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 Now hopefully no idiotic maniac incites the Planepacked glitch multiple times while bumbling through over 60 dwarven deaths this time around.
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Sep 7, 2014 07:04
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 08:21 |
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Given how child dwarves are typically undesired by those who sign up, would it be possible to basically consider them separately? Just looking at the spreadsheet, out of 234 sign-ups, only 7 specified wishing to be a child dwarf. 2.9%! By comparison, adult dwarves were specified for 114 out of the 234: 48%. An idea comes to mind, based on the obvious situation of readers wanting to be assigned dwarves who will be doing things and won't take in-game years, quite possibly real-time months, to be notable. That being, this could help ameliorate the classic "aww, the dwarf list is super long, I'll never get in" issue a bit. Simply, children are not filled in during regular dwarf-naming via birth/migration. One has to specifically ask to be a child to be assigned a child dwarf. On one hand, this means that the list can progress slightly slower (migrations almost certainly will be outpacing birth rates in terms of population growth), but on the other it means that a prospective new participant can 'skip the line' by accepting the drawbacks of being dwarfed as a child. Alternatively, due to how raws work, replacing [CHILD:12] with [CHILD:1] or something in the dwarf raw would mean that the fort would only need to wait 1 year for a newborn child (migrant children always arrive as at least age 2) to become an adult. Cheating? A little bit. Would it make things more streamlined? I think that'd be worth it. At the very least, growth hormone jokes. Although, come to think of it, I'm not sure if this would lead to actual rapid physical adulthood or just child labor/soldiers. As usual, mad science ends up my focus in these threads. This was such a benevolent idea until I realized that! Anything involving the [LAYS_UNUSUAL_EGGS] token is hilarious, semi-related.
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Sep 13, 2014 23:26
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Going by the dwarf list, this brings the fort population up to a healthy 38. Given the artifacts, platinum statues, productivity, and lack of catastrophic death (I give it 3 in-game months tops on this one!), I'd imagine the next migrant wave will bump the fort above 50.
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Sep 18, 2014 16:46
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Good news: Migrant wave. Bad news: Migrant wave. Breaking neutral: All of them got slaughtered anyway. I'm liking this succession game a lot more than I recall enjoying several previous threads. I very well might toss my hat in for the overseer lottery. I'm not sure if my track record at Grandmirror is a qualifier or a disqualifier. I promise not to do the Planepacked glitch again, but complete ineptitude plus nonsensical superweapon plans with a dash of deliberately attempting to incite pandemonium sowed nonstop death in my year if I recall, and the thread died in the next overseer's turn.
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Oct 8, 2014 18:19
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Ohohoho, it has begun. If we get any vampire dwarves out of this, Fun will certainly ensue. That said, I'm going to fully believe that vampiric dwarves are just sucking the alcohol out of their kin, and the blood is just kind of an inadvertent mixer. ...Now I'm curious if Toady actually coded that, I would not be surprised if bloodsucking from a dwarf who has had sufficient alcohol would satisfy the booze requirement for the vampire themselves.
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Oct 10, 2014 00:10
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You say garbage dump, I say Snake Shredder!
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Oct 10, 2014 07:45
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Dashticle posted:Wanna try doing some scene next, I'm thinking our baroness beheading that jabberer in the cavern. I was playing around with trying to make them look like carvings, but the free image filters online I tried made the ink drawings look worse (rounded off all lines and made them equal thicknss, etc.). Maybe it'll work better with scanned images. Open to suggestions if anyone has done that sort of thing before. Ran it through a lazy sequence of filters and layer blends in Illustrator and Photoshop to provide a rough mock-up of a result: 
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Oct 10, 2014 21:07
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 Oh how I want to set retracting bridges over it and do such wonderful, awful things with that lovely shredder.
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Oct 11, 2014 03:26
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My overseer resume: -Destroying Grandmirror's societal foundations through sheer ineptitude and callous disregard for life. -Constructing an elaborate, nonsensical, completely useless array of machinery that killed at least one dwarf via a pump gone haywire, several more by virtue of not realizing the power supply let invaders straight into the fort, and probably at least dozens if the tantrum spirals are taken into account. -Activating the Planepacked glitch to give the fort millions of value years before it was prepared to deal with the ensuing siege attention. -Secretly tunneling and engraving a massive monument to myself:  I am the most qualified applicant by far!
