Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

40d:Flood

2009-01-20T00:04:17Z

CrazyEyes:

Flooding generally refers to water getting lose and spreading out over an area, usually in an unregulated fashion. While this can be useful in creating plots of muddy ground for [[farming]], deliberately setting any amount of water loose in an area is risky at best, and at worst, will result in lots of [[fun#Flooding_accidents|fun]].

As in real life, water will seek to spread out given open space. In Dwarf Fortress, this means that water will spread until all tiles achieve a depth of 1/7, or it fills the space it is enclosed in. Water at a depth of 1/7 will eventually evaporate, leaving behind a muddy floor. Because of this, it would be nearly impossible to ruin a fortress with water from finite sources such as a [[murky pool|murky pool]]. Note, however, that [[river]]s, [[brook]]s, and [[ocean]]s are considered to have offscreen water sources; their supply has been observed to be infinite. Tapping into one of these without some means of regulating the flow is almost certain to result in [[fun#Flooding_accidents|fun]].

Water movement is a major source of lag in the game.

40d:Flood

2009-01-20T00:03:29Z

CrazyEyes: Did my best to get rid of the redundancies between flooding and water.

Flooding generally refers to water getting lose and spreading out over an area, usually in an unregulated fashion. While this can be useful in creating plots of muddy ground for [[farming]], deliberately setting any amount of water loose in an area is risky at best, and at worst, will result in lots of [[fun#Flooding_accidents|fun]].

As in real life, water will seek to spread out given open space. In Dwarf Fortress, this means that water will spread until all tiles achieve a depth of 1/7, or it fills the space it is enclosed in. Water at a depth of 1/7 will eventually evaporate, leaving behind a muddy floor. Because of this, it would be nearly impossible to ruin a fortress with water from finite sources such as a [[murky pool|pool]]. Note, however, that [[river]]s, [[brook]]s, and [[ocean]]s are considered to have offscreen water sources; their supply has been observed to be infinite. Tapping into one of these without some means of regulating the flow is almost certain to result in [[fun#Flooding_accidents|fun]].

Water movement is a major source of lag in the game.

40d Talk:Thirst

2008-08-09T03:18:50Z

CrazyEyes:

Wrote up as much information as I could think of on thirst. I'll try to see if wildlife drinks, if visiting creatures drink, and how long it takes a dwarf to die without water - maybe waiting until someone takes a drink, noting the date, then locking them in a room with food until they die. If someone beats me to it, please update the page accordingly - I'm not sure when I'll get around to running the experiments. --[[User:CrazyEyes|CrazyEyes]] 20:05, 7 August 2008 (EDT)

Ran a test with the elven merchants, they lasted about a month before going berserk, then another five months without an apparent water source, so I think it's safe to say they don't drink.--[[User:CrazyEyes|CrazyEyes]] 23:18, 8 August 2008 (EDT)

40d Talk:Thirst

2008-08-09T03:18:41Z

CrazyEyes:

Wrote up as much information as I could think of on thirst. I'll try to see if wildlife drinks, if visiting creatures drink, and how long it takes a dwarf to die without water - maybe waiting until someone takes a drink, noting the date, then locking them in a room with food until they die. If someone beats me to it, please update the page accordingly - I'm not sure when I'll get around to running the experiments. --[[User:CrazyEyes|CrazyEyes]] 20:05, 7 August 2008 (EDT)

+Ran a test with the elven merchants, they lasted about a month before going berserk, then another five months without an apparent water source, so I think it's safe to say they don't drink.--[[User:CrazyEyes|CrazyEyes]] 23:18, 8 August 2008 (EDT)

40d:Thirst

2008-08-08T00:10:29Z

CrazyEyes:

[[Category:Thirst]]Dwarves, given time, will eventually get thirsty. A thirsty dwarf prefers to drink [[booze]]. If none is available, they will go to the nearest [[water]] source and drink. This is usually a [[well]] inside your fortress, but they will drink from a [[river]] or [[brook]] if there are no wells nearby, and have been observed to drink from [[murky pool]]s if there are no other sources of water. A dwarf can live on water indefinitely if there is no booze to be had, but will get [[thought|unhappy thoughts]] from doing so - dwarves are highly dependent on alcohol.

A wounded dwarf, on the other hand, will not drink booze, even if they are capable of getting themselves to it. They instead require other dwarves (with [[health care]] enabled) to bring them water in [[bucket]]s. If you do not have any dwarves with health care enabled (although you would have to turn it off on each dwarf yourself, as it is enabled on everyone but nobles by default), or if you do not have any buckets to carry water in, a wounded dwarf will die of thirst unless they heal quickly.

