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[dorfstep]

Sorry, but I encountered something the wiki doesn't help with.

This is my first time attempting a tower, and I plan an abandoning it once I understand it, so that's why this tower is so diminutive.

I built the walls 5x5 (leaving 3x3 in the middle) on the ground floor, but I can't build an upward staircase to get to Z+1. I don't know how I'm supposed to get the stairs there. Do I have to build a floor or something? This is what I have.



The wiki says I should just be able to drop an up/down staircase in one of those corners but when I designate one to be constructed, it doesn't do anything. It doesn't even leave the designation marker on the map.

[Albedo]

Odd.

If it's green, it should take - if it's red/pink, it's not going to let you drop it (and there should be a message as to why it's not working.)

You have to build the up/down (or just an "up") on the ground level, (or, later, on top of a wall). Then, you build a down (or another up/down) on the level above that - it looks like it's in the air, but it takes.  That's what gets your dorfs access to the level on top of the walls.

Or should.

[Duke 2.0]

 Did you designate it the same way you did the walls? The b - C menu should have an up stair option. Select it, and place the cursor on a floor tile on the same z-level as the walls. You should see a menu to select a stone to use for building the up stair. After that is built, you can place the designation for a down stair the same way directly over the constructed up stair.

[dorfstep]

Oh dear, I was using D - U stairs instead of b - C stairs

Thanks guys, I think I can take it from here =] Sorry to bother.

[Albedo]

DF is not always intuitively obvious - you'll get the hang of it. 

[dorfstep]

DF is not always intuitively obvious - you'll get the hang of it. 

What's funny is that I prepared myself for the learning curve by reading all kinds of dwarf stories (boatmurdered specifically got me into this game) and analyzing the wiki. It wasn't that bad when I first started.

For the most part, I can do everything and if I can't do it I can wiki it.

Anyway, the funny part is usually the most IN YOUR FACE solutions are the ones that I get hung up on - like pressing b - C - u instead of d - u.

Anyway, I digress. Thanks again for the help.

[Shiv]

Ah, yes, the distinction between designation and construction...I had that problem too and it drove me absolutely insane.  I eventually just built the tower into the mountain and carved the mountain out around the tower because I figured it was bugged and thought I was so clever for bypassing the bug lol.


By the way to get rid of that boulder thing that's blocking your other wall (which I'm assuming you're using as an entrance for the time being) just smooth it down like a regular stone wall or floor.  I don't know if you knew that but just a heads up, as that's another thing that drove me crazy.

[dorfstep]

Glad this topic is still here, I didn't wanna make a new one.

I just have a simple question: can I extend my tower beyond it's base as I build upwards? Like an upside pyramid? I'd like to have my dorfs live in there but it's only 3x3 atm.

[smjjames]

Yea, you can pretty much build walls 'suspended' in midair and attatched only by the side and the top and bottom floor surfaces connect to the ones next to it.

Going to need alot of scaffolding and possibly a central stairwell.

[dorfstep]

Haha, that's awesome.

In this fortress I'm just experimenting with all the things I'm not 100% on, like fluid physics and AG buildings. One of my first fortress' had a well and a very awesome irrigation system but I have no idea how I did it... I just got lucky, heh.

Thanks man.

[G-Flex]

To further clarify, any structure in DF is stable as long as it's contiguous with the ground. Basically, as long as there's SOME connection to the ground, it's fine, even if it's a single support/stairwell/floor.

[Albedo]

The catch is that you can't build on floors or ramps.  But you can build new walls off the edge of existing walls, one level up.

You can also build a staircase up indefinitely, and then walls (and/or floors) out from that.

See wiki: "tower".

[smjjames]

I think you can put workshops and stuff on floors though.

[dorfstep]

The catch is that you can't build on floors or ramps.  But you can build new walls off the edge of existing walls, one level up.

You can also build a staircase up indefinitely, and then walls (and/or floors) out from that.

See wiki: "tower".

That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm starting by building 'Up/Down' staircases up to infinity (which I think is amusing, personally) and then I'm going to spread out the floors, and walls. But I'll be careful. My last one, I didn't know that the dwarfs had a preference to do your bidding backwards and so two masons got trapped on the third floor.

[Hyndis]

Dwarves also build preferentially new construction designations over old ones.

Thus, if you keep adding new designations as your masons or miners prep stone, the first batch will never quite get done unless there is nothing to build left, or nothing accessible left.

I personally prefer to build a bit of a scaffolding, with narrow walkways outlining the rough area of the floor, and then fill in the floor last, when I can lay it down all in one go.