User:Altaree

I am working on my 4th fort right now. I enjoy long walks through dark mines, the hot glow of a magma workshop, butchering cats, and enabling the flooding of my entrance tunnel. And that one is done. Now onto dig deeper.

I have started using a couple of standard areas.

Killing room

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▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓
▓	,	,	,	,	╬	,	,	,	▓
▓	,	,	,	,	╬	,	,	,	▓
▓	,	,	,	,	╬	,	,	,	▓
▓	,	.	╥	.	╬	,	,	,	▓
▓	▓	▓	╨	▓	▓	▓	+	▓	▓

There is a pit covered by a retractable bridge above this. Raise the drawbridge, pit the bad guys into the left side, and then have your archers on the right side. Easy training!

Outside Fort Design

Around my main entrance there is a wall creating an outdoor courtyard (kill zone). The entrance is: drawbridge over a moat, through two towers, over some traps, and into the mountain entrance. One level above the ground the two entrance towers are connected into an archer gallery. The fortifications up there only point into the courtyard, firing on the attackers backs. Right next to the killzone is an atom smasher in a garbage hole for the loin clothes and socks.

Filling a pipe with water

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▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	*	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓
▓	▓	▓	.	%	%	_	.	▓	▓	▓
_	_	_	_	+	_	+	_	_	_	_

This is a picture from the side of the water in take. 1) the lower level is a channel with 2 lever operated doors/floodgates. The doors are to allow unpowered flow and are optional. 2) the middle channel has a pump pulling from the left and pushing to the right. This can be hand powered or have a gear attached on the top. There is one floor beyond the outflow of the pump. Make sure this is constructed floor to prevent mushroom trees. 3) Yup, that is a gear above the solid part of the pump. This allows you to pump without opening a hole into the side of the pump's channel. Build the pump and wall it in.

This design allows you to quickly move water down a pipe at a known pressure, allow normal flow in and out, and use either machine or dwarf power. I have also used this setup:

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▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓
▓	▓	▓	.	%	%	_	.	▓	▓	▓
.	.	.	.	▓	*	▓	.	.	.	.
▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	║	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓
▓	▓	▓	▓	▓	║	▓	▓	▓	▓	▓

It is powered from below!