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v0.31:Water
| This article is about an older version of DF. |
Water is a fluid found all over the world. It Template:L from mountain springs, forming the world's Template:Ls, Template:Ls, Template:Ls, and Template:Ls. Water falls as Template:L and Template:L, and freezes into Template:L. Water is home to a variety of Template:L. Many creatures can Template:L in deep water. Air-breathing creatures that are submerged in water can Template:L in it. Water comes in two varieties: freshwater, which makes up almost all inland water, and saltwater, which fills the seas. In this version, some brooks and murky pools can be saltwater even if the fortress site is partially mountainous. It is not known if this is a bug. To tell the difference, attempt to set up a drinking zone including some of the water in question. If there are zero tiles of water source available, the water is saltwater.
In the new system mud is now a Template:L which is created any time water covers an area. Any tiles that contain mud may be used for Template:L.
Water is displayed with the symbols ≈ and ~, sometimes colored different blues, and white, showing ripples. Water can also take on other colors indicating Template:L such as blood, ichor, or goo. (The game can be Template:L to show the depth instead).
Dark-colored water symbols indicate the water is one Template:L below the camera level. Water has 7 depth levels per tile, with 1 being a shallow puddle, and 7 filling the tile completely. Template:L can safely walk through water up to a depth of 4. Dwarves finding themselves in water at a depth of 5 or greater are at risk of drowning unless they are skilled at Template:L.
Evaporation
Evaporation occurs when water or Template:L is at a depth of 1/7. In hot or scorching environments Template:L can sometimes evaporate at greater depths as well. Any fluids that evaporate are gone forever.
Flow
Water and Template:L are both Template:L which are constantly trying to Template:L into adjacent tiles until they have filled all available space or until they run out of fluid. Fluids technically move in 9 directions: down, and to the sides. Fluids cannot move diagonally up or down. Fluids at a depth of 1/7 no longer attempt to move unless they can move down. Fluids under Template:L can appear to travel upward until the pressure equalizes, though in reality they are moving downward and/or sideways relative to their source.
If the flow is strong enough, it can move objects such as dwarfs, pets, stones, weapons or corpses.
Fluids in Dwarf Fortress acts like a fairly thick, viscous material. This makes it possible to do highly implausible things like Template:L out a dry hole in the middle of a Template:L or Template:L.
Sourced Water
Water that comes from Template:Ls, Template:Ls, Template:Ls, Template:Ls or springs is considered to be sourced water. Any sourced water is an endless supply of water that can never run dry, although it can freeze for part of the year in colder biomes.
When using sourced water you should strongly consider installing Template:Ls and be aware of how Template:L works or you could easily end up Template:Ling your fortress and having a lot more Template:L than anticipated.
Salt Water
Dwarves can not use salt water until it has been desalinated; while healthy dwarves will always prefer to drink Template:L, they may resort to drinking water if they are forced to drink the same variety for too long, and wounded dwarves can only be given water to drink.
To check to see if water is salty, use the (i) menu to see if the game shows the pond/pool as a water source. If the "water source (x)" is (0), then the source is salty. If not, then your dwarves will drink it.
A Template:L can be used to desalinate water, but the fresh water produced must be stored in a cistern made entirely out of constructed walls and floors. A smoothed floor does not count and is considered to be natural stone. If the water touches any natural stone or dirt it will instantly revert the entire reservoir back to salt water. Note that you will need a Template:L to access the cistern as a water source. Since the old 40d method of using a Template:L to desalinate water still works in 0.31, building a well over the nearest natural water source is also sufficient. When embarking in a salt water biome, it may be worthwhile to bring along a rope, a bucket, and two stone to ensure that you have the necessary equipment for building a well.
If your embark area contains multiple biomes, you may not have to build a cistern. If an aqueduct carries fresh water to a part of the map that is not a saltwater biome, you can simply keep the water in a hewn reservoir. Furthermore, subterranean lakes may also be non-salinated.
Contaminants
Contaminants that get into water currently can do very strange things. A pool of blood that gets covered by water will be pushed out of the water as the water flows creating more pools of blood at the edge of the water. Overflowing a large reservoir that contains contaminants of blood will generate a large amount of blood very quickly. This behavior is thought to be a bug.