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[Michael]

I think a big part of it is that since the embark selection warns of aquifers, those who are most scared of them have never directly experienced them.  Although this still makes them "annoying" as they rule out many otherwise good embark sites.   (Especially if one's taste in embark scenario runs a bit elven...)

It doesn't help that the simplest coping mechanism for aquifers is to use a site where a known patch of ground is aquifer-free.  Here, the embark selector appears to work against you.  At first glance, it appears that "aquifer" is a property of a biome, but it actually appears to be independent property of individual embark-tiles.  Temporarily selecting a 16x16 embark will often show an aquifer warning for every single biome in a region -- however many individual 4x4 embarks in the same region will show no aquifer on at least one biome.

I guess Toady thinks it would be too easy to pre-plan an aquifer penetration if the affected tiles were simply marked on the local map.  Even though it should be possible to extract most of this information my moving a tiny trial embark rectangle about the region and carefully taking notes.

[SmileyMan]

Or just set the site finder to find aquifers. Then every aquifer tile will have a nice flashing X on it, and you can select a suitable embark rectangle (although make sure that the site info says aquifer, even if it's got flashing tiles)

[Draco18s]

They're annoying because they're all or nothing. If you don't know how to breach an aquifer and aren't on a site that freezes, you make a functional surface fortress while you try and figure it out. If you do know how to breach an aquifer, it's a speed bump.

If you know how to breach an aquifer, go find a location with a two-layer aquifer that doesn't freeze and doesn't have a convenient stone area to use to go around.

I did that once.  Took me something like two in-game years.

[Culise]

I always bring plenty of stone when I embark in aquifer regions, but even if I didn't, there's usually enough wood around outside.  Now, if I ran into an aquifer badland/desert embark with no trees and brought no stone or any other construction materials, I could see it getting a little rough.  Otherwise, it's actually fairly easy, if a little tedious, to get through the aquifer with that double-slit method.  I've never actually tried the winter or cave-in methods of aquifer piercing, but I can usually manage it by autumn for a multi-level aquifer, on top of setting up the rest of the fort.  Add in infinite water and power once you have the aquifer settled, and it's actually rather useful. 

At least, usually.  Once, I had to punch through a 9-level aquifer in an embark with a dragon lair right outside (which nearly gave me a coronary when I got the warning; I didn't even *know* that it was possible to embark on a lair).  Which was made worse when I realized that those nine levels of sandstone had a tremendous amount of the iron which I had painstakingly searched out that embark site solely in order to mine.  That was...interesting.  And then an update came out and rendered my save irrelevant, just for good measure (I think it was the minecart update). ^_^

[jellsprout]

Aquifers are an infinite source of flowing clean water without any chance of nasties appearing in them. Learn the double slit method and you'll never want to embark without an aquifer again.

[Sutremaine]

If you know how to breach an aquifer, go find a location with a two-layer aquifer that doesn't freeze and doesn't have a convenient stone area to use to go around.

I was thinking more of the double slit method, which you can do with one axe (on the right site) or a bunch of purchased logs.

[Draco18s]

If you know how to breach an aquifer, go find a location with a two-layer aquifer that doesn't freeze and doesn't have a convenient stone area to use to go around.

I was thinking more of the double slit method, which you can do with one axe (on the right site) or a bunch of purchased logs.

That method wasn't known the last time I played, unfortunately.

[CaptainArchmage]

Breaking through the aquifers is tricky. The main annoyance, however, is the layer directly below the aquifer becomes unusable. When that layer contains iron-bearing minerals, its extremely frustrating.

[Draco18s]

Breaking through the aquifers is tricky. The main annoyance, however, is the layer directly below the aquifer becomes unusable. When that layer contains iron-bearing minerals, its extremely frustrating.

Doors, lots of doors.  Or mining it out from above.

[burn_heal]

So what's actually the point of aquifers? Are they useful in some way? Why are they there if they are just "speed bumps"?

[Draco18s]

So what's actually the point of aquifers? Are they useful in some way? Why are they there if they are just "speed bumps"?

Infinite clean water is their primary use.

But yeah, they're supposed to be a speed bump, although I suspect that the water seepage rate is a bit faster than it should be.

[burn_heal]

OK, clean water is important. I mean, I see challenges as good things, but to me, having a layer of water that's hard to get through doesn't seem to add much to the game.

Then again I suppose it would be handy if you were going for lots of drowning traps / waterguns and such.

The annoying thing is that so much of the world that is generated has them, so its hard to find suitable sites without them.

[Draco18s]

The annoying thing is that so much of the world that is generated has them, so its hard to find suitable sites without them.

You can disable them.

[Mr S]

In all fairness, so much of the world WE live in has them.  That's why ground water management is an integral part of the construction process for anything below grade (including house foundations) in many many parts of the world.

Case in point, I install machinery.  The foundations are usually 12 ft. thick (4 m).  Almost all of that is below grade.  Once the excavation gets beyond 3 ft (1 m) below grade, ground water begins to seep in, depending upon rainfall, time of year, river stages, etc.  At that point, the lowest point in the excavation has sump pumps running 24/7.  The low point moves as the excavation continues, so the pumps move.  The day the concret trucks begin to caravan in, the pump gets pulled out as the first load of concrete goes in.

[Michael]

So what's actually the point of aquifers? Are they useful in some way? Why are they there if they are just "speed bumps"?

They would not be the first nor the last time Toady has put in a "realistic" feature that does not increase gameplay enjoyment.

I would see two benefits to having them in the game.

First, they provide an in-game rationale for why the NPC dwarves prefer to settle in the mountains, when forested areas (which are "supposed" to go to the elves) can be attractive sites gameplay-wise.

Second, they can make embark sites with no brook (or larger) more playable.  With either a brook or an aquifer, you can get infinite water whenever you want it.  Otherwise, you are at the mercy of the weather, and need to gather up water in advance of when you need it.  For an aquifer-piercing expert, water conservation may be much more annoying in the long run.