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[treczoks]

I finally found my first magma pipe (and raw adamantine, somewhere as a floor in the magma pipe - ha, ha, ha).

Assuming I have a one tile wide tunnel linked to the pipe (carved fortification & magma-safe floodgate as safety measures included) - how many smelters/forges can be powered from such a channel? I know that a precise calculation would need to take a lot of things into account, so I'm just asking for a rough figure.
I've read somewhere that people use bridges instead of floodgates. What would be the advantage with that?

I sincerely hope that I get that magma smelting/forging up and running soon. I've mountains of ores, but not enough trees and no lignite or coal to turn them into something useful.

So far, I have not yet seen a magma-related creature on the 'u'-List. Can a pipe actually be safe, are are there always some magma-dwelling beings, and how dangerous would they be?

[Chocolatemilkgod]

If its a channel like this

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

L being lava, you can place as many as you want to on there. I think. I'm pretty sure it doesn't 'use up' magma.

[Lytha]

Magma forges and other magma workshops don't use up magma. They need the magma at at least fluid depth 4/7, but just let it be 7/7 and you'll be fine.

You should design an adorable layout for the workshop rooms first (this is dwarf fortress; eye candy is just as important as blood decorations), then dig the magma channel below them accordingly. And then tap into the magma pipe and fill your channel.

[treczoks]

Magma forges and other magma workshops don't use up magma. They need the magma at at least fluid depth 4/7, but just let it be 7/7 and you'll be fine.

So all I have to do is fill up the channels and then I could wall down the pipe again? I thought they would use 1/7 of magma or something like this per smelting/forging?

You should design an adorable layout for the workshop rooms first (this is dwarf fortress; eye candy is just as important as blood decorations), then dig the magma channel below them accordingly. And then tap into the magma pipe and fill your channel.

This goes without saying. Although in the current outline, the walls of the magma shop are composed of magnetite and galena...

[Chocolatemilkgod]

Magma forges and other magma workshops don't use up magma. They need the magma at at least fluid depth 4/7, but just let it be 7/7 and you'll be fine.

So all I have to do is fill up the channels and then I could wall down the pipe again? I thought they would use 1/7 of magma or something like this per smelting/forging?

Niet. Magma forges aren't THAT hard to build if you use your head...And don't let in magma creatures XD.

[schussel]

just fortifiy and wallgrate the tunnel entrance  befor you tap it from above and you are safe

[Gullydwarf]

What good are fortifications in this? Don't most creatures just crawl over them or something?

[NecroRebel]

What good are fortifications in this? Don't most creatures just crawl over them or something?

Fortifications aren't what you appear to think they are. They're more like walls with arrow slits than barricades. Logically, nothing bigger than a kitten should be able to get through them.

However, there is some debate over that. It appears that, at least sometimes, creatures can swim through fortifications, or perhaps they can get pushed through by flowing fluids. Still, since it is only sometimes regardless of other concerns, having a fortification in your magma ducts can be a good idea.

A better idea, however, is simply to make it so that the impassable/dark-colored tiles on your magma workshops are over every hole in your floors. That will block any magma creatures from coming through with 100% certainty, as even buildingdestroyer2s can't destroy things on a different z-level than themselves.

[Chocolatemilkgod]

Fortifications aren't what you appear to think they are. They're more like walls with arrow slits than barricades. Logically, nothing bigger than a kitten should be able to get through them.
However, there is some debate over that. It appears that, at least sometimes, creatures can swim through fortifications, or perhaps they can get pushed through by flowing fluids. Still, since it is only sometimes regardless of other concerns, having a fortification in your magma ducts can be a good idea.