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Oct 17, 2014 10:52
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Oh Armok. Very well. We'll see what goes catastrophically wrong THIS time. Time to begin.
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Oct 21, 2014 01:49
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  Well, this here is Fogwall's stocks, according to what I've been told. As a very recent arrival, it was quite the surprise to be deemed overseer. Indeed, I haven't even been listed in the fortress ledgers yet. Apparently some sort of freakish incident I'm still trying to sort the details of mixed up several dozen important records, and rather than bother with the unbelievably boring, tedious, and unproductive task of piecing everything back together in proper order, they've been thrown out and we'll await replacements. Paradoxically, my position of year-long leadership and importance is apparently due to being so trivial nobody can be assed to protest the matter officially. Bah. Needless to say, let's get a nice look at the whole place.  First up, the kitchens! Given winter has only just abated, I am slightly less- No, nevermind, I am completely unsympathetic. At least one type of booze barrel was marked with "Do Not Roast", and given how vastly more of it there is, I can only assume that much of Fogwall's stock of drinks has been used in stews. Much as I can appreciate wine, I forbid any further booze-cooking for the time being, at least until supplies stabilize. Additionally, given the balance of the pantries, I've reorganized a few cook-vs-brew priorities to favor the latter. We have an abundance of plump helmets, at least, and the seed stocks are in excellent condition, so I suspect that drink supplies and varieties will resurge fairly quickly. Not a bad start to being an overseer, all things considered. These are reasonable decisions that are relevant to everyone's vital necessity of not being chewed upon by hungry or thirsty neighbors.  Before I get to actually look around Fogwall, though, I've noticed quite the mess of everybody. Let's see, the miners are making doors and collecting webs...  And Keian here seems to be catapulting rocks at the wall for days on end without drink or rest...?(( Sudden graphics shift/reduction in quality after this picture is due to me ripping DFHack out upon noticing it was present in the starter pack. I'd rather not have cheating options lying around at all times, though I'm sure there's a way to have clean graphics and no cheats. ))  What do they feed the dwarves here!? Good gods! The fortress is practically carpeted in children! I'm supportive of the families, and I think the farms are sufficient for everyone to be fed presently, but this feels a bit excessive all the same. Fertility here seems almost unprecedented, there are 54 babies and children! With our total population just barely peeking over 130, this has quickly transcended from local oddity to logistical problem. And I really hope Lawman there wasn't doing what I think he was! What in the world could be leading to so many children?  Well then. Under ordinary circumstances, this would be a blessing for our dwindling civilization. Right off the bat, I'm making a difficult decision. I understand that we must think for the future, but what future will these children have if Fogwall cannot feed them? A harsh new policy has begun, after consulting with our chief of medical staff, SilentW.   We've introduced saltpeter from near the entry hall into the food supplies. This will likely make me disliked right off the start, but I sincerely am doing this for Fogwall, and the children's, own well-being. It will only be a temporary necessity, I'm hoping. (( I'm a little reluctant about this, but seriously, Jesus Christ. I'm doing this so we have a functioning fort population at all in the future and half the fort's population cap isn't babies and children! Note that for those who specifically wished to be dwarfed as children, migrants may arrive with kids or pregnancies, so even with this we'll still get an influx of children. Just not, y'know, a fricking dwarven re-enactment of Rugrats.))  Surveying the grounds around Fogwall itself, I have to say, the local trees are bizarre things. Elves can worship the beds and barrels of tomorrow all they want, there's no accounting for taste, but I'll never understand how things of such contorted ugliness are worthy of vener- Nevermind, the less one thinks of them the better, really.  That said, a pair of windmills hidden between the mountainface and the trees. Seriously, looking at those things gives me the same kind of headache I get whenever some smartassed engraver thinks it's a hilarious idea to engrave themselves engraving the very wall they're working on all the way down several times. Speaking of bizarre, what do these even power?  