I've been busy putting together following update, one of the last ones, just one more remaining. Is uploading save tomorrow acceptable? I don't have screenshots or plans for another animation, so standard text + pictures it is. I may even manage to have it out by evening.
It is becoming clear that the magma railroad is not going to be finished on my watch. So I should provide some other source of fuel. I think I should dig a cave for growing raw charcoal. I already have a plan on mind:
Aquifers are plentiful around here, so using one as
water mud source comes as no-brainer. With setup like this, the cave can be muddied and remuddied easily, just by pulling a lever and allowing right amount of water to flow in. There is no drain, the water is supposed to evaporate, but should it become necessary, it can be added easily. There is also space for connecting some other pipes, so this water source is ready to be used for some other projects as well. The cave itself is high enough to host even the largest
trees unburned charcoal.
Here is workplan:
What could go wrong? Nothing! Let's get to it.
This size seems about alright. Our miners should get some experience as well. But as channeling progresses, some unforseen trouble arises:
Okay, so as miners are busy tapping the aquifer, the rest of the fortress is going to be assigned to cleaning duty. Dumping the stones just out of the door should suffice. And I don't want to see anybody slacking!
The aquifer is breached.
Just in the middle of a gold vein.
By the way, work like this is what I like to watch. No idlers, whole fort is busy doing something.
Eh? What happened? Are we dealing with another vampire?
No, there is a combat report. And fights against an invisible enemy like this usually mean
Oops. I was designating the stairs for removal one layer at a time in order to prevent this. But our miners are innovative enough to manage to work around any safety measures I throw at them. I didn't see what happened, but I suspect one miner stood on stairs other miner dug out. From now on, I will designate the stairs for removal one tile at a time.
Oh, and did I mention we need yet another miner?
Careful Bomrek, careful. That's it. Good boy, that wasn't hard. Those stairs on next level cannot be removed, because of the floodgate, so let's move to next level. One flight of stairs.. Okay, now next. Wait, Bomrek, no! Go back up!
... Now you've done it. Bomrek has survived, okay, but damn dude went and removed the last tile of stairs from below, trapping himself on the floodgate level.
What now? I could leave him be, but then he would produce miasma from an unreachable location. Not to say I would run out of miners really soon if this kept up. So rescue operation it is then. I'll have stairs constructed from above and hope the dwarf deconstructing them will be smarter than Bomrek. I wouldn't want to see rescuer in need of rescuing.
Okay, that worked. Bomrek is safely away (although getting him to move out of there was a bit difficult). Now: Removing the stairs, take two! Papermaker Tekkud is up for the challenge. He rushes in, starts deconstructing and
Dammit Tekkud, you had one job! Did you really just stand on the stairs and removed them right away from your feet? Of course you did! At least the stairs are gone, noone is stuck and no, we don't need another papermaker.