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[ThrowerOfStones]

An FYI to those curious:

Normally, if you restrict access to your trade depot such that wagon access is only possible by a single route, the caravans will always spawn along that route despite the fact they no longer bring wagons. In my latest seaside embark I figured I'd take advantage of this to create a completely safe entry route for the caravan OVER the ocean. I just built an extended walkway to the edge of the map over the ocean, built a bridge to the edge, and then checked the Depot access: indeed, the only path to the depot, it said, involved crossing over my bridge to the edge of the ocean, and my depot was listed as accessible. When the merchants next spawned, however, it was not over the ocean, but on land, and they squeezed through a 1x1 opening.

So it seems sides of the map which are not accessible to trade at the start of an embark (i.e., the ocean) do not become accessible simply because you build a bridge to them. Which makes perfect sense, of course, but I didn't anticipate it to be the case. Now I have a hugeass chalk bridge for no reason leading to nowhere.

Or caravans no longer automatically follow wagon accessible routes if available, I guess.

[Sphalerite]

Caravans do still look for a three tile wide path from the map edge to your depot, but will only appear on an edge of the map that the civilization sending the caravan can reach.  If you have an impassible river running through your embark site, you may discover that caravans will only spawn on one side of your map.  No civilization can travel across the ocean, so no caravan will appear on an artificial bridge out to the ocean.   The depot accessibility check does not warn you of this.

[Girlinhat]

If their route is otherwise blocked, will they leave via the ocean?

[FearfulJesuit]

Create a 3 wide bridge.

[PopeRichardCorey]

Now I have a hugeass chalk bridge for no reason leading to nowhere.

Ah, simply not true, amigo!  Now you have a hugeass chalk bridge leading to nowhere --b ut not for no reason!  You must use this chalk bridge to create an amazing shrine.  Perhaps one to the political gag of recent years, of huge expense for a bridge to nowhere; or perhaps one to school teachers, by painting it green with...  Does anything have green blood?  Or if you have green stone.  Or Just an infinite celebration of the undeniable love between Chalk and the Ocean!  Collapse some parts of the bridge and produce a replica of The Needles!  Uh...  Weaponize it somehow.  Maybe with, like, I dunno, magma.  In some way.  *shrug*

[Anathema]

Urist McMigrant: What is.. you've built a road out over the ocean!? By Armok, why?
Shorast McMason: Aye, we figured the caravans would be safer, the goblins can't get to the road, after all.
Urist McMigrant: Well.. I suppose so, yes, no goblins on that road. But how will the caravans get to it?
Shorast McMason: Engineering errors are always clearer in hindsight, eh?

[ZeroSumHappiness]

Doesn't vomit show up green?

[Girlinhat]

Brown for me.

[Aramco]

Build the bridge into a shrine to Toady. Or Armok. Wait... maybe Toady is Armok!

[Keldane]

I say you should take a page out of the Sea Monster farming thread, then run with it. Tunnel beneath the ocean, starting directly below the water and descending to a stone layer so that you can carve fortifications in the edge of the map, then use your chalk bridge to position a collapsing rig to create a cave in that will punch a hole into your prepared drainage tunnel (don't forget to use raising bridges to allow you to turn off the drainage). Drain the sea and build a watertight doomsday bunker on the sea floor. Populate said bunker with a handful of dwarves and give them everything they need to stay alive (small farm plot, still, some barrels, etc).

[eugene]

I conducted a similar experiment in 40d, tried to get the caravans to spawn on cast obsidian at the map edge. As far as I remember the caravan did not spawn on the obsidian although it was the only three wide path to the depot.

So the spawn locations are not only predestined in x and y but also in z coordinates. What I found remarkable recently is that caravans also can leave through the caves.

[khearn]

What to do with a long bridge to nowhere:

1) Stake a goat at the far end.

2) Wait for a goblin trading caravanseige to arrive and rush out to the far end of the bridge.

3) Deconstruct the near end of the bridge.

4) Sit on beach drinking wild strawberry daiquiris, laughing at the goblins trapped on the bridge.

5) Wait for them to slowly and agonizingly starve to death.

6) Rebuild near end of bridge.

7) Collect goblinite.

Put out a new goat. They never learn.

[Erk]

5) Wait for them to slowly and agonizingly starve to death.

[NO_DRINK][NO_EAT]

It'll be a long wait.

[Girlinhat]

Invaders don't starve.  Pelt them with crossbow bolts.

[arkhometha]

I think the way and the bridge must be 5 tiles wide to a "caravan pass". I remember building roads 3 tiles wide and no wagon access to the depot because of that. Maybe I will try this out.