I'm playing again too. I'm just in the winter of first year, but I feel good about my fortress so far. I think the defenses will work out really well, and the fortress is coming together. It would have helped if more than a single dwarf in my first wave of immigrants that doubled the fortress population was useful, however.
Also, I just recently remembered bins, and the wonderful work they do to store finished goods, instead of having to dig out even more store rooms...