Gods, as if Fogwall wasn't nonsensical enough, what with a carpet of babies, our mayor locked inside a silver-floored room near the barracks while nobody can get the door unstuck after someone tampered with it, the vomit-flinging puke bridges greeting every new arrival, Keian's Katapult Kontraption Klubhouse, a side hall of cage traps, and everything being everywhere in general. Now we have a a set of screwpumps primed and ready to start churning the river straight into the fort's front loving door. I have yet to find a single lever, by the way, although everyone swears they can be found SOMEWHERE, just in no relation to whatever the hell it is they control!  Oh this just gets even better, doesn't it! This is so rich, it has to be fattening! Some suicidal fishmongling fruitcake put a floodgate to this batshit aquaeduct IMMEDIATELY in front of the stairs leading to the entire rest of the fort. Down those stairs? Straight into the forges, smelters, workshops, and dining halls. I've ordered a wall to permanently seal that thing off, I'd rather not try to raise the vomitbridges and--  Why are the stills completely abandoned!? Do you want to be sober? Are the brewers the ones responsible for the imminent fort-flooding staircase waterfall, out of some sickminded water addiction? Sheesh. Aquaholics Anonymous for them if I see another sign of that! What kind of fort chews through all of its alcohoalshmotherFUCKER!  I found the levers! Right around the corner from the stills! And there's not one but six of them, two of them in a toggled positions while the others remain neutral. Since any attempt at discerning what these do by process of trial and error has a fair shot at sorting the fort's inhabitants by bouyancy, if not flushing everyone down the central staircase into the caverns in an avalanche of beards, blood, cats, children, and anything else not fastened down, I'm not touching a drat one until the mechanics work out what goes where. Alright, Fogwall is certainly...certainly functional, I can commend it for that much in difficult times. But what a chaotic mess. I suppose the best I can do is attempt to designate useful things until the gigantic contraption that is Fogwall (I don't think the founders had sheer obscurity in mind when naming it!) inevitably starts erupting swarms of flaming locusts from all the chairs or something because someone didn't close their door the right prime number of times! I'm going to need to be more drunk for this. The only way Fogwall will make sense to me is if I can't remember what I did in the morning. I suppose I have a few ideas...Yeah, might as well. It'll at least provide something productive to do until catastrophe inevitably comes sniffing around.
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Oct 21, 2014 05:22
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Boing posted:Haha I didn't know how hosed the entire thing was, Spanish Matlock's been holding out on us. Oh you have NO idea. I am going to have a lot of fun here.
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Oct 22, 2014 14:41
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Oh no, don't worry, I've got one in the works. Just had to tidy up some loose ends before my free time really opened up, so subsequent updates will come more frequently after this initial bit.
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Oct 24, 2014 07:39
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 The Year of EPM - Part 2 A Reasonable Overseer I'm now able to write this account following the...well for lack of a dignified way to put it, several days spent unconscious. I've been told that I kept a raptor's eye on the Levers of Unspecified Doom to keep folks away while a set of protective cases were arranged for, and since the stills were right there... At least I can assure everyone that the latest alcohol production batches are of highest quality.  On to business. Prior to the sampling session, I noticed that the workshops, and indeed all forms of production, had been halted. This was puzzling, as I could not find any record of why or any testimony of what led to that. The leather works were instructed to produce cloaks, as they're of decent use for civilians and militia.  It turns out that one of my predecessors had the sense to label the Levers of Final Floodgate Inner Bridge River Hatch River Floodgate Flood the Fortress Outer Drawbridge (I fully suspect that THIS is the one that floods the fort!) Ominously, the bottom-left lever lacks a label entirely. I'm going to unoffically label that one "Just deconstruct this drat thing ASAP".  That said, it seems whoever labeled things around here had a sense of gallows humor. Yet another reason not to remotely trust them.  Most surprising, however, was the warning carved on the mayor's chamber by, apparently, the mayor himself. As Stephen Armstrong, so I'm told, is one of Fogwall's finest warriors and captain of his squad, I'm baffled by this. I'm going to track down his closer acquaintances at a subsequent time and ask them if they can verify that this is indeed his hand's lettering. All attempts at calling to him through the doors are met with scratching noises and hushed breathing. That in and of itself is a reason to heed the warnings, but finding out the cause of why one of Fogwall's paragons would suddenly be in this foreboding state is without a doubt a high priority.  