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[Minnakht]

Aquifer? Well... it depends.

If the map is not flat and even partly mountainous, then some parts of it should not be covered by the aquifer.
Or, in general, if you've got your map over two different biomes, one could not have the aquifer.

If you're positive the aquifer is everywhere, then check if you have any access to stone. If you do, make some mechanisms, make a wooden pipe and corkscrew, then build a screw pump to pump water out of a single square underground that you dug out already. The pump is very quick at moving water out, so your miner should be able to work there. However, don't mine - instead tell him to smooth the walls. Smoothed walls lose their aquifer abilities, so the hole should stop filling.

Alternatively, if you find a cluster of bauxite/kaolinite/magnetite underground, those can't be aquifers, so just hollow them out and use them as passages.

[Reelyanoob]

\*Can I reclaim wood for prebuilt objects (barrels, crutches, etc) (If not I haven't seen the caravan, is there a way to get wood if I don't have an axe
*When do the first few sieges appear?

Did  you deconstruct your wagon (q-x) for the three wood already? That'd give you at least one to make a training axe at a  Carpenter's shop

If you have a pick you can dig stairs deep down, find some lava for a magma forge and forge a metal axe for woodcutting without needing any wood. The quick way is to carve a fortification (two stages - smooth stone using d-s first) into the side of some magma allowing it to flow into a tunnel, put a door (beforehand) a little down the tunnel to slow the magma down when released, and wall-off the door (for extra safety). You can then (or before the magma flows) carve 1 or more channel tiles above the magma and built magma workshops over the channel tiles. This is a static method which requires no magma safe floodgates etc or knowledge of mechanics.

My advice - find that magma, it seriously cuts wood needs for metal and/or glass. It helps if there's sand on your map because you can make screw pump parts from green glass in a Magma Glass Furnace (the non-magma one needs wood or coal). Screw pumps can help drain Aquifers (see the wiki). Without sand you need metal to make this.

[nanomage]

The most easy way to penetrate an aquifer is to channel out a 3x3 area in it then build a crescent of four screw pumps pumping water from this hole. four constantly working dorfs will keep the hole dry enough for others to construct an up/down staircase in the middle, then pillars in the corners and finally walls on the sides of the hole. Once walls are ready, voila a safe pass down to the stone.
You don't need any stone to make pumps, wood is everything you need. (wooden block + wooden corkscrew + wooden pipe = screw pump).

You can also sometimes break through an aquifer with a controlled cave-in.
This is described in wiki in Rhenaya's userpage or in her posts. This is a bit easier and allows for wider passages, but it requires either stone for mechanisms of expendable dwarves.

To make wood you should deconstruct your starting wagon yielding 3 units of wood. first is made into a carpenter's workshop, and second into a wooden training axe, which in superior dwarven hands can be used to chop more trees. If you have no trees, try swapping workshops of these 3 logs for long enough to be able produce bone crafts and high-value meals from nearby animals or plants and buy wood from the autumn caravan. If there are no dwarves to send a caravan and no animals and plants you are most likely playing some sort of a super-challenge.

edit: btw, playing 7 nude unskilled dwarves from a civilization long gone embarking in some area with no trees, no plants, saltwater aquifer and few edible animals really looks like a nice challenge to meet, i think i should try it

[kotor39]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! You all are making this game truly enjoyable! I built on an aquifer so I thought it was an aquifer, the place i dig down in is 7/7 deep water deep and I get this area is too dangerous to dig. What should I do?

[Urist McGyver]

*It has been a few years and no caravan, I have a trade depot, am i forgetting anything?

Make sure your trade depot is accesible. Hit D(that's a capital d) to see if it is.

*Can I reclaim wood for prebuilt objects (barrels, crutches, etc) (If not I haven't seen the caravan, is
there a way to get wood if I don't have an axe

Dismantle your wagon to get three logs. Build a carpenter's workshop with one log. Make a training battle axe with the second.

*When do the first few sieges appear?

Can't remember precisely, but sieges SIEGES take a while. It also depends on the wealth you're making and how far you are from a Goblin Fortress(unless you are at war with someone). You may get ambushes and baby snatchers, though.

EDIT
Also, can I leave the small area my fortress is on and invade other places or am I stuck where I am.

You're stuck. One of Toady's projects is to make military dorfs invade other places.

[nanomage]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! You all are making this game truly enjoyable! I built on an aquifer so I thought it was an aquifer, the place i dig down in is 7/7 deep water deep and I get this area is too dangerous to dig. What should I do?

1. First, chops much wood, build a carpenter's workshop.
2. Make 4 wooden blocks, 4 wooden pipe sections and 4 enormous wooden corkscrews.
3. dig a 3x3 hole in the aqifer:
0000000000
000~~~000
000~~~000
000~~~000
0000000000
4. it's the level above the aquifer, 0 is flat ground and ~ is a channeled tile.
5. Build an up/down staircase from above this level:
0000000000
000~~~000
000~X~000
000~~~000
0000000000
6. Construst 4 screw pumps in a crescent around the hole and dig channels directly behind them
00000~000000
00000^000000
00000| 000000
0000~~~00000
0~<-~X~->~00
0000~~~00000
00000| 0000000
00000V0000000
00000~0000000
-> indicates a pump pumping from west to east.
7. Have 4 dwarves operate pumps.
8. Order your other 3 dwarves to build an up/down staircase directly under your existing staircase:
#######
##000###
##0X0###
##000###
#######
This is the level below. # stands for damp aquifer wall, and 0 is flooded floor or ramp. Your four working pumps should keep the area dry enough to work.
You _will_ get job suspensions, but hust ignore them and unsuspend your work.
9. After the staircase is complete, order 4 pillars(walls) built in the corners:
#######
##W0W##
##0 X 0##
##W0W##
#######
W stands for wall.
10. after they are ready, order the walls between them:
### # ###
##WWW##
##WX W##
##WWW##
########
12.
11. Profit! It's complete, you can now deconstruct your pumps and dig further down.

[kotor39]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!! Also in the status screen (z) i looked at my animals, does available mean available to train, available to eat, available to be adopted, or what??? THANKS, Kotor

***EDIT
Also, I'm trying to build a mechanic workshop, but I don't have a mechanic, can I assign someone to use it, or do i need to wait for a migrant mechanic, Thanks-a-bajilliatrillion, Kotor

[Minnakht]

Press v

get cursor to dwarf you want to mechanic

Press p
press l
Scroll down to Engineering
enter
toggle Mechanics

done