Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

40d:Waterfall

2008-07-18T10:13:05Z

Orborde:

'''Waterfalls''' can be found often in [[mountain]]s. To locate them in the region map, check for [[river]]s that cross tall [[cliff]]s.

Waterfalls, like any other falling [[water]], generate [[mist]] that makes your dwarves [[Thoughts|happier]]: "He was comforted by a lovely waterfall lately." (Mist makes [[dwarves]] happy even if it's just from water cascading down a [[stair]]way, which in real life might be more a cause for alarm.)

Waterfalls can be used to drive water through a fort with nothing but gravity power: just push it through whatever [[channel]]s you desire and off the cliff side when it's done its course. Large reservoirs could probably be created by building a dam at one end.

If it's cold enough for water to freeze, the waterfall will freeze as well, forming a partial wall.

Water falls straight down without splattering; thus, if you are creating an artificial waterfall, you need not account for "splash zone" on the viewing levels.

[[Image:Waterfall1.JPG]]

{{World}}

[[category:world]]

40d:Aquifer

2008-06-21T08:10:07Z

Orborde:

An '''aquifer''' is a subterranean layer of water-bearing rock or [[soil]]. Attempts to mine through them will result in the mined-out squares immediately filling with [[water]], effectively halting excavation at or below their level. This, in conjunction with the fact that they are often located in areas rich in [[loam]], and [[sand]], makes it difficult to find great quantities of [[stone]] in areas with aquifers, making for more challenging gameplay.

== Where they are found ==
Aquifers are found in soil layers and some porous rock layers.

Layers which CAN contain aquifers:
*[[Soil|sandy clay loam]]
*[[Soil|silty clay loam]]
*[[Soil|loam]]
*[[Soil|sandy loam]]
*[[Soil|silt loam]]
*[[Soil|loamy sand]]
*[[Soil|silt]]
*[[sand]]
*[[Soil|yellow sand]]
*[[Soil|white sand]]
*[[Soil|black sand]]
*[[Soil|red sand]]
*[[Soil|peat]]
*[[Soil|pelagic clay]]
*[[Soil|calcareous ooze]]
*[[Soil|siliceous ooze]]
*[[sandstone]]
*[[conglomerate]]

Layers which CAN'T contain aquifers
*[[Soil|clay]]
*[[Soil|silty clay]]
*[[Soil|sandy clay]]
*[[Soil|clay loam]]
*[[siltstone]]
*[[mudstone]]

== Dealing with aquifers ==

The challenges presented by an aquifer may be circumvented in several ways. Firstly, much more of your equipment will likely be made from [[wood]], especially early on, so it may help to be in a heavily forested area. Once you've established your fortress a bit, you will also be able to [[trade]] for stone and [[metal]]s if you run short.

It is also worth noting that it sometimes possible to find some amount of stone above the aquifer. It may help to create exploratory shafts searching for pockets of stone. Be aware that mining along the level immediately above the aquifer will result in patches of 'damp stone,' which will flood if mined out; these squares will flash with water when designating mining areas.

===The ore method===
On maps where the aquifer is not held in a layer of soil, but instead is held in a [[sedimentary layer]] such as [[sandstone]], it may be possible to tunnel down through deposits of [[ore]] such as [[magnetite]]. For this to work you have to find a spot where there is coincidentally an ore deposit on each Z-level you need to dig through. This is only possible through tiresome trial and error, or through the use of a [[Utilities|utility]] like reveal.exe.

===The magma method===
If you have access to a supply of [[magma]], you can create your own [[obsidian]] caissons. The water from the aquifer is not pressurized and magma is chunky, so it is safe to dig [[channel]]s in aquifer. Though you will have to re-dig a lot of channels due to an element of chance, you can create a pool of magma on the aquifer z-level, and then pinch the pool off from the supply of magma with water. When it cools (which you can hasten with more water) you can dig down through the middle of a 3x3 patch of obsidian without flooding. With larger starting patches, you can dig through multiple levels of aquifer.

