|This article is about an older version of DF.|
Embark is the moment at the very beginning of the game, before actual game play begins (but after generating a world), when you and your initial 7 dwarves:
- Choose a site, possibly using the site . inder
- Assign starting skills to each dwarf.
- Select an initial load of supplies and equipment.
- Arrive at the site with your wagon full of supplies.
"Embark options" can refer to any of the first three steps.
"Information at embark" can include:
- Viewing your region on the World and Regional maps.
- Viewing your Local map to:
- Using the and , , , etc. keys to view your:
(Need a quick list of Embark screen features, with links to full pages)
- Name your Fortress (rather than accept a randomly generated name)
- "I made a big mistake at embark when I forgot..."
- "I knew I was in trouble when I got attacked on embark..."
- "This is one of the choices you need(ed) to make at embark, before the game..."
- "After embark the first thing you want to do is..."
- "Once you've embarked, that's when the fun starts..."
Before you unpause
Before you start the game by unpausing, check the following things to make sure your young fortress runs smoothly and avoids becoming a tiny, tiny tomb. Particularly important in less hospitable biomes and other dangerous sites.
- Figure out where you're gonna dig your fortress. Look around, get a feel for what is visible, and what the terrain can do for (or to) you. Think about it while you do the rest and come back to it as you need to.
- Press to check for the presence of other civilizations.
- Press animals. (However, be aware that creatures can appear from off-map after the game has been going for a while.)
to check for the presence of hostile wild
- Activate military if desired.
- In that same screen (labor designations. (You can also iew them from the map screen.)
nits), enter on a specific units and set their preferences, especially
- Make sure at least one dwarf has the carpenter labor designated to break down the wagon.
- Add any other unskilled labors you want active.
- If the environment is particularly dangerous, you may consider disabling the Hunting and/or Fishing labors at first to keep your dwarves from wandering too far afield.
- You can also give them custom titles or nicknames if you like.
- Press wagon for removal. and mark the
for orders and options. Toggle to suit your preferences.
- Consider efuse orders
- Consider fishing/drinking one options.
- Press meeting area for animals and idle dwarves (or the wagon's location will be the default). and designate a
- Press noble positions if desired. and reassign
- Press and forbid the kitchen from cooking alcohol and plump helmets if desired.
to designate areas for plant gathering, wood cutting, and/or stone smoothing if needed/desired. (Stone smoothing is good for getting rid of boulders that impede outdoor farming.)
- Press , then to place traffic restrictions. Things to watch for: saplings, wild plants, dangerous shortcuts (like near magma or cave creatures). Consider encouraging your dwarves to traffic specific areas to minimize damage to subsequent growth.
- Press stockpiles for wild plants, wood, and/or refuse. to create
- uild any orkshops you feel that you need immediately.
- esignate where your miner(s) will dig in first.