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[L0master]

I'd like to know what is the most up to date method of preventing dwarves from cutting themselves from the mainland by channeling the last floor tile, or by walling themselves? Building and suspending walls on tiles you don't want your dwarves to stand at doesn't seem to solve the problem for me. I haven't tried placing statues yet.
How do you deal with dwarves prefered digging/building direction (from WEST)?

[gtmattz]

The best results are obtained by properly planning/executing your constructions with this issue in mind, simply remove situations where the issue will be a problem...

[Ihmhi]

Dorfs can build from any direction but they usually prioritize from the Left.

If you're channelling, a not particularly clean way is to make sure there's a ramp built on the side of the wall/floodgate/etc. that will be closed off. Once your dorf is out, you can build Floor over it to seal it off. It leaves something behind, but it guarantees that they don't get stuck down there.

Personally I'd like an option to select a direction to build from when something is under construction. Maybe "d" under the menu for "Direction", and the options can be N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, and NW. A dorf would only build that object while standing in that direction relative to it. ASCII example:

Code: [Select]


# # # # #
                  O = Object being built, # = unimportant floor tile
# T N H #
                  N = North, H = NorthEast, E = East, B = SouthEast,
# W O E #
                  S = South,  F = SouthWest, W = West, T = NorthWest
# F S B #

# # # # #

You could even put a little designator to keep things from being confusing, a flashing square or something so you see where they will build from. It'd be nice to have the option to do this while constructing as well, so you can build a Wall and then select to build it from the East (since you're blocking off the West). This way, you don't have to do it one by one.

[Fishbulb]

When doing things like building floodgates or constructing walls, dwarves seem unwilling to stand on a designated-but-unbuilt construction. So a good trick is, when you want a floodgate built and you don't want your dwarf to stand on the wrong damn side of it and get trapped there until the lever controlling it is built, connected and pulled, to pause the game, designate a wall be built on the tile you don't want your dwarf to stand on, suspend construction of that wall, then designate the floodgate to be built. The dwarves will ignore the suspended construction job, and the dwarf that grabs the floodgate will say "Whoops, better not stand there since somebody'll be along any minute to construct this wall," and stand on the correct tile when building the gate.

Example, which I hope is legible:

Code: [Select]

################################
#                              #
#                              ######
#  future cistern or whatever  X
#                              ######
#                              #
################################

Here we see a one-tile-wide water pipe leading to a chamber that's going to be flooded. You want that there floodgate built, but you just know it's going to play out like this:

Code: [Select]

################################
#                              #
#                              ######
#                             ☹X
#                              ######
#                              #
################################

So whatcha do is designate a wall be built on that tile, then suspend the construction. That way, you end up with this:

Code: [Select]

################################
#                              #
#                              ######
#                             OX☺
#                              ######
#                              #
################################

Here the "O" obviously indicates the designated-but-unbuilt-because-it-was-suspended wall. Once the floodgate's in place, you can just cancel the suspended wall designation and go on with your life.

I haven't tried this trick with things like channeling or deconstruction, but it seems to work with everything else, so it'd be worth a try.

[Nan]

I remember I used to have such problems, but now I don't, I can't remember what changed though... so I guess I'll just say what I do now.

One of the big things I do is make extensive use of stairs. First I dig out up/down stairs, then I channel out the stairs. The advantage of doing it this way, is the dwarves can use the stairs for access, and can channel from below. It's extremely quick to remove stairs, and provides full mining experience, so it tends to be a positive thing for training miners.

If I need to channel a deep structure - I prefer not to. I dig it out using down stairs (floors also work fine, though dwarves can dig downstairs under downstairs which is handy) and use a cave-in to smash the stairs to smithereens

Often there is no need to channel at all. Staircases allow passage and storage of liquid as if they weren't even there. So if you want a reservoir, or a drainage shaft, it can be made entirely out of up/down stairs. Staircases even allow the passage of falling objects, so you can make a drop trap out of up/down stairs - only the top z-level has to be open air. Ugliness is the only problem with doing so, functionally it all works fine (you might imagine they are tumbling down the stairs. But no. They fall straight through the stairs as if they weren't there)

I also extensively (ab)use diagonals which allow dwarves, liquids and certain kinds of actions (digging, descontruction) to pass through, while not providing support (for cave-ins) and preventing the passage of dust/vapors/gases etc.

For example using a combination of diagonal-abuse, and "leaving only the right place to stand", a cave-in can be safely released:

I want to drop the central 3x3 core. It is being held up solely by the constructed wall "w". The only place a dwarf can deconstruct this from is the spot marked "o", and he's safe from deadly dust because it cannot pass through diagonals.


#o####
##w  ##
# ### #
# ### #
# ### #
##   ##
######

Also while dwarves can deconstruct objects diagonally, they prefer not to. So a hatch, grate or floor can be built which allows diagonal access to an island, and orthogonal access to the mainland. When it's time to deconstruct it, the dwarves will deconstruct it from the mainland. The same is true of digging/channeling, they can dig diagonally, but prefer not to.

As for constructed walls, pay attention to build order. If you're building a box, for example, and want the dwarves on the outside, then build a northern, or a corner, wall last (they have to build corners from the outside). On the other hand if you want the dwarves in the inside, build a southern wall last. In those cases where I want to block a corridor with a wall and the dwarf will end up on the wrong side, there's nothing else for it - I just use the suspended wall trick.
I also make extensive use of temporary scaffolding, ramps, and "maintenance shafts", these get removed or walled off afterwards if required. It's realistic engineering practice and shouldn't be resented.

[L0master]

Well in my case it's usually a dwarf standing at the chunk of land, that's about to cave in and channeling/deconstructing that last supporting floor tile.

Today i figured a way that works just fine for me: making a worthless rock statue and building it on the tile you don't want your dwarves to stand at. Statues block movement and don't act as walls in means of connecting land bound to cave-in with the mainland.

[Garath]

you dont have to build it, just order it and suspend it. dwarfs most often dislike to stand on a construction site, specially when its active

[Quietust]

The "suspended building" method only works with placing buildings - it does not work with anything involving designations (i.e. digging, channeling, tree cutting, construction removal, etc.).