrated below.

B╥
║
RO
RO
A╞════R════╡C

The 'O's represent walls that keep the cart on the track during the switching process
The 'R's are a single 3 tile roller pushing from South to North on slow speed (slowest is too slow to get the minecart to change directions, and I have not yet experimented with higher speeds).
If the cart is pushed East from the stop at 'A' while the roller is activated, it will arrive at 'B'. If the roller is not running, it will arrive at 'C'.

This switch has some disadvantages: it requires power, and riding dwarves will dismount at the intersection. An alternative non-powered solution uses controlled derailment, or a connecting bridge.

B╥
║
║
A╞════╝D ════╡C

Here the track between A and C is not continuous. The only continuous track is A->B, with a corner (not a T section). Fast moving carts will tend to derail at D and rejoin the track to C. Placing a door at D will prevent the derailment, so the cart continues to B. The door is operated by mechanisms elsewhere (typically, a lever, but some fun can be had with pressure plates).

If carts are moving too slowly to reliably derail at the corner, a retractable bridge may be used as a connector between A and C.
B╥
║
║
A╞════bbb════╡C
The bridge must overlap the corner so that it acts as if a T junction track when extended. When retracted, the corner reappears, so the slower carts will continue to B.

=== Controlling Speed ===


Minecarts can reach extremely high speeds, especially when descending multiple Z-levels. A minecart will derail at a track corner if it's speed exceeds 0.5 m/s (here m/s really means tiles per step), '''unless''' the route in the direction of travel is blocked:

Will derail at > 0.5 m/s:

in ═╗->
out

Will not derail at > 0.5 m/s:

in ═╗O
|
v
out

O is wall.

This behavior can be used to build a "speed limiter", that will ensure that when a minecart exits it is traveling below derail speed:

OOOO
in ═╔═╗O
out ═╬═╝O
O╚S╝O
OOOOO

O is wall, S is a Track Stop set to High Friction or lower. If the minecart is traveling below derailment speed it will not be effected.

== Example ==

Let's construct a simple minecart route. This route will move stone blocks from an input stockpile to an output stockpile. We'll begin by creating the stockpiles:

[[File:minecart-example-1.png|Stockpiles designated.]]

The input stockpile is on the left; the output stockpile is on the right. We'll be moving blocks from left to right. Disable bins in both stockpiles, and set the input stockpile to accept only from links. Then make the stockpile take from the mason's workshop where the blocks are being produced.

Next, carve the track:

[[File:minecart-example-2.png|Track carving designation.]]

Note that the ends of the designation are uniquely shaped; this is automatic, and not anything you need to control. Now, wait for your engravers to come along and carve the track into the stone. (Your haulers will probably also fill up the input stockpile while you wait.)

In addition, while we're waiting for that to happen, we'll build an iron minecart in the forge.

[[File:minecart-example-3.png|Track carved.]]

When the track has been carved, it will look like the above (the track will be solid instead of flashing). Now, order a track stop to be constructed next to the output stockpile:

{|
| [[File:minecart-example-4.png|Track stop designation.]]
| [[File:minecart-example-5.png|Select dumping direction.]]
|}

You must press {{k|d}} three times to select the dumping direction ''before'' placing the track stop. We want our blocks to be dumped into the output stockpile east of the track stop. Then wait for a mechanic to come along and build the track stop.

[[File:minecart-example-6.png|Track stop constructed.]]

Now we'll define the actual ''route''. This is done in the {{k|h}}auling menu. Press {{k|r}} to begin defining a route. Next, move the cursor to the input end of the track, and then press {{k|s}} to define the first stop:

{|
| [[File:minecart-example-7.png|Stop 1 designation.]]
| [[File:minecart-example-8.png|Route definition, in progress.]]
|}

Move the cursor again, to the output end of the track, and press {{k|s}} again to define the second stop:

{|
| [[File:minecart-example-9.png|Stop 2 designation.]]
| [[File:minecart-example-10.png|Route definition, two stops.]]
|-
|
| [[File:minecart-example-11.png|Stops are not defined yet.]]
|}

There are several user interface features to note at this point. The stops have been positioned, but they haven't been ''defined'' yet, so there is a warning ! symbol by each of them. In the lower right corner, we see what the ! means. Also, note that the second stop is labeled in white, while the other two lines are grey. The white text is a selection indicator, and can be moved up and down by pressing {{k|+}}/{{k|-}}.

Next we need to define what our stops do. We want the minecart to be filled with blocks at the first stop, then travel to the second stop where it will dump its cargo, and then return. Press {{k|-}} to move the selection up to stop 1, and {{k|Enter}} to open it up. By default, the stop has three conditions:

[[File:minecart-example-12.png|Default stop definition.]]

We don't want any of these, so press {{k|x}} three times to delete them. This leaves us with a blank stop. Now we can add the conditions we actually want. Press {{k|n}} to begin adding the first condition, then {{k|d}} twice to change the direction from north to east. Then press {{k|c}} to change the condition from empty to full. This will instruct the minecart to be guided east when full of desired items.

To set the desired items, we create a stockpile link. Press {{k|s}}, then move the cursor to the input stockpile, then press {{k|p}} to select that stockpile. Now press {{k|Enter}}; this opens up a selection screen that resembles the stockpile customization screen. Move down to Blocks, {{k|e}}nable them, then (if you wish) restrict it to stone blocks.

When you've done all that, stop 1 should look like this:

[[File:minecart-example-13.png|Stop 1, defined.]]

Stop 2 is much simpler. All we need to do is have the minecart return to the input stop. So, make a condition and change the direction:

[[File:minecart-example-14.png|Stop 2, defined.]]

Finally, we just have to assign our minecart. Go back to the route definition screen, and press {{k|v}}. Select the minecart, and press {{k|Enter}}.

Now we've got everything set up:

[[File:minecart-example-15.png|Route, fully defined.]]

The V is red because the minecart hasn't been moved onto the track yet. Some dwarf will have to haul it from the forge to the first stop, by hand; this will take a while, especially if the forge is far away.

Once the minecart is in place, dwarves should fill it with blocks from the input stockpile, which will in turn be filled with blocks from the workshop where your mason has been toiling dutifully. When the minecart is full, the blocks will be dumped into the 1x1 stockpile on the right. Automatic quantum dumping!

== Troubleshooting ==

Because of the complexity of the system, all but the most careful and experienced minecart users will encounter issues. Most route issues can be diagnosed and fixed from the {{k|h}}auling menu.

'''Symptom:''' {{DFtext|! Set dir/connect track|6:1}} message appears to the right of one or more stops
 '''Possible Causes:'''
* The departure direction of the stop might be invalid. Edit the stop using {{k|Enter}} and press{{k|d}} until it is pointing in a valid direction.
* The track stop might not be built on top of a track. The track stop must be deconstructed to remedy this issue.
* Your track might not be built correctly. Make sure all connected tracks between destinations are not one-way tracks.
** This can be especially confusing with ramps. To carve a two-way track on a (natural) ramp, you must designate the ramp and one square beyond in the direction you want the track to go.
** Ramps '''must''' have a solid block on the side opposite to the track, or they will neither work nor be marked as "unusable". The solid block can be natural or constructed.
* The desired/kept items might not be configured correctly.

'''Symptom:''' The status '''0% V''' always appears to the right of one stop.
 '''Possible Causes:'''
* The stop may not be set to take from a stockpile. Edit the Stop using {{k|Enter}} and make sure you see a message like "Take from Stockpile #1".
* The take conditions must correspond with the contents of the stockpile.
* The track stop may be set to dump. A track stop set to dump cannot be filled. You must either set the stop to a time-based departure or deconstruct the track stop and rebuild it without dumping.
* Make sure the minecart itself has not been designated to be dumped (such as when using mass-dump).

== Capacity ==
Minecarts have five times the capacity of wheelbarrows, which is an enormous amount. A single minecart can carry 2500 rolls of [[cloth]], for example, or even a hundred stone blocks. Unfortunately, loading 2500 [[stone|boulder]]s onto a minecart is not possible.

[[Water]] and [[magma]] can also be loaded into minecarts by submerging them to a depth of at least 6/7, and dumped by a constructed track stop. Loading fluids onto minecarts can be difficult because their weight can slow the minecart down greatly. Curiously, filling a minecart with magma does not injure a dwarf ''riding'' it. A minecart will hold enough magma to increase the depth of a single tile by 2. This amount is listed as 833 units, which weigh 999Γ. An iron or steel cart filled with magma weighs 1313Γ. An adamantine one weighs 1007Γ.

The capacity in a minecart affects whether a [[pressure plate]] triggers or not, based on the pressure plate's setting.

== Bugs ==

*If you set up lots of routes and stops and then resize your screen, the list will scroll off-screen in the hauling menu. You can still navigate the list with keyboard commands, but cannot see the stop/route name. This will be fixed in the next release.
*A dwarf will drop its [[child|baby]], if it has one, when boarding a minecart set to be ridden.
*Tracks block wagon access to trade depots.{{bug|6040}}
*Dwarves cannot guide a minecart through an unlocked door unless another dwarf opens the door{{bug|6056}}

{{Category|Fortress mode}}
{{Category|Interface}}

[[ru:Minecart]]

v0.34:Minecart logic

2012-09-07T10:39:46Z

TinyPirate:

The addition of minecarts to Dwarf Fortress has opened up new and exciting logic and computing options for the ambitious fortress manager. Minecart-based logic gates and memory cells are easy to build (arguably easier than [[fluid logic]] systems, they are easy to reconfigure, and react quickly.

== Binary Memory Cells ==
Binary Memory Cells store binary data as a 1 or 0 (on or off). For minecarts this means a minecart occupies a pressure plate to create a 1 and by some means removed to make a 0.

=== Three-tracked double-carted binary memory cell ===

[[File:3tdcbm.png]]

The image is split into three versions to show where the minecarts go, what's beneath the minecarts and what's beneath the rollers and pressure plates.

How this works: There are 2 carts, a copper one at the top and an iron one in the center. A copper cart weighs 357 Urists and an iron cart 314 Urists. The pressure plate in the center is set to activate at 350 Urists, so the iron cart doesn't trigger it. Activating the gear/roller (the light green one), making the copper cart push the iron cart to the other end before rolling onto the pressure plate will trigger it and send an on signal. Vice versa (the iron cart will push the copper cart just fine even though it's a little bit lighter) to send an off signal. This design is the most space-efficient of the memory cells but lacks the activation speed of the next design due to the first cart having to push the second cart before being moved onto the pressure plate itself.

A modular example of this design:

[[File:Modular3tdcbm.png]]

It's a bit bulky looking but compared to the water based cell which needs 5 z-levels minimum to be of any worth, it's nearly 3x smaller and functions just the same.

=== Newton's Cradle Binary Memory Cell ===

[[File:Tpmch.png]]

This design is slightly larger, having four tracks instead of three, but has the advantage of activating the pressure plate almost immediately upon power being sent. To activate, power is sent to the light green gear, pushing the top cart into the second cart. Like a Newton Cradle, the first cart transfers its momentum to the second cart, knocking it to the other end while the first cart rests on the pressure plate to send an on signal. The gear is then turned off. To turn it off power is sent to the dark green and the reverse happens. The modular design of the first memory cell can be applied to this as well, and you can actually fit in more gears for a more complex logic gate because of the increased length.

== Power to Signal Converters ==

A power to signal converter sends an on signal when power is applied and an off signal when power is cut.

=== 2x2 power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:2x2pts.png]]

When power is sent to the gear, the roller sends the cart around in a loop, passing over the pressure plate repeatedly to maintain on on signal. When power is cut the cart returns to the starting position and disengages the pressure plate. The roller in this example pushes the cart from E->W. Pay close attention to the track layout to make sure it works properly. The 2 walls at the top are all that's needed to keep it from derailing.

A modular design.

[[File:Modular2x2pts.png]]

=== Single-carted power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:Scpts.png]]

The rollers are directed at the center like always, so when power is applied to any of the gears the minecart continuously passes over the pressure plate to maintain an on signal, reverting to an off signal when the power is cut.

A modular design.

[[File:Modularscpts.png]]

It's possible to butt each main component closer to each other and put the extra gears on other z-levels but they're so small it's impossible to join the gears together in a more efficient design. It might look like there are too many unneeded gears but if you're going to be making something that needs this much stuff you'll need 2 or 3 extra gears to form logic gates.

=== Double-carted power-to-signal converter ===

[[File:Dcpts.png]]

BloodBeard, who invented this compact design, has this to say about it: "I was able to take the load adjusting pressure plate concept of my memory cell and put it into a power-to-signal converter. It functions much like the memory cell, but with different linkages (and an axle). Now I'm not so sure if this can be called a power-to-signal converter since you don't simply send power to a gear and the thing maintains an 'on' signal, but it's really all about how you use it.

Both gears are off by default and the power is connected to the dark green gear. Be it by lever or pressure plate, both gears are switched on, sending power to both rollers (directed to the center). The copper cart pushes the iron one to the other side, but before the southern roller has time to push it back north the copper cart is rolled onto the pressure plate which turns off the dark green gear (and the southern roller). The light green gear is still engaged but no power is being sent to it because the dark green is off. This was the sort of "eureka!" moment when I saw that rollers immediately stop when power is cut (unlike screwpumps) to allow this. (sorry if this is common knowledge, I'm a bit late to the game in getting into the 2012 versions)

Both gears are switched again when you want to turn it off, activating the dark green gear and disengaging the light green, sending both carts back to their starting points, deactivating the pressure plate which turns the dark green off again (but keeps the roller on long enough to push the iron cart thanks to the pressure plates 'off' delay). Everything is back to how it was at the start.

With the other examples, only 1 gear is needed to be switched to turn them on and off. If you treat both of these gears as you would a single gear then I guess you could also call it a power-to-signal converter, and is the only one that has no moving water or minecarts when it's in the on position. Useful if you have a whole bunch of them and want to minimize lag.

