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[Random832]

A hammer and anvil isn't the only way to work metal. Without an anvil, your dwarves could still cast items, which might not be as strong or as good quality. But it'd be one way to make an [inferior] anvil so you're not totally lost until a high-quality anvil is shipped in from the mountainhomes.

[Pilsu]

Maybe once anvil quality actually matters. As is, all it'd do is give the player an anvil at the cost of 3 iron bars on embark

[Granite26]

either that or add a promethean forge artifact as a quest goal artifact for every world...

Oooooh, I know  Iron Forge Golems that drop forges on death

[Impaler[WrG]]

I use a smelter reaction that makes an Anvil and so do a number of other people.  I think the addition of a dedicated system capable of casting any kind of objects should be included in the game, their have been suggestions in the past that this will be its own workshop called the foundry and it would consume one 'mold' each time an object is cast, molds could be made of stone and eventually clay as well. 

The main benefit of casting is its faster and more fuel efficient as the molten metal from smelting can go directly into the mold and become a usable object without additional heat or work.  In fact what if most smelting produced liquid metal (held in a stone crucible) and the foundry was then responsible for forming it into an 'ingot' or 'billet'.  The billets would then be used at a forge.

Historically several metals notable copper and bronze are more often cast then forged and the cast object was not inferior to a forged one, Iron is the acceptation ware a cast Iron object is markedly inferior to a forged one.

[Tormy]

This is almost feels like the "stone anvil" suggestion. IE: Obviously the dwarves wouldn't be able to create good quality iron/steel items using those anvils, but they could be useful to create lower quality items or even good quality items, if the material of the used object is soft.

[Neonivek]

A hammer and anvil isn't the only way to work metal. Without an anvil, your dwarves could still cast items, which might not be as strong or as good quality. But it'd be one way to make an [inferior] anvil so you're not totally lost until a high-quality anvil is shipped in from the mountainhomes.

No without the Anvil Casting isn't so useful for most objects (also Anvil didn't replace Casting... it was done in inclusion to). It is almost laughable to think of objects comming out of a cast perfectly and for some of passable quality.

The Anvil saves a lot of time but it isn't the only way to make objects. They have a series of tools made to grind and polish an object into shape.

You want to make a sword without an anvil, we shouldn't get magical low quality castings, we should get dwarves spending seasons grinding out an edge. When your finally tired of forge production too slow to raise an army with you can finally decide to make a Anvil.

Anvils are much more complex then a single iron shape apperantly (I was suprised when I did my research) a purely cast anvil is useless (might as well use a rock) so you really are going to be spending some time grinding and polishing out the small details.

[inaluct]

I'd be in favor of casting if it couldn't product certain items, like anvils.

[TettyNullus]

Sounds like good suggestion, and anvil should be included in the capacities, otherwise how would a fortress bootstrap their metal production if nobody trades them one and someone didn't take one in embark to put better use of money. Also there should be some kind of material requirment, like plaster, sand or some similar material used in casting ( Maybe included in the building cost, since in most cases the stuff's very reusable to point of very low loss when carefully used, at least in case of green sand casting ). The other suggestions like having it take much longer than regular forge to make similar quality stuffs should balance it out fairly well or at least inferior quality even with same skill with proper forge (Though, it should be combined, into a metal workshop, sounds like more proper thing).

ed: cleaned up a bit, sloppy I am

[Neonivek]

I'd be in favor of casting if it couldn't product certain items, like anvils.

Casting, without supplimentary tools, cannot create anything that requires anything smooth basically.

Also Casts were usually expencive metalic casts made out of materials such as copper or steel (Guess how those were made )... I am not exactly sure Ill have to check.

Let me see here

Waste Plaster: Bronze. They were destroyed afterwords and require intense technical knowledge and a constant source of water to prevent the cast from breaking
Sand: Modern method apperantly until I can find a new article

Alright the article I am reading is too Modern Centric... Ill need to find articles on medieval Molding methods. Ill be back... Continue on

It did say one thing though that Ive been saying the whole time

"Metal-chasing. Just as the wax copies were chased, the casting is worked until the telltale signs of the casting process are removed, and the casting now looks like the original model. Pits left by air bubbles in the casting, and the stubs of spruing are filed down and polished."

