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[Tanelorn]

Reloadable cave in generators are a bit of a myth, and I thought I'd have a shot at it. So here is my idea.

First off, it has to be built over a corridor with a natural floor. That's the biggest limitation. The only one, really. And it needs magma and water. So, here is the description:

z= -1 : a natural wall, which is the floor of ...
... z=0: The corridor where the collapse will take place. The ceiling is the floor of ...
... z= +1: magma tank
z= +2: magma  (yes, 2 z-levels deep)
z= +3: raisable bridges (not retractable) 1 tile long, except for one which is 2 (or more) tiles long, covered with water (any depth, 1/7 to 7/7)

So the trap starts with the bridges lowered, covered with water.
1) Pull a lever to raise all the bridges at once. The 1 tile long bridges will atom smash the water covering them, and the 2 tiles long bridge will leave a hole with water in it.
2) The water, at z= +3, falls down into the magma tank
3) An obsidian block forms on the upper level of the magma tank (z= +2). It is not supported from underneath (more magma) or the sides (bridges) and falls
4) the obsidian block is falling and reaches z=+1, and punches the bottom of the magma tank
5) the block keeps falling and reaches z=0. The natural wall at z=0 stops the block's fall.
6) The clever bit: the magma does not leak, because the top of the fallen block has re-formed the floor of the tank that was destroyed by the fall.
7) Reload by mining the fallen block, and flick the lever again

So, do you think it would work ? I haven't ben able to try it out yet: my hot map's water has evaporated and I haven't found the cave river yet.

The bridges don't have to be the way I described. A hole bigger that 1 tile will simply cause a cave-in bigger than one block.

[Time Kitten]

I think the problem is clean up.  Sure obsidian is fun and all, but properly poured water turning to glacial ice as it hurtles to it's foe has it's benniftes, as cleanup can be as simple as running magma overhead in a bridge, or perhaps to either side past the thin walls.

[Shakma]

It's fine but the top brigde portion doesn't need to be all bridges.  Just put it 1 level higher and have a single 2 tile drawbridge with walls all around.  Retract and the water will drop.  Not sure all the 1-tile drawbridges can be done since they need a floor under them.  Removing a wall under a 1-tile bridge may make it collapse/deconstruct.

Still the problem with having to dig out a section.  Would be nice if a cave-in repeater was easier than just building another bridge to be dropped. 

Ice is bugged and doesn't collapse when formed and has buggy problems, like not re-freezing when melting with magma too.  Plus it won't melt from the sides through walls and a bridge overhead would deconstruct from the cave-in, although there are other options.

[nil]

I have definitely had newly formed ice lead to a cave-in...  that was a "muddy ice floor" that had formed on a bridge, though, so maybe its an exception.

[Jim Groovester]

The people in this thread did a bit of researching and found a reusable cave-in generator. I have one extra note, though, and that Meta's final design would be much improved with pumps.

Your design looks like it would work pretty well, too.

[Shakma]

I have definitely had newly formed ice lead to a cave-in...  that was a "muddy ice floor" that had formed on a bridge, though, so maybe its an exception.

I would like to see that.  For me it just hangs until I reload a save or mine above or below it.  Then it collapses.

[nil]

I have definitely had newly formed ice lead to a cave-in...  that was a "muddy ice floor" that had formed on a bridge, though, so maybe its an exception.

I would like to see that.  For me it just hangs until I reload a save or mine above or below it.  Then , it collapses.

Oh, I can't guarantee it doesn't take a reload.  All I know is that I've had it happen, here.  Sorry if I got your hopes up...

[lucusLoC]

unsupported ice definitely can cause a cave in. i had it happen to my fort.

map here, with descriptions: http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-6487-bellstyphoons

thread its linked from the map.

[Shakma]

Existing ice will fall.  Newly formed ice doesn't seem to.  The floor in your map seems supported on all sides though, isn't it?  I'm not saying anything is impossible, I just can't get it to work.  I would like it to work.  Ideally, an auto-repeater that would just drop an ice floor would be great.  No cleanup.

[lucusLoC]

That shot was a bit after the accident, i had already started some disaster responce when i took the screenshots. Originaly there was a 3x3 pool right over the 2 levels of magma (the rest of the run does not melt ice unless the magma level is fluctuating. No idea why.)

I assumed that an unsupported ice floor formed on top, but i guess 2 floors could have formed, and when the supporting floor melted (i have seen them form and melt) the middle one fell and caused all the dammage.