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[callisto8413]

I noticed something about my Fortress.  I burn wood to produce ash and charcoal and have furnaces turning ores into metal items and....there is no smoke. 

I realized what Dwarf Fortress was missing was that little touch - the smoke pouring up into the atmosphere from the industry from the furnaces and other workshops.  We can mine out the ores, cut down the trees, plow up the land, make protective walls, build mighty towers, redirect rivers, wipe out the animals to feed our workers, and scoop out the very heart of the mountains to live within them.  But the sky goes untouched.  What is the point of that?

I therefore put this forward -

1.  Workshops fueled by coal, wood, charcoal, so on, produce a small amount of visible smoke.
2.  The smoke is not a problem as long as the workshops have a pathway above, a open space that allows the smoke to escape into the atmosphere.  It should be able to go through grates, for example, and other 'items' that would allow the smoke to escape while keeping out dangerous animals and enemies.  Maybe small pipes that could be made from clay, glass, stone, or some of the cheaper metals?
3.  If there is no way to 'vent' the smoke the workshop, for safety, will not function.

And of course, it will be one more thing to piss off the Elves.

 

[Ghoul]

For realism's sake alone I think smoke should be added- I myself have always felt smoke/pollution would be a worthwhile addition, and although I'm unsure how it would work, sewage would also be a decent addition, because it opens up a range of amusing possibilities.

As to smoke, I don't think it should stop forges from working, but I do think giving dwarves a bad thought would be plausible, and an incentive to build airways and chimneys.

[neblime]

As to smoke, I don't think it should stop forges from working, but I do think giving dwarves a bad thought would be plausible, and an incentive to build airways and chimneys.

if not give dwarves respiratory illnesses!
This would be great fun I think, to either have a mighty dwarven smokestack, or just be terrible and let your dwarves choke

[Helari]

Creatures could ultimately suffocate if stuck in a heavily smoke filled area. The first application players would find for this would probably be dwarven gas chambers.

[Pranz]

smoke should give bad thoughts in small concentration, make creatures unconscious in larger concentration, and eventually suffocate creatures.

[Deepblade]

I was part of a thread some time ago that talked a bit about this.

Furnace type workshop changes (to add realism)

Basically the same stuff with the additional idea that in future scenarios where your fortress is hidden and no one should know where it's at that smoke indicates where you are.
I did bring up in that thread that smelting and smithing can release some rather nasty gasses which are heavier than air, meaning our ventilation systems would require some fans to actually move the deadly gasses.

Regardless, smoke and ventilation requirements are a planned feature if I remember correctly.

[GavJ]

In real life, instead of a smokestack outside that betrays your position (though more so with smell than sight if you build it right), I would at least consider devising some sort of large empty underground bell dome to hold sufficient light ash and smoke until it cooled down (ideally flooded on the other side with aquifer, etc.) and then a downward hole for all the heavier gases and cooled smoke leading down to the caverns, where it would dissipate in the endless expanse down there.

It might kill everyone, but you know, an experiment. Carbon monoxide is the most dangerous, as it mixes about evenly with air when it is cool. You might need a way to create an active draft from and to the caverns.

[Zammer990]

I've considered creating a mod like this before, by having smelting reactions create evapourating, syndrome bearing stone, and I'm fairly sure that it already exists. I really like the idea of this, but there'd be a lot of mechanics that would have to be good, for example one shouldn't still be experiencing bad thoughts if you just spent 2 days digging a 60 level 3x3 whole to vent smoke.

[ELF-rhymer]

I like the idea of CO pollution, which can cause miners to suffocate if CO is filling the mine without you noticing that.

This made me think of two more things our dwarves are missing. (I know it probably has been suggested already, but anyway.)
Gas, where I mean natural gas, which will cause suffocation, and can be redirected to be used for !!SCIENCE!!
And the second one - OIL. Probably dwarves will be able to pump oil up and then pour it on enemy's head for more !!FUN!!

[Mesa]

Would elves react negatively if you create an excess amount of pollution?

[FallenAngel]

In real life, instead of a smokestack outside that betrays your position (though more so with smell than sight if you build it right), I would at least consider devising some sort of large empty underground bell dome to hold sufficient light ash and smoke until it cooled down (ideally flooded on the other side with aquifer, etc.) and then a downward hole for all the heavier gases and cooled smoke leading down to the caverns, where it would dissipate in the endless expanse down there.

It might kill everyone, but you know, an experiment. Carbon monoxide is the most dangerous, as it mixes about evenly with air when it is cool. You might need a way to create an active draft from and to the caverns.

Well, if you build it even more correctly, things can notice you but have no way of easy access. Steel floor grates all the way down anyone?

[Lyeos]

Would elves react negatively if you create an excess amount of pollution?

Of course not. They'd be dead anyways.

[Adrian]

Too much smoke on a tile should produce soot so walls and floors get a dusting of soot after a week of heavy furnace-ing.
Dwarves getting covered in soot which results in bad thoughts until they clean themselves with water and soap.

I could go with this.

[Safe-Keeper]

Masterwork DF has a mod built in that makes wood furnaces, etc. produce smoke. It's purely cosmetic, but I like it.

Agree with the OP that the game should require you to build chimneys. It's just ridiculous how you can have a whole smelting and smithing industry underground with no smoke problems.

[gchristopher]

Small to moderate amounts of smoke should be a good thought for typical, furnace-loving dwarves, but maybe speed up cave adaptation? A good dwarven dining hall should be smoky. Maybe higher, dangerous amounts of smoke would be a bad thought.