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[Quicunque]

I often build a palisade around my outdoor grazing area. I want to make the wall 2 levels high. To do so, I make a scaffolding of floor around the top of the first level of wall (with a stair to access it). After the second level of wall is built, I want to remove the scaffolding floor. If I designate construction removal all at once, the silly dorfs remove the floor sections willy-nilly, often stranding their peers on little floor sections here & there. The only way I know to remove the scaffolding without this issue is to designate the removal of floor one tile at a time, starting with the farthest tile from the stair access. It takes forever. I hate the micro-managing. There has to be a better way.

What is that better way?

[Madrigal]

Use bridges for scaffolding instead of floors?

[Quicunque]

Thanks for the quick reply, Madrigal. But wouldn't deconstructing the bridges entail the same problem?

[bloop_bleep]

Thanks for the quick reply, Madrigal. But wouldn't deconstructing the bridges entail the same problem?

Yes, but it would be less of one. Bridges can span many tiles, meaning you have to build (and thus deconstruct) them only a few times.

[Quicunque]

Of course! I get it now. One bridge can be 10 tiles long, so 10x faster to remove. Thanks, Bloop & Madrigal!

[PatrikLundell]

And if your wall is long enough, you probably want staircases every 21 tiles anyway (one bridge in each direction, with the bridges touching), as it takes quite some time to get the buggers to finish building one bridge so you can start with the one beyond it. With suitably placed stairs you can build all bridges in parallel (assuming sufficient dorf power). Also note that you need architecture for the first step of the construction and carpentry or masonry for the final one, depending on whether the bridge is made out of wood or not.

[h27kim]

The danger with using bridges as scaffolding is that bridges don't support attached structures, I think.  Dwarves will still try to build stuff, only to see things collapse once they are built.  One needs to be very careful not to build structures hanging midair because they don't stay that way.

[Kametec_Housen]

My advise would be: Don't use floor as scaffolding, use stairs instead. A ring of stairs allows quick construction, as it makes each wall tile accessible and it is also very quick to deconstruct - you can designate it all at once, starting from the top.

[PatrikLundell]

The danger with using bridges as scaffolding is that bridges don't support attached structures, I think.  Dwarves will still try to build stuff, only to see things collapse once they are built.  One needs to be very careful not to build structures hanging midair because they don't stay that way.

Yes, but if you only build the scaffolding for the next level, all your wall parts are going to be built on top of the level below. For building out into the air, however, you definitely need to take care to only build the supported segment(s) and add additional ones only as they become supported.

[Ulfarr]

Build two rows of walls on the bottom floor, one right next to the other. The second row will function just like a regular floor and when you are done building the second level, it's a lot safer  to remove since your dwarves will not be standing on it when deconstructing it. It's also a lot faster than trying to remove a single tile of floor at a time in order to avoid accidents.

[wierd]

If you are going to use bridges as scaffolds...

1) Built the scaffolding support system on a single vertical support.  Link it to the "Deconstruct" lever.
2) Retract/raise all the bridges before deconstruction.

By having the scaffolding be several tiles distant from the structure you were constructing, and having a remote-deconstruct lever, you can safely implode the scaffolding remotely, and quickly. (JUST BE SURE THE DEBRIS DOES NOT LAND ON CONSTRUCTED FLOORS!)

[FantasticDorf]

Build two rows of walls on the bottom floor, one right next to the other. The second row will function just like a regular floor and when you are done building the second level, it's a lot safer  to remove since your dwarves will not be standing on it when deconstructing it. It's also a lot faster than trying to remove a single tile of floor at a time in order to avoid accidents.

I second this, it takes a bit longer but making either fully double thick walls or little ramparts (i like little columns of three) works well. Forgive the bad diagram if you could please

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Here we have a simple shack offering protection, from the entrance point (which is open to modifying the design) you could put a low ceiling in the gaps after and some cage traps to deter people and wild animals like macaques, kea's and langurs (i have personal grudge to settle with giant langurs) then branch it off like a normal building below ground there, maybe enclose the outside trade depot or a tavern/communal area for dwarves too.

Putting in a ramp at the furthest side (if i build on the southern side i put the ramp north) where you're starting construction gets around, and placing floors around the ramparts internally remains stable.

[Iapetus]

Use up/down staircases.

You can mass-designate remove the top level, and they will be removed from below.  Once the whole top level is removed, repeat for the level below.

You can use this with multiple-level structures.

I also use a similar process if I need to channel out multiple levels (e.g. for making a skylight).  Designate up/down staris, and once they are completed, channel out the top level.  When that's all dug out, repeat for the next level.

[Dunamisdeos]

Use up/down staircases.

You can mass-designate remove the top level, and they will be removed from below.  Once the whole top level is removed, repeat for the level below.

You can use this with multiple-level structures.

I also use a similar process if I need to channel out multiple levels (e.g. for making a skylight).  Designate up/down staris, and once they are completed, channel out the top level.  When that's all dug out, repeat for the next level.

Yeah this is 100% the way to do it. If you build it out of up/down stairs there's no drawback, its quick and easy, etc etc

[Leonidas]

Since construction is so much faster than deconstruction, another approach is to build the next layer of wall while standing on the current wall. Construct some access stairs every four to six tiles, then build the next wall layer a few tiles at a time. Start with two tiles at the midpoint between the access stairs. Wait for those to get built. Then build out from the center until you have only the tile in front of the stairs.

Looking down from above, I build them in this order:

Code: [Select]

X      X    Stairs
43211234    New wall layer
If you have a block stockpile nearby, this can move very quickly if you're trying to wall off a cavern access point before something nasty shows up.