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[Patchy]

Ok, I got an interesting site that I jus embarked to a lil while ago. And have a rough idea of how my entrance is gonna be, from the initial survey of the site.

My magma pipe sits in the center of the map, and visible on the surface. The magma though is actually a z-level below the surface. So yes its got some open air above it. Furthermore the pipe itself sits in a little bowl shaped depression in the side of the mountain. I made a crude diagram of the area to help illustrate.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Hope I did that right.

Anyways, its a sideview of the area in question. The brown is the mountain itself, the red the magma, the green the plains at the foot of the mountain, and the light blue is sky. The yellow-black box is planned constructions to increase the bowl size, the white-black is the planned entrance some 3 z-levels up on a really sheer natural cliff. The thicker line is the big bridge of doom and death over the magma. And the smaller lighter line is where I want to fill the magma to.

My question is essentially; If I pour the magma in on top of the open vent, does it suck it all up and stay at the same depth like an aquifer, or will I have to do something like floor over the vent so the bowl above will hold the magma and not drain away into the vent?

[Quietust]

If you pump magma out of the pipe, let it refill, then dump it back on the top, it will stay "overfilled". However, if you then drain the magma pipe again, it will only refill to its original height.

[CaveLobsterShell]

My question is essentially; If I pour the magma in on top of the open vent, does it suck it all up and stay at the same depth like an aquifer, or will I have to do something like floor over the vent so the bowl above will hold the magma and not drain away into the vent?

If you're pumping from the pipe to above the pipe, the magma will just flow back into the pipe... I suppose it could theoretically eventually fill up, but it would take years. Your best bet is to either floor off the top of the pipe, create your magma pond somewhere that isn't directly on top of the magma pipe, or pump magma into a reservoir of some kind and wait for the pipe to regenerate, then pump the magma reservoir over it. This last suggestion wouldn't work if you're planning on pulling from the magma pond in any way, though, since the magma pipe wouldn't regenerate higher up like that.

What are you trying to do, anyway?

[Patchy]

Ok, thanks Quietust. So I'll floor it over first. And CaveLobsterShell, think magma moat, but make it a magma lake instead ^^

[Skorpion]

My suggestion?

Pump the top layer out, then lower the entrance so it's actually IN the top layer of magma. Wall on the sides (glass, of course), then pour the magma in around it.

Use retracting bridges across it for extra style, and dunking elven caravans.

[Patchy]

Hmm that is an idea teehee. Glass isnt a problem since the plain at the foot of my mountain is a black sand desert. Wonder if I could rig something up to completely submerge the glass bridge tunnel in magma and retract the bridge out underneathe it for undesirables. Won't be able to test it on elves though... they are already extinct in this world, mere stories momma dwarves tell their kids to make them behave. Do have goblins, kobolds, and humans a plenty to try it on though.

Can't wait till I'm home again, to start.

On another note that cliff wall is 8 or 9 z-levels high and goes almost a full half circle around the vent. It could be a really big magmaquarium, once I construct walls around the other half of it.

[Skorpion]

Wonder if I could rig something up to completely submerge the glass bridge tunnel in magma and retract the bridge out underneath it for undesirables.

Retracting bridge with bauxite mechanism, and just embed the tunnel another layer under the surface. You'd have to floor over the top, however.