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[neek]

I think some of us, most of us, (or a good many number of us--doesn't matter) have all tried to build an above ground fortress, or at least partially above ground.  I find it boring.  Embark with two miners, a bunch of carpenters and masons, spend the first year hunkering down in a hole waiting for some semblance of a home to be built.  This can all be done in a season if we just dig, can't it?

So, it's high time I built my above ground fortress in the only way I know how: By digging it out.  Build all the houses, workshops, storehouses, and offices by digging them out.  Just cut into the ground, channel out roads. A whole lot easier, and classier?  And maybe, if I have the gumption and the patience... I could just cast the entire city out of obsidian (which is to say, inb4 obsidian casting).

Now... I just need to find the right embark point.

[blue sam3]

I think some of us, most of us, (or a good many number of us--doesn't matter) have all tried to build an above ground fortress, or at least partially above ground.  I find it boring.  Embark with two miners, a bunch of carpenters and masons, spend the first year hunkering down in a hole waiting for some semblance of a home to be built.  This can all be done in a season if we just dig, can't it?

So, it's high time I built my above ground fortress in the only way I know how: By digging it out.  Build all the houses, workshops, storehouses, and offices by digging them out.  Just cut into the ground, channel out roads. A whole lot easier, and classier?  And maybe, if I have the gumption and the patience... I could just cast the entire city out of obsidian (which is to say, inb4 obsidian casting).

Now... I just need to find the right embark point.

I'm on this at the moment, building it in a group of big tower blocks.

[Encased in burning magma]

You could cast it all in obsi... drats.

[Herbiie]

I made an Above Ground fortress out of marble in .14.

Problems I found were that short of flooding the fortress there was no way of cleaning up the blood etc. burrows & orders took care of cleaning up remains etc. inside but when disaster struck & a goblin ambush killed almost all of my fortress, the courtyard & workshops were covered in blood that no one cleaned up. This might not be a problem with your way

Also I found that, as it took so long to build rooms, I was constantly having to build up my residential area ready for the next wave of migrants...

[Hyndis]

I haven't done an above ground fortress in 31.XX due to the blood issue.

[squeakyReaper]

I use dfClean for blood problems.  I've tried dealing with them in a less hack-y way, but bleh I gave up.  All of my fortresses are above ground if I can help it.  I do, however, build temporary housing below the ground so I can have something to work with.

[Hyndis]

I do enjoy building above ground fortresses, I just wish there was a way to deal with the mess aside from dfclean. I like to minimize utility usage if at all possible.

[Andir]

I've done partial fortresses this way... I had a pyramid that was half above and half below ground and every room below ground was dug out.

I did the same with a "grand entrance" and a Moria inspired fortress (dug out around the columns instead of building columns.)

It's pretty easy to do and it just takes some planning before hand.

[cog disso]

Absolutely nobody has ever thought of this! Bravo!

[Warmduscher]

I did something like that called the "Strip Mining Project". Did a 2x2 embark and channeled away one z-level after another, leaving only an ever-growing 7x7 tile tower in the middle. Gave it up after 15 levels or so as it became increasingly tedious and slow due to the FPS. But it looked pretty nice; just a vast crater with a small stone spire.

[Lolzwheejars]

I tried doing that with my last embark. I'm attepmting it again on this one. Gonna make it all out of microline. Looks icy :3
Btw, how long does it take for trees to regrow? I kinda have this thing about cutting down trees, I like the scenery, especially when it snows on my map. ( I think I might be a closet elf    )

[Psieye]

About the blood, I suppose you could do a mega project to periodically flood your above-ground fort with magma to evaporate off all the stains. Magma sprinkler system.

[Eric Blank]

Supposedly it takes 1.5 years for a tree to grow, but I think it has a lot, of variability as I've seen cavern-dwelling trees sprout up in just a few months.

I also like the idea of having decent forests around my maps, I'll clear cut large sections if I feel the need for a lot of wood but I very rarely do anything wood-related after the first few years. I wouldn't strip a map down to the bones usually, but my current embark is a bit of a chore to look after with the slopes so I'm considering curtailing them a few stories. What to do with that magma pipe... Will they still attempt to refill if you chop the sides off of them? Would be make my 'terrifying' region even more worth of it's title.

[Kearn]

I haven't done an above ground fortress in 31.XX due to the blood issue.

that was fixed in .16

[Hyndis]

I haven't done an above ground fortress in 31.XX due to the blood issue.

that was fixed in .16

No it wasn't. Blood can only be removed in a few ways:

1) Rain drops hitting the tile the blood is on.
2) A dwarf cleans it up, which is very rare and difficult to control.
3) Deconstructing and rebuilding the walls/floor that are splattered.