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Author Topic: Ramps or Stairs?  (Read 756 times)

Reynard

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Ramps or Stairs?
« on: October 31, 2007, 01:15:00 am »
Originally I had planned on using stairs in my fort to handle Z-axis stuff, but in some topic here I had heard mention that heavy items can't be moved via stairs, only ramps, so I could use some confirmation as to whether my central stairwell needs reworking.. I didn't bring an anvil to my fortress so I can't make a forge on a different z-level to test it just this moment...

Really loving this stuff. I've got a tower under construction, my upper reservoir level is inching past skeleton phase, can't wait to start playing with machinery... <3

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BurnedToast

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Re: Ramps or Stairs?
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2007, 01:23:00 am »
you can carry stuff up stairs just fine. whoever said you can't was wrong. I just had a dwarf carry a stone up 15 flights of stairs with no problems.
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otherdwarf

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Re: Ramps or Stairs?
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2007, 04:32:00 am »
Yes, that was me. Sorry about that, it was some kind of pathing malfunction when i removed the ramp access.
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Morkilus

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Re: Ramps or Stairs?
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2007, 12:20:00 pm »
So is there any difference - besides not being able to make "up/down" ramps?
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Serialized

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Re: Ramps or Stairs?
« Reply #4 on: October 31, 2007, 01:58:00 pm »
You can make a flight of stairs on a single X/Y location that goes straight down, but ramps have to slope down.
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BahamutZERO

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Re: Ramps or Stairs?
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2007, 02:04:00 pm »
And I bet caravan wagons can't go up stairs, only ramps. Haven't tried it yet though.
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nunix

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Re: Ramps or Stairs?
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2007, 03:17:00 pm »
If you activate Trade Depot Access (capital D), stairs flash red; so yeah, I think those might need ramps.
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JT

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Re: Ramps or Stairs?
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2007, 06:06:00 pm »
Also important: ramps are prettier.
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Lord_Phoenix

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Re: Ramps or Stairs?
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2007, 06:22:00 pm »
Ramps also have a number of pathing issues that don't seem to occur with stairs.  Something about not being able to approach ramps from a certain direction.
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JT

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Re: Ramps or Stairs?
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2007, 05:28:00 pm »
It's not really a pathing issue.  A ramp needs an open space at the top in the direction of approach, and can't have an open space underneath itself in the direction you're approaching.  E.g., you can't make a ramp do a U-turn:

code:
####\    Is unpossible!  I can't believable!
..▼# \
####  \
\  ####
 \ ..▲#
  \####

Nor can you make a ramp do this:

code:
####\    Directions it is not working!
..▼. \
####  \
\  ####
 \ ..▲.
  \####

[ November 01, 2007: Message edited by: JT ]

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apache1990

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Re: Ramps or Stairs?
« Reply #10 on: November 01, 2007, 05:33:00 pm »
quote:
Originally posted by nunix:
<STRONG>If you activate Trade Depot Access (capital D), stairs flash red; so yeah, I think those might need ramps.</STRONG>

That's because wagons can't go up stairs,  :p.

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