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[rephikul]

Someone play them? How do they feel like? Screenshot samples are most welcome. Seems to require alot of z-level utilization to decently run a fort.

[Sphalerite]

Many of my forts are on 2X2 maps.  Usually I have one major stairway from the surface to the magma sea, with different parts of the fortress on different Z-levels, in areas that branch off of the main vertical corridor.  Even when I build a fortress on a larger map it tends to follow the same pattern.

[MAurelius]

Do the caverns feel a bit claustrophobic, Sphalerite?

Also, your staircase must occasionally crash into the caverns, so do you just build around them, or do you use the hacking tools to find a clear pillar all the way down?

[Sphalerite]

Mostly I build around the caverns.  This can sometimes mean that the surface-to-depths staircase has some diversions in it.  Most of the larger rooms go in the rock layers between the caverns, although if I really need to I'll wall off parts of the caverns that I just can't build around.

[anzelm]

My current fort is on a 2x2 embark, with only one cavern layer. The central circular structure will be made into a hollow 'chimney', spanning the ~70 levels between ground and magma. The four main stairways are along the cardinal directions and the goal is to build the fort around the central 'tube'. The example floors below are in top-down order, but there are many levels between them. As for the cavern levels, I will just build what's missing.

Ground level

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Living quarters

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Storage space

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Temporary magma forges

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

imo, there is nothing bad about a more vertical fort layout, except it is harder to view. And you get lots of 'Urist McFlyingDwarf smashed into an obstacle and exploded into Urist McGibs' fun.

[kanaak666]

Anzelm, wonderful fort.

[Exerosp]

Anzelm, wonderful fort.

[MAurelius]

Is that an obsidian generator in the living quarters?

[anzelm]

Is that an obsidian generator in the living quarters?

Not yet, It is the top of the 3 aquifer layers, which I plan to punch through and contain the remaining aquifer tiles with floodgates to get a nice 70z waterfall to the magma chamber.

[FourierSeries]

I think they're quite cozy. Best of all they promote a sense of being able to get my head around it all. I guess they require more Z level expansion which helps management overall I think. You can have each level specialize. There's also the FPS assist from being smaller which I also greatly appreciate. In that sense they're also more portable, you don't have to worry so much about the computer hardware wherever you decide to fire up.

I only use 2x2's now.

That said - my very first 31.25 fort is a 4x4. It was a disaster and required 2 full on reclaims just to keep going. It went to the wayside for a good 6 months after I ragequit attempting manage the resulting ghost spam. This has nothing to do with the embark size, the point is - I came back to this fort after many months of leveling up my management skills determined to fix everything that was wrong with that place. I did mostly ( I think it's an epic tale, especially including my initial incompetence. I'm saving that for another thread / another time. ) but .. I find myself scrolling around that map in awe. So. Much. Space. It's daunting.

Even there I'm huddled in one corner of the map.

There's pros and cons to it but for this DF player 2x2 is more than enough.

[tommy521]

I used the single tile embark program to allow me to embark on a single tile... so claustrophobic, as I cannot even play on 2x2 embarks.

[rephikul]

I used the single tile embark program to allow me to embark on a single tile... so claustrophobic, as I cannot even play on 2x2 embarks.

that's atmost 24 tiles to the nearest map edge. I'd expect someone die whenever a badger turn his head?

[Vehudur]

Yeah, if something nasty walks onto your map it's walking into your fortress before you can blink.

Also, god help you if you happen to get a clown house in your third cavern layer.

[ancistrus]

I am currently playing 2x2 with no caverns. 21 z-levels underground, magma sea at -12. I really hate having less than 100fps. I would play 1x1, but it does strange things occasionally, like having no wildlife. I might add a screenshot once I have built it up a bit.

[Vattic]

I used the single tile embark program to allow me to embark on a single tile... so claustrophobic, as I cannot even play on 2x2 embarks.

Back in 40d I used to like using this and embarking on a magma pipe. It was always a logistical nightmare. No more symmetry for me.