I cant decide if I like blocked out terrian like you did with your fortress on that screenshot. Also this version has to many gems. It basically pukes em in my face all the time.
Use a texture pack, it makes it a bit better, but yeah it does require getting used to. A functional viewport would be next on the list after decent controls, and decent programming.
Read http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3349669 It uses a good tileset and should explain sort of what DF is about.
If nothing else the death list quite nicely portrays the main points of the game: Silver spear through the brain courtesy of a Arrogant One spearman during massive Arrogant Ones invasion Ambushed and torn apart by goblin invaders Finally killed to death by an Arrogant One spearman Succumbed to infection from wounds sustained while battling goblins Crushed under a collapsing bridge during construction work Struck down in single combat with an invading cyclops Slain by goblin cavalry invaders Allegedly crushed still alive actually! Slain in heroic combat with a cave troll Slain in heroic combat with goblin leader. Greatest hero of Gemclod. Drowned in magma after being assaulted by giant cave bat. Incinerated in magma while excavating inadvisable forge expansions Wasted away after failing a Mood and going crazy Slain by goblin invaders after his martial trance ended Starved to death while trapped for months in a tunnel by vegitation Killed in mining accident. First casualty at Gemclod. Eatten by a goblin Jabberer while being sacrificed as bait Dismembered by a cave crocodile Slain by a goblin invader Died of neglect in hospital from wounds taken fighting invading goblins Those are all fairly normal methods of dying in dwarf fortress.
I never got past getting people out into the wilderness. In Wurm, with Zeke showing the way, it was easier. I should have got some texture set.
Sorry for double post, but I can't edit when using my phone. Wouldn't it be safer to make just a single access route to a fortress? That way the besiegers would have to either suffer heavy losses during a frontal assault or waste time and/or resources for creating a new attack route. Because from what I understood you have several exits. That's just logical RL thinking, I don't know if it has any relevance though:-P
One way, 2 ways, 2000 ways, its up to you really. if you want it easy mode then: I'd suggest making one clear semi-quick path into your fort which enemys use. Then add a second path which circle around the map. Since the short path is quicker the enemy will prefer it over the long tedious route. But if you add traffic fee to the first entrance, then your own dwarfs will never ever go there. Also make sure you chain 2 animals or more along the second path (not near the entrance though). That way incase some enemy sneak around into the second path, then those animals will inform you of when they come and allow you to reroute your soldiers and/or block off the path. edit: if you want super easy unstopable defense (well nearly... if you meet a super monster made out of mist ur fked) for the fort... Then make one long long long alley for the first route and add ballistas in the back of it (with fortifications infront to avoid enemy's from ever reaching that point)... then man them with legendary siege operators.... It's like a machinegun.... But with gigantic arrows. :D NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU TRAFFIC RESTRICT THE WHOLE AREA AND ANYWHERE NEAR THE FIRING ZONE! (THEY WILL KILL ALMOST ANY DWARF IN ONE SHOOT!) uhm... and to get the legendary siege operators you just shoot rock (which u most likely will have a overflow off) with catapults. Give the guy a personal room, personal dining room, a personal storage of food/drinks of top quality... Woalla... he will train all day long and be super happy try finding one who is inexhaustible (pew pew for ages & carry rocks) and very strong (carry rocks without getting tierd).
I tried playing again. My first fortress started, and there was a red blinking letters on the bottom of the screen telling me there was a cave in, then I lost :/
You can quite easily engineer a fortress to be locked down entirely in the event of a siege, with the only access route being to fly over a lake of magma and batter down a drawbridge, and even then you can still only get flying units in. It would also require you to get a creature big enough to destroy buildings and also fly, which are quite rare. People usually semi-deliberately do things badly though, it can be a little dull if you don't deliberately try to lose somewhat.