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[rufio]

Are you absolutely certain that there are no metals/flux on the maps? How far down have you dug? I've never had a problem like this.

Not very far, but I ran DFHack on the site that I embarked at, which the map claimed had flux stone, and the results from prospect were 3106 mudstone, 2203 clay, 3 granite, and 517 limonite.  In all the other cases, the embark map itself claimed there was no flux stone.  Since it was wrong about that site having any flux stone, though, I suppose anything is possible.

For bird breeding, forbid the eggs as soon as they are laid, or put the nest boxes and birds in a room and lock the door.

How do you get the birds into the locked room?  I've noticed that even when they've claimed nesting boxes, they still wander around aimlessly in meeting areas.  Maybe they lay eggs from the meeting areas, too, as I've never seen them actually on a nesting box.  I guess pitting would probably work.  I'll have to try that if I ever find a place to embark with actual resources on it.

This, I generally let the first generation hatch, butcher all but one male and then harvest the bounty of eggs.

That was sort of my intention - I understand that birds are the new exploding domestic animal.

[FuzzyZergling]

For bird breeding, forbid the eggs as soon as they are laid, or put the nest boxes and birds in a room and lock the door.

How do you get the birds into the locked room?  I've noticed that even when they've claimed nesting boxes, they still wander around aimlessly in meeting areas.  Maybe they lay eggs from the meeting areas, too, as I've never seen them actually on a nesting box.  I guess pitting would probably work.  I'll have to try that if I ever find a place to embark with actual resources on it.

Use a pasture, or just watch the boxes like a hawk and wait for a bird to claim one.
Birds only sit on the boxes while the eggs are there. If the eggs are removed right away, the birds will not stay on the boxes.

[rufio]

Well, after some experimenting with DFHack, it turns out that apparently there's a marble level 50 levels down, but that's still not real helpful.  What I'd really like is to be able to embark somewhere that's primarily sedimentary with sedimentary flux.  Also, apparently searching for flux when looking for an embark site doesn't work at all - if you just pick flux: yes and N/A with everything else, it returns the whole map, so it is completely useless.  Is there another way to search for embarks other than looking at every single likely square?  Are there particular places/environments I should look for sedimentary flux in?  All I know is that the volcanoes are igneous extrusive.

[tryrar]

Edit: Post not applicable anymore. Please disregard

[ayoriceball]

Well, after some experimenting with DFHack, it turns out that apparently there's a marble level 50 levels down, but that's still not real helpful.  What I'd really like is to be able to embark somewhere that's primarily sedimentary with sedimentary flux.  Also, apparently searching for flux when looking for an embark site doesn't work at all - if you just pick flux: yes and N/A with everything else, it returns the whole map, so it is completely useless.  Is there another way to search for embarks other than looking at every single likely square?  Are there particular places/environments I should look for sedimentary flux in?  All I know is that the volcanoes are igneous extrusive.

Stay away from mountains and volcanoes. Or you can take a look around in adventure mode.

[tryrar]

Will water falling on a catwalk from above wash anyone off the catwalk? I have this sweet embark with fuel, flux and iron with a stream falling 8z levels into a river; I'd ideally like to dam the smaller river with floodgates for waterfalls on command to wash away any sieges that get past all the traps on the catwalk

[rhesusmacabre]

It should do. Try pasturing some animals to test it out.

[tryrar]

......well, the point is moot now, as I MAY have managed to accidentally wash half my starting 7 into the gorge while trying to use pumps to divert the stream....(Note to self, divert stream much farther south next time)

[Garath]

and yes, falling water on a bridge can wash dwarfs away

[MAurelius]

So the two ways to dam/reroute a river are A) in a biome where water freezes, mine it out and build floodgates, and B) otherwise use pumps.

Just as a quick summary, how does the pump method work? Do you have to channel a new river to divert the water while you're working? In which case that seems like too much trouble and too destructive to the land (especially if your first floor of your fort is 1 z below the brook/river, then you basically have to channel through it).