Now i'm not sure, but the implications of that last component might be huge for dwarfputing. That with a single lever or single pressure plate you can trigger an on and off signal on another component without any continuous moving parts wasn't possible with the mechanical-fluid logic examples I listed at the top of this post. It might be possible to use it as a binary memory cell as well, except I don't think there would be a 'standard' design and the gearing/linkages would need to be customized to the task it performs. I might have to make something, or at least plan it to see."

File:Dcpts.png

2012-09-07T10:37:49Z

TinyPirate: Double-carted power-to-signal converter (made by BloodBeard).

Double-carted power-to-signal converter (made by BloodBeard).

File:Modularscpts.png

2012-09-07T10:31:41Z

TinyPirate: Modular single-carted power-to-signal converter.

Modular single-carted power-to-signal converter.

File:Scpts.png

2012-09-07T10:30:32Z

TinyPirate: Single-carted power-to-signal converter.

Single-carted power-to-signal converter.

File:Modular2x2pts.png

2012-09-07T10:28:27Z

TinyPirate: Modular 2x2 power to signal converter.

Modular 2x2 power to signal converter.

File:2x2pts.png

2012-09-07T10:27:38Z

TinyPirate: 2x2 minecart power to signal converter.

2x2 minecart power to signal converter.

File:Tpmch.png

2012-09-07T10:25:52Z

TinyPirate: Newton's Cradle Binary Memory Cell (made by user:TinyPirate).

Newton's Cradle Binary Memory Cell (made by [[user:TinyPirate]]).

v0.34:Minecart logic

2012-09-07T10:24:23Z

TinyPirate:

File:Modular3tdcbm.png

2012-09-07T10:23:45Z

TinyPirate: Modular three-tracked double-carted binary memory cell.

Modular three-tracked double-carted binary memory cell.

File:3tdcbm.png

2012-09-07T10:20:43Z

TinyPirate: 3-tracked double-carted binary memory cell (made by BloodBeard). Three images show the top view (carts and tracks). Middle image shows what's under the carts (pressure plates and track) and final image shows the full length of the track.

3-tracked double-carted binary memory cell (made by BloodBeard). Three images show the top view (carts and tracks). Middle image shows what's under the carts (pressure plates and track) and final image shows the full length of the track.

v0.34:Minecart logic

2012-09-07T10:11:04Z

TinyPirate: Created page with "The addition of minecarts to Dwarf Fortress has opened up new and exciting logic and computing options for the ambitious fortress manager. Minecart-based logic gates and memory c..."

v0.34:Mechanical logic

2012-09-07T10:07:40Z

TinyPirate: Adding a link to minecart logic.

{{quality|Fine|21:42, 4 April 2012 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

Mechanical logic is one discipline of [[computing]] using mechanical [[power]] to perform logical operations. In this case powered or unpowered [[machine component|machine components]] represent the binary information.

The principles of mechanical logic are simple. [[Gear assembly|Gear assemblies]] linked to [[lever]]s or [[pressure plate]]s will be toggled between disengaged and engaged when they receive an on/off signal. In this manner, you can conditionally attach power supply from [[windmill]]s or [[water wheel]]s to specially arranged gears to build logic gates.

== Mechanical logic versus fluid logic ==
* Mechanical logic is very fast. Gears don't have a reaction delay of 100 steps like most other components used by [[fluid logic]]. So if a gear is toggled the flow of power will change immediately.
* Mechanical logic is very flexible. Gears can toggle, so inverting signals is easy and you don't have to deal with different machine components.
* Mechanical logic is very reconfigurable. You don't have to deal with [[creature|creatures]] or fluid before changing anything.

* Mechanical logic needs a substantial amount of wood to create and transmit power. (So what?)
* Mechanical logic still needs [[water|fluid]] to build converter to trigger something else than machine components. (If you really want to be fluid free you'll have to stick to [[creature logic]].) (but what about [[minecart logic]]?)
* <s>Mechanical logic needs a substantial amount of mechanism.</s> (Only if you stick to [[mechanical logic#Load based|load based mechanical logic]].)

== General concepts ==
There are two general concepts. The older and inadvisable one is the so called load-based mechanical logic. The other one is the so called toggle-based mechanical logic.

=== Load based ===
Load based mechanical logic uses single logic gates with a defined amount of power. They have an additional amount of load in terms of mechanism or other machine components, consuming all of the power if connected. The gates are designed in a way that the load is disconnected while the output shall be true, and connected when the output shall be false. Every logic gate has to have its own power supply. Compact complex logic gates are very hard to design, utterly impossible.

=== Toggle based ===
Toggle based mechanical logic works more like [[fluid logic]], not controlling the flow of fluid but the flow of power. It uses the fact that gears don't have a defined state when receiving an on or an off signal, but toggle between connected and disengaged, independent of the type of signal. It normally uses a central power supply. It is quite easy to create very complex gates with multiple output signals such as, for example, a binary to decimal converter.

=== Example ===
The first example shows a load based XOR gate. It takes input signals from two different triggers. It's output gear (O) is powered when exactly one of the two input triggers is on and the other one is off. This is done as follows: The power will be connected to the gear with the P (from the bottom of the diagram or another z-level). One input is linked to gear 1 the other to gear 2. This way power will flow from P to O if either one of the input signals is off. Additionally both inputs are linked to gear 3, that is connected to the load L. Since gears toggle the gear will be active if both signals where off (or on), and the load will stop any flow of power then. You can build this on top of a [[Mechanical logic#Power to signal converter|power to signal converter]] as shown on this page. As you can see you will need many mechanisms to build this gate. 5 for the gears, 8 to connect to the input in addition to all the components needed for the converter and the load.
<div style="width:1px; white-space:nowrap;">
'''load based XOR'''
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing:0; border-style:solid; border-width:thin; border-color:#000000;"
|
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing:0; padding:0; margin:0; vertical-align:middle;"
|-
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|-
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#444|*|#DDD||||1|#F4F|right}}
|{{RTL|#222|*|#BBB||||O|#FF4|right}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|-
|{{RTL|#FFF| |#FFF|L|#F44|right}}
|{{RTL|#444|*|#DDD||||3|#F4F|right}}
|{{RTL|#444|*|#DDD||||P|#4F4|right}}
|{{RTL|#444|*|#DDD||||2|#D4D|right}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|}
|}
</div>
 A toggle based XOR gate looks much simpler:
<div style="width:1px; white-space:nowrap;">
'''toggle based XOR'''
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing:0; border-style:solid; border-width:thin; border-color:#000000;"
|
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing:0; padding:0; margin:0; vertical-align:middle;"
|-
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|-
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#222|*|#BBB}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|-
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|{{RTL|#FFF}}
|}
|}
</div>
In stark contrast to the load-based XOR, you'll need only one gear. This is how it works: Connect it to your source of power, and link it to one of your input triggers. Build a temporary lever anywhere and connect it, too. Pull the lever once. You can deconstruct the temporary lever now. Now the gear is disengaged, and you link the second input trigger to it. Since gears toggle, every time your trigger changes state and sends a signal the gear will change state. Initially both triggers are off, and the gear is disengaged. When one trigger changes state, it will activate the gear. Independent of which trigger changes next, both will have the same state afterwards, and the gear will be disengaged again. So the gear will transport power when both input triggers are at different state: XOR. You can build this on top of a [[Mechanical logic#Power to signal converter|power to signal converter]] as shown on this page. As you can see, you won't need many mechanisms to build this gate. 1 for the gear, 4 to connect to the input and 1 will be lost after disconnecting the temporary lever (that needs 3 temporarily). And of course you will need all the components for the converter, but no load.

== Power to signal converter ==
When you are dealing with mechanical logic, you'll finally want or have to trigger something else than machine components like doors or bridges. Currently, there exists no trigger in dwarf fortress that reacts on the working state of machine components, thus power on/off. So, you'll have to convert power via pressure plates, screw pumps and fluid into an on/off signal.
<div style="width:1px; white-space:nowrap;">
'''Z 0'''
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing:0; border-style:solid; border-width:thin; border-color:#000000;"
|
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing:0; padding:0; margin:0; vertical-align:middle;"
|-
|{{RTL|#DDD}}
|{{RTL|#DDD}}
|{{RTL|#DDD}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|-
|{{RTL|#DDD}}
|{{RTL|#222|·|#BBB}}
|{{RTL|#444|÷|#DDD}}
|{{RTL|#444|÷|#DDD|►|#00A|center|►|#00A|center}}
|{{RTL|#222|·|#BBB}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|-
|{{RTL|#DDD}}
|{{RTL|#DDD}}
|{{RTL|#DDD}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|}
|}
</div>
<div style="width:1px; white-space:nowrap;">
'''Z-1'''
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing:0; border-style:solid; border-width:thin; border-color:#000000;"
|
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-spacing:0; padding:0; margin:0; vertical-align:middle;"
|-
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|-
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#00A|^|#DDD||||7|#88F|left}}
|{{RTL|#DDD||||||7|#88F|left}}
|{{RTL|#DDD||||||7|#88F|left}}
|{{RTL|#DDD||||||7|#88F|left}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|-
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|{{RTL|#222}}
|-
|}
|}
</div>
 
When the pump is connected to power, it will suck water from the pressure plate and pump it to the right. The water level on the pressure plate will fall to 0. The plate can be constructed to react on 0…3 water. You can invert it to get an off signal instead setting it to 4…7. In both cases the ''off signal'' will have a delay of about 100 steps. This gate is fluid conserving.

Since the introduction of minecarts, fluid is no longer necessary. See http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114923.0 for various designs.

==Load based Mechanical signal-input power-output gates==
* These gates can be used either by adding a power -> link signal converter (also known as a "rotation sensor"), or directly used to control pumps, such as in other logic gates (the unsourced fluid logic gates use these, for instance). The conventional "rotation sensor" consists of a pump powered by the gate's OUTPUT gear, pumping an infinite supply of water onto a water-sensing pressure plate with an infinite drain.
* There are certain things important to all the gates:
* Each gate has an OUTPUT gear, which will be placed next to a pump which the gate will control.
* In diagrams, the OUTPUT gear is below the 'O' gear, connected to it by gears or vertical axles. The P indicates where you should hook power up, and L indicates where load (gears or pumps that don't have a water source) should be connected, and ¦ and - are horizontal axles. The Is are gears linked to INPUTs (some gates have one input, but most have two).
* Gates which incorporate a NOT will have the power network branch off from the 'O' gear, and have a train of power-draining stuff connected to the input gears, whereas gates which do not incorporate a NOT will have the power connected to the input gears instead. The principle behind normal gates is that when the INPUTs are ON, power is connected. The principle behind the NOT gates is that power is always connected, but when the INPUTs are ON, a large enough power requirement is connected to send the power requirements above the power supply, shutting down the system.
* If your windmills produce no power, you'll have to come up with some way to use water wheels for power instead.
* You should build only enough windmills (or water wheels) to power the system, and should not connect the network for one gate to another gate's network, since that would both gates up.
* The gates' instructions will explain how much load and power you need to have at each P and L in the more complicated gates.

===Legend===
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Symbol
! Meaning
|-
| {{diagram|[#ff0]O}}
| A gear which connects to your OUTPUT gear, which outputs power when the gate is producing an ON output.
|-
| {{diagram|[#aaf]I}}
| A gear connected to an INPUT. In most gates you will have two Is, with each one connected to a different input.
|-
| {{diagram|-}} and {{diagram|¦}}
| Horizontal axles
|-
| {{diagram|[#0f0]P}}
| Power goes here
|-
| {{diagram|[#aaf]i}}
| Two more gears, each connected to the two different inputs.
|-
| {{diagram|[#f00]L}}
| a chain of gears or pumps which serve to add load to the system, generally shutting it off when connected.
|-
| {{diagram|*}}
| A gear which isn't linked to any inputs or outputs and just serves to connect the power or whatever.
|}

===Mechanical identity gate ===
{{diagram|
[#ff0]O[#aaf]I--[#0f0]P}}

* This takes an linked input signal and converts it to power without changing it.
* Connected to the input gear, such that they will only be connected to the system if the input gear is receiving an ON signal, are gears with windmills on top of them. Build only enough windmills to power the devices that the gate's OUTPUT gear are connected to (and the gears/axles).
* When the INPUT is ON, the INPUT gear will be active, and the network will provide power to the OUTPUT. When the INPUT is OFF, it will not provide power to the OUTPUT.

===Mechanical NOT gate===
{{diagram|
[#ff0]O[#aaf]I[#f00]L
¦
¦
[#0f0]P}}

* When the INPUT is ON, the INPUT gear will be active, and the network should need more power than is available. The devices connected to OUTPUT should shut down. When INPUT is OFF, the devices should have power since the INPUT gear will be disconnected.

===Mechanical NAND gate===
{{diagram|
[#ff0]O[#aaf]I[#aaf]I[#f00]L
¦
¦
[#0f0]P}}

* This works just like the NOT gate, except that there are two inputs and both have to be active to shut down the system instead of one. Make sure you have enough power to run the system when one of the input gears is active.

===Mechanical AND gate===
{{diagram|
[#ff0]O[#aaf]I[#aaf]I[#0f0]P}}

* This works like the identity gate, except that there are two inputs and both have to be active for the system to get power.

===Mechanical OR gate===
{{diagram|
[#ff0]O[#aaf]I
[#aaf]I*[#0f0]P}}

* This works like the identity gate, except that there are two inputs, and if either is active, the system receives power. Note that the entire power network is connected to both inputs, such that if either input is active the entire power network is powering the system.

===Mechanical NOR gate===
{{diagram|
[#aaf]I*[#f00]L
[#ff0]O[#aaf]I
¦
¦
[#0f0]P}}

* This works like the NOT gate, except that there are two inputs, and if either is active, the gear train or pump stack signified by the 'L' will be connected to the system. You need to have enough load to push power requirements above the amount of power produced by the power supply, shutting the system down.

