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[CoolGame]

Im guessing that caravan wagons can go up ramps, but not stairs. Is there any other difference? I've been using stairs for my mine when I realized ramps are half the effort. Which should I use?

[evanvolker]

I use ramps instead of stairs for the most part. I think they're safer and a bit easier to designate

[anewaname]

The main difference is, that stairs only allow access to one other tile (directly above or directly below), but ramps can allow access to multiple tiles (above or below, depending on where the "supporting walls" are).

In this wiki section, it says"For the purposes of unit movement, a ramp connects the ramp bottom to the tops of walls adjacent to the ramp bottom. So unlike stairs, where a dwarf moves directly up or down, a dwarf moving via a ramp will move diagonally across Z-levels, changing both horizontal and vertical location in a single move."

Wagons cannot use stairs, but all smaller units can use ramps or stairs, so use whatever you like for most situations. If you have many dwarfs and they are forming a "whirlpool" around one set of stairs or ramps, it might be time to change the design on that location.

[PatrikLundell]

What to use depends on the situation.
- As mentioned, wagons can use ramps but not stairs.
- Mine cart tracks can use ramps but not stairs.
- Construction requires access from the same Z level, and ramps do not provide that.
- Ramps result in an X/Y movement as well as a Z one, as mentioned, which affects designs. If you want to traverse many Z levels you can easily designate it with stairs, while ramps require a spiral of some kind or a long ramp in one direction.

Learning to use the right tool for the job is handy: you can get by with only a hammer or only a screwdriver, but being able to use both as the situation dictates is better.