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[catpaw]

I know there are far more pressing things, but I guess this could be nice. This was a Leonardo Davinci invention already, so fits to the medival theme considering dwarves are technically a bit more advanced than humans were.

New items:
* Scuba hose (made out of 2 leather at the leatherer)
* Scuba helmet (made out of 1 glass and 1 metal at the mechanicsworkshop)
* Scuba suit (made out of 2 metal and 1 non-rock mechanics at the mechanics)

New building:
* Air pump (Needs 1 block and 1 scuba hose), ingame the dwarf is connected via the air hose to air pump, but the hose from the scuba-dwarf to the airpump is invisble, would be too much to ask to make it visible :-)
** The air pump has a range setable, but works 3d... that is to levels below... a scuba-dwarf can only go so far from an air-pump.
** The air pump must have energy like the water pump, if not the dwarf using it loses scuba-bility.
** The air pump must not be submerged in water, otherwise fails to work as well.

Usefullness, it could be used to reclaim stuff that fell in not too deep water, or to dig underwater. Constructing things underwater is to be kept unpossible as ever.

[Tormy]

Oh please...scuba gear?! 

[Duke 2.0]

 Well, they WERE made a while ago. However, I would prefer if it was just a general pump. Then we could have two versions:

 Screw pump: Uses mechanical force to move water up.
 Pump: Uses areas of high and low pressure to move water through pipes.

 The first would then be useful for getting liquids up z-levels, something difficult for pumps. Pumps would be better at transfering things horizontally.

[Granite26]

DaVinci designed something similar to what you're talking about, so the tech level isn't heresy.  It's certainly a more 'dwarven' solution than pearl divers.

[catpaw]

DaVinci designed something similar to what you're talking about, so the tech level isn't heresy.  It's certainly a more 'dwarven' solution than pearl divers.

My fault, yes it was davinci with the airpump, changed OP.

Also how this could be done within the current system. The air pump is a workshop like any other, where a dwarf can work. When he starts working at a powered airpump, he puts on the scuba gear,  and depending if he has a pick, he can dig underwater, or otherwise he just can retrieve things and drop them at the airpump. Oh, thinking about it, he should also be abe to pull submerged levers. Or fight underwater with his normal weapon.

[Granite26]

Not saying I like the idea... I think it's going a little far.

[Proteus]

Dunno if I like it.
At least it would be a way to retrieve drowned dwarves and their items from brooks/lakes without having to find a way to dry them up

(but it probably would have to be connected to the "invention" of ladders, so that SCUBA dwarves can enter and leave the water (after all early SCUBA suits AFAIK were too heavy for their wearer to swim with them))

[Glacies]

An inflated bladder with a straw would be nice.

[Draco18s]

Um....any SCUBA suit that has a pump on the surface isn't a SCUBA suit.

Self
Contained
Underwater
Breathing
Apparatus

[G-Flex]

While we're at it, let's give dwarves submersible vehicles, steam guns, and cocaine.

[R1ck]

I think what Catpaw really wants is a good way to make dwarves work
and move underwater. There are easier ways to put that in
without going with crazy contraptions.

[Granite26]

I really need a boilerplate response that says 'Check your history before making flippant comments about anachronisms'

[G-Flex]

If you're referring to Da Vinci, he invented/conceptualized a LOT of things which never actually made it into common use.

The guy also tried inventing a helicopter. Should dwarves have those?

Also, I just read about the Da Vinci device, and it's basically just a complicated snorkel. It's nice, but there are hardly any pumps or complicated mechanisms involved. It's not a "SCUBA suit" by any means. And even then, I doubt this was ever really produced or used.

[Granite26]

I think the best way to aproach these things (apocryphal tech) is to make them buildable but not defaults.  If you REALLY want to build it, it's complicated, and it's probably simpler to pump out the water or just tough it out.

They did build one, but it wasn't all that useful, nor was it particularly effective.  If you want to walk 10 feet underwater and don't care about the pipes and visibility....

The point is, dwarves have a stupid amount of free time/labour over what they need to survive.  We consume that by building complicated toys that antiquity and the medieval era had but didn't fully utilize.

[G-Flex]

I guess I can see dwarves going for just about any insane idea they can come up with, rather than worrying too much about practicality. However, stuff like that should probably be discouraged or somehow restricted to artifacts, or something else that keeps them from being yet another mundane item you can mass-produce.

*EDIT*
Actually, that just gave me an idea: Moods which produce designs for new items instead of items themselves, which can then be made like anything else (although perhaps it would take a lot of time/resources). I have absolutely no clue how this could be implemented, but a dwarf actually inventing something as his fey mood makes sense to me.