Editing 40d:Construction

{{quality|Exceptional|15:54, 29 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
Any object that is normally fashioned out of a naturally-occurring ("rough-hewn") wall can also be built on a completely empty tile as a '''construction'''.  This includes [[stair]]s, [[ramp]]s, [[fortification]]s, and new (dwarf-constructed) [[wall]]s and [[floor]]s.  

Although "built", constructions are '''not''' the same as [[building]]s (such as [[workshop]]s and [[furniture]]), instead functioning as inert terrain objects.  Once built, you cannot interact with constructions via the {{k|q}} or {{k|t}} menus (although you can suspend or cancel their construction via these keys).

To build a construction, type {{k|b}}-{{k|C}}.  A construction can be built out of any type of [[stone]], [[block]]s, [[bar]]s, or [[wood]], and requires a [[mason]] if made out of stone, glass, or soap, a [[carpenter]] if made out of wood, or any kind of [[metalsmith]] if made out of [[metal]].

Constructions behave the same as objects fashioned out of natural rock, although the manner in which they are removed is different and they '''cannot''' be smoothed or engraved (even if built out of stone).  Stairs and ramps made from natural rock are removed via "Remove Up Stairs/Ramps" ({{k|d}}-{{k|z}}); non-constructed walls and fortifications must be [[mining|mined]] out ({{k|d}}-{{k|d}}); and natural floors are removed by digging a [[channel]] ({{k|d}}-{{k|h}}).  However, all ''constructed'' objects of any type are removed via "Remove Construction" ({{k|d}}-{{k|n}}).  No specific [[labor]] is required to remove a construction, regardless of what labor was required to build it: even [[children]] and [[noble]]s can and will remove constructions (in fact they do so with glee).

Building a construction on a smoothed or additionally engraved floor will remove the smoothing (see removal behavior) and also the engraving. This will give the engraver the usual unhappy thought from art defacement in the case of a masterful engraving.

The most valuable material constructions can be made from, apart from [[adamantine]] wafers (worth 1500☼ each), is [[soap]] made from the tallow of a [MODVALUE:50] creature such as a dragon, which is worth 1250☼ a bar.

== Strange removal behavior ==

Once a constructed wall or floor is built, then removed, the remaining floor changes to reflect the base rock of the tile, rather than any stone, ore or [[gem]] vein. For instance, if you were to build a wall on a square of a mined-out [[hematite]] seam within a [[basalt]] rock layer, then remove the wall construction, the floor underneath would become basalt, rather than the original hematite.
More to it, if the floor was smoothed, it will become rough again, and engravings will not return.

One can use this behavior to their advantage in the removal of immovable [[boulder]]s outside without having to leave smooth stone behind. By building a wall on top of a boulder and then removing the wall, the boulder will be destroyed.

Performing these steps on the bottom layer of ice on a [[glacier]] will result in a random type of [[soil]]; doing so on above-ground cast [[obsidian]] will result in a floor whose material is that of the topmost layer of the biome (usually soil, though likely stone in a [[mountain]] biome).

== Priority - LIFO ==

Construction jobs are filled in order of "'''L'''ast '''I'''n, '''F'''irst '''O'''ut" (aka '''LIFO'''), also known as a stack (as opposed to a queue).  As such, if you order new construction, workers will attempt to complete those constructions ''before'' proceeding to address other, previously designated constructions. Note that if a dwarf has begun to work on a tile, they will not abandon it to work on another (but might to take a [[On break|break]], etc.)

(The trick, therefore, is to designate what you want to be built last ''first'', and designate your high-priority, urgent constructions ''last''.  If you wish to make more designations before a priority project is finished, remove those priority designations and then re-designate your highest priority constructions ''last''.)

'''See Also:'''
:* [[Removal]]
:* [[Mega construction]]

{{Category|Constructions}}