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[caddybear]

I'm in the process of making an.. Ancient Egyptian themed fortress, in a desert. Preferably with a few tiles river for the palaces but should have little to no vegetation. I've been genning worlds like cupcakes for the last few days, and I'll eventually get one I like.

So here are some questions:

1: How would I go about making the pyramids look like pyramids? I could make stepped pyramids of course, but that's not what we have in mind when we think about it is it? Ramps or something? I have no idea.

2: I have a fairly good idea about how to make obelisks, but I'm open to suggestions on how to make the tip.

3: Does anyone have any other ideas for a desert fort?

[Iceflame]

1: How would I go about making the pyramids look like pyramids? I could make stepped pyramids of course, but that's not what we have in mind when we think about it is it? Ramps or something? I have no idea.

The arena has a pretty good built pyramid.

2: I have a fairly good idea about how to make obelisks, but I'm open to suggestions on how to make the tip.

3: Does anyone have any other ideas for a desert fort?

Build a Sphinx, with a dwarven head. Be sure you don't forget the beard. AND the socks.
Build your farms along the river and flood them once a year, also build your town outside.

[Almagest]

There's even a wiki page on building pyramids. Link

Also remember that
desert + magma = glass

[Thief^]

Yes, use ramps. I'll look smooth in most 3D visualisers, and lets people just walk up and down it for easy construction.

[Lexx]

Also. make a scaffold frame around your obelisk by building extra floors/stairs you can deconstruct when done with the project. Helps a ton with any elaborate build.

[caddybear]

Yeah, thanks for the scaffolding idea. I wonder how many people will die from deconstructing the scaffolding on top of their heads. And yeah, glass is a big bonus. Only if I can be bothered to pump magma ( which I dislike because of fps reasons )

[orius]

Make sure the embark has a crapton of limestone to make it authentic.  Have ramps all around the outer surfaces and make the very tip of it out of electrum.

[caddybear]

Definitely limestone. Nothing else can work. That's why I keep genning worlds =P ( and hoping for a volcano for easier glass, sigh )

[Lexx]

Yeah, thanks for the scaffolding idea. I wonder how many people will die from deconstructing the scaffolding on top of their heads. And yeah, glass is a big bonus. Only if I can be bothered to pump magma ( which I dislike because of fps reasons )

That just adds to the authenticity of using slaves ( unskilled migrants you don't need ) to complete the project :3. Make a grave vault inside it for all your workers. Or even a mastaba ( clay/ mud brick tomb complex ) if you want another project.

[nanomage]

Yeah, thanks for the scaffolding idea. I wonder how many people will die from deconstructing the scaffolding on top of their heads. And yeah, glass is a big bonus. Only if I can be bothered to pump magma ( which I dislike because of fps reasons )

deconstruct the scaffolding with support and levers, it's much faster and now safer.

[Iceflame]

You may also bury all masons and engravers alive inside the pyramid that helped building it. Also every hauler. Just for authenticity.

[caddybear]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And here is the future location of Dawnraven, the Jewel of Sands. It has lots of limestone and iron and the river is giving life to the rocky wasteland around it. Notice that the desert itself has no plant life whatsoever. As close to the Nile as I could get in the last few days, and it took hours to find this location. Too bad it's only wilderness.

Now it'll be a bit before my Nagas start colonizing this place, I need to play some adventure mode in this world to prepare the fiction that goes with the founding and gives the site it's name.

Oh and the parent civ "The Static Queen" is so badass. They've been fighting with humans and goblins since the dawn of time, and in 440 years the death toll is about 159 thousand. Oh and they took over the goblin civ.Humans are doing well because their demon leaders are too strong in the wars =( The Queen, her mother, her sisters and brothers all have titles and kill lists as long as my arm. In one particular war, 1048 humans and 7331 nagas died, and that's how brutal this world is. Can't wait to see how we fare versus the stronger and bonus Fortress Defense races. I'm particularly afraid of elephants because they keep murdering civs with very few losses.

edit: I might change the red sand into yellow to make it easier on my eyes =/

[DTF]

Also. make a scaffold frame around your obelisk by building extra floors/stairs you can deconstruct when done with the project. Helps a ton with any elaborate build.

Use retracting bridges instead of floors for a large scaffold. Needs less stone and creates a fairly large walkable area in only one job.
And for the lever & support quick deconstruction: check your scaffolding where it may be supported by the pyramid or whatever... nothing like awaiting your scaffolding to go down in a huge crash and then nothing happening as you pull the lever. =/

Do you have any idea on how big the base square should be? You have a very large area at your disposal.
Also: super bonus points if you could get your hands on a mummy somehow. Or zombie camels.

[caddybear]

I'm thinking of going at it like a huge temple complex, which is the main motivation. I'll start by building a small temporary fort on the side, stockpiling food and necessities until my population is enough to defend and dig and build at the same time. Keep in mind I have fortress defense on.

The idea is in the middle of the main pyramid I'll put the main stairway with the waterfall and mist generator system. And there will be other.. buildings around it. Obelisks and mastabas mostly, and maybe temples to other gods of my civ. I have the general idea on paper, but my sister broke my scanner so I'm unable to show it for the time being.

The size of the main pyramid should at least be 1/8 of whole map though.Ideally 1/6. I have 100 levels above ground level ( I went into this prepared ) so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I think I can grow plants in channeled gardens inside the desert proper, and make glass ceilings above them. I'd have to learn how to use minecarts though, unless the magma pipe is very close to the surface ( I think not )

[Garath]

since some people cry about authenticity:

current assumption for most pyramid constructions is that not slaves were used, but professionals combined with farmers, who worked during the time where work on the farms was impossible or otherwise not needed. They were well fed and housed nearby. Notably, near the pyramids of gizeh a whole city was unearthed that seemed to have been only there to facilitate the construction. The only historical evidence is from some greek scrolls, where one has to ask wether they really studied the situation or made some broad assumptions.

None of the discovered pyramids have been found to contain any remains except that of the pharao or important person in question and a few favored ones, certainly not hundreds of sculptors, engravers and worksmen. In fact, iirc, there was some evidence that talented pyramid builders got their own tombs nearby as they died as a token of honor, but I might be wrong in that, the documentary was some time ago.

Lastly, the design. Before the start of pyramids, the mastaba was the burial form for the rich and/or important. Then someone put a second floor on top, to 'show' he was more important than the others. It was basically two mastabas stacked on top of ne another. This got out of hand, you might say, as new rulers would try to outshine their predecessors. As long as finances allowed ofcourse. Do this for several dynasties and you end up with pyramids.