Animals like dogs and cats currently {{version|0.27.176.39e}} do not need to drink in order to survive. Likewise, creatures captured in cages can live indefinitely without sustenance. It is unknown {{Verify}} if wildlife roaming the map needs water, or if visiting [[merchant]]s or invading [[goblins]] will die of thirst if trapped with no water.

It is unknown {{Verify}} how long it takes a dwarf to die of thirst.

40d:Thirst

2008-08-08T00:09:54Z

CrazyEyes:

[[Category:Stub]]

Dwarves, given time, will eventually get thirsty. A thirsty dwarf prefers to drink [[booze]]. If none is available, they will go to the nearest [[water]] source and drink. This is usually a [[well]] inside your fortress, but they will drink from a [[river]] or [[brook]] if there are no wells nearby, and have been observed to drink from [[murky pool]]s if there are no other sources of water. A dwarf can live on water indefinitely if there is no booze to be had, but will get [[thought|unhappy thoughts]] from doing so - dwarves are highly dependent on alcohol.

A wounded dwarf, on the other hand, will not drink booze, even if they are capable of getting themselves to it. They instead require other dwarves (with [[health care]] enabled) to bring them water in [[bucket]]s. If you do not have any dwarves with health care enabled (although you would have to turn it off on each dwarf yourself, as it is enabled on everyone but nobles by default), or if you do not have any buckets to carry water in, a wounded dwarf will die of thirst unless they heal quickly.

Animals like dogs and cats currently {{version|0.27.176.39e}} do not need to drink in order to survive. Likewise, creatures captured in cages can live indefinitely without sustenance. It is unknown {{Verify}} if wildlife roaming the map needs water, or if visiting [[merchant]]s or invading [[goblins]] will die of thirst if trapped with no water.

It is unknown {{Verify}} how long it takes a dwarf to die of thirst.

40d Talk:Thirst

2008-08-08T00:05:42Z

CrazyEyes: New page: Wrote up as much information as I could think of on thirst. I'll try to see if wildlife drinks, if visiting creatures drink, and how long it takes a dwarf to die without water - maybe wai...

40d:Thirst

2008-08-08T00:01:17Z

CrazyEyes: Added a basic rundown of thirst, as none existed. Very basic, could probably use some cleaning up and additional info.

Dwarves, given time, will eventually get thirsty. A thirsty dwarf prefers to drink [[booze]]. If none is available, they will go to the nearest [[water]] source and drink. This is usually a [[well]] inside your fortress, but they will drink from a [[river]] or [[brook]] if there are no wells nearby, and have been observed to drink from [[murky pool]]s if there are no other sources of water. A dwarf can live on water indefinitely if there is no booze to be had, but will get [[thought|unhappy thoughts]] from doing so - dwarves are highly dependent on alcohol.

A wounded dwarf, on the other hand, will not drink booze, even if they are capable of getting themselves to it. They instead require other dwarves (with [[health care]] enabled) to bring them water in [[bucket]]s. If you do not have any dwarves with health care enabled (although you would have to turn it off on each dwarf yourself, as it is enabled on everyone but nobles by default), or if you do not have any buckets to carry water in, a wounded dwarf will die of thirst unless they heal quickly.

Animals like dogs and cats currently {{version|0.27.176.39e}} do not need to drink in order to survive. Likewise, creatures captured in cages can live indefinitely without sustenance. It is unknown {{Verify}} if wildlife roaming the map needs water, or if visiting [[merchant]]s or invading [[goblins]] will die of thirst if trapped with no water.

It is unknown {{Verify}} how long it takes a dwarf to die of thirst.

40d:Flood

2008-08-06T18:26:53Z

CrazyEyes: Rephrased information on water levels to be more clear, also fixed misconception about mining into damp tiles as tiles one z-level below the water are safe to mine but will be damp.

There can be up to seven units of [[water]] in a tile: 1/7 is ankle-deep, while at 7/7, water fills up to the ceiling. At 1/7 though 3/7, the water is too shallow to pose a threat and dwarves cannot swim in it, although it is possible that [[aquatic creatures]] can.{{verify}} At depths of 4/7, a dwarf can choose to swim, but is still capable of walking freely. At depths of 5/7 and above, dwarves must [[swimming|swim]]. A dwarf who can't swim can drown in a tile with too much water in it.

