Rotting items in refuse stockpiles

[Colonel Sanders Lite]

It used to be that putting something, let's say a xpig tail sockx, in a refuse stockpile would cause it to rapidly decay.

Can anyone confirm or deny whether or not this still works? I had a suspicion that it wasn't so I put a pair of worn trousers in a refuse pile and forbid them. they have been there for at least two years now and haven't gained any more wear.

Could be a few different factors. Like maybe forbidden items don't do that now or maybe it's that my stockpile is also set to take other things. Possibly something odd going on with dfhack too I guess.

Anyways, I would really appreciate it if someone else could test this and/or give me the word on whether or not this is still supposed to be a thing.

[Fel]

It should still work but the refuse stockpile needs to be outside and can't be a "everything" stockpile (that last part was changed in a recent update because people kept getting armour and such rapidly decay and reported it as a bug, often).

The easiest way to get rid of damaged items remains the same as before though, dropping it into lava or atom-crushing it so it's been a while since I relied on refuse stockpiles for rapid decay.

[DJ Salad Bar]

It does still work. It's just harder to accidentally do it

[Other]

There was a change to this in the latest patch (0.50.08, from the steam posting announcing the patch):

"- Stopped refuse piles that also have armor/finished good settings from degrading contents."

Since a "xSockx" still counts as a finished good, if the stockpile settings will collect it, then it will no longer decay at an accelerated pace. Once something gets to the "XXSockXX" level, it is counted as garbage, and should disappear rapidly in a refuse-only stockpile. I don't know for certain what will happen if you dump the partly-worn "x" and "X" levels on a refuse only stockpile and forbid them so they stay there - that might work to get rid of them fast.

[Colonel Sanders Lite]

Originally posted by Other:

There was a change to this in the latest patch (0.50.08, from the steam posting announcing the patch):

"- Stopped refuse piles that also have armor/finished good settings from degrading contents."

Thanks guys, I'm positive this is the problem. My refuse stockpiles are all set to collect armor.

Originally posted by Other:

I don't know for certain what will happen if you dump the partly-worn "x" and "X" levels on a refuse only stockpile and forbid them so they stay there - that might work to get rid of them fast.

I guess I'm gonna find out.

Originally posted by Fel:

It should still work but the refuse stockpile needs to be outside

You sure about that? If so, when did that happen? Worked indoors just fine pre-steam.

Originally posted by Fel:

lava

Yeah, that's *mostly* what I do too, with clothes being one of a few exceptions. I don't need 5000 'a masterwork of x was destroyed' events.





Anyways, I'll try out a few little experimental refuse piles and see what happens.

[Fel]

Originally posted by Colonel Sanders Lite:

You sure about that? If so, when did that happen? Worked indoors just fine pre-steam.

I am fairly sure that it worked like that before too, maybe I'm mistaken but I found that storing the bones inside prevented them from decaying out of existance (and I like to use bones for things like rings that dwarves are supposed to claim and such).


If destroying is not an option, there is always the secondary option of selling those to a caravan.
A recent dfhack update even made it easier to request damaged items to the trade depot (no longer have to search "x" and avoid the items having the letter in their name).

[Colonel Sanders Lite]

Update -

I took my experimental forbidden pair of trousers, deleted the stockpile out from underneath it and placed a single square regular refuse stockpile underneath it. It has now decayed from 'x' to 'X'

So that works.

The tile particulars should be 'Inside Light Above Ground'

I'll try in something that's definitely below ground too and update.

Edit - did the same with a pile of garbage clothes in the heart of the underground portion of my fort and it works the same.

[Colonel Sanders Lite]

Originally posted by Fel:

I am fairly sure that it worked like that before too, maybe I'm mistaken but I found that storing the bones inside prevented them from decaying out of existance (and I like to use bones for things like rings that dwarves are supposed to claim and such).

I think you're just mistaken on that point. I hold onto 'select' bones for my dwarves as well. IMHO, few things are finer than things that are masterfully decorated with dragon or forgotten beast bone. It may not be the most economically valuable material in the world, but it means something.

That being said, I was *definitely* destroying old clothes by dumping them in my main refuse pile. I'm just not 1000% percent sure that I was keeping those bones in a refuse stockpile.

Edit - although now, if you want to make sure of behaviour, you can just set the refuse stockpile to also take some masterwork foreign piece of armor.