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[lazylonelion]

Is there any simple and safe way to dig a really deep shaft? Except channeling down two hundred tiles and letting my miner die of thirst on some 150-th tile?

Why do I need it? On my map magma is that deep, and there is neither ore nor coal near *there*, and even flux is quite high. And hauling stones some hundred tiles isn't quite fun. I plan to dump ores and stones just down the shaft and claim it down there. Besides it's for science too -- it's first time I have such a deep map, and have never used vertical downlift for that.

I thought about digging one shaft of stairs and then channeling shaft near them, but it doesn't seem neither simple nor safe way -- dorfs may be digging it in wrong sequence, bottom first and then falling down from the top.

Seems channeling just down from the top to the bottom is the only simple and safe way (unless dwarf will stuck somewhere inbetween, or fall down into some previously hidden cavern on some "minus 81-th level"). Though it seems I have already revealed all caverns in that area.

[Lord Vetinari]

Why trap them down? Put a stair on one side and eventually, if you don't like to keep it, wall it off. Design only a couple of levels per time and you'll be ok. Or, dig all the way down, then design the staircase up when the shaft is done.

Something like this:


XXX
XXX=S
XXX

[lazylonelion]

Why trap them down?

in fact miner couldn't be trapped while he's conscious. You know it too:

Or, dig all the way down, then design the staircase up when the shaft is done.

But it's lot of work, and unsafe at that.

Put a stair on one side and eventually, if you don't like to keep it, wall it off.

I don't have anything at all against stairs *near* the shaft. It's just still unsafe. Suppose I've designed this:

Code: [Select]

Level 0:
\_

Level -1:
X_

Level -2:
X_ "\" - downstair
"X" -- up-down stairs
"_" -- channel
and suppose dwarf will start digging stairs, and AFTER that channeling from bottom tile to the top one. He will stand *on* the channeled tile (near downstair "\"), dig under him, and fall few z-levels down. And I don't have much spare miners. Will it be enough if I just not design topmost channel? Will it be safe then? Not at all! Because it may be this:
1. dwarf digs all stairs
2. channels some "-50th" level
3. then channels "-48th" level (making ramp on "-49th"!!!!)
4. then channels -49th and falls into "-50th" unconscious. If not on "-100th"

Design only a couple of levels per time and you'll be ok.

That's what I'm trying to escape, or it will be really long time job. Of course careful subsequent digging will do. IF I won't die before completion.

[candylord]

a controlled cave in might do the trick, but that still means you have to did out all of the squares you intend to cave in

[lazylonelion]

a controlled cave in might do the trick, but that still means you have to did out all of the squares you intend to cave in

yup, maybe that's it, it's still simpler than to subsequently channel level by level.

Won't dumping a stone from higher z-level do the trick? Has it to be a real cave-in?

[candylord]

a cave in with constructed floors will still punch through multiple z-levels
yes, I am speaking from personal experience, when I was making my multi storey pyramid, I felt that caving in the walkway was simpler then deconstructing it....
This pyramid was directly over my fortress, btw >.>

[lazylonelion]

a cave in with constructed floors will still punch through multiple z-levels

yes, but has it to be cave-in? Won't it help if I just drop stone there ("dumping" it)?
well, forget it -- I'll just check it ingame.

[lazylonelion]

Summary:
have built stairs with 1-tile dug (not channeled) along stairs.
Have made an cave-in -- job is done.
Dumping a boulder instead of cave-in doesn't work.

Dumped bins with finished goods are delivered OK. As well as ore stones, of course.

[Lord Darkstar]

The fastest and safest way would be tunnel out all z levels but the very top z level of the shaft, burrow all your dwarves away from the shaft (except for your chosen miner), burrow the "ceiling/top floor" + 2 tiles of the shaft and assign your designated miner to that burrow. Then have your designated cut away all the support for the top layer of your shaft. (This is the collapse technique). It falls, and breaks its way down to last level you tunneled out.

If you aren't comfortable with collasping the shaft, then you can just tunnel out the shaft area. The miners can work as choose WITH up/down stairs access (this is perfectly safe). When that is completed, you can micromanage the the channel floor command, going from top down. This is best down with a small number of miners, as it will keep them from channeling out the floor each other is standing on. This makes sure any accidental drops are only 1 z level (which is only bruising), and the first part (tunneling all targetted levels) can be done safely without your supervision. Well, as safe as any other digging.

[candylord]

I think thats what he did >.>

[lazylonelion]

I think thats what he did >.>

Yup.
Except that I did it with a support and a lever.