v0.31 Talk:Well

Through a stairway or ramp

Is this confirmed? I've built a well over a downward ramp and it seems to be working fine. Haruspex Pariah 02:04, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Just confirmed that it works through a ramp, but not through a stairwell --Kuroneko 02:49, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

When you say it works through a ramp, do you mean it can reach the bottom part of the ramp through the top one, or do you mean it can reach below the bottom part of the ramp? VengefulDonut 03:27, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

I don't really understand your question, but where the ramp points upward it is sharing space with the water source. The source is only a square deep. Haruspex Pariah 03:33, 15 April 2010 (UTC)

Yes, the tile above a ramp counts as open space. You can build wells, grates, hatches etc on downward ramps, even if there's water below.

Yes, a well will work over top of a ramp. Ramps act like an empty tile with a special function applied. So if all you have is a hole in the ground with a ramp in it, full of water, the well will still work there. But because a ramp requires ground to be built upon, you can't dig out anywhere below said ramp, so you can't exactly have much of a reservoir if you do that. Basically all it means is that having a ramp at the bottom of your well does nothing to the functionality of a well. But staircases still interrupt functionality should they be at or above the water level. --Kydo 15:05, 13 October 2010 (UTC)

Can creatures come up through wells?

I've just created a fortress the bowels of a cavern - the only way to make a well would be to siphon some water from the bottom of it.. I don't want any Giant Olm's or anything rushing up through my well :P What I'll do for now is place some bars in the tunnel that leads under the well to the water. But for future reference, can anyone tell me if a creature has ever come up through their well?

Yes, it can happen, but only under certain circumstances. If you put two sets of bars or two fortifications in the passage, that'll stop creatures from getting into your reservoir. Mind you, if you use a pump/stack, you won't need to worry about that. As for creatures getting out of the wells, I've never had that happen in any of my fortresses. I'm certain it's possible if your well has a staircxase or some other escape method and an amphibious creature from the deeps or some zombified fish got in, but I've never done anything that would allow such things access to my well. And the water level in my wells is rarely right to the top. (That cuts it too close, as far as flooding potential goes, in my mind) --Kydo 15:04, 13 October 2010 (UTC)

At least as of .12 and later, bars, grates, and fortifications all turn the well to 'Dry'. Probably because they all block the bucket. Also, a pumpstack isn't feasible if your ground water is an expanse below many z-levels of open space. Uzu Bash 02:40, 16 October 2010 (UTC)

I meant in the filling passage, the aqueduct, leading to the well. Not inside the well itself. Look, just go to my user page and look at the work I'm doing on the well guide. You'll see what I mean. --Kydo 07:24, 16 October 2010 (UTC)

Non-freezing wells?

How do you make a well so that it doesn't freeze in winter?

You put it underground. Also, sign your comments. --Quietust 02:07, 8 October 2010 (UTC)

Verified Well Fishers

Because a well is not an obstructing object, it's possible to designate a well as a fishing zone. The game basically reads it as a fancy hole in the ground full of water. Fisherdwarves can and will fish from a well, which could be a good thing if the well is over some underground water source. However, the water level must be right up under the well, or the available tiles for fishing will be reduced to 0. --Kydo 15:04, 13 October 2010 (UTC)

Muddy water from a well.

I had a well built about 100 levels above 1 level-deep underground pools and the water from these was always "muddy" when used to clean hospital patients (It was muddy already in the bucket on its long you-may-die-of-thirst-waiting-long way up). Water from a 2 levels-deep water source was never "muddy". It may be related to "muddy floor" of the tile the bucket reaches to fill with water. It may have a minor effect on thirsty dwarven thoughts and infection chances. Some dedicated experiments may clarify this more.--Another 17:50, 16 October 2010 (UTC)