===Mechanical XOR gate===
{{diagram|
[#ff0]O[#aaf]I
[#aaf]I*-[#0f0]P
[#000].[#aaf]i
[#000].[#aaf]i
[#000].[#f00]L}}

* Except for the 'i's and 'L', this gate is identical to the OR gate. The additional components add the 'exclusive' part of the 'XOR' to the gate.
*The 'i's are additional gears connected to each of your inputs, and the L is additional load (large enough to stop the system, of course).

===Mechanical XNOR gate===
{{diagram|
[#000].[#000].[#aaf]I*[#f00]L
[#000].[#000].[#ff0]O[#aaf]I
[#000].[#000].¦
[#0f0]P[#aaf]-*
[#000].[#000].[#aaf]i
[#000].[#000].[#aaf]i
[#000].[#000].[#0f0]P}}

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! A
! B
! Drain
! Power
! Extra Power
! Result
|-
| 0
| 0
| No
| Yes
| No
| 1
|-
| 0
| 1
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| 0
|-
| 1
| 0
| Yes
| Yes
| No
| 0
|-
| 1
| 1
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| 1
|}

* The XNOR gate is an equality gate: The output is ON when both inputs are equal, and OFF when they are not equal.
* This gate may be '''even more complicated''' to build than the XOR gate!
* First, your 'i's are again gears connected to your two inputs. The extra P below them is additional power source, ideally only one windmill.
* Here's where it gets complicated. The load has to be sufficient to shut down the system when additional power supply is disconnected. However, when BOTH inputs are on, there needs to be enough power from additional P to bring the system back online.
* Thus our gate does what it is supposed to: Produce enough power to have the OUTPUT gear be ON when both A and B are either 0 or 1, but not when they are not equal.

{{Category|Computing}}

User:TinyPirate

2012-09-07T09:58:44Z

TinyPirate:

User talk:TinyPirate

2012-09-07T09:57:42Z

TinyPirate: Blanked the page

User:TinyPirate

2012-09-07T09:42:53Z

TinyPirate:

User:TinyPirate

2012-09-07T09:42:25Z

TinyPirate:

* Author of "[shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920022565.do Getting Started with Dwarf Fortress]"
* Say hi [http://twitter.com/tinypirate @tinypirate]
* Here to contribute some work to the minecarts/computing sections - when I work out how to do so well.

User talk:VengefulDonut

2009-02-19T10:11:08Z

TinyPirate:

Welcome to this wiki! Dwarf Fortress rapidly becomes more complicated, and we're always glad to have new writers. 
Since we prefer that you try to follow our wiki's standards, we've made a list of basic guidelines. This is a template.
* To let us know who you are, please sign your posts on discussion pages by typing <code><nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki></code> after your posts. This can also be inserted with the [[Image:Button sig756222.png]] button if JavaScript is enabled.
* Never put a question mark in the title of a page. Question marks mess things up, and your page will be moved to a different name.
* When making comments on a talk page, use one more colon before each line in your comment than was used in the comment you reply to. Put exactly one empty line between comments by different users but do not use blank lines inside of a comment. If your comment has no indents, use <code><nowiki> </nowiki></code> after each line.
* Avoid making many small edits to a page. Instead, try to make one large edit. This makes the history of the page a lot easier to read.
* Don't edit the user page of another user. If you want to tell them something, add the comment to their talk page.
* If you put a comment at the bottom of a talk page with section headers, you've probably put it in a section. Don't put things in the wrong sections. If necessary, create a section.
* Most importantly, [[DwarfFortressWiki:Community_Portal#We_are_doing_this.21_Let_us_do_it_right.|read and follow the rules.]] Really. Read them.
<div align=center><div style="width: 28em; padding: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; border: 1px solid #ccc; background: #eee; text-align: center">''"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" --[[User:Savok|Savok]]''</div></div>

Well, since linking externally isn't popular, and copying part-content isn't popular, might as well give up --[[User:TinyPirate|TinyPirate]] 05:11, 19 February 2009 (EST)

User:TinyPirate

2009-02-19T05:06:45Z

TinyPirate:

I am really not good at thar interwikiz. Am currently looking at putting part 1 of my play-along DF tutorial up here on DFw. It's over on [http://www.afteractionreporter.com] and while I'd like to encourage people to my site I think the first part here would be really useful to a lot of folks - at least that's what I've been told.

User:TinyPirate

2009-02-19T05:06:01Z

TinyPirate: New page: I am really not got at thar interwikiz. Am currently looking at putting part 1 of my play-along DF tutorial up here on DFw. It's over on [http://www.afteractionreporter.com] and while I'd ...

I am really not got at thar interwikiz. Am currently looking at putting part 1 of my play-along DF tutorial up here on DFw. It's over on [http://www.afteractionreporter.com] and while I'd like to encourage people to my site I think the first part here would be really useful to a lot of folks - at least that's what I've been told.

User talk:VengefulDonut

2009-02-19T05:04:33Z

TinyPirate:

Welcome to this wiki! Dwarf Fortress rapidly becomes more complicated, and we're always glad to have new writers. 
Since we prefer that you try to follow our wiki's standards, we've made a list of basic guidelines. This is a template.
* To let us know who you are, please sign your posts on discussion pages by typing <code><nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki></code> after your posts. This can also be inserted with the [[Image:Button sig756222.png]] button if JavaScript is enabled.
* Never put a question mark in the title of a page. Question marks mess things up, and your page will be moved to a different name.
* When making comments on a talk page, use one more colon before each line in your comment than was used in the comment you reply to. Put exactly one empty line between comments by different users but do not use blank lines inside of a comment. If your comment has no indents, use <code><nowiki> </nowiki></code> after each line.
* Avoid making many small edits to a page. Instead, try to make one large edit. This makes the history of the page a lot easier to read.
* Don't edit the user page of another user. If you want to tell them something, add the comment to their talk page.
* If you put a comment at the bottom of a talk page with section headers, you've probably put it in a section. Don't put things in the wrong sections. If necessary, create a section.
* Most importantly, [[DwarfFortressWiki:Community_Portal#We_are_doing_this.21_Let_us_do_it_right.|read and follow the rules.]] Really. Read them.
<div align=center><div style="width: 28em; padding: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; border: 1px solid #ccc; background: #eee; text-align: center">''"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" --[[User:Savok|Savok]]''</div></div>

Thanks for your feedback on my tutorial puzzler. What I might suggest then is that I put the first tutorial on here and then link off site to part 2. I'd rather not have everything up here as I would like to build a bit of traffic to my site.. but I do think people would enjoy the tutorial as it really is a play-along style I've not seen anyone else use. Thoughts? And if you agree, do I host the pictures here or just link 'em? --[[User:TinyPirate|TinyPirate]] 00:04, 19 February 2009 (EST)

User talk:VengefulDonut

2009-02-18T10:00:38Z

TinyPirate:

Welcome to this wiki! Dwarf Fortress rapidly becomes more complicated, and we're always glad to have new writers. 
Since we prefer that you try to follow our wiki's standards, we've made a list of basic guidelines. This is a template.
* To let us know who you are, please sign your posts on discussion pages by typing <code><nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki></code> after your posts. This can also be inserted with the [[Image:Button sig756222.png]] button if JavaScript is enabled.
* Never put a question mark in the title of a page. Question marks mess things up, and your page will be moved to a different name.
* When making comments on a talk page, use one more colon before each line in your comment than was used in the comment you reply to. Put exactly one empty line between comments by different users but do not use blank lines inside of a comment. If your comment has no indents, use <code><nowiki> </nowiki></code> after each line.
* Avoid making many small edits to a page. Instead, try to make one large edit. This makes the history of the page a lot easier to read.
* Don't edit the user page of another user. If you want to tell them something, add the comment to their talk page.
* If you put a comment at the bottom of a talk page with section headers, you've probably put it in a section. Don't put things in the wrong sections. If necessary, create a section.
* Most importantly, [[DwarfFortressWiki:Community_Portal#We_are_doing_this.21_Let_us_do_it_right.|read and follow the rules.]] Really. Read them.
<div align=center><div style="width: 28em; padding: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; border: 1px solid #ccc; background: #eee; text-align: center">''"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" --[[User:Savok|Savok]]''</div></div>

How can I add my tutorial to the list? It's a lot of parts, all on afteractionreporter.com - some folks suggested I put it here, but I've got no idea where to put a link, or how :/ --[[User:TinyPirate|TinyPirate]] 05:00, 18 February 2009 (EST)

Talk:Main Page/archive2

2009-02-16T08:27:18Z

TinyPirate: /* New Tutorials - How to list? */

== New Tutorials - How to list? ==

How and where do we list new tutorials? It's quite lost on me. :(
I would sign, but I don't know how... TinyPirate

== The "Bedroom Design" page is broken ==

When trying to load the page I get this error:

Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded in /home/virtual/site152/fst/var/www/html/dwarf/includes/Parser.php on line 2717

It's been this way for a couple days at least. The rest of the wiki works fine. – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Phillstac3|Phillstac3]]

:The culprit was too much QD, which caused the page to load too slowly. The wiki gave up when it didnt load fast enough. I have the culprit for now, but I have idea for a more permanent solution. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 08:28, 15 August 2008 (EDT)

== "new version" ==

ShunterAlhena changed "new version" to "new (3D) version" to "3D version". I changed this to "Z-axis version", to reduce newbie confusion (thinking there's a fully-3D graphical version could be disappointing) but now I'm starting to wonder if maybe "new version" would be best after all. As far as I can tell, "new version" doesn't just mean all of the versions since the October 2007 release, but rather the ''latest'' version. 
That said, that's what I'll tweak it to. --[[User:JT|JT]] 19:47, 29 July 2008 (EDT)

:IMO if the phrase "new version" is being used to refer to the "Z-axis version" of the game, then it isn't really clear enough. With Toady's regular updates, talking just about "new versions" is a little too ambiguous. How about the phrases "multi-level version" or "multi-floor version"? Either of those would be clearer I think. "Z-axis version" is also good for me. (This is my first suggestion/edit on a Wiki, so I hope it turns out ok!) --[[User:Saiph|Saiph]] 07:59, 28 November 2008 (EST)

:: You're correct about it being ambiguous. Your suggestion is ok (and welcome to the Wiki! :-)), but I don't think the notice box is still needed. Its purpose was to keep people from just copying over old material from the archived wiki to fill gaps in this one, but that's not really a danger anymore, so I just removed it and moved the release date down to the download link. — [[User:Alya|Alya]] 10:40, 28 November 2008 (EST)

== Offline Version? ==

Is there an offline version of DwarfFortressWiki (ala [http://static.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia])? I'm going to be doing some traveling, and would like to use this resource when I don't have internet access :) --[[User:Sim9]], unsigned

:I know that obtaining one is possible. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 23:31, 6 June 2008 (EDT)

:I was told that a torrent was circulating on 4chan and other places but I don't know anything else about it. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 12:46, 7 June 2008 (EDT)
:Go to [[Special:Export]] then go to [[Special:Allpages]] in another window/tab. Make a copy of every article's name. Paste it into the export page and click export. Now its just a matter of finding a way to parse the xml file you get.

:I now have an offline copy. I can post it if anyone is interested in a copy :) --[[User:Sim9|Sim9]] 22:57, 8 June 2008 (EDT)

:: Just found this: [http://www.wikitaxi.org/delphi/doku.php/products/wikitaxi/index WikiTaxi]. It took me a while to find a suitable program for viewing Wiki XML dumps, so I thought I'd save some others the time. By 'suitable', I mean easy to use and without requiring a lot of extras before it will work (most I found require you to set up a server with a MySQL database and apache - I already meet those requirements on my desktop, but that almost defeats the purpose of downloading the wiki in the first place). This one however is completely portable - I can have it on external storage and use it on any computer I find myself needing to. --[[User:Tyranic-Moron|Tyranic-Moron]] 13:57, 15 June 2008 (EDT)

== Coincidence? ==

I got a quote that said: 
"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" 
--Savok 
right after creating this account... Is this a coincidence or a command? 
--[[User:Peewee|Peewee]] 20:02, 31 May 2008 (EDT)

:Coincidence. That's the end of a newbie-welcoming template that someone found funny enough to put in the [[Main Page/Quote|Quote list]], which delivers randomized quotes to the main page. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 22:49, 31 May 2008 (EDT)

::Both coincidence AND command. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 11:41, 1 June 2008 (EDT)

== Russian Interwiki ==

I've made a deal with the admin of the Russian wiki, we can both link to each other. So if you know Russian, you're welcome to add links to the bottom of pages to their equivalent Russian pages.
For example, on the [[Carp]] page, I have added [[ru:Карп]] - so there is now a link to its Russian counterpart in the left-side navigation bar, under the "In other languages" header. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 13:37, 2 April 2008 (EDT)

:Looks like the other wiki may be down/broken. I don't have a suggested action though. -- [[User:Vaevictus|Vaevictus]] 13:33, 3 June 2008 (EDT)

::I have made new russian wiki. URL: http://www.dfwk.ru. I do translation now. -- [[User:igoreklim|igoreklim]] 22:15, 13 August 2008 (EDT)

== Many Laughs ==

Congrats to whomever made the april's fool's day changes. [[User:Yvain|Yvain]] 04:34, 1 April 2008 (EDT)

:Agreed. I didn't think of doing anything myself so kudos for going in. Nobody changes it for the whole day, I'll revert any reverts. :) --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 08:56, 1 April 2008 (EDT)

== Navigation on bottom ==

Since recently (2 or 3 days) the navigation and search box are at the very bottom of every page (opera user). Can someone please fix this? --[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 07:38, 21 March 2008 (EDT)

:It's at the bottom of the page for me too, and I'm using Firefox. [[User:Klada|Klada]] 11:43, 21 March 2008 (EDT)

::Confirm this is happening for me as well, Firefox 2.0.0.12 ubuntu 7.04. --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 14:56, 21 March 2008 (EDT)

:::For what it's worth, ditto, and FF 2.0.0.12 Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 2. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 15:07, 21 March 2008 (EDT)

