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Author Topic: Fastest way to move rocks?  (Read 4686 times)

vassock

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Fastest way to move rocks?
« on: January 11, 2015, 07:41:13 pm »

If I want to do significant construction on the surface and know exactly how many units of stone I need (stone would be a few z-levels down), what is the fastest way to move that many stones? Wheelbarrows + a stone stockpile near the construction area?
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utunnels

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Re: Fastest way to move rocks?
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2015, 08:02:00 pm »

You can make them into stone blocks. They are faster than stone boulders.
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Pirate Santa

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Re: Fastest way to move rocks?
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2015, 08:20:40 pm »

They also make smooth constructions instead of rough which looks nicer and makes it more difficult for invaders to climb.
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Moonshadow101

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Re: Fastest way to move rocks?
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2015, 08:52:49 pm »

Wheelbarrows + Stockpile probably is the fastest way to put the stone near the construction, but as has been said, you really shouldn't do this. Build some Masons' workshops near the stones, turn them into blocks, and have a block stockpile on the surface for the results.
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vassock

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Re: Fastest way to move rocks?
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2015, 09:44:16 pm »

I always build that structure airtight (one level of floor tiles right above the level with the walls) so why would it matter if enemies can climb the walls?
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utunnels

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Re: Fastest way to move rocks?
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2015, 09:48:39 pm »

Well, 1 stone = 4 blocks.
So you also get more materials.
Also buiding a block/brick wall is much much more faster than a rough wall.

If you want to move the boulders, you can just dump them then reclaim them.
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Aslandus

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Re: Fastest way to move rocks?
« Reply #6 on: January 11, 2015, 09:56:17 pm »

Stone blocks are much faster to haul than raw stone, and you get 4 times as much material out of your rocks...

You could use raw clay (collected right on site preferably) or wood for building if you need materials fast

Chaosegg

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Re: Fastest way to move rocks?
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2015, 07:34:44 am »

Stone blocks are much faster to haul than raw stone
I think this is the main thing ... I'm not sure what it is for raw stone-to-blocks,
but iirc, one (out of four) bar(s) is something like 0.1 wt compared to one unit of ore;
immensely lighter, and just as (more) useful to craft/construct with!

However... as the wiki says: "the fastest way to move large amounts of stone is a catapult"! :)
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Nikow

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Re: Fastest way to move rocks?
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2015, 06:35:33 pm »

When i need to transport a lot rocks for my walls, i am setting ghetto minecart way and my minions are loading them to 83 bars, when i was hauling stones, there was only 5... Minecarts are usesfull to transport other things too - they can transport 10 logs or above 1030 clothes (i do not know exacly, but you can kill whole goblin squad by one minecart who will shot 400 swords/spears in your enemies.
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Ysyua

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Re: Fastest way to move rocks?
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2015, 06:58:29 pm »

All for blocks. Unless you're using raw stone for RP purposes or something. Making some dorfy Stonehenge.

I like to set up my masons near a quarry, have them turn the stones into blocks, then I have a small block stockpile next to a minecart track that launches the blocks to the surface into a QSP. Having 10+ dorfs hauling blocks all the way up to the surface, returning to a meeting area then going all the way back up to make a construction is killing a lot of time that could be used to build things. By making the blocks trip to the surface a bunch of little jobs from the mason to a nearby stockpile, you eliminate one half of that problem.
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utunnels

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Re: Fastest way to move rocks?
« Reply #10 on: January 13, 2015, 07:43:16 pm »

Well it seems in new versions, they treat garbage dumping seriously.
I dump 1000+ boulders into a quantum stockpile with around 60 haulers quite easily (I just let the game running and read some articles).

1000 boulders really mean something if you turn them into 4000 blocks.
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