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[TheEqualsE]

Basically the idea is a water source one or more levels up leading to a hallway that ends with an open grate above it.  The level above that will see the water as it bubbles up from the grate.  Around the walls of that hallway is a U shaped dug out hallway area with grates on top of it so that water from the fountain can drain away safely into it.  Since you can't put grates over where the water comes in or the walls that contain it, the fountain could be put up against a wall or in an area large enough that if any water does go the wrong way it would dry up before accumulating enough to be a problem.

The flowing water mechanics would probably be a hit on the FPS but I can think of two ways to minimize this.  One would be don't put much water into the system, so that as it trickles out of the fountain it evaporates in the chamber below with no need to drain somewhere else.

The other, which might work better, would be to have lots of water in the system, and make the chamber around the fountain two levels tall, and drain elsewhere.  That way maybe one level of water could build up to 7 depth level almost all the way to where it drains away.  I've noticed water systems that are stable like that tend to not cause too much of a drop in FPS.

Has this already been done?

[Urist mcbayblade]

The main point of a fountain in df is to produce happy thoughts from mist. Mist is generally only produced when water is falling and tends to stay in the same place. I'm not sure this fountain would produce any mist, or that dwarves would be able to walk through it due to the large volumes of water on the floor. It does sound very aesthetically pleasing though

[Schmaven]

That makes me want to build a pressure system that fills a clear glass column from below, open on the top some Z# above to spill out and possibly make mist as it falls again to the regular floor level. 

[Starver]

I was wondering if a bubbling 'fountain', so pressurised, could be 'slurped' up by a pump (or pumps) sat by a hole in the ceiling directly above it.

And, if you wanted mist, the slurped liquid could be let fall again into the room at the rear end of the pump.

Code: (Side-slice view) [Select]

####|#|#### - possible power input from above
##vpP Ppv## - water falls (v) out the back of pumps pulling from the P ends
__M__~__M__ - water rises up out of feed Misty water falls back down, through grates
##s##^##s## - sufficiently pressurised source of water (^) and safe sinks (s) of whatever kind

Plenty of room for disaster or dissapointment, depending upon the dynamics of the situation. I was thinking four pumps head-butting in on the ceiling-hole would prevent any pressure-flooding (besides which, the sinks should soak up any spills) but it'd be nice if enough liquid were available to spread out even more mistfalls.

Code: (Top view, pump level) [Select]

###########
#####v##### - downward path (v) for water; 12 in total, each should be very low amounts
####v+v#### - bare floor (+) to 'spread' pumped water over three exit vents
#####p##### - pump exit
##v##P##v## - pump sucking end
#v+pP Pp+v# - c.f. the side-slice (but with additional reach by adding in the floor-spreader
##v##P##v##
#####p#####
####v+v####
#####v#####
###########

This is just off the top of my head, as a 3AM idea as I'm passing through the thread. I'd need to experiment with it in 'reality' to ensure it's both safe and actually effective at what I expect it to do (the amount of pressure emerging into the sucked-space might need fine-tuning). Further modifications (adding same-level pumps to suck from the spreader-floors and out even further into larger trefoil arrangements, etc) might be advantageous just from a misting-room layout POV, and/or player aesthetics.

[PatrikLundell]

You can't build a "real" fountain as water spreads out sideways rather than upwards regardless of how high the pressure is (it can continue to build upwards if it can't flow sideways fast enough, but it's building a tower rather than a something shooting up at speed).

Any water that's present has to be kept at 3/7 at most to avoid cancellations from units trying to walk through it. Also note that falling water will at times flow sideways rather than falling straight through a grate it lands on, so the area will gradually get muddy and covered by vegetation (unless you cover it with grates, I guess).

I don't think multiple pumps will work, although DF mechanics experts may want to check/correct it: As far as I understand one of the pumps will grab all the water that's available in the tile, and it will be the same pump every time, governed by the order in which the pumps are checked (which, in turn, is controlled by the order in which they're built).

[Starver]

I've yet to give it (multiple pumps) a go. That's perhaps more for my aesthetics, though, it's possible the overhead slurp will deal with all water so bubbled up (as you consider, the first pump will take everything, leaving the rest dry). In which case a single up'n'over will both suffice and be all the advantage that you can get.

If water actually escapes, in that setup, then perhaps shift the pumps out one tile (and an additional hole in the ceiling where the old Pump-head was) and water that runs out of the fountain-tile then finds itself slurped/teleported by whichever of the pump(s) is in a position to so slurp... 

[TheEqualsE]

Ah, ok, a real fountain is pretty much out of the question.  My next thought was put the same thing in a water feature, but then it would just be a bubbling water feature.  Which is fine if you want that. But with new water constantly darting around a surface it sound more like an FPS destroyer than anything else.

[Schmaven]

Or maybe an FPS conserver?  If you build such a contraptions right away, your FPS losses won't be very noticeable.  Then late game when FPS issues start to become annoying, turn it off and enjoy the boost back to playability. 

