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[Vanguard Warden]

I've been wondering what the best way is to mine out a large area, spanning multiple z-levels, without cave-ins hurting my miners. I've tried to use ramps as other people suggested because it doesn't require much management, but somehow I've been getting collapses that way. I had a small plateau of stone and designated the whole thing for ramping, and there were cave-ins. There were no trees growning on it, just a few loose stones left up there from previous work and boulders.

The only cave-in-proof method I've found is digging the whole thing into staircases, then removing the staircases one level at a time from the top, but that takes too much management. Anyone have any ideas?

[Byakugan01]

Never even HAD a problem with cave ins-you should only be getting them if there are completely unsupported patches of ground/rock. Dig one z-level at a time, and you should be fine.

[inaluct]

Try digging all up/down staircases and then collapsing something on top of that. I think it'll punch through to the bottom.

[zchris13]

Do you get caveins cutting out the ramps or removing them? Are you trying to do more than one level at a time?

[Shoku]

Well, if it's a very large section of rock ground level if could be worth it to tunnel into the middle, build a support, and then mine out the rest of it.

With everyone out of the way you pull a lever and drop it safely.


*if you have them channel out the highest level of stairs they'll do it standing on the level below it and with any decent number of miners this should work fast enough that you wouldn't need to complain.

[Skorpion]

Dig out each Z-level in turn, and build a support just under the top one.
Hook the support up to a lever.
Channel the top level away.
Pull the lever.
Crump.
Build access to the bottom.

[Vanguard Warden]

I was only digging out a single z-level with ramps with nothing above it and I was getting mini-collapses that hurt my miners.

[zchris13]

Oh.  Maybe rocks are causing that.

[Shoku]

Oh.  Maybe rocks are causing that.

Boulders maybe- the rocks you mine out don't cause cave ins because it would be horribly horrible channeling out stairs since I doubt anyone gets the rocks off em first.

Boulders definitely aren't an issue with stair channeling though.

[Untelligent]

I was only digging out a single z-level with ramps with nothing above it and I was getting mini-collapses that hurt my miners.

Was this right below the surface? Trees can fall and land on your miners.

Aside from the occasional homicidal spruce (which can easily be dealt with before you start digging), ramps are still the best way to dig large, multi-level areas, as long as you remember to remove the ramps before you start digging the next z-level.

[Vanguard Warden]

Yeah, I may have actually undermined the area and not noticed it. It definitely wasn't trees though. It was up in the mountains, no trees in sight.

So ramps collapse if you dig more ramps under them without clearing them all out? good to know before I get started on the next floor.

[eerr]

dig rectangular channels from the top, starting with a 2*x retangle and expanding into a 4*(x+2) rectangle. But honestly, clear-cutting swaths of stone from the land is not very efficient, even for dwarves.

I suggest you find another solution.

also, you can rig it to explode like a building if you  build a support pillar in the center, remove all the ramps/staircases/constructions leading into it,
mine it out normally, then rig the pillar to a lever.

sure it can be tedious- but it's also fun and doubles as a powerful trap if you plan very very carefully(falling 1 z level only causes unconsciousness,).

[Efun]

True dorf would channel out around where you want gone on all the z levels and make a support attached to a lever on the very bottom z level... the only thing holding it up.....

*Pulls lever*

Urist McLeverPuller: ...... so....beautiful

[Jhoosier]

Be sure to assign your nobles to rooms on the bottom level.

[Albedo]

I've tried to use ramps as other people suggested because it doesn't require much management, but somehow I've been getting collapses that way.

That's because altho' ramps don't take much management, what little attention they require is mission-critical. 

Channel out rows.  1 row at a time, or 1 row/miner. 

Miners keep working on "attached" tiles, so once you attach a miner to the start of a row, they will keep going on that row. Only time you need to attend them is when that row is done and the next needs <d>esignating.

Last thing is 1 ramp so everyone can get to the next level. OR, designate a (semi?)permanent staircase adjacent to it all, and let them use that - as each level is exposed, that level accesses the stairs.

This does take more attention - but it'll solve your problem.