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Editing Aquifer
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− | {{Quality| | + | {{Quality|Masterwork|15:04, 18 May 2015 (UTC)}} |
{{av}} | {{av}} | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:aqua_varied.png|thumb|right|158px|Area with a varied aquifer.]]An '''aquifer''' is a subterranean layer of [[water|groundwater]]-bearing rock or [[soil]]. As of {{version|0.47.01}}, there are two types of aquifers: '''light aquifer''' and '''heavy aquifer''', with light aquifers being by far the most common. Prior to this, all aquifers behaved as the "heavy" type. |
− | + | Aquifers are tiles which produce water in their ''neighboring'' tiles -- north, south, east, west, and below. They do not produce water in the tile above them, nor in any diagonally-adjacent tiles. | |
− | + | Aquifers cannot be drained; the groundwater is limitless, with even a single isolated tile leaking water forever. However, [[smoothing|smoothed]], mined, carved staircase, or channeled aquifer tiles no longer produce water. | |
− | If you are digging an up/down staircase in the downward direction and you hit an aquifer, the aquifer tile will be revealed as | + | Aquifers located in [[ocean]] [[biome]]s will produce salty water; aquifers in other biomes will produce freshwater. The frequency of aquifers differs between embark locations. |
+ | |||
+ | If you are digging an up/down staircase in the downward direction and you hit an aquifer, the aquifer tile will be revealed as damp soil or stone and the digging job will be un-designated for that tile. If you are mining horizontally, you will similarly be warned of a "damp stone" before breaching the aquifer. If you are digging an up/down staircase in the ''upward'' direction, or a ramp, and you hit an aquifer from below, the aquifer tile will immediately start producing water in the stairwell. In the case of heavy aquifers, this can lead to a lot of [[Fun]]. | ||
== Types of aquifers == | == Types of aquifers == | ||
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=== Light aquifers === | === Light aquifers === | ||
Light aquifers are by far the most common (being ~19 out of every 20 aquifers), and produce water at a greatly diminished rate. As a result, they can easily be penetrated with minimal effort by digging out one level at a time and walling it off reasonably quickly. Light aquifers can be very useful for low-water applications such as slowly filling a cistern for wells, or feeding an atmospheric waterfall. | Light aquifers are by far the most common (being ~19 out of every 20 aquifers), and produce water at a greatly diminished rate. As a result, they can easily be penetrated with minimal effort by digging out one level at a time and walling it off reasonably quickly. Light aquifers can be very useful for low-water applications such as slowly filling a cistern for wells, or feeding an atmospheric waterfall. | ||
− | An open tile will receive | + | An open tile will receive light-aquifer water if it's directly north, south, east, west, or below a light aquifer tile. There's no diagonal transmission. |
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− | + | The amount of water that the open tile receives is random. On average, an open tile will receive four units of light-aquifer water per month, but that number can go as low as two, or as high as six. | |
− | If you wish to excavate a large area within a light aquifer without painstakingly and continually walling it off, dig regular drains to an open area in a non-aquifer layer where the water can evaporate more quickly than it arrives | + | If an open tile is adjacent to a single light-aquifer tile, then it receives just as much water as an open tile surrounded by light-aquifer tiles. One is all you need. |
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+ | Water at level 1/7 does not evaporate on a floor of what had been a light aquifer tile. If you wish to excavate a large area within a light aquifer without painstakingly and continually walling it off, dig regular drains to an open area in a non-aquifer layer where the water can evaporate more quickly than it arrives. | ||
Unlike heavy aquifers, light aquifer tiles do not drain away water. | Unlike heavy aquifers, light aquifer tiles do not drain away water. | ||
