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[ZombieRacoon]

I have a map where the southern half is all lake, and the northern half is a mix of sand and woody grasslands.  I can't remember off-hand, but I think my region is temperate.

Does anyone know:

a) will a lake that is not fully enclosed within my game map freeze over in winter?  Or does the whole perimiter of the lake have to be within my map for this to happen?  Is there a limit to the size of lake that might freeze?

b) Can I build structures on a frozen lake, and if I do, what happens when the lake thaws?  If I just build walls will they collapse?  If I lay floors first will it then be okay?  How about if I make sure at least one wall or floor is adjacent to the ground next to the lake?  Am I best off taking the opportunity of the frozen lake to build some support legs on the lake-bed first, then building stuff on top of those on the surface of the frozen lake?

I have an amusing project in mind, but can't play around at the moment cos I'm at work, and yet my excitement has led to this awfully waffly post.  Apologies.

[BurnedToast]

Yes the lake will freeze if the map is temperate (and if the lake biome is too, lakes sometimes are warmer then the surrounding biome). They usually take a little longer then other water in my experience so don't panic if it does not freeze the instant winter hits.

You can build stuff on the frozen lake... and I have no idea what happens when it thaws but I assume it's the same as a cave-in and buildings get destroyed and dump the materials to the bottom.

If you are going to build on the lake connected to the shore, you can just build floors off the shore and those count as support. If you want to build an island, then yes you should build supports first - be careful though, lakes seem to thaw a bit faster too so do it quick so you don't drown your dwarves.

[GreyMario]

Actually, if you hollow out a building in a frozen lake, it will collapse along with all the walls. Building on top of the ice, however, it'll just collapse.