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Difference between revisions of "Size"

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m (→‎Mechanics: grammar)
(merged info about creatures into Bodysize section, and renamed to Creatures, formatting)
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Internally, all custom size numbers are rounded down to the nearest multiple of 10 - thus, if you define an item with [SIZE:15], it will actually behave as if you had specified [SIZE:10].
 
Internally, all custom size numbers are rounded down to the nearest multiple of 10 - thus, if you define an item with [SIZE:15], it will actually behave as if you had specified [SIZE:10].
  
== Bodysize ==
+
== Creatures ==
Creature-specific size is known internally as '''bodysize''' (from the {{tt|[BODY_SIZE]}} [[creature token|token]]). When it comes to creatures, size is a rough stand-in for [[weight]]: standard flesh weighs one gram per cubic centimeter. However, in the infinite complexity of ''Dwarf Fortress'', there are a number of ''other'' [[material]]s animals internalize ([[ivory]], [[hair]], [[horn]], [[shell]], etc.) which have their own densities, shifting a creature's actual weight relative to its size, sometimes significantly (elephant tusks weigh a ''lot''). Bodysize also determines average [[butcher]]ing yields, (along with morphology) how much [[damage]] they can absorb, and (along with morphology and attack definition [[creature token|token]]s) how much damage they can inflict in melee. On {{tt|[HUMANOID]}} creatures, size also directly determines what kind of equipment a creature can wear: large, small, normal, or none at all.
+
When it comes to creatures, size is a rough stand-in for [[weight]] since standard flesh weighs about one gram per cubic centimeter. However, in the typical complexity of ''Dwarf Fortress'', there are a number of ''other'' [[material]]s animals can include ([[ivory]], [[hair]], [[horn]], [[shell]], etc.) which have their own densities, shifting a creature's actual weight relative to its size, sometimes significantly (elephant tusks weigh a ''lot''). Creature size is determined by {{token|BODY_SIZE|c}} tokens, often with multiple tokens to set their base size at certain ages.
  
The actual size of a creature is the result of four different effects, one basic and three that are highly variable. First and most basic is the average maintained across an individual species of creature. The second is the [[age]] of the creature: most creatures are not born anywhere near their maximum size, and instead must grow into it; some, like most species of snake, grow throughout their entire lifetime, and probably will not live long enough to reach it. The third is inheritance: version 0.31.1 introduced [[genetics]], allowing creatures to inherit part of their size from the appearance, specifically the height and girth, of their parents. The last one is the creature's muscle mass, determined by it's [[strength]] attribute (a thin dwarf with ~44210 size will be ~64210 once they become unbelievably strong).
+
Bodysize determines several things:
 +
* Average [[butcher]]ing yields.
 +
* How much [[damage]] they can absorb (along with morphology).
 +
* How much damage they can inflict in melee (along with morphology and attack definition [[creature token|token]]s).
 +
* For creatures that can wear equipment ({{token|EQUIPS|c}}).
 +
:* What size of equipment a creature can wear; clothing and armor are sized for a specific species and only creatures near that size can wear them.
 +
:* Weapons have a minimum size that a creature must be to wield them ({{token|MINIMUM_SIZE|wp}} and {{token|TWO_HANDED|wp}}).
  
Actual creature sizes go from 1 (small insect [[vermin]]) to 200,000,000 ([[giant sperm whale]]s, the largest creature in the game). See [[List of creatures by adult size]] for details. The average size set for a dwarf is 3,000, 15,000, and 60,000, the size of a baby, child and adult respectively.
+
The actual size of an individual creature is the result of different effects:
 +
* The base BODY_SIZE for the species of creature.
 +
* The [[age]] of the creature; most creatures are born at minimum size, and grow to a maximum.
 +
:* Some, like dragons and most species of snake, grow throughout their entire lifetime, and may not live long enough to reach the maximum.
 +
* Inheritance; many creatures have {{token|BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER|c}}) tokens, that allow them to vary in height, width, or length, which they can pass on to children.
 +
* Muscle mass, determined by it's [[strength]] attribute (a thin dwarf with ~44210 size will be ~64210 once they become unbelievably strong), due to muscle having {{token|THICKENS_ON_STRENGTH|tissue}}.
 +
* Fat mass, due to {{token|THICKENS_ON_ENERGY_STORAGE|tissue}}.{{verify|untested, seems like it should, and a bug if it doesn't}}
  
