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[deknegt]

I am playing around with outside farming, and after a while I figured out that channeling out plots will enable me to farm outside, whilst still on the same z-level as my underground farms. (giving me the pleasure of having a big farming complex underground where all the farmers live and do their stuff.

But there is the little issue of the channeled plots being a bit... exposed, to say the least. So I was wondering about how I can make it safer for my dwarfs, whilst still enabling me to farm those tasty potatoes to fill the stomachs of my miniature alcoholics.

So I am wondering, would a plot still be classed as ''aboveground'' when I greenhouse it up and build glass planes on the roof of the open plots? Also, if it's possible. Can it be done with bland green glass instead of having to show effort and make clear glass...

The plots are all 3x5 if you guys wish to know.

[ImagoDeo]

It's even easier than you might think. Just stick a 3x5 bridge over each plot to safeguard it.

I've been farming strawberries, prickle berries, and whipvines in a terrifying biome for seven years this way. The bridges shield from gas clouds and invaders alike.

[Telgin]

I'm almost certain that once a tile has been exposed to the surface it's considered above ground forever more.  Building over it doesn't change it back.  In fact, I think you can get away with building metal flooring over it and still grow above ground crops in it.

I believe using glass will cause the game to treat the tiles as lit for purposes of cave adaptation however.  I haven't tested that and it's been many months since I've read about anyone trying it.

[smjjames]

It's even easier than you might think. Just stick a 3x5 bridge over each plot to safeguard it.

I've been farming strawberries, prickle berries, and whipvines in a terrifying biome for seven years this way. The bridges shield from gas clouds and invaders alike.

Less material used as well.

Really though, any material will work since once a tile is exposed to light, it remains lit, even if you roof it over.

Edit: ninja'd heh

[deknegt]

Didn't know that, thanks guys!

Time to add some rock salt flooring then, for a bit of seasoning

[Dolwin]

I'm almost certain that once a tile has been exposed to the surface it's considered above ground forever more.  Building over it doesn't change it back.  In fact, I think you can get away with building metal flooring over it and still grow above ground crops in it.

I believe using glass will cause the game to treat the tiles as lit for purposes of cave adaptation however.  I haven't tested that and it's been many months since I've read about anyone trying it.

I've done this recently.  I can confirm that clear glass flooring does render the area below it as lit.  I'd assume green glass would do the same, but I didn't try that route.

[ImagoDeo]

Did you construct the floor and THEN excavate beneath, or was the area below open to the sky before you put in the floor?

[smjjames]

I'm almost certain that once a tile has been exposed to the surface it's considered above ground forever more.  Building over it doesn't change it back.  In fact, I think you can get away with building metal flooring over it and still grow above ground crops in it.

I believe using glass will cause the game to treat the tiles as lit for purposes of cave adaptation however.  I haven't tested that and it's been many months since I've read about anyone trying it.

I've done this recently.  I can confirm that clear glass flooring does render the area below it as lit.  I'd assume green glass would do the same, but I didn't try that route.

I've used green glass before and that works, but the material shouldn't matter.

[crazysheep]

Material doesn't matter indeed, once you expose a subterranean tile to light it's exposed forever. The only thing you can change is whether it's an Inside tile or Outside tile, which affects some building construction (iirc you can't build beds on an Outside tile, for starters).

* crazysheep throws 2 cents into thread

[Aslandus]

I'm almost certain that once a tile has been exposed to the surface it's considered above ground forever more.  Building over it doesn't change it back.  In fact, I think you can get away with building metal flooring over it and still grow above ground crops in it.

I believe using glass will cause the game to treat the tiles as lit for purposes of cave adaptation however.  I haven't tested that and it's been many months since I've read about anyone trying it.

I've done this recently.  I can confirm that clear glass flooring does render the area below it as lit.  I'd assume green glass would do the same, but I didn't try that route.

Times like this, I wish Dwarves got vertigo, it would be tons of fun to build a glass floor over a 30 z-level drop and send nobles in to pass out repeatedly

[EvilBob22]

I'm almost certain that once a tile has been exposed to the surface it's considered above ground forever more.  Building over it doesn't change it back.  In fact, I think you can get away with building metal flooring over it and still grow above ground crops in it.

I believe using glass will cause the game to treat the tiles as lit for purposes of cave adaptation however.  I haven't tested that and it's been many months since I've read about anyone trying it.

I've done this recently.  I can confirm that clear glass flooring does render the area below it as lit.  I'd assume green glass would do the same, but I didn't try that route.

I've used green glass before and that works, but the material shouldn't matter.

I've used stone many, many times and it works just fine.  It allows for above ground crops and even prevents cave adaptation.  In light of that (pun intended ) I often carve a hole down to where the meeting area is, and then floor over the top part at ground-level.

[jcochran]

Actually, the flag that indicates above ground and light is rather ... infectious. And also helps treat or prevent cave adaptation.
For instance, I frequently use a central 3x3 stairwell for my dwarves to go up and down. The following procedure will make that entire stairwell flagged as "light" and at the same time not allow unpleasant guests from invading from the great outdoors.

1. Dig stairwell as you normally do. On the ground outside, channel out the 3x3 area, the floor over it with the flooring of your choice (I tend to prefer stone blocks of any type that's available).
2. Now on the level below the floor mentioned above, just channel out a few of the stairs, then after they're dug out, build stairs to replace them. The tiles directly underneath the newly built stairs will also be considered light. Once you have a few stairs built, channel out the stairs you haven't done and replace them with built stairs.
3. Keep repeating step 2 until you've gone as deep as you want to go. The "light" flag will go down as far as you want even though you long ago floored over the area where the light originated.

And now all my dwarves are required to periodically enter a lighted area if only to move from their workshops to the food stockpile. And except for the short period of time when surface access was available, they're protected. Of course, built stairs aren't as sturdy as dug stairs as regards cave ins, but that's a rather minor point.

[Bihlbo]

This is what I always do with farms, feel free to steal.

1. First year, dig a room in the soil just under the surface for subterranean farming. Plan for all plots to be 2x2 or 4x4. One tile away, channel a good-sized area for surface farming that can only be accessed from the surface. Make sure to only get rid of some ramps, not all. Farm away.

2. When I have lots of stone blocks, build a floor over the surface farm area with stone blocks (do not be concerned with how it looks). The area underneath is still considered "above ground" for the purpose of forcing dwarves to puke and growing crops. When that's done, channel the wall that separated that area from the subterranean farm and build a floor over that strip as well. Get rid of the ramps and start farming with gusto.

3. Since trees don't grow if the land under it is hollow, the entire farm is now no longer useful for growing trees. That becomes my refuse area. Wall it off and build stairs from below ground so it can only be used by dwarves already inside the fort. Make sure to put a hatch over the stairs.

4. At some point my enemies will be able to fly, so the refuse pile needs a roof. Also, it's probably not big enough. Continue the stairs up, build a floor, make it more refuse stockpile area, and then wall off that level. I do this again until I think it's plenty, and then make sure I have a roof.

5. After the area around my fort's entrance is adequately walled-off, I'll replace a portion of the wall leading into the refuse area with a small drawbridge that opens into the interior. Most of the time it's raised, so it's a wall. The square under the bridge is my garbage pile, and when there are loads of goblin corpses outside my fort entrance I lower the bridge, allowing much faster access to the refuse pile, and destroying all my garbage in the process.