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100 screw pumps whooo!

47 (34.8%)

I don't, I still use volcanoes, pools, etc

14 (10.4%)

I make a burrow for all my forge dudes all the way down there

34 (25.2%)

Meh, too much hassle, CUT DOWN EVERY TREE FOR FUEL!

21 (15.6%)

other

19 (14.1%)

Total Members Voted: 135

[Krath]

Personally, I'd just dig down the 100 z levels, set up about 2 staircases in the mined out shaft, and set up smelters down there. As said before, 100 z levels straight down isn't really as long as you think, so why go through all the trouble of bringing the plasma up when you can just walk down?

Or just do the dwarven thing and move your entire fort down there.

[Frumple]

Honestly, I just have gotten into the habit of genning 1-2 cavern layers max worlds, with as many Z-reduction tweaks as possible... then embarking on flat plains. 100+ z-walk is insane (An' the designation process is a total pain inna'arse and wrists.), but 20-30 is considerably more workable. Generally, I move my fort to whatever's in between my lowest cavern and the sea, then have glass folks make the walk to the sand... or set up a few non-magma glass furnaces to do the sand gathering. The caverns themselves (or a dug out soil layer or two) work fine for trees, once I've finished walling off the entrances.

I do tend to cheat a little these days, though, using reveal to plan a stairway down. It's pretty easy to hit the sea before summer if you don't have to do exploratory mining or worry about walling off cavern breaches.

[illarion]

This. I still don't think that people have fully adapted to z-levels yet because a lot of people still can't seem to wrap their heads around 10z down being closer than 15x across.

That might be true for your dorfs, but it's a whole lot more hassle for you to move about and designate over many Z levels

(I have a programmable keyboard, which is absolute dynamite for quickly sinking 100+ Z-level shafts - takes seconds.  Bought it largely for DF   If you're not so fortunate, I highly recommend a macro program of some type).

In answer to the original question, I'm all about the magma-powered metal industry, so I move my whole fortress down between C3 and the magma as soon as I can manage it.  Leave a skeleton crew up top for plant gathering, wood cutting and similar tasks (at least early on - later I move wood production to a cavern, and build a deep greenhouse for aboveground plants).

Of course, being that deep makes water a bit of an issue, so I'm forced to build a pressurised plumbing system for irrigation, wells and so on

[UberNube]

For the next fortress I play (after my exams), I have every intention of digging out a very organically designed fortress. It will have standard room layouts and such, but I will develop it differently:

Upon embarking I will dig out a large 5 wide entrance tunnel with some limited defences, and have a series of ramps going down as deep as I need to construct basic accommodation, farms and industry. Once that is done I will dig out an isolated access shaft sealed with doors and traps which will lead down to the first layer of caverns. Once I find them, I will then extend my main ramp-way down to the floor level of the caverns. I will then build more constructions around the local area of the caverns, and set up some heavy defences. I will largely abandon the higher-up layers of the fortress and move as much stuff as I can down to the rooms near the caverns. As the fortress grows, I will extend the ramps down to each subsequent layer, slowly moving my fortress deeper. More defences will be constructed with each subsequent deepening of the fortress. Finally I will have my entire fortress spread between the lowest cavern layer and the magma ocean, with a primary stairwell allowing access between layers for dwarves, and a large ramp for caravans.

Then just for the fun of it I will build a giant magma-pump-tower with which to unleash death upon the surface.

[Pillow_Killer]

Yes, with a pumpstack.

[kcwong]

This. I still don't think that people have fully adapted to z-levels yet because a lot of people still can't seem to wrap their heads around 10z down being closer than 15x across.

That might be true for your dorfs, but it's a whole lot more hassle for you to move about and designate over many Z levels

(I have a programmable keyboard, which is absolute dynamite for quickly sinking 100+ Z-level shafts - takes seconds.  Bought it largely for DF   If you're not so fortunate, I highly recommend a macro program of some type).

You can use hotkeys.

http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/40d:Hotkeys

[illarion]

You can use hotkeys.
http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/40d:Hotkeys

Oh I do, and handy they are - but it's still less convenient to navigate in the Z plane.

More importantly, they don't help in the slighest with digging a decent sized staircase down ~145 levels, which is how far I had to go to the magma in my current fort

[Satarus]

I find a good volcano to embark on.  With some custom worldgen params, I can even find one with a stream, sand, and flux.  This gives me an exposed magma pipe I can tap safely for all my magma needs.

[Scribble]

I find a good volcano to embark on.  With some custom worldgen params, I can even find one with a stream, sand, and flux.  This gives me an exposed magma pipe I can tap safely for all my magma needs.

Sounds sensible, I rolled one of those by acident, then had a green glass titan smash everything to hell before I finished magma traps.

Otherwise, do caravans only go down ramps (not stairs) still?   ...I'd really love a lift/elevator  system. The idea of lowering an elven caravan to the gates of hell in a vast stone and copper cage makes me cackle

[Lemunde]

I would probably use burrows if they worked.  Right now I just build my forges down there and let them run up and down the stairs from the main fort.

[Retro]

This. I still don't think that people have fully adapted to z-levels yet because a lot of people still can't seem to wrap their heads around 10z down being closer than 15x across.

That might be true for your dorfs, but it's a whole lot more hassle for you to move about and designate over many Z levels

(I have a programmable keyboard, which is absolute dynamite for quickly sinking 100+ Z-level shafts - takes seconds.  Bought it largely for DF   If you're not so fortunate, I highly recommend a macro program of some type).

You can use hotkeys.

http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/40d:Hotkeys

I tend to watch the level depth-o-meter thing a lot, so I generally know which level certain things are on after a year or two without having to check. Once a fort gets too big, though, I set up hotkeys. It's true that DF's 2D view of a 3D space makes it really annoying to see what's happening, but I find that excluding trying to watch a battle on a mountainside I get by pretty well.

[Narmy]

You can use hotkeys.
http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/40d:Hotkeys

Oh I do, and handy they are - but it's still less convenient to navigate in the Z plane.

More importantly, they don't help in the slighest with digging a decent sized staircase down ~145 levels, which is how far I had to go to the magma in my current fort

1. d-i to designate up-down stairs
2. enter-right-down-enter->
3. enter-left-up-enter->
4. Go to #2 and repeat desired number of times

It's not that difficult to make a decent depth 2x2 staircase.

[Urist Imiknorris]

You can use hotkeys.
http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/40d:Hotkeys

Oh I do, and handy they are - but it's still less convenient to navigate in the Z plane.

More importantly, they don't help in the slighest with digging a decent sized staircase down ~145 levels, which is how far I had to go to the magma in my current fort

1. d-i to designate up-down stairs
2. enter-right-down-enter->
3. enter-left-up-enter->
4. Go to #2 and repeat desired number of times

It's not that difficult to make a decent depth 2x2 staircase.

Same with 3x3. It's easy once you get a rhythm going.

[Boingboingsplat]

It's easier to designate with the mouse. Click and hold the spot where you want stairs, hold down your down z-level key until you're as far down as you want.

[derekiv]

I embark at volcanoes. Currently, my dwarves have to travel up from the meeting hall to get to the forges.