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[Marade]

Hello Fortresseers!

I have just recently dared to venture into the realm of Dwarf Fortress, and have followed the PDF tutorial! Today I decided to try starting a new fortress from scratch, and I ran into a small problem.

After digging a bit into the mountain I found a "hole" in the mountain spanning roughly 30x30 squares and only 1 z-level. This hole had "silt loam" labeled as the floor and I think "Perfect! A farming area". So I build the farming plot there, and it doesn't say I can't. When the Farm is finished, however, it tells me I don't have any suitable seed even though I have a barrel of plump helmet spawns.

Upon closer inspection the floor under the farm has turned into a basalt floor, and after removing the farm I cannot put a new farm in the same place. Not giving up I try it again a bit further in, and get the same result. Do I need to irrigate the floor to be able to farm in there? I'll show you a picture of it and maybe you can tell me what the problem is.



Many thanks!

[Albedo]

Once the plot was constructed, did you then designate what seeds were to be planted during what season?  <q> over the plot for that menu, use +/- to go up/down, and <Enter> to select.  Then <a/b/c/d> for each season.

[Marade]

Yes I did. Or rather, I tried! The problem was/is that I could not designate any seeds to be planted at all.

I can build a new plot in there and show you what it says if that helps?

[Albedo]

If you can build it, it should be valid.  Otherwise it would say "Need soil or mud".

And since you can build it, you have access - that's a proven.

So I'd say the problem must be that, somehow, you've cut off access to your PH spawn.  Either you've locked a door or removed an up-stair or something.

[Marade]

Well, it certainly is weird.. I tried building a new plot just now, and while it was a Silt loam floor when I placed the plot it states that it is a basalt floor as soon as I OK the construction. Which, I guess, makes it an invalid plot.

My PH spawns are in the room next door, and there's not even a door in the way.

[Albedo]

It's a cave, which is a special Feature, so may (must?) be something odd about how cave floors work.  Can't say I have a lot of experience with planting in caves, and I don't have one saved that I can look at - have to wait for someone w/ more experience w/ that specific feature.

I do know that it's a known bug that working the floor of an area often changes it.  But farm plots shouldn't work like what you're describing, not normally. (As if there is any "normal" in DF.    )

[Jim Groovester]

Did you get any messages when you broke into that chamber? It looks like a dry underground pool, and that might be what's giving you problems.

In either case, you'll probably have to irrigate it if you want to farm there.

[Slogo]

Is the floor maybe considered above ground? If that's the case then you can't plant any seeds because you might not have any seeds for above ground plants. Use k then hover over a tile and see what type it says the ground is.

[Marade]

It's a cave, which is a special Feature, so may (must?) be something odd about how cave floors work.  Can't say I have a lot of experience with planting in caves, and I don't have one saved that I can look at - have to wait for someone w/ more experience w/ that specific feature.

I do know that it's a known bug that working the floor of an area often changes it.  But farm plots shouldn't work like what you're describing, not normally. (As if there is any "normal" in DF.    )

I wasn't expecting anything normal when I started playing DF, what got me playing was Boatmurdered ant Nist Akath. So I guess that is the norm for me.

I appreciate your help anyways!

Did you get any messages when you broke into that chamber? It looks like a dry underground pool, and that might be what's giving you problems.

In either case, you'll probably have to irrigate it if you want to farm there.

I don't recall any messages, but it might be that it flashed by too fast I guess... I just have to get my head around the wonders of irrigation then!

Any helpful tips on that? I read what was on the wiki, and I have a brook 2 z-levels down from the cave. What would be the most sensible (I know, I know) approach?

I checked that it's underground. Dark and cozy!

[decius]

Hrm... Verify you have seeds, and they aren't forbidden. Can you set planting orders for seasons other than the current one? Do the farm tiles loo(k) aboveground?

Try to plant in a natural soil layer. You can almost always find them 1 and 2 levels under grassy or forested areas.

If everything comes out right, upload a save to the bugs forum.

EDIT: Partially Ninja'd

[Marade]

Hrm... Verify you have seeds, and they aren't forbidden. Can you set planting orders for seasons other than the current one? Do the farm tiles loo(k) aboveground?

Try to plant in a natural soil layer. You can almost always find them 1 and 2 levels under grassy or forested areas.

If everything comes out right, upload a save to the bugs forum.

EDIT: Partially Ninja'd

I have the seeds, they are not forbidden and I can plant normally outside. I'll try to find me a soil layer, and check if it works there!

[Albedo]

Did you get any messages when you broke into that chamber? It looks like a dry underground pool, and that might be what's giving you problems.

Hmmm - hadn't considered that, but the symmetry of it does look more like a pool than a cave.

(But I thought that would naturally "muddy" a floor, no?)

M - you could go back over your announcements by hitting "a" - could be a long list, but if you remember when you broke into it you could narrow it down from other announcements.

A couple pumps should splash some water on it.  You can deconstruct them and move them somewhere else more useful after your done.  The wiki "screw pump" has a good article on pump stacks.

[decius]

There's a quicker way than screw pumps, but only if you already have water above and at least somewhat near the desired farm site. It can be really fun to do with an aquifer.

[Marade]

Hmm, now this is curious... I dug a stair down from the room and then I got the message "You have discovered an underground pool". So I guess that is what it is. Does that explain the strange behaviour of the floor?

[Albedo]

A pool "should"(?) have water.  If this is dry, then it's dry - I guess that happens.

A pool, if drained, should(?) leave a muddied floor - which is exactly what you'll achieve by irrigation.

Must be some bug that since it went dry in world gen, so now it isn't working as-is for farmplots. I would hope that re-irrigating would work.

Bottom line, this is new territory for me.

There's a quicker way than screw pumps, but only if you already have water above...

Doesn't sound like he does...

I have a brook 2 z-levels down from the cave.

Edit - I wonder if it will trigger Tower Caps? Should, if you got the message.