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Author Topic: Magma  (Read 1533 times)

Lopezruy

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Magma
« on: October 26, 2012, 10:38:36 pm »

Okay, in my last fort I dug into a volcano straight in, and a good dwarf went missing that day.

Will digging diagonally into the volcano stop this, or will it not work either?
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Programmdude

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Re: Magma
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2012, 11:06:13 pm »

I keep digging diagonally into my volcano, and miners keep getting roasted. The only foolproof way of doing it so far that I have found is to channel from above, but that only works for the top layer.
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Clover Magic

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Re: Magma
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2012, 11:10:41 pm »

I personally engrave fortifications.

Also, make sure they have something to do immediately afterwards.  As long as there is another designation to go mine/smooth, dwarves usually don't dawdle long enough to get roasted.  It still happens - morons - but much less.
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Blue_Dwarf

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Re: Magma
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2012, 02:14:51 am »

Okay, in my last fort I dug into a volcano straight in, and a good dwarf went missing that day.

Don't use a good dwarf for it. Problem solved  :D
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Blue Dwarf has been happy lately. He did some !!science!! recently. He admired a fine forum post lately. He was enraged by a forum troll recently. He was upset by the delayed release of the new version of Dwarf Fortress lately. He took joy in planning a noble's death recently.

Xob Ludosmbax

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Re: Magma
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2012, 04:02:46 am »

Another thing that seems to work.  Instead of digging the tile, channel it.  That way you dig out that tile and the tile under it, so that the magma flows into the lower space first, giving the miner a few crucial moments to run.  And to start moving immediately, make sure that the miner has something else to do.  Tapping the volcano on a diagonal slows down the magma flow too.  I haven't done any !!SCIENCE!! to see if channeling or fortifications work better. 

There is also a method where you have a two z-level volcano tap.  Dig a channel at the tapping point.  The magma will fill the lower level before filling the upper level, giving you plenty of time to run.  I like my volcano taps nice and neat, so I go for the single z-level methods, but the two z-level method is much much safer.  It was originally done using grates for the miner to stand on; I don't know if they're necessary or not. 

Findulidas

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Re: Magma
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2012, 04:05:12 am »

I used to care about this, then I realized while playing a evil biome that a dwarf lost here and there dont make much diffrence if they arent skilled or have many friends.
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rhesusmacabre

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Re: Magma
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2012, 04:32:24 am »

Engraving fortifications here also gives the advantage of not risking the loss of a perfectly good pick.
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0cu

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Re: Magma
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2012, 04:45:46 am »

Give the miner another digging designation and he will have enough time to flee.
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Broken

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Re: Magma
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2012, 05:36:45 am »

You can use the foolproof bridge method:

"A more complicated but fool proof method is to tap the tube from one level below, while your miner is protected by an overhead bridge. First, channel a hole next to the place you want to breach the volcano, creating a hole and a ramp. Then, place a one tile magma-safe bridge over the ramp. Third, forbid the area the bridge is in -- blocking the area off with a forbidden door, or a contraction, depending on how your fortress works. Then mine the area out from the ramp below."

Due to a (probably) Bug, a dwarf can mine through a bridge, thus providing a 100% safe way to breach dangerous zones (such a volcano,
the bottom of the sea, or a candy spire)
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In a hole in the ground there lived a dwarf. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a dwarf fortress, and that means magma.
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Scruffy

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Re: Magma
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2012, 07:41:45 am »

Sometimes I just cheat and enable labors for children. Those little buggers make great miners/volcano breachers since I don't have to worry about their wellbeing. Frankly, they are expendable. (and if you make them engravers and make a fortification you wont even lose a pick! It is a win-win situation)
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