Bins not being used?

[Pentazer]

So I've got 10 bins in a furniture stockpile and for some reason my dwarves refuse to use them in the stone stockpile, they instead use up all available space with individual boulders instead of placing bins and filling those up. Furthermore I do have the bin count set to 60 and 3 wheelbarrows. But they simply will not collect the bins that I have and make use of them. What gives?

Edit: I am fully aware of and refuse to use the quantum stockpile, I consider it an exploit. I never had this issue in DF LNP, only on steam. They never had bin issues before, but maybe DFHack was doing something?

[kheftel]

Stones don't fit in bins. They're too big. They didn't fit in bins in LNP either.

[kheftel]

"Stockpiles that use bins are ammo, armor, bars/blocks, cloth, coins, finished goods, gems, leather and weapons. Food stockpiles use barrels and large pots instead of bins. Other stockpiles do not use anything at all."

https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Bin

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

Originally posted by Pentazer:

So I've got 10 bins in a furniture stockpile and for some reason my dwarves refuse to use them in the stone stockpile, they instead use up all available space with individual boulders instead of placing bins and filling those up. Furthermore I do have the bin count set to 60 and 3 wheelbarrows. But they simply will not collect the bins that I have and make use of them. What gives?

Edit: I am fully aware of and refuse to use the quantum stockpile, I consider it an exploit. I never had this issue in DF LNP, only on steam. They never had bin issues before, but maybe DFHack was doing something?

Raw stone can't be put in bins, BUT cut stone blocks can be, and honestly stone blocks are way better for construction, you can engrave them with no need to smooth and you get 4x the materials.

Also I agree that on a base level QSP's are exploits, but bins can present a worse issue with job cancellations and various issues, two dwarves can want one thing in a bin and they will sprint to get to it first, with one not getting it creating a loss of time and efficiency that doesn't happen with QSP's.

If it came to choosing either bins or big piles of junk i'd take the big piles of junk because the job cancel's are very annoying to me.

also if you can try and make all your bins the same wood, otherwise it makes an annoying list of different types of bins.

[Pentazer]

Originally posted by Googley Eye'd Bastard:

Originally posted by Pentazer:

So I've got 10 bins in a furniture stockpile and for some reason my dwarves refuse to use them in the stone stockpile, they instead use up all available space with individual boulders instead of placing bins and filling those up. Furthermore I do have the bin count set to 60 and 3 wheelbarrows. But they simply will not collect the bins that I have and make use of them. What gives?

Edit: I am fully aware of and refuse to use the quantum stockpile, I consider it an exploit. I never had this issue in DF LNP, only on steam. They never had bin issues before, but maybe DFHack was doing something?

Raw stone can't be put in bins, BUT cut stone blocks can be, and honestly stone blocks are way better for construction, you can engrave them with no need to smooth and you get 4x the materials.

Also I agree that on a base level QSP's are exploits, but bins can present a worse issue with job cancellations and various issues, two dwarves can want one thing in a bin and they will sprint to get to it first, with one not getting it creating a loss of time and efficiency that doesn't happen with QSP's.

If it came to choosing either bins or big piles of junk i'd take the big piles of junk because the job cancel's are very annoying to me.

also if you can try and make all your bins the same wood, otherwise it makes an annoying list of different types of bins.

Hmmmm alright. I guess that's my solution then. I'll just create a workshop whose sole purpose is to make bricks and bin those instead. Strange though, I could have sworn I saw bins being used for stone storage on DF LNP. But maybe I'm euphoric due to intoxication.

[Nipply]

Originally posted by Pentazer:

Originally posted by Googley Eye'd Bastard:

Raw stone can't be put in bins, BUT cut stone blocks can be, and honestly stone blocks are way better for construction, you can engrave them with no need to smooth and you get 4x the materials.

Also I agree that on a base level QSP's are exploits, but bins can present a worse issue with job cancellations and various issues, two dwarves can want one thing in a bin and they will sprint to get to it first, with one not getting it creating a loss of time and efficiency that doesn't happen with QSP's.

If it came to choosing either bins or big piles of junk i'd take the big piles of junk because the job cancel's are very annoying to me.

also if you can try and make all your bins the same wood, otherwise it makes an annoying list of different types of bins.

