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[Razoric480]

Code: [Select]

Level X

WWWWWWWWWWW
[FFFFFFFFF]
...........


Code: [Select]

Level X-Y (let's say -10)

....RRR....
....RRR....
WWWWWWWWWWW
[.PPPPPPP.]
....RRR....
W = water
. = open space
F = floodgate
[] = walls
P = pressure plate
R = road/floor

So the idea is a really big water falls that drops in front of a roadway. Let's say the fortress' main gate. The floodgates start OPEN, to allow the waterfall through. The pressure plates would have to be tweaked, but essentially, so long as there is pressure, it'll keep the floodgates it's connected to open. When there is no longer enough pressure, its floodgates close.

When you pull a lever somewhere, the middle floodgate shuts. The water flow for that tile is cut off, releasing the floodgate. This closes the two floodgates next to that tile, which cuts off that tile's pressure. Which closes the next two, and the next two, etc until you are left with your roadway open and available with a nice, gradual curtain of a waterfall opening. When you pull the lever again, the curtain closes again, from the inside (which isn't quite as stylish as it closing from outside, but not sure how one might go about it given the way the pressure plates are set up.)

Now the question is, would be it a gradual opening like I envision it, or would water from the diagonal tiles contaminate the pressure and keep the pressure plates from being released?

[shadowclasper]

ya need a way to bleed the water away... like ditches on the sides of the road first. and ramps behind your water fall curtain so that your halls don't get flooded. Otherwise this is a freaking AMAZING idea.

Oh! make sure that your system disconnects the pumps shortly after all the flood gates close, so you fill the reservoir a bit, you know, to get the system going, but otherwise doesn't overflow.

I'm not sure otherwise... I might just build this INSIDE my fort as a test. Ya know, as an entrance to my epic Throne Room. (Which shall eventually be expanded even more than it is now). It already has a back drop of a water fall, (iron bars prevent my dwarves from falling in) so this would kinda complete it wouldn't you think?

And you know what the best part of this whole set up is? It would knock invaders OFF because of the flow of water, AND THEY'D STILL TRY TO GET THROUGH! COME ON! THAT'S FREAKING AWESOME!

[Razoric480]

Don't think the water pressure is quite strong enough to move units, but I could be wrong.

[SquirrelWizard]

you also need to use magma; that would be hot!

[Reese]

oooh, I like this idea, I think I might steal it... with a minor modification or two involving grates and some other stuff to make it a lot more complicated than it has to be...

[Flaede]

for control purposes, why not have the control stream of water a separate one from the actual reality of the gates opening/closing?

like a channel with a series of switches in it?  then as water flows into the channel, the switches (connected to the proper floodgates of course) get activated in series, and the reverse happens when you flick the switch and empty it out the other end. - the much more elegant method you mentioned.

this also has the benefit of not being dependant on anything within the actual portal itself, it could be as far removed as you like, and depending on how pressurised the water filling it is, and how far apart you place the switches, you can change how fast it opens/closes.

[shadowclasper]

for control purposes, why not have the control stream of water a separate one from the actual reality of the gates opening/closing?

like a channel with a series of switches in it?  then as water flows into the channel, the switches (connected to the proper floodgates of course) get activated in series, and the reverse happens when you flick the switch and empty it out the other end. - the much more elegant method you mentioned.

this also has the benefit of not being dependant on anything within the actual portal itself, it could be as far removed as you like, and depending on how pressurised the water filling it is, and how far apart you place the switches, you can change how fast it opens/closes.

I don't see how this would cause the cascade effect... Sure, you could make it so that it opens as if drawing apart like curtains, but then you'd not be able to have it close like curtains either. One way or another you're up a creek... unless... hmmmmm.... it MIGHT be possible to use a combination of such switches...

[Razoric480]

I could see a method for a reversal effect.

Code: [Select]

Control room

#F###F###F#
#PPPPPPPPP#
###########

When you Open the waterfall, the floodgate in the middle is the one that change, spreading out from the middle.
When you Close the waterfall, it's the floodgates on either side that change, spreading in from the sides.

[Flaede]

for control purposes, why not have the control stream of water a separate one from the actual reality of the gates opening/closing?

like a channel with a series of switches in it?  then as water flows into the channel, the switches (connected to the proper floodgates of course) get activated in series, and the reverse happens when you flick the switch and empty it out the other end. - the much more elegant method you mentioned.

this also has the benefit of not being dependant on anything within the actual portal itself, it could be as far removed as you like, and depending on how pressurised the water filling it is, and how far apart you place the switches, you can change how fast it opens/closes.

