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[edgefigaro]

Concept Question.  If I build a nethercap windmill in a hole connecting to the surface and then fill that hole with magma, will it still work?

Not knowing the answer and being unable to test the magma part of it, I decided to dig a hole and fill it with water and see if a normal windmill worked.

Answer: YES! Windmills submersed in water work properly as long as the center square is 'Outside'.  I would assume this means a nethercap windmill would function under magma, but as of yet, I have no proof.

[xominxac]

Hmm, so a long as the windmill is "OUTSIDE" (with sunlight?) it generates power? Interesting, does this mean you can have "underground" wind farms? More testing please.

[edgefigaro]

I built a windmill on top of another windmill and the bottom windmill did not work. The center tile needs a path to the sky.

[Matoro]

Fuck the physics. Windmills are more like solar plants instead.

[Larix]

Yep, the _central_ tile must be 'outside', i.e. there can't be a building directly above it, no matter how far away. A single tile of sky walkway 80z-levels above completely prevents a windmill at ground level from generating power. On the other hand, a windmill at the bottom of a 20z 1x1 shaft open to the sky works perfectly. I've only tried this with windmills otherwise 'inside' a building, but a mill otherwise underground might work, too. I'll check.
Edit: yep, the other tiles of the windmill can be underground.

[Spacespinner]

Someone needs to drain the magma sea, cover the bottom in windmills and  ensure line of sight for every windmill all the way to the surface then allow it to refill again.

[Repseki]

Do creatures take and extra damage if they land on top of a powered windwill? I figure they probably don't since the dwarves can walk right through them, but the idea of a ventilation shaft with spinning blades of death is a fun thought. Maybe something for the future!

[EvilBob22]

Yep, the _central_ tile must be 'outside', i.e. there can't be a building directly above it, no matter how far away. A single tile of sky walkway 80z-levels above completely prevents a windmill at ground level from generating power. On the other hand, a windmill at the bottom of a 20z 1x1 shaft open to the sky works perfectly. I've only tried this with windmills otherwise 'inside' a building, but a mill otherwise underground might work, too. I'll check.
Edit: yep, the other tiles of the windmill can be underground.

How about a grate or floor bars?  I've known for a while you couldn't floor over above the center tile, but I don't think I've ever tried to "grate it over" (for better security).

[edgefigaro]

Grates turn the tag to [inside], killing the windmill. Not sure about bars. In any case, if the incredibly rare flying building destroyer descends into your water or magma filled pit to destroy your windmill, please screenshot it.

[AutomataKittay]

Anything built over the square will turn it into Inside tile, even bridges tilted out of the way. However, I know that if you build something high enough, then the Inside designation goes away. It might take somewhere between 4 and 10 z for that, though, and I'm not sure if it's still in.

[Crashmaster]

Based on previous mechanics and casting observations I purpose casting the nethercap windmill in obsidian to see if it still works. A lot of mechanisms still work to varying degrees after being encased in obsidian. The inside of cast obsidian remains "Outside" as long as there is no other construction built above it that would normally make it "Inside."

[Larix]

Based on previous mechanics and casting observations I purpose casting the nethercap windmill in obsidian to see if it still works. A lot of mechanisms still work to varying degrees after being encased in obsidian.

Define "varying degrees"

My attempts at building a 'black box' mechanism (i.e. an array inside obsidian) failed because the mechanisms encased in obsidian were functional and responsive to lever commands, but they were all converted to 'hanging' status, causing them to get atomsmashed inside the obsidian whenever their supported status was properly checked. I had to dig my way right up to the mechanisms and link them with horizontal axles. They couldn't be supported with vertical axles from below, either. I had placed them on top of a cast obsidian floor, in case that makes a difference.

Building an obsidian mill still sounds like a worthwile endeavour.

[Urist McDwarfFortress]

Underwater windmills! I love this game!

[zubb2]

They are "Solar wind" Mills.

Also yay my internet works after like three weeks.