I've been working my way through the Dwarf Fortress Quickstart Guide and didn't really have any problems until I encountered the section on starting up a metal industry. Now I feel that I'm in way over my head. As instructed, I successfully built a wood furnace, some smelters, and a metalsmith's forge; I also set up some stockpiles for coke and charcoal, metal bars, and ore. I dug quite a few exploratory tunnels and in the process struck the following new stones.
- Smoky quartz
- Indigo tourmaline
- Sardonyx
- Microcline
- Morion
- Kimberlite
- Lignite
- White chalcedony
- Onyx
- Aventurine
- Milk quartz
- Rock crystal
- Native gold
- Citrine
- Sard
- Tetrahedrite
- Yellow jasper
Unfortunately, the only stones that I have ever seen deposited in my ore stockpiles are native gold and tetrahedrite. I've seen the wiki page that explains how the metal industry works, the lists of pure metals and alloys, and the ores and alloys flowchart, but I still have the following questions.
- Why don't I see more stones deposited in my stockpiles?
- Which of the stones that I've struck so far are useful for crafting picks, weapons, and armor?
- Which stones should I prioritize finding to craft the aforementioned picks, weapons, and armor?
- What should I do with the other stones that I find?
- What's the easiest way to transport, store, and keep track of all my stones and metals?
Best Answer
Alrighty, in order:
Most of the "stones" you mention having mined are, in fact, raw gems. The others should show up in your stone stockpile, if you have enough room. (If it's not on this list, it's a stone).
Tetrahedrite is the only one, as it is an ore of Copper, which is (the weakest) weapons-grade material.
"Common Stone" is all of equivalent value. You may be able to make some interestingly colored furniture out of, say, your Kimberlite, but color is the only difference, which is moot from a gameplay standpoint.
So, do with it whatever you do with the rest of your non-announced stone!
The gems, however, can be used in your Gem Industry.
Unfortunately, there really isn't. Every stone must be moved manually, and if you've a lot of stone ( and few idle dwarves), this might take a very long time. Consider a Quantum Stockpile if you're desperate.