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[Fleeting Frames]

Some notes on using a volcano: The magma problem is greatly simplified if you turn off Bottom Layer (forces magma) and don't embark with volcano in the upper left corner of embark.

Presto, empty magma pipe.

Additionally, if you embark on a flat volcano (turn volcanism x and y variance to max and look for one that is off-center/see if you can get one next to river for generation), the problem of mountains is solved - though the area won't be flat when you're done nevertheless.

For having space to build it in, turning up Levels Above Layer 1 up to the required level would help you avoid cavern mishaps.

Ultimately though, I agree with Loud Whispers that a custom-designed one will be more symmetric. Additionally, if your fortress gets smaller when going deeper, finely-tuned minecart jumps over the pit could be a possibility, though the benefits of such a thing seem low, barring desire for segregated population.

[eerr]

I know a secret.

Flyers won't path over magma! Unless maybe you find a magma-proof flyer?
Birds kept setting themselves on fire in surface volcanoes.

Also if you are really fucked the goblins will use flying mounts. But again, flyers won't path over magma.

[Fleeting Frames]

Steel spiders on monarch butterfly wings aside, keeping the pit open to the sky and free of magma while providing non-magmasafe secure curtain seems like a substantial engineering challenge. Minecart-flung magma is a projectile until hitting a wall, thus not blocking pathing, while pressurized gusts of magma would be likely to fall into the pit due liquids preferring to path down. Iis a  don't see a way to do it while perfectly fulfilling first 2 requirements.

[Xinrai]

Short story shorter: There was no iron on the map, I looked for copper and then I got interested in a newer version of the game.
I'll get back on this eventually, maybe after the next artifact update. I got an idea for an artifact room in there somewhere, maybe underneath a temple.

[ApatheticExcuse]

When you do get this back up and running, I'd personally suggest digging down to the magma sea. It's harder, arguably, but cooler IMO and your pit can be as big as you want it. Rather than having sloping ramp sides, I'd build a "chandelier" (for lack of a better word) style bridge system, suspended from the top and attached to bridges spanning from the sides to the center every half dozen (or whatever, depending on how many you have) levels going down. I don't think it would be too hard to defend - just make an un-penetrable front door (say, second level from the surface of the "chandelier" - you can just pull the bridges away and be set), no openings that things can get through for most of the Z-levels/overhanging upper z-levels, then laugh as things try to make their way down the sides and tumble in to your magma pit.

Also, circles are better than squares once you figure them out. I might still have a .40d macro around for laying out truly huge ones if it will work in the current version, but otherwise here's a reasonably useful template someone on reddit made

http://i.imgur.com/DNoib.png

Doesn't go as big as I'd like for something like this, personally, but it gives you a starting point. Otherwise, there's a 2D version fort somewhere here:

http://mkv25.net/dfma/favourites.php

That has a giant circle with a mortal-combat-esque dragon inlay in the center -you could easily copy the outside. I unfortunately can't remember which one as I haven't looked through there in a few years.

EDIT: Oh, here it is:

http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-1280-vabokmeborbinchesfinal

Badass.

EDIT EDIT AFTER LOOKING THROUGH ALL THE COOL FORTS: Could also steal this guy's circle.

http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-9816-roadhouse

[Immortal-D]

I am so happy this thread came back (probably never would have seen it otherwise).  That is a properly sweet Fortress, and the video in the OP is inspiring.  I'm officially adding 'Pit Fortress' to my to-do list.

[Xinrai]

So I've been testing out a few different things over three different forts since last time. I'm still not a 100% sure on what I will try as the "ultimate" pit fort (if there will ever be one), but anyway.
No screenshots yet, I will try to have something better to actually show when I put screenshots from now on. Maybe not the full pit, but at least 80% done.


For whatever reason, I decided that I want the pit deeper than before. The bottom could be past at least the first caverns (but no open access to them ofc). As a part of that, I didn't want the fort to start from the very top, so I planned a spiraling road down to go through the defenses and to the trade depot. But then I also decided that I will first make a smaller fort to have all the basic stuff going on and focus on the pit after that. I also had a weird idea of starting the pit halfway, where the fortress would begin, and then work my way up to make the defenses and simultaneously go down to make the rest of the fort. Then I figured that it would just be simpler to dig only down. Moving on...

I also decided that I'm probably not going to make a central spire, just because I think it would potentially look better without one. I may still try one fort with a central tower full of nothing but stairs and bridges that go to everywhere else.

Other weird ideas include a waterfall from a river that flows down to the caverns. Or just a plain old lake at the bottom, since that's less dangerous. Magma has its charm, too, so it is a tough call. I'd lose all the stuff that the people were carrying if they fall, though. It could still be worth it to have a magma pool, since I'm probably not going to empty a pool even if it was just water, anyway. And people will die in the falls. Happened only once so far, and I haven't properly gotten to any very steep drops yet.

Right now, I think my idea is to work on the pit as late as possible in a fort, just to save on time. So basically just creating a normal fortress except that I leave room for the pit in the middle for later. That way, I can also shape the pit better to fit the fortress instead of making expansions that involve making the pit smaller. And I also don't need to make a secondary, smaller fort.

I also started to consider moving all farms in a walled off section of the cavern. It would be interesting to have a farm area that circles around the pit, so that's something I will try to get in the lower levels of my fort. I should probably try scouting the caverns before deciding where exactly the pit goes, now that I think about it.