Source
r/dwarffortress•
Manadar24

Catering to your fey mood requirements: Engineering inspiration

For easy viewing of this post, Reddit Enhancement Suite is recommended.

I've spent some time looking for fortress design inspiration and came up with the following examples by browsing and searching the subreddit. If you might have any additions, possibly links to other similar posts, I'd love to hear about them.

####Complete forts####

http://imgur.com/a/MxKJ9 (Source)

http://imgur.com/a/O33Ja (Source)

http://i.imgur.com/nNCGM.png (Source)

http://imgur.com/a/PQKuY#0 (Source)

####Defense / Surface####

http://i.imgur.com/D1Qjd.jpg (Source)

http://imgur.com/a/cebCX (Source)

####Dining/living area####

http://imgur.com/a/1rAK5#0 (Source)

http://i.imgur.com/nFbjZ.png (Source)

http://i.imgur.com/nuUb4.jpg (Source)

####Silk factory/industry####

http://imgur.com/a/wqnz2 (Source)

####Tombs/Crypts####

http://i.imgur.com/az9RR.jpg Source

####Aquaduct####

http://i.imgur.com/EltCq.png (Source)

####Misc inspiration####

http://imgur.com/a/h3cMK (Source)

http://imgur.com/a/h2ygd (Source)

Posted May 1, 2013, 10:45 AM UTC

12037
StilRHGiant Kea, king of beasts 2015•

Can we keep this updated and have as a side bar sticky?

8
Manadar24OP•

I'd love a good single place to look up fortress designs and inspiration. Currently, it's scattered posts between tons of other posts we see on this subreddit (adventurers, artifacts, jokes). The above actually took quite a while to produce.

IMO, the first step in the right direction should be more quality fortress designs. I propose something like what r/gamedev does with Screenshot Saturday: A weekly post where everyone here is encouraged to show off what they are working on or what they have created. I'd prefer that to be moderator run at set times - but I'm willing to take the first step.

Over time, we can collect the best posts, images and designs and put them in a "wall of fame" post like you're describing. One of the mods can post it and put a link to the sidebar even.

15
jcannon98188•

This would be kinda cool. I assume since you linked to SS you are a game dev. Any projects you are working on?

2
Flobulon•

The weekly screenshot post for this sort of stuff would be great!

1
buffalo_petecancels Eat: Horrified•

Seconded.

2
Cheimon•

Fantastic post, certainly better than what I've got: http://i.imgur.com/yFzoMJJ.png (it's much bigger but looks similar since I last uploaded).

Although some of those designs aren't orthogonal, which is annoying.

5
Manadar24OP•

Makes you wish for some marble, granite or obsidian. Or were you going for the "Fortress of Armok - God of blood" style?

2
Cheimon•

It's not blood-it's kaolinite, mudstone, and hematite most of the way. I was just seeing what having it all on one level would do, and it's a mess.

3
GraphicH•

It aint dwarfy if you're not digging down.

3
Cheimon•

I dug down several levels, and then made a series of grand halls, with cavernous apartments branching off every direction, traps, wide tunnel-streets, open plan workshops and hug stockpiles under every crafting area.

1
MrBurd•

Some inspirational images from the game Myst:

Cavern

Arch

Great Shaft(bottom)

3
Aakumaru•

Thank you sir, twas marvelous to see some engineering marvels of the dwarviest kind.

2
[deleted]•

[deleted]

2
Bobby_Bonsaimind•

Is there dwarf swimming n that aquaduct?

2
ferricfelix•

This is incredibly awesome! By Armok, give this mandorf an upvote.

2
Anonymous2684•

Bloody hell, Manadar, between two battle strategy you have the time to do such wonders. Impressive.

2
MrBurd•

Also: Plan ahead! Use programs like MSPaint to easily pixel out your future rooms and such :)

And: Use the images labeled with 'VoxelSphere' + number on this page to easily create perfect circles. They're originally for spheres(as the name implies), but the middle circle(the one with red text) is the largest part.

I use these for constructing circular rooms(and not just in Dwarf Fortress :P).

Example(large image).

2
Burial•

Or you can just use dfhack and type digcircle hollow/filled X(diameter)

3
D3PR3SS3DRAC00N•

Dfhack has a digcircle tool too, if you use such things.
My favourite fort was dug into an isolated mountain ("The Spire") with a circular dining room halfway up, made of lovely blue microcline and cobaltite.

2
spakattak•

Thanks for including my work in that fantastic collection. Some really inspirational stuff in there to aspire to.

1
panaz•

Can you make a save file and post it for the "The Fortress of Akreloltar" :)

1
Manadar24OP•

You can find the save file here.

1
Derpdiherp•

What visualiser are the depth pictures in - http://imgur.com/a/cebCX? (Not the 3D ones). That's very cool, would love to see some of my forts with this.. Or even play like this haha.

1
Flobulon•

Hello, I made those images. As someone's already replied I just pasted each layer into Photoshop and edited them together, then threw some layer filters on (drop shadow etc.) to give it depth. A little tedious to edit out all the sky/empty space but not too time-consuming otherwise.

I really wish it was possible to see more than one layer at a time in-game, so I make these maps for my own reference to keep track of the map.

4
Zebra2•

There was a utility that did that, but I don't think it's still around for the current version. Last I remember there wasn't even a released version. I remember seeing a youtube video of it.

2
Manadar24OP•

I believe it is Fortress Overseer.

1
Derpdiherp•

Thanks but isn't that the 3D visualiser? I meant the depth in these type of pictures specifically. http://i.imgur.com/Pmk5M.jpg

2
MrBurd•

I am fairly sure the poster of that made screenshots of every layer and photoshopped those together.

2
Derpdiherp•

Bah, I did suspect as much. Wonder how hard it would be to add shading and extra levels like that.. I'm assuming when you're viewing a slice of the map that's all that is in memory, so creating a mod to make this possible would be practically impossible.

1
PeaceBelt•

Do you know what tileset and color set it is? It's so pretty.

1
Xx255q•

What about super huge maps they has colleges of other races

1
sentient8has been struck down.•

You should tame that dragon in the zoo.

1
kehlder•

In real world scenario, that Earthscraper would scare the shit out of me while standing on the glass ceiling. Also, what is that Redwall taken from? It's most definitely not Brian Jacques' Redwall.

1
Manadar24OP•

Go and ask the original author(s). I've provided sources for them next to the links. The one you posted in is 4 months old.

1