40d:Wall

A wall is a either a map tile or a construction that blocks access to creatures. The appearence of a constructed wall is similar to that of a smoothed wall but it works the same as any filled tile composed of mountain rock, clay or soil. Walls either occur naturally (e.g. a Rough-hewn Andesite Wall), or can be constructed. With constructed walls it is possible to create multi-level buildings such as towers complete with roofs by creating floors on the layer above. A wall fills the tile it is in and creates a walkable space above it.

Digging

As explained on the digging page, naturally occurring walls can be dug out using the designations dig command, or h channel command. These tasks are carried out by dwarves with the mining labor activated.

Natural walls can be designated for smoothing and engraving to improve the appearance and value of the wall. These tasks are carried out by dwarves with the stone detailing labor activated.

Construction

As of v0.28.181.39a, walls can be built en masse. To do this, use the build -> Construction -> wall command. The keys u,m,k and h are used to change size. (In earlier versions without this feature, constructions were placed as single tiles.) Walls may be built on any square which does not already contain a structure, provided your dwarves can reach an adjacent square. Diagonals can neither be built from, nor will they support constructions.

It is important to be careful when building around bridges. Dwarves consider constructions adjacent to bridges to be accessible for the purpose of building them, even though upon completion the wall will suddenly turn Wile E. Coyote and plummet in a cloud of dust, which can both directly injure any dwarves nearby and sweep them off the bridge and into oblivion.

Floors below and walls or floors up, down, left or right from a construction are the only ways to support one. Beware, as collapsing constructions will smash though every floor underneath them, even natural ones, until hitting a z-level occupied by solid stone or soil. Walls made of wood must be built by a carpenter, metal walls by any metalworker, and all other wall types (stone, charcoal, soap, etc.) use masonry.

Constructed walls cannot be engraved, but can be carved into fortifications (designate - carve fortifications). This is faster than deconstructing them, and they can still be deconstructed and then reconstructed to become walls again. If the floor under a wall is engraved, the engraving will be placed upon the wall, instead, and will be restored to its original position if the wall is deconstructed.

Normal walls are considered 'rough'. By using stone, wood, metal, or glass blocks, higher quality constructions can be built with increased value. This can be particularly important when trying to maximize the value of a noble's room. Carving blocks is a good way to train the masonry, carpentry, metalsmithing and glassmaking skills, as blocks have no quality modifier. Raw materials, on the other hand, are ideal for temporary or makeshift constructions as they can be taken down with no loss of resources, whereas blocks can only be used for construction.

Removing Walls

To remove a wall, open the designations menu and select n Remove Construction.

See also

• How do I construct a wall from a particular direction?

V · T · E Buildings
Workshops • Furnaces
Rooms	Barracks • Bedroom • Dining room • Jail • Meeting hall • Office • Sculpture garden • Tomb • Zoo
Furniture	Animal trap • Anvil • Armor stand • Bed • Bin • Bucket • Cabinet • Cage • Coffin • Container • Restraint • Seat • Statue • Table • Weapon rack
Access	Door • Floodgate • Bars • Grate • Floor hatch • Bridge • Road • Window
Constructions	Fortification • Floor • Stairs • Ramp • Wall
Machine & Trap parts	Axle • Gear assembly • Millstone • Screw pump • Water wheel • Windmill • Lever • Pressure plate • Trap • Support
Other Buildings	Archery target • Kennel • Shop • Siege engine • Trade depot • Wagon • Well
Related Articles	Design strategies • Bedroom design • Cave-in • Computing • Furniture industry