[Footkerchief]

Anvils are much more complex then a single iron shape apperantly (I was suprised when I did my research) a purely cast anvil is useless (might as well use a rock) so you really are going to be spending some time grinding and polishing out the small details.

Really?  I looked around online a bit, and while forged steel anvils are reportedly the best, cast steel anvils seem to be much more common.  Cast iron anvils are reportedly junk but I'm sure they're still better than an ultra-primitive stone anvil.

e: found this article on casting methods in ancient India, apparently they used carved wax http://www.energymanagertraining.com/foundries/pdf/CDA1.pdf

[inaluct]

Well, I'd see no-quality items like picks and maces as acceptable, but the addition of plaster and wax might be necessary to keep anvils worth it.

[Neonivek]

I looked around online a bit, and while forged steel anvils are reportedly the best, cast steel anvils seem to be much more common

Try and create a Anvil without a File, Grinding stone, or Polish rag and your just going to have to do it again.

Well Grinding stone may be a bit extreme for an anvil...

There is just some things that require finishing touches... and objects from casts are one of them

The Anvil didn't bang on metal until an object came out... It was one of those tools that fine tuned Cast objects.

I really don't see why people are like "Casts are all you need, they have magical powers!"

[Footkerchief]

I looked around online a bit, and while forged steel anvils are reportedly the best, cast steel anvils seem to be much more common

Try and create a Anvil without a File, Grinding stone, or Polish rag and your just going to have to do it again.

Well Grinding stone may be a bit extreme for an anvil...

There is just some things that require finishing touches... and objects from casts are one of them

The Anvil didn't bang on metal until an object came out... It was one of those tools that fine tuned Cast objects.

I really don't see why people are like "Casts are all you need, they have magical powers!"

Oh, you mean because the face will be too rough?  Hmm.  Maybe certain cast items could require smoothing before use, then, while other cast items could be used rough.

[Neonivek]

Well Face would be rough, there would be HUGE gaping nubs and etching on the sides, you name it. (Some are flaws from the casting process and others are because of the limitations of technology)

For some such as statues it would be a huge blot, swords would be no better then metal bats, and the list goes on.

All I am really saying is with the proper tools even without an Anvil you can create splendedly high quality items (that includes tools) it just takes longer.

If you have a Forge where you do casting you really might as well have the proper tools.

Since the game already abstracts out Casting... files, grinding stones, sand, Tongs, tuning fork, Polishing rag, polish, clips, oil, and water in the forging process...

How about without an anvil objects simply take longer to make? (The ones that require one anyhow). Anvils shouldn't be a requirement of a Forge just a vital upgrade.

Side Note: I am aware certain metalic substances react very badly to grinding which was why the Anvil was important... In that case it is an important tool for quality
Side note 2: I am also aware that some cultures bypassed the strong need by making weapons very slowly giving it supperior blades that couldn't be supplimented by Anvils until the invention of the Blast Furnace.

[Skynet 2.0]

I like this idea, but it seems a bit overpowered, giving you an anvil for very little cost. It would be better if it had more limits. My ideas are, that items that it makes should only be basic quality, so you would have to use an anvil if you wanted good armor and weapons.

Also, since sand, wax, and plaster can be used as casts, it should be no problem making stone casts. They would be made in a mason's workshop, and you would be able to make casts for many types of weapons and armor, as well as an anvil. There would be a new sub-menu added to the smelter, that would have a layout similar to the forges, with the basic item types displayed, i.e. armor, weapons, trap components, etc. When you selected one of these, it would show a list of all of that type of casts you had prepared. After a stone cast was used, it would be destroyed, the heat of the molten metal rendering it unusable for a second casting. It should also be possible to make iron or steel casts, that would be permanent, if you didn't want to set up a proper forge.

I generally like the idea of casting metals, and would want to see it implemented. Instead of being a temporary forge, before you make your first anvil, as has been suggested, I think it should be able to be made into an alternative to using anvils. If you wanted to save fuel, and didn't mind the lack of quality, you could have a set of iron casts made at the forge, then use those as an alternative way to make your equipment.