::::Hah! Sorry, meant Senso. XD Good to have another confirmation regardless. Anyway, I went ahead and emailed him. It's weird how it just cropped up all of a sudden, hopefully something easily fixed. --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 02:00, 22 March 2008 (EDT)

:It should be back to normal now, sorry for that. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 11:54, 22 March 2008 (EDT)

::No worries, looks good here. Thanks! --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 17:54, 22 March 2008 (EDT)
::: *[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] jumps up and rejoices*
:::: "[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] was pleased to have a mandate deadline met lately."? --[[User:FunnyMan|FunnyMan]] 06:13, 27 March 2008 (EDT)

== "American" English or Rest-Of-The-World English? ==

Just a minor question, while spell-checking articles, I've encountered a few discrepancies between the two, but I usually see the "rest of the world English" more. So what's the official rule here, assuming we're going for a constant? --[[User:Snoob|Snoob]] 08:40, 7 March 2008 (EST)

:Haha. You don't sound biased at all ;). I figure we can go one of two routes. We can either claim that DF is an american topic, since it's being made in america by an american and the wiki is on an american domain—or we can say DF is an international topic since people from all over are funding Toady. If it's an international topic, we might as well follow the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#National_varieties_of_English wikipedia manual of style]. Wikipedia has no preference over the variant used, but there should be consistency in each article. The first user who makes an edit which disambiguates the variety being used in the article is considered the first major contributor and all subsequent edits to that article should use the same type of english. If in doubt, we have history pages. I think the reason you see british english more often in the wiki is because we've had a few editors who in their extreme modesty decided british english is superior and changed several of the american english articles over. I've noticed this happening on a few occasions. (please dont do that). [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 09:53, 7 March 2008 (EST)

::I second sticking with the Wikipedia's Manual of Style for language. And as a note, there isn't a "Rest of the World English." In fact, the language is documented to vary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_accents_of_English_speakers|as much as the countries that speak it].
::So, how does the Namibian English variant sound to everyone? At least then most of us are at an equal starting point! :P --[[User:TarrVetus|TarrVetus]] 11:25, 7 March 2008 (EST)

:::I made a pretty bad assumption there, I suppose. I was trying to not sound biased, but I suppose I accidentally let it creep in somewhere. I'll just leave the variations to you guys and stick to cleaning up actual typos then. :P --[[User:Snoob|Snoob]] 11:37, 7 March 2008 (EST)

::::Hehe. I can sympathize, Snoob. I've had this debate with myself in the past, though it was from the other side. --[[User:TarrVetus|TarrVetus]] 13:17, 7 March 2008 (EST)

:::::This is a late reply, but I am an American in China. Here, English is classified either as American English or British English, and American English is widely preferred even though British English is taught to beginning students. I wouldn't say calling it "rest-of-the-world English" is very accurate. I would venture that many countries in Latin America also prefer American English, but what do it know.--[[User:RustyMcloon|Rusty Mcloon]] 01:16, 17 May 2008 (EDT)

== Version updates ==

There's a new version out today, so the version number and release date need changing. Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea how to do this as they appear to use some kind of function instead of being typed in. Somebody with the know-how fancy making the change? --[[User:TangoThree|TangoThree]] 10:04, 24 February 2008 (EST)
:[[Template:current/version]]
:[[Template:current/lastupdate]]
:[[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 10:15, 24 February 2008 (EST)

== Quote randomization ==

VengefulDonut, if you want to randomize that for improved quality, you'll need to do it right: Many (most?) of the quotes in the quote archive are in an ARCHIVE: They are bad quotes never intended to be reused. Also, what do we do when we get new quotes? Do they get put in a database, not to be used till the RNG chooses? --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 20:11, 7 February 2008 (EST)

:What would you like? [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 20:36, 7 February 2008 (EST)

::I suggest that one quote is permanant, and the other quote refresh everytime we visit the page. So far, I noticed that even if I refresh the page, the same quotes stay. --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 05:49, 8 February 2008 (EST)

:::A new quote on the left, and a randomized archive quote on the right? As for the refesh: the template checks the time. --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 06:35, 8 February 2008 (EST)

::::What is the tick? Every few minutes? --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 08:14, 8 February 2008 (EST)

:::The template checks the time, but the time doesn't update because the server caches the page. It gets a new one whenever the server refreshes it; you can force this by editing the page or by clicking the preview button. Also, I could make it so that one of the quote boxes picks from the newest x quotes. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 10:43, 8 February 2008 (EST)

::::Having a newer quote on the left and an archived one on the right sounds better than a permanent quote on either. PS. Might want to remove a few of them, like the 'palisade' quote. --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 11:47, 8 February 2008 (EST)

:::::The goal of the quote archive was to archive every single quote which ever got to the main page. If you want to thin out only the best quotes, I suggest you use a separate database for that. Even then, how "good" is a quote is very open to interpretation and taste. If I had to remove all the quotes I find bad or unfunny myself, I'd probably remove 80% of the present quotes in the archive. --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 18:46, 8 February 2008 (EST)

::::::Ok. The right quotebox now chooses from the last 10 quotes instead of from among all of them. If anyone feels like they want to prune out or fiddle with quotes, go for it. I think what I've set up should be pretty straightforward, but if you have questions I'll be glad to answer them. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 20:11, 8 February 2008 (EST)

:::I added two new quotes (40, and 41), but only 40 is showing up at the moment, am I doing something wrong? --[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] 10:10, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

::::You did it exactly right. The left quote box randomly chooses between all quotes. The right quote box randomly chooses between the 10 newest. It will come up eventually. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 10:17, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

:::If possible can we implement a check to insure that the left quote and the right quote are not in fact the same quote? I suppose it wouldn't be a big deal with a small quote, however when it is large, such as the 7 line one I ran into today appearing in both boxes, it makes the page seem a bit crowded and symmetrical. --[[User:Elvang|Elvang]] 14:51, 10 June 2008 (EDT)

::::We could do that, but the probability of identical quotes is 1⁄totalquotenumber, so I don't think it's really needed. --[[User:Savok|Savok]]

:::::And yet it still manages to happen. like at the time of this edit. --[[User:Zeta|Zeta]] 12:30, 19 January 2009 (EST)

== Requesting installation of ParserFunctions extension ==

It would be nice if the ParserFunctions[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:ParserFunctions] extension was installed (#if, #expr, etc). It would be useful for having templates that exclude parts of it if no values are provided. Note: I cannot find a place for requesting extensions --[[User:Aygar|Aygar]] 13:00, 21 January 2008 (EST)

:ParserFunctions has been '''installed'''. I did a quick test and it works. Let me know if you run into problems. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 11:54, 22 January 2008 (EST)

== Translation ==

I've got requests for either having a German wiki or Namespace. I'd like to have everybody's opinion on this. If you people think that having German (and maybe other languages eventually) translations on the main wiki is going to be annoying, tell me. I can also setup a new wiki on a subdomain (de.dwarffortresswiki.net for example). How would it be best organized? Should I use [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Template:Languages LanguageTemplates]? Is there a need for other additional languages? --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 09:31, 17 January 2008 (EST)

:Since Dwarf Fortress is only available in English, if you can play the game, you can also read the wiki. I really don't think a German (or any other language) wiki version is worth the effort.--[[User:Siliziumleben|Siliziumleben]] 14:22, 18 January 2008 (EST)

::My oppinion also. This doesn't mean we should stop those enthusiam people though. --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 13:06, 17 January 2008 (EST)

::There's a big difference between understanding a game interface and reading long and complex tutorials, descriptions, discussions etc. I know French people who play this game; they can understand the UI but they use the French wiki for reference. Also, if I decide to use a separate wiki/subdomain, this will be totally transparent to you. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 16:40, 17 January 2008 (EST)

:::My first language, the one I used since I'm born, is French. Yet, I way prefer this wiki over the french one. --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 10:06, 18 January 2008 (EST)

::::I'm French too, you know. But when I offered to host a DF wiki, I didn't do it in French because I know English is widely used. But I'm still glad that someone else started a French wiki. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 22:58, 20 January 2008 (EST)

:::::I don't see what harm could come from hosting a German, Japanese, and Russian wiki. It's not like it will interfere with the English one. Also, as a student of languages, I would love to read equivalent articles in German and Japanese. --[[User:DDouble|DDouble]] 22:01, 17 February 2008 (EST)

::::::I am german and while I can read english books like german ones, I have to agree that being able to use a UI and understanding the finer points in a tutorial etc. are two quite different things. I guess that if the bandwidth of the wiki is no burden on anyone, it could actually lead to an influx of new ideas and players, which is very important for a "community" game like DF. --[[User:Caiburn|Caiburn]] 20:44, 18 February 2008 (CET+1)

Hello everyone! 
I'm from Austria speaking and reading English very well, why should we not translate this wiki? If we are enough fellows we could do a good job. So give us a chance ;)– [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Geri|Geri]]

----

Like [[User:Eagle of Fire|EoF]] implied, a translated wiki is simply not nearly as up to date as the main one. If it was, we would have to rely on an active community of those fluent in English and the language of the translated wiki to keep the wikis coordinated. For this reason, I do not believe that we can successfully create a DFwiki in a different language with the resources that we have at the moment. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:21, 11 December 2008 (EST)

== Version of MediaWiki? ==

Sorry if this is completely the wrong place, but does anybody know which version of MediaWiki these pages uses?
Maybe that information could be included in the page About DwarfFortressWiki? --[[User:Gauteamus|Gauteamus]] 17:00, 17 December 2007 (EST)

:I think I found out. This page: [[Special:Version]] says the version is 1.10.1, which should mean that limited #for-loops are supported. I will delete these comments soonishly, but will let them stay for a while incase someone has comments --[[User:Gauteamus|Gauteamus]] 17:28, 17 December 2007 (EST)

== Combat Logs? ==

What about a section where people could post cool combat logs from adventurer mode. This would different from the "Stories" section, which is more prose. (This is 'cause I'd like to post the log of a battle I had with a particularly clumsy Giant, who slammed into a wall allowing me to stab him in the back of the head for the eventual win. Its no dragon-slaying tale, but I still think its good.) --[[User:Wahnsinniger|Wahnsinniger]] 11:59, 2 December 2007 (EST)

== Humor? / Link to quote archive? ==

Any thoughts about possibly linking [[Main Page/Quote Archive]] page somewhere on the main page? Its an orphan at the moment and is pretty funny and relevant. [[User:Vanan|Vanan]] 15:19, 13 November 2007 (EST)

I'd like to be able to see that happen. New people coming here might get overwhelmed if we don't amuse them with some good humor here and there.--[[User:AlBorland|AlBorland]] 13:42, 20 November 2007 (EST)

:I second that. This second is adorned with hanging rings of Goshenite and menaces with spikes of Goshenite. - [[User:Laugurinn|Laugurinn]] 22:57, 13 April 2008 (EDT)

Where does one stick new funny quotes? Namely, this:
 ""Thikut Atheludib, Marksdwarf cancels shooting at Archery Range: Interrupted by Groundhog pup" - What brave soldiers I have" [[User:Juckto|Juckto]] 18:45, 10 December 2007 (EST)
:That's not exactly funny, but [[Main_Page/Quote]]. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMario]] 00:43, 14 April 2008 (EDT)

Just for the record, does anybody mind if I put a link to the [[Main Page/Quote Archive]] page on the front page? [[User:Shabang50|Shabang50]] 12:58, 30 September 2008 (EDT)

:I say go for it. --[[User:Zeta|Zeta]] 22:27, 12 January 2009 (EST)

== Demystify messages? ==

Probably against the spirit of 'losing is fun', but how about a page that explains smoe of the more cryptic messages, such as; 'job item misplaced' and 'job item lost or destroyed'? [[User:Runspotrun|Runspotrun]] 16:43, 8 November 2007 (EST)

Also, is there a suggestions pages? This probably isn't the best page to add ideas... [[User:Runspotrun|Runspotrun]] 16:44, 8 November 2007 (EST)

== Importing old entries ==

What's the stance on importing entries from the old wiki for stuff like general item stats? Most of them are still correct (or nearly so) and it would be nice not to have to switch between this and the old wiki any more. I can add a disclaimer to them stating I pulled them from the archives if that's appropriate. --[[User:Xazak|Xazak]] 15:07, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
:IMO (and I'm not admin or anything) it should be ok but only if you are 100% sure EVERYTHING is correct, and have verified it personally. I've edited at least one article someone copy-pasted with no changes that had old info in it so far and it makes me sad. --[[User:BurnedToast|BurnedToast]] 15:38, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
::Yes, I second this. Please be diligent if you are going to import old information. Even if you can't do it yourself, at least categorize it as needing verification so someone with the free time can. --[[User:EighenIndemnis|EighenIndemnis]] 15:37, 6 November 2007 (EST)
:You could use [[Template:Verify]] to indicate that something needs confirmation in the new version. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 15:47, 6 November 2007 (EST)

I have noticed an increase of pages in which only an old Wiki page is copied/pasted along with a warning that it was copied and thus may not be accurate. Is it just me or that's ''exactly'' what we didn't want to happen, and one of the reasons we started fresh with the new Wiki to begin with? --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 01:45, 9 November 2007 (EST)

== Basic Format ==

I think the [[Farming]] page is a good format for most of the key pages, perhaps the structure from the archive should be followed. --[[User:Infinity|Infinity]] 05:56, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

:Agreed, I've tried to copy this style on several pages, e.g. [[Gear Assembly]]. --[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] 23:30, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

I would like to add a request for a 'build tree' of sorts. It would, for example, make figuring out how to get iron bars a whole lot less frustrating. --[[User:Dogcow|Dogcow]] 17:18, 1 November 2007 (EDT)

:Hello, I've added a whole page on the various metals you can make now. This is my first time editing a wiki so feel free to make corrections for me if you want, just leave me a message on the page letting me know where I went wrong. Also, since some Alloys involve smelting 3 bars of metal now, I have included a new template called Alloy3 to display these. I'm not sure on the colors though so have at it where I'm off :) --[[User:Chthon|Chthon]] 11:33, 3 November 2007 (EDT)

:Would like to second the build-tree suggestion. New player here, and I use the wiki to reference items I require but do not know how to build. I may be a bit slow, but it took me half a year to figure out I needed a Weaponsmith to make new Iron Picks. The wiki page only mentions the Metalsmith's Forge, and it never occurred to me that Weaponsmiths use the same workshop, since a pick is physically both wood and iron. Having a description that says exactly what is needed to create an item would be very useful for new players. --[[User:T.D.|tuxdelux]] 15:15, 8 October 2008 (EDT)

::A pick is actually all iron, at the moment, no wood to it. I expect that Toady will eventually get to redoing that whole system, but I doubt that he'll touch it until then. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:21, 11 December 2008 (EST)

== Change guide? ==

Was just thinking, perhaps one of the links (or sections) on the main page should be a guide to the major changes between last version and this one. Yes, a TON of stuff has changed, but a lot also has not, and a lot of the core concepts are the same... so I would imagine many of us who have played the previous version(s) would love a section where we can see a list of new basics we have to learn, along with links to those things' individual pages... like, z-axis (obviously), mechanisms, fluid dynamics, nobles, elevation/slope, farming... you get the idea. --[[User:Cliffjeff|Cliffjeff]] 11:43, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

:Yea, I'm thinking not. Isn't the whole point of DF finding things out on your own? "Losing is Fun" and all that. Ok, so if we summarized all the changes, and someone (like me) didn't want to know we could not just not look at it right? What can I say? I'M WEAK! If we summarize the changes I will CONSUME it! (I'm only here because I still have another 6 hours of work before I can go home and try it!)

