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Author Topic: Finding magma?  (Read 660 times)

Axil

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Finding magma?
« on: August 10, 2009, 03:38:29 pm »

Well, my old fortress went to hell(i think three dwarves died, which resulted in +5 tantrums, so i decided to just flood the fortress with water, however that went to slow(close to no reaction after 5-10 min, except for happy thoughts about a waterfall(they are happy about their fortress being flooded?)). And i started a new one, the location finder was set so i have a magma pipe on the map, but i don't know how to locate it, any good way?
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Elvin

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Re: Finding magma?
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2009, 03:43:36 pm »

dig vertical shafts through the middle of each 48x48 area. Every 48x48 area is one square on the embark screen, and features are likely to be in the middle of a square.
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Rvlion

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Re: Finding magma?
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2009, 03:46:52 pm »

The easiest way I guess apart from start digging in every direction is the reveal program.

If you dont want to have your entire map revealed for the duration of the game, save the game and reload.
Open a second DF and also load that save game. Use reveal with 1 of the 2 DF games and use the 2nd DF game to play your game AND discover the magma pipe or pool normally, after you done that use Task Manager to quit the revealed game or quit both after saving the game with the discovered magma pipe.

IIRC the "revealed" map requires more computer memory, also playing with pause and unpause can help you determine which is the one you want to quit.
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Scarpa

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Re: Finding magma?
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2009, 03:49:43 pm »

The way I use reveal is I'll make a copy of me region, load it then reveal.

Then after poking around I take a few screenshots of areas I want to explore in the future.

An alternative to reveal for finding big features is to use a visualizer. All of them will show you a magma pipe I believe, I'm sure at least 3Dwarf and VisualFortress will. Then you can get a general idea of where it is and can usually get away with a single exploratory shaft to discover it in game.
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Axil

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Re: Finding magma?
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2009, 03:54:10 pm »

I'm trying out Sean mirrsens mod compilation, so i apparently can't use reveal... Will try the visualizer though.
EDIT: Uh... actually, nevermind that... The magma pipe was open to the surface.
EDIT2: It wasn't... but it was ground level(inside part of the mountain.)
EDIT3: Nevermind that, Reveal apparently worked, but it instantly closed though.
« Last Edit: August 10, 2009, 04:05:03 pm by Axil »
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Albedo

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Re: Finding magma?
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2009, 04:47:28 pm »

The easiest way I guess apart from start digging in every direction

Um...

The map is broken up into "area blocks" - these correspond exactly to the symbols you see on the embark "Local" map, and are 48 tiles square.  (So, if your map is "6x6", each dimension is (6x48) tiles long.)

A magma vent is about 30 tiles across - and while it doesn't have to be "centered" in an area block, it does have to be entirely within it, and so it will, absolutely, overlap the center of that block.  So...

If you dig a shaft down into the "center"* of each area block, you will find it, 100% guaranteed.

(* actually, any one of the 4 tiles that together ring the technical center point)

While on a 6x6 this could mean 36 shafts, if you have any recollection of the embark map (or just regen it and look again, this time taking (mental) notes), you can find it quite easily without resorting to Reveal.


Also, on some maps, a hidden magma vent will have a tell-tale flat "cap" of obsidian directly over it, often interrupting other stone layers with a distinct lack of slopes (i.e. no ▲'s in a vague circle to the next level up.)  Find this, and, again, you've found your vent.
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DeathOfRats

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Re: Finding magma?
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2009, 05:01:26 pm »

Also, on some maps, a hidden magma vent will have a tell-tale flat "cap" of obsidian directly over it, often interrupting other stone layers with a distinct lack of slopes (i.e. no ▲'s in a vague circle to the next level up.)  Find this, and, again, you've found your vent.

That typically happens on colder maps - not sure where the cutoff limit is, I think it's whether the water freezes in winter - but only if it would otherwise be a vent that went all the way to the surface, I think.
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