Here are the costs:
2 bridges, early exposure to chasm + lava monsters
Possible loss of miner to lava
Traps
Troops + barracks, wells, ammo
Long trips for food/drink until infrastructure set up.
Steel blocks: requires smithy, 2 hematite + 2 limestone + 5 coal/wood.
Anvil: 1 coal/wood + 3 iron bars (3 hematite + 3 coal/wood) or risking your only anvil which could mean game over.
Personally, I don't rush to the lava for a year, because it's more fun not to. I work on moving my infrastructure east first.
Of course a magma forge is better, it's supposed to be. I don't think that's a bad thing, in games like this there are different technology levels and you try to get there as soon as possible.
That said, it would be neat if the game was moddable to a degree that we could put custom building pre-reqs on things. For the default game, I think it should appeal to the lowest common denominator, not just the very experienced players. Requiring a metalsmith guildy would mean you had to make a lot of metal items, which means a lot of coal/wood. Very hard to do on the tougher maps without a lava forge.
Oh, and you still need the ore and stockpiles for your bars! Plus the time to produce the item.
quote:
Originally posted by Disruptive Idiot:
<STRONG>
I know the risks of the magma well, and they pale in comparison to the production power with which it imparts you. A single squad of marksdwarves will dispatch any threats that assail your forges. Guarantee their presence with a small barracks, a well, and a food stock, and there is virtually no threat of severe repercussions from early exploitation of the magma flow.Perhaps you lose one metalsmith. You still produce weapons, armor, and wealth without heed for your resources.</STRONG>
[ December 07, 2006: Message edited by: axus ]