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[GhostDwemer]

When making large constructions, there are several ways to go about it, and each has advantages and disadvantages. Which do you prefer? The methods I have tried include:
*Floor style scaffolding. Uses constructed floors and stairs. Construction is fast, scaffolding deconstruction is slow.
*Wall style scaffolding. Uses constructed walls and ramps.Construction is fast, uses more material for taller buildings, deconstruction is a little faster.
*Grate style scaffolding. Uses floor grates and stairs. Construction is fast, deconstruction is fastest.
*Stack style. No scaffolding, uses ramps for access and the walls themselves. Construction is slow but there is very little deconstruction required.

Anyone know any other methods?

[Libash_Thunderhead]

I always use up/down stairs because they are just, well, simple.

[Lordhermitcrab]

A recent project of mine is walling off the cavern layers using giant walls at the very edge of the map. Yanno, just to save that 1 last FPS.

I basically build a wall of up/down stairs right next to the edge, and then assign walls along the edge. They are supported and buildable because of the stairs, and the stairs don't have to be removed since I won't look at them anymore. So it works pretty great.

[Dunamisdeos]

My forts contain:

No up/down staircases. All ramps or regular stairs.
A central trade depot usually suspended above some kind of pit. Said pit contains pillars that are carved each year of the fort and are visible from walkways.
A vault for masterworks and artifacts.
Some kind of deep prison with overly complex security to lock megabeasts away.
A water delivery system using grates and water pressure to pump water to all corners of the fort.

I use either stack or grate for large style constructions.

[Bumber]

Drawbridge scaffolding. Construction time is okay. (The job can be slow, but you get 10 tiles at once.) Deconstruction is even faster than with grates.

[GhostDwemer]

Drawbridge scaffolding. Construction time is okay. (The job can be slow, but you get 10 tiles at once.) Deconstruction is even faster than with grates.

Herp derp, why didn't I think of this one? Best scaffolding yet by far, for any sizeable job. See, I knew there was a reason I posted this topic.

[Sefarian]

90% of the time, I build an up/down stairwell outside a key corner that ascends the full Z length of the project, then build outward. As such, I almost never use scaffolding. The only deconstruction involved is the stairwell after the construction is built. The only time I ever use anything like scaffolding is if I'm doing something like, a series of multi-Z level watch points built into the ceiling of the caverns, the magma sea, etcetera. You obviously need scaffolding to build something like that, so that's when I use it. And when I do, I typically use drawbridges.

[King Kitteh]

I've been using up/down stairs for engraving my multi z-level dining room. I like them because I can designate an entire level for removal without fear of any collapses. I have enough idlers to do it too.

[Vattic]

Drawbridge scaffolding. Construction time is okay. (The job can be slow, but you get 10 tiles at once.) Deconstruction is even faster than with grates.

This and just stairs and floor tiles for smaller jobs.

[Slogo]

With drawbridge/grates you need to be careful about unsupported constructions so which one is faster is going to depend on the size & shape of the job. With stairs/scaffold you can scaffold the entire job at once and designate the entire construction without risk of unsupported tiles so in some cases it'll probably come out ahead for speed.

So for something like a tall but skinny construction it may be faster to use stairs/floors over grates because you can designate the entire construction in one go and just let it build over time.

[GhostDwemer]

With drawbridge/grates you need to be careful about unsupported constructions so which one is faster is going to depend on the size & shape of the job. With stairs/scaffold you can scaffold the entire job at once and designate the entire construction without risk of unsupported tiles so in some cases it'll probably come out ahead for speed.

So for something like a tall but skinny construction it may be faster to use stairs/floors over grates because you can designate the entire construction in one go and just let it build over time.

I tend to use walls of more than one tile thickness in major parts of my design, so just designate and go isn't an option for me. Corners and diagonals can also cause problems, unless you do scaffolding on both sides of the wall.

[Libash_Thunderhead]

Just got many accidents and death when I tried to remove up/down stairs today.
So I guess I'll keep them for now.

[Urist McVoyager]

I've been using floors for big projects but removing them is fiddly. I'll probably start using staircases since I can just build them up each level I need them, then tear them down a level at a time.

[Somebodyelse]

For walls I make them 3 tiles thick. An outer wall and inner wall with a hallway inbetween them for every layer. They're a lot like the generated human fort walls. Their construction is such that it requires no extra structures to build from. I tend to make all structures in such a way so there's no need for temporary scaffolding or ramps.

[kicktothehead]

Their construction is such that it requires no extra structures to build from

So how do you get them to build up to a second floor?