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[lodester]

I built a workshop next under a supply area using one staircase to keep the dooring-system simple (to lock up any loonies who might fail artifact building).

Anyway on the workshop level (0-level) i have a natural up/down stairway, on the supply level (1-level) i had a natural downward stairway. At the time i didn't realize I'd want to build up from there, which later i did. This is where i ran in to trouble.
I attempted to build up/down stairs on 1-level any way i could to no avail, then i went back to the wiki on stairs and the building matrix, and it seemed the right thing to do was to put a channel down from 1-level so I could floor and/or otherwise construct an up/down stairs. No dice. I have a hole in the floor over an up/down stairway and I'm trying to figure out how to fix it.

Well I'm sure by now the DF vets are chuckling, at least i hope you are .

What's the best way to deal with this? I'm hesitant to go forward with building ramps and such because the wall spacing on the 0-level is very tight - well that and i already have three stuntys held hostage down there and don't want to just roll more in to a deathpit.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Albedo]

No chuckle here, except in empathy - stairs are not intuitive.

When you say "natural", I'm assuming you meant "carved out", as opposed to "constructed" (w/ <b, C>).  They're the same for our purposes.

You can construct an up/down stair over a down stair - that's what I think you wanted.  Now that it's a channel, you can just build up/down stairs infinitely on top of whatever stairs still exist - just work from the bottom up. (Can't work top-down - have to get down there somehow first.)

[lodester]

First - thanks for the reply.

Well something is messed up still.  Maybe i messed something up when i was trying to destroy/floor/reconstruct....anyway, this is what i have

Level2 - Chalked Down stairway (b/C)
Level1 - Empty Space (from channel)
Level0 - Up stairway (d/j)

It won't let me build a b/C stairway saying it's blocked, a natural downstairway and up/down can't be built either.

Ideas?

[Masennus]

It's possible that you're being stopped because the place you're trying to build has no access. Either a dwarf can't get there to build, or there's no building materials available.

Check for locked doors or hatches.

[lodester]

It's possible that you're being stopped because the place you're trying to build has no access. Either a dwarf can't get there to build, or there's no building materials available.

Check for locked doors or hatches.

These are not the case. I'm able to b/C a upward staircase, but that does not connect the lower floor. When i position an Up/Down staircase the cursor turns red and says "Blocked" to the right.

sigh. those poor lil stunty's gonna die down thar......so sad.

[Albedo]

Well, at worst just use brute force and dig a new stair down to them - you can always wall it up after you get it solved.

If the cursor turns "red" then you cannot build there - if it's just pink then you can build but can't get workers/material there.

You cannot build a construction (anything w/ the <b, C> keys) over any other construction - but you can over anything dug out.  You can even construct an up/down stair over a dug-out up/down stair (don't ask me why).

If it's "blocked" (with no "building present"), then it's an open space, and you don't have an "up stair" that would actually support the construction.

And I think I may have found where the problem lies...

Level0 - Up stairway (d/j)

<d, j> gets you a DOWN stair. 

Down stairs are arrows to the right ( > ), up stairs are to the left ( < ). 

So, you need to designate one of the trapped dwarfs as a mason, and build an up-stair over that downstair with something - anything.  Deconstruct a workshop if you have to.  Then you can connect, get more materials (and maybe a pick) down there, deconstruct it and do it right.

Or, as I said, dig another stair off to the side, and then take your time.

[Eater of Vermin]

When building a staircase, they're built from the ground upwards... and the path to the materials is calculated the same way.

So, as you've channeled out the floor on level 1, there's no way for them to carry materials to the up/down staircase you're building there.  They won't lower materials from the down staircase overhead (on level 2), the only way they can get any materials to the site is by carrying them up the staircase on level 0.

And if there's no alternative route to get to those stairs (which I gather is true, as you mention runts being trapped down there) then you're stuck.

You'll probably need to build another staircase (or ramp) to get access to level 0 - which'll also free any trapped dwarves - and then they can start to repair the original staircase.

edit: missed albedo's post.     What he said!