Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Author Topic: Empty volcanoes  (Read 1042 times)

uncool

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Empty volcanoes
« on: May 07, 2011, 04:45:26 pm »

I've been running into a lot of volcanoes which are many levels above the surface; however, the magma only reaches 1 level below the surface of the rest of the map. Is there a specific reason for that? Is this a bug?
=Uncool-
Logged

CapnUrist

  • Bay Watcher
  • Sure, it's safe to drink!
    • View Profile
Re: Empty volcanoes
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2011, 05:42:55 pm »

In general, the magma level won't go above the "median" level for the map; if it's mostly flat, that'll be whatever z-level has the most ground area. This usually isn't a big concern unless you're looking to build an above-ground fortress and want to plant your magma furnaces/forges/smelters right in the caldera, which I've done a few times. The rock around the volcano is just the result of the volcano being placed in the middle of a large mountain or hill.

It's not a bug, more of a feature. I think it's a nice one; lets your sacrificial victims see their doom rushing up to them for a couple seconds before they feel Armok's embrace.

...You do throw sacrifices in the volcano for Armok, don't you?
Logged
"My doctor says I have a malformed public duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber [...] and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."

Lectorog

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Empty volcanoes
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2011, 05:43:50 pm »

I don't think magma can ever naturally occur above surface level, even in volcanoes.

Is the volcano's inner tube continuing up higher than the magma, or are the volcano's sides doing so?
Logged

uncool

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Empty volcanoes
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2011, 05:54:40 pm »

In general, the magma level won't go above the "median" level for the map; if it's mostly flat, that'll be whatever z-level has the most ground area. This usually isn't a big concern unless you're looking to build an above-ground fortress and want to plant your magma furnaces/forges/smelters right in the caldera, which I've done a few times. The rock around the volcano is just the result of the volcano being placed in the middle of a large mountain or hill.
Weird; most of the times I've been looking for a volcano outside of a glacier, the magma has gone all the way to the top of the tube.
Quote
It's not a bug, more of a feature. I think it's a nice one; lets your sacrificial victims see their doom rushing up to them for a couple seconds before they feel Armok's embrace.

...You do throw sacrifices in the volcano for Armok, don't you?
I do; personally, I prefer throwing the volcano at the sacrifices, though.

I'm trying to build a protective ring to rain magma down on any invaders, who obviously are the best kind of sacrifices.
=Uncool-
Logged

uncool

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Empty volcanoes
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2011, 05:56:05 pm »

I don't think magma can ever naturally occur above surface level, even in volcanoes.

Is the volcano's inner tube continuing up higher than the magma, or are the volcano's sides doing so?
Both are. And I've seen magma go higher than surface level quite often; I've built forts based off of almost that fact alone (it makes farming on a glacier a lot better and more interesting).
=Uncool-
Logged

andyman564

  • Bay Watcher
  • Professional Lurker
    • View Profile
Re: Empty volcanoes
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2011, 07:43:12 pm »

perhaps the game now randomly decides if a volcano id dormant or fully active...
Logged
Yeah.  Thus why I didn't make a trap.  In it's current state the fortress didn't need a trap, the whole damn fortress is a trap.

Triaxx2

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Empty volcanoes
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2011, 05:34:25 am »

That would be awesome.

Build on the inside slopes. Go over with stairs and floors, and build your fort inside the crater, dropping Magma forges at the bottom. You'll have infinite stone from obsidian farming, so you can build what ever you want.
Logged

uncool

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Empty volcanoes
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2011, 09:26:50 am »

That would be awesome.

Build on the inside slopes. Go over with stairs and floors, and build your fort inside the crater, dropping Magma forges at the bottom. You'll have infinite stone from obsidian farming, so you can build what ever you want.
It would be difficult to get the water into the lava for obsidian purposes, but otherwise, that sounds like my next project idea after this one is done.
=Uncool
Logged

MarcAFK

  • Bay Watcher
  • [INSANITY INTENSIFIES]
    • View Profile
Re: Empty volcanoes
« Reply #8 on: May 08, 2011, 09:35:41 am »

Make your own volcano, just make a surface dwarven magma piston, say a cube 20x20x20, when you drop it it gets replaced with a 20x20x20 cube of magma instantly, boom, volcano :D
ok that doesn't solve your problem but i've been thinking about this all day.
Logged
They're nearly as bad as badgers. Build a couple of anti-buzzard SAM sites marksdwarf towers and your fortress will look like Baghdad in 2003 from all the aerial bolt spam. You waste a lot of ammo and everything is covered in unslightly exploded buzzard bits and broken bolts.