(If you have DFHack, you can use the quicksave command.) Note that there is no 'save and continue' option, but saves can be backed up and reloaded. To save and quit back to the main menu, select Save Game. Most basic game-related tasks (saving, keybindings, sound, etc.) are performed through the options menu, which can be reached with Esc from the main screen. You can hold Shift while scrolling to scroll faster.Įsc or right mouse will almost always take you back to the previous screen until you get to the top level of the UI, at which point it will display the options menu. Sequences of keys will be written with dashes between them, so a- b- C means 'press 'a', then press 'b', then hold shift and press 'c''.Ĭursor movement, menu selection, and navigation Esc or right mouse Lowercase and uppercase keys will almost never perform the same function, so it is important to use the correct key. So t means 'press the 't' key without the shift key' and T means 'hold down shift and press the 't' key'. In order to save space, Shift+ t will be written as T. Most documents on the wiki use key symbols that look like t to indicate what keys are used for an operation.

If you're looking for more UI help as you get deeper into your first fortress, you may also want to read this section in the Fortress Mode Guide.

This is just the Quickstart Guide, so we skip lots of details on the UI. (If you see any displayed in red, those are added through DFHack.) All the keys you can use in a menu are shown in green somewhere on the screen. Also, don't hesitate to ask for help if you can't find answers on the wiki.Ĭontrary to what you might be used to, the Dwarf Fortress interface uses a combination of key presses, instead of clicking through menus with the mouse, so, for example, instead of clicking on the Build menu, then on the Workshop submenu, and finally on the specific workshop, you press b- w- c. Refer to the Fortress Mode Reference Guide or use the wiki search function. While the guide contains many links, you may still need to look something up. 1.2 Cursor movement, menu selection, and navigation.

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