I installed on my office computer and ran an embark. I didn't figure I would play much at work, but why not play with world gens while you are semi-busy? My first gen had a volcano on an island! (I saved the virgin embark.) I looked around and liked it, so I brought it home with me.
I was a magma virgin, so I turned off sieges so as to best learn to play with the stuff. I learned that I haven't yet figured out how to properly dig into the 'cano. I lost a dorf to that. But I ended up with a beautiful channel I can separate in five sections and drain if needed, albeit slowly. It can power 14 magma thingies the way I designed it/channeled the floor above. I've 3 smelters, 4 forges, a kiln and a glass furn. I love them - just fucking love them all.
A "moat" was channeled and a manual pump-stack of two was set up to dump love on the said moat when the entrance bridge is pulled up. It has not been tested, but I know it works. I've done them on water before, and I can make steel or obsidian mechs/floods/you name it. (Steel is somewhat limited, obsi is not.) And it is only two pumps, so I am not worried. Also, no sieges, so when I try, I'll only kill a random dorf or the liaison.
I tried to breach the caverns as soon... Well, I picked a bad spot to try and had to dig little peek holes every 20ish levels, and still I had only seen a few (1x6, 2x2, 2x4, etc) patches of cavern floor, a lot of open space and outlines. Nowhere to dig in.
I finally get in on what I can only assume is cavern 1 given the friends I have made. But it is deep. I noticed the top at -52 and I landed at -148. It is workable. I built a barracks, archery range and dining hall on what will be the new main level. I learned from the cave challenge that having a few squads where you mill about in the caves is handy and they make good with troggies. Still, some deaths - mostly in the moving of tables/squads 150z and 4 trogs for the welcoming party. I swear we left that opening alone a year or so while we were smoothing and no one calls upon us, but I haul a door down there and the neighbors knock on it?
I have the start of a 9z waterfall from one level to another? (Confused as to what cave level I am on.) But...
I decide to use two levels of water to make a pit room and devise a plan to drop friends 10z with the ability to flood them if they live and also drain the pool to get any goodies. 4 levels down I find the sea of love. The plans have all changed.
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P.S. Two levels above my entrance, I made a pasture and a small sculpture. It looks like this;
XXXXXX
X~~~~~~X
X~~~~~~X
X~X~~X~X
=~~~~~~=
========
==~XX~==
========
======
==
=
'X' = Microcline, '~' = Shist, '=' = Cinnabar
Edit: Just revealed some blue metal. It's a small reveal, but should not be hard to get to. Maybe. But this is more than I wanted so soon. We've only just begun the new apartment complex. (It is how we found the candy.) So well.