Hmmmm alright. I guess that's my solution then. I'll just create a workshop whose sole purpose is to make bricks and bin those instead. Strange though, I could have sworn I saw bins being used for stone storage on DF LNP. But maybe I'm euphoric due to intoxication.

What I've noticed too in my experience is that if you wait too long to make barrels/bins etc, dwarves will get lazy about stacking them in there too. I know stones dont fit as commenters above have said but the dwarves certainly procrastinate if you dont hurry up with things.

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

Originally posted by Pentazer:

Originally posted by Googley Eye'd Bastard:

Raw stone can't be put in bins, BUT cut stone blocks can be, and honestly stone blocks are way better for construction, you can engrave them with no need to smooth and you get 4x the materials.

Also I agree that on a base level QSP's are exploits, but bins can present a worse issue with job cancellations and various issues, two dwarves can want one thing in a bin and they will sprint to get to it first, with one not getting it creating a loss of time and efficiency that doesn't happen with QSP's.

If it came to choosing either bins or big piles of junk i'd take the big piles of junk because the job cancel's are very annoying to me.

also if you can try and make all your bins the same wood, otherwise it makes an annoying list of different types of bins.

Hmmmm alright. I guess that's my solution then. I'll just create a workshop whose sole purpose is to make bricks and bin those instead. Strange though, I could have sworn I saw bins being used for stone storage on DF LNP. But maybe I'm euphoric due to intoxication.

Also another benefit to stone blocks I forgot to mention is that they are way faster to transport to a construction zone, I just wanna emphasize how good blocks are vs bins.

[Pentazer]

Originally posted by Googley Eye'd Bastard:

Originally posted by Pentazer:

Hmmmm alright. I guess that's my solution then. I'll just create a workshop whose sole purpose is to make bricks and bin those instead. Strange though, I could have sworn I saw bins being used for stone storage on DF LNP. But maybe I'm euphoric due to intoxication.

Also another benefit to stone blocks I forgot to mention is that they are way faster to transport to a construction zone, I just wanna emphasize how good blocks are vs bins.

oh sweet, increased transport speed is excellent!

[BonPadre]

Originally posted by Pentazer:

oh sweet, increased transport speed is excellent!

Don't know if this has been brought up, but those stones turned into blocks are then totally useless for crafting out of stone. So no thrones, no tables, no statues, etc.
Just worth mentionning. they are good only for building walls & floors.
Also those stone blocks are considered "smoothed" so no more wall smoothing, they can be engraved or "fortified" directly.

A boulder of stone is worth multiple stone blocks (3-4 can't recall from top of my head), so also very exponential. So be prepared to have a LOT of bins. Then don't come crying because you cut too many trees & get wildlife agitation or elves going at war with you at some point.

Turning stones into blocks can be very helpful early game too when you need to punch your way into a light aquifer though. When you don't have that many boulders.

Finally about blocks, wood logs can also be turned into blocks. May be useful on an embark with very few trees and again light aquifer early game.

[Pentazer]

Originally posted by BonPadre:

Originally posted by Pentazer:

oh sweet, increased transport speed is excellent!

Don't know if this has been brought up, but those stones turned into blocks are then totally useless for crafting out of stone. So no thrones, no tables, no statues, etc.
Just worth mentionning. they are good only for building walls & floors.
Also those stone blocks are considered "smoothed" so no more wall smoothing, they can be engraved or "fortified" directly.

A boulder of stone is worth multiple stone blocks (3-4 can't recall from top of my head), so also very exponential. So be prepared to have a LOT of bins. Then don't come crying because you cut too many trees & get wildlife agitation or elves going at war with you at some point.

Turning stones into blocks can be very helpful early game too when you need to punch your way into a light aquifer though. When you don't have that many boulders.

Finally about blocks, wood logs can also be turned into blocks. May be useful on an embark with very few trees and again light aquifer early game.

Oh good to know as well. Thanks!

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

Originally posted by BonPadre:

Originally posted by Pentazer:

oh sweet, increased transport speed is excellent!

