Dwarf Fortress 40_24 Tutorial: Part 4 - The Basics of a Functional Outpost

Basic UI Instructions  

Throughout this tutorial you will encounter letters in brackets (example: [k]) these represent the key you need to press to do the action being talked about. Pressing [esc] takes you back to the main screen.

You have embarked! (finally) And arrived at your destination. The game is paused. Take the opportunity to loo[k] around and identify what things are.

Also, pressing [Tab] will cycle through different view modes. Choose the one that you like best.

Finally, use [<] / [>] to go up and down elevation levels

The game will not unpause until you press [Spacebar].

Explanation of Phase 1 

This tutorial will teach you step by step all of the basics needed to create a self sustaining outpost.

Right now your dwarves have enough food and alcohol in the wagon to keep them alive for the first few seasons and they are content to sleep on the ground for a while, but these rations will not last forever. Our first priority in any fortress is to secure the basics of survival and make them self-sustaining.

The most basic layout of any fortress has at least four components to it.

1. Food Production 
2. Alcohol Production 
3. Sleeping Quarters 
4. A Meeting Hall 

These are the four objectives of Phase 1, but first we need to gather some resources and dig down to where we can begin building.

Step 1 - Gathering Resources 

Lets chop down some trees and gather up some extra food to get us started. Begin by [d]esgnating [t]rees to be chopped down. Then also [d]esignate [p]lants to be gathered. Don't be afraid to make the designation areas decently large, but don't designate the entire map either. When you are done designating press [esc] to go back to the main menu.

Let's also create 2 stock[p]iles. One for [w]ood and one for [f]ood. Don't be afraid to make these stockpiles big. Once again, when you are done creating stockpiles press [esc] to go back to the main menu.

You can press [space] to unpause the game and watch the little dwarfs work. When you are satisfied that the designations and stockpiles are working as they should move on to step 2.

Step 2 - Digging Down 

Lets have our miners start digging down a few layers so that we can store our starting resources and keep our dwarves underground and away from the cold rain, thieving magpies, and hungry predators. Underground = safer than Aboveground.

If you are on a map with elevation changes then you can simply [d]esignate a path to be mine[d] into the side of the hill.

If you do not have elevation changes (and even if you do) you can have your dwarves [d]esignate  one or a few squares to dig steps going down into the level below with [j]. Then, using [<] and [>] move your view down 1 z level. Directly below your stairs going down [d]esignate squares of up / down stairs with [i] (the up / down stairs will connect with the stairs going down directly above them and allow your miners the option of digging down into the level below them).

Clear as mud? Good.

Dig down enough levels that your dwarves find themselves digging into rock and not just soil. Once you have reached some solid rock [d]esignate some rooms to be mine[d].

These rooms will serve as our initial main storage, dormitory, meeting hall, and workshop zone, so they do not have to be too big. When you are satisfied with your layout you may unpause the game and let your little dwarves go to work. You can always change the layout later if you need more space for things.

Step 3 - Carpenters Workshop and Important Furniture Items 

Your carpenter has been busy chopping down trees and the other dwarves have been putting the resulting piles of wood into the stockpile that you created in step 1. Now, let's [b]uild a [w]orkshop for our [c]arpenter beside our wood piles. When our carpenter is finished with his chopping down trees he will come to the build site and construct the workshop.

Now let's have our carpenter make our dwarves some nice beds. When the workshop is finished press [q] and move the cursor over the workshop to interact with it. We are going to [a]dd a new job; namely the construction of a [b]ed. But why only make one bed? Let's make seven, one for each dwarf.

When you have placed the orders then unpause and watch your carpenter grab wood from the stockpile and build some beds.

In addition to the beds we will also need 4 tables and 6 chairs. Add these orders when the workshop has room for them.

Step 4 - Underground Farming 

While your carpenter is building furniture now would be a good time to hollow out some underground farmland. Underground crops need to be grown on soil so you will need to designate a chunk of earth to be mined out on a layer of soil. Dirt, clay, sand, silt, and loam all count as 'soil' for the purpose of growing crops.

Once your miners have hollowed out a chunk of farmland you will need to [b]uild a [p]lot. Farm Plots are very different from other buildings and designations you have used so far. You need to adjust their size by using the [umkh] keys before placing them. You'll want at least one decent sized farm to start out.

If you accidentally placed a farm incorrectly you can delete it by going into [q] and moving the cursor over the plot, and press [x] to remove it.