I'm pretty sure the fact some creatures get through is actually a bug. To prevent it just build 2 or 3 lines of fortifications. And Necro is right...It's just that you have to know where the impassable area is. I usually do both cause I'm paranoid 

[celem]

I usually do both cause I'm paranoid 

Paranoid is good in DF.  I used workshops blocking the channeled tiles rather than fortification.  Then some years after creating the original setup i decided to add an extra smelter and channeled a hole to give magma access.  In the time between me channeling and sticking the smelter over it a magma man came to visit >.<

[Chocolatemilkgod]

Paranoid is good in DF.  I used workshops blocking the channeled tiles rather than fortification.  Then some years after creating the original setup i decided to add an extra smelter and channeled a hole to give magma access.  In the time between me channeling and sticking the smelter over it a magma man came to visit >.<

WHAT?! I'm jealous! You should of built cage traps around that and THEN had the magma man come out...Then you'd have stuff for the arena! Heh. I love teh arena.

[gtmattz]

A fairly safe setup for a fortification is to set it up on a diagonal as below:

#=wall
+=floor
H=fortification
*=magma

######*
+++++#*
#####H*
######*

Dig the channel up to 1 tile short of the tube, smooth all the stone (and engrave whatever you want to engrave, if thats your thing) then have an engraver carve a fortification in that corner tile.  Using a diagonal like this prevents creatures from getting through the fortifications, yet allows the liquids to flow.  If you are worried about your engraver being crispified you can dig a hole at the end of the channel and install a grate over the hole.  Your engraver then stands on the grate when he carves the fortification and the magma which pours forth goes down into the hole.  While the magma is filling the hole your engraver has time to flee.

[schussel]

creature getting through forts is no real bug .. they rather get pushed through by flow...

[Makbeth]

I just pave the top of the pit over and build my foundry there.  If you bring an anvil and a proficient metalcrafter, you can be making gold crafts by summer of the first year.  Creatures coming up the pipes is a very rare occurrence in .31.

Of course, if you want to do this, you have to get really lucky or spend some time finding a site with a conveniently located magma pipe surface.  Volcanoes are wierd in .31, but I found that they are better behaved if they are bordered on either the east or the south by lower terrain.  If the lowest adjacent terrain is north or west, they tend to make magma-filled obsidian skyscrapers.

I finally got tired of messing around with volcanoes until they're fixed, edited the raws to move all the 1st level cavern creatures downstairs (otherwise the job cancellations are horrendous, since everything down there suddenly decides it wants to be on the surface when you break through), and build my fortresses in the top cavern right next to an open magma pipe.  The downside is that forgotten beasts will show up about once every year or two, sometimes even during your first summer, and it's difficult to deny them access to your fort so you have to bring the fight to them.  Expect a fairly high turnover rate in your military and build a hospital (and mausoleum) early.  Of course, with the accelerated steelmaking industry you can have in this setup, your army should be well equipped.

[Psieye]

I just pave the top of the pit over and build my foundry there.  If you bring an anvil and a proficient metalcrafter, you can be making gold crafts by summer of the first year.  Creatures coming up the pipes is a very rare occurrence in .31.

Of course, if you want to do this, you have to get really lucky or spend some time finding a site with a conveniently located magma pipe surface.  Volcanoes are wierd in .31, but I found that they are better behaved if they are bordered on either the east or the south by lower terrain.  If the lowest adjacent terrain is north or west, they tend to make magma-filled obsidian skyscrapers.

I finally got tired of messing around with volcanoes until they're fixed, edited the raws to move all the 1st level cavern creatures downstairs (otherwise the job cancellations are horrendous, since everything down there suddenly decides it wants to be on the surface when you break through), and build my fortresses in the top cavern right next to an open magma pipe.  The downside is that forgotten beasts will show up about once every year or two, sometimes even during your first summer, and it's difficult to deny them access to your fort so you have to bring the fight to them.  Expect a fairly high turnover rate in your military and build a hospital (and mausoleum) early.  Of course, with the accelerated steelmaking industry you can have in this setup, your army should be well equipped.

Personally I've never seen the reason why there's so much fuss over this. I get my magma straight from the sea down below and the magma workshops are running by first summer. All caverns get breached and sealed off so I don't care what's going on in them, they can't touch me. Similarly, I pump the magma (up only 1 z-level) and seal off the hole I pumped from so again nothing can get in.

Yes, my forts are designed vertically around the entire 40 z-levels from surface to sea. Yes, I like embarking in flat zones so this isn't appropriate for all embark sites.