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[Paralyzoid]

How would I make a safe location for my dwarves that counts as outdoors?

[anewaname]

There is a lot in the wiki about this sort of thing, but the simplest is to dig a "pit" and then build a floor over it. The key information is that, once a tile is exposed to sunlight, the tile will remain as "above ground', even if a roof is added later. See this in the wiki, you want tiles with Above Ground to avoid vomit trails, it does not matter if they are also Inside.

[Rafatio]

Unless I completely misunderstood the wiki, above ground simply doesn't change cave adaption, keeping it from getting worse while dwarves are in those areas. You'd need your whole fort like that or it only slows the problem. Only outside tiles reduce cave adaption, I have a removable roof (bridges) above a walled in courtyard with some reason for dwarves to be there often. Last fort had a bookcase, zoned to the library, at the spot furthest from the stairs to even get those scholars some sunlight. Probably not completely foolproof as the bridge would be "open" when the roof is closed, vulnerable to destroyers but good enough to keep arrows and buzzards out.

[PatrikLundell]

The extreme version is to build walls up to the limit of the sky. Some people lower the sky limit to make this kind of solutions easier. I think the default is 15 Z levels of sky.

[Fleeting Frames]

1) Pick your location. Wall it off (it's outside), and use bridge for the roof (it's now inside)
2) Link the bridge to the lever, and open it (still inside).
3) Build or dig on every tile under bridge. Doesn't need to be 1z away; underground beneath several levels of walls and 30z levels away is fine, as long as it is directly underneath. Dirt roads count. Every tile under bridge whose column you altered thus changes to outside.
4) Pull the lever again (still outside).

Obviously, this will become inside again once you trigger the game to update there, but here you go.

[Vaporo]

The extreme version is to build walls up to the limit of the sky. Some people lower the sky limit to make this kind of solutions easier. I think the default is 15 Z levels of sky.

Doesn't the sky go on more or less forever? I know it's at least several thousand layers.

[PatrikLundell]

The extreme version is to build walls up to the limit of the sky. Some people lower the sky limit to make this kind of solutions easier. I think the default is 15 Z levels of sky.

Doesn't the sky go on more or less forever? I know it's at least several thousand layers.

There's an advanced world gen parameter for it. There's also a DFHack tool (infinite-sky or something like that) that can extend the sky upwards as needed. Thus, the sky isn't particularly high normally, but it can be extended (and I don't know what the limit on that is).

[Saiko Kila]

1) Pick your location. Wall it off (it's outside), and use bridge for the roof (it's now inside)
2) Link the bridge to the lever, and open it (still inside).
3) Build or dig on every tile under bridge. Doesn't need to be 1z away; underground beneath several levels of walls and 30z levels away is fine, as long as it is directly underneath. Dirt roads count. Every tile under bridge whose column you altered thus changes to outside.
4) Pull the lever again (still outside).

Obviously, this will become inside again once you trigger the game to update there, but here you go.

I use this method. The best thing to build in point 3 is a dirt road, sometimes I use hatches to get better visual (deconstruction also counts), and of course don't forget targets for archers and weapon rack or similar if the area will be used for barracks.

Usually the game updates only the tile directly involved, but sometimes a couple of neighbours too, so it is worth checking after the whole rebuilding. For certain reasons the bridge (I use the retracting type exclusively) is best built more than one z-level above the barracks, it works most surely then.

This is an exploit of course, but it has not been fixed in years, so probably will work some more.

[Rafatio]

What does "the game updates" mean in this context?

[Fleeting Frames]

Trigger the game to update said tile, i.e. by digging out a new section of fort under it.

It means different things in other context, i.e. when it comes to water flow stilling triggering a door or raising bridge within same 16x16 block column.

[Xyon]

I usually have only one hallway into/outof my main dining hall/food storage area, and i usually have part of this hallway dug all the way up to the surface, with walls/etc going far up into the sky to prevent climbers/fliers from getting in. This way every time a dwarf goes to eat/drink they are exposed to sunlight.