Browse Points of Interest - DF Map Archive

The Early Workshops

Masonry, Carpentry, Mechanics and Crafts are all slammed together in this little room ... for the time being.

Of note is the ever-dwindling wood supply. I brought 25ish logs in the initial wagon, but have been recalcitrant to crank out bins and barrels as I am normally wont to do, fearing that I will be left drastically short on beds. Metal barrels, despite their exorbitant mineral cost, seem to be in our future.

Submitted by: apparentbliss - 2010-03-17

Agriculture / Bootstrapping

With the map so rich in sand layers, I could afford to dig straight down to the second layer below ground, leaving the uppermost layer available to carve out with fortifications, or whatever else.

The initial barracks / sleeping quarters has already been converted into a food stockpile, but the initial dining room still remains as is. Eventually I'd like this layer to be all agriculture.

Submitted by: apparentbliss - 2010-03-17

Aquifer

Who would have thought that this sand-blasted land would contain so much water just below the surface? I have already been thwarted in my early fortress design by several aquiferous layers, most notably in the Glassworks.

On the bright side, this means that the dwarves will always have a freshwater supply; hopefully, though, we never have to resort to drinking anything so lacking in alcohol as water.

Submitted by: apparentbliss - 2010-03-17

Tombs

I thought this location, nestled amidst the magma and within hearing range of the clang of anvils, would be a fitting location for the tombs.

My first two casualties: sparring macedwarves, both dying of suffocation. I should probably not even bother with any sort of non-marksdwarf army until the new version comes out and training is less deadly.

Submitted by: apparentbliss - 2010-03-17

The Glassworks

Now that I have created a bin or two, I can begin to reduce the stockpile footprint, and properly adorn this room with glass pillars and statues. As the heart and soul of the fortress, this is the first room getting a thorough smoothing.

I'm still afraid that if I try and even out the room by mining into the aquifer I'll end up "having fun."

Submitted by: apparentbliss - 2010-03-17

The Visitors Parlor / Defenses

Though the glass tower is but a mere skeleton of what it eventually will be, it already houses the trade depot, and creates a reasonable chokepoint for the entrance to the fortress. A (currently dry) moat has been dug, and the single entry point will be sufficient defense for a year or two still. Long term plans include setting up some sort of entry-warrens situated above the aquifer to funnel siegers through -- perhaps even with some sort of drowning chamber.

Submitted by: apparentbliss - 2010-03-17

Barrel Conservation

On most of my fortresses, I am practically swimming in barrels and bins. Though the saguaros do provide some lumber, it is not enough to support my usual container habits, and I have been trying to separate out stockpiles that can be set to zero barrels, where appropriate. Every time I get the message that booze production is being held up due to a lack of barrels, it brings a tear to my eye ... and it worries me.

I have begun production of metal bins and barrels, but the cost still seems prohibitive. Granted, a big part of the reason that I chose this map was that I wanted to see what a low-lumber situation was like (and with the saguaros, this is much less harsh in that manner than it "could be"), but I'm finding that it's not particularly to my liking. There's something about the orderly rows of barrels that is infinitely more pleasing than the clutter of sprawling stockpiles -- and there's also the realization that however slow, lumber is a renewable resource, and short of goblin-gear meltdown, metal is not.

Submitted by: apparentbliss - 2010-03-18