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Editing 40d:Mega construction
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There comes a time in every dwarf's life when he says to himself - why not? ''("Because it's insane" is not considered an automatic fail condition)''. Be it magma waterfalls, huge castles, skyscrapers, great cathedrals, inverted pyramids, the Statue of Dwarferty - you can build anything! | There comes a time in every dwarf's life when he says to himself - why not? ''("Because it's insane" is not considered an automatic fail condition)''. Be it magma waterfalls, huge castles, skyscrapers, great cathedrals, inverted pyramids, the Statue of Dwarferty - you can build anything! | ||
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The important thing to remember is that all walls, floors and anything built with the {{k|b}}-{{k|C}} keys are '''LIFO''' - "'''L'''ast '''I'''n, '''F'''irst '''O'''ut". That means that the very last designation you make will be the very ''first'' thing your masons will work on next! Once you master this concept, it can be used to your advantage, but only if you can plan ahead. | The important thing to remember is that all walls, floors and anything built with the {{k|b}}-{{k|C}} keys are '''LIFO''' - "'''L'''ast '''I'''n, '''F'''irst '''O'''ut". That means that the very last designation you make will be the very ''first'' thing your masons will work on next! Once you master this concept, it can be used to your advantage, but only if you can plan ahead. | ||
− | It is also important to remember that you cannot build constructions on top of a constructed floor, but you can attach walls to the sides of a constructed floor, and then build on them for the next level up. | + | It is also important to remember that you cannot build constructions on top of a constructed floor, but you can attach walls to the sides of a constructed floor, and then build on them for the next level up. |
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:Note: | :Note: | ||
− | :''In this discussion, "masons" will be assumed to be the | + | :''In this discussion, "masons" will be assumed to be the dwarfs doing the work. If your constructions are of wood or metal, then carpenters or metalsmiths will be doing the work - but the process is the same. |
− | :''Likewise, the word "stone" will be used to refer to building material, but a construction can also be made from wood logs, | + | :''Likewise, the word "stone" will be used to refer to building material, but a construction can also be made from wood logs, glass, metal bars, or even blocks of soap, among others. '' |
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• - Empty space | • - Empty space | ||
+ - Ground, floor, or top of wall section from lower level | + - Ground, floor, or top of wall section from lower level | ||
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'''0''' - Isolated wall section | '''0''' - Isolated wall section | ||
╔═╗ - Connected wall | ╔═╗ - Connected wall | ||
− | '''X''' - Up/down [[ | + | '''X''' - Up/down [[stairs]] |
− | ☺ - | + | ☺ - mason |
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==Walls== | ==Walls== | ||
− | Walls are the simplest construction. They are the base for anything more ambitious, such as a tower, and are often the very first construction of a new fortress, as (part of) a defensive perimeter. No non-flying creature can get over a 1-level wall, but there are still reasons you might want to build | + | Walls are the simplest construction. They are the base for anything more ambitious, such as a tower, and are often the very first construction of a new fortress, as (part of) a defensive perimeter. No non-flying creature can get over a 1-level wall, but there are still reasons you might want to build one, whether for looks, because of rolling terrain, or as part of a larger project. |
A one-level wall is easy - just designate it, and your masons will simply walk around and build it. About as basic as it gets... | A one-level wall is easy - just designate it, and your masons will simply walk around and build it. About as basic as it gets... | ||
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''End View''<br /> | ''End View''<br /> | ||
− | + | X | |
− | + | Xw | |
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− | If you have 2 access points, you can start in the middle and the ends, and work back toward the access | + | If you have 2 access points, you can start in the middle and the ends, and work back toward the access. |
ww <-X-> wwwww <-X-> www | ww <-X-> wwwww <-X-> www | ||
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Also, if defense is something you wish to consider (or just to improve the looks of a simple curtain wall), you may wish to plan for one or more towers to rise up above and along your walls. The process is very similar to a wall, but with floors... | Also, if defense is something you wish to consider (or just to improve the looks of a simple curtain wall), you may wish to plan for one or more towers to rise up above and along your walls. The process is very similar to a wall, but with floors... | ||
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==Towers== | ==Towers== | ||
− | Building a tower, large or small, is a Dwarf Fortress rite of passage. There are many pitfalls to [[construction]] though, mainly due to your [[mason | + | Building a tower, large or small, is a Dwarf Fortress rite of passage. There are many pitfalls to [[construction]] though, mainly due to your [[mason]]s' habit of building [[wall]]s in their LIFO order, so adding anything puts that before everything you've already done. This step-by-step guide avoids these problems. The diagrams are for a 5x5 tower, but the instructions are adaptable to any size of tower. |
