40d:Floodgate

A floodgate is an object used to regulate the flow of fluids, such as water and magma.
They can be built from rock (at a mason's workshop), wood (at a carpenter's workshop), metal (at a metalsmith's forge), or glass (at a glass furnace).

Placement

Floodgates generally have to be built prior to flooding the area (obvious for magma, isn't it?) but can still be built at a water level of 1/7.

If there is no roof above a floodgate and water comes to it from a source with higher elevation, the water can spill over it. See the pressure article for more information.

Dwarves often like to stand on the wrong side of the floodgate they are constructing so that they may conveniently decline any subsequent labor. They'll sit there with their feet propped up on a conveinent rock, twiddling their thumbs until such time as the floodgate is opened mechanically or deconstructed. To avoid this situation you should build something on the tile you don't want them to stand on, Suspend its construction until the floodgate is complete, and Cancel its construction when you're finished.

Activation

Floodgates have to be linked to levers or pressure plates to allow them to be opened and closed remotely at all. An open floodgate also can be walked through, whereas a closed one can not. Once activated, it will take approximately 100 steps for the floodgate to open or close: the same as bridges.

Floodgates vs Magma

Closed floodgates of any material will resist magma, much like constructed walls. However, once a magma floodgate is opened, the magma will flow though and destroy:

• the floodgate itself if it was not made of magma-safe materials.
• the mechanism if it was not made of magma-safe materials (bauxite or raw adamantine), thus deconstructing the floodgate.

Uses

A water floodgate connected to a river can be opened to create a shallow pool, then closed, the pool then be drained or allowed to evaporate. The resulting mud can be used for underground farms. Standing water can be used for drinking, or sufficiently rushing water used as a defense against invaders.

A floodgate can also be used to cover fortifications when they are not being used. This will prevent enemies from firing into your fort through the fortifications, and can be useful if your marksdwarfs arrive at the fortification one at a time.

Unlike doors, floodgates can be built directly adjacent to each other; that is, floodgates do not require an adjacent wall. This allows channels wider than two squares to be regulated. This characteristic also permits for the construction of "siege doors", allowing areas wider than two tiles to be sealed off from the enemy. For instance, the three tile wide access point for a Trade Depot within the fortress can be closed down into a chokepoint with floodgates and a lever, giving your marksdwarves more of a chance to shoot invaders.

Using floodgates to halt or reroute enemies must be planned carefully, as large creatures such as Trolls can destroy floodgates.

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