::Meanwhile, I'm lazy and stubborn and would love a consolidated list of only new things I need to know =p and I'm also trapped at work and unable to mess around in the game :( but if the whole point was finding out things on your own, why would we have a wiki? ;p --[[User:Cliffjeff|Cliffjeff]] 15:58, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

:::I agree, I think the change guide is a good idea, and it would also help us direct our attention at the articles that are likely to need the most work. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 16:01, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

::::It ought not to be very hard to generate a basic change guide based on the official change notes, and then update it as the details are discovered. --[[User:Bobson|Bobson]] 16:26, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

:::A change guide 'page' might be useful pointing out major differences but I think the style of the wiki should be aimed at new users who know nothing of previous versions. I think we should not compare old/vs new as a rule, but if necessary we should include comparisons at the bottom of a page as apposed to the main article. That is how I am writing my edits. --[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] 23:26, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::The thing is, the whole idea of the wiki kind of goes against 'finding things out on your own'. If you want to be completely surprised by a game, don't read a wiki specifically intended to reveal all the details about it... sure, we do put warnings on the most spoily stuff, but at the end of the day this is a Wiki intended to document everything about Dwarf Fortress, so just about every page is going to be a spoiler to some degree. --[[User:Aquillion|Aquillion]] 03:12, 9 May 2008 (EDT)

:To add my take on this subject... I think that this is a gigantic game, in some ways more complex then any of the Elder Scrolls game. I mean, in the ES games, you have weapons, armor and others... In this game you have an exceptionally large number of items of many different types and purposes... It's very difficult for newbies to fathom exactly what an item is used for. Without this Wiki, I think a lot of people would struggle with this game. [[User:AlexFili|AlexFili]] 05:59, 9 May 2008 (EDT)

:Although this is a bit late, Toady does summarize version changes in a text file in the game's main folder. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:21, 11 December 2008 (EST)

== Possible bugs ==

Hi, this is my first time writing to any wiki.

I am writing about possible bugs. I have seen, that some sections of this wiki contain information about bugs. I think I have found one, but don't where to put it, or whether it is already here. I am also sorry, if this isn't the right place. If so, please delete this entry.

Anyway, if your furniture stockpile isn't big enough, and you try to put furniture into a specific room,it is sometimes possible, that that furniture won't be put. Instead, it will be blinking forever. You can change it functioning (make bedroom, throne room...) but to be honest, I don't know if this item is actually there, or not.

== alternate site???? ==

there appears to be a very similar site at
http://dwarf.lendemaindeveille.com/index.php/Immigration
(not just that adress)
what is the diffrence???

That's the address which was originally used for the site, before Senso registered a separate domain for it (dwarffortresswiki.net). Both domains are valid and point to the same content, so they're interchangeable. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 20:59, 21 August 2008 (EDT)

== Shutting down the archive ==

In about two weeks, I will shutdown the read-only archive (http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net) as I believe we've been using the current versions long enough. I'm also looking at ways to reduce the server load, disk space used and bandwidth consumed. So there. If articles were not ported to the current wiki, please do ASAP. If you have objections, please speak now. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 12:33, 9 October 2008 (EDT)

:Regarding outright deletion: I'd prefer you didn't. Is there at least a way to preseve it in some downloadable format? The old version of the game was interesting in its intrinsic danger, and besides that, I have a succession game using that version. I think a downloadble, locally-running copy would be a good idea.--[[User:Dadamh|Dadamh]] 13:19, 11 October 2008 (EDT)

::Mediawiki allows for database dumps to be made. Any chance you could do this? I am interested in this content. See http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Backing_up_a_wiki - you'd just follow the procedures for an xml dump and make the resulting files available for a limited time. [[User:Random832|Random832]] 17:14, 20 October 2008 (EDT)

== PSA ==

While the intention is great, the main page isn't the place to post it.
It should be added to the editing/creating dialog, probably so that it appears under any previews, and above the actual editing box. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 16:53, 20 October 2008 (EDT)

:Gladly - just tell me how to do it without the required permissions. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 19:50, 20 October 2008 (EDT)

::It was my intention that you would bring it up to Senso to do it. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 22:35, 20 October 2008 (EDT)

:::Agreed, putting editing pet peeves at the top of the main page is overkill. Ask Senso to make the changes Edward suggests.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 01:34, 21 October 2008 (EDT)

:Frankly, I think it's important enough, and unknown enough, that it should stay on the front page. -- [[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 20:58, 20 October 2008 (EDT)

::If it does stay on the main page, professionalize it a bit more and remove the sigs. My vote's for taking it down anyways. I almost hit revert as a "knee-jerk response to vandalism". The main page article is not a place to air your grievances about how people edit. --[[User:Rkyeun|Rkyeun]] 06:02, 21 October 2008 (EDT)

:::If it could be moved to the Editing/Creating page, then I wouldn't object to moving it off the main page. But I'm on several wikis, and not one of them lists the sign-off info anywhere that's easy or intuitive to discover. [[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 20:06, 21 October 2008 (EDT)

::::It can be, it just needs edit permissions on the host. While it looks a tad better now (thanks RF), it's still entirely out of place. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 20:34, 21 October 2008 (EDT)

::::This is a very jarring thing to see on the main page. It is completely out of place and affects the first impression people get when they see the wiki. It just makes us look bad. Put the issue on Senso's talk page and he is likely to add it to the editing dialog, but it should be taken down first. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 09:34, 22 October 2008 (EDT)

::::I have removed the PSA under the premise that changes to the main page are wrong until proven right, rather than the other way around. We can return it after agreement has been reached regarding its presence. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 23:44, 22 October 2008 (EDT)

:I'll mess with the code today and include such a warning directly on the Editing template. I'm also tired of people not using signatures. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 15:59, 23 October 2008 (EDT)

There may be a page in the MediaWiki namespace that can be used. [[Mediawiki:Edittools]] will add text _after_ the edit box; I don't know about before. I know Wikipedia has a feature for that but I think it's an extension. [[User:Random832|Random832]] 08:41, 28 October 2008 (EDT)

Huh. after going through the source code I can now say there is NOT one - there's ones for all kinds of special cases (creating a page, recreating a deleted page, editing a protected page as an admin, editing a Mediawiki: page as an admin) but not one to just always show. Nevermind, then [[User:Random832|Random832]] 08:54, 28 October 2008 (EDT)

:I don't even see a huge problem with people not signing their posts, anyway. If a person only makes one or two posts, knowing their "name" isn't important. People who intend to stick around should be [[template:newbie|clued in]].--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 15:39, 28 October 2008 (EDT)

== Lets Download Dwarf Fortress! ==

Well you can't, and that's the issue. Are there any plans on changing the main page's link to a mirror? Since this wiki comes in second on Google only to the official Bay 12 homepage, it'd make sense for there to be a working download for potential players. [[User:Raithah|Raithah]] 01:05, 24 October 2008 (EDT)

: I added the links for mirrors 2-4 to the downtime notice. "Mirror" 1 is B12G itself. - [[User:FunnyMan|FunnyMan]] 01:15, 24 October 2008 (EDT)
::Per my PM to FunnyMan, is there a mirror link available for the Mac version? These are just the Windows version. [[User:23skidoo|23skidoo]] 21:35, 25 October 2008 (EDT)
::Though for obvious reasons I am unable to vouch for it's integrity (ie. infected by virus, spyware, etc.), [http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Games/Dwarf-Fortress.shtml|Softpedia] has a mirror of the most recent version, OS X edition. [[User:Raithah|Raithah]] 00:33, 26 October 2008 (EDT)
:::The download link is just the Bay12 site again, which is down, however Funnyman has just added a Mac download mirror link to the main page. [[User:23skidoo|23skidoo]] 16:26, 26 October 2008 (EDT)

== ETA? ==

I miss Bay 12 Games! Does anyone have any idea when we should be getting it back? I just want to know if I should stop constantly clicking my bookmark and sit back and wait for a few weeks. --[[User:Zoodle|Zoodle]] 16:23, 26 October 2008 (EDT)

: I think it's safe to say that since we can't make donations to Toady while the site's down, it'll be back up pretty soon. --[[User:Fossaman|Fossaman]] 13:58, 27 October 2008 (PDT)
::You can make donations: if you go to an archived version of the page, the paypal buttons still work since paypal didn't crash. According to Toady on at least two occasions, the site was supposed to be back up today (monday). But that doesn't seem to be happening. It should happen soon, though. --[[User:Penguinofhonor|Penguinofhonor]] 22:23, 27 October 2008 (EDT)

::Looks like the main site just came back up. The forums are still not back up yet, though I imagine they will be within the next few hours. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 08:32, 28 October 2008 (EDT)

::You'll be pleased to know that the forums are now back up as well, and seem to be functioning normally. [[User:Ryo|Ryo]] 13:00, 29 October 2008 (EDT)

::So Random### decided to say that the forums are '''not''' up. Last I checked, being able to reach the "you are banned" screen means the forums are back up. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 14:16, 29 October 2008 (EDT)
...huh? (way to insult me behind my back btw - if you have something to say, next time say it on [[user talk:random832|my talk page]]) - anyway, it was a DNS problem, and the page I did see was a PHP error message, NOT a forum software "you are banned" messages. [[User:Random832|Random832]] 16:35, 10 November 2008 (EST)

== Forums? ==

A short time ago but after the forums crashed I got a pair of PMs claiming to be from the bay12games forum.

Are these forums up somewhere, or how would I explain those PMs? – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Sukasa|Sukasa]]

:Last I checked, the b12g forums were actually back up and linked to from the bay12games site. <_< --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 23:47, 20 November 2008 (EST)

::Nope, when I go to /forum/ I just get a mostly-empty directory view --[[User:Sukasa|Sukasa]] 09:14, 21 November 2008 (EST)

DNS problems. See instructions at http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php?title=Main_Page&oldid=34213 . [[User:Random832|Random832]] 11:57, 21 November 2008 (EST)

:Not helpful- I've already flushed my DNS several times, used ''different'' DNS's, and tried that fix- I'm still getting the 'empty' forum folder. And according to cmd>ping, the DNS addresses are already correct.

::Strange. Try going specifically to http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 22:21, 21 November 2008 (EST)

:::404, actually --[[User:Sukasa|Sukasa]] 01:03, 22 November 2008 (EST)

::::OK then, what IP address is it indicating when you ping the server (which you mentioned above)? The new, current IP (which I double checked) for bay12games.com is 216.97.239.212. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 03:59, 22 November 2008 (EST)

::::That -is- the IP ._. In fact, that`s been the IP for months.
::::That said, manually going to http://216.97.239.212/forum/ worked, but trying to click -anything- redirects me to a 404 on bay12games.com/forum/. About the only other thing I can see is that I'm getting wwwRedirect in the GET string.
:::: Hm, found what may be the issue. Despite having flushed/registered the DNS a week or so ago, my DNS records still have the wrong IP in for bay12games. Confusing as all get-out, since /dwarves/dev_now.html works fine for me. {{unsigned|Sukasa}}

:::::The ping command should resolve DNS entries exactly the same as your browser would, so that was why I was asking (i.e. "ping bay12games.com" should resolve to 216.97.239.212). Glad you've got it nailed down as a DNS issue though. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 19:25, 22 November 2008 (EST)
:::::Uh, by the way: do you access the internet through a router? Sometimes they can muck things up, and in fact I've seen one cause problems by caching DNS entries. Fixing such a problem would vary from one router to the next, though. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 19:34, 22 November 2008 (EST)

:::::It's a Linksys Router, yes. It's definitely not the router and instead my internal cache, since the problem persists even when I bring my laptop to work or to University. --[[User:Sukasa|Sukasa]] 23:53, 22 November 2008 (EST)

:::::Firefox also maintains its own cache, IIRC. [[User:Random832|Random832]] 11:13, 24 November 2008 (EST)

:::::Nah, I use Chrome. Anyways, managed to fix it, thanks for the help --[[User:Sukasa|Sukasa]] 16:51, 25 November 2008 (EST)

