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Dwarf Fortress Systems Atlas

Reading guide

How to read the Dwarf Fortress systems atlas and navigate its diagram directory.

The map targets 53.16, released August 5, 2026, verified on September 19 against the wiki release page and Bay 12 Games download page. Future Myth and Magic development is excluded.

Open index.html for the offline viewer. It contains the master and all 45 detail panels, with zoom, searchable node IDs, source inspection and links between panels. No network connection is needed to view the diagrams; article links open the wiki.

The atlas contains 450 unique nodes, 950 distinct labeled relationships (950 appearances across panels), and 167 indexed wiki article URLs. The master deliberately summarizes system-level connections; the detailed panels carry conditions, distinctions and internal mechanisms. Repeated IDs refer to the same mechanic throughout.

Files

Reading the map

Blue rectangles are simulation state; green rounded rectangles are processes; purple hexagons are player controls; gray slanted boxes are reports or descriptions. Orange dashed marks are v0.47.05 inferences. Red dotted marks are uncertain. Text labels repeat those distinctions, so color is not the only cue.

Read each arrow as “source label target.” Multiple arrows into a process usually contribute different requirements; a single arrow does not assert a sufficient condition. “Can” indicates a conditional possibility. The master compresses multi-step paths, while detail panels expose intermediates. Boundary nodes connect to other panels; use the node inspector to trace them. Reports have no outgoing causal arrows.

The psychological chain keeps personality, values, preferences, needs, focus, experienced thoughts, emotions, memories, immediate mood and chronic stress separate. Need fulfillment changes focus; experiences evoke emotions; emotions affect stress and memory. This is not a single happiness meter. The two stress accumulators are current-documented, whereas DF2014’s one-counter model is excluded.

Feedback loops to follow

  • Production: J_WORK → E_GOODS → L_STOCK → J_WORK. Production needs inputs and makes new inputs; hauling and eligibility limit throughput.
  • Practice: J_WORK → J_SKILL → J_WORK, with learned skills also changing combat and scholarship.
  • Need regulation: P_NEEDS → P_BEHAVIOR → P_PERSONALJOB → P_FULFILL → P_NEEDS.
  • Memory replay: P_EMOTION → P_MEMORY → P_RECALL → P_EMOTION. A past event can create a new emotional effect through recall.
  • Distress escalation: experienced events → emotions → stress → breakdown → injuries → new experiences. Chronic stress also gates breakdown; immediate unhappiness is not sufficient.
  • Settlement growth: created goods → reported wealth → migrants → labor and consumption → production requirements.
  • Research: pondering and discussion train skills; research progress permits discoveries; known prerequisites permit further topics. This does not unlock practical industry recipes.
  • Undead attrition: M_COMBAT → C_DEATH → T_RAISE → T_UNDEAD → M_COMBAT, when a raiser and usable remains are present.

Diagram directory

Panel System Source Render
00 Dwarf Fortress 53.16 — connected systems master map mmd SVG
01 World generation, civilizations and conflict mmd SVG
02 Mode persistence, retirement and historical records mmd SVG
03 Geography, resources, water and weather mmd SVG
04 Ecology, wildlife disturbance and caverns mmd SVG
05 Materials, temperature and thermal damage mmd SVG
06 Fluid motion, pressure and reactions mmd SVG
07 Support, collapse and displacement mmd SVG
08 Terrain, construction, furnishings and room value mmd SVG
09 Triggers, mechanisms and mechanical power mmd SVG
10 Orders, job eligibility and execution mmd SVG
11 Stockpile routing, hauling, access and minecarts mmd SVG
12 Growing conditions, crop yield and seed renewal mmd SVG
13 Food processing, drink, consumption and spoilage mmd SVG
14 Taming, training, grazing and animal reproduction mmd SVG
15 Animal products and the honeybee colony cycle mmd SVG
16 Ore, fuel, smelting, steel and forging mmd SVG
17 Stone, wood, gems, glass, ceramics and value mmd SVG
18 Fiber, textiles, leather and writing materials mmd SVG
19 Ash, soap, hygiene and replacement demand mmd SVG
20 Strange moods, artifact creation and claims mmd SVG
21 Caravans, barter, trade requests and diplomacy mmd SVG
22 Wealth, imports, exports and population growth mmd SVG
23 Personality, needs, focus and autonomous choices mmd SVG
24 Experienced events, memory, mood and breakdowns mmd SVG
25 Relationships, family, tavern life and visitors mmd SVG
26 Cultural forms, performance and art mmd SVG
27 Religions, worship, temples and petitions mmd SVG
28 Government offices, noble requirements and mandates mmd SVG
29 Crime, investigation, punishment and conspiracies mmd SVG
30 Practice, performance, skill rust and guild teaching mmd SVG
31 Research, discoveries, authorship and reading mmd SVG
32 Creature bodies, vital maintenance and injury mmd SVG
33 Hospital admission, diagnosis, treatment and recovery mmd SVG
34 Military organization, training and equipment mmd SVG
35 Combat resolution, traps and casualties mmd SVG
36 Raids, siege engineering and defensive adaptation mmd SVG
37 Wildlife, megabeasts, evil regions and the deep world mmd SVG
38 Secrets, necromancy and distinct forms of resurrection mmd SVG
39 Syndromes, vampirism, werebeasts and haunting mmd SVG
40 Divination, primordial relics and demon binding mmd SVG
41 Adventure: character, party, movement and perception mmd SVG
42 Adventure: supplies, combat, injury and recovery mmd SVG
43 Adventure: conversation, reputation and exchange mmd SVG
44 Adventure: objectives, territorial claims and persistence mmd SVG
45 Adventure: culture, needs, literacy and supernatural powers mmd SVG