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Dwarf Fortress => DF Dwarf Mode Discussion => Topic started by: Inquisitor Saturn on May 24, 2008, 02:12:00 pm

Title: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Inquisitor Saturn on May 24, 2008, 02:12:00 pm
Recently, I undertook a massive building project. Using 2500 stones and the resources of a local stream and magma tube, I am creating a tower made of obsidian. While the process of filling it with the appropriate materials has not yet begun, its mold is, for all purposes, done.
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg86/InquisitorSaturn/obsidiantowermold1.jpg)
To construct the mold, I used a vast amount of raw obsidian quarried from beneath the surface, as well as a multitude of pumps to lift magma and water high into the air, supported by the ancillary towers on either side.
(http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg86/InquisitorSaturn/obsidiantowermold2.jpg)
Thus far, the only thing inside is the outdoor meeting area and main entrance at the center. When the time comes to fill the cylinder, the entrance will be temporarily capped.
If you want to see the details of my work, I have uploaded a map here.
A few questions remain for myself. Once filled, should the mold be stripped away, or assimilated into the tower? Should I decorate the outside with steel statues? What say you?
Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Gorjo MacGrymm on May 24, 2008, 03:11:00 pm
fill it with lava, cap it, wait for a seige..............


mwa ha ha ha ha ha

GMcG

seriously, bad ass tower.  what tool did you use for the graphics on those pics?

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Inquisitor Saturn on May 24, 2008, 03:14:00 pm
3Dwarf.
Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Akroma on May 24, 2008, 03:17:00 pm
I have the feeling it won't turn out like you want it to

the way fluids act, you will never fill the whole mold with obsidian, no matter how you do it

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Inquisitor Saturn on May 24, 2008, 03:19:00 pm
quote:
Originally posted by Akroma:
<STRONG>I have the feeling it won't turn out like you want it to

the way fluids act, you will never fill the whole mold with obsidian, no matter how you do it</STRONG>


I don't understand what you mean. There's no reason it shouldn't work.

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: PTTG?? on May 24, 2008, 03:32:00 pm
Always Save-Scum before turning on your pumps!

Good luck with your Dwarven Tower of Obsidian.
That raises a question- is this how goblins make their towers. ..

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Derakon on May 24, 2008, 03:48:00 pm
He'll have to alternate magma and water - fill with a layer of magma, then cool it with a layer of water, repeat until done. But it's entirely possible to do.

Personally, I say you should remove the mold and then engrave the outside of the tower.

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Narushima on May 24, 2008, 03:50:00 pm
I don't think it would work too. You'll need to fill each tiles with 7-deep magma. Even if you have enough magma, this should take something like forever.
How do you power your pumps ?
Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Jamini on May 24, 2008, 04:20:00 pm
quote:
Originally posted by Narushima:
<STRONG>I don't think it would work too. You'll need to fill each tiles with 7-deep magma. Even if you have enough magma, this should take something like forever.
How do you power your pumps ?</STRONG>

3-deep magma is enough to solidfy a square into solid rock with water.

I would think he would use waterwheels fed by a floodgate linked to a lever. :/

Personally, I agree that you should engrave every inch of the outside, while leaving the inside perfectly smooth (excepting the rooms for nobility.) Every fifth floor however, you should carve out a small 1 tile room for a masterwork (and only masterwork quality!)steel or gold statue that faces the outside world on every face of the tower. Obviously this little aclove should be engraved and have no obvious egress into the tower.

Also, the top floor should have a Museum with all of your artifact buildings built inside, and all of your artifact crafts/weapons in individual stockpiles without bins.

[ May 24, 2008: Message edited by: Jamini ]

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Kagus on May 24, 2008, 04:26:00 pm
Isn't just 2-depth sufficient?  Basically anything over 1/7 should solidify, but I can't say that I've worked with magma all that much...
Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Jamini on May 24, 2008, 04:31:00 pm
oooh! I didn't notice you had so many captive goblins!

Instead of statues, make them masterwork metallic (gold/steel/platinum/aluminum) decorated cages and put a goblin in each one. Let their screams try to warn off any goblins who are foolish to siege your tower! What is worse than abusing the bodies of the dead, then using the living as decorations?

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Elitay on May 24, 2008, 04:32:00 pm
Bah. And I had to build my obsidian tower the old-fashioned way. Why didn't I think of this?   :)
Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Inquisitor Saturn on May 24, 2008, 04:33:00 pm
Actually, so far it seems that you only need 1-deep magma to make it work.
Tangent: Due to some falling magma during a water-phase, some magma got trapped under obsidian. The floor it was willing was already at 7/7 when I noticed it, and I had to take a chunk out of the mold to fix it. The miner who channeled away the chunk to solidify the magma was hit with a wall of water and fell five stories. Ha.
Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Surma on May 24, 2008, 05:09:00 pm
Actually a better way to do it may have been to have the magma and water pipe in at every level, with a lever to start/stop the flooding of said level at that junction.

basically build the tower 1 lever at a time at each z level, instead of from the top. This would have prevented such hilarious accidents as you mentioned. but the engineering may have made it infeasible.  

Still good luck with it  :)

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Duke 2.0 on May 24, 2008, 05:19:00 pm
Fill in the first level, then dig pits into the layer of obsidian. Inside those pits put goblins, animals and anything you want encased in obsidian. Remember those places.

Fill in the tower as normal, and keep those squares unmined. Heck, smooth 'em and engrave them.

Every support pillar should have a goblin trapped in it!

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Inquisitor Saturn on May 25, 2008, 12:25:00 am
FFFFFFFFF.

I noticed my champions started dying of thirst, and when I found them they were stuck behind the goblin pit, and nothing I tried could dislodge them. I got frustrated and abandoned the fortress. Bah.

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: SHAD0Wdump on May 25, 2008, 03:05:00 pm
duuuuuddeeeee,you totally have to look at the first pic and scroll up and down with a mouse wheel,It's totally trippin'
Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Atlas on May 25, 2008, 04:51:00 pm
quote:
Originally posted by SHAD0Wdump:
<STRONG>duuuuuddeeeee,you totally have to look at the first pic and scroll up and down with a mouse wheel,It's totally trippin'</STRONG>

Hehe, I noticed that too, great isn't it?

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Moogie on May 26, 2008, 12:42:00 am
YOU ABANDONED IT?!?!

*Deep breath* NNN....


(Several planets away, 900 years later, a long, mournful scream is heard echoing from the cosmos.)

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Surma on May 26, 2008, 01:07:00 am
It's a trivial thing to go and reclaim it. >.>

Way too dramatic.

Title: Re: The Obisidian Tower of Idotsus
Post by: Inquisitor Saturn on May 26, 2008, 10:29:00 am
Not actually a big deal, since I have yearly backups.