− | Although digging through light aquifer tiles is not very dangerous, your dwarves will continuously cancel designations with the "damp stone" warning with each new tile uncovered. The player must therefore repeatedly re-designate light aquifer squares to get the dwarves to mine it, making it a tedious affair. There is no way to turn off this automatic cancellation without using external tools such as [[DFHack]]. Alternately, once all desired tiles are | + | Although digging through light aquifer tiles is not very dangerous, your dwarves will continuously cancel designations with the "damp stone" warning with each new tile uncovered. The player must therefore repeatedly re-designate light aquifer squares to get the dwarves to mine it, making it a tedious affair. There is no way to turn off this automatic cancellation without using external tools such as [[DFHack]]. Alternately, once all desired tiles are designated for mining, when the "damp stone" alert pauses the mining activity, simply unpause for each alert. |
=== Heavy aquifers === | === Heavy aquifers === | ||
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Empirically, heavy aquifers gain approximately 1/7 water every 14 ticks, though production has been observed to vary from 2-28 ticks. This rate does not appear to change significantly based on the number of adjacent aquifer tiles. | Empirically, heavy aquifers gain approximately 1/7 water every 14 ticks, though production has been observed to vary from 2-28 ticks. This rate does not appear to change significantly based on the number of adjacent aquifer tiles. | ||
+ | |||
+ | === Varied aquifers === | ||
+ | In addition to the heavy and light types of aquifer, DF can also display "Varied aquifer" on the pre-embark screen, which means there are some tiles with light and some tiles with heavy aquifers in the embark rectangle (also note that the biomes of neighboring tiles can "spill over" into a tile, resulting in different, unannounced, aquifers in those parts). | ||
== Where they are found == | == Where they are found == | ||
− | Aquifers appear based on the elevation of the terrain. Low elevations - particularly those near rivers and oceans - are more prone to having an aquifer present, while locations closer to mountains are much less likely, but still possible | + | Aquifers appear based on the elevation of the terrain. Low elevations - particularly those near rivers and oceans - are more prone to having an aquifer present, while locations closer to mountains are much less likely, but still possible. |
Layers which '''can''' contain aquifers: | Layers which '''can''' contain aquifers: | ||
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*[[sandy clay loam]] | *[[sandy clay loam]] | ||
*[[silty clay loam]] | *[[silty clay loam]] | ||
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*[[conglomerate]] | *[[conglomerate]] | ||
*[[puddingstone]] | *[[puddingstone]] | ||
− | + | <!-- Note: only layers with the [AQUIFER] token can support aquifers. Other layers can appear directly below an aquifer and will blink "damp", but they are not actually part of the aquifer, but digging into them will still cause water to come from above. Please check the raws for the [AQUIFER] token before adding to this list. --> | |
− | <!-- Note: only layers with the [AQUIFER] token can support aquifers. Other layers can appear directly below an aquifer and will blink "damp", but they are not actually part of the aquifer | ||
Layers which '''cannot''' contain aquifers, despite their names suggesting otherwise: | Layers which '''cannot''' contain aquifers, despite their names suggesting otherwise: | ||
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*[[clay]] | *[[clay]] | ||
*[[silty clay]] | *[[silty clay]] | ||
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*[[siltstone]] | *[[siltstone]] | ||
*[[mudstone]] | *[[mudstone]] | ||
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== Working in aquifers == | == Working in aquifers == | ||
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*Water on the tile where a worker is standing will cause job cancellations if it gets too high. A construction job (e.g. wall building) will be suspended by 2/7 depth, but a mining job will only be stopped by 4/7 depth of water. | *Water on the tile where a worker is standing will cause job cancellations if it gets too high. A construction job (e.g. wall building) will be suspended by 2/7 depth, but a mining job will only be stopped by 4/7 depth of water. | ||
− | * Flowing water will cause parents to drop their infants, leading to job cancellations | + | * Flowing water will cause parents to drop their infants, leading to job cancellations and occasionally [[fun]]. |
* Aquifers do not create water in diagonal tiles, but do create water in open tiles directly below them. Therefore, you will want to dig two z-levels below the lowest aquifer layer before continuing with your fortress. | * Aquifers do not create water in diagonal tiles, but do create water in open tiles directly below them. Therefore, you will want to dig two z-levels below the lowest aquifer layer before continuing with your fortress. | ||
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===The modding method=== | ===The modding method=== | ||