− | ''(Note - In Dwarf Fortress, | + | ''(Note - In Dwarf Fortress, a "round" tower takes exactly as much stone as a square tower - if that matters to you.)'' |
==== Preparation ==== | ==== Preparation ==== | ||
If you create a [[stone]] or [[block]] stockpile nearby, then your masons can concentrate on what they're good at, and not waste time walking (possibly dangerous) distances back and forth. Alternately, dive into the ground and do some mining on the spot, creating a field of raw stone right there. (Pro tip - construct a (temporary) mason's shop or three in a stone field, and make blocks on site!) | If you create a [[stone]] or [[block]] stockpile nearby, then your masons can concentrate on what they're good at, and not waste time walking (possibly dangerous) distances back and forth. Alternately, dive into the ground and do some mining on the spot, creating a field of raw stone right there. (Pro tip - construct a (temporary) mason's shop or three in a stone field, and make blocks on site!) | ||
− | If the tower is outside the protection of your compound, consider the safety of your workers - would digging a tunnel to the location be worth the time? Do you want your soldiers and workers to walk over the surface, or underground? No doors means [[building destroyer | + | If the tower is outside the protection of your compound, consider the safety of your workers - would digging a tunnel to the location be worth the time? Do you want your soldiers and workers to walk over the surface, or underground? No doors means [[building destroyer]]s have nothing to break down. |
If you start with a staircase up out of the ground, you can build off of that, and your dwarves have somewhere relatively safe to run if they are ambushed, other than trying to outrun bolts and arrows. Remember that an up/down stair from below is not enough to connect two levels - you also need a down (or up/down) stair from the upper level as well. | If you start with a staircase up out of the ground, you can build off of that, and your dwarves have somewhere relatively safe to run if they are ambushed, other than trying to outrun bolts and arrows. Remember that an up/down stair from below is not enough to connect two levels - you also need a down (or up/down) stair from the upper level as well. | ||
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╚═══╝ | ╚═══╝ | ||
− | + | Pro tip - if you designate walls to be built next to your planned walls, then {{k|s}}uspend that construction, your dwarfs will not stand on those tiles to build the desired walls. This can be used to guide your masons to build from the inside, walling themselves in where it's safe, rather than the alternative. | |
╔═══╗ | ╔═══╗ | ||
− | ║'''X'''+ | + | ║'''X'''+☺ ◙ <- ''suspended wall order'' |
║+++║ | ║+++║ | ||
║+++║ | ║+++║ | ||
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Now your dwarves can walk anywhere on a "floor" (+) ''(actually, at the moment, only the top of the walls below, but we'll fix that with real floors in a moment)'', and connect anything on this level to that floor. (This is how you expand a tower wider than its base - by constructing walls attached to floors that have expanded out.) | Now your dwarves can walk anywhere on a "floor" (+) ''(actually, at the moment, only the top of the walls below, but we'll fix that with real floors in a moment)'', and connect anything on this level to that floor. (This is how you expand a tower wider than its base - by constructing walls attached to floors that have expanded out.) | ||
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====Floor/roof tiles==== | ====Floor/roof tiles==== | ||
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====Adding fortifications==== | ====Adding fortifications==== | ||
− | If you want an open level of the tower where [[ | + | If you want an open level of the tower where [[marksdwarf]]s or [[siege engine]]s can fire out, you want some [[fortification]]s instead of walls. Along the edges this is easy, but fortifications cannot be walked on, and a mason can't build them from a diagonal tile, so we're back to "build the corners first!" |
+++++ ╬╬╬╬+ <- this fortification ''next''! | +++++ ╬╬╬╬+ <- this fortification ''next''! | ||
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'''?'''╬╬•'''?''' <- ''no access to corners'' | '''?'''╬╬•'''?''' <- ''no access to corners'' | ||
− | The solution is to build a temporary floor-tile off the tower side, to give your masons access to those corner locations. Once built, then connect those to other fortifications (they have to be connected [[orthogonal | + | The solution is to build a temporary floor-tile off the tower side, to give your masons access to those corner locations. Once built, then connect those to other fortifications (they have to be connected [[orthogonal]]ly!), ''then'' you can safely deconstruct the floors and replace them with the final fortifications. |
+ + ╬+ +╬ ╬ ╬ ╬╬╬╬╬ | + + ╬+ +╬ ╬ ╬ ╬╬╬╬╬ | ||
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The stones that the temporary floors had been built with will fall to the tile below them - this is not a "collapse". | The stones that the temporary floors had been built with will fall to the tile below them - this is not a "collapse". | ||
− | :''Pro tip:'' Alternatively, instead of constructing and deconstruction floors, you may build floor grates ({{k|b}}, {{k|G | + | :''Pro tip:'' Alternatively, instead of constructing and deconstruction floors, you may build floor grates ({{k|b}}, {{k|G}}) for dwarves to stand on to get at the corners. These have the advantage of being much faster to remove, do not require a mason (only a "furniture hauler"), and are collected instead of dropped when deconstructed. |
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=Advanced Construction Techniques= | =Advanced Construction Techniques= | ||
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===Don't stand there!=== | ===Don't stand there!=== | ||
