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[yarnosh]

After playing a few short games of the new DF, I've gotten the impression that water isn't nearly as important as it used to be. Seems like you don't really need any water sources at all if you have underground soil and/or arable land on the surface. Is this correct? Should I not worry about water when selecting a site?

Also, if I do need water in the long term and only start with a few ponds. Will they refill naturally over time if I drain them?

[Skanky]

Without water, injured dwarves will die of thirst. That is about the extent of water's importance. Land for farming is readily available both above and below ground on most (all?) maps.

I'm not too sure about lakes refilling. With weather off, they don't.

[Greenwolf]

Pretty sure they don't refill.  I also hear that prisoners need water.

[sphr]

quote:Originally posted by Greenwolf:
<STRONG>Pretty sure they don't refill.  I also hear that prisoners need water.</STRONG>

don't forget animals.  They don't take alcohol.. Though I wonder if there will be an option to make your war dogs drink before battle.... ye know.. raise the spirit and stuff..

[Wood Gnome]

if you have weather on the ponds may fill up from melting snow and ice, but not rain (i did read this somewhere but haven't tested it).  i haven't bothered to build a well yet and only give outdoor water supplies cursory notice (i.e. cursing the stuff when i forget about it and try to tunnel under it   :p )  i usually designate a meeting spot/fishing spot/fetch water here area as near to the door as possible, where my herd of horses tends to hang out.

[valcon]

having a well has made my dwarves happier, even though they never use the bloody thing, which was, by the way, really hard ... flooded an entire fort once with a well gone awry

i now sing the "floodgates are your friend" song whenever digging anywhere remotely near water

[Name Lips]

I've never seen a pool refill. I've seen pools never dry up because my climate wasn't hot enough, but I've never seen a pool go dry and then refill all by itself, no matter how much it rained.

[coelocanth]

If you rely on alchohol, its possible for your whole fortress to die of thirst at the same time.
This happened when I bought out the human caravan - the dwarves insisted on using barrel production to store meat, and they all died of thirst before making enough barrels to store all the food and get the brewery running again.

[Mzbundifund]

quote:Originally posted by coelocanth:
<STRONG>If you rely on alchohol, its possible for your whole fortress to die of thirst at the same time.
This happened when I bought out the human caravan - the dwarves insisted on using barrel production to store meat, and they all died of thirst before making enough barrels to store all the food and get the brewery running again.</STRONG>

That's why you reserve a few barrels.  You do so under the stockpile menu (p).

quote:originally posted by sphr:
<STRONG>don't forget animals. They don't take alcohol..</STRONG>

They don't take water either.  Animals don't need either food or water, and thank goodness.  I can't imagine what a hassle it would be having to provide water for the 130 horses I have stuffed in that tin cage deep deep in the bowels of the fortress.

Prisoners can drink alcohol if it's stockpiled adjacent to their chain, but it's kind of a pain to set those little stockpiles up.

[Brog]

If a pond is partially drained, then freezes, and then thaws, it will be full again.  If it is totally drained it will not refill.

Not sure if this behaviour is intentional or not.

[Zurai]

Water was never very important. Actually, it was pretty much an afterthought in the previous version because you were 100% gauranteed to have a cave river, so you always had full-year liquid water.

[yarnosh]

Ok, well, as it turns out I just started a new game and I accidentally drained my only pond early on in an irrigation snaffu. So no water for prisoners or the sick. Is there any hope of ever finding any water somewhere? I'm on the side of relatively large mountain.

[ParrotPatrol]

quote:Originally posted by yarnosh:
<STRONG>Ok, well, as it turns out I just started a new game and I accidentally drained my only pond early on in an irrigation snaffu. So no water for prisoners or the sick. Is there any hope of ever finding any water somewhere? I'm on the side of relatively large mountain.</STRONG>

No your boned. But you can still feed your prisoners by putting a booze stockpile right next to the cage/chain

I turned off ALCOHOL DEPENDENCY and use wells exclusively. I don't think alcoholism is a valid gameplay mechanic.

[ November 24, 2007: Message edited by: ParrotPatrol ]

[yarnosh]

Oh come, they're dwarves! Alcohol dependence is part of their charm. Like (human) women and chocolate.  Oh wait, did I just mix fantasy with reality? Sad sad sad.

[Angela Christine]

They aren't drunks, they are alcohol powered mining machines.