== Notice box at the top of Main Page ==

As we can see from the edit history, [[User:Alya|Alya]] states that "it was intended to ensure information from the old wiki didn't just get copied over; it isn't really needed anymore, especially that prominently." [[User:N9103|Edward]] replies, "Versions still update regularly, and accuracy should always be a priority." 
Right under "Download Dwarf Fortress" is emblazoned the same text as the notice box except for a reminder to ensure that info is accurate for the ''latest'' version. I'm inclined to think that the sort that wouldn't do that won't be listening to the notice box any more than Rules [[DwarfFortressWiki:Community_Portal#F|F]], [[DwarfFortressWiki:Community_Portal#V|V]], and sometimes [[DwarfFortressWiki:Community_Portal#Y|Y]]. No, ''especially'' Y. 
Opinions? 
--[[User:Savok|Savok]], 
not wanting to start revert wars at 00:44, 30 November 2008 (EST)

:I think that's going to end up being true, what with the current state of the average human brain. Though I'm fresh out of suggestions, except giant red blinking text. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 01:13, 30 November 2008 (EST)

:I have to agree with Alya. We barely have a problem with people adding inaccurate info of any kind, let alone outdated info. It gets outdated on its own, and if we're lucky, we spot it and fix it. We could toss the notice box altogether.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 02:25, 30 November 2008 (EST)

Consensus seems against me. Notice Removed. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 05:21, 30 November 2008 (EST)

== "Meeting Hall' page for general questions. ==

Wowwiki (for Warcraft and related things) has a 'Village pump' page, that functions as kind of a general question area. Is there something like that here, or could there be? I've seen references to the forums, but the links don't seem to work, usually, at least for me. (I'm on a company network, which may be why.) --[[User:Azaram|Azaram]] 23:03, 9 December 2008 (EST)

:I'd say the forums really are the best place for that stuff. It's a pity if you can't use 'em. But feel free to ask questions on any talk page on the wiki, however; there are plenty of people who watch [[Special:Recentchanges]].--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 18:00, 10 December 2008 (EST)

::Since Toady fairly recently restructured the forums, some of the links to them are still broken. If you can't access [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php the real forums], though, I can't help you.
::Like he said, most questions should be asked on the talk page of the appropriate subject, and we have enough people reading the changes in the wiki that you should be answered. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:21, 11 December 2008 (EST)

:This could be a good replacement for the currently (and for a good while now) unused [[Current_events]] page, perhaps changing it's title to something more appropriate, while maintaining it's presence as a 'Main Navigation Link'. That's my two dwarfbucks on ideas for a replacement for that page anyways. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 00:18, 30 December 2008 (EST)

::IMO, 95% of questions are asked on the appropriate talk page and 80% of the remaining could have been. I don't think that we need a "Gameplay Questions" area, since we've got a forum for that, like Maximus stated. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 10:25, 31 December 2008 (EST)

☼ ☼!!!!! I personally think it needs a sandbox page, where new, or even experienced who wnat to try a new thing, users can test stuff and see how to do things like upload images, or what the many edit buttons do.--[[User:Destor|Destor]] 01:23, 30 December 2008 (EST)☼ ☼

:Typically, any page under your username (like [[Special:Mypage/blah]]) is an appropriate sandbox page, for use when you need to disturb the wiki for more than a minute while getting some unusual formatting to work. When your code is normal, you can just use the preview button... --[[User:Savok|Savok]], a bit puzzled at 10:25, 31 December 2008 (EST)

== Latest Version ==
The latest version is 40d9. Is there a reason we're not linking to it yet? --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 17:55, 31 January 2009 (EST)

:Cause it's a beta of a beta. AKA it's unstable and not even a real version yet, more of a subversion. If that. It's cloudware - it exists but it's not very stable. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 18:07, 31 January 2009 (EST)

:The latest version [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ here] is 40d. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 20:28, 31 January 2009 (EST)

Talk:Main Page/archive2

2009-02-16T08:25:58Z

TinyPirate:

== New Tutorials - How to list? ==

How and where do we list new tutorials? It's quite lost on me. :(

== The "Bedroom Design" page is broken ==

When trying to load the page I get this error:

Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded in /home/virtual/site152/fst/var/www/html/dwarf/includes/Parser.php on line 2717

It's been this way for a couple days at least. The rest of the wiki works fine. – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Phillstac3|Phillstac3]]

:The culprit was too much QD, which caused the page to load too slowly. The wiki gave up when it didnt load fast enough. I have the culprit for now, but I have idea for a more permanent solution. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 08:28, 15 August 2008 (EDT)

== "new version" ==

ShunterAlhena changed "new version" to "new (3D) version" to "3D version". I changed this to "Z-axis version", to reduce newbie confusion (thinking there's a fully-3D graphical version could be disappointing) but now I'm starting to wonder if maybe "new version" would be best after all. As far as I can tell, "new version" doesn't just mean all of the versions since the October 2007 release, but rather the ''latest'' version. 
That said, that's what I'll tweak it to. --[[User:JT|JT]] 19:47, 29 July 2008 (EDT)

:IMO if the phrase "new version" is being used to refer to the "Z-axis version" of the game, then it isn't really clear enough. With Toady's regular updates, talking just about "new versions" is a little too ambiguous. How about the phrases "multi-level version" or "multi-floor version"? Either of those would be clearer I think. "Z-axis version" is also good for me. (This is my first suggestion/edit on a Wiki, so I hope it turns out ok!) --[[User:Saiph|Saiph]] 07:59, 28 November 2008 (EST)

:: You're correct about it being ambiguous. Your suggestion is ok (and welcome to the Wiki! :-)), but I don't think the notice box is still needed. Its purpose was to keep people from just copying over old material from the archived wiki to fill gaps in this one, but that's not really a danger anymore, so I just removed it and moved the release date down to the download link. — [[User:Alya|Alya]] 10:40, 28 November 2008 (EST)

== Offline Version? ==

Is there an offline version of DwarfFortressWiki (ala [http://static.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia])? I'm going to be doing some traveling, and would like to use this resource when I don't have internet access :) --[[User:Sim9]], unsigned

:I know that obtaining one is possible. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 23:31, 6 June 2008 (EDT)

:I was told that a torrent was circulating on 4chan and other places but I don't know anything else about it. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 12:46, 7 June 2008 (EDT)
:Go to [[Special:Export]] then go to [[Special:Allpages]] in another window/tab. Make a copy of every article's name. Paste it into the export page and click export. Now its just a matter of finding a way to parse the xml file you get.

:I now have an offline copy. I can post it if anyone is interested in a copy :) --[[User:Sim9|Sim9]] 22:57, 8 June 2008 (EDT)

:: Just found this: [http://www.wikitaxi.org/delphi/doku.php/products/wikitaxi/index WikiTaxi]. It took me a while to find a suitable program for viewing Wiki XML dumps, so I thought I'd save some others the time. By 'suitable', I mean easy to use and without requiring a lot of extras before it will work (most I found require you to set up a server with a MySQL database and apache - I already meet those requirements on my desktop, but that almost defeats the purpose of downloading the wiki in the first place). This one however is completely portable - I can have it on external storage and use it on any computer I find myself needing to. --[[User:Tyranic-Moron|Tyranic-Moron]] 13:57, 15 June 2008 (EDT)

== Coincidence? ==

I got a quote that said: 
"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" 
--Savok 
right after creating this account... Is this a coincidence or a command? 
--[[User:Peewee|Peewee]] 20:02, 31 May 2008 (EDT)

:Coincidence. That's the end of a newbie-welcoming template that someone found funny enough to put in the [[Main Page/Quote|Quote list]], which delivers randomized quotes to the main page. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 22:49, 31 May 2008 (EDT)

::Both coincidence AND command. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 11:41, 1 June 2008 (EDT)

== Russian Interwiki ==

I've made a deal with the admin of the Russian wiki, we can both link to each other. So if you know Russian, you're welcome to add links to the bottom of pages to their equivalent Russian pages.
For example, on the [[Carp]] page, I have added [[ru:Карп]] - so there is now a link to its Russian counterpart in the left-side navigation bar, under the "In other languages" header. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 13:37, 2 April 2008 (EDT)

:Looks like the other wiki may be down/broken. I don't have a suggested action though. -- [[User:Vaevictus|Vaevictus]] 13:33, 3 June 2008 (EDT)

::I have made new russian wiki. URL: http://www.dfwk.ru. I do translation now. -- [[User:igoreklim|igoreklim]] 22:15, 13 August 2008 (EDT)

== Many Laughs ==

Congrats to whomever made the april's fool's day changes. [[User:Yvain|Yvain]] 04:34, 1 April 2008 (EDT)

:Agreed. I didn't think of doing anything myself so kudos for going in. Nobody changes it for the whole day, I'll revert any reverts. :) --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 08:56, 1 April 2008 (EDT)

== Navigation on bottom ==

Since recently (2 or 3 days) the navigation and search box are at the very bottom of every page (opera user). Can someone please fix this? --[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] 07:38, 21 March 2008 (EDT)

:It's at the bottom of the page for me too, and I'm using Firefox. [[User:Klada|Klada]] 11:43, 21 March 2008 (EDT)

::Confirm this is happening for me as well, Firefox 2.0.0.12 ubuntu 7.04. --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 14:56, 21 March 2008 (EDT)

:::For what it's worth, ditto, and FF 2.0.0.12 Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 2. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 15:07, 21 March 2008 (EDT)

::::Hah! Sorry, meant Senso. XD Good to have another confirmation regardless. Anyway, I went ahead and emailed him. It's weird how it just cropped up all of a sudden, hopefully something easily fixed. --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 02:00, 22 March 2008 (EDT)

:It should be back to normal now, sorry for that. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 11:54, 22 March 2008 (EDT)

::No worries, looks good here. Thanks! --[[User:Nunix|Nunix]] 17:54, 22 March 2008 (EDT)
::: *[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] jumps up and rejoices*
:::: "[[User:Koltom|Koltom]] was pleased to have a mandate deadline met lately."? --[[User:FunnyMan|FunnyMan]] 06:13, 27 March 2008 (EDT)

== "American" English or Rest-Of-The-World English? ==

Just a minor question, while spell-checking articles, I've encountered a few discrepancies between the two, but I usually see the "rest of the world English" more. So what's the official rule here, assuming we're going for a constant? --[[User:Snoob|Snoob]] 08:40, 7 March 2008 (EST)

:Haha. You don't sound biased at all ;). I figure we can go one of two routes. We can either claim that DF is an american topic, since it's being made in america by an american and the wiki is on an american domain—or we can say DF is an international topic since people from all over are funding Toady. If it's an international topic, we might as well follow the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#National_varieties_of_English wikipedia manual of style]. Wikipedia has no preference over the variant used, but there should be consistency in each article. The first user who makes an edit which disambiguates the variety being used in the article is considered the first major contributor and all subsequent edits to that article should use the same type of english. If in doubt, we have history pages. I think the reason you see british english more often in the wiki is because we've had a few editors who in their extreme modesty decided british english is superior and changed several of the american english articles over. I've noticed this happening on a few occasions. (please dont do that). [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 09:53, 7 March 2008 (EST)

::I second sticking with the Wikipedia's Manual of Style for language. And as a note, there isn't a "Rest of the World English." In fact, the language is documented to vary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_accents_of_English_speakers|as much as the countries that speak it].
::So, how does the Namibian English variant sound to everyone? At least then most of us are at an equal starting point! :P --[[User:TarrVetus|TarrVetus]] 11:25, 7 March 2008 (EST)

:::I made a pretty bad assumption there, I suppose. I was trying to not sound biased, but I suppose I accidentally let it creep in somewhere. I'll just leave the variations to you guys and stick to cleaning up actual typos then. :P --[[User:Snoob|Snoob]] 11:37, 7 March 2008 (EST)

::::Hehe. I can sympathize, Snoob. I've had this debate with myself in the past, though it was from the other side. --[[User:TarrVetus|TarrVetus]] 13:17, 7 March 2008 (EST)

:::::This is a late reply, but I am an American in China. Here, English is classified either as American English or British English, and American English is widely preferred even though British English is taught to beginning students. I wouldn't say calling it "rest-of-the-world English" is very accurate. I would venture that many countries in Latin America also prefer American English, but what do it know.--[[User:RustyMcloon|Rusty Mcloon]] 01:16, 17 May 2008 (EDT)

== Version updates ==

There's a new version out today, so the version number and release date need changing. Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea how to do this as they appear to use some kind of function instead of being typed in. Somebody with the know-how fancy making the change? --[[User:TangoThree|TangoThree]] 10:04, 24 February 2008 (EST)
:[[Template:current/version]]
:[[Template:current/lastupdate]]
:[[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 10:15, 24 February 2008 (EST)

== Quote randomization ==

VengefulDonut, if you want to randomize that for improved quality, you'll need to do it right: Many (most?) of the quotes in the quote archive are in an ARCHIVE: They are bad quotes never intended to be reused. Also, what do we do when we get new quotes? Do they get put in a database, not to be used till the RNG chooses? --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 20:11, 7 February 2008 (EST)

:What would you like? [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 20:36, 7 February 2008 (EST)

::I suggest that one quote is permanant, and the other quote refresh everytime we visit the page. So far, I noticed that even if I refresh the page, the same quotes stay. --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 05:49, 8 February 2008 (EST)

:::A new quote on the left, and a randomized archive quote on the right? As for the refesh: the template checks the time. --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 06:35, 8 February 2008 (EST)

::::What is the tick? Every few minutes? --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 08:14, 8 February 2008 (EST)

:::The template checks the time, but the time doesn't update because the server caches the page. It gets a new one whenever the server refreshes it; you can force this by editing the page or by clicking the preview button. Also, I could make it so that one of the quote boxes picks from the newest x quotes. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 10:43, 8 February 2008 (EST)

::::Having a newer quote on the left and an archived one on the right sounds better than a permanent quote on either. PS. Might want to remove a few of them, like the 'palisade' quote. --[[User:Jackard|Jackard]] 11:47, 8 February 2008 (EST)

:::::The goal of the quote archive was to archive every single quote which ever got to the main page. If you want to thin out only the best quotes, I suggest you use a separate database for that. Even then, how "good" is a quote is very open to interpretation and taste. If I had to remove all the quotes I find bad or unfunny myself, I'd probably remove 80% of the present quotes in the archive. --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 18:46, 8 February 2008 (EST)

