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[Night]

Please allow the number of Z-levels above and below the surface to be adjustable when starting a new fortress, perhaps via new init options?

In areas with high cliffs, the number of Z-levels being simulated can drop frame rates significantly.

[Tamren]

been mentioned before a couple of times.

It would also be handy if the game could take normal 3d map data and parse that into a retro 2d map where everything is flat and features are aligned in rows. Given the current architecture it would probably run a lot faster for slow computers.

[Puzzlemaker]

Dynaamiiiiccc Zzzzz Leeeveellllssss!!!!!1111one

Really though, dynamic fort sizes; imagine the fun!

[Tamren]

What exactly do you mean by dynamic in this case?

Add extra world space to an existing fortress if you find that its too small?

[SocietalEclipse]

Please allow the number of Z-levels above and below the surface to be adjustable when starting a new fortress, perhaps via new init options?

In areas with high cliffs, the number of Z-levels being simulated can drop frame rates significantly.

Just as long as you can't cut the bottom to above the valley floor.  Else you would have people creating chasms/bottomless pits out of maps that shouldn't have them.  Though maybe somebody wants to play a 'fortress in the clouds' scenario where any misstep and their dwarves plunge into the void below.

[Virex]

Who says there's void below? If you've got the seed you could probably generate the data for an infinit number of Z-levels downwards.

[Tamren]

Adding new layers to the sky should be easy. There is nothing but open sky up there.

New underground layers might be tricky. If it has the seed info I don't see why it could randomize up some more stone layers.

[Neoskel]

It would be cool if you could go deep enough to reach a layer of magma. I.e. 'magma aquifer'.

And the center of the earth filled with dinosaurs. 

[JT]

An interesting concept with digging down is the rate of temperature increase.  Every appoximately 50 m of depth increases the ambient temperature by 1 kelvin (it's actually more complex than this -- a progression in relation to density -- but this is a close-enough approximation).  If we assume that each level is 3 m/10 ft, based on the scale of the most common creatures in the game (dwarves and humans), then it would take many thousands of Z-levels before you start getting uncomfortably hot.  But if we abstract that a bit so every level is a staggering 100 m, we can experience some gameplay-attractive temperature increases on relatively short order -- just 20 levels below the surface and you're already soared an additional 40 kelvin (+72 °F).

When you start approaching the melting points of rocks, they start getting soft and plastic, too, which would be another interesting game-play mechanic.  At 100 Z levels down, for instance, assuming you had some magical protection, it might be possible for the floor to give way and for you to get dumped into a magma pocket.  Ouch!

I believe Toady mentioned it's not really a big issue to allocate additional layers above or below the map in a previous Future of the Fortress thread.