It's actually not that hard, it just looks intimidating. I think the graphics make a huge difference, it's a lot more intuitive now than it ever was pre-steam.

I've had several fully vegan fortresses. The issue is that idiot dwarves get one of their stupid moods and decide they'll die if I don't provide them with animal bones or leather or something. I've lost dwarves this way, so now I buy animal products from caravans to avoid it. It's a shame, really, I wish I could convince my dwarves they don't need to make bone necklaces, we have so many gems and silver and all kinds of things that make better crafts than animal bones!

this comment is clearly sponsored by my giant single stockpile's lobbyists....

i was a fool to think that the winding, narrow hallways and single tile stairways leading down to the cavern sea would protect me. rip like 40 dwarves but we march onward

Can you still atom-smash anything out of existence with a drawbridge?

Just the surface z-level of my fortress viewed with Stonesense

You have to neuter the entire lot except for like a male and a few females to keep for breeding or they'll overrun your base and take too much to feed. I'll sometimes drop pod animals at nearby bases to improve relations but most animals are pretty heavy and expensive to transport that way.