::::::Ok. The right quotebox now chooses from the last 10 quotes instead of from among all of them. If anyone feels like they want to prune out or fiddle with quotes, go for it. I think what I've set up should be pretty straightforward, but if you have questions I'll be glad to answer them. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 20:11, 8 February 2008 (EST)

:::I added two new quotes (40, and 41), but only 40 is showing up at the moment, am I doing something wrong? --[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] 10:10, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

::::You did it exactly right. The left quote box randomly chooses between all quotes. The right quote box randomly chooses between the 10 newest. It will come up eventually. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 10:17, 10 March 2008 (EDT)

:::If possible can we implement a check to insure that the left quote and the right quote are not in fact the same quote? I suppose it wouldn't be a big deal with a small quote, however when it is large, such as the 7 line one I ran into today appearing in both boxes, it makes the page seem a bit crowded and symmetrical. --[[User:Elvang|Elvang]] 14:51, 10 June 2008 (EDT)

::::We could do that, but the probability of identical quotes is 1⁄totalquotenumber, so I don't think it's really needed. --[[User:Savok|Savok]]

:::::And yet it still manages to happen. like at the time of this edit. --[[User:Zeta|Zeta]] 12:30, 19 January 2009 (EST)

== Requesting installation of ParserFunctions extension ==

It would be nice if the ParserFunctions[http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:ParserFunctions] extension was installed (#if, #expr, etc). It would be useful for having templates that exclude parts of it if no values are provided. Note: I cannot find a place for requesting extensions --[[User:Aygar|Aygar]] 13:00, 21 January 2008 (EST)

:ParserFunctions has been '''installed'''. I did a quick test and it works. Let me know if you run into problems. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 11:54, 22 January 2008 (EST)

== Translation ==

I've got requests for either having a German wiki or Namespace. I'd like to have everybody's opinion on this. If you people think that having German (and maybe other languages eventually) translations on the main wiki is going to be annoying, tell me. I can also setup a new wiki on a subdomain (de.dwarffortresswiki.net for example). How would it be best organized? Should I use [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Template:Languages LanguageTemplates]? Is there a need for other additional languages? --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 09:31, 17 January 2008 (EST)

:Since Dwarf Fortress is only available in English, if you can play the game, you can also read the wiki. I really don't think a German (or any other language) wiki version is worth the effort.--[[User:Siliziumleben|Siliziumleben]] 14:22, 18 January 2008 (EST)

::My oppinion also. This doesn't mean we should stop those enthusiam people though. --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 13:06, 17 January 2008 (EST)

::There's a big difference between understanding a game interface and reading long and complex tutorials, descriptions, discussions etc. I know French people who play this game; they can understand the UI but they use the French wiki for reference. Also, if I decide to use a separate wiki/subdomain, this will be totally transparent to you. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 16:40, 17 January 2008 (EST)

:::My first language, the one I used since I'm born, is French. Yet, I way prefer this wiki over the french one. --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 10:06, 18 January 2008 (EST)

::::I'm French too, you know. But when I offered to host a DF wiki, I didn't do it in French because I know English is widely used. But I'm still glad that someone else started a French wiki. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 22:58, 20 January 2008 (EST)

:::::I don't see what harm could come from hosting a German, Japanese, and Russian wiki. It's not like it will interfere with the English one. Also, as a student of languages, I would love to read equivalent articles in German and Japanese. --[[User:DDouble|DDouble]] 22:01, 17 February 2008 (EST)

::::::I am german and while I can read english books like german ones, I have to agree that being able to use a UI and understanding the finer points in a tutorial etc. are two quite different things. I guess that if the bandwidth of the wiki is no burden on anyone, it could actually lead to an influx of new ideas and players, which is very important for a "community" game like DF. --[[User:Caiburn|Caiburn]] 20:44, 18 February 2008 (CET+1)

Hello everyone! 
I'm from Austria speaking and reading English very well, why should we not translate this wiki? If we are enough fellows we could do a good job. So give us a chance ;)– [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Geri|Geri]]

----

Like [[User:Eagle of Fire|EoF]] implied, a translated wiki is simply not nearly as up to date as the main one. If it was, we would have to rely on an active community of those fluent in English and the language of the translated wiki to keep the wikis coordinated. For this reason, I do not believe that we can successfully create a DFwiki in a different language with the resources that we have at the moment. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:21, 11 December 2008 (EST)

== Version of MediaWiki? ==

Sorry if this is completely the wrong place, but does anybody know which version of MediaWiki these pages uses?
Maybe that information could be included in the page About DwarfFortressWiki? --[[User:Gauteamus|Gauteamus]] 17:00, 17 December 2007 (EST)

:I think I found out. This page: [[Special:Version]] says the version is 1.10.1, which should mean that limited #for-loops are supported. I will delete these comments soonishly, but will let them stay for a while incase someone has comments --[[User:Gauteamus|Gauteamus]] 17:28, 17 December 2007 (EST)

== Combat Logs? ==

What about a section where people could post cool combat logs from adventurer mode. This would different from the "Stories" section, which is more prose. (This is 'cause I'd like to post the log of a battle I had with a particularly clumsy Giant, who slammed into a wall allowing me to stab him in the back of the head for the eventual win. Its no dragon-slaying tale, but I still think its good.) --[[User:Wahnsinniger|Wahnsinniger]] 11:59, 2 December 2007 (EST)

== Humor? / Link to quote archive? ==

Any thoughts about possibly linking [[Main Page/Quote Archive]] page somewhere on the main page? Its an orphan at the moment and is pretty funny and relevant. [[User:Vanan|Vanan]] 15:19, 13 November 2007 (EST)

I'd like to be able to see that happen. New people coming here might get overwhelmed if we don't amuse them with some good humor here and there.--[[User:AlBorland|AlBorland]] 13:42, 20 November 2007 (EST)

:I second that. This second is adorned with hanging rings of Goshenite and menaces with spikes of Goshenite. - [[User:Laugurinn|Laugurinn]] 22:57, 13 April 2008 (EDT)

Where does one stick new funny quotes? Namely, this:
 ""Thikut Atheludib, Marksdwarf cancels shooting at Archery Range: Interrupted by Groundhog pup" - What brave soldiers I have" [[User:Juckto|Juckto]] 18:45, 10 December 2007 (EST)
:That's not exactly funny, but [[Main_Page/Quote]]. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMario]] 00:43, 14 April 2008 (EDT)

Just for the record, does anybody mind if I put a link to the [[Main Page/Quote Archive]] page on the front page? [[User:Shabang50|Shabang50]] 12:58, 30 September 2008 (EDT)

:I say go for it. --[[User:Zeta|Zeta]] 22:27, 12 January 2009 (EST)

== Demystify messages? ==

Probably against the spirit of 'losing is fun', but how about a page that explains smoe of the more cryptic messages, such as; 'job item misplaced' and 'job item lost or destroyed'? [[User:Runspotrun|Runspotrun]] 16:43, 8 November 2007 (EST)

Also, is there a suggestions pages? This probably isn't the best page to add ideas... [[User:Runspotrun|Runspotrun]] 16:44, 8 November 2007 (EST)

== Importing old entries ==

What's the stance on importing entries from the old wiki for stuff like general item stats? Most of them are still correct (or nearly so) and it would be nice not to have to switch between this and the old wiki any more. I can add a disclaimer to them stating I pulled them from the archives if that's appropriate. --[[User:Xazak|Xazak]] 15:07, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
:IMO (and I'm not admin or anything) it should be ok but only if you are 100% sure EVERYTHING is correct, and have verified it personally. I've edited at least one article someone copy-pasted with no changes that had old info in it so far and it makes me sad. --[[User:BurnedToast|BurnedToast]] 15:38, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
::Yes, I second this. Please be diligent if you are going to import old information. Even if you can't do it yourself, at least categorize it as needing verification so someone with the free time can. --[[User:EighenIndemnis|EighenIndemnis]] 15:37, 6 November 2007 (EST)
:You could use [[Template:Verify]] to indicate that something needs confirmation in the new version. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 15:47, 6 November 2007 (EST)

I have noticed an increase of pages in which only an old Wiki page is copied/pasted along with a warning that it was copied and thus may not be accurate. Is it just me or that's ''exactly'' what we didn't want to happen, and one of the reasons we started fresh with the new Wiki to begin with? --[[User:Eagle of Fire|Eagle of Fire]] 01:45, 9 November 2007 (EST)

== Basic Format ==

I think the [[Farming]] page is a good format for most of the key pages, perhaps the structure from the archive should be followed. --[[User:Infinity|Infinity]] 05:56, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

:Agreed, I've tried to copy this style on several pages, e.g. [[Gear Assembly]]. --[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] 23:30, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

I would like to add a request for a 'build tree' of sorts. It would, for example, make figuring out how to get iron bars a whole lot less frustrating. --[[User:Dogcow|Dogcow]] 17:18, 1 November 2007 (EDT)

:Hello, I've added a whole page on the various metals you can make now. This is my first time editing a wiki so feel free to make corrections for me if you want, just leave me a message on the page letting me know where I went wrong. Also, since some Alloys involve smelting 3 bars of metal now, I have included a new template called Alloy3 to display these. I'm not sure on the colors though so have at it where I'm off :) --[[User:Chthon|Chthon]] 11:33, 3 November 2007 (EDT)

:Would like to second the build-tree suggestion. New player here, and I use the wiki to reference items I require but do not know how to build. I may be a bit slow, but it took me half a year to figure out I needed a Weaponsmith to make new Iron Picks. The wiki page only mentions the Metalsmith's Forge, and it never occurred to me that Weaponsmiths use the same workshop, since a pick is physically both wood and iron. Having a description that says exactly what is needed to create an item would be very useful for new players. --[[User:T.D.|tuxdelux]] 15:15, 8 October 2008 (EDT)

::A pick is actually all iron, at the moment, no wood to it. I expect that Toady will eventually get to redoing that whole system, but I doubt that he'll touch it until then. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:21, 11 December 2008 (EST)

== Change guide? ==

Was just thinking, perhaps one of the links (or sections) on the main page should be a guide to the major changes between last version and this one. Yes, a TON of stuff has changed, but a lot also has not, and a lot of the core concepts are the same... so I would imagine many of us who have played the previous version(s) would love a section where we can see a list of new basics we have to learn, along with links to those things' individual pages... like, z-axis (obviously), mechanisms, fluid dynamics, nobles, elevation/slope, farming... you get the idea. --[[User:Cliffjeff|Cliffjeff]] 11:43, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

:Yea, I'm thinking not. Isn't the whole point of DF finding things out on your own? "Losing is Fun" and all that. Ok, so if we summarized all the changes, and someone (like me) didn't want to know we could not just not look at it right? What can I say? I'M WEAK! If we summarize the changes I will CONSUME it! (I'm only here because I still have another 6 hours of work before I can go home and try it!)

::Meanwhile, I'm lazy and stubborn and would love a consolidated list of only new things I need to know =p and I'm also trapped at work and unable to mess around in the game :( but if the whole point was finding out things on your own, why would we have a wiki? ;p --[[User:Cliffjeff|Cliffjeff]] 15:58, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

:::I agree, I think the change guide is a good idea, and it would also help us direct our attention at the articles that are likely to need the most work. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 16:01, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

::::It ought not to be very hard to generate a basic change guide based on the official change notes, and then update it as the details are discovered. --[[User:Bobson|Bobson]] 16:26, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

:::A change guide 'page' might be useful pointing out major differences but I think the style of the wiki should be aimed at new users who know nothing of previous versions. I think we should not compare old/vs new as a rule, but if necessary we should include comparisons at the bottom of a page as apposed to the main article. That is how I am writing my edits. --[[User:Markavian|Markavian]] 23:26, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

::The thing is, the whole idea of the wiki kind of goes against 'finding things out on your own'. If you want to be completely surprised by a game, don't read a wiki specifically intended to reveal all the details about it... sure, we do put warnings on the most spoily stuff, but at the end of the day this is a Wiki intended to document everything about Dwarf Fortress, so just about every page is going to be a spoiler to some degree. --[[User:Aquillion|Aquillion]] 03:12, 9 May 2008 (EDT)

:To add my take on this subject... I think that this is a gigantic game, in some ways more complex then any of the Elder Scrolls game. I mean, in the ES games, you have weapons, armor and others... In this game you have an exceptionally large number of items of many different types and purposes... It's very difficult for newbies to fathom exactly what an item is used for. Without this Wiki, I think a lot of people would struggle with this game. [[User:AlexFili|AlexFili]] 05:59, 9 May 2008 (EDT)

:Although this is a bit late, Toady does summarize version changes in a text file in the game's main folder. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:21, 11 December 2008 (EST)

== Possible bugs ==

Hi, this is my first time writing to any wiki.

I am writing about possible bugs. I have seen, that some sections of this wiki contain information about bugs. I think I have found one, but don't where to put it, or whether it is already here. I am also sorry, if this isn't the right place. If so, please delete this entry.

Anyway, if your furniture stockpile isn't big enough, and you try to put furniture into a specific room,it is sometimes possible, that that furniture won't be put. Instead, it will be blinking forever. You can change it functioning (make bedroom, throne room...) but to be honest, I don't know if this item is actually there, or not.

== alternate site???? ==

there appears to be a very similar site at
http://dwarf.lendemaindeveille.com/index.php/Immigration
(not just that adress)
what is the diffrence???

