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[riffraffselbow]

So, I used finder to find a site with magma, but I can't seem to find WHERE the magma pipe is. Any suggestions? There are not any noticeable depressions, nor magma caps.

[RandomNumberGenerator]

I've never actually seen a depression for a magma pipe, so if it indicated one it must be pretty rare. Obsidian caps aren't very common either. Generally, I find a few ways to locate them:

1) When you're using the site finder and find a location that's say, 4x4(the size I normally use) and find a suitable location, find a reference point and make the search smaller. I always want a river on my fortresses, so I use the river as a reference point. Lower the search size to 3x3. If the search turns up the same area again, you know the magma pipe is in one of those 9 included tiles. If not, you know it was in one of the 7 excluded tiles. Depending on which one it was, alter your search(either to 2x3, or 3x4). Keep this up and after running 4-5 searches, you can pin a magma pipe down to 1 or 2 tiles in a 9, 16, 25 or larger tile area. This makes finding the pipe much easier.

2) Exploratory Mining. If you lack a magma cap, this is the most reliable way I've found. Dig down 5-6 z levels, then start moving outward. Eventually you'll find it. I tend to use the rows method.

[Jim Groovester]

Every embark tile is comprised of 48x48 squares. If you're on a 6x6 map, for example, then the dimensions of your map will be 288x288 tiles.

Every feature is wholly contained within each of these 48x48 squares.

Finding magma pipes is easy: dig in the center of each 48x48 square until you find it.

[riffraffselbow]

Every embark tile is comprised of 48x48 squares. If you're on a 6x6 map, for example, then the dimensions of your map will be 288x288 tiles.

Every feature is wholly contained within each of these 48x48 squares.

Finding magma pipes is easy: dig in the center of each 48x48 square until you find it.

That's... a fiendishly good idea! Thanks!

[Grendus]

Dig down to a good level to search for ores (flux layers or granite layers are my favorites, gabbro is good too) and dig a grid of tunnels looking for ores. I would recommend the tunnels being no further than 20 squares apart or so. When you hit warm stone, stop, dig around the edge to get the shape of the magma pipe, being sure to NEVER dig into a warm stone layer. Now go to the surface over the middle of the area of warm stone and start digging a stairwell straight down. You'll breech the pipe eventually without risking your dwarves.

Congratulations, you now have access to the most useful material in the game. Be sure to put a floor over the top of the shaft you dug down, otherwise the imps just might decide to come play in your booze stockpiles.




Alternatively, download reveal. Same effect, 1/200 of the work.

[riffraffselbow]

Alternatively, download reveal. Same effect, 1/200 of the work.

Didn't seem to work with 40d13

[dragon0421]

Alternatively, download reveal. Same effect, 1/200 of the work.

Didn't seem to work with 40d13

You have to designate the bottom layer for mining first.

[Malicus]

Alternatively, download reveal. Same effect, 1/200 of the work.

Didn't seem to work with 40d13

You have to designate the bottom layer for mining first.

No, no, it just plain does not work with 40d#.

[Shrike]

Another way: Head for the bottom and search there. You might not know where the pipe ends at the top, but it has to exist at the bottom.

[Laith]

I don't know if you're opposed to having features displayed before embark or if you just didn't know it was possible to do so.  Regardless, the following won't help you in the current game unless you regen the world (even if you abandon the features will be covered in ruins), but in future games might be handy.

In your init.txt file in the data/init folder there are options to show/hide features when selecting a site, including magma pipes.

Code: [Select]

[SHOW_EMBARK_RIVER:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_POOL:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_M_PIPE:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_M_POOL:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_CHASM:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_PIT:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_OTHER:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_TUNNEL:ALWAYS]
As is explained in the file itself, valid arguments are NO and ALWAYS.  You will find the same options listed under each set of world generation parameters in world_gen.txt.  I don't recall and can't seem to find what the valid arguments are for these, but setting them all to 2 should work.

Like I said, won't help you in the current game, but the other solutions in the thread will.

[Puck]

BEFORE you have any underground designated for mining, build a trade depot, even if only temporarily. Then hit "D" to check for wagon access. View the lower z levels, you will see a black square where the magma pipe is.

Imho the most convenient way.

[gtmattz]

Alternatively, download reveal. Same effect, 1/200 of the work.

Didn't seem to work with 40d13

You have to designate the bottom layer for mining first.

No, no, it just plain does not work with 40d#.

There is an updated version of reveal which works on the d# versions (I have personally used it with d11 and d13):

http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1044

[forsaken1111]

Alternatively, download reveal. Same effect, 1/200 of the work.

Didn't seem to work with 40d13

You have to designate the bottom layer for mining first.

No, no, it just plain does not work with 40d#.

There is an updated version of reveal which works on the d# versions (I have personally used it with d11 and d13):

http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=1044

If you use reveal, do not save afterwards. Reveal, note the position of the magma pipe, and then use task manager to kill the process without saving. Revealing a magma pipe this way will not enable magma buildings (and will muck up several other things, like HFS)

[riffraffselbow]

I don't know if you're opposed to having features displayed before embark or if you just didn't know it was possible to do so.  Regardless, the following won't help you in the current game unless you regen the world (even if you abandon the features will be covered in ruins), but in future games might be handy.

In your init.txt file in the data/init folder there are options to show/hide features when selecting a site, including magma pipes.

Code: [Select]

[SHOW_EMBARK_RIVER:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_POOL:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_M_PIPE:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_M_POOL:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_CHASM:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_PIT:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_OTHER:ALWAYS]
[SHOW_EMBARK_TUNNEL:ALWAYS]
As is explained in the file itself, valid arguments are NO and ALWAYS.  You will find the same options listed under each set of world generation parameters in world_gen.txt.  I don't recall and can't seem to find what the valid arguments are for these, but setting them all to 2 should work.

Like I said, won't help you in the current game, but the other solutions in the thread will.

I was aware of that; I however forgot that the correct input was "ALWAYS" and not "YES"; I turned it back to finder because YES was screwing up finder (I think it reverted to No)