Once you have your farm plot the way you like it, unpause the game and watch the farmers come and 'build' it.

When the plot is ready go into [q] and highlight the farm. You will notice that you have several options for crops. Use [+ / -] (plus and minus) keys to select Plump Helmets. This tells your farmers what to plant here in the spring time. What about the other seasons? Press [b] [c] [d] for summer, fall, and winter respectively and make sure that they are also set to plant plump helmets.

Why plump helmets you ask? Because it is a crop that can be used as food and alcohol with little effort. It also grows fast. There are other things you can plant, but plump helmets are the best when starting out.

Lets also put a stock[p]ile for [f]ood beside our new fields. That way our farmers won't have to go very far to drop off their harvest or to grab more seeds.

Note - Every time a dwarf eats or brews a plump helmet they create plump helmet 'spawn' (seeds) which will either be planted or stored for later. Plump helmets used to make 'prepared meals' via a Kitchen do not create spawn.

Congratulations! You now have a sustainable food supply!

Step 5 - Sleeping Quarters 

By now your carpenter should have built his beds and the miners should have hollowed out most of your underground design. It's time to move the beds into a room and designate it as a public bedroom.

First we will need to [b]uild a [b]ed in that room. Actually, why don't we put all the beds in that room for now?

When the dwarves have moved the beds and set them up go into [q] and hover over the bed in the center and press [r] to make a room. Use the [+ / -] keys to expand the size of the room so that all beds are within its radius.

While still in [q] mode hover over the newly created room so that it lights up and tell the dwarves that it is a [d]ormitory. This will let them know that no one dwarf gets to claim the room for himself. Anyone who is tired can use the beds within.

Congratulations! You now have a sleeping quarters!

Step 6 - Moving all the Stuff Inside 

Wouldn't it be convenient if everything was inside our new home? Lets make a great big Stockpile and put everything into it!

First press [p] for stockpile and then [c] for custom options. Here we can decide what gets to go in the stockpile. Well, we already have a pile set up for food beside the farms, so enabling food here would be redundant. Lets enable all other things though and place the stockpile. We can change the settings of this (and any other) stockpile by going into [q] and highlighting the stockpile.

Oh shoot, wait! We need to go back into the stockpile settings and disable stones! Have you seen all the stones laying around here? We don't want them in the stockpile, just all our starting gear. Lets disable stones. Ok, we're good now.

What about the wood stockpile outside? Let's get rid of it so that the wood goes inside. Go into [p] and select [x] to erase the wood stockpile outside.

And what about the carpenters shop outside? Well, we can't 'move' it so we'll have to deconstruct it and then rebuild it inside. Go into [q] and highlight the carpenters shop for options to deconstruct it and then build a new carpenters workshop underground!

All our dwarves should be hauling things inside now.

Step 7 - The Meeting Hall 

The meeting hall is where your dwarves go when they have nothing to do as well as new migrants who will come to live in your fortress. Lets set up a temporary meeting hall in one of our rooms shall we? Your carpenter should have made the tables and chairs in step three so let's [b]uild them in one of the rooms.

Once they have been placed, use [q] and hover over one of the center tables and like the designation of the bedroom use [r] to create a 'room' based on the table (a dining room). Use + and - to determine its size.

While still in [q] mode highlight the new dining room and use the prompt in the options to make it a meeting [h]all.

Congratulations! You now have a meeting hall!

Step 8 - Alcohol Production 

Dwarves actually drink more units of alcohol than they eat units of food and they get quite upset when they are forced to drink water, so lets set up some alcohol production.

First, we need to [b]uild a new [w]orkshop, namely a Sti[l]l. Let's put it beside the food stockpile with the farms.

When it is built, lets go into [q] and [a]dd the task of [b]rewing drinks. In fact, let's set that task to [r]epeat. Now, our dwarves will continue to brew drinks until either they run out of plants to brew or they run out of empty barrels to put the alcohol in. Since brewing plump helmets creates plump helmet spawn (seeds) we need not worry about using up all our food to make alcohol.

We do, however, need to worry about running out of barrels. Let's have the carpenter make us a bunch!

Excellent! Now we have a sustainable alcohol production!

Complete! 

Congratulations! You have a self sustaining outpost, the beginning of many greater things. You have also learned the basics of [d]esignating, [b]uilding, and [q], the bread and butter of playing Dwarf Fortress. Where do we go from here you ask? We enter Phase 2 - Establishing a Foothold.


Continue on to Part 5 - Establishing a Foothold