That said, right nearby the mayor's apparently self-imposed containment is the fort's entryway, dotted with caged goblins as trophies/refuse-throwing targets. And immediately beside them are the animal pastures. We may want to think about fencing the latter off or at least digging a trench. I'd rather not provide besieging goblins with fresh meat supplies with a side of vengeful peers.  Speaking of potential security problems, my continued surveys of the fort revealed that there's a hole from the surface punched straight down into the production areas. It was immediately deemed an oversight rather than attempted sabotage, as it's clearly a miasma ventilation shaft given its location above the butchery. That said, I've ordered a grate installed.  Having asked Mayor-Captain Armstrong's squad regarding the doors' authenticity, they added only additional cryptic speculation. Apparently he was just a dwarf of exceptional talent, and his skills drove him to leadership simply due to the admiration they earned. Anyone else as private as he would never have been considered for mayor, no doubt. The more I look into this matter, the more chilling it becomes.  I can't find any reason for odd behaviors, even his belonging are well within orderly norms. That said, he apparently had a fondness for minecarts, and I can agree.  A brief overview of the farms revealed some inefficiencies. Given the abundance of trees outside Fogwall, I'm considering ordering increased logging efforts to produce ash for fertilization purposes.  But back on track, so to speak. I noticed that none of the miners are busy, and indeed despite the occasional trivial mistake and the Levers of Ambiguous Doom, Fogwall is not for want of much. Thus I've decided that since we seem to have equilibirum currently, it is best to expand and promote growth. Let it never be said I am an unreasonable overseer. The segment here is the first section of my designated minecart route plans. You'll notice I've deliberately avoided ordering any connection to the surface until everything else is prepared. Additionally, I plan for the barracks to have direct access to this track route, as thus combined with the Hubris Bridge (note to self: find a dwarf who will stop snickering when asked why it has that name long enough to get an actual answer) any invaders will have to go through the core of the military. The extended shaft leading West to a dead end is additionally a factor in future defense plans. As it will be right at the terminus of the minecart tracks, I plan to install some automated rollers activated by pressure plates. Intruders arrive, march down the tunnel, and trigger the splattering onslaught of minecarts loaded with whatever is heavy, hazardous, and I hope humiliating. It makes a dwarf's heart swell with joy to think about. It doesn't count as exporting minecarts if we're using them to pulverize goblins like giant rail-guided hammers, right? Might have to check with the baron later, he'd probably have the best idea. And even if that proves unfeasible, ballista fortifications are a suitable backup plan. Still, though, the rest of the track route digging plans have been designated, but I'll wait for them to be finalized and work begun before showing the full schematics.  A related idea can also be tied into this. Having noticed that the fort's original farming location has fallen into disuse, I've ordered it walled off for repurposing into a cistern since it's right next to the intake from the river. One of the walls is suspended, as shown here, for the sake of not accidentally trapping the masons inside.  Speaking of the masons, I've ordered the production of additional floodgates for the near future. They're useful for civil engineering projects, and it seems that such things will be the focus of my stewardship over this year. Plus it doesn't hurt to keep the masons busy in general, to keep their talents honed until a more immediate priority needs attention.  Given the abundant supply of logs, and certainly the massive amount of additional logs-to-be outside, the smelters have been set to work. Priority one is steel manufacture, but given the presence of tetrahedrite veins and platinum clusters, it certainly won't hurt to prepare them. Note to self: If the ore smelting staggers steel production, sideline it.  Indeed, an additional smelter was tasked with the production of valuable metals. I'm going to keep in mind, though not a direct priority, the idea of having a diverse stock of varied supplies and utilities. One never knows what may be unexpectedly needed or useful, so it doesn't hurt to have at least a light supply of everything possible.  To assist in steel production, charcoal production has begun. As I mentioned before though, I'm considering tasking the furnace with ash production as well for use in fertilizing the crops.  Our manager (I still need a bit more time to remember everyone's names, how embarrassing) recommended to me that rather than setting a repeating order, however, I simply designate a charcoal supply work order through his position. An appreciated reminder.  