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[Waparius]

Apologies if this is a rehash of others' ideas; searching found so little on the topic that I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out I did it wrong.

That said, this game could use a serious reworking of Constructions and the Architect job.

 Currently, Architecture makes no damn sense. It's applied to a near-arbitrary set of buildings, some of which - Roads and Supports - are essentially redundant.

While you could say that the architect is needed for complex structures, eg windmills, moving bridges and the like, it's a bit nonsensical to have regular masons and carpenters happily building aqueducts and cathedrals all over the place. In 2D, for all its gameyness, the architect's job made more sense.

Another complaint is that building aboveground is too micromanage-ey, especially when you get to roofing. I agree, for all that they're dwarves, and therefore more comfy carving underground than building above.

This could be fixed by changing the way constructions work in the following way:

* When (b)uilding (C)onstructions, an option allows you to Build Quickly or Use (a)rchitect.

** When using architecture, unconnected constructions can be placed anywhere, just like mining can be designated anywhere. Dwarves still won't try to build said constructions unless they are properly connected up.

** When designing a building you also have the option to place scaffolds, ladders, a worksite stockpile and cranes.

*** Scaffolds are non-durable wood or metal structures dwarves can quickly assemble and take back down.

*** Ladders are a special piece of furniture that allows a dwarf to climb up one level, as long as it's placed on a supporting structure such as a wall. Dwarves cannot haul heavy objects up a ladder.

*** Cranes function like vertical minecarts, and require at least one rope/chain and one mechanism to build. Temporary cranes are used on building sites, more permanent cranes are something the Improved Mechanics people have probably done to death.

*** Worksite stockpiles are filled by haulers, wheelbarrows and minecarts and builders prefer to take from them.

* Bring in the same Floating/Supported distinction used in machines - here, "floating" means the construction is directly above empty space.

** Supported constructions can be built quickly, ie as normal - flooring dirt, building tracks, replacing mined-out walls and emergency-walling-off is unaffected, and you can build solid multi-tile constructions with some difficulty.

** Floating structures - walls, floors, rails and stairs - require the architect to design the building first.

* When designing a construction, Architects do not carry each individual brick (Time to design is calculated via number of blocks), and once the construction has been designed, masons/carpenters build it in the usual way. The big difference is that they quickly assemble scaffolding and place ladders and cranes where designated.

* New building type & job: Thatching. Thatchers can build a roof using only a ladder and cloth/fiber (much as ropes are build from cloth, just to streamline things), and do not need to design it, so thatched roofs can be built quite quickly. However, it is not possible to build on thatch.


TL:DR: Architecture is required to build large, free-standing structures, and can be used to design said structures more easily. Scaffolding and ladders are added to make this easier. Thatching is added to quickly and easily roof buildings without an architect.