Editing v0.34:Announcement

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{{Quality|Exceptional|07:53, 3 July 2011 (UTC)}}

An '''announcement''' is a message displayed at the bottom of the game screen used to indicate something important. Major announcements will pause gameplay and center the camera on the event in question, and game-changing ones will both do that and provide a framed message box presenting the event in question. The announcements list ({{k|a}}) lists all game announcements in dated order; some (but not all) can be {{k|z}}oomed to. Announcements are not to be confused with [[reports|{{k|r}}eports]], which detail combat results.

== Controlling which announcements pause and recenter ==
{{main|announcements.txt}}

You can control which types of announcements do and don't pause and/or recenter the game by editing the '''announcements.txt''' file, found at Dwarf Fortress/data/init/announcements.txt.  An announcement type containing '''P''' will pause when that announcement type is made, and one containing '''R''' will re-center when that announcement type is made.  For example,

:<tt>[MIGRANT_ARRIVAL:A_D:D_D:P:R]</tt>

means that the game will pause and recenter upon the announcement of migrants arriving.  You could change it to

:<tt>[MIGRANT_ARRIVAL:A_D:D_D:R]</tt>

to cause the game to recenter on the arriving migrants, but to not pause the game.

== Minor announcements ==
These are the simplest and most common announcements, and will flicker through the announcements window very quickly:

* Job cancellation with a stated reason (building site submerged, item blocking site, dangerous terrain, needs rough picture jaspers, etc.), followed by a [[suspend|suspension]] notice if the job is [[furniture]] placement or building a [[construction]].  The [[standing orders]] menu ({{key|o}}) allows you to filter job cancellation spam, between none, some, most, and all (default is some).

* ''Normal'' changes in [[weather]]: "It has started raining," "The weather has cleared," or "A snow storm has arrived."
* Changes in [[season]]. Sometimes a "wet/dry" message will be displayed in addition to a "spring/fall/etc." message, depending on the biome.
* [[Creatures]] and [[dwarves]] (and apparently [[ghost]]s as well) [[age|growing up]] and progressing from baby to child to adult. Animals jump straight from babies to adults.
* The creation of [[quality|masterpieces]]. Can get quite annoying in mature fortresses, when the announcements will stack up the products of legendary dwarves.
* Striking new types of [[stone]]s, [[gem]]s, or [[ore]]s when [[mining]] (you don't want to dig through a [[vein]] of [[gold]] and fail to notice, do you?)
* Changes in [[profession]], for both civilian and [[military]] dwarves. The start of every month is usually marked by rotations within your militia and thus a bevy of messages of this type.
* When an animal is [[butcher's shop|slaughtered]] or a tame animal or dwarf struck down within view of other dwarves.
* Animals giving birth.
* Dwarves getting spooked by hostile creatures and cancelling their jobs. Interruptions by [[crow]]s are bothersome, interruptions by goblin crossbowmen extremely dangerous (and seldom survivable).
* The promotion of your humble abode to a [[baron]]y/[[count]]y/[[duke|duchy]].
* The raising of a [[ghost]].
* Putting a dwarf (and an associated ghost) to rest with a memorial [[slab]] or a [[coffin]].
* The announcement of the missing (after one week) or dead (after a dwarf sees their corpse) status of a dwarf or tame creature.
* Dwarves growing [[weapon#attachment|attached]] to their weapons or armor.

==Major announcements==
These announcements are more important than minor announcements, and in addition to playing their message will pause the screen and zoom to the place of the event.

* A [[animal training|tame]] creature going semi-wild (feral), the last stage before becoming wild again. Time to train your [[dragon]] again.
* The arrival of a [[caravan]]. Best to get ready for [[thief|thieves]] and [[ambush]]es as well.
* The arrival of the [[outpost liaison]], although this always happens at the same time as the arrival of the dwarven caravan.
* The arrival of [[migrants]].
* Uncovering of a [[thief]]. Quick, kill it!
* Uncovering an [[ambush]]. Very nasty if the dwarf in question is just a poor old [[wood cutter]] out doing his job.
* Discovering a [[gremlin]].
* A dwarf entering a [[strange mood]], claiming a workshop, setting to work, and either completing a [[legendary artifact]] or going [[insanity|insane]] in the attempt.  (Each step gets its own announcement.)
* The birth of a dwarven baby, closely followed by "Urist McMom cancels Everything: seeking Infant."
* The arrival of the [[king]] or queen.
* The arrival of a [[semi-megabeast]].
* The appearance of a [[Evil Weather|creeping cloud]] in [[Surroundings|evil biomes]].

==Game-changing announcements==

{{minorspoiler}}
{{spoil small|[[File:Eerie cavern.png|center|500px]]|An example of a game-changing announcement}}
These announcements pause the game, zoom to the location, ''and'' present a message box detailing the occurrence, in addition to repeating the message contained therein in the main feed after you close the box, for good measure. 
* The creation of an [[artifact]], whether from a [[strange mood]] or from a [[soldier]] bestowing a name upon his/her equipment
* The arrival of a big bad: be it a [[megabeast]], [[titan]], [[forgotten beast]], transformed [[werebeast]], or the [[undead]]. The announcement will give their [[profile|description]].
* Discovering a [[cavern]] layer or the [[magma sea]]
* Discovering a [[deep pit]], [[magma pool]], or downward passage.
* Discovering a pillar of [[adamantine]] - praise the miners!
* Discovering a [[demonic fortress|curious underground structure]]
* Discovering [[HFS]], and another message a frame later when its [[demon|inhabitants]] come up to meet you.  This is referred to as the "endgame" in the announcement file.

{{Category|Interface}}