Editing Ocean

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[[File:ocean_v50_preview.png|thumb|150px|right|Voted "#3 worst place to embark" in 78 AD.]]An '''ocean''' is an immense volume of [[Water#Salt water|salt water]]. Oceans are often bordered by [[sand|sandy beaches]], where [[driftwood]] can be found. [[Marsh]]es and [[swamp]]s also tend to form around oceanic coastlines, especially near [[river]]s. The land surrounding oceans also tends to have a high water table, resulting in [[aquifer]]s close to the surface.

[[File:arctic_ocean_v50_preview.png|thumb|150px|right|Best place to keep alcohol cold.]]Waves will periodically wash over the coast - the tiles will not get wet. However, if a wave washes over a ''staircase'', the floors below it will be slowly flooded. [[Cave moss]] will not grow in the mud left by salt water. The waves move over all natural tiles, and seem to move independently of constructed tiles like walls and floors. Be mindful not to carve away natural walls and allow tide to enter your fort, and cause excess slowdown. Sea walls can be built to block waves and protect beach areas, but need to be completely closed off to be effective. Waves also have a tendency to move items left on the beach, so it is inadvisable to place stockpiles too close to the shore—also beware that this effect means that dwarves can be knocked unconscious if hit by driftwood washed in from waves.

The ocean floor will be made up of entire layers of, or combinations of, the following:

Almost all tiles next to oceans have aquifers, which require fairly complicated schemes to sidestep. In addition, oceans are salt water resources, requiring desalination with a [[screw pump]] into a [[cistern]] to use for drinking. On the other hand, you have an inexhaustible source of water for fishing, drowning chambers, and so forth, as well as a spawning point for some very big and very meat-profitable [[creature]]s: [[sperm whale]]s, [[orca]]s, and the like.

In arctic oceans, with a by-definition [[Climate#Freezing|freezing]] climate, none of the aquatic vermin or creatures will be present when the water freezes over. This leaves only terrestrial and amphibious animals to appear, because they are able to live on land.

While by default it's impossible to [[embark]] in an ocean biome exclusively, [[DFHack]] offers an option to bypass this restriction. However, out of the three ocean biomes, only the arctic ocean can be feasibly embarked on, having a frozen surface year-round; although it is possible to choose a site that contains other oceanic biomes as well and expand over water or undeground. As it offers few resources, having only a thick layer of [[ice]] with deep [[water]] underneath it, surviving in this biome may prove to be very difficult, and should be reserved for a challenge only.

Alternatively, send in a sacrificial group for the first embark and allow the surface ice to cave in and kill everyone, then reclaim the site. This has the added quirk of creating solid ice all the way down to the ocean floor, which lowers the difficulty immensely.

The frozen surface of the ocean offers nothing but [[ice]] and salt water, therefore requiring you to bring all the necessary supplies with yourself. Here is a comprehensive list of what you will need:

* [[Sand]] - If your civilization has access to [[bituminous coal]] or [[lignite]], [[green glass]] is the most cost-efficient material to make items out of. If not, bring a lot of [[wood]] instead, as stone can be mined out of the ocean floor, assuming there is an area that is solid ice down to the bottom. [[Ice]] can also be used for construction.

* [[Brewing|Brewable]] [[fruit]]s - While [[booze]] can be chosen on embark, fruits give five times as much for the same price. In addition, choosing brewable items instead of booze will allow you the freedom to retire your fort if you so desire, as they won't get wasted instantly even if the game dumps them all out of their containers. They come up in bags but can't be brewed as such{{bug|7423}}, requiring you to dump them out beforehand. They can, however, be eaten by dwarves, requiring you to make a large supply of [[pot]]s early to brew all of them as soon as possible, or to forbid them so they won't be touched until you want them brewed. If you like to switch between fortresses via retire/unretire, brew sparingly so you don't waste the items, and forbid what you don't immediately need to use. Buy at least one of each type of booze at embark anyway, as they come in barrels, which you'll want for brewing.

* [[Wood]] - For [[bed]]s, because your dwarves have to sleep somewhere. Not recommended for anything else, because it may get damaged by low temperatures. If you do not have access to [[bituminous coal]] or [[lignite]], this is your main source of fuel until you find magma.

* [[Egg production|Poultry]] - An efficient and reliable food source. Eggs are laid in [[nest box]]es and have to be [[cooking|cooked]] to be edible. Can also be bred and slaughtered for [[meat]], [[tallow]], [[skin]], and [[bone]], which in turn can be used to craft crossbows, bolts, and basic armor.

* [[Milk]] - Comes in barrels and costs less than wood. Buy one of each type instead of buying logs for barrels to save a few points on embark. At z-level 101 or higher in arctic ocean biomes, milk freezes and remains usable even if dumped out by retiring; prepared meals with frozen milk as the solid ingredient likewise do not melt.

If you are using a sacrificial embark, you could stock it with a lot of food to give your real embark's animals time to multiply. You could then dig down to the rock layer at the bottom of the ocean and build a farm.

You could also build a well. If you dig deep enough, retiring and unretiring will cause your tunnels to fill with water. Furthermore, you do not need to choose a site that is wholly an arctic ocean biome. Pick a location with warmer waters as well as permanent ice, and you can have water for at least part of the year.