Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Ruttiger]

I read somewhere that if you have multiple screw pumps with water source that feed into each other, that you'll get more water coming out than going in.  Lately I've read all the wiki articles on screw pumps and water physics but cannot find even a mention.  Can someone confirm or deny this?

[LeoLeonardoIII]

The wiki sometimes changes to reflect new information. But it sometimes retains old information that's not in the current version. I think I recall seeing this in the wiki before.

I've never noticed pumps producing more water than they take in, but I haven't experimented with a closed system to find out for sure.

I know you can make infinite water using the U-bend bug. Just put a floodgate above bend so you can stop the world from flooding.

[Dadamh]

I've seen it mentioned, but I dunno.  Is the u-bend bug as simple as making a u-bend with water on one side?

[BurnedToast]

I never figured out what the U-bend bug was, every U-bend I ever made worked like you would expect it to, and I never got any permaflooding.

I think pumps might suck up any amount of water (even 1/7) and spit out 7/7 but I'm not sure. I've never really tested it, but when I think about it it seems that they keep spitting out the same amount of water even after the source is almost drained. I'll check it out next time I start a fort that has water (current fort is in the middle of a desert).

[Lord Dullard]

I believe the problem to which you are referring occurs if you, for example, pump water on to an area several Z-levels above your infinite water source, then drop it back down and have it rejoin the source.

I think the problem is that infinite water sources don't 'absorb' water at the same rate they produce it, and therefore you'll end up flooding the world.

[Kagus]

I believe the U-bend bug (I was never brave enough to attempt making one myself) is as such:

What will happen here is that the will flow into the pipe, as is to be expected.

code:

####
~~~####
##~#  
## # ##
##   ##
#######

Then the water fills up the bottom level...

code:

####
~~~####
##~#  
##~# ##
##~~~##
#######

...And begins flowing up the pipe on the other side.  Everything seems okay.

code:

####
~~~####
##~#  
##~#~##
##~~~##
#######

Here's where it gets interesting.

code:

####
~~~####
##~#~~~
##~#~##
##~~~##
#######

The water will attempt to equalize, and will thus try to fill up the level that it's getting sent out at (since it is below that of the source).  However, the ancient water gods do not like having their domain manipulated, and will promptly send death to your fortress.

code:

####
~~~####
##~#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
##~#~##~~~~~~~~~~~
##~~~##~~~DEATH~~~
#######~~~~~~~~~~~

You can block off the source, you can close the emergency floodgate, you can do whatever you damn well please but that water will never stop coming out.  Apparently, the problem starts here:

code:

####
~~~####
##~#~~~
##~#~##
##~X~##
#######

From there it will generate an insane amount of pressure that will rocket out an infinite amount of water to cover all the world up to the source elevation.  It is, in essence, the equalizer of the gods.

And that is how oceans are created, kiddies.

[Untelligent]

^ Tried to do that to get infinite water from a pond to fill a cistern on a riverless map. Didn't quite work for some reason.

[Ruttiger]

So how would you harness a U-bend?  Seal it off and have a resevoir, as well as gate at the bottom to drain it, so you can safely access it?  I'm going to have to build one now.  I think I'll make a completely artificial pipe and tank.  The whole thing will be aboveground.  

Does the water appear instantly, or does it just gush out very quickly?  How long does it take to cover the map?

[LeoLeonardoIII]

...

You could create ice sculptures in a glacier if you could just get enough water to start with. I imagine having a grid of openings in a cliff face, with a floodgate at each opening. They'd be all connected, to the main u-bend water creation system.

But as soon as you opened a floodgate to create some ice, would the water freeze instantly as soon as it entered the outside square? What if it didn't get to be 7/7 yet? Would the water turn into some smaller ice item and fall to the base of the cliff?

And if the water DID burst out at 7/7 it wouldn't just instantly block the flow, right? Because water flows out the corners to the neighboring eight spaces too.

Or would it be all boring and just freeze the square where the floodgate sits, since it's adjacent to outside?