===The other magma method===
Magma vents have two outer layers that may allow you to get past the aquifer with minimal effort. Just outside the magma is a layer of obsidian, which cannot be an aquifer. Just outside the obsidian is a layer of the surrounding aquifer that has been dried by the magma vent. Depending on the exact layout of your magma vent, you may be able to dig straight down next to it, or you may have to dig around a bit to find a workable path.

Tips:
*With a visible magma shaft, any tile that is not touching the magma on its Z-level (by edge or corner) is safe from magma, even if there is magma directly above it.
*Any tile which is not marked as damp is safe from the aquifer, even if there is a damp tile next to it.
*To find the water-safe tiles, you can dig down [[stair]]cases on the [[floor]] above, which reveal the tile below. These can later be covered up by constructed floors, if you want.
**'''Warning:''' Do not dig up staircases on the aquifer layer until you know the tile is safe from water. Digging an up staircase creates an open tile, which can fill with water and render adjacent squares unsafe.
*The dried tiles are the same type as the surrounding aquifer, so an aquifer-filled sand layer can be used for gathering sand, if it touches the magma vent.

===The pump method===
It is possible to [[pump]] the water out of an aquifer; though the supply is apparently unlimited it can be pumped out faster than the water seeps in, allowing for a fairly safe area on the z level. This method is somewhat dangerous since problems with your pumps can lead to drowning, however, it allows a larger area to be cleared than most methods and can be done anywhere. It's possible to build [[wall]]s on the levels with aquifers to stop water. It's also easier to plan around a series of pumps than hoping you'll hit rock on the way down.
There is an example of how to get through an aquifer with pumps here: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-120-aquifercmv
Note that this method will not work with the current version, as it is no longer possible to pump an infinite amount of water into one tile. It can be modified, however, by placing channels behind the pumps so that the water drains back into the aquifer.

It is possible to expand this method to breach multiple z-levels. Just make sure your room on the next level down has a minimum of room allowed for this design. For areas larger than the design, break up the room into smaller areas (6x6 is reasonably workable) and pump them out one at a time from at least three sides (into another section when necessary, you only need one dry at a time), and building walls on the outer edges. As you pump out additional sections, you can connect them, digging through the dividing dirt walls and building a wall between the two sections you've already built to complete the water-proofing. As a note, pumps can't pump if you build a wall in the space they're pumping from, which is why it is necessary to either pump from all four sides, or to dig out the space to rewall.

===The ice method===
There is a simple method of getting past an aquifer although it is restricted to a small shaft down, and not possible on all maps.
You will need:
*9 pieces of material suitable for crafting [[Wall|Walls]] and floors.
*1 [[Carpenter]] or [[Mason]] (depending on your wall's building material of choice)
*1 [[Miner]] (using multiple miners runs the danger of one miner digging a channel on the floor another is standing on!*)[Fixed in .33f]
*A map which freezes

Steps:
#Dig channels in a 5x5 square.
#Dig stairs on the outside of the square to allow access to the next level.
#Carefully dig channels underneath all the other channels and build another stair down.
#Continue down in this way until you're right above the water table.
#Dig channels around a central square.
#Wait for the water to freeze.
#The outer-most blocks of ice on the aquifer level will prevent the inner block from being damp.
#Dig a central set of stairs which will allow you to go through the aquifer level and access the levels below.
#If the map will warm up, make sure to surround the stairwell on the aquifer level with walls.
#This system can be expanded to allow for a bigger stairwell.

