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Author Topic: Waterworks and sewer systems  (Read 2484 times)

Drunken

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Waterworks and sewer systems
« on: November 19, 2008, 10:18:44 pm »

What happened: I had a nice waterfall going through 3 major rooms in my fort. That was fine. Then I tried to build a sewer system. I have seen a video that proves that flowing water will wash away objects. I built my system but in the proces I had to shut off my waterfall. This resulted in tower cap saplings growing in  the pipeline. Then when I turned it on again adn while it was running the tower caps grew to maturity and blocked the pipe, causing flooding. Clearing the blockage requires shutting it off again resulting in more tower caps. In addition to this the sewer system doesnt work. I basically have two floodgates seperating a 2 wide tunnel leading to the chasm from a high pressure water cistern. I tesed it with the rocks left from mining the sewer system and none of them moved at all. It may be the case that rocks are too heavy adn other objects will still work. I dropped a range of different weighted substances into the system but then the waterfall flood happened and after getting that under control I quit in disgust. I have heard that objects will only move in <7 flow and the tunnels fill up almost instantaeously due to the water pressure so this amy also be the problem.

My questions:
1) has anyone succesfully made a working sewer system to flush dumped objects into the chasm or pit, and if so could I get a description of it?

2) is there any way I could prevent tower caps growing in my water system while performing maintenance? I have considered bulding things all along the pipes, chairs and tables should work in theory but seem like a hacked workaround. Hatch covers are easier to justify but I have yet to test any of this.
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A stopped clock is right for exactly two infinitessimal moments every day.
A working clock on the other hand is almost never ever exactly right.

Untelligent

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2008, 10:34:16 pm »

To move things, the water must be less than depth 7.

I remember one guy made a system where he made a stockpile for useless items (like clothes) on the edge of a shallow waterway with a raising bridge on one end connected to a series of pressure plates in the meeting halls. Dwarves would store clothes in the waterway; the partying dwarves would constantly step on the pressure plates, lowering the bridge, which atom-smashed anything underneath it, including the water, which made more room in the waterway and caused the water to flow towards the bridge a little.

The entire setup looked a bit like this:

Code: [Select]
B▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒+▒▒▒+▒▒▒+▒▒▒+▒▒▒+▒▒▒
R  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===========~~
I  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
D  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
G  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~===========~~
E▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒+▒▒▒+▒▒▒+▒▒▒+▒▒▒+▒▒▒
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The World Without Knifebear — A much safer world indeed.
regardless, the slime shooter will be completed, come hell or high water, which are both entirely plausible setbacks at this point.

Magua

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2008, 12:14:20 am »

Water won't move rocks or (I believe) blocks, but will get most other objects. 

Tower caps won't grow on constructed floors.  Not just smoothed floors, but actual constructed floors.  They'll still get muddy, but nothing'll grow.
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sneakey pete

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2008, 12:41:02 am »

Water that goes almost instantly from [0/7] to [7/7] won't move anything at all.
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AlienChickenPie

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2008, 04:41:00 am »

Floor your pipes with blocks of some kind. That would stop tower caps from growing without looking like a hack.
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Drunken

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2008, 12:47:12 pm »

Water that goes almost instantly from [0/7] to [7/7] won't move anything at all.

Any ideas about how I can modify my system to make the water level remain at optimal flow?

And thanks guys for the tip about flooring. I would have tried it probably but you saved me a lot of experimentation.
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A stopped clock is right for exactly two infinitessimal moments every day.
A working clock on the other hand is almost never ever exactly right.

Ivefan

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2008, 01:07:35 pm »

Wanted to try this myself someday.
I think that any moving water between 1-6 will move objects, Constructing a door linked to a 0-3 or 4 depth pressure plate will cause water to come in pulses and thus move the junk.
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Hamster Man

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2008, 01:29:07 pm »

I'll try a system like that... right after I finish building my obsidian farm.
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So there's that, as well. It looks like the only chronic problems that water can't cure are nausea and cave spider bites.
Which, coincidentally enough, can be cured by magma.

Magua

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #8 on: November 20, 2008, 02:17:36 pm »

Any ideas about how I can modify my system to make the water level remain at optimal flow?

Make the channel the water flows through wider than the input, so that the water will spread out as it enters the channel.
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Habblatic

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #9 on: November 20, 2008, 02:19:24 pm »

Instead of floors, you can also build paved roads to prevent trees from growing.
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Doppel

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #10 on: November 20, 2008, 03:18:18 pm »

Water won't move rocks or (I believe) blocks, but will get most other objects. 

Tower caps won't grow on constructed floors.  Not just smoothed floors, but actual constructed floors.  They'll still get muddy, but nothing'll grow.

I don't know, i certainly remember embarking near an ocean and when i tried to built a block wall i couldn't for some reason, later i found out that waves were moving and displacing my blocks in the block stockpiles and that that was the reason. What i don't really remember is if the stones in my caravan i embarked with were also being moved and displaced by the waves.
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Inquisitor Saturn

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #11 on: November 20, 2008, 03:30:04 pm »

For a "stuff moving" system you could have a setup where a pressure plate activates with water levels below 5 or something, which activates a floodgate that lets in more water, shutting off the pressure plate, closing the floodgate. This system would cause any objects in the water to slowly drift towards the train.
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Drunken

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #12 on: November 20, 2008, 04:01:17 pm »

If there is going to be high pressure water going over the pressure plate, how does one set it up so that it doesnt drown the person who connects it, or at least wash him into the chasm assuming the thing works. Is it possible to connect a lever to the pressure plate so that it can be switched on and off?
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A stopped clock is right for exactly two infinitessimal moments every day.
A working clock on the other hand is almost never ever exactly right.

Inquisitor Saturn

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #13 on: November 20, 2008, 04:55:42 pm »

Just set it so that the guy can get away before he drowns. You could put some stairs near it. Even untrained dorfs will hold their breath and try to get out if they get in over their heads. But, since the water shouldn't get to 7 anyway, he won't drown.
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Andir

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Re: Waterworks and sewer systems
« Reply #14 on: November 21, 2008, 12:57:44 am »

Just set it so that the guy can get away before he drowns. You could put some stairs near it. Even untrained dorfs will hold their breath and try to get out if they get in over their heads. But, since the water shouldn't get to 7 anyway, he won't drown.
Actually (unless it's changed in the last version) untrained dwarfs will just stand there and drown.  Maybe the ones you are thinking of have swim exp?
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"Having faith" that the bridge will not fall, implies that the bridge itself isn't that trustworthy. It's not that different from "I pray that the bridge will hold my weight."
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