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[Lemunde]

I've been toying around with the numbers on these.  So far all I've been able to figure out is that lowering them decreases the overall number of z levels in a map.  That's great because that's exactly what I'm trying to do but the actual meaning of the numbers is a bit of a mystery.  From the names you would think "minimum" is the smallest number of z-levels a cave can have and "maximum" is the largest but that doesn't seem to be the case.  By setting minimum to 4 (default 5) all of the caves get exactly 5 z-levels.  I figure that's 4 z-levels + 1 for the water.  I have no idea what maximum does. 

The only thing I can figure is both of these numbers multiply together somehow to determine the number of underground z-levels.  With a setting of 4 min, 12 max I get roughly between 35 and 55 underground z-levels.  With defaults of 5 and 25 you get between, what?...120 and 160?  Well 4 * 12 is 48 and 5 * 25 is 125 so it sounds like the z-levels get based off of those numbers.  So does anybody else have a better idea how these numbers work exactly?

Incidentally DF does run a hell of a lot better with fewer z-levels.  By my math even if I increased the embark size to 6x6, at 50 z-levels that would still be about half the total size of a normal map.  Plus I don't have to dig so far to get to the hot stuff.  Just something to try if you want some extra performance.

[thijser]

Well I usually change the magma sea variables to in order to change the amout of Z-levels But I imagen that if you set the cave and the magma sea variabales all to a minimal you would have magma almost flooding the serface...

[Iburnaga]

Hm...so we may end up with a literal sea of magma on the surface...FACINATING!

[tehc]

I demand tests...FOR SCIENCE!

[granzteel]

Magma seas on surface? It'll literally erase all sea creatures!

[Ricky]

i currently found
      either-
two seperate caverns (topemost roughly 5 z-level to surface) 

or one HUGE cavern expanding over 20 z-levels

[Cotes]

I tried removing all the cavern layers, but there was still good 25 layers of rock above magma at sea level (still a lot less than what you usually have between ground and the first cavern). Unless anyone has an idea for how to further reduce layers above magma/under surface, it doesn't seem you can get magma sea to surface that easily.

Guess you could try finding a site with a bunch of steep cliffs, although I always kinda figured those just added more stuff on the top of the surface instead of carving off stuff.

[Avaline]

Hmm, did you just remove the caverns (how many caverns you get) or did you also alter the Z-layer settings (how many layers between each cavern).  I suspect that the Z-layers still have an effect even if the cavern they link to isn't involved. 

Thus set every Z-layer to 0, all caverns to 0, and make sure there's a magma layer.  I suspect it won't create magma on the surface but you'll hit 'warmth' VERY soon.

(makes me think of it as a magma aquifer.  Which makes me think of setting things the way I said above but then setting the Magma-to-Bottom layer VERY deep then attempting to break through the magma layer Aquifer style.)

[Cotes]

Hmm, did you just remove the caverns (how many caverns you get) or did you also alter the Z-layer settings (how many layers between each cavern).  I suspect that the Z-layers still have an effect even if the cavern they link to isn't involved. 

Thus set every Z-layer to 0, all caverns to 0, and make sure there's a magma layer.  I suspect it won't create magma on the surface but you'll hit 'warmth' VERY soon.

(makes me think of it as a magma aquifer.  Which makes me think of setting things the way I said above but then setting the Magma-to-Bottom layer VERY deep then attempting to break through the magma layer Aquifer style.)

You mean the "z-levels above layer X"? Those have minimums of 5, 1 or 2 depending on the layer, to which they are set by default.