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[dbay]

So, I recently figured out a trick that will save hundreds of keypresses and a lot of time. When making lengthy vertical designations (such as stairs to the caverns), instead of hitting enter, enter, shift+., enter, enter, etc. you can just select "up/down stair," click on the map, and hold down the "move camera down a z-level" key.

The staircase gets designated in seconds.

This may be obvious to a lot of you, but to me it was mindblowing.

[ASCIt]

Actually, I did only figure this out recently myself. It's pretty cool, no?

[nerdyboy321123]

macros help too

[tommy521]

You tell me this AFTER I just finished designating my huge staircases everywhere around the caverns?! 

[Tevish Szat]

Doesn't really help me (I make 3x3 rooms with a stair in the center square rather than just a shaft down) but it's nice to know someone found a use for mouse designation.

[Cabbagetroll]

[MIND_BLOWN:YES]

[dbay]

Doesn't really help me (I make 3x3 rooms with a stair in the center square rather than just a shaft down) but it's nice to know someone found a use for mouse designation.

It could still be faster for you to do this nine times, but I'm not sure. Easier and lazier, probably. Or use a macro.

[krenshala]

Doesn't really help me (I make 3x3 rooms with a stair in the center square rather than just a shaft down) but it's nice to know someone found a use for mouse designation.

It could still be faster for you to do this nine times, but I'm not sure. Easier and lazier, probably. Or use a macro.

He does eight dig and one stair designation.  It would definitely help with the stair part, but not necessarily as much with the rest.

I could swear I saw an update about multi-z designations being in the next update, which would be sweet and solve this another way -- top upper right corner, enter, move to bottom lower left corner, enter ... yer done.

[melphel]

I could swear I saw an update about multi-z designations being in the next update, which would be sweet and solve this another way -- top upper right corner, enter, move to bottom lower left corner, enter ... yer done.

There's certainly facility for this kind of designation, defining burrows already works that way.  I kind of wish I could designate the shaft to be dug the same way I assign those same shaft squares to be part of a burrow.

[Starver]

I already find the multi-Z (single column) dig-a-stair (or channel, or just normal dig, which can at least serve as a guide marker) method very useful, and was similarly pleased to learn I could do it, when I was first told.

To add to that, though, I'd quite like to designate a build-a-stair, similarly, however.  Similarly to building an (up to 10x10) area of construction (typically a 10x1 wall, but also 10x10 floors, which I can then "edit out" spots for other things to be put in, automatically and as soon as there's access[1]), but in a Z direction.


[1] Or, more cleverly, up to 10x10 floor, delete from the access point(s) to where it's not entirely floor, set (say) 6x6 stairs or walls or Fortifications or whatavyer, then remove the some of those to re-designate as floors.  However logic dictates for this particular structure.  Then let it all be built with very little additional management, apart from the spots beyond the reach of the original built-to area.  And if you need a specific example to understand what I mean, I could draw one up for you.

[AWdeV]

Well, that could've been useful designating the staircases for my wonky pumpstack.

[Tharwen]

This and macros have saved me so much time over the last couple of fortresses. I wish I knew about it sooner.

[Qwernt]

Doesn't really help me (I make 3x3 rooms with a stair in the center square rather than just a shaft down) but it's nice to know someone found a use for mouse designation.

It could still be faster for you to do this nine times, but I'm not sure. Easier and lazier, probably. Or use a macro.

He does eight dig and one stair designation.  It would definitely help with the stair part, but not necessarily as much with the rest.

I could swear I saw an update about multi-z designations being in the next update, which would be sweet and solve this another way -- top upper right corner, enter, move to bottom lower left corner, enter ... yer done.

Actually, 8 dig + 1 stair across 100 levels is still easier using the mouse.  Though a macro may be even better (I haven't gotten into macro'ing yet).

[i2amroy]

Using the mouse is cool and all that, but I'd much rather use a macro to designate things.
Mouse use (n=levels used)
1 mouse click+1 down/up level = 2n inputs
Macro of designating 5 levels at once
17 inputs to set up temporary macro (10 for designation+5 for level switches+2 to save macro) + n/5 = n/5+17

Macro beats mouse use as long as n>9 (And if you permanently save the macro then from then on it's just n/5 so macro wins every time)
Also macros let you designate things like a 3x3 room with a stair in the middle with hardly any additional input rather than greatly increasing input as the mouse would require.

[Girlinhat]

The next version is confirmed to have multi-level designations, which makes this all moot.  But until then, this trick is pretty awesome.  Macros are still useful if you're using an irregular staircase, like a series of spiraling ramps.