I don't see how this would cause the cascade effect... Sure, you could make it so that it opens as if drawing apart like curtains, but then you'd not be able to have it close like curtains either. One way or another you're up a creek... unless... hmmmmm.... it MIGHT be possible to use a combination of such switches...

What? Not possible? I admit I got turned around writing it out, but the method to have it "close" is just drain it back out the end you filled it from. There are many ways of having that happen. This also allows you to have the same effect with magma, but without as many magma-proof gears as needed the other way.

[Edit]: At the inflow of the channel you can even set up multiple water sources with different pressures in order to have different filling-speeds, and make one wall of the switch-channel a closed drawbridge - open it for an emergency quickstart.

[Reese]

hehe, so I worked use my architecture skill on your water fall design, and came up with something a bit more complicated...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

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       Z 1                 Z 0                 z-1

                           RRR          #################
                          .RRR.         ######+###+######
                          .RRR.         ######+###+######
#####XXXXXXX#####   #####..GGG..#####   #####+PPPPPP#####
#.%%+++++++++%%.#   #+%%.#.GGG.#.%%+#   ####+++++++++####
#.%%+++++++++%%.#   #+%%.#.RRR.#.%%+#   ####+++++++++####
#.%%+++++++++%%.#   #+%%.##RRR##.%%+#   ####+++++++++####
#.%%+++++########   #+%%.##RRR#######   ####+++++########
#################   #######RRR#######   #################

elsewhere...

  Z 1      Z 0

######   ######
#****#   #.%%P#   X4
#|++|#   ####.#
#*==*#      ###


also elsewhere...

##########
#.%%XXXP.#
#######X##
      #%#
      #%#
      #.#
      ###


the three plates on the left side are connected to one of the gears directly on top of the 'elsewhere' pumps and toe ach of the three floodgates, the three plates on the right side are connected to the other side of them (the ya re not exactly paired, and the two odd gears out are de-synced and attached to the main control lever) so when the water level on the middle square drops below the threshold(probably 4/7 and below) it triggers, starting the gear connected to the pump that triggers the pressure plate that opens the next two flood gates (and so on down the line, giving the desired curtain effect) and also opens one of the three floodgates on the also elsewhere layout.  The pressure plate on the also elsewhere plate is connected to the two outer gears of each elsewhere layout, which switches the control of the uper floodgates from the left set of plates tot he right set, which is keyed in the reverse order os that once you cause the first to stop pumping, the outer most flood gates clsoe and it cascades until all are closed...

Or you could just dig a stair stepped tunnel with a pair of pump stacks that pushes the water up the stairs or drains it out the bottom back into a resevoir, and put a plate for each pair of gates on the different steps; pump the water up the stairs and they open from inside out, drain the water back into a resevoir fromt he bottom of the stairs, and the curtain closes from outside in.

my personal vote, BTW, is that the outermost waterfalls should never stop so that you still get water fall mist for good thoughts when the gate is open.

Oh, BTW... don't forget that plates trigger instantly, but wait 100 steps after triggering conditions end before resetting and sending the 'close' signal... so the flood gates will cascade closed in twice the time that they need to cascade open since there's a both the plate delay AND the the floodgate delay when closing

[Dorf3000]

I could see a method for a reversal effect.

Code: [Select]

Control room

#F###F###F#
#PPPPPPPPP#
###########

When you Open the waterfall, the floodgate in the middle is the one that change, spreading out from the middle.
When you Close the waterfall, it's the floodgates on either side that change, spreading in from the sides.

How about this:

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Control (Z)
#####W#####
#         #
#F#######F#
#.#     #.#
###     ###


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Control (Z-1)
#####.#####
#PPPPPPPPP#
###########


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Fall reservoir (Z-2)
##### #####
#         #
#         #
#         #
#HHHHHHHHH#
###########


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Road level (Z-?)
   RRRRR   
   RRRRR   
 GGGGGGGGG
 GGGGGGGGG
   RRRRR
. = channel
H = hatch

The lever controls the floodgates, when closed the pressure pads will turn off from the middle (due to the drain there), closing the hatches in the same position.   When the floodgates open again, the pads will turn back on from the edges.  It might need some tweaking, like spacing the pads out more or making the reservoir bigger.

[Razoric480]

Thanks for all the ideas. Will have to give it a shot and see what I come up with.

[sava2004]

Since i'm more than sligthly retarded when it comes to reading the blueprints (code stuff) Could u post screenies of this when it's actually done?

[Dante`]

Since i'm more than sligthly retarded when it comes to reading the blueprints (code stuff) Could u post screenies of this when it's actually done?

I hate reading blueprints aswell I normally just go "oh.. k" *crumples up and builds it anyway*

[Chromie]

You need to set the pressure plate to start the open to the side(s) of the road -- so you have to station a champion honorguard to let the caravans in.