− | Dwarves tend to work from the left, and that's wrong half the time. To make sure your masons don't wall themselves on the wrong side of what they're building, designate a wall to be built where you ''don't'' want them to stand, and then {{k|s}}uspend that construction - they won't stand in that | + | Dwarves tend to work from the left, and that's wrong half the time. To make sure your masons don't wall themselves on the wrong side of what they're building, designate a wall to be built where you ''don't'' want them to stand, and then {{k|s}}uspend that construction - they won't stand in that stop while building next to it. Once the desired construction is in place and the dwarf on the preferred side, cancel ( {{k|x}} ) the suspended construction entirely, and carry on. |
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===Scaffolding=== | ===Scaffolding=== | ||
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===Expanding out=== | ===Expanding out=== | ||
− | To build out over open space, you only need to add floors. | + | To build out over open space, you only need to add floors. Currently{{v|0.28.181.40d}} there is no limit to how far out unsupported floors can extend. This can create anything from permanent spans bridging gaps to mushroom-shaped towers to inverted pyramids balanced on one tile - anything goes. |
− | + | If you then want to build up, build walls (which will support movement and more construction on the next level up). And stairs (or ramps) to gain access to those upper levels. Again... plan ahead! | |
− | + | ===Temporary access floors=== | |
− | If | + | If you masons cannot access a location, building temporary flooring is the solution, as described above under "basic techniques", and then deconstructing the floor when it's no longer needed. However, building floor bars or setting a floor grate in place is faster, does not enter into the [[Construction#Priority - LIFO|LIFO]] sequence, and the material will be saved, not dropped, when deconstructed. |
− | === | + | ===Sloped Roofs=== |
− | + | Sloped roofs can be created by building a row of walls adjacent to the top of a wall, a row of ramps can then be built directly on top of the wall giving access to the top of the adjacent wall. Now just build a second wall adjacent to this one and repeat. | |
===Building down=== | ===Building down=== | ||
− | Building down is, technically, impossible. You cannot | + | Building down is, technically, impossible. You cannot build a staircase down, only up - so the trick is to get below where you want to build, and then build up to it, if only a long column of up/down stairs for basic access. Then build what you want, connect it up to wherever, and deconstruct anything unwanted below that. The result is a hanging construction. |
===Bridges and deconstructing floors === | ===Bridges and deconstructing floors === | ||
− | Constructions cannot be supported by attaching them to any [[bridge | + | Constructions cannot be supported by attaching them to any [[bridge]]s - the game allows them to be designated, and a dwarf will respond to build the construction, but that will then [[cave-in]] immediately upon construction. However, building a bridge ''over'' an existing floor will allow those floor tiles to be deconstructed and the material recovered. |
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=Examples= | =Examples= | ||
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===Hippie Exterminator=== | ===Hippie Exterminator=== | ||
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===Dwarven Arcology=== | ===Dwarven Arcology=== | ||
− | This is ideal for your patently insane [[Stupid dwarf trick]] needs. Essentially it's building your entire fortress above ground in ONE structure. A subterranean level (the basement) on the bottom floor provides plump helmets, pig tails, and so on. On the ground floor, grow above-ground plants and carve fortifications into all the walls. From here, it's all about absolutely huge levels packed with food stores, | + | This is ideal for your patently insane [[Stupid dwarf trick]] needs. Essentially it's building your entire fortress above ground in ONE structure. A subterranean level (the basement) on the bottom floor provides plump helmets, pig tails, and so on. On the ground floor, grow above-ground plants and carve fortifications into all the walls. From here, it's all about absolutely huge levels packed with food stores, refuge dumps, wood stockpiles, workshops, archery ranges, and bedrooms. The only subterranean activity permitted is digging, although you may be able to get away with building your depot below ground. This consumes ridiculous amounts of time and stone, placing walls is extremely fiddly, and as soon as goblins control the ground floor your fortress will starve unless you can exterminate them. So, pointless, frustrating, and borderline suicidal...in short, a perfect megaconstruction. |
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==Viewing== | ==Viewing== | ||
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Single ramps will show up as square pyramids but ''only'' if there are no adjacent walls that are one z-level higher than them. | Single ramps will show up as square pyramids but ''only'' if there are no adjacent walls that are one z-level higher than them. | ||
− | A row of single ramps will not join together, instead they will show up as a row of square pyramids | + | A row of single ramps will not join together as a 'toblerone' shape, instead they will show up as a row of square pyramids. |
====Cathedral to the Blood God==== | ====Cathedral to the Blood God==== | ||
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[[Image:Cathedral.jpg]] | [[Image:Cathedral.jpg]] | ||
− | + | [[Category:Constructions]] | |
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