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[Jessoftherocks]

Please share your thoughts, i would always like to here how others go about this.

[vonFaust]

On version 40d, the lowermost level of the map was simply undiggable.  It wasn't very far down, either - only 15 Z-levels below the lowest surface point on the map.

On the current version, you should not have a layer of granite that can't be dug through.  If you do, upload a save so we can see if this is some kind of strange bug.

Where should one go about uploading a save, for your viewing pleasure?

[Girlinhat]

I started a new thread detailing my findings.

[vonFaust]

Well, I've just finished exploring all of the cavern using the old fortification trick and there is absolutely no sign of magma in any of the walls. How's that for luck?

[Starver]

There should be (assuming no changes to worldgen, and I think you've said you haven't) three cavern systems.  There's a fairly decent chance that at least the lower cavern has magma visible (although I've seen it as high as the top one and thus the lower caverns may be isolated from it by those obsidian walls I mentioned... or was that another thread?)

Unless you're playing a 40d version of the game.  Just checking, you're playing a 0.31.xx version, right?

[vonFaust]

There should be (assuming no changes to worldgen, and I think you've said you haven't) three cavern systems.  There's a fairly decent chance that at least the lower cavern has magma visible (although I've seen it as high as the top one and thus the lower caverns may be isolated from it by those obsidian walls I mentioned... or was that another thread?)

Unless you're playing a 40d version of the game.  Just checking, you're playing a 0.31.xx version, right?

Yes. I've abandoned that fortress and made a new one because I got aggravated about that situation... and I've finally found magma. So it's all good now. Funny thing is, even though I dug down to -150 I only discovered ONE cavern on that world.

[Starver]

A proper "magma sea"?  That exists below the caverns (which are possibly to accidentally dig past, so you might have got three, but are just (un)lucky in the spot(s) you dug down through.

If you find a magma-pipe (circular-ish in plan, fairly constant plan down as far as you can see, until your visibility[1] runs out), that might be an intrusion into an upper cavern.  No matter, it's magma.  It's all good.  But at the bottom of the pipe[2] is a magma sea (you should get an announcement to that effect), and unless you get a buggy embark point you're not going to find open areas below that, except for... spoilerstuff.

"You have found a magma sea" should be the announcement, not just "You have found magma".  (May be paraphrasing, it's from memory.)


40D magma pipes, BTW, were quite 'rough' in the vertical direction, much more so than the ones in .31/DF2010. You could usually find spots in their sides that (once you had peered into them, and new their layout) you could mine sideways to and then channel down to release lava sideways on the level below.  You can't really do that with the pipes, these days, although you can with the expansive sea.  Not that I care, since I tend to use a fortification behind a prepared floodgate to access magma from the side on the level of digging (my magmaducts).

Sorry, bit of a history lesson, and not entirely accurate, but it'll do.


[1] Through molten rock, no less...

[2] Originally typoed as 'pope'.  Darn this keyboard, I'm having to tap extra-hard on some keys and sometimes catching others in the process.

[vonFaust]

A proper "magma sea"?  That exists below the caverns (which are possibly to accidentally dig past, so you might have got three, but are just (un)lucky in the spot(s) you dug down through.

If you find a magma-pipe (circular-ish in plan, fairly constant plan down as far as you can see, until your visibility[1] runs out), that might be an intrusion into an upper cavern.  No matter, it's magma.  It's all good.  But at the bottom of the pipe[2] is a magma sea (you should get an announcement to that effect), and unless you get a buggy embark point you're not going to find open areas below that, except for... spoilerstuff.

"You have found a magma sea" should be the announcement, not just "You have found magma".  (May be paraphrasing, it's from memory.)


40D magma pipes, BTW, were quite 'rough' in the vertical direction, much more so than the ones in .31/DF2010. You could usually find spots in their sides that (once you had peered into them, and new their layout) you could mine sideways to and then channel down to release lava sideways on the level below.  You can't really do that with the pipes, these days, although you can with the expansive sea.  Not that I care, since I tend to use a fortification behind a prepared floodgate to access magma from the side on the level of digging (my magmaducts).

Sorry, bit of a history lesson, and not entirely accurate, but it'll do.


[1] Through molten rock, no less...

[2] Originally typoed as 'pope'.  Darn this keyboard, I'm having to tap extra-hard on some keys and sometimes catching others in the process.

Yep, it's a magma sea. I made a goof and flooded one of my floors because it wasn't quite wide enough, so I'm going to have to widen it up before I can make a magma forge.

[blizzerd]

each square on the world map holds a cylinder of "alternative" rock in a layer, + holding the important stuff in the middle

if you have a 3 on 3 deed, put a ticktacktoe grid over your map and dig in the dead center of each square

[Sutremaine]

Generally I put down four long staircases at each corner of the map. It doesn't make a mess of the map and one of them is bound to hit something.