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[nil]

This is a very noobish and most likely laughable question. But reading the DF Wiki has only made me more confused.

I have a brook and want to make a well. However, anything underground is below the brook and as far as I know, you can only have a well above water. Is it possible to channel the brook into some kind of water pit which I can then stick a well over and have it not run out of water (and flood the fortress)

Any ideas, or am I just trying the impossible/missing the obvious?

This is actually a little tricky, since you're dealing with water pressure and could flood the fortress.  You have two options.  One, you could dump your water into a pit, then close it off using a lever and floodgates before it overflows.  However, this will eventually dry out and require refilling, from your question I'm guessing you may already know about this.  If you don't mind refilling every once in a while, though, this is the simplest and safest (to build) option.  If you want the water source to be self refilling, you'll need to use a pump.  Dig a shaft near the river to 2 z-levels below where you want your well.  One level above that, dig out a horizontal wall and and least 3 squares in a line with it.  Place a pump to draw water from the shaft, then place your well.  The simplest, if not necessarily the best way to power the pump would probably be a windmill that powers a vertical axle running in or parallel to the feed shaft.

seen from the side:

Code: [Select]

  MMM
===|= ≠~~~=
===|="=====
===|="=====
  WG="=====
==.PP"=====
====="=====
===========


Spoiler: key (click to show/hide)

~ is the river
= is solid rock
PP is the pump
W is the well
" is pressurized water that will flood up to the level of the river when tapped
. is unpressurized water
| are vertical axles, G is a machine gear, and MMM is a windmill
≠ is the rock you channel out after everything is ready.

[vorpal+5]

I have too a problem with a well...

It says 'waiting for architect', but I have 2 idle, and they don't want to go there... The well is a bit far from my fortress but still, path exists (I have some hunters using the tunnel for their hunt).

The well is below the surface, pointing to water one level below it.

[nil]

I have too a problem with a well...

It says 'waiting for architect', but I have 2 idle, and they don't want to go there... The well is a bit far from my fortress but still, path exists (I have some hunters using the tunnel for their hunt).

The well is below the surface, pointing to water one level below it.

I'm assuming you have someone with the Architecture labor enabled?  One possibility is that the chosen components are on the wrong side of a channel, perhaps the one you want to build the well in.  The well may be accessible, and the parts may be able to access the well, but that doesn't always mean the dwarves can get to the parts.

Otherwise, are you sure its accessible?  Sometimes workers can be blocked by unexpected barriers, like inside/outside orders or creatures causing the job to be canceled by scaring workers en route.

[vorpal+5]

It finally worked, with me only adding yet another architect just for that... After a while he did his job... But the first one stayed on idle all the time. I don't understand...

Once the well is done, shall I transform it into an activity Pond?

I would like the dorfs to only take water from it, not from the river.

Another unrelated question, when I assign a room to my sheriff, there is always another guy assigned to the room at the same time... And no, they are not married

[Spong]

This is a very noobish and most likely laughable question. But reading the DF Wiki has only made me more confused.

I have a brook and want to make a well. However, anything underground is below the brook and as far as I know, you can only have a well above water. Is it possible to channel the brook into some kind of water pit which I can then stick a well over and have it not run out of water (and flood the fortress)

Any ideas, or am I just trying the impossible/missing the obvious?

This is actually a little tricky, since you're dealing with water pressure and could flood the fortress.  You have two options.  One, you could dump your water into a pit, then close it off using a lever and floodgates before it overflows.  However, this will eventually dry out and require refilling, from your question I'm guessing you may already know about this.  If you don't mind refilling every once in a while, though, this is the simplest and safest (to build) option.  If you want the water source to be self refilling, you'll need to use a pump.  Dig a shaft near the river to 2 z-levels below where you want your well.  One level above that, dig out a horizontal wall and and least 3 squares in a line with it.  Place a pump to draw water from the shaft, then place your well.  The simplest, if not necessarily the best way to power the pump would probably be a windmill that powers a vertical axle running in or parallel to the feed shaft.

seen from the side:

Code: [Select]

  MMM
===|= ≠~~~=
===|="=====
===|="=====
  WG="=====
==.PP"=====
====="=====
===========


Spoiler: key (click to show/hide)

~ is the river
= is solid rock
PP is the pump
W is the well
" is pressurized water that will flood up to the level of the river when tapped
. is unpressurized water
| are vertical axles, G is a machine gear, and MMM is a windmill
≠ is the rock you channel out after everything is ready.