Diagram:
*<tt>C</tt> - channel
*<tt>G</tt> - grate
*<tt>W</tt> - wall
*<tt>X</tt> - up/down stairs
*<tt>></tt> - down stair
*<tt><</tt> - up stair
*<tt>I</tt> - Ice/water
*<tt>F</tt> - Floor

Surface level:
<pre>
CCCCC
CCCCC
CCCCC>
CCCCC
CCCCC
</pre>
Intermediate levels:
<pre>
CCCCC
CCCCC
CCCCCX
CCCCC
CCCCC
</pre>
Aquifer level + 1:
<pre>
CCCCC
CCCCC
CC>CF<
CCCCC
CCCCC
</pre>
Aquifer level:
<pre>
IIIII
IWWWI
IWXWI
IWWWI
IIIII
</pre>

===The cave-in method===
If you cause the soil layers above the aquifer to cave-in on the aquifer layer, the caved-in layers above the aquifer will become mineable.

===Differing biomes===
If your local area has more than one [[biome]], you may be able to dig down in one biome to bridge under an aquifer in another. This won't work if the aquifer is present in all biomes, of course, but it may be useful in the case of a surprise aquifer that was not marked on the region selection screen.

== Advantages of aquifers ==

It's worth noting that the presence of an aquifer, while challenging, does offer some slight advantages. Firstly, much of the area underground but above the aquifer will be sand, clay, or loam, all of which can be planted in without requiring any kind of irrigation or flooding, allowing farming to get under way quicker and with less stress. Additionally, the presence of water 3-4 z-levels below ground anywhere on the map makes placing [[well]]s a simpler task, as well as ensuring easy access to subterranean water supplies.

== General Tips ==
*Tunnels dug directly below an aquifer will flood. Go down another level before you ruin all that hard work you spent getting through in the first place.
*Smoothing an aquifer wall will make it stop leaking water. This is especially useful when you are trying to get through with a pump. A tunnel directly below a smoothed aquifer tile will not flood. Digging through the smoothed wall tile will cause it to leak water again until you have completely dug out the tile.
*An aquifer wall will not leak water diagonally; it will only add water to tiles directly north/south/east/west.
{{World}}

40d:Aquifer

2008-06-21T07:47:20Z

Orborde:

An '''aquifer''' is a subterranean layer of water-bearing rock or [[soil]]. Attempts to mine through them will result in the mined-out squares immediately filling with [[water]], effectively halting excavation at or below their level. This, in conjunction with the fact that they are often located in areas rich in [[loam]], and [[sand]], makes it difficult to find great quantities of [[stone]] in areas with aquifers, making for more challenging gameplay.

== Where they are found ==
Aquifers are found in soil layers and some porous rock layers.

Layers which CAN contain aquifers:
*[[Soil|sandy clay loam]]
*[[Soil|silty clay loam]]
*[[Soil|loam]]
*[[Soil|sandy loam]]
*[[Soil|silt loam]]
*[[Soil|loamy sand]]
*[[Soil|silt]]
*[[sand]]
*[[Soil|yellow sand]]
*[[Soil|white sand]]
*[[Soil|black sand]]
*[[Soil|red sand]]
*[[Soil|peat]]
*[[Soil|pelagic clay]]
*[[Soil|calcareous ooze]]
*[[Soil|siliceous ooze]]
*[[sandstone]]
*[[conglomerate]]

Layers which CAN'T contain aquifers
*[[Soil|clay]]
*[[Soil|silty clay]]
*[[Soil|sandy clay]]
*[[Soil|clay loam]]
*[[siltstone]]
*[[mudstone]]

== Dealing with aquifers ==

The challenges presented by an aquifer may be circumvented in several ways. Firstly, much more of your equipment will likely be made from [[wood]], especially early on, so it may help to be in a heavily forested area. Once you've established your fortress a bit, you will also be able to [[trade]] for stone and [[metal]]s if you run short.

It is also worth noting that it sometimes possible to find some amount of stone above the aquifer. It may help to create exploratory shafts searching for pockets of stone. Be aware that mining along the level immediately above the aquifer will result in patches of 'damp stone,' which will flood if mined out; these squares will flash with water when designating mining areas.

===The ore method===
On maps where the aquifer is not held in a layer of soil, but instead is held in a [[sedimentary layer]] such as [[sandstone]], it may be possible to tunnel down through deposits of [[ore]] such as [[magnetite]]. For this to work you have to find a spot where there is coincidentally an ore deposit on each Z-level you need to dig through. This is only possible through tiresome trial and error, or through the use of a [[Utilities|utility]] like reveal.exe.

