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[Uristocrat]

> As a loading/priming mechanism for traps, or are you adding that for mechanisms in general?

I thought of it as a power source in general.  But yes, it might well be one of the more economical ways to reload a trap.

For example, if adjacent traps transmit power, you just add a hand crank to the end of the chain and let Urist crank them all back into place.

[NW_Kohaku]

http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev.html

There's a new section for "improved mechanics". It looks like some ofthese are going in!

Yes, even conveyors and lifts, apparently... although I wish my own idea of assembly-line-style conveyors that could be attached directly to the workshop, and immediately put products of workshops on conveyors to their next workshop in the line, or to stockpiles would have caught on a little. 

It would reduce the dependence upon haulers, and hence, reduce pathfinding, and hence, improve FPS.

[DDR]

"Yes!"

[The Architect]

Chutes, mechanical water-powered transport, anything would suffice if you didn't like using an idea virtually unheard of until the 20th century.

Heck, I think the best thing you could do is have certain workshops act as a one-tile stockpile and utilize a bin or barrel until it is filled (each item produced is automatically placed in the bin/barrel until full). Combine this with the ability to set stockpile priorities, and the game could automatically set the stockpile to low priority so that its full bin/barrel could be moved to the real stockpile. This would cut all workshop to stockpile hauling by 90%, and cumulative workshop-related hauling by 80%.

[Lord Shonus]

Dude. You should seriously check to see if that's already been suggested, and suggest it separately if it hasn't. It's a fairly simple, elegant solution to one of the game's biggest hassles, and it's pretty distinct from the vague "Improved Mechanics" of this thread.

[RAM]

Sound pipes: Not sure what the technical term is but the sort of thing they have for communication on some ships. You could have one end next to the entrance and the other next to the magma lever set to generate a lever-pulling task if an enemy walked past the other end of the pipe. You could also use them to shift the point of origin of tasks generated by a workshop. Maybe they would produce a happy thought by having two dwarves use it to chat about the latest ore shipment. Meh, I mostly just think it would be cool to have dwarves open a pipe and start yelling at the engine room for more magma...

[The Architect]

Haha. I don't know what the practical application would be (if any) in terms of game mechanics, but it sounds like a good addition to fan fiction and community stories. We do need some excuse for the instant communication of orders.

[NW_Kohaku]

Yes, verbal communication, except for socializing (which is not the sort of thing you would expect to build such things for) would be somewhat wasted, but apparently, we are getting something like actual pipes at some point, according to the new devpage.  You could probably just make decorative brass pipes for that purpose.  (Of course, the brass pipes you probably think of for "sound tubes" are the ones on ships that were brass because brass has significant oxidation resistance, which may not be as much a problem in a fort, although certainly the ability to remain clean in rooms near magma trenches would be a good idea.)

[RAM]

I admit that it is mostly for aethetic appeal, but you could have them provide a small sight radius at the other end or something...

[jaked122]

just like to add that during the timeframe that DF takes place in, all of these things would easily be possible, if someone was willing to fund the construction of the giant moving castle.

[Chthonic]

Yes, even conveyors and lifts, apparently... although I wish my own idea of assembly-line-style conveyors that could be attached directly to the workshop, and immediately put products of workshops on conveyors to their next workshop in the line, or to stockpiles would have caught on a little.

Conveyers or no, I'd love to be able to build my workshops over a 1x1 channel, and have the output from the workshop drop through the hole to either a stockpile, a conveyer, or the next workshop in line.

[PsyberianHusky]

I know Toady is a little cautious about steam powered stuff, but isn't it reasonable to believe a people who live so close to large pools of magma might figure out how to make a boiler of sorts?

[NW_Kohaku]

I know Toady is a little cautious about steam powered stuff, but isn't it reasonable to believe a people who live so close to large pools of magma might figure out how to make a boiler of sorts?

Yes, but once you include any kind of steam power, you suddenly will have people making "Steampunk" everything.  Heck, Sakura Taisen is based around having steam-powered robots that transform into planes, with "steamputers" and steam-powered televisions and cameras.

I know it's a little absurd that people who use magma and water as their primary power sources, and even farm obsidian from the combination of the two would not have some kind of steam power, but considering how versatile their waterwheel and screwpump "Dwarven Perpetual Motion Powerplant" technology is, you could feasably say that an overreliance on so-called "axle fuels" has stunted progress in more advanced renewable geothermal energy technology.

[NRN_R_Sumo1]

I know Toady is a little cautious about steam powered stuff, but isn't it reasonable to believe a people who live so close to large pools of magma might figure out how to make a boiler of sorts?

Yes, but once you include any kind of steam power, you suddenly will have people making "Steampunk" everything.  Heck, Sakura Taisen is based around having steam-powered robots that transform into planes, with "steamputers" and steam-powered televisions and cameras.

I know it's a little absurd that people who use magma and water as their primary power sources, and even farm obsidian from the combination of the two would not have some kind of steam power, but considering how versatile their waterwheel and screwpump "Dwarven Perpetual Motion Powerplant" technology is, you could feasably say that an overreliance on so-called "axle fuels" has stunted progress in more advanced renewable geothermal energy technology.

Just because something is steam powered doesnt mean its steam punk.. Steam punk involves well, the punk aspect.

A good example of Dwarves with Steam is to look at Morrowind, the Dwemer. They even seem to have electric generators powering the lights, and this is long after they're gone so it even fits with the perpetual powerplant of dwarf fortress.

[NW_Kohaku]

Just because something is steam powered doesnt mean its steam punk.. Steam punk involves well, the punk aspect.

A good example of Dwarves with Steam is to look at Morrowind, the Dwemer. They even seem to have electric generators powering the lights, and this is long after they're gone so it even fits with the perpetual powerplant of dwarf fortress.

I know that steam power isn't the same thing as steam punk, but what I am saying is that Toady wants nothing even like steam punk, and as soon as steam is admitted, then there will always be someone trying to throw that "punk" part in.

Steam-powered electrical generators juicing up electric lightbulbs definitely lies beyond the technological scope of the more Middle-Aged world that Toady wants DF to be set within.  (And sounds very close to steampunk to me...)