How do I order item transfer between stockpiles?

[Skyguard]

So, I have 2 taverns. One close to the surface where all the workers hang out in and one about 30 levels down at the cavern, for soldiers, farmers, miners and doctors. The one at the top is choke full of everything because it's the only food stockpile that way but the one at the bottom is almost empty and I don't know how to make the upper one share besides making the stockpile physically small. Assigning stockpiles to give/take from the other doesn't do anything. Is there some way to change stockpile priorities, maybe?

[GrimdarkOG]

give/take does that. otherwise, no. If it doesnt do anything, it's because your dwarves are too busy to haul the stuff. they should prioritize filling the other stockpile.

[Skyguard]

Originally posted by GrimdarkOG:

give/take does that. otherwise, no. If it doesnt do anything, it's because your dwarves are too busy to haul the stuff. they should prioritize filling the other stockpile.

I mean, yeah, there's a lot hauling to be done at the fort. But the thing is it's never gonna be less. Between dumping cave fishmen into a garbage shute before they stink the whole cave, hauling metal, stone and wood there's never gonna be a moment when they don't have anything else to haul. The tavern thing is unplesant, I keep losing dwarves because soldiers aren't quick enough to assemble between two tavens.

[Teemo]

If you have two stockpiles far away from each other with a command that one feeds into the other: it is going to be difficult for the haulers to keep up with that due to the walk distance if you have either a low dwarf count or just a low ratio of dwarves doing hauling work. I recommend that if you have any dwarves set to only do their specific job, you consider also giving them hauling as their jobs, and then just be careful about how many dwarves you have in military training at the same time.

[GrimdarkOG]

You could always... just suspend the hauling of the other stuff. Hauling stone and metal is pretty low-tier priority, and I hope you use wheelbarrows for that as well.

Unfortunately you have the answer and its up to you to make it happen I guess, nothing else to be done but to commit them to it

[Entrappedmind]

Originally posted by Teemo:

If you have two stockpiles far away from each other with a command that one feeds into the other: it is going to be difficult for the haulers to keep up with that due to the walk distance if you have either a low dwarf count or just a low ratio of dwarves doing hauling work. I recommend that if you have any dwarves set to only do their specific job, you consider also giving them hauling as their jobs, and then just be careful about how many dwarves you have in military training at the same time.

Side note relating to this one, perhaps it might help to create an intermediary stockpile between the two? Surface stock gives to mid, mid gives to cavern, that sort of deal? It'd either help or, knowing DF, make it even worse. But something to try, maybe.

[GrimdarkOG]

Originally posted by Entrappedmind:

Originally posted by Teemo:

If you have two stockpiles far away from each other with a command that one feeds into the other: it is going to be difficult for the haulers to keep up with that due to the walk distance if you have either a low dwarf count or just a low ratio of dwarves doing hauling work. I recommend that if you have any dwarves set to only do their specific job, you consider also giving them hauling as their jobs, and then just be careful about how many dwarves you have in military training at the same time.

Side note relating to this one, perhaps it might help to create an intermediary stockpile between the two? Surface stock gives to mid, mid gives to cavern, that sort of deal? It'd either help or, knowing DF, make it even worse. But something to try, maybe.

Your dwarves are having trouble executing a two step process so you want to make it a three step process lol, sounds bad to me but worth a try I suppose. I don't expect it to work, but hell it might

[DragooKnight11]

You could also try setting up Minecarts to transport supplies down, so dwarfs can take and give to the nearby cart instead of hauling stuff all the way down.

[Skyguard]

Originally posted by DragooKnight11:

You could also try setting up Minecarts to transport supplies down, so dwarfs can take and give to the nearby cart instead of hauling stuff all the way down.

I don't get how do I make minecarts go down and up. I tried stairs and slopes but neither one worked.

[Entrappedmind]

Originally posted by GrimdarkOG:

Your dwarves are having trouble executing a two step process so you want to make it a three step process lol, sounds bad to me but worth a try I suppose. I don't expect it to work, but hell it might

"But hell it might" is exactly what prompted the idea lol. I guess the logic is 'two shorter trips potentially split between two dorfs' > 'one longer trip by one dorf.' With this game, in its current state, so many things that ought to work but don't combined with so many that shouldn't work but do; I dunno, leads one to try unconventional ideas. It's the sort of problem-solving cycle that always brings me back to Factorio, and as long as I look at DF through that lens it keeps me from getting frustrated to the point of giving up.