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[Gizogin]

My dwarves can't figure out how to channel without killing themselves and each other.

I wanted to build a fortress that's entirely contained within a 20x20x20 cube, surrounded on all sides by water.  Unfortunately, when I was trying to channel out my moat, I ran into issues with job cancellations for "Dangerous Terrain".  I ignored these messages, figuring it was my dwarves standing on tiles that were due to be channeled and they'd either force a delay in the action or else harmlessly fall one z-level.

I was half-right.  I started getting combat logs consistent with falls, and then I lost three miners to head injuries.  Several others were wounded, but I at least had a hospital set up.

Is there something I'm missing about designating channels?  I also tried a few z-levels with "carve upward ramp", but after my expedition leader broke both her legs that way, I figured it wasn't helping.

Spoiler: Digging designation (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

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__________________________This doesn't seem to work safely if I have more than two miners working on it at once.

Eventually, I just made a macro to designate the channels in a checkerboard pattern, so no dwarf would be standing on a tile that another dwarf was digging out.

Spoiler: Safer? (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

_._._._._._._._._._._._._.
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_._._._._._._._._._._._._.This works, but it's annoying.

[Dunamisdeos]

I thought this was going to be an article on how to channel the primal energy of all dorfs everywhere.

Maybe into lighting bolts.

Anyway I always channel from left to right, for instance. It's tedious, but designating one row at a time in situations where cave ins are a risk will save miners.

[timotheos]

I find as long as you channel one level at at time it doesn't matter who is standing where. ie. Z=0 priority 1, z= -1 priority 2, Z= -2 priority 3 etc.
they'll do one level at a time and even if they do fall it is never more than one level.

[Gizogin]

I find as long as you channel one level at at time it doesn't matter who is standing where. ie. Z=0 priority 1, z= -1 priority 2, Z= -2 priority 3 etc.
they'll do one level at a time and even if they do fall it is never more than one level.

I was only channeling one z-layer at a time.  There was no danger of cave-ins.

[PatrikLundell]

I've never had any problems with channeling a single layer at a time, provided the layer below is solid (channeling through a roof is a different matter). Trees can cause issues as well.
It sounds like your dorfs are falling way further than a single level though, unless you're using some kind of mod.

[MorsDux]

you could try channeling 7 layers at once with each layer having higher priority - so they finish up one layer at a time?

[dkcl]

You may want to use the new numbered priority system for designations, but it can still be a bit of a gamble when more than a single dwarf is working on risky areas.

Edit: Whoops, it seems a few people have suggested the same thing I have.

[Fleeting Frames]

Since nobody is mentioning it, there's also the option of using just normal dig designation and leaving floors in place, then removing them all with caving in the top one.

[Dunamisdeos]

Since nobody is mentioning it, there's also the option of using just normal dig designation and leaving floors in place, then removing them all with caving in the top one.

I never did this.

Quite the time saver!

[Haymaker]

Just be careful when channeling in a cave in. Atleast several alphas back a cave in punched a hole between my fort and aquifer...

[PatrikLundell]

Just be careful when channeling in a cave in. Atleast several alphas back a cave in punched a hole between my fort and aquifer...

That's odd, since using the level directly below the aquifer causes the roof to leak, so you need a solid level between the aquifer and your fortress, and said solid level will also stop a cave-in. Also, you'd have to have channeled out the aquifer into a lake, or the aquifer layer itself would stop the cave-in. However, things might have been different "several alphas back".