While I appreciate this may be true in certain circumstances in my game I have not found this to be the case - I have successfully made a subterranean well pool without pumps and it has not overflowed due to pressure - it is continuously supplied with flowing water from the brook. I do have multiple floodgates in place in case I need to shut down any part of the system for maintainence or overflow but so far it is fine. The lowest level of the brook is a z level above the channel and pool that supplies the well - much of the aqueduct is covered but the pool itself has exposed areas and they are not overflowing into the plaza. I'll post up screenies shortly.

I also have several grates in place along the aqueduct to stop any water critters getting in and drowning/nomming my citizens.

Once the well is done, shall I transform it into an activity Pond?

I would like the dorfs to only take water from it, not from the river.

They should automatically prioritise drinking from a well over going to any other water source but if you want to make doubly sure then designate a zone round the edge of the pool as 'water source' then go to the 'orders and options menu' and 'activity zone orders' then set the option for 'only zone drinking'. Avoid designating the zone on areas of open water in the pool as you will get  a ton of messages saying 'Urist McWaterDrinker cancels drink: dangerous terrain'.

[The Architect]

\Once the well is done, shall I transform it into an activity Pond?

I would like the dorfs to only take water from it, not from the river.

You need to designate it as a water source, not a pond. Dwarves take water from a source and add water to a pond.

[Particleman]

you can always use archery targets, for that.

Yes, but he's proposing a way of conserving bolts, right?

More training marksdwarves up faster, actually, but yeah, you'd save on bolts as well.

[vorpal+5]

oki doki, will do about well and water source. Just to confirm, I designate a 3x3 zone at the level of the well, not where is actually the water (yes, I'm not gifted by nature   ).

Questions time, again!

1. It seems to me the enemy civs archers have unlimited arrows, or I'm under false assumption?
2. Does F or D has any effect on items in the inventory of a dorf, like 'hey drop these 3 bone bolts immediately' with F... that would be cool.
3. If I mudify an underground floor, then open the cave ceiling above, can I then grow outdoors plants?
4. I have a miserable dwarf, doing tantrums. Can he raises in morale or he is definitively lost?
5. related to 4., can I plug a costly item into the room of a low level dwarf to raise his morale, and when the 'operation' is done, remove the statue for other usage, without generating an extra negative though (do dorfs trace what they lost in furniture somehow)
6. I still have a problem with my Sheriff's room. Each time I assign him to the room, there is another (male) dwarf assigned at the same time (2 persons assigned). How can it be possible?
7. I still don't get why my 'take from custom stockpile' settings don't work. I want to pick up only steel and iron xbows. In the settings, should I have in white the 'can use' and 'can not use' (I don't care to take also non usable ones), or should they be in grey? My settings are: xbow highlighted (in white), steel and iron metals highlighted, can use and can't use highlighted.
Nothing happen...

[nil]

oki doki, will do about well and water source. Just to confirm, I designate a 3x3 zone at the level of the well, not where is actually the water (yes, I'm not gifted by nature   ).

You don't actually need to designate a water source if you've built a well.

1. It seems to me the enemy civs archers have unlimited arrows, or I'm under false assumption?

No, they just have lots (40, I think).  You can see how many they have by pushing enter while their quiver in the inventory is selected

2. Does F or D has any effect on items in the inventory of a dorf, like 'hey drop these 3 bone bolts immediately' with F... that would be cool.

F, not really, although it'll work for job items.  D, yes, but you'll have to wait for an idle dwarf with the refuse hauler task enabled.

4. I have a miserable dwarf, doing tantrums. Can he raises in morale or he is definitively lost?

The thoughts dwarves get when tantruming are mostly positive so eventually, if he doesn't get killed, he'll work his way out of it.  If he goes to jail that'll effective reset his mood, too.