Water in a tile will designate all tiles around it (including those above and below) as "damp". If a [[miner]] encounters damp stone while digging, the designation will be canceled, you will be given a warning, the game will pause and you will zoom to the damp tile. Re-designating the tile to be mined will cause your miner to ignore the damp stone and dig the tile out anyway, although you will receive a new alert for each additional damp tile uncovered. Note that unless you know what is causing the tile to be damp (a [[murky pool]] on the z-level above, for example) and are reasonably sure that removing this section of wall will not breach some other water source, it is advisable to simply avoid digging in that area. A tile will flood if there is a water source adjacent to it, including diagonally.

After a flood, the water level in an area will even out, given time. Therefore it is possible to drain a small [[murky pool|pool]] completely without getting too many things wet. Larger lakes can be drained with the judicious use of a [[screw pump]] or well-designed networks of channels. Note, however, that [[river]]s and [[ocean]]s are considered to have offscreen water sources; their supply has been observed to be infinite, and in order to drain these you must remove water faster than the flow supply.

Deliberately flooding squares can be useful for [[farming]], particularly on squares that need to be muddied before being worked (e.g., fertile land on the surface, and rocky tiles anywhere). However, water spreads very quickly and floods can get out of control if you don't know what you're doing; if your map has any farmland that does ''not'' need to be muddied (such as [[peat]] or [[loam]]), then it's probably safest to farm there, without messing around with floods.

Water movement is a major source of lag in the game.

40d:Flood

2008-08-06T18:11:07Z

CrazyEyes:

There can be up to seven units of [[water]] in a tile: 1/7 is ankle-deep, while at 7/7, water fills up to the ceiling. At 1/7 though 3/7, the water is too shallow to pose a threat and dwarves cannot swim in it, although it is possible that aquatic creatures can.{{verify}} At depths of 4/7, a dwarf can choose to swim, but is still capable of walking freely. At depths of 5/7 and above, dwarves must [[swimming|swim]]. A dwarf who can't swim can drown in a tile with too much water in it.

A tile will flood if there is a water source adjacent to it. You will get a "Damp stone" warning if the direction you are digging will cause a flood; if you want to ignore the warning and continue digging, then re-designate the tile.

After a flood, the water level in an area will even out, given time. Therefore it is possible to drain a small [[murky pool|pool]] completely without getting too many things wet. Larger lakes can be drained with the judicious use of a [[screw pump]] or well-designed networks of channels. Note, however, that [[river]]s and [[ocean]]s are considered to have offscreen water sources; in order to drain these, you must remove water faster than the flow supply.

Deliberately flooding squares can be useful for [[farming]], particularly on squares that need to be muddied before being worked (e.g., fertile land on the surface, and rocky tiles anywhere). However, water spreads very quickly and floods can get out of control if you don't know what you're doing; if your map has any farmland that does ''not'' need to be muddied (such as [[peat]] or [[loam]]), then it's probably safest to farm there, without messing around with floods.

Water movement is a major source of lag in the game.

40d Talk:Cave-in

2008-08-06T18:00:59Z

CrazyEyes:

Is this still valid? I recall that only truly disconnected areas cave in these days...

Yeah, this is what I've heard. I'm digging out a bunch of greater than 7x7 rooms now so we'll find out shortly.
--[[User:Karlito|Karlito]] 00:26, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

:I've dug out some big rooms (10x10 I think is the biggest so far) and not had a cave-in for a season or so. I'm thinking it only does it on disconnects. makes it ALOT easier to plan your fort out. --[[User:BurnedToast|BurnedToast]] 00:33, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

::No kidding. What are the chances of accidentally completely disconnecting an area? I think that Toady One is going to continue to tweak the cave-in circumstances, though, so some things that don't cave in now may in later versions. --[[User:Peristarkawan|Peristarkawan]] 12:56, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

::Sorry, but I don't understand what a disconnected area is. Could you try to explain? [[User:Sinoth|sinoth]] 12:50, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

:::A disconnected section doesn't connect to the rest of the map. As far as I know, that means it checks above, below, north, south, east, and west of a block of stone for connecting blocks, and continues checking through them to make sure the section isn't isolated. Toady mentioned something along the lines of it only checking for disconnects around the area you are mining. If the section is isolated, each block of the disconnected section will fall straight down. That's the general idea, I believe, and such disconnects are not easy to create. --[[User:Janus|Janus]] 13:12, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

::::I can easily see how to create an isolated support, but how would you create an isolated room? The dwarves would have to get there somehow... Also, wouldn't an isolated room (with nothing on any side of it, including above) be less likely to collapse because there's nothing nearby to collapse into it? --[[User:Bobson|Bobson]] 13:49, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

