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[ArdentPenguin]

After I first discovered exactly how extensive the cavern systems are (o_O) I immediately deconstructed everything I'd built near ground level and relocated down to the caves. It feels more dwarfy. I actually use the cavern floors as public spaces (farms, statue gardens, wells) with rooms and workshops and such cut into the cavern walls. It's not terribly defensible, but so far I haven't had to deal with anything worse than some troglodytes or naked mole dogs (and one cave crocodile that my expedition leader wrestled Steve Irwin style). I imagine that's not going to last forever, but what's the fun in an ironclad situation... The forges are located another couple dozen z-levels down near a magma lake.

[Frogwarrior]

I'm planning on doing a long-lasting fort project. I'll start at the top, near the surface, for a while, getting established. Then, I breach the underground layer, and slowly relocate everything down there as I clear it out. Then I keep relocating to subsequently lower levels, each time abandoning the (fully functiona) fortress on the layer above. Eventually, I breach HFS.

I'm thinking it'll epic to visit in adventure mode :-D

[Bryan Derksen]

I embarked in a really hot area on my first test fort, and built my fort at the surface. So I had a 60 Z-level well shaft descending straight down to puncture the roof of a vast cavern to get at the water, with a staircase spiraling haphazardly down around the shaft the entire way. I'm amazed that just one rope was needed in the well's construction.

I'd have probably started building stuff down in the caverns eventually, except that something dreadful came flying up the well shaft. My poor dwarfs. Poison is so much fun!

[katroclopse]

Hello:
     I wonder how feasible a total relocation to *FuN-Town* is.  It would indeed be quite amazing, but I believe due to the nature of the available materials in *FuN-Town* extensive importing of alternative construction materials from the upper lands would be required.
     It might also be interesting to see how some of the local features of *FuN-Town* react to dwarfish enterprises.
 

[Orborde]

Previously in this thread, I mentioned that I'd moved down into the caverns, and that I was having a little trouble with the subterranean wildlife. Here's an update:

[Scruga]

Previously in this thread, I mentioned that I'd moved down into the caverns, and that I was having a little trouble with the subterranean wildlife. Here's an update:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

You put a smile on my face

But yeah first thing I do is dig a winding staircase down fitting wagons till I find the caves. Then I usually have to reroute it a bit so that it fits nicely, wall off an area with the dug up rock and I have my very own little piece of land with wood, rock, plants, minerals, water (and sometimes magma).

[LemonFrosted]

Previously in this thread, I mentioned that I'd moved down into the caverns, and that I was having a little trouble with the subterranean wildlife. Here's an update:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

You put a smile on my face

But yeah first thing I do is dig a winding staircase down fitting wagons till I find the caves. Then I usually have to reroute it a bit so that it fits nicely, wall off an area with the dug up rock and I have my very own little piece of land with wood, rock, plants, minerals, water (and sometimes magma).

Funny thing I've been meaning to mention somewhere: my base got flooded because I wasn't paying attention to my water pressure (advice: map your irrigation from the river to your Z-3 well, not the other way around) but things were going so well that I didn't want to start over, so I reclaimed. After I'd managed to drain the water out of my base (and drown some antmen in the process) I started to see subterranian plants and trees crop up all over the place. Even after I'd smoothed the stone they still kept coming. Most of them disappeared on their own (though I think my weaver was auto-harvesting them) but a few eventually grew into trees right in my hallways.

Basically if you're looking to start your own underground forest flood a large room and drain it.

[katroclopse]

Hello again:     
     Almost immediately after finding a cavern with exploratory mining, my above-ground base started having serious indoor plant troubles.  My fort is made almost exclusively of loam or sand of one type or another and since that cavern was discovered shrubs and saplings are springing up everywhere--without help from irrigation--.  It may be a bug because the main fort--which is experiencing the problem--is not linked to the exploratory mine--for security purposes--except through the outside.
     I plan to put a stone floor down when i get the chance just to prevent a hostile takeover from shrubbery.
     On a side-note: I have recently--purposely--punctured the aquifer at the top of my stairwell to the caverns.  I have started using another save for adventure exploring and I need not the hassle of such caverns..yet. I suppose its good that Olm-people can swim.
     Secondary side-note: One of my mining dwarves is now training his swimming! 

[Raiden333]

I'm currently constructing a big spiral ramp for wagons to go down so that I spend less time taking stuff to the depot.

[immibis]

     Almost immediately after finding a cavern with exploratory mining, my above-ground base started having serious indoor plant troubles.  My fort is made almost exclusively of loam or sand of one type or another and since that cavern was discovered shrubs and saplings are springing up everywhere--without help from irrigation--.  It may be a bug because the main fort--which is experiencing the problem--is not linked to the exploratory mine--for security purposes--except through the outside.

Any underground plant you've discovered can grow on any underground mud or soil.
And it's actually not much of a problem since your dwarves will most likely trample most of them.

[evileeyore]

I plan to put a stone floor down when i get the chance just to prevent a hostile takeover from shrubbery.

Why does it always have to be trees...

[Sowelu]

Immediately after embarking, I always start building ramps down to search for caverns.  I make them three wide, so wagons can come down, and every ten Z-levels I loop around.  I don't think I've missed a cavern this way yet; I seem to find them around every 20-30 levels like clockwork.

I love building in caverns.  For my personal playing experience, they are what this new version is all about; I build all my stuff off of the cavern, instead of building a big cavern into the wall, so my dwarves walk through the cavern itself to get where they're going.

This means I have to wall off a ton of stuff, and expand my walls slowly outwards as I feel more brave.  And if a giant bat swoops in and takes peoples' heads off before I can build my walls all the way up to the ceiling, well, that's just part of the fun!

[Chronas]

back in ye olde df, breaking into an underground lake and then carving out a chamber beside it and muddying was the only way to get tower caps. these days they grow anywhere viable, provided you have breached their cavern.
-so if you think about it, all you need to do is carve out a large soil plot, and the plants should arrive. recent tests show this may only occur if you have abandoned the fort at least once.

[Azkanan]

its easier access to muddy land for farming, and water and magma. Its just alot nastier funner and harder dwarfier with everything that's down there, and that makes it more fun for me.

My Mission? Survive in the caverns. It makes the game worth playing - any other way is far too easy!
2010 Deep Dwarves Challenge

My Attempt:
DawnDeeps

[blue sam3]

I've built a basic fortress near the surface that will basically just be a trading outpost and as soon as my miners wake up, I'll be driving a shaft down. Right down. Eventually, I'll be splitting my dwarves into three groups:

1. Those who live in the shallow fortress, make food and alcohol and sell the stuff that comes from the deep

2. Those who work in a small fortress part way down the shaft, a couple making enough food and alcohol to survive, the others hauling stuff all the way from the deeps to the surface

3. Those who live, fight and very probably die in the deeps, mining out as much valuable stuff as possible to ship back up the shaft.