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[Noir]

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions. I will put them in practice this evening.

[Noir]

Because of how magma removes all your need of fuel except for steel making, it's recommended to go for it straight away. The fact that you need to go through all the cavern levels to meet it (usually) only makes it better.

Try doing so! Dig deep enough quickly!

I did exactly that, and I found a HUGE lake of magma at around z-level +90. It is round in shape, probably 12 units in diameter, and looks like it goes down for... several tenths of z. I wonder how far down the games allows me to dig? What do I find at z-level 0?

Anyway, now that I have it I was thinking of setting up nearby my magma-powered wood furnace/metalsmith/glass workshop. Only problem is, it's about 60 ramps of stairs below my fortress.

So, what do I do? I wouldn't like my metalsmith/woodburner/glass worker to go up and down every time. Is it possible to assign someone else to move the required materials downstairs?

Even better - is it possible to build a system to move the materials around my fortress?

[blue emu]

Hollow out a large area one or two levels up from your Magma-forge workshops. Set up stockpiles there for metal ores, flux, charcoal/coke, metal bars, etc. You could also set up a small lunch-room with chairs and small food/drink stockpiles fed from the main food stockpile. You could even consider setting up the bedrooms of your Furnace Operators, Weaponsmiths and Armorsmiths down there.

[Felius]

What do I find at z-level 0?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

!!Fun!!

[Lytha]

Because of how magma removes all your need of fuel except for steel making, it's recommended to go for it straight away. The fact that you need to go through all the cavern levels to meet it (usually) only makes it better.

Try doing so! Dig deep enough quickly!

I did exactly that, and I found a HUGE lake of magma at around z-level +90. It is round in shape, probably 12 units in diameter, and looks like it goes down for... several tenths of z. I wonder how far down the games allows me to dig? What do I find at z-level 0?

Anyway, now that I have it I was thinking of setting up nearby my magma-powered wood furnace/metalsmith/glass workshop. Only problem is, it's about 60 ramps of stairs below my fortress.

So, what do I do? I wouldn't like my metalsmith/woodburner/glass worker to go up and down every time. Is it possible to assign someone else to move the required materials downstairs?

Even better - is it possible to build a system to move the materials around my fortress?

This sounds like you found what we know as a magma pipe. If the pipe would extend to the surface, it would be a volcano. Given how useful soil and some of the aboveground crops are, magma near the surface is usually good.

But even if your magma is much further down than that, you can bring it up. On the Magmawiki is an article about "magma pistons", which bring small amounts of magma closer to the surface. To be honest, I don't understand this process and prefer to stick to magma pump stacks. You need to create these out of magma-proof materials, such as green glass. The construction of a perfectly neat magma pump stack can take quite a while, but I make it harder for myself by playing with very limited amounts of dwarves and my glassworker always has to walk all the way down to the temporary magma glass furnaces.


z=0 might not be anything special at all. Sometimes, the bottom of your map is at around z=-20 or even deeper. To learn what's at the bottom, you will have to find a way to dig there on your own, which may be more difficult than you think, with the magma and semi-molten rock between you and the bottom. Don't be too hasty to find out.

[Marthnn]

So, what do I do? I wouldn't like my metalsmith/woodburner/glass worker to go up and down every time. Is it possible to assign someone else to move the required materials downstairs?

Even better - is it possible to build a system to move the materials around my fortress?

What you found seems to be a magma pipe (ninja'ed). Very convenient as a magma source higher than the magma sea.

I suggest you dig a grid of tunnels (2 squares apart) with a big room above it.
The tunnels can be linked to magma using a floodgate (magma-safe) and a fortification (safer with that). They need, of course, to be at the same level as a magma source.
The forges can be built in the room above, with one channel each to reach magma (preferably on an occupied spot of the workshop). Since the grid is 2 squares apart, you can channel anywhere and still tap into magma.

As for hauling by specialized workers, it should be disabled. Of course you will need stockpiles near the forges (above them ?) so it is done by lowly haulers. It may slow down other hauling jobs, so balance your production from the deep with the amount of workforce you have.

Note that the need for woodburners will virtually disappear.

I tend to rely on deep magma forges even tho my fortress is near the surface. At least until the 100 z-levels pumpstack with associated power generation brings magma to my large and fully-prepared reservoir (output floodgates pre-built). By the time it is done, a new stable version of DF is out and I never get the chance to finish the other large/mega projects.

[Lytha]

I tend to rely on deep magma forges even tho my fortress is near the surface. At least until the 100 z-levels pumpstack with associated power generation brings magma to my large and fully-prepared reservoir (output floodgates pre-built). By the time it is done, a new stable version of DF is out and I never get the chance to finish the other large/mega projects.

This sounds oddly familiar. Are you also obsessed about having the engraver smooth the entire magma pump stack's walls neatly before you install the pumps?

I'm always thinking: "Hey, at least I don't wait until he's legendary and until he can do masterwork engravings here all the way to the top. I am not completely nuts. Besides, the constructed walls where I hit metal veins or gem clusters would clash horribly with the engravings."