:::::1. Build a box with constructed walls from the ground.
:::::2. Remove the construction connecting it to the ground.
:::::Also, an isolated room, would ''have'' to collapse, unless we've got anti-gravity-field-generators. --[[User:Savok|Savok]] 14:59, 2 November 2007 (EDT)

:I've mined out several levels underground. Then I dug channels (carefully) around the edge of the top layer. Once the last channel section was finished... bam! Cave-in. Only, it didn't stop at the first level below. It kept going to the last level dug out, taking with it all the loose debris. If there are any BUILDINGS in the region that collapsed, they will break apart. --[[User:AzureLightning|AzureLightning]] 14:04, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

"Don't pay any attention to the information below this line! It is simply a placeholder!" - Why have it there if doesnt need to be? Take it away and re-add when something worthwhile is to be said. --[[User:Mizipzor|Mizipzor]] 17:51, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

When building my underground farms with light access I had a lot of collapses but once the room was finished they ceased. There 8 by 8 and three floors down with open air access. I think a collapse happens if you have a room greater the 7x7 horizontally and more than 3 vertically. From what I've observed it seems like it only checks for a collapse every time a square is dug. --[[User:Lucid|Lucid]] 20:57, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

I dug an open pit in a sandy grassland region. The pit was 4x6 and one level below the surface. And yet, somehow I had a cave-in. It was minor, and only knocked my miner out for a few ticks, but I'm still trying to figure out why an open-air pit would register a cave-in. (In addition, nothing actually changed as far as the pit topography.) --[[User:RedKing|RedKing]] 01:58, 4 November 2007 (EDT)

:If you dig all the way around the edge then that causes a cave in, i.e if you make a C shape and then dig out the remaining wall the center will fall down. This will destroy any buildings underneath.[[User:Jikor|Jikor]]

== Avoiding ==

I removed the 7x7 info until someone can verify that it's relevant in the new version. I'd also be interested to know when rockslides or shearing happens. --[[User:Turgid Bolk|Turgid Bolk]] 16:44, 13 November 2007 (EST)

:I can confirm that the 7x7 thing ISN'T valid as of 39e. I've had a 10x20 room with two solid layers on top of it for years and it hasn't collapsed. Only three walls, too. --[[User:CrazyEyes|CrazyEyes]] 11:00, 06 August 2008 (PST)

40d Talk:Fire

2008-08-06T07:15:38Z

CrazyEyes:

How does fire spread in the new version. I don't have magma on my map so I haven't been able to experiment.

Maybe someone with experience could write up on the risks, ie how it spreads, how long it burns, how dwarfs react and what can be done to fight/prevent it. --[[User:Lucid|Lucid]] 21:09, 31 October 2007 (EDT)

Could someone test to see what levels of water will extinguish fire somehow? Perhaps a fortress at high risk for fire could have emergency floodgates set up to dump precise reservoirs of water at important areas like the living quarters or food/booze stockpiles.

god save us if it is affected by the mud/blood bug too [[User:Thatguyyaknow|Thatguyyaknow]] 13:07, 8 November 2007 (EST)

no it ain't the blood bug, it's the fire bug. Someone copy and paste it from the old wiki. --[[User:Frostedfire|Frostedfire]] 22:14, 14 November 2007 (EST)

I can confirm that fire spreads to adjucent squares. My fortress catched fire (long story) and wooden barrels and bins on stockpiles burned. When they completety burned out their contents catched fire and many piles of 20 !!leather!!, 20 !!cloth!! and 20 or more !!seeds!! generated '''very''' heavy lags. I didn't pay attention if it spreads diagonally but a burning item on the floor makes all 8 squares around it "warm stone wall" just as magma do to it's 4 directly adjacent squares.--[[User:Another|Another]] 14:26, 26 November 2007 (EST)

Is there a way to intentionally start a fire? [[User:Diabl0658|Diabl0658]] 20:12, 5 January 2008 (EST)
:Dig into the side of a pool of lava. Remove a construction holding back lava. Open a wooden door holding back lava. Open a floodgate to lava. Some combination of pumps, stairs, ramps, walls, and stockpiles will allow you to choose what gets set on fire and where. [[User:Rkyeun|Rkyeun]] 00:59, 9 March 2008 (EST)

Fire doesn't seem to spread by walking near it though... I forbade a few burning corpses and the dwarves had no problem stepping over it without catching fire.

Possibly fire on items like clothing or corpses will only spread to dwarves touching it.

A more informative page than "fire sucks" might be useful. Maybe a list of fire sources, what objects will and won't burn, how fire spreads and measures you can take to limit the damage or stop it. Maybe telling your dwarves to dump water in your hallways to keep a nice [1/7] coating?