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[Neoskel]

Right now it's very difficult to dig a multi z-level pit only accessible from the top. You have to figure out some way to get rid of the staircase/ramp you are obligated to use, but the stupid dwarves would prefer to stand below the staircase and remove it, effectively stranding themselves.

Someone mentioned rope ladders as a solution, and i figure it could work fairly well. It would be like a  bridge, but scaling multiple z-levels instead of x and y. You'd build it using ropes or chains, needing one rope/chain per z-level scaled and only being buildable on the side of a cliff (dwarf-made or natural). It would have to be anchored on an adjacent floor at the top level like drawbridges are and would only be built/removed from that tile. Not next to it, directly on the anchor tile.

This would allow easy access/denial of access to high cliff areas, and would allow the digging of pits of varying depths without leaving messy staircases behind which could allow creatures chucked in/living in there to escape. It woud still be a little clunky, as you'd have to unbuild and rebuild the rope ladder for every additional z-level you want to dig, but it comes off clean and easy and won't leave a mark.

When unbuilt, it would have to remove the bottom part first and make it's way up.

Also, in future releases when adventurers can build stuff and a climb skill exists, your adventurer could scale  a huge cliff and drop down a rope ladder for his companions to climb up.

Another thing to consider for the future of climbing is having cliff caves where only flying/climbing megabeasts will live which only have entrances on the side of the cliff face which the dragon (or whatever) can fly in and out of which can only be reached by climbing the cliff (or magic flying shoes/pegasus mount). T'would be awesome. 

[PTTG??]

I LIKE IT!
Perhaps one could hook a lever up to this and have it retract, too. It would be fun to have these set up on your main wall and have levers at the bottom that control them- so mischievous goblins (and those swordsdwarf squads) have something to do!

And I'll admit it sounds very dwarfy to have chains for rope ladders. <<+Golden Chain Rope Ladder+>> with images of goblins and rope ladders. The ladders are retracting. The goblins are falling.

[Pyro93735]

It would make building your epic tree-fort villages just that much more satisfying to have the only means of access rope ladders. Now if only we could get rope bridges too so they can be sawed through, presumably dropping invaders to their doom.

[Draco18s]

In the mean time dig the stairs, and then dig channels on them to remove them.  You can't get a 1x1 pit this way (more than 1 level deep) and you can't use up-down stairs, but a back and forth set of stairs could work.

####
#><#
####

becomes

####
# <#
####


And on up, one level at a time.

[Neoskel]

In the mean time dig the stairs, and then dig channels on them to remove them.  You can't get a 1x1 pit this way (more than 1 level deep) and you can't use up-down stairs, but a back and forth set of stairs could work.

####
#><#
####

becomes

####
# <#
####


And on up, one level at a time.

Doesn't work. The dwarves will dig the channels from under the stairs and get themselves trapped.

Perhaps one could hook a lever up to this and have it retract, too. It would be fun to have these set up on your main wall and have levers at the bottom that control them- so mischievous goblins (and those swordsdwarf squads) have something to do!

Now that's a great idea too. 

[Login]

It could only work if the rope ladder has an (unlimited z-level drop/following). So that when you dig a pit or moat the rope will follow the miner down (-1z level drop).   
                                 z0_|             _|         
 (&=rope)                        [&        ]    [&]
 ([]= pit)                         [& Miner]    [&]
                                                     [&] Miner +& (rope) per z level down.
So that when the miner is done he will climb the rope ladder. Remove the rope by z0. And the pit is ready. 

[SwiftSpear]

I'm DEFINITELY for this idea.  Seriously, one of the best ideas in DF for a long time.  (perhaps not 1 rope being used per Z level though... you don't really need obscene amounts of rope to make a rope ladder)

Dudes climbing a ladder can't carry items (unequipped, they don't have to get naked to climb), and wagons can't climb ladders.  Certain animals maby should also not be allowed (like elephants).

Really... this might be the simple solution to the problem of scaffolding.

[Neoskel]

I'm DEFINITELY for this idea.  Seriously, one of the best ideas in DF for a long time.  (perhaps not 1 rope being used per Z level though... you don't really need obscene amounts of rope to make a rope ladder)

Dudes climbing a ladder can't carry items (unequipped, they don't have to get naked to climb), and wagons can't climb ladders.  Certain animals maby should also not be allowed (like elephants).