[Garath]

just like in reality if you try to divert a river, you'd have to dig the new riverbed first or you'll cause widespread flooding. I never tried to dam a river, but I imagine the procedure would be similar, since you'd need to store the water somewhere

[i2amroy]

just like in reality if you try to divert a river, you'd have to dig the new riverbed first or you'll cause widespread flooding. I never tried to dam a river, but I imagine the procedure would be similar, since you'd need to store the water somewhere

Not required actually. In DF due to the way that rivers work they won't pressurize/input water if there is no where for the water to go. As such all you need to do is successfully wall off a river and it will not overflow its banks.

For the pump method, it basically involves putting enough pumps around a single area of the river in order to create a dry spot on the riverbed because the pumps are drawing water out faster then it can flow in. This water can then either be diverted downstream, diverted into an aquifer, or sent off of one of the map edges (alternatively you could fill a giant reservoir and then slowly drain it back into the river, but the map edge is usually easier. Then simply build a drawbridge in the dry area, connect it to a lever, and then stop the pumps. The river will then resume flowing but at the pull of a lever will be shut off by the raised drawbridge.

Also as opposed to needing freezing or using pumps, if you have magma you can also just pour magma into the river and create an obsidian dam (simple but doesn't create very straight dams, more of half circle ones), or cast magma above the area you wish to dam and then cave it in on the river (allows creation of straight walls but will collapse through any lower levels if you have already dug out underneath the river where the planned dam is going to be.)

[MAurelius]

just like in reality if you try to divert a river, you'd have to dig the new riverbed first or you'll cause widespread flooding. I never tried to dam a river, but I imagine the procedure would be similar, since you'd need to store the water somewhere

Not required actually. In DF due to the way that rivers work they won't pressurize/input water if there is no where for the water to go. As such all you need to do is successfully wall off a river and it will not overflow its banks.

For the pump method, it basically involves putting enough pumps around a single area of the river in order to create a dry spot on the riverbed because the pumps are drawing water out faster then it can flow in. This water can then either be diverted downstream, diverted into an aquifer, or sent off of one of the map edges (alternatively you could fill a giant reservoir and then slowly drain it back into the river, but the map edge is usually easier. Then simply build a drawbridge in the dry area, connect it to a lever, and then stop the pumps. The river will then resume flowing but at the pull of a lever will be shut off by the raised drawbridge.

Also as opposed to needing freezing or using pumps, if you have magma you can also just pour magma into the river and create an obsidian dam (simple but doesn't create very straight dams, more of half circle ones), or cast magma above the area you wish to dam and then cave it in on the river (allows creation of straight walls but will collapse through any lower levels if you have already dug out underneath the river where the planned dam is going to be.

I sense tremendous potential for FUN! here! I may just try to create a Roman style raised aqueduct just for the fun of it.

[Garath]

first time I tried something with pumps I didnt have a place for the water to go too, or at least not enough space, and caused half the map to flood before a dwarf managed to shut it off (also my first experiment with a waterwheel)

[jhxmt]

Would setting 'Farmers Only' farm, prevent overflowing?  And possibly No Mix, so food isn't wasted on mixtures.  I'm curious how this would operate.  A fortress should have all interrupts off, so this is possible by default.  This is one of the cool features of DF, as I see things, from my lowly perspective.

Sincerely,
Knutor

No Mix just means that they won't mix food types, (so rat meat goes in one barrel, bird meat in another, etc.) so it would make you run out of barrels/pots even faster.

On the point about farming overflowing and using up a gazillion pots/barrels - if your food stockpile is limited in size and gets filled up with pots/barrels of food, presumably any excess crops will simply be left on the farm tiles (unharvested), until they rot away?  So as long as you've got more pots/barrels than you have food (& drink) stockpile squares, running out of them won't be a problem.  It's a self-limiting system...although you do end up wasting a load of crops.  Probably best to ensure your farming's all brewable crops, too, to avoid the risk of only non-brewable crops being barrelled and the rest rotting away.