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[Wrex]

So, I am building a tower for my marksmen. Bottom floor contains ammo, beds, and is the actual barracks, and the top floor will be the firing position. But I am having issues with getting bloody stairs up to the second level. They refuse to build conecting stairs, and designating stirs to be carved out of the floor is no good. They can reach the site through scaffolding. What am U doing wrong?

[Man of Paper]

From what I gathered, you build an up stair from the first floor, then directly above it order the construction of a down  or up/down stair. There shouldn't be a floor.

I'm actually about to be doing this for the first time.

[Wrex]

Intresting. Unintuitive, but intresting.


Also, propos on the avvy. Big KoL player?

[Man of Paper]

Used to be, and every time I see it I feel a little bit guilty about not being around there much anymore.

[Iosyn]

I doubt you're on soil but iirc you can't carve up/down in soil. for the aboveground stairs you might need a wall to support them, but I'm not too hot on above ground construction. :/

Also as paperman said, up stairs then down stairs above it. make sure that any external scaffolds are deconstructed at the end, that all the walls have either walls or fortifications atop them so there's no way to get in through a diagonal crack. Additionally you may want to consider putting 1 tile drawbridges across the front of the fortifications so you can raise them in an emergency to stop elite goblin archers maiming your archers, and possibly a ditch moat and a wall of vertical bars at a suitable range, as they allow both siege and crossbow ammo through without providing any defence modifier.

Last thing... A roof.

Nothing quite like having giant eagles plucking you marksdorfs and proficient siege operators off because your forgot to put a ceiling on it.

[Mimodo]

If you want to build up to a second floor, then create an up (or up/down) stairs on the bottom floor. Once that has finished construction, create a down (or up/down) stairs directly above it. From there you can create floors or walls around it

[Fnear]

...
Last thing... A roof.

Nothing quite like having giant eagles plucking you marksdorfs and proficient siege operators off because your forgot to put a ceiling on it.

I like to build roofs by leaving one external wall tile empty on the top floor.  Then build an up stair on that spot (and a down stair above it) and build the roof.  Then I deconstruct the down stair, then the up stair, then build the wall.

Saves having to build and disassemble an external multi-z scaffold.

[Wrex]

The siege came early this year, can;t test how well it works unfortunatly. On the plus side, menacing copper spikes are some of the most fatal things I have ever seen.

[BigD145]

I doubt you're on soil but iirc you can't carve up/down in soil. for the aboveground stairs you might need a wall to support them, but I'm not too hot on above ground construction. :/

You're not too hot on below ground construction either. Soil can be carved into any type of stair. Stairs do not need support.
This is what you need to know about stairs: http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Stairs

[Wrex]

How would I build Scaffolding anyway? having troubles putting up the roof.

[Mimodo]

How would I build Scaffolding anyway? having troubles putting up the roof.

Generally I just build a staircase outside it, against the wall... Vertical up/down staircase is all you need, till it's on the level you want to cover over (if there's an easier way, please tell me, or I'm wasting my time). Then just designate floor to be built. Don't put a floor on the top of the walls if you want to extend it higher though.

[Wrex]

For some reason, I cannot do that. It says I have no access to building material.

[Seraphim342]

It can be helpful to have your towers be fully self-contained as well.  I've got a pair of them out past my main fortifications on my current fort complete with a barracks, dining hall, food stockpile, and archery range under the tower.  Tower's connected to the fort by tunnels.

Towers are 2 z-levels high with forts on the top (good idea about the bridges in case of gobbo elites, will add those), and walls on the bottom.  Ammo's on the ground floor, firing platforms on the top obviously, and all the other accoutrements down below ground.  Surround the whole thing with a dry moat and you're in business.  I've basically got a whole squad of marksdwarves living in each tower 24/7, all year round.  Only open up the connection between the towers and the fort to refill the food stockpile.  In the meantime, my soldiers are getting legendary meals and looking at nice statues to keep happy.  Might even put in a mist generator in each tower for added luxury, but we'll have to see about that. 

*EDIT*  You can't build the down stair on the second level until the up stair on the first level is complete.  Also have to make sure you're directly above it, or you'll get that message.  For a roof on a 2 z-level tower, you need an up stair on ground level, then an up/down on Z+1, THEN a down stair on Z+2, then you can finally place the roof.  I'd do this on the outside, easier to take down and just build a new staircase inside to get to the firing platform. 

[Wrex]

For some reason, I may not place a down stair on Z+2, getting the same No Access message.

[Seraphim342]

You're sure it's an up/down stair and not just a down stair on Z+1?