The third smelter has been tasked with a pure focus on pig iron bars. That's a total of three workshops dedicated to steel production, so supplies should expand nicely. Surely our military will appreciate the superior equipment! Depending on how the Armstrong situation continues, I may have to reorganize the squad he led. Or found a new squad or two entirely, depending on defense necessities.  Mayor Armstrong. Everything to do with that dwarf chills me. I do not wish to foster a fearful atmosphere, nor seem defeatist by ordering coffins, but slabs seem an acceptable designation for the other mason workshop. I hope never to need a significant number.  With all the work orders, I decided to just set every workshop on duty in some fashion, necessary or just preparatory. A bit of glass won't hurt. A window, tube, coffer, and block will be all for the time being, just to keep glassmaking practice active.  I will confess, I am myself most fond of engineering. You can never have too many mechanisms!  Given wood is going to be burnt in large quantities, I've ordered clay jugs to accomodate the potential reduction in available barrels. I don't anticipate that as a problem, but preparation never hurts.  A pair of anvils too, since if fortress expansion is my focus, then I might as well keep in mind that more space and workers will require more tools to work with.  On that note, though, I've ordered leggings and mail of iron, 5 pairs of each. Best to get the armorsmiths some warm-up work before the steel supply expands. And besides, iron armor is useful in and of itself.  A random sample of the militia, Mlle, is a decent indication of the current baseline. Our warriors are skilled and experienced, and even now train, but superior equipment will be a boon to them. I will note, I personally prioritize armor over weaponry for now, as experience is by far the most important weapon at a soldier's disposal. Ensuring our military is safe and protected enough to reach mastery of their skills will serve us well. Make no mistake, fine weaponry will be in their hands in due time. ...Which reminds me, what are our stocks, even? I've only been eyeballing what's in use, the bookkeeper's records of the stockpiles will be much more informative.  Well, we have no deficit of silk! This is a shocking abundance, I admit, never would I have suspected that Fogwall had such a textile surplus. Note to self: Additional clothier's shops may be needed soon.  Our iron supplies are much more ghastly slim than I anticipated. Two of those bars are being made into anvils, and we will not be able to fit the armor plans nor make substantial steel supplies. This was not expected. I will scour the fortress for potential iron materials to melt down, it's quite likely that the myriad attacks on the fortress in the past will have left a supply of fallen equipment used by goblins. If not...well, if one thing can be certain, it is danger, and we will have to harvest the supplies from future foes. That and trade.  ...Note to self: Platinum statue in the bookkeeper's room.  As if the fortress itself rebelled against my discovery of such nigh-terrifying organizational precision, I then found a staircase that leads straight into the ceiling of the clothier's shop.   And speaking of certain discoveries! Well well, it seems my predecessor had his own little secret project! At least this one isn't poised to doom us all if misused! One bedroom for him and his wife, a statue garden, a dining room,...  And a tomb for them both. I must consider what to do about this. I am a reasonable overseer, I will not lose my temper as I did upon first arriving. Weighing of details is a must. Yes, Spanish Matlock literally had this whole little private residence area made for himself and his wife. I think he fully expects me to be angered with him. However, and I will make this clear to the fort's populace: If he did all this in secret himself in addition to his duties as overseer, he is entitled to his own handiwork. If he enlisted the aid of others, that means they are already aware of these chambers and cooperated with him. Spanish Matlock also provided the fort the means it currently has to be as prosperous as it is.  Very well. Room one shall be officially known as Rumpscratch.  Room two is now Hootbox. If Spanish Matlock is going to create works of such esteem, they need proper names, wouldn't you say?  ...However, I will not begrudge a dwarf his family, and certainly not a dwarf who governed well. If it gets crowded in there, that's Spanish Matlock's problem and own doing. I am a reasonable overseer. That is what I wish to be known as for this year.
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Oct 24, 2014 20:43
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 08:21 |
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No mention of the spider-dwarf hybrid monstrosities? I'd love to dink around with mods, myself, there's some really hilarious potential waiting to happen all over the place. [LAYS_UNUSUAL_EGGS] is particularly ripe for abuse.
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Oct 26, 2014 05:19
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