[Alastar]

I suppose you could build a u-bend where the source pipe is watertight, and the other one is open at the diagonals. Pressure should fill the center to the top, and the water will trickle out at the diagonals for lots of lovely mist.

However, I'm not sure this has any advantages over a regular artificial waterfall.

[Urist Odursegam]

I've actually been building fountains for my dwarves for a long while, and always toyed with the idea of sharing the design here, so your question gives me a good excuse. They're still 'fountains' in the sense that the water doesn't exactly shoot upwards, but they look quite fountainy and also generate mist. Plus they can be customised to be bigger and fancier.

The basic idea is to have a 1x1 column of pressurized water with a well on top as the fountain head (and guess how I discovered that wells flood over when filled with pressurised water), surrounded by statues for decoration. The water comes to the column through a tunnel that's filled with water coming from another, higher column, which I generally achieve with a pump stack. The water overflowing from the well can drop through one empty level and fall on water two levels below to generate mist, then it can be recycled and be sent to the fountain again.

The more detailed design for a basic fountain:

- The fountain head is a well (golden, of course) in the middle of a 3x3 block of rock or soil, with a 1x1 empty space in the middle. Let's call this level z=0. The rock around it is dug out two tiles in each direction, two levels down (so z=-1 is empty and z=-2 has a floor). The area around it on z=0 will be your fountain hall - make it as big and fancy as you want. You end up having a 7x7 fountain, like so:

Code: [Select]

z=0
+++++++++
+.......+
+.......+
+..+++..+
+..+o+..+
+..+++..+
+.......+
+.......+
+++++++++

. - empty space
+ - floor
o - well

To make it fancier place statues on the floor. It's useful to build a temporary bridge for construction purposes, but remove it before you run the fountains, as dwarves will go and use the well, and then get swept off by the current and drown.

The level below is just a dug out 7x7 space with the 3x3 column of rock in the middle, and a 1x1 empty channel in the centre:

Code: [Select]

z=-1
#########
#.......#
#.......#
#..###..#
#..#.#..#
#..###..#
#.......#
#.......#
#########

# - wall
The level below is where things get interesting. This is where the water collects, and drains to a pump stack on the side. The middle column stays the same, however - do not connect it to the drain area, channel it to one level below.

Code: [Select]

z=-2
#########
#+++++++#
#+++++++#
#++###++#######
#++#.#++++ -> to pump stack intake
#++###++#######
#+++++++#
#+++++++#
#########
The pump stack (https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Screw_pump#Pump_stack) needs to bring the water up to I think at least z=1, though I always do z=2 beacuse I like overengineering things. The water then drops through another channel down to z=-3 and goes into the fountain column, like this:

Code: [Select]

z=-3
#########
#########
###############
####++++++  <- from pump stack outlet
###############
#########
#########

The side view sliced through the middle is something like this (pump stack is a little simplified, and the bottom pump is standing on a floor).

Code: [Select]

z
 2            # %%__ #
 1            #_%% # #
 0 __  _o_  __# %%_# #
-1 ##  # #  ###_%% # #
-2 ##  # #_________# #
-3 #####_____________#

_  - floor
%% - pump

You will also need a way to fill it with water for the first time, and to do an occasional top up. You can set z=-2 as a pond (and remove it once it's filled), or connect it with a floodgate to a river. Possibly have a drain too in case you overfill it. Fill z=-2 to 6 or 7 water level. Maybe add a bit more if your z=-3 channel is long (the pump stack can be far from the fountain). It's also good to have a start/stop lever for the pump stack.

Normal operation of the fountain: water is sucked in from z=-2 into the pump stack, then spat out at z=2. It falls down the tube to z=-3, fills it up, then because of pressure rises all the way to the well at z=0, where it spills over and cascades down to z=-2, generating a lovely mist for all your dwarves to be comforted by.

Abnormal operation of the fountain: everyone drowns.

Some variations:

- You can probably make it more compact, having only one empty space between the fountain and the hall, thus having a 5x5 fountain hole, but this leaves less safety margin for overfilling. Water on z=-1 means bursts from the well could potentially spill into the hall.
- It should probably work with pump stack going only to z=1 but somehow I never tried it.
- The pump stack can be far from the fountain and closer to the power source if you have a lot of water but limited power, or if you want to build the fountain outside.
- The middle bit can be bigger, wider, with more statues, to make a grander fountain. Water could start cascading down the steps from a higher level for instance.
- You can build them outside too! Just take care nobody invades you through the water channels/pump room. Channeling + wall grates should solve it.
- Instead of using a pump stack you could try to use a river on z>0 as a source and drain it off from z=-2, but you'd have to somehow make sure it can drain faster than it fills. More research necessary.

Have fun!

[PatrikLundell]

I'd recommend building ramps on all the floor tiles of the collection area at Z-2 to prevent trees from suddenly mature and gum things up.

[Bumber]

I'd recommend building ramps on all the floor tiles of the collection area at Z-2 to prevent trees from suddenly mature and gum things up.

I think constructed floors work just as well. Haven't seen saplings grow on them in any of my forts.