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Author Topic: Span across cavern  (Read 970 times)

ragincajun

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Span across cavern
« on: October 26, 2014, 11:49:21 am »

I have hit a cavern and decided for the first time to build a span across it.  Later it may become a mega bridge project but for now just real simple.

I've built a bridge in the hall at the entrance to my dig into the cavern.
I've built a floor extending out into the cavern from the end of the bridge hall to the next support structure in the cavern.
I've dug into that support structure for pathing and then to another open area that I've spanned with a bridge/floor combo which has gotten me to the far side of the cavern.

My concern is (since this is my first time doing this)...will my flooring hold?  There isn't anything beneath it so it's anchored only to the adjacent floor tile and the ends to the cavern walls.  Before I get gung ho into digging and building on the far side of the cavern or with a mega bridge project...just want to ensure the flooring won't collapse killing anyone that's wandering down there.

Thanks.
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FrankyPlaysGames

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Re: Span across cavern
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2014, 12:00:29 pm »

It will be fine if it's connected to the walls, but that depends on how much floor.
I'm sure it'll hold if it's connected to a wall somewhere every 30 tiles at least. Why not build walls below it? Or supports?
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ragincajun

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Re: Span across cavern
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2014, 12:05:51 pm »

Aesthetics for one..lol.

Also, I just breached the cavern and I assume you have to build supports up from the bottom?  No experience with caverns so this is all new for me.
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ptb_ptb

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Re: Span across cavern
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2014, 12:37:16 pm »

It will be fine if it's connected to the walls, but that depends on how much floor.
I'm sure it'll hold if it's connected to a wall somewhere every 30 tiles at least.

RLY? I once supported the entire surface of an embark with one floor tile in the corner.
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Lyra

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Re: Span across cavern
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2014, 02:13:01 pm »

You don't need to build additional walls or supports.  Constructed tiles behave the same way as natural tiles in this respect and provide support orthogonally.  The setup you described sounds fine and would be completely supported as long as you are building with constructions and it's connected to the cavern walls.  Built supports require an additional floor tile to be built on top of them before they can be stacked, so if you want to build piers underneath your bridge, constructed walls would be the more economical choice.

Literal bridges do not provide support.  If you are building the bridge with bridges, you need to make sure that every bridge is supported by a pier.  Retracting bridges are great for scaffolding, however, as long as everything you are building is already supported.  This normally limits their use to building multi-level walls.
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Loci

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Re: Span across cavern
« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2014, 02:57:23 pm »

My concern is (since this is my first time doing this)...will my flooring hold?  There isn't anything beneath it so it's anchored only to the adjacent floor tile and the ends to the cavern walls.

Floor tiles will never collapse under their own weight in this version. Watch out for collapsing trees, though, since the cave-ins they generate will puncture through floor tiles (and potentially cause the rest of your bridgeworks to collapse if a key supporting tile is hit). Constructed walls can survive a cave-in, though they are more difficult to build into a lengthy span.
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PatrikLundell

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Re: Span across cavern
« Reply #6 on: October 26, 2014, 03:20:18 pm »

And a little warning: there may be flying stuff in the caverns, so just because you're off the ground does not make you safe...
Since I'm a whimp, I want to secure the cavern as quickly as safely possible, but before doing that I don't venture out into it until reasonable defensive and sealing measures have been constructed (this typically means sealing the first breach while a safer entrance is constructed).
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