Really... this might be the simple solution to the problem of scaffolding.

Maybe the amount of rope/chain could be calculated similarly to material costs for bridges, with a base of one rope and another rope needed every few z-levels.

You really only need one hand to climb a ladder, hauling only takes one hand at a time afaik so only amputees would have issue with hauling up ladders. Equipped weapons should still count as free hands imo since you can use them for wrestling. And dogs and cats can't climb the rope ladders because they have no hands (may cause pathing problems when your dwarf tries to bring them to the butcher shop/cage/pit, but then again unconscious animals can be moved). Animals which should by right be able to climb, like rhesus macaques and the various gibbons would have to be changed so that they have hands/grasping feet. Wagons can't use staircases so it's pretty much a given for them not to use rope ladders.

@Login, thats pretty much how i figure it would work, just that instead of 'unfolding' automatically you'd have to pull up the ladder and add more rope to it each level. Sometimes you don't want to go all the way to the bottom, like if you want a chamber halfway down a well shaft to hide treasure in or something.

[Overdose]

Don't forget to make it a tiring task as well when using it for added fun.

Urist McDwarf cancels climb: Exhausted
Urist McDwarf cancels rest: Falling
Urist McDwarf has died.

[Neoskel]

Don't forget to make it a tiring task as well when using it for added fun.

Urist McDwarf cancels climb: Exhausted
Urist McDwarf cancels rest: Falling
Urist McDwarf has died.

Theres a thought, never thought of it as being a task. Course, it'd probably have to be for it to have requirements like no. of hands.

I'd rather they just work like a set of retractable stairs.

[Bromor Neckbeard]

I fully support the idea of having rope be used in this way.  I never understood why my dwarves can't use some of the rope they've got laying around to get out of my moat after they strand themselves.

[Login]

@neoskel. The idea is to 'remove/limit' the tedium of a miner who has dig him self to the depths of the earth without any chance to get out of the pit.  (the automatic drop/'following' of the rope to the level the miner is digging could help).

Perhaps a limit of two or four z-levels per rope and a limit of the weight the rope could handle before snapping. And at the pole you could limit the the lenght of the rope to limit acces. Or remove the rope. This system is only use full for digging pits/moats and 'save' trapped miners not for heavy traffic.

Will this system work it needs to be fast and easy. As fast as assigning a staircase. The positive part of this system is that you only need an ax to cut the rope.

The fun part of a miner with a rubber rope....... bungee jumping Urist
 

[Neoskel]

I think you're not thinking in game terms enough...

[Jamuk]

Well, this is slightly off topic, but what about scaffolding? It would act similarly to a up/down stairway, except be fast to construct and deconstruct, and require no supports other than an adjacent scaffolding tile.  Removal could be done by collapsing the supports, causing it to fall down leaving a pile of wood.  It would be useful for vertical constructions like towers.  It isn't quite as useful for downward constructions, but one possible way of removing it could be to collapse the scaffolding using ropes strung down to the bottom supports that the dwarves could pull from the top of the shaft (deconstruction of all connected scaffolding tiles from any position adjacent to a tile of scaffolding, this position could be specified by the player.)

[Neoskel]

Well, this is slightly off topic, but what about scaffolding? It would act similarly to a up/down stairway, except be fast to construct and deconstruct, and require no supports other than an adjacent scaffolding tile.  Removal could be done by collapsing the supports, causing it to fall down leaving a pile of wood.  It would be useful for vertical constructions like towers.  It isn't quite as useful for downward constructions, but one possible way of removing it could be to collapse the scaffolding using ropes strung down to the bottom supports that the dwarves could pull from the top of the shaft (deconstruction of all connected scaffolding tiles from any position adjacent to a tile of scaffolding, this position could be specified by the player.)

Constructed staircases work very well for upward constructions of walls and stuff and build pretty fast. They take a while to deconstruct, but it should be on the safe side of a wall or whatever you're building. In fact you only need one tall staircase to make a wall across the whole map, you just need to use the tops of constructed walls as floors and build them from the edges.

When building constructions, the last one you place without leaving build mode will be the first one to be worked on. You can use this to allow the construction of big walls without needing to babysit, but it's a big initial effort.