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Author Topic: Digging out an aquafier?  (Read 1031 times)

_DivideByZero_

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Digging out an aquafier?
« on: February 21, 2011, 02:27:55 pm »

Is it feasible to dig out a 48x48 aquafier? It's aking me a load of micromanagement to do so. Is there a quicker way than channeling into it from above?


The reason I'm doing this is because half of my bog iron is under it -.-
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Dutchling

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Re: Digging out an aquafier?
« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2011, 02:55:51 pm »

Why don;t you just dig out a hole and dig the Iron from underneath?
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Mr.Elendig

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Re: Digging out an aquafier?
« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2011, 02:59:31 pm »

I've successfully breached large areas of aquifers using the cavein method. The last big one I did was 121x121 tiles for my "tower in a hole" design.
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Valrandir

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Re: Digging out an aquafier?
« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2011, 03:00:05 pm »

A Cave-In is a good way.
Still it is indeed laborious to channel such an area while micromanaging to avoid accidents.

Valrandir

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Re: Digging out an aquafier?
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2011, 03:00:45 pm »

Why don;t you just dig out a hole and dig the Iron from underneath?

If the metal is directly under the aquifed, mining it would flood.

j0nas

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Re: Digging out an aquafier?
« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2011, 03:36:39 pm »

Can you dig down below, use a magma piston( http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=59894.0 ) or perhaps just a pump-stack all the way from the magma layer to get a shitload of magma up, then dig out the aquifer and pour magma into the water, turning it into non-aquifer obsidian that you can then excavate dryly and repeat the procedure for the next layer?

Compared to the alternative, pumping lots and *lots* and LOTS of water out of the way, it seems easier to me.

Edit:
Doh, I just realized that you meant 48x48 as in a rectangle, not as in a 48x48x48 *cube*.  A rectangle should not be a problem as long as it's just one layer of aquifer, water only leaks in along the walls(or from aquifer ceilings), so dig it out a small section at a time, line the walls with pumps to dry it up(remember to dump the water back into the aquifer, that will simply make it disappear as I understand it) and send dwarves down to smooth the walls if you can(stops the flow of water from them) or to build walls to achieve the same thing.   Or just cheese it with the cave-in breach method.
« Last Edit: February 21, 2011, 03:42:05 pm by j0nas »
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gtmattz

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Re: Digging out an aquafier?
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2011, 03:55:22 pm »

I would channel out the area, drop a chunk of soil into the  wet hole and dig down in the now dry area, making sure to leave a 1 tile border along my dropped chunk so as to not reexpose the aquifer and ruin all my effort, but more likely than not I would lose count or stop paying attention and accidentaly mine out one of the tiles and flood my excavation.
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Di

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Re: Digging out an aquafier?
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2011, 05:38:11 pm »

Start designating channels by lines from one side or middle of that square on the level above. Designate next after previous is done. Thus no accidents, only 48x48 of 7/7 water. After you dig out last aquifer wall, water will stop pouring in so thats perfectly doable.
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