Gnomes won't build barrels or crates I assign them to.

[FoxyBox]

Hey, I'm new to this game and still getting used to the stockpiling mechanics. A few questions here, but first, the titular one...

I have a bunch of barrels, crates and sacks I want my gnomes to make, and they are still marked as yellow (incomplete tasks). My builders are idling and I want to just grab them and right click the f*** out of this game but I can't!! Please tell me what I'm doing wrong - I have wood, cotton up the wazzoo, yet they are not building the things I told them to build. Status is Idle and I can't seem to get them to listen.

Second question, is how to assign crates/barrels/sacks to store particular items, if this is at all possible. My current build setup is that I designate a floorspace for stockpiling and then, when it's full, I build crates on top of that. I assumed this would make the crate/sack/barrel hold the same item as its designated stockpile, but it appears I am wrong. The gnomes seem content shoving items in them in a seemingly haphazard fashion. Crates seem to be for food, so they shove as many of one food item in them at a time before changing their minds. Sacks for plant matter, or at the very least, wheat, I *think.* Barrels of course are supposed to be for liquids but I seem to find other things in there sometimes.

Please help??

[theystillspyillegally]

They need the skills to do the job. Open up each idle gnome's profile and give them some more skills like carpentry, hauling, and some other stuff. You'll do this from the Professions Screen.
[when it comes down to it, give others the hauling skill and just add carpentry to the first idler or two and see if they work 1st, if not give them hauling, if you have the time find someone with a good carpentry diceroll (skill number) the higher the better]
The wiki has what skills do what jobs. http://www.gnomoriawiki.com/wiki/Professions
Wheat straw does not go in crates or bags but stacks in piles of 16 in a stockpile, the same way dirt, stone, or ammo rounds stack up on thier own.
Keep in mind that you should keep a few crates in stock so they're ready when you need them until you get the stockpiles fleshed out and the kingdom is stabilized where it is going to be.
Keep the barrels near to the distillery and Yak pasture, and the wood/logs close to the carpenter/sawmill. Raw stone near the stonecutter and finished blocks stocked nearby or staged for a construction project. Wheelbarrows help but don't build more than a few.

[Boubonicus]

im not sure about the first one, you may want to check the box that allows generated tasks if it is not already at the carpenter or manually make the items there. It sounds like they cannot place it because there is no barrel, ect to place, and after they are crafted they are then "built" at the locaiton you designated. As for the second question i always place barrels, ect on stockpile designations. Then the barrel, ect seems to follow what the stockpile is limited to. for instance with strawberry wine, i will usually make a 2x2 stockpile limit it to only strawberry wine and place 4 barrels one on each space.

[theystillspyillegally]

Originally posted by Boubonicus:

im not sure about the first one, you may want to check the box that allows generated tasks if it is not already at the carpenter or manually make the items there. It sounds like they cannot place it because there is no barrel, ect to place, and after they are crafted they are then "built" at the locaiton you designated. As for the second question i always place barrels, ect on stockpile designations. Then the barrel, ect seems to follow what the stockpile is limited to. for instance with strawberry wine, i will usually make a 2x2 stockpile limit it to only strawberry wine and place 4 barrels one on each space.

The game allowed the barrel to be designated there, but the gnomes have not gotten around to building it... usually not enough gnomes with this skillset available.

[FoxyBox]

Makes sense. I'm working slower now, and not queueing up about a bajillion tasks. I also figured out that I confused my gnomes by assigning "clean floor" to a wide stretch of logs, when the stockpile was full and "clean floor" doesn't actually do what it sounds like it does.

Things seem to be working now. I would like to clarify though - it seems that sacks/barrels/crates are crafted items. You can't just build them out of thin air, correct? You need a workshop, or at least a crude workbench first?

[SilverRose]

I always make the berral/crates first then place the build order to build them

[theystillspyillegally]

Originally posted by MrFox:

Makes sense. I'm working slower now, and not queueing up about a bajillion tasks. I also figured out that I confused my gnomes by assigning "clean floor" to a wide stretch of logs, when the stockpile was full and "clean floor" doesn't actually do what it sounds like it does.

Things seem to be working now. I would like to clarify though - it seems that sacks/barrels/crates are crafted items. You can't just build them out of thin air, correct? You need a workshop, or at least a crude workbench first?

You need a carpenter and 4 planks of the same type of wood (from sawmill/crude workbench) to build a crate, and a free gnome with carpentry to build it.
You need a tailor & henceforth a loom also to weave bags from wool or cotton. Wool or Cotton bolts are made at the loom (you'll need a bone needle from the bonecarver to build a loom, and a bone to make the bone needle in the 1st place). Also, a free gnome with the appropriate skill for it is needed.
Generally keeping 2 bags and crates in stock is usefull until you no longer expand stockpiles constantly.
Barrels, like crates, are built at the carpenter. So all the same stuff applies here as does to crates. Keep plenty of planks handy (a craft to minimum of 32 or so is really nice, but keep a few 'sticks' handy too, for torches, tables, etc).
Clean floor should be called 'clear floor'. It would be less ambiguous.
Don't queue up more than a few different tasks (from things on the action bar)... unless you don't mind reading for a bit, or something. Otherwise they might be starving by the time they finish. You can cut a whole lot of clippings, or clean a whole lot of floor... but the helping hands have to come from somewhere, and you end up 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' sort of.
Have a diversified labor force, with different priorities on different skills. This way if they arent doing something, or even if they are doing something, what you need RIGHT NOW gets done right now.
It's storming now here (bad) and so I'll finish this tomorrow (or later)...
That should be enough to get you by.
If you are still stumped, take things one step at a time.... get logs, make logs to planks, make planks into crate, make stockpile, build crates, then tell stockpile what goes in there... voila!
Craft-to quantities will help you keep what you need in stock so that things can be made-to-order. This helps keep micro-management to a reasonable level.