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v0.31:Mega construction
| This article is about an older version of DF. |
There comes a time in every dwarf's life when he says to himself - why not? ("Because it's insane" is not considered an automatic fail condition.) Be they magma waterfalls, huge castles, skyscrapers, great cathedrals, inverted pyramids, the Statue of Dwarferty (bonus points for magma eyes) - you can build anything!
While building a fully automated sacrificial temple to the dwarf god with magma-falls is quite an undertaking, the techniques are mostly the same as those to build a simple wall or tower, just putting one stone on top of or next to another - so we'll start there.
(And it's recommended you do too - start with some smaller projects, a defensive wall, and then some simple archer towers to secure your area, and build on your experience from there. It's very easy and frustrating to build a complete disaster. But fun is in the eyes of the player.) [1]
Even though those projects listed above may seem hard, they are all simply a combination of walls, floors, ramps, and mabye the occasional magma pump. We'll start you off at the basics, and leave you to have fun once you get started.
Basic Constructions
The building blocks of every sucessful fortress. While in combination they can produce insane constructions, even by themselves, they are useful. Want to build a bridge across that river? Maybe build a wall to keep the goblins at bay? Even just build an up/down stairway to get from level to level? You've used basic constructions!
Wall
Walls are built by the pressing of the b, C, and w keys, in that order. Walls are simply tiles where no one can walk, but can be walked on, provided you are one layer above the wall. You can build floors off of them and they can be used to close in buildings that are built outside, or even can be used to wall in your fortress from the outside. The cost of one wall is equal to one economic building material.
Floor
Floors are built by the pressing of the b, C, and f keys in that order. They can be walked on, but no constructions (eg. walls, ramps, etc...) can be built upon them. However, things such as beds and doors can be put upon floors. Building a floor above an open tile outside will designate that tile inside, so furniture could be placed there. The cost of one floor is equal to one economic building material.
Ramp
Ramps are built by the pressing of the b, C, and r keys in that order. They can be used to get from level to level of your fortress and are similar to stairwells. If a floor is built on top of the Z level the ramp is placed on, the ramp will not be usable. The cost of one ramp is equal to one economic building material.
Up/Down Stairwell
These are built by pressing the b, C, and x keys in that order. Up/Down stairs are most usefull inside of buildings/fortresses that span multiple Z levels. They are useful for replacing ramps in situations where space is more valuable. They can easily be stacked upon each other to become something like a grand staircase. The cost of one Up/Down stairwell is equal to one economic building material.
Fortifications
Fortifications are made by the pressing of the b, C, and F keys in that order. Your archerers are able to shoot thier bolts out of fortifications, but liquids and the ranged weapons of your enemies can also pass through, making fortifications a very fun addition to your fortress. However, used correctly, they can be rather useful and productive to your "sucessful" fortress. Fortifications are best used to protect your archerers from the melee attacks of your enemies, while the archerers shoot out thier bolts unharmed. The cost of one Fortification is equal to the cost of one economic building material.
Mega Construcions
Mega constructions, also deemed megaprojects, can incoporate almost anything, whether it be beneficial to the fortress or not. The definiton of a "mega construction" will vary by user. Visit the page DF2010:Megaprojects for some ideas.
Challenges
Challenges are when you decide to hinder make your fortress more interesting (and fun!) by imposing restrictions on what you can do.
Challenges have thier own page.
Notes
[2] Magmawiki Link to 40d Mega Construction Page