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[YolkFolk]

I searched the forums for an answer to this, but if there was one, I missed it.

I want to build an outside moat around my entrance, and have some way to either toggle a bridge over it, or turn it off with a floodgate.

I got as far as channeling some water into the cliff, adding a u-bend with a floodgate in it, and then taking it back out to surround my entrance in a C shape. This works great and can be turned off.

I had to remove some road to get the moat all the way round. When there was dry unfilled channel where the road used to be, I still got the 3 lines of "road connected +++" and I was happy.

Then I filled it with water, and as I expected, the "road connected +++" went away. No problems so far.

BUT...

Then when I flipped the switch and emptied the moat, there was a muddy channel crossing over my road, and the "road connected +++" remained missing.

I tried to build a bridge over the channel, but I cannot choose to have it raise like I can with indoor bridges.

My Question:
How can I have a toggleable water moat that cuts off my fortess with water when active, and still allows my road to be completed when inactive.

Please help a new player!

[Fieari]

It requires a bit of planning, but you can hollow out a large portion of the area between the outside and the river, and put the moat there, so you can use raising bridges after all.  The trade depot can then be placed inside, or alternatively, outside the moat.

[Mzbundifund]

The easiest way is to build your moat, and hence your trade depot, inside the cliff face, allowing you to use retracting or drawbridges.  

Depending on the current layout of your fortress, this may not be feasible, in which case there's not much you can do as far as an outdoor moat.  A little clever channeling could allow you to flood the first few spaces of your entry hall, which can act much like a moat, and you can just keep your trade depot on the far side of it.

Remember that water outside the cliff will wash people around but won't usually drown them unless they're unconscious.  Water inside the fortress is considered to fill the whole room from floor to ceiling, so it's usually a much more lethal and effective moat.

EDIT:  He said what I said while I was a-postin.  Oh well.  "He who hesitates is lost"

[ April 12, 2007: Message edited by: Mzbundifund ]

[YolkFolk]

Thank you both for your timely replies.

As this is my first fort, I have little room left over for projects close to my entrance without some serious channely shenanigans.

Afte my futile attempts at an outdoor toggleable moat, I now have a static pseudo-moat and a fillable pseudo-moat. Oh well, they will be nice to look at I suppose.

[Grek]

This is how you can do one in 3 rows or less:

code:

````%#########~~~~
````%#_______X~~~~
````%#_#######~~~~
````%#_#0...0#~~~~
+++++-=^.....#~~~~
+++++-=^..0..#~~~~
+++++-=^.....#~~~~
````%###0...0#~~~~
````%####&#$##~~~~
````%#########~~~~

` dirt
% cliff face
# real rock
+ road or smooth floor
^ bridge while raised
= bridge with moat under it
- normal brige
X floodgate the will fill moat
$ level for floodgate
& lever for bridge
~ cave river or magma river
. and 0 trade depot

This will allow trade but will block goblins, trolls, all invasions and any mythical monster but a dragon.

[ April 12, 2007: Message edited by: Grek ]

[I3erent]

Nice but lava is better!!!!