PSA: You can change the population cap in the options.

[Balkoth]

Until you get a better handle on the game, I would drop the pop cap to 12 instead of the default 200. That way you don't get a flood of migrants eating all your food/beer all at once.

Settings -> Game -> Population Cap

[Leem]

Christ, thank you! I kept getting 20+ migrants every year and have lost multiple games to not being able to handle the rapid influx.

Do you know if it's possible to change the population cap in the options later to allow your fortress to grow again? Or is it locked in once the map has been created?

[Soul4hdwn]

I'm not sure how people create and export in such vast amount to get 20 to 40 immigrants even in old versions...
But yes a cap of say, 30 will get you enough labor for everything with some to spare for hauling and construction.

[Draconius]

Originally posted by LittleBull:

Christ, thank you! I kept getting 20+ migrants every year and have lost multiple games to not being able to handle the rapid influx.

Do you know if it's possible to change the population cap in the options later to allow your fortress to grow again? Or is it locked in once the map has been created?

I'm nearly certain you can change that on the fly.

Originally posted by Soul4hdwn:

I'm not sure how people create and export in such vast amount to get 20 to 40 immigrants even in old versions...
But yes a cap of say, 30 will get you enough labor for everything with some to spare for hauling and construction.

Dwarven industry at its finest!

[Duuvian]

30 should be enough for most things unless you want a lost of researchers or something else. There will be less haulers though so a backlog there can develop if you give the 30ish specific jobs on repeat. I noticed this in the past when using a low population cap as prepared meals began rotting in the kitchen and putting out miasma due to a lack of haulers.

[Balkoth]

Yeah, 30 is probably better. Starting out with 12 seems to be good for my tiny forts just getting used to the game. The default of 200 I feel just causes your fortress to get flooded with people and you're panicking trying to meet everyone's needs.

Originally posted by LittleBull:

Christ, thank you! I kept getting 20+ migrants every year and have lost multiple games to not being able to handle the rapid influx.

Do you know if it's possible to change the population cap in the options later to allow your fortress to grow again? Or is it locked in once the map has been created?

Yes, you can change it any time. Once you have a good fort going you can increase it and more migrants will arrive.

[Irael]

What is difference between population cap and strict population cap?

[BonPadre]

Originally posted by iTranquillity:

What is difference between population cap and strict population cap?

Strict population cap will not let any migrants come past that number. The population cap will let you "breed" your dorfs until you reach that number. So basically you can still grow your fort by natural ways.

[Krabbanstruts]

Originally posted by Balkoth:

Yeah, 30 is probably better. Starting out with 12 seems to be good for my tiny forts just getting used to the game. The default of 200 I feel just causes your fortress to get flooded with people and you're panicking trying to meet everyone's needs.

Originally posted by LittleBull:

Christ, thank you! I kept getting 20+ migrants every year and have lost multiple games to not being able to handle the rapid influx.

Do you know if it's possible to change the population cap in the options later to allow your fortress to grow again? Or is it locked in once the map has been created?

Yes, you can change it any time. Once you have a good fort going you can increase it and more migrants will arrive.

How do you change it please?

[Birdey]

Set mine to 5000 so they drink all my beer and food!

[Sophtopus]

Originally posted by Duuvian:

30 should be enough for most things unless you want a lost of researchers or something else. There will be less haulers though so a backlog there can develop if you give the 30ish specific jobs on repeat. I noticed this in the past when using a low population cap as prepared meals began rotting in the kitchen and putting out miasma due to a lack of haulers.

Hold on a moment, you can assign research technology?

[derpenstein]

Originally posted by Sophtopus:

Originally posted by Duuvian:

30 should be enough for most things unless you want a lost of researchers or something else. There will be less haulers though so a backlog there can develop if you give the 30ish specific jobs on repeat. I noticed this in the past when using a low population cap as prepared meals began rotting in the kitchen and putting out miasma due to a lack of haulers.

Hold on a moment, you can assign research technology?

If you have a library, you can assign people as scholars and depending on their skills they'll write about things, discuss things, and even come up with new ideas. They'll have books on mating patterns, geology, astronomy, anatomy, philosophy, everything. This mostly functions as fluff, although I think the doctor skills are raised somewhat through reading medical books. Maybe mechanical books also affect the mechanics skill? Not sure.

[Balkoth]

Originally posted by valter.gullichsen:

How do you change it please?

Settings > Game > Population Cap