5. related to 4., can I plug a costly item into the room of a low level dwarf to raise his morale, and when the 'operation' is done, remove the statue for other usage, without generating an extra negative though (do dorfs trace what they lost in furniture somehow)

Yeah, not a problem, they don't notice when their room quality goes down.

6. I still have a problem with my Sheriff's room. Each time I assign him to the room, there is another (male) dwarf assigned at the same time (2 persons assigned). How can it be possible?

Are you sure the sheriff is a dude?  Sounds like they're married.

7. I still don't get why my 'take from custom stockpile' settings don't work. I want to pick up only steel and iron xbows. In the settings, should I have in white the 'can use' and 'can not use' (I don't care to take also non usable ones), or should they be in grey? My settings are: xbow highlighted (in white), steel and iron metals highlighted, can use and can't use highlighted.
Nothing happen...

Are your quality settings in the receiving stockpile enabled?  If the original stockpile has bins, does the receiving one have empty bins?

[vorpal+5]

thanks, a lot of info nil. 

I just realized that the Sheriff was a female... So it cuts in half the value of her rooms to be married, not cool for me

Extra questions:

1. as clothing provides armor, should I manufacture some for the dwarves which have wear and tears (sparring)? If so, do they own it or not?
2. are things in stockpile able to rot or fade away? Example, bones in refuse, will they disappear after a while if not used?

[The Architect]

http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Bones
http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Clothing

[vorpal+5]

Don't be mistaken Architect, I have already read for several hours worth the wiki, without it I would have never understood the game.

I never manufactured clothing. I know (because I read it) that the page on clothing in the wiki starts by saying that contrary to armor, clothes are owned by dwarves.

Yes, this is stated clearly... Still... Will it means that as soon as I manufacture clothing, if a dwarf is missing some, they will rush to get it 'first dib!', and then... as it is owned, that's over, I can't give the part to who I want?

Another question, about canceling orders... This really annoy me, this lack of control on dwarf orders. I have  a soldier which want to pick up an item in a tunnel, problem, there are 20 lizardmen between him and the item (and I don't know which item, as the game don't point you on it, otherwise I would have Forbidden it).
So... I decide to switch him to civilian, in the hope this will reset his orders, but nope... He continues boldly (stoopidly to be precise)... As he is a civilian, when closing in, he realize his folly, and cancel his order... Alas, a crossbow bolt hit him, and he is unconscious, so basically dead, seeing what its coming!!

If I had more control on the orders, I would have asked him to stop and go backward asap, but I could only watch him move toward his death.

How would you manage the situation? Perhaps there are tricks I don't know...

Picture: one dwarf dead, his blood all over the place, another doing the same a bit north 

[The Architect]

Don't be mistaken Architect, I have already read for several hours worth the wiki...

While most of us (myself included) don't mind answering some questions, we'd all rather post a link than write paragraphs answering something a quick wiki search would solve.

[assimilateur]

Another question, about canceling orders... This really annoy me, this lack of control on dwarf orders. I have  a soldier which want to pick up an item in a tunnel, problem, there are 20 lizardmen between him and the item (and I don't know which item, as the game don't point you on it, otherwise I would have Forbidden it).
So... I decide to switch him to civilian, in the hope this will reset his orders, but nope... He continues boldly (stoopidly to be precise)... As he is a civilian, when closing in, he realize his folly, and cancel his order... Alas, a crossbow bolt hit him, and he is unconscious, so basically dead, seeing what its coming!!

There is something you should be able to do, actually. Look in the jobs menu, accessed by pressing j. As far as I know, you won't be able to view the exact item that's being tasked, but you will be able to find your guy and then select "remove creature" so he cancels it. This way you can cancel all your hauling jobs that you think are in dangerous territory, and then disable hauling on everyone (you should be using tools like Dwarf Manager or Dwarf Therapist, which make enabling and disabling jobs en masse easier), or perhaps go to standing orders and switch all the "dwarves gather n" to "ignore".

[The Architect]

Hey, about wells and water pressure:

You can take the pressure out of the water by forcing it to pass a diagonal cutoff.

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