v0.34:Minecart

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v50.14 · v0.47 · v0.34.11 · v0.31 · v0.28 · v0.23 This article is about an older version of DF. More Info · V

A minecart is a tool used mostly for hauling. It is made of wood or metal at a carpenter's workshop or a metalsmith's forge. Minecarts store five times as many items as wheelbarrows, but have the disadvantage of requiring a dedicated track system along with micromanagement. Minecart tracks take up a lot of space, may be complicated to construct, and often will require substantial resources to complete. Since you can only engrave tracks in natural stone, minecart routes are especially expensive when built above-ground or in artificial structures.

The interface for selecting minecart usage can be accessed from the hauling menu.

Track

Tracks are carved with designations, with d T, or alternatively built from the construction section, with b C, in where you can not only build tracks (with T), but also build stops (with S). While engraved tracks can only be carved on natural stone floors, they are much more convenient and can be smoothed for refurbishing.

Engraved tracks have corners added automatically, while constructed tracks let you decide exactly what type of segment to build. Tracks can move up or down z-levels by means of ramps, but not stairs.

Any tracks, when constructed, will designate the square as a low-priority traffic order. This prevents dwarves from walking into a high-speed minecart.

Track stop

Place a track stop on a track that has already been carved or constructed to set friction and dump controls. In the b C S menu, set the friction level of the stop and/or if a cart should automatically dump out its contents at the stop. If set to dump, select the direction to dump in. Once you proceed to build the track stop, these settings cannot be seen or changed.

Use h to set up routes. This allows you to place route stops on top of the track stops themselves (or just the bare track). Place the route stops and assign the vehicle (minecart) that will be used. For each route stop, you can tell the dwarves exactly what items to take, where to take them from, when to transport them, etc.

Then set up the stockpiles nearby, link them accordingly, set up the give or not give so everything moves where you want, then wait for them to be guided or pushed!

A track stop is not needed in every tile that has a route stop; in fact, track stops are completely unnecessary to all basic minecart designs, rather being useful for automated designs. Track stops are commonly built at the beginning and end of a track.

Roller

A roller is built by a mechanic with one or more mechanisms and a rope in the b M menu by selecting r. Rollers must be powered, and they serve the purpose of moving a minecart without dwarf-power. Rollers may apparently be placed on ramps to help pull carts up Z levels. If minecart routes are set to push, rollers may be very useful to maintain the cart's momentum. Rollers are variable-length, variable-direction, and variable-power, all traits that can be set at construction time.

At the highest speed, a roller uses two units of power per tile it is long.

Physics

When pushed, minecarts will move along the track in a straight line, until they either run off the tracks or encounter a turn. Behavior at T-intersections has not yet been conclusively determined. This behaviour is not present if the minecarts are guided.

Some samples with behavior:

 A <-> B     A <-> C               A <-> B      
   B╥          B╥                     B╥
    ║           ║                      ║ 
A╞══╝       A╞══╩══╡C              A╞══╬╗
            You can only go A->B       ╚╝
  Works      when the cart           Works
             is in Guide mode.       

In the second example above, if you attempt to "Push" from B to A or C, the cart will go careening off of the tracks.

Hauling route

From the hauling menu, minecart routes can be set up, and stockpile links set.

Note that if you set up lots of routes and stops, the list will scroll off-screen in the hauling menu ^v0.34.08. You can still navigate the list with the arrow keys but cannot see the stop/route name.

Departure conditions

Departure conditions involve setting conditions in which the minecart will leave on the route. They may include the cart being full (storing as many items as it can), being a certain amount full and being idle for a while, or simply being idle for a long time.

Danger

Minecarts are not without danger. Although designating a track automatically sets the traffic designation to low, dwarves may still walk on them. If an unlucky dwarf fails to dodge a minecart, he or she can be injured. Most of this danger can be avoided by setting the minecart hauling commands to guide instead of push or ride.

Minecarts can careen off tracks. If this occurs, the items may be scattered; this can cause even more hauling jobs than the minecart aimed to eliminate.

Animals

Animals will ignore the automatic "Low" traffic order set by constructing minecart tracks, and will therefore tend to block minecarts. This can be bad for the animal if it fails to dodge the minecart and if the minecart is moving at a fast speed. Most of this problem is resolvable by pasturing the animals.

As an item

Minecarts are also a type of item, similar to wheelbarrows but unlike wagons, which are creatures. They are stored in a furniture stockpile. Although they hold five times the amount wheelbarrows do, they are not much larger: only four thirds as large. A no-quality minecart is identical in value to a no-quality wheelbarrow of the same material, however, the value may differ due to the item quality.