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[noodle0117]

Keep in mind that these are all my thoughts, and whether one agrees or not is up to them.

First of all, they're annoying, especially if they span multiple z-levels
Second, they're somewhat unrealistic in the sense that the amount of water held in a single 1x1 aquifer tile can flood an entire fortress.
I understand things like how the water level irl might seem to serve the same purpose, but to me, it'd be much more realistic to have a giant underground non-cavern lake that partially refills itself via rain despite being underground.

What do you guys think about the current state of aquifers?

[gtmattz]

If they bother you, mod them out, it is as simple as running a find/replace on the inorganic_stone* files and replacing [AQUIFER] with nothing (or something like $$aquifer$$ if you want to put them back in later).

[Spotswood]

I usually find that aquifiers dont actually provide any real benifits to offset the effort they require. They're usfull in freezing biomes though.

[_DivideByZero_]

I love aquafiers. They provide infinite water and infinite drainage. You can use one to get an unlimited supply of water for a fort without endangering a fort to building destroyers (they can swim through fortifications and break grates).

[Sadrice]

I think you should be able to filter your water supply by making it so that it flows through a u bend, with a floor grate on the fortress side.  People keep saying that building destroyers can't destroy upwards, even with stairs or a ramp, and I imagine the same would hold true under water.  Furthermore, I think it's not pressure that pushes things through grates and fortifications, but flowing water below 7/7, since that's all that will push objects over open ground in my experience, and since a u bend should always be full when water is flowing through it, I don't think anything could get through.

EDIT: What the hell?!  This is the second time I've gotten same day scooped on a brilliant idea.

The way I deal with this is to make the water go down then up a U bend, with a grate in the 'going up' portion. If you do that, just remember that sourced water rises to one level below its original level when going through a u bend.

[CapnUrist]

I think they're just fine. To be honest, your "underground lake" sort of idea would be hugely stressing on the game's playability (just imagine how much processing would be necessary once you tapped into it!!) I don't really use them much myself (I like playing with magma more than water), but the infinite drainage is a definite bonus.

[Spotswood]

Wow, I didnt know aquifiers provide drainage. My opinion has completely reversed. 

[Conflict]

Hate them. They cut down on a lot of otherwise good spots, so I've since modded them out.

[moki]

I know, it's not a good argument in a fantasy game, but: realism. Aquifers do exist in real life and they are an important geological feature, just like all the regular stone layers. If you want to model realistic geology, you can't just leave them out. The one aquifer tile giving unlimited water and drainage is of course silly, but I can't think of a much better solution either without simulating every single drop of water in them (including the possibility of refilling), which would bei another FPS killer.

Also they're Fun and sometimes fun. I like the challenge of getting through one before the "real" fortress building in stone layers can start.

[Fredd]

Ask a real life miner why pumps are so important, in many mines. Waters gotta flow. Least we have a break in it only flowing in 4 directions, on a single tile. Besides, in low lying regions, they usually have coal beneath them

[DrKillPatient]

My only dislike about aquifers is the monotony of getting through them, and how they block the digging of large pits aboveground. They ARE excellent power/water sources though.

[Kestrel]

Wow, I didnt know aquifiers provide drainage. My opinion has completely reversed. 

Well, since I'm stupid and all, what's the advantage of drainage?

[_DivideByZero_]

Waterwheels. if you have two layers of aquafier, you can create flow between then and simply drain one into the other, generating ludicrous amounts of power in the process.

[Spotswood]

Wow, I didnt know aquifiers provide drainage. My opinion has completely reversed. 

Well, since I'm stupid and all, what's the advantage of drainage?

Lol, wasnt being sarcastic. Honestly didnt know aquifiers provide drainage.

[Sadrice]

Wow, I didnt know aquifiers provide drainage. My opinion has completely reversed. 

Well, since I'm stupid and all, what's the advantage of drainage?

various fortress processes, like drowning traps and fluid logic, can produce an incredible amount of waste water.  you could always just pump it back up into the cistern, but i think that eliminating the water from the computer's awareness would be better for fps, and if youmre using an aquifer you probably don't have a cistern in the firsts place.