== Sample list of creature sizes ==
+
Creature sizes range from 1 (small insect [[vermin]]) to 200,000,000 ([[giant sperm whale]]s, the largest creature in the game).  See [[List of creatures by adult size]] for details.
{| width=100% class="sortable" style="text-align:center"
+
 
! width="25%" style="text-align:left" | Name
+
=== Sample list of creature sizes in cm<sup>3</sup> ===
! width="25%" | Size at birth
+
{| {{prettytable}} width=100% class="sortable" style="text-align:right"
! width="25%" | Size at maturity
+
|- bgcolor="#aaaaaa"
! width="25%" | Notes
+
! width="25%" | Name
 +
! width="15%" | Size at birth
 +
! width="15%" | Size at maturity
 +
! Notes
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Adder]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Adder]]
 
| 15
 
| 15
 
| 150
 
| 150
| Smallest (non-vermin) creature
+
| style="text-align:left" | Smallest (non-vermin) creature
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Rabbit]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Rabbit]]
 
| 50
 
| 50
 
| 500
 
| 500
| Smallest domestic animal
+
| style="text-align:left" | Smallest domestic animal
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Cat]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Cat]]
 
| 500
 
| 500
 
| 5,000
 
| 5,000
|
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Kobold]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Kobold]]
 
| 1,000
 
| 1,000
 
| 20,000
 
| 20,000
 +
|-
 +
| style="text-align:left" | [[Dog]]
 +
| 1000
 +
| 30,000
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Dwarf]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Dwarf]]
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| 8,308
 
| 8,308
 
| 113,292
 
| 113,292
| Smallest [[giant animal]]
+
| style="text-align:left" | Smallest [[giant animal]]
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Deer]]
 
| 14,000
 
| 140,000
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Polar bear]]
 
| 40,000
 
| 400,000
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Water buffalo]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Water buffalo]]
 
| 100,000
 
| 100,000
 
| 1,000,000
 
| 1,000,000
| Largest domestic creature
+
| style="text-align:left" | Largest domestic creature
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Rhinoceros]]
 
| 300,000
 
| 3,000,000
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Elephant]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Elephant]]
 
| 500,000
 
| 500,000
 
| 5,000,000
 
| 5,000,000
| Largest natural land-based creature
+
| style="text-align:left" | Largest natural land-based creature
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Cave dragon]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Cave dragon]]
 
| 6,000
 
| 6,000
 
| 15,000,000
 
| 15,000,000
| Largest cavernous creature
+
| style="text-align:left" | Largest cavernous creature
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Sperm whale]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Sperm whale]]
 
| 500,000
 
| 500,000
 
| 25,000,000  
 
| 25,000,000  
| Largest natural creature
+
| style="text-align:left" | Largest natural creature
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Dragon]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Dragon]]
 
| 6,000
 
| 6,000
 
| 25,000,000
 
| 25,000,000
| Largest [[megabeast]]
+
| style="text-align:left" | Largest [[megabeast]]
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Giant elephant]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Giant elephant]]
 
| 4,000,000
 
| 4,000,000
 
| 40,000,000
 
| 40,000,000
| Largest land-based creature
+
| style="text-align:left" | Largest land-based creature
 
|-
 
|-
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Giant sperm whale]]
 
| style="text-align:left" | [[Giant sperm whale]]
 
| 4,000,000
 
| 4,000,000
 
| 150,000,000
 
| 150,000,000
| Largest creature, period
+
| style="text-align:left" | Largest creature, period
 
|}
 
|}
  
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* '''Plants''': There is no size [[plant token]].
 
* '''Plants''': There is no size [[plant token]].
 
* '''Buildings''': The {{tt|[DIM:#:#]}} [[building token]] defines the by-[[tile]] size of a [[workshop]] or [[building]].
 
* '''Buildings''': The {{tt|[DIM:#:#]}} [[building token]] defines the by-[[tile]] size of a [[workshop]] or [[building]].
* '''Creatures''': The [[creature token]] version of {{tt|[SIZE]}} is the <tt>[BODY_SIZE:#:#:#]</tt> token, which accepts three variables. The first number is age in years; the second additional age is in days. The third number is its size in cm<sup>3</sup>. Multiple ages and multiple {{tt|[BODY_SIZE]}} tokens are used to constrain a creature's [[age]]-based growth pattern and final size. Genetics is accounted for by a {{tt|[BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER]}} token tagged for {{tt|LENGTH}} and/or {{tt|HEIGHT}}. For instance, genetic variance in the [[anaconda]] is defined so: {{tt|[BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER:LENGTH:90:95:98:100:102:105:110]}}. Each interval value is genetically inherited, and each interval value has an equal chance of occurring; the numbers are the percentage of the base size a creature in the interval will be.
 