[Noir]

Hollow out a large area one or two levels up from your Magma-forge workshops. Set up stockpiles there for metal ores, flux, charcoal/coke, metal bars, etc. You could also set up a small lunch-room with chairs and small food/drink stockpiles fed from the main food stockpile. You could even consider setting up the bedrooms of your Furnace Operators, Weaponsmiths and Armorsmiths down there.

Got it. Will do!

[Noir]

What do I find at z-level 0?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

!!Fun!!

Ha! I should have imaged

[JacenHanLovesLegos]

If you find lignite or bituminous coal you can smelt them for a net gain of one and two fuel respectively.

Lignite makes two coke and coal makes 3.

[Noir]

This sounds like you found what we know as a magma pipe. If the pipe would extend to the surface, it would be a volcano. Given how useful soil and some of the aboveground crops are, magma near the surface is usually good.

But even if your magma is much further down than that, you can bring it up. On the Magmawiki is an article about "magma pistons", which bring small amounts of magma closer to the surface. To be honest, I don't understand this process and prefer to stick to magma pump stacks. You need to create these out of magma-proof materials, such as green glass. The construction of a perfectly neat magma pump stack can take quite a while, but I make it harder for myself by playing with very limited amounts of dwarves and my glassworker always has to walk all the way down to the temporary magma glass furnaces.

z=0 might not be anything special at all. Sometimes, the bottom of your map is at around z=-20 or even deeper. To learn what's at the bottom, you will have to find a way to dig there on your own, which may be more difficult than you think, with the magma and semi-molten rock between you and the bottom. Don't be too hasty to find out.

I read about magma pistons - feels a bit like cheating to me. If I have time I will create magma-proof pumps, for now I just need to setup my first line of defenses.

Indeed, digging deep can wait.

[Noir]

What you found seems to be a magma pipe (ninja'ed). Very convenient as a magma source higher than the magma sea.

I suggest you dig a grid of tunnels (2 squares apart) with a big room above it.
The tunnels can be linked to magma using a floodgate (magma-safe) and a fortification (safer with that). They need, of course, to be at the same level as a magma source.
The forges can be built in the room above, with one channel each to reach magma (preferably on an occupied spot of the workshop). Since the grid is 2 squares apart, you can channel anywhere and still tap into magma.

I was thinking of making just 1 line of magma along the northest wall of the room, and line all the workshops there - except for the forge, that requires Magma on one of the two center-side tiles. Is this correct? Or the magma furnace will work as long as any one tile is on magma?

I also thought of making bars in the magma channel, to prevent magma-swimming creatures from coming in. I don't think I will need a floodgate, the "irrigation" channel will be at the same level of the top magma floor. Does the magma level can naturally change over time?

I tend to rely on deep magma forges even tho my fortress is near the surface. At least until the 100 z-levels pumpstack with associated power generation brings magma to my large and fully-prepared reservoir (output floodgates pre-built). By the time it is done, a new stable version of DF is out and I never get the chance to finish the other large/mega projects.

That would be... about 60 levels of pumps, in my case.

[Lytha]

Yes, you want a floodgate. At some point, you may do experiments with magma further down ("what happens if I poke a fortification here into this wall?" / "I want to cleanse cavern layer #3 with magma, because a Forgotten Beast has left its poisonous goo all over the place!" / "I want to have an obsidian farm!"), and that might drain the magma pipe's contents a bit. If there was no floodgate, then your magma workshops will become dysfunctional as the magma would be drained from below them then as well. Or you can also seal off your little magma plumbing by channeling out a tile at the start of it, and then having a dwarf empty a bucket of water into the magma. This creates an obsidian wall and seals off the magma below your workshops from the rest.

The hole in the ground below a magma workshop can be anywhere you like, but I really prefer to have it below the impassable tile of the workshop. So yes, the weaponsmith would need the magma below the centre row. You can of course just have a 1 tile wide magma plumbing and just put little dents into it where you will probably channel out the holes. This give a vaguely comb-like appearance and can look quite neat.

[SenorOcho]

If you find lignite or bituminous coal you can smelt them for a net gain of one and two fuel respectively.

Lignite makes two coke and coal makes 3.

Yes, but if you're not at magma you need fuel to make it.  Therefore, net gain of one and two.

[Marthnn]

I tend to rely on deep magma forges even tho my fortress is near the surface. At least until the 100 z-levels pumpstack with associated power generation brings magma to my large and fully-prepared reservoir (output floodgates pre-built). By the time it is done, a new stable version of DF is out and I never get the chance to finish the other large/mega projects.

This sounds oddly familiar. Are you also obsessed about having the engraver smooth the entire magma pump stack's walls neatly before you install the pumps?

I'm always thinking: "Hey, at least I don't wait until he's legendary and until he can do masterwork engravings here all the way to the top. I am not completely nuts. Besides, the constructed walls where I hit metal veins or gem clusters would clash horribly with the engravings."

. . .

WTF. Who are you? Me? You totally freak me out.

I carve the whole stack without channels, smooth it all, build walls and floors if I go through caverns, then channel, build pumps, doors, power... Reservoir is smoothed as well. And all stone dumped. So much hauling... Of course I use the "new" pump stack, with a 3x3 area every level to prevent FPS issues involving temperature changes.

All of which is done before smoothing most hallways, since I can do those anytime, no magma in the way.


Now I want to play again. Like right now.