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40d:Swimmer
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| Job Title | Swimmer | |
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Swimmers can swim in water without drowning.
By moving carefully (alt+direction) into open space above water and selecting the option to move below (such as West/Below), then you can swim about without drowning. To get out, move carefully against a shoreline and select the option to move above. Swimmers can also dive and rise through the z-axis by pressing > and < respectively. Note that air-breathers will be unable to breathe without air in the tile above them.
It is trained by:
- Swimming.
- Drowning.
- Walking on an ocean wave.
Notable ways that it is not gained include:
- Crossing a brook.
To train swimming skill, find a pool of shallow water (preferably depth 4, which is safe) or a body of water with slopes (such as a lake). The speed of training seems to vary depending on the strength of the current; higher levels of water usually mean more current, and more pushing of your character around. Brooks count as ground tiles, you can't swim in them.
If an untrained or dabbling swimmer jumps into water, four things happen; they start drowning, they are stunned from the impact, they are forced into a prone position, and their movement speed is greatly reduced. The only way to get out of water is to use a ramp or stairway, and if neither are accessible, they're done for.
A novice swimmer is able to safely get out of water without needing a ramp or stairway, but they will panic in certain situations
Normal swimmers do not panic like novices do, so training to this level is highly recommended.
In adventure mode, water preference can be switched between "when possible" and "necessary" by pressing m.
If knocked into a pond or stream in adventure mode, it is possible to escape using (alt) and a direction key to move carefully onto the shore.
Drowning
If a creature is surrounded by a blue status icon, they are drowning. If they cannot reach air soon, they will die. Swimmers with a normal or above rank will simply be able to swim toward the nearest air supply. Swimmers of novice or below, however, will panic when they begin to drown, and will have to get out via ramp or stairway.
The following situations will make a novice swimmer panic:
- Falling into water from a height.
- Not having air in the tile above them.
The amount of weight a creature is carrying does not make them drown faster.
Swimming in Fortress Mode
The specifics are unknown at this point. It is assumed that dwarves with a normal rank or better will be able to swim up and to the surface.
A movie of fortress mode dwarves swimming up and out of a water chamber: Movie
Teaching your Dwarves to Swim
Or: Grov's Automated Dwarf-washing System.
For this, you'll need a waterfall - if you don't already have one, you can build one with a pump.
The first level is a room with a channel leading to a river. The pressure plate is set to trigger when the water level reaches 7, and is connected to the floor hatches. These then open, draining the water into...
The second level. This room should be set up as a meeting hall or booze stockpile, to ensure it always contains dwarves. Alternatively, you could draft your trainees into the military and station them here. Up to you. I went for the lazy option. The grates in the floor let the water drain before your dwarves drown.
The third level lets the water back into the river, post-waterfall.
The real beauty of this setup is that it not-only teaches your dwarves to swim, not only gives them a much needed wash, but will give them happy waterfall thoughts, too!
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Alternative Swimming Program
Build a large platform with drainage grates above a murky pool. Install pumps and pump water all over it. Then make it a barracks and get your dwarves to spar there. Your dwarves will gain swimming skill and be insulated against cave adaptation as they spar. And you will have to pump one fewer level, in case you don't like using the powered-pump exploit. It's also a way to use up some relatively useless real estate (if you simply sparred in the outside, your dwarves would trample the grass.) I haven't actually tried this yet but it should work.