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By editing the raws and removing the [AQUIFER] tag from all of the appropriate entries in inorganic_stone_layer.txt, inorganic_stone_mineral.txt, and inorganic_stone_soil.txt it is possible to remove all aquifers from the world. This can be done before creating a new world or after, if you find a particularly neat location ruined only by the presence of an aquifer. In order to modify an existing world, you must delete the [AQUIFER] tag from the raws in the savegame's folder. | By editing the raws and removing the [AQUIFER] tag from all of the appropriate entries in inorganic_stone_layer.txt, inorganic_stone_mineral.txt, and inorganic_stone_soil.txt it is possible to remove all aquifers from the world. This can be done before creating a new world or after, if you find a particularly neat location ruined only by the presence of an aquifer. In order to modify an existing world, you must delete the [AQUIFER] tag from the raws in the savegame's folder. | ||
− | ==== With | + | ==== With PyLNP ==== |
− | + | Disable aquifers in the options tab before generating a new world. This works similarly to the command-line method below, but is usually a lot easier. | |
==== With DFHack ==== | ==== With DFHack ==== | ||
− | The | + | The DFHack command "light-aquifers-only" changes all heavy aquifers to light aquifers. |
+ | |||
+ | If you prefer not having to deal with aquifers at all, the DFHack command "drain-aquifer" removes the aquifer flag from all tiles in your current embark without requiring raw edits. | ||
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+ | If you have DFHack, this is the best method. | ||
===== With DFHack's gui/aquifer command ===== | ===== With DFHack's gui/aquifer command ===== | ||
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For every new world you make: | For every new world you make: | ||
− | “THE FOLDER DF IS INSTALLED IN” | + | “THE FOLDER DF IS INSTALLED IN”/raw/objects |
For worlds that have already been made: | For worlds that have already been made: | ||
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Aquifers can be useful for building a self-sufficient fortress, and are often indispensable for water-related [[megaprojects]] in maps without a river. | Aquifers can be useful for building a self-sufficient fortress, and are often indispensable for water-related [[megaprojects]] in maps without a river. | ||
− | Aquifers outside [[ocean]] biomes also contain fresh water. Since aquifers are almost always located close to the surface, freshwater aquifers can easily be turned into a source of infinite, secure, non-freezing drinking water for your dwarves, eliminating the need for a [[Reservoir|cistern]]. While both of these roles can also be filled by [[Caverns|cavern]] features, an aquifer allows you to get the same advantages without exposing yourself to potentially | + | Aquifers outside [[ocean]] biomes also contain fresh water. Since aquifers are almost always located close to the surface, freshwater aquifers can easily be turned into a source of infinite, secure, non-freezing drinking water for your dwarves, eliminating the need for a [[Reservoir|cistern]]. While both of these roles can also be filled by [[Caverns|cavern]] features, an aquifer allows you to get the same advantages without exposing yourself to potentially ~~dangerous~~ Fun cavern creatures. |
=== A benefit of heavy aquifers? === | === A benefit of heavy aquifers? === | ||
− | Although annoying, heavy aquifers can absorb an infinite amount of water, meaning they can function as a drain for anything above them. For instance, digging a pit in a lower Z | + | Although annoying, heavy aquifers can absorb an infinite amount of water, meaning they can function as a drain for anything above them. For instance, digging a pit in a lower Z level of the aquifer, then connecting it to a breached aquifer a level above through a channel dug a level above that will create a permanently flowing, compact, secure water/power source completely contained within the fortress. |
== Technical implementation of the aquifer version split == | == Technical implementation of the aquifer version split == | ||
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The aquifer split introduced in 0.47.01 uses the crude but effective random-appearing method of making all aquifers light unless the Drainage modulo 20 equals 7. | The aquifer split introduced in 0.47.01 uses the crude but effective random-appearing method of making all aquifers light unless the Drainage modulo 20 equals 7. | ||
− | == | + | == Bugs == |
− | + | Some light aquifers may not appear on the embark screen.{{bug|11358}} | |
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== External links == | == External links == |