Don't know if this has been brought up, but those stones turned into blocks are then totally useless for crafting out of stone. So no thrones, no tables, no statues, etc.
Just worth mentionning. they are good only for building walls & floors.
Also those stone blocks are considered "smoothed" so no more wall smoothing, they can be engraved or "fortified" directly.

A boulder of stone is worth multiple stone blocks (3-4 can't recall from top of my head), so also very exponential. So be prepared to have a LOT of bins. Then don't come crying because you cut too many trees & get wildlife agitation or elves going at war with you at some point.

Turning stones into blocks can be very helpful early game too when you need to punch your way into a light aquifer though. When you don't have that many boulders.

Finally about blocks, wood logs can also be turned into blocks. May be useful on an embark with very few trees and again light aquifer early game.

Yup don't go making 20 stoneworkers and have them all making stoneblocks infinitely but it is a good idea to have a general task of "make 30 stone blocks" so anybody will do it at any stoneworker shop and you can have supply, also if mixed and matched colored blocks annoys you be sure to detail the task with a specific type of rock so you can have the exact color you want and some stones are lighter then others Jet is the lightest.

OH and when I said make stone 30 stone blocks that is 30 tasks of making stone blocks not the actual produced amount so when I say 30 multiply that by 4 so actually around 120 blocks. and yeah being able to engrave and fortify constructed blocks makes me euphoric in the old version you had to have your fort in the earth to benefit from engraving thoughts.

[Dagmar]

A couple of things...

1. You want your work order to stipulate non-economic stone, unless you want all your gypsum turned into tables and chairs and you having to buy gypsum powder from freakin' elves or something.

2. It's a little fiddly, but it doesn't hurt to have individual work orders for each type of non-economic stone, with the specifiers being that if you've got at least 30 (for example) jet available, then an order to make five jet stone blocks should take place. That will let you make a tidy little 5x5 stockpile for jet stones that can be turned into furniture because they won't be touched by the blocks order.

3. Specify only one shop be used if you've got more than one stonemason workshop, because the same work order can be dispatched to more than one workstations and then suddenly you're down to very few loose boulders for making furniture.

4. Reduce the number of stoneworkers from "everyone" to maybe 3x-4x the number of stonemason workstations you've built. If you leave it on "everyone does this" then everyone will do it, but they'll also continue to suck at it forever. If you want good furniture, you don't want everyone trying their hand just because they're bored.

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

Originally posted by evildagmar:

A couple of things...

1. You want your work order to stipulate non-economic stone, unless you want all your gypsum turned into tables and chairs and you having to buy gypsum powder from freakin' elves or something.

2. It's a little fiddly, but it doesn't hurt to have individual work orders for each type of non-economic stone, with the specifiers being that if you've got at least 30 (for example) jet available, then an order to make five jet stone blocks should take place. That will let you make a tidy little 5x5 stockpile for jet stones that can be turned into furniture because they won't be touched by the blocks order.

3. Specify only one shop be used if you've got more than one stonemason workshop, because the same work order can be dispatched to more than one workstations and then suddenly you're down to very few loose boulders for making furniture.

4. Reduce the number of stoneworkers from "everyone" to maybe 3x-4x the number of stonemason workstations you've built. If you leave it on "everyone does this" then everyone will do it, but they'll also continue to suck at it forever. If you want good furniture, you don't want everyone trying their hand just because they're bored.

On the topic of furniture I honestly only use stoneware furniture for the early days of my fort, Once I have a magma factory I churn out the highest value metal I have in abundance usually either billon or gold in furniture, It makes the guilds and people very happy I find. So yeah I just have everyone churning out stone furniture until my blacksmith is decently trained.

[Snake Bit]

HOLD ON! You can build walls with blocks and engrave them?

[Googley Eye'd Bastard]

Originally posted by Government-Cheese:

HOLD ON! You can build walls with blocks and engrave them?

YUP! I found out on accident when I had to replace some deep sand with blocks, I designated the rest of the area to engrave and only noticed when I came back that they had engravings on them. Tested it and yes you can 100% carve engravings on buildings.

[Pentazer]

Originally posted by Government-Cheese:

HOLD ON! You can build walls with blocks and engrave them?

I use walls from crappy stone to fence in my pastures on high hills! keeps the safe from pesky varmints at very early game, within the first year.