Map: http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-2856-sungate
Download Save: http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=206
Allow me to explain.
I started this baby way back when 33b was the new thing. I have worked on it off and on ever since then, watching it run ever slower as the object count increased.
I did cheat a little. I turned off sieges, artifacts, and all that nonsense. I upped the dwarf speed to 1 and turned off feelings when they started to tantrum. I still let them sleep, eat, and drink, though, and I never cheated in reactions to generate building materials.
The whole thing (above ground, anyway) is made from marble blocks. The marble was mined from below and then carved into blocks by hand by my faithful dwarf minions. Underground I continued the pyramid shape and smoothed all the stone floors.
I didn't do everything I planned to, because my computer started to choke. It now takes me about ten minutes to open the save, and fifteen to save it again (less if I just rebooted my computer, but seriously, how often can I be expected to do that?). See my points of interest on the map for explanations of some of these things.
I now consider it as close to complete as it will ever get, at least by my hands. My computer can't handle it anymore, and honestly, I'm sick of looking at the damned thing. But I think I should get some sort of prize for completing it after all this time. Like, money or something, right?
A note of warning! I finished it on my old version, 33d, and the save had a bug or two. When I upgraded from 33b to 33d, I stopped getting immigrants and caravans, and my dwarfs stopped having babies. (This is one reason I never upgraded it again). I did import the save to 38c, though, and it runs okay, though I didn't spend much time with it. You may be best off abandoning and reclaiming it to do any further work.
The most important thing about this pyramid is that someone uses it. I promised to build it a long time ago, and everyone was promising all kinds of cool stuff for it, but it's been a while and I'm frightened that all my work will be for naught. So please, if your computer can handle it, build me something beautiful! Make murals, create an adventurer's nightmare with booby traps, or just turn it into a thriving civilization, but use it, please, for the love of Armok, use it!
Location:
(http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8159/000locationvy7.gif)
Shot of how many blocks were in use, about 90% of the way through construction:
(http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/2083/002blockseg2.gif)
Well done.
Now, go do something with it! It's got all the ore and wood and coal and gems and obviously stone that you could ever want!
:D
quote:
I upped the dwarf speed to 1 and turned off feelings when they started to tantrum. I still let them sleep, eat, and drink, though ...
To build a giant pyramid huh? This sounds like the slave challenge to me...
Very impressive though!
quote:
Originally posted by polecat:
<STRONG>would you take a picture of it with the 3dwarf utility?</STRONG>
This thing is HUGE, so huge that the default view distance in 3dwarf cuts it off. So huge that 3dwarf was chugging just trying to render everything. sheesh.
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b98/Erwin_Rommel/pyramid1x.jpg)
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b98/Erwin_Rommel/pyramid2x.jpg)
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b98/Erwin_Rommel/pyramid3x.jpg)
the entire surface should be covered in ramps, to make a smooth pyramid.
It would be epic win... well, more so.
Oh hell! and make the top 2 or 3 layers be coated in gold or silver!
Like the pyramid of Giza :D
[ June 06, 2008: Message edited by: MuonDecay ]
Also, what's the max possible height we can build at in fortress mode?
Also, how are your hands? If they're cramped and sore, I can suggest some helpful exercises to ease the tendons.
quote:You can build floors at the highest z-level. Walls you can build only one level below.
Originally posted by Poltifar:
<STRONG>Also, what's the max possible height we can build at in fortress mode?</STRONG>
Of Legendary Awesomeness!
I'm afraid my PC won't be able to handle this baby either. Never play bigger than 4x4 for FPS's sake
You see, I have two cores... which, as far as DF is concerned, is worse than one.
Le sigh.
quote:
Originally posted by Fedor:
<STRONG>That is, by a very long way, the most massive DF construction I've ever come across, and probably the largest ever built. I certainly hope - very much hope - that you did not place the blocks one-by-one, but had some sort of automation going, like a macro or utility.
</STRONG>
I did, in fact, place them one-by-one, no macros or utilities used whatsoever.
And my hands do hurt. That's why it took so damned long to build the thing.
Thanks for all the feedback, guys. This is worth the many hours of my life I put into my masterpiece!
Now I'm gonna go play a regular fortress, like a somewhat sane person.
quote:Righto. You don't want to ignore that hurt - it can cause serious problems if not addressed.
Originally posted by Sappho:
<STRONG>I did, in fact, place them one-by-one, no macros or utilities used whatsoever.
And my hands do hurt. That's why it took so damned long to build the thing.</STRONG>
Whenever my hands cramp up or become sore, I perform a pair of exercises.
1) Stretch your arms straight out in front of you. Make fists. Turn fists downwards, stretching the top tendons. Hold for about 45-60 seconds.
2) Stretch your arms straight out in front of you. Spay your hands wide. Turn them upwards, stretching the bottom tendons. Hold for about 45-60 seconds.
Do not force the stretch excessively. Do not bounce or jerk - maintain a steady stretch. Do three repetitions, twice a day. If problem persists for more than a week or becomes worse, see a professional.
Ow.
One great thing about this is if you look into the subterranean areas you get a magnificent display of how DF generates the location and shape of stone.
quote:
Originally posted by zagibu:
<STRONG>The pyramid is fail. The second lowest step is shorter than the rest.</STRONG>
Gah, I was hoping no one would notice that! I somehow miscalculated and didn't realize it until it was all done. And I wasn't about to go fix it, for obvious reasons. Good catch!
Again, thanks for all the positive comments. I keep trying to get into a regular DF game, but I think I'm a little burnt out for now. Maybe I should give it some time.
quote:
Originally posted by Ghostpaw:
<STRONG>Hmm. Want to try building the forbidden city next time?</STRONG>
I have really really really been thiking about ath one........
just gotta get the whole living above ground only thing down pat first...:P
EDIT: Okay, just loaded the game onto my current laptop (not the crysis capable one. I go this one on sale for a little under $400), and I looked around to get a feel of the map with my own eyes, I set the game to go thinking I'll get framerates of 5 or so (the current standard on my maps being 10-13), I let her rip, and.......
I'm rocking Framerates of 35?!?!?!?!?1/
Now before I continue, I wanna try to figure out:
I hardly modified my current setting from the vanilla (I added the framerates icon and got rid of the music and the videos), and I'm maintaining framerates in the 30s.
Now here's my questions:
If you had your game modified to maximize framerate, would it matter if the map was transferred to my computer? As in, would the settings maximized for framerate transfer over.
How in the nine hells did your economy work? I may have missed it, but I'm still looking for a trade depot, let alone crafts for you to ship out.
....crud, I had a nother good question, but I guess it'll have to wait.
[ June 11, 2008: Message edited by: monzill ]
EDIT: Okay, I found the crafts, sorry bout that, I see that you can't get a caravan in so I assume some camel jockeys run into the ground floor.
Now how would one go about building things inside the upper layers of the pyramid? I've seen depots of goods and I wanted to set up a housing area but the entire area couldn't have walls built due to the space being taken. So what would one do there?
[ June 11, 2008: Message edited by: monzill ]
There was no economy. I set the dwarves to not need food or drink or to think or feel, so there was no need for an economy, which was good because I caught a bug after upgrading from 33b to 33d and never got a caravan or immigrants again.
As for building, you can deconstruct floors where you need to build walls, and thinks like workshops and whatnot can be built right on top of the artificial floors.
Let me know if you do anything cool with this! After all the work I put into it, I'll be disappointed if it goes to waste.
10 high 7 broad, with 5 broad walkingspace ontop?
There's only one spot of water on the map, about 2 wide, 1 deep. I piss puddles bigger than that. I think a waterfalls is out of the question