Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Fossaman]

So, I had an interesting idea for a fortress entrance, which I intend to try if I can find a nice sheer cliff with running water on top. Basically, I want the entrance to the fortress accessible via a ledge running along the cliff and down to the ground. Halfway along the ledge a waterfall will hit it, making it impassible. Above that spot, somewhere, is a retracting drawbridge that shunts the water past the ledge.

Thoughts?

[woose1]

Just dont do it with magma. That stuff causes repeated Cave in messages.

*Shiver*

OH THE HORROR!

[Warlord255]

Another way to do your waterfall portcullis is this:

Have a line of grates under the waterfall tiles at your entrance. Rig them to a lever, viola! Your enemies will have to walk through the water, and when the grates are closed you have a water wall!

In fact, I am tempted to do this in my next fort. Artificial sheer cliff-face would be needed though.

[hotcakes]

while it is a good idea and very very dwarfy and very very purty and even though i dont want to discourage you from trying your best, and likely failing becuase i feel it will be a learning experience and after 2 or 3 tries you might perfect it your going to have a few problems which can be overcome with careful planning. 1.) enjoy your muddy fort and your wet dwarves 2.) where is the water going to go after it goes down your waterfall? 3.) while absolutely stunning and a great mood booster water (as far as i know) does not push objects or enemies (or dwarves) and it will be extradordinarily tricky to maintain 5/7 or more water to drown your foes while they traverse the length of the bridge. So all in all unless you make your fort in the path of fast moving water with the entrance normally submerged unless you divert it with some carfully placed bridge and walls you wont be keeping anyone out. ah but as i write this a new plan dawns on me and since i have nothing to do until my downloads finish i will divulge. hopefuly this helps.

This is not a spoiler BTW unless your waterfall goes into the HFS pit in which case you are awarded 30 dwarfbucks for being awesome.

Code: [Select]

bridge up = waterfall on bridge down = waterfall off
Z1 is highest
# = wall
B = bridge
w = water
0 = open space
H = channel
D = door to fort (might be wider to accommodate wagons)
R = ramp that goes up atleast one square out of the water pond and the continues down the mountain (also might be wider to accommodate wagons)

z1
#wwww#  - might be less water so that it doesn't overflow the pond at bottom
#wwww#
#wwww#
#OOOO#

z2
############
#B B B B B B B B H H H H - see note 1
############

z3
############ - water falls past may be any number of z3 levels

z4
  #   #
  #   #
#### D######
#w  w  w  w#
#  w  w  w #
#w  w  w w  R
#### w  #####
     w  - bonus points if this is another waterfall and entrance is halfway up a cliff
     w

note 1: could move water on an alternate route to wherever: back to second waterfall through your base so it comes out 1 z level below your entrance?

and thats all the creativeness i can spare for one day Gl and if you finish all that or something of your own design then you have my respect and admiration

[Fossaman]

The waterfall will be entirely external; no risk of flooding. Crappy MS paint graphic of the concept:



See? No flooding. There will be a catch basin below the ledge that leads to a channel off the map...maybe. I might just decide that having a nice lake is better.

[Taritus]

I was unaware you could channel at the edge of the map...

[Warlord255]

I was unaware you could channel at the edge of the map...

Could feed it back into a river.

[Duke 2.0]

I was unaware you could channel at the edge of the map...

Could feed it back into a river.

Or use raised drawbridges.

[Keldor]

Or just pump it back up into the waterfall.

[Duke 2.0]

 Or recklessly flood the lowest z-level of the map.

[Narmio]

I've made a few such structures, and I can tell you a few things:

 - You're trading framerate for awesomeness.  It can be a bit aggravating some times.
 - Always use a closed system with a fixed amount of water in it at any time - don't feed straight from or straight back into a river or aquifer.
 - Water won't actually block movement unless there's more than 4/7 in any square, which you don't get in free-falling water.  However, opening and closing grates or bridges under the waterfall will accomplish this.
 - Put grates not only under the waterfall but for at least one tile in every direction, this prevents spillage.
 - Don't fill up the reservoir under the waterfall completely, this will cause spillage.
 - If water directly under a set of grates freezes in the winter, those grates will explode in the spring, likely drowning anyone who was standing on them in the cruel spring snap-thaw.  This is hilarious.
 - Drownings are fun.

[Duke 2.0]

 Or dump the liquid into a room of perpetual atomizing. Drawbridges and floodgates work fine.

[Fossaman]

Those are some good tips for water handling, Narmio. I'm pretty sure that I will be able to block the path entirely using the waterfall. It's not clear in the drawing, but the waterfall isn't flowing through the ledge, but over it. It will hit close to the cliff, then sweep outwards and down. Even if it's not 7/7 all the time, there should be enough current to knock enemies off the ledge.

Anyway, it's not possible to channel to the edge; I think what will happen is that I'll build walls to contain the water from the waterfall to a point near the edge where it will flow off in a controlled fashion.

[Techhead]

Only one person mentions pumping back up.

Also, you could dump it on a shallow artificial magma lake and mine the obsidian once the waterfall is off.

[mortal]

You might want to check out this post on the PA forums and the video. http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?p=4641568#post4641568

Unless someone knows otherwise, it appears water pressure - even from a tall water tower - doesn't move creatures around. A comment does mention the possibility of gradual changes in water pressure (more like what you'll be working with) working to push creatures around, but I'd have a plan B for your defenses. The "pushing" effect may just be creatures updating their pathing around 4/7 water when possible, and they might just swim their way through the flow if no such path exists.

Either way, if you go ahead with it post your results, and a video of goblins being shoved off a cliff if it works