===The magma method===
If you have access to a supply of [[magma]], you can create your own [[obsidian]] caissons. The water from the aquifer is not pressurized and magma is chunky, so it is safe to dig [[channel]]s in aquifer. Though you will have to re-dig a lot of channels due to an element of chance, you can create a pool of magma on the aquifer z-level, and then pinch the pool off from the supply of magma with water. When it cools (which you can hasten with more water) you can dig down through the middle of a 3x3 patch of obsidian without flooding. With larger starting patches, you can dig through multiple levels of aquifer.

===The other magma method===
Magma vents have two outer layers that may allow you to get past the aquifer with minimal effort. Just outside the magma is a layer of obsidian, which cannot be an aquifer. Just outside the obsidian is a layer of the surrounding aquifer that has been dried by the magma vent. Depending on the exact layout of your magma vent, you may be able to dig straight down next to it, or you may have to dig around a bit to find a workable path.

Tips:
*With a visible magma shaft, any tile that is not touching the magma on its Z-level (by edge or corner) is safe from magma, even if there is magma directly above it.
*Any tile which is not marked as damp is safe from the aquifer, even if there is a damp tile next to it.
*To find the water-safe tiles, you can dig down [[stair]]cases on the [[floor]] above, which reveal the tile below. These can later be covered up by constructed floors, if you want.
**'''Warning:''' Do not dig up staircases on the aquifer layer until you know the tile is safe from water. Digging an up staircase creates an open tile, which can fill with water and render adjacent squares unsafe.
*The dried tiles are the same type as the surrounding aquifer, so an aquifer-filled sand layer can be used for gathering sand, if it touches the magma vent.

===The pump method===
It is possible to [[pump]] the water out of an aquifer; though the supply is apparently unlimited it can be pumped out faster than the water seeps in, allowing for a fairly safe area on the z level. This method is somewhat dangerous since problems with your pumps can lead to drowning, however, it allows a larger area to be cleared than most methods and can be done anywhere. It's possible to build [[wall]]s on the levels with aquifers to stop water. It's also easier to plan around a series of pumps than hoping you'll hit rock on the way down.
There is an example of how to get through an aquifer with pumps here: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-120-aquifercmv
Note that this method will not work with the current version, as it is no longer possible to pump an infinite amount of water into one tile. It can be modified, however, by placing channels behind the pumps so that the water drains back into the aquifer.

It is possible to expand this method to breach multiple z-levels. Just make sure your room on the next level down has a minimum of room allowed for this design. For areas larger than the design, break up the room into smaller areas (6x6 is reasonably workable) and pump them out one at a time from at least three sides (into another section when necessary, you only need one dry at a time), and building walls on the outer edges. As you pump out additional sections, you can connect them, digging through the dividing dirt walls and building a wall between the two sections you've already built to complete the water-proofing. As a note, pumps can't pump if you build a wall in the space they're pumping from, which is why it is necessary to either pump from all four sides, or to dig out the space to rewall.

===The ice method===
There is a simple method of getting past an aquifer although it is restricted to a small shaft down, and not possible on all maps.
You will need:
*9 pieces of material suitable for crafting [[Wall|Walls]] and floors.
*1 [[Carpenter]] or [[Mason]] (depending on your wall's building material of choice)
*1 [[Miner]] (using multiple miners runs the danger of one miner digging a channel on the floor another is standing on!*)[Fixed in .33f]
*A map which freezes

Steps:
#Dig channels in a 5x5 square.
#Dig stairs on the outside of the square to allow access to the next level.
#Carefully dig channels underneath all the other channels and build another stair down.
#Continue down in this way until you're right above the water table.
#Dig channels around a central square.
#Wait for the water to freeze.
#The outer-most blocks of ice on the aquifer level will prevent the inner block from being damp.
#Dig a central set of stairs which will allow you to go through the aquifer level and access the levels below.
#If the map will warm up, make sure to surround the stairwell on the aquifer level with walls.
#This system can be expanded to allow for a bigger stairwell.