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==

Revision as of 09:43, 2 December 2023

This article is about the current version of DF.
Note that some content may still need to be updated.

You may be looking for size of clothing, armor, the dimensions of a tile, or the list of creatures by size.

Size is a measure of how big a creature or item is, as volume in cubic centimeters[1], and called [BODY_SIZE] or [SIZE] in raw files.

Size has many important effects on the game, many through its direct effect on item weight, but as material properties go, its implementation is sometimes underwhelming - witness the incredible compression of matter, space, and time that is the QSP. When even multiple full grown dragons occupy a single square, size becomes a little difficult to contextualize. It doesn't help that a bronze colossus fits in a basic wooden cage (although, a fire man fits in it too).

Size directly affects such things as which weapons your dwarves can equip, butchering returns, storage limits, and combat effectiveness for both creatures and weapons.

Size is used to calculate an item's weight, along with the density of the underlying material(s):

Weight (in Γ) = Density (in kg/m3) * Size (in cm3) / 1,000,000 (cm3 in a m3)

Through weight, the size of an item has further ramifications in the game, such as hauling speed, pressure plate activation, impact momentum, weight restrictions, and so forth.

The weight of creatures is calculated from the densities and sizes of the layers of their body parts, which currently results in corpse weights that are about 1/3 heavier than expected.

Internally, all custom size numbers are rounded down to the nearest multiple of 10 - thus, if you define an item with [SIZE:15], it will actually behave as if you had specified [SIZE:10].

Creatures

When it comes to creatures, size is a rough stand-in for weight since standard flesh weighs about one gram per cubic centimeter. However, in the typical complexity of Dwarf Fortress, there are a number of other materials animals can include (ivory, hair, horn, shell, etc.) which have their own densities, shifting a creature's actual weight relative to its size, sometimes significantly (elephant tusks weigh a lot). Creature size is determined by [BODY_SIZE] tokens, often with multiple tokens to set their base size at certain ages.

Bodysize determines several things:

  • Average butchering yields.
  • How much damage they can absorb (along with morphology).
  • How much damage they can inflict in melee (along with morphology and attack definition tokens).
  • For creatures that can wear equipment ([EQUIPS]).
  • What size of equipment a creature can wear; clothing and armor are sized for a specific species and only creatures near that size can wear them.
  • Weapons have a minimum size that a creature must be to wield them ([MINIMUM_SIZE] and [TWO_HANDED]).

The actual size of an individual creature is the result of different effects:

  • The base BODY_SIZE for the species of creature.
  • The age of the creature; most creatures are born at minimum size, and grow to a maximum.
  • Some, like dragons and most species of snake, grow throughout their entire lifetime, and may not live long enough to reach the maximum.

Creature sizes range from 1 (small insect vermin) to 200,000,000 (giant sperm whales, the largest creature in the game). See List of creatures by adult size for details.

Sample list of creature sizes in cm3

Name Size at birth Size at maturity Notes
Adder 15 150 Smallest (non-vermin) creature
Rabbit 50 500 Smallest domestic animal
Cat 500 5,000
Kobold 1,000 20,000
Dog 1000 30,000
Dwarf 3,000 60,000
Giant tiercel peregrine 8,308 113,292 Smallest giant animal
Water buffalo 100,000 1,000,000 Largest domestic creature
Elephant 500,000 5,000,000 Largest natural land-based creature
Cave dragon 6,000 15,000,000 Largest cavernous creature
Sperm whale 500,000 25,000,000 Largest natural creature
Dragon 6,000 25,000,000 Largest megabeast
Giant elephant 4,000,000 40,000,000 Largest land-based creature
Giant sperm whale 4,000,000 150,000,000 Largest creature, period

Mechanics

  • Bar lacks a defined size token in the raws, but a bar has a size of 6000 cm3, which is consistent with their weight and density, and 10 bars fitting inside a bin. The dimensionless unit of '150' products per bar, primarily of use for soap, suggests that each use of a bar of soap should diminish by 40cm3 (i.e. 6000cm3/150). Whether this is true is currently untested.[Verify]

See also