How to start channels
I really dont get the question. So let me give you the big picture.
Every tile in DF has a core,6 walls, a floor and a roof. z=0 and z=1 share floor and roof. x,y=1,2 and x,y=1,3 share their south and north wall.
When you [d]ig a tile, you remove its core and the walls that are needed to access it. So when you dig a tunnel leading north, you remove the tiles north/south walls to access the tile cores.
When you [c]hannel a tile, you remove its floor, which is the roof of the tile below and then you remove the core of the tile below the one that is going to be channeled.
So when you want water to flow on z=21 you need to channel on z=22.
In order to get water into the channel you need to tap a water source, by digging into it:
code:
siedeview:
######CCCCCC#
#WWWW#TTTTTT#
#WWWW########
#############
W Water
C Channeled tile
T tunnel that was cete due to channeling above
# solid rock
Now you want water to flow into the tunnel:
2 options: Either make sure that your dwarves can access the tunnel and then [dig] the following tile:
code:
siedeview:
######CCCCCC#
#WWWW+TTTTTT#
#WWWW########
#############
W Water
C Channeled tile
T tunnel that was cete due to channeling above
# solid rock
+ Dig here and water will flow into the tunnel
Or you could channel the following tile (remember channeling removes the floor and create a tunnel beneath it:
code:
siedeview:
#####+CCCCCC#
#WWWW#TTTTTT#
#WWWW########
#############
W Water
C Channeled tile
T tunnel that was cete due to channeling above
# solid rock
+ channel here