Diagram:
*<tt>C</tt> - channel
*<tt>G</tt> - grate
*<tt>W</tt> - wall
*<tt>X</tt> - up/down stairs
*<tt>></tt> - down stair
*<tt><</tt> - up stair
*<tt>I</tt> - Ice/water
*<tt>F</tt> - Floor

Surface level:
<pre>
CCCCC
CCCCC
CCCCC>
CCCCC
CCCCC
</pre>
Intermediate levels:
<pre>
CCCCC
CCCCC
CCCCCX
CCCCC
CCCCC
</pre>
Aquifer level + 1:
<pre>
CCCCC
CCCCC
CC>CF<
CCCCC
CCCCC
</pre>
Aquifer level:
<pre>
IIIII
IWWWI
IWXWI
IWWWI
IIIII
</pre>

===The cave-in method===
If you cause the soil layers above the aquifer to cave-in on the aquifer layer, the caved-in layers above the aquifer will become mineable.

===Differing biomes===
If your local area has more than one [[biome]], you may be able to dig down in one biome to bridge under an aquifer in another. This won't work if the aquifer is present in all biomes, of course, but it may be useful in the case of a surprise aquifer that was not marked on the region selection screen.

== Advantages of aquifers ==

It's worth noting that the presence of an aquifer, while challenging, does offer some slight advantages. Firstly, much of the area underground but above the aquifer will be sand, clay, or loam, all of which can be planted in without requiring any kind of irrigation or flooding, allowing farming to get under way quicker and with less stress. Additionally, the presence of water 3-4 z-levels below ground anywhere on the map makes placing [[well]]s a simpler task, as well as ensuring easy access to subterranean water supplies.

=== General Tips ===
*Tunnels dug directly below an aquifer will flood. Go down another level before you ruin all that hard work you spent getting through in the first place.
*Smoothing an aquifer wall will make it stop leaking water. This is especially useful when you are trying to get through with a pump. A tunnel directly below a smoothed aquifer tile will not flood.
*An aquifer wall will not leak water diagonally; it will only add water to tiles directly north/south/east/west.
{{World}}

40d:Smoothing

2008-06-21T05:48:01Z

Orborde: /* Note */

'''Smoothing''' walls will increase the value of [[rooms]] and change their appearance to that of rooms with rough-hewn walls. It is done by dwarves with the [[Stone Detailing]] skill.
Smooth walls are also needed if you wish to [[engrave]] walls to further increase the room's value, or to carve a [[Fortification|fortification]]. Smoothed walls look similar to manually constructed [[wall]]s and they join neatly with corners, t-junctions and straight bits. A single smoothed rock will appear as a pillar until joined to adjacent walls.

== Smoothing a wall ==
# Press {{K|d}} to open the designate menu.
# Press {{K|s}} to select "Smooth Stone".
# Move the cursor to a position on or near a wall and press {{K|enter}}.
# The spot you marked changes to a blinking green "+" indicating where the area you wish to smooth extends from.
# Move the cursor to any position, across the area you wish to smooth and then press {{K|enter}} again.
# The wall tiles in the area you defined should blink with a white regular pattern.
# Wait for a dwarf to smooth the stone on the walls.

== Note ==
*When selecting the area to smooth, there's no highlighting of that area, like when you designate where to mine. You have to image the rectangle stretching from the green + to the cursor position yourself, otherwise the action is the same.
*You cannot smooth soil, such as silt, clay, loam, peat or sand. However, unlike previous versions, metal ores and other valuable stones can be smoothed.
*Smoothing a muddy floor will remove the mud - it is therefore a bad idea to smooth your underground farm.
*Smoothing an aquifer wall will cause it to stop leaking water.

[[Category:Designations]]