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IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0003918Dwarf FortressDwarf Mode -- Thoughts and Preferencespublic2014-04-21 22:23
ReporterJiri Petru Assigned Touser11 
PrioritynormalSeverityminorReproducibilitysometimes
Status resolvedResolutionno change required 
Product Version0.31.18 
Summary0003918: Dwarves harly ever befriend each other or get married
DescriptionIf I understand it correctly, the friends system works like this:

Dwarves only improve their mutual relationship if they both happen to be socializing at the same place at the same time. Socializing takes place when dwarves are either idle or in break. This works fine as long as you keep a lot of dwarves idle, but the system breaks down when you insist on an efficient fortress with no idlers.

The problem here is that the probability that two specific dwarves would meet at the same time is very, very low. When a dwarves goes on break, he will meet someone, sure, but he won't probably meet the same person ever again. The probability goes even lower if you like to keep more than one meeting halls in your fortress. This means that dwarves will never become friends, grudges or a husband and wife.

Marriages can only be formed between dwarves worshiping the same god, which lowers the probability even more (even though in the last update, dwarves get two gods each - precisely because of this, I presume).

I've been playing Dwarf Fortress for several years but since I always strive to have 0 idlers and often have several meeting halls (to create an illusion of a city), I think I've only seen one marriage formed during the game (as opposed to immigrant pairs). When I check relationships in any of my fortresses, the dwarves never have any more relationships than those they migrated in with.
Additional InformationI realize this isn't a bug per se, it's more a balance issue. But I feel it should be reported so Toady knows about it.

Also, it may not pass the formal definition of a bug but it definitely feels like things aren't working as intended.
TagsNo tags attached.

Activities

Jiri Petru

2011-02-01 17:56

reporter   ~0014963

Eh, sorry about the horrible spelling errors, I keep forgetting there's no edit button here and that I have to spell-check beforehand.

Quietust

2011-02-01 18:59

reporter   ~0014964

If you want marriages to happen more often, then resist the urge to keep your idler count at 0 - give your dwarves a break from time to time!

Jiri Petru

2011-02-02 09:13

reporter   ~0014967

Last edited: 2011-02-02 09:15

Quietust: I know that, but I quite doubt that's how it's intended to work. "If you want your dwarves to have any relationships at all, you have to purposefully leave them unemployed" just doesn't feel right -- it's "gamey". People manage to have full-time jobs and families at the same time, I would expect the game to allow the same.

EDIT: Bear in mind that the idlers count isn't the only thing affecting that. Having many meeting halls prevents friendships even if you do have some idlers.

Naros

2011-02-02 12:29

reporter   ~0014968

People also have time off whenever they're not sleeping, eating or drinking.
In life "full time job" mean something like 40 hours a week.
In DF it's "whenever you're not sleeping, eating or drinking".

That's just in response to your flawed argument, not the bugreport in general.

Jiri Petru

2011-02-02 18:29

reporter   ~0014969

Before modern times, farming was a job people had to perform from dawn to dusk. Still, they managed to have friends, marriages and children.

Look... I know this "bug" report is dubious at best. I know it's more like a balance issue. I just wanted Toady to know about it.

hyndis

2011-02-03 13:14

reporter   ~0014972

Create a 1x1 meeting zone and allow there to be plenty of idlers. You should have plenty of marriages within a year or so.

At first they become friends, then possibly lovers if their personalities are compatible, and eventually marriage. This takes some time in close contact.

Quietust

2011-02-03 14:35

reporter   ~0014975

Are you allowing your dwarves to organize and attend parties?

kwieland

2011-02-03 20:58

reporter   ~0014979

Actually, if you let them idle 100% for the first year, they'll almost all get married. Then you have the problem of parties like Q pointed out and also having too many kids (unless you fix the limit). I thought military dwarfs socialized more, but perhaps that was 49d.

Jiri Petru

2011-02-04 09:05

reporter   ~0014987

Last edited: 2011-02-04 09:08

Sure, I am allowing dwarves to party. Breaking parties by dismantling furniture is "gamey" and you can guess I'm against things like that.

(EDIT: I have also noticed dwarves almost never hold parties in DF2010, much rarer than in 40d.)

And it's nice of you that you're offering solutions but I don't really need that, I know about them :) The reason for this report is that I think it's not functioning as it should. The feature should work with no conscious effort on the player's part - it the player is required to "game" the game and look for clever workarounds in order for his dwarves to become friends and marry, something is wrong.

user11

2014-04-21 22:23

  ~0024719

Friendships and marriages are a function of down time and the relative size of your meeting zone (dining hall, etc.). More down time and a smaller zone will result in a lot more friendships and marriages.

If your military is involved, please see 0002896.

Suggestions on changes to this system can be posted on the suggestions forum.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
2011-02-01 17:55 Jiri Petru New Issue
2011-02-01 17:56 Jiri Petru Note Added: 0014963
2011-02-01 18:59 Quietust Note Added: 0014964
2011-02-02 09:13 Jiri Petru Note Added: 0014967
2011-02-02 09:14 Jiri Petru Note Edited: 0014967
2011-02-02 09:14 Jiri Petru Note Edited: 0014967
2011-02-02 09:15 Jiri Petru Note Edited: 0014967
2011-02-02 12:29 Naros Note Added: 0014968
2011-02-02 18:29 Jiri Petru Note Added: 0014969
2011-02-03 13:14 hyndis Note Added: 0014972
2011-02-03 14:35 Quietust Note Added: 0014975
2011-02-03 20:58 kwieland Note Added: 0014979
2011-02-04 09:05 Jiri Petru Note Added: 0014987
2011-02-04 09:08 Jiri Petru Note Edited: 0014987
2014-04-21 22:23 user11 Note Added: 0024719
2014-04-21 22:23 user11 Status new => resolved
2014-04-21 22:23 user11 Resolution open => no change required
2014-04-21 22:23 user11 Assigned To => user11