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[Zaerosz]

The main reason I build forts near the surface is because of the soil layers - I'd do all my forts near the magma sea if there was a faster way to get rid of stone than dumping/atomsmashing/building that didn't remove ALL stone of... that... type.

*facepalm*

So I should build everything out of metal. Derp.

[The Grackle]

I put my forges by the magma, and dig a vertical shaft leading down from near my depot to a chamber of smelters.  Everything I buy or steal or collect off the dead is dumped straight down to be melted.  There is also a lower spot in the shaft for dumping mined ores into. Why make haulers walk all the way down and back up?

[JAFANZ]

Somewhat unrelated question...

But everyone seems to want to keep their fortress up near the surface.  The discussions are all about either bringing magma up to the surface, or having your dwarves trucking back and forth all day long.

Why not relocate the whole place down below?  Other than immigrants/caravans, why do you need to stay near the surface?

I've been wondering this for a while myself, & also why people gen worlds with massive z levels above Layer 1 (aka Sky).

& I have finally identified a reason for me to imitate them, if I build my Megaproject by excavating a giant quarry, it won't be properly visualisable in Stonesense due to the fact that you can't excavate the Walls at the edge of the embark... 

[WrathNail]

In terms of where to place my fortress, I kinda take the middle road. First two z-levels below surface are reserved for traps/tradedepot. Then a 2x2 or 3x3 stairwell with a fort stretching multiple z-levels, divided by industry. So like, one z-level for food(production), one for clothing/leather, one for metal industry, etc. Then two levels at the bottom reserved for traps to counter anything coming from below. So, on topic, yeah i do like to bring magma up to at least the level of my forges.

[Zaik]

I tried setting the whole thing up downstairs. It works fine if you can keep a straight column of up/down stairs. Try stationing a dwarf down a big flight of stairs and follow his squad, they fly up and down stairs.


If you hit a cavern, just keep building up/down stairs down until you hit floor, then build a wall around with a door, then keep building walls on top of the walls until you block it all out. Building destroyers(like FBs) still have access to your fort, however you get this big HEY IDIOT SOMEONE DESTROYED YOUR DOOR announcement when they do.

[alway]

I tried setting the whole thing up downstairs. It works fine if you can keep a straight column of up/down stairs. Try stationing a dwarf down a big flight of stairs and follow his squad, they fly up and down stairs.


If you hit a cavern, just keep building up/down stairs down until you hit floor, then build a wall around with a door, then keep building walls on top of the walls until you block it all out. Building destroyers(like FBs) still have access to your fort, however you get this big HEY IDIOT SOMEONE DESTROYED YOUR DOOR announcement when they do.

Speaking as someone with a 60 z-level stairway in my massive underground fort, it is best to keep them out if at all possible. Especially if you have, for example, a 60 z-level magma pump stack adjacent to said stairway. "A MECHANISM HAS BEEN DESTROYED BY GIANT MONSTER." *lava fills the bottom half of fort*

[Xenos]

I tried setting the whole thing up downstairs. It works fine if you can keep a straight column of up/down stairs. Try stationing a dwarf down a big flight of stairs and follow his squad, they fly up and down stairs.


If you hit a cavern, just keep building up/down stairs down until you hit floor, then build a wall around with a door, then keep building walls on top of the walls until you block it all out. Building destroyers(like FBs) still have access to your fort, however you get this big HEY IDIOT SOMEONE DESTROYED YOUR DOOR announcement when they do.

I wouldnt leave the door on it.  Just wall it off completely then build a separate access shaft that leads to the caverns.  (i never use my main shafts for cavern access.)

[Emily]

Count out a multiple of 48 from the edge of the map and dig your shaft there.  The corner of embark map squares are frequently solid all the way down.  So you can reach the magma sea without breaching a cavern accidentally.

Also, as has been mentioned, going up and down is exactly the same as going side to side, and if your magma sea isn't really far down (my current fort its only 40 z levels) then it's pretty close to everything else, really.

If you do breach the cavern, seal it off with constructions; doors are for when you're ready to actually expand into the caverns.  Generally this works and'll keep you safe.

As for relocating down to the lower levels, I've tried that a few times and it seems pretty effective, the only down side is you'll get way less iron or flux as a byproduct of your expansion.  Unless it's a marble layer, obviously, then just less iron.  Also setting up farming is a bit harder without doing it in a cavern, since you can just dig rooms near a muddy pool then drain it into them.  But it's definitely doable.

Also there's no question that setting up the forges down at the bottom is better than moving magma up.  Moving magma up requires probably at least 50 magma safe blocks, corkscrews, and pipes, and lots of architect work.  Setting up by the magma sea can be entirely set up by winter.  So yeah.

[mrbobbyg]

I agree with the poster who said make your forts by the magma.  I tunnel out some temporary storage space at the top, build a dorm, and then dig down till i hit big red.  Then I make my fort a few z levels above that.  As for caverns, wall them off.  Why the heck do you need to go in there anyway unless you want to.  If you MUST have silk or something, then control access with a raising drawbridge.

Migrants, elves, and goblins can walk down the stairs to come harass me.