That's the address which was originally used for the site, before Senso registered a separate domain for it (dwarffortresswiki.net). Both domains are valid and point to the same content, so they're interchangeable. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 20:59, 21 August 2008 (EDT)

== Shutting down the archive ==

In about two weeks, I will shutdown the read-only archive (http://archive.dwarffortresswiki.net) as I believe we've been using the current versions long enough. I'm also looking at ways to reduce the server load, disk space used and bandwidth consumed. So there. If articles were not ported to the current wiki, please do ASAP. If you have objections, please speak now. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 12:33, 9 October 2008 (EDT)

:Regarding outright deletion: I'd prefer you didn't. Is there at least a way to preseve it in some downloadable format? The old version of the game was interesting in its intrinsic danger, and besides that, I have a succession game using that version. I think a downloadble, locally-running copy would be a good idea.--[[User:Dadamh|Dadamh]] 13:19, 11 October 2008 (EDT)

::Mediawiki allows for database dumps to be made. Any chance you could do this? I am interested in this content. See http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Backing_up_a_wiki - you'd just follow the procedures for an xml dump and make the resulting files available for a limited time. [[User:Random832|Random832]] 17:14, 20 October 2008 (EDT)

== PSA ==

While the intention is great, the main page isn't the place to post it.
It should be added to the editing/creating dialog, probably so that it appears under any previews, and above the actual editing box. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 16:53, 20 October 2008 (EDT)

:Gladly - just tell me how to do it without the required permissions. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 19:50, 20 October 2008 (EDT)

::It was my intention that you would bring it up to Senso to do it. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 22:35, 20 October 2008 (EDT)

:::Agreed, putting editing pet peeves at the top of the main page is overkill. Ask Senso to make the changes Edward suggests.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 01:34, 21 October 2008 (EDT)

:Frankly, I think it's important enough, and unknown enough, that it should stay on the front page. -- [[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 20:58, 20 October 2008 (EDT)

::If it does stay on the main page, professionalize it a bit more and remove the sigs. My vote's for taking it down anyways. I almost hit revert as a "knee-jerk response to vandalism". The main page article is not a place to air your grievances about how people edit. --[[User:Rkyeun|Rkyeun]] 06:02, 21 October 2008 (EDT)

:::If it could be moved to the Editing/Creating page, then I wouldn't object to moving it off the main page. But I'm on several wikis, and not one of them lists the sign-off info anywhere that's easy or intuitive to discover. [[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 20:06, 21 October 2008 (EDT)

::::It can be, it just needs edit permissions on the host. While it looks a tad better now (thanks RF), it's still entirely out of place. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 20:34, 21 October 2008 (EDT)

::::This is a very jarring thing to see on the main page. It is completely out of place and affects the first impression people get when they see the wiki. It just makes us look bad. Put the issue on Senso's talk page and he is likely to add it to the editing dialog, but it should be taken down first. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 09:34, 22 October 2008 (EDT)

::::I have removed the PSA under the premise that changes to the main page are wrong until proven right, rather than the other way around. We can return it after agreement has been reached regarding its presence. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 23:44, 22 October 2008 (EDT)

:I'll mess with the code today and include such a warning directly on the Editing template. I'm also tired of people not using signatures. --[[User:Senso|Senso]] 15:59, 23 October 2008 (EDT)

There may be a page in the MediaWiki namespace that can be used. [[Mediawiki:Edittools]] will add text _after_ the edit box; I don't know about before. I know Wikipedia has a feature for that but I think it's an extension. [[User:Random832|Random832]] 08:41, 28 October 2008 (EDT)

Huh. after going through the source code I can now say there is NOT one - there's ones for all kinds of special cases (creating a page, recreating a deleted page, editing a protected page as an admin, editing a Mediawiki: page as an admin) but not one to just always show. Nevermind, then [[User:Random832|Random832]] 08:54, 28 October 2008 (EDT)

:I don't even see a huge problem with people not signing their posts, anyway. If a person only makes one or two posts, knowing their "name" isn't important. People who intend to stick around should be [[template:newbie|clued in]].--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 15:39, 28 October 2008 (EDT)

== Lets Download Dwarf Fortress! ==

Well you can't, and that's the issue. Are there any plans on changing the main page's link to a mirror? Since this wiki comes in second on Google only to the official Bay 12 homepage, it'd make sense for there to be a working download for potential players. [[User:Raithah|Raithah]] 01:05, 24 October 2008 (EDT)

: I added the links for mirrors 2-4 to the downtime notice. "Mirror" 1 is B12G itself. - [[User:FunnyMan|FunnyMan]] 01:15, 24 October 2008 (EDT)
::Per my PM to FunnyMan, is there a mirror link available for the Mac version? These are just the Windows version. [[User:23skidoo|23skidoo]] 21:35, 25 October 2008 (EDT)
::Though for obvious reasons I am unable to vouch for it's integrity (ie. infected by virus, spyware, etc.), [http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Games/Dwarf-Fortress.shtml|Softpedia] has a mirror of the most recent version, OS X edition. [[User:Raithah|Raithah]] 00:33, 26 October 2008 (EDT)
:::The download link is just the Bay12 site again, which is down, however Funnyman has just added a Mac download mirror link to the main page. [[User:23skidoo|23skidoo]] 16:26, 26 October 2008 (EDT)

== ETA? ==

I miss Bay 12 Games! Does anyone have any idea when we should be getting it back? I just want to know if I should stop constantly clicking my bookmark and sit back and wait for a few weeks. --[[User:Zoodle|Zoodle]] 16:23, 26 October 2008 (EDT)

: I think it's safe to say that since we can't make donations to Toady while the site's down, it'll be back up pretty soon. --[[User:Fossaman|Fossaman]] 13:58, 27 October 2008 (PDT)
::You can make donations: if you go to an archived version of the page, the paypal buttons still work since paypal didn't crash. According to Toady on at least two occasions, the site was supposed to be back up today (monday). But that doesn't seem to be happening. It should happen soon, though. --[[User:Penguinofhonor|Penguinofhonor]] 22:23, 27 October 2008 (EDT)

::Looks like the main site just came back up. The forums are still not back up yet, though I imagine they will be within the next few hours. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 08:32, 28 October 2008 (EDT)

::You'll be pleased to know that the forums are now back up as well, and seem to be functioning normally. [[User:Ryo|Ryo]] 13:00, 29 October 2008 (EDT)

::So Random### decided to say that the forums are '''not''' up. Last I checked, being able to reach the "you are banned" screen means the forums are back up. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 14:16, 29 October 2008 (EDT)
...huh? (way to insult me behind my back btw - if you have something to say, next time say it on [[user talk:random832|my talk page]]) - anyway, it was a DNS problem, and the page I did see was a PHP error message, NOT a forum software "you are banned" messages. [[User:Random832|Random832]] 16:35, 10 November 2008 (EST)

== Forums? ==

A short time ago but after the forums crashed I got a pair of PMs claiming to be from the bay12games forum.

Are these forums up somewhere, or how would I explain those PMs? – [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Sukasa|Sukasa]]

:Last I checked, the b12g forums were actually back up and linked to from the bay12games site. <_< --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 23:47, 20 November 2008 (EST)

::Nope, when I go to /forum/ I just get a mostly-empty directory view --[[User:Sukasa|Sukasa]] 09:14, 21 November 2008 (EST)

DNS problems. See instructions at http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php?title=Main_Page&oldid=34213 . [[User:Random832|Random832]] 11:57, 21 November 2008 (EST)

:Not helpful- I've already flushed my DNS several times, used ''different'' DNS's, and tried that fix- I'm still getting the 'empty' forum folder. And according to cmd>ping, the DNS addresses are already correct.

::Strange. Try going specifically to http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 22:21, 21 November 2008 (EST)

:::404, actually --[[User:Sukasa|Sukasa]] 01:03, 22 November 2008 (EST)

::::OK then, what IP address is it indicating when you ping the server (which you mentioned above)? The new, current IP (which I double checked) for bay12games.com is 216.97.239.212. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 03:59, 22 November 2008 (EST)

::::That -is- the IP ._. In fact, that`s been the IP for months.
::::That said, manually going to http://216.97.239.212/forum/ worked, but trying to click -anything- redirects me to a 404 on bay12games.com/forum/. About the only other thing I can see is that I'm getting wwwRedirect in the GET string.
:::: Hm, found what may be the issue. Despite having flushed/registered the DNS a week or so ago, my DNS records still have the wrong IP in for bay12games. Confusing as all get-out, since /dwarves/dev_now.html works fine for me. {{unsigned|Sukasa}}

:::::The ping command should resolve DNS entries exactly the same as your browser would, so that was why I was asking (i.e. "ping bay12games.com" should resolve to 216.97.239.212). Glad you've got it nailed down as a DNS issue though. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 19:25, 22 November 2008 (EST)
:::::Uh, by the way: do you access the internet through a router? Sometimes they can muck things up, and in fact I've seen one cause problems by caching DNS entries. Fixing such a problem would vary from one router to the next, though. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 19:34, 22 November 2008 (EST)

:::::It's a Linksys Router, yes. It's definitely not the router and instead my internal cache, since the problem persists even when I bring my laptop to work or to University. --[[User:Sukasa|Sukasa]] 23:53, 22 November 2008 (EST)

:::::Firefox also maintains its own cache, IIRC. [[User:Random832|Random832]] 11:13, 24 November 2008 (EST)

:::::Nah, I use Chrome. Anyways, managed to fix it, thanks for the help --[[User:Sukasa|Sukasa]] 16:51, 25 November 2008 (EST)

== Notice box at the top of Main Page ==

As we can see from the edit history, [[User:Alya|Alya]] states that "it was intended to ensure information from the old wiki didn't just get copied over; it isn't really needed anymore, especially that prominently." [[User:N9103|Edward]] replies, "Versions still update regularly, and accuracy should always be a priority." 
Right under "Download Dwarf Fortress" is emblazoned the same text as the notice box except for a reminder to ensure that info is accurate for the ''latest'' version. I'm inclined to think that the sort that wouldn't do that won't be listening to the notice box any more than Rules [[DwarfFortressWiki:Community_Portal#F|F]], [[DwarfFortressWiki:Community_Portal#V|V]], and sometimes [[DwarfFortressWiki:Community_Portal#Y|Y]]. No, ''especially'' Y. 
Opinions? 
--[[User:Savok|Savok]], 
not wanting to start revert wars at 00:44, 30 November 2008 (EST)

:I think that's going to end up being true, what with the current state of the average human brain. Though I'm fresh out of suggestions, except giant red blinking text. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 01:13, 30 November 2008 (EST)

:I have to agree with Alya. We barely have a problem with people adding inaccurate info of any kind, let alone outdated info. It gets outdated on its own, and if we're lucky, we spot it and fix it. We could toss the notice box altogether.--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 02:25, 30 November 2008 (EST)

Consensus seems against me. Notice Removed. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 05:21, 30 November 2008 (EST)

== "Meeting Hall' page for general questions. ==

Wowwiki (for Warcraft and related things) has a 'Village pump' page, that functions as kind of a general question area. Is there something like that here, or could there be? I've seen references to the forums, but the links don't seem to work, usually, at least for me. (I'm on a company network, which may be why.) --[[User:Azaram|Azaram]] 23:03, 9 December 2008 (EST)

:I'd say the forums really are the best place for that stuff. It's a pity if you can't use 'em. But feel free to ask questions on any talk page on the wiki, however; there are plenty of people who watch [[Special:Recentchanges]].--[[User:Maximus|Maximus]] 18:00, 10 December 2008 (EST)

::Since Toady fairly recently restructured the forums, some of the links to them are still broken. If you can't access [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php the real forums], though, I can't help you.
::Like he said, most questions should be asked on the talk page of the appropriate subject, and we have enough people reading the changes in the wiki that you should be answered. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 11:21, 11 December 2008 (EST)

:This could be a good replacement for the currently (and for a good while now) unused [[Current_events]] page, perhaps changing it's title to something more appropriate, while maintaining it's presence as a 'Main Navigation Link'. That's my two dwarfbucks on ideas for a replacement for that page anyways. --[[User:N9103|Edward]] 00:18, 30 December 2008 (EST)

::IMO, 95% of questions are asked on the appropriate talk page and 80% of the remaining could have been. I don't think that we need a "Gameplay Questions" area, since we've got a forum for that, like Maximus stated. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 10:25, 31 December 2008 (EST)

☼ ☼!!!!! I personally think it needs a sandbox page, where new, or even experienced who wnat to try a new thing, users can test stuff and see how to do things like upload images, or what the many edit buttons do.--[[User:Destor|Destor]] 01:23, 30 December 2008 (EST)☼ ☼

:Typically, any page under your username (like [[Special:Mypage/blah]]) is an appropriate sandbox page, for use when you need to disturb the wiki for more than a minute while getting some unusual formatting to work. When your code is normal, you can just use the preview button... --[[User:Savok|Savok]], a bit puzzled at 10:25, 31 December 2008 (EST)

== Latest Version ==
The latest version is 40d9. Is there a reason we're not linking to it yet? --[[User:RomeoFalling|RomeoFalling]] 17:55, 31 January 2009 (EST)

:Cause it's a beta of a beta. AKA it's unstable and not even a real version yet, more of a subversion. If that. It's cloudware - it exists but it's not very stable. --[[User:GreyMario|GreyMaria]] 18:07, 31 January 2009 (EST)

:The latest version [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/ here] is 40d. [[User:VengefulDonut|VengefulDonut]] 20:28, 31 January 2009 (EST)

Category talk:Guides

2009-02-12T10:23:50Z

TinyPirate: /* starting guides */

== Complete and Utter Newby Tutorial ==
DFwikians. I've written a now fairly lengthy tutorial on my website which I think new players will find really useful. It starts from the very basics and lets people play-along with me, step by step. I've had a lot of great feedback so far, but I don't want to be presumptuous about where I put it, so I leave it up to you guys to perhaps decide?
http://afteractionreporter.com/2009/02/09/the-complete-and-utter-newby-tutorial-for-dwarf-fortress-part-1-wtf/

== starting guides ==

Learning how DF works can be a huge hump for a new player. I would like to see more guides about simple things like: storage, building/mining though the Z axis, assigning dwarfs jobs, basic things for survival, what jobs should dwarfs have, and other things most experienced players find trivial.
<blockquote>
ADVANCED HELP ARC: Yeah, dwarves has a steep learning curve. Tutorials and advisors could help this, as well as decent in-game help. Related to Core19 and Core22.
</blockquote>
--[[User:Raisins|Raisins]] 13:20, 31 October 2007 (EDT)