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[Kanddak]

the problem with up down stairs is that they have to take two steps per level

eg one down stair
    one across to next down stair

That's the problem with separate up stairs and down stairs. It is precisely the non-problem with up/down stairs.

[gawwy]

the problem with up down stairs is that they have to take two steps per level

eg one down stair
    one across to next down stair

That's the problem with separate up stairs and down stairs. It is precisely the non-problem with up/down stairs.

oh my god. i cant belive ive been seperatly designating entier stairwell one stair at a time when i can do it a floor at a time with these...

omg and i can double the lanes in a stair well and double the pathing efficency.
thats four times as many dwars per sec!!! this makes gawwy excited in the way much amounts

[Nil Eyeglazed]

In my latest fortress, inspired by a recent pathfinding thread, I've just made my hallways entirely out of up-down staircases.

So far, working out great.

[gawwy]

In my latest fortress, inspired by a recent pathfinding thread, I've just made my hallways entirely out of up-down staircases.

So far, working out great.

huh so you could have 3 wide 3 high coridores for extream traffic..thats a great idea

[Shrugging Khan]

If you can't make it so that invaders run a gauntlet of traps before being able to enter the fortress, then the best defence is a military strong enough to kick them out - worrying about internal staircases is, imo, a little off 

[Hound]

I've heard that dwarves can fall down staircases, and if you just have one huge pillar of staircases to the bottom of everything, then that would be fatal.  Never actually seen it in action though, anyone got confirmation?

[Reese]

as for defense. just defend the top really well and then have a mecanism to destroy all on stairs (magma fall)

That reminds me of an idea I had for a fort entrance involving a double helix of ramps down in to a 10-20z 11x11 pit with my trading post at the bottom and a reservoir and pumps with enough water to fill it to the brim... sux to be a trader if the gobbos get that far, but they'd be screwed anyway.

Except I've never tried it.

Also, travel between Z-levels would be pretty slow, because you'd have to travel around the pit to go up or down a significant distance.

[Urist Imiknorris]

I generally use spiral ramps myself. My main issue with giant central staircases is that if an immortal FB gets on it, then all productivity stops. I'm planning to solve that in my next fort with hatch covers. Lots of them. And floodgates and bridges for quick sealing off of areas.

[Kanddak]

I've heard that dwarves can fall down staircases, and if you just have one huge pillar of staircases to the bottom of everything, then that would be fatal.  Never actually seen it in action though, anyone got confirmation?

It's nonsense. I've been playing DF for 2 years with a long column of up/down stairs in practically every fort. Fall count: ZERO.
I've never had a dwarf fall into a well, either.

[Terisuke]

For my next fort I'm considering ramps for pathing efficiency on the first several z's, and then a central stairway with small horizontal shifts between cavern levels for defensibility.  I haven't gotten to test this yet, but I'm fairly sure my current setup is really going to get bloody if an unkillable flying FB gets in, since it's not really that tightly constructed.  With isolation locks set up via cave-in of natural rock, and given the inability of buildingdestroyers to bash grates/covers from below, I'm fairly sure I can construct a system whereby beasts coming up my stairwell can be isolated within a set of z-levels, allowing my dorfs to route around them and/or establish a fatal cavein. 

X = Wall
I = Support
/ = updown stair
_ = Grates

X I / I X
X X / X X
X_X_/_X_X
X   /   X
XXXXXXX/X


Assuming the central portion is a square, the release of the supports should allow me to isolate the beastie if I remember to hatch over my stairwell properly.  In the best case scenario, it just hits him and my problems are all gone.  If it's trapped outside of the barrier for some reason, I trigger the one below that level to isolate it within a series of z-levels. 

[elfhater]

In my latest fortress, inspired by a recent pathfinding thread, I've just made my hallways entirely out of up-down staircases.

So far, working out great.

  *facepalm*

WHY DID I NEVER THINK OF DOING THAT BEFORE NOW?! Is the only downside that it looks ugly?

You also can't smooth or engrave staircases, can you?

[Urist Imiknorris]

I've heard that dwarves can fall down staircases, and if you just have one huge pillar of staircases to the bottom of everything, then that would be fatal.  Never actually seen it in action though, anyone got confirmation?

It's nonsense. I've been playing DF for 2 years with a long column of up/down stairs in practically every fort. Fall count: ZERO.

I have had dwarves dodge in combat on a stairway. Fall count: Every goddamn son-of-a-bitch time.

On another note: I have heard anecdotal evidence/hearsay that building destroyers can't smash things above them. Is this a thing that is true?

[Pistolero]

Even zlevels:

Code: [Select]

dh hd
d   d
dh hd
d   d

Odd zlevels:

Code: [Select]

  d
 hdh
  d
 hdh

d = dig
h = channel

[numerobis]

Constructed up/down stairs don't stop falling objects, but excavated stairs do.  Urist, are you talking about dodging on constructed stairs?

[Urist Imiknorris]

I think so.