Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Heavy Flak]

I was going to be something productive tonight, as I watched Let's Plays and ate steaks and drank fine bourbon, and I was going to lord it over all of you.

But instead I burned my mouth and also I screwed up pumps again and I think I've flooded the whole world.  God I love being me.  Things haven't changed ONE BIT. 

Edit: I also drowned a baby, and I have no idea how it got there.  Man.  what the hell is wrong with me.

[Heavy Flak]

The Events of the 23^rd of Moonstone, 1075

Lugnut had to back off, covering his face with both hands from the torrent of water.  The small pump-house at the base of the cliff was bursting at the seams.  The basalt walls, built by some of the greatest Dwarven hands for hundreds of miles, was straining, crying as water spurted and seeped through the cracks in the mortar.  He turned to the growing assembly and shrugged.

"I can't do it, I can't get in.  The doors blocked off, the pump-house is overflowing... we're going to dry the creek soon."

Rice frowned and paced the sand.  His mind raced, even as a dozen voices chattered around him; soldiers, miners, planters, even Kuli had come down, his lined, kindly face twisted up in horror at the loss.  Water, in this land, was worth more than gold - to potentially drain the river, to pull the oasis from the fort... it was devastating. 

"We just have to let it run it's course" Lugnut said, his voice heavy with regret.  "We can't fight the torrent; can't stop the flood."
"Rrr~! Be done with it..." came a barely audible growl from the back of the crowd.

A moment later, a jangle and a much louder, "Hold this."

Dojango frowned, clutching a bag of tools to his chest as Akroma mounted the small rise.  Already he was soaked to the knees, water pouring from the top of the pump housing.  His jaw set, the carver stripped to his pants, clapped his hands above his head, and vanished into the raging water with an awkward dive.

Moments passed - the collective holding their breath.  Dojango paced, his brows knit in a tight line of worry, fingers clutching at the catleather tool bags. 

A shrill, sharp grinding, and a final dull snap - something felt through the earth instead of heard.  The frothing slowed.  The water stopped pouring out.  Soon, it stood still, harshly reflecting the noon sun.

***

"Be done with it," Dojango said bitterly.  He palmed at his eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears as they streaked down dusty cheeks.  "Just be done with it."

"You don't wish to say anything?" Kuli asked quietly.  "Nothing else?"
"There's nothing else to say," Dojango managed to choke out.  "This damn place strips out everything you love... it takes your money, your health, your soul... it takes your friends.  Just... this is done, it's all done, it's just done."

Kuli nodded, and gave the small bell in his hand a chime.  Dozens of Dwarves bowed their heads silently before they filed in pairs through the dimly lit halls.  In short order, Dojango was left alone, standing before the carved statue of his friend.  He stared at it for what felt like hours, willing the stone to move, to step forward, to do anything.  But it stayed steady, a monument that would last for eternity if the Gods willed it.  Unlike the poor shell entombed behind it, bent and broken midst the sodden wooden wreckage.

Tasting the tears in his beard, Dojango lifted shaky hands to hang the toolbags from the statues shoulders. "I'm sorry you couldn't make it out alive, friend... I'm ju-... I'm sorry..."

He left, quickly, feeling as if the weight of the fortress was pressing in on his shoulders.

[Mephansteras]

*clap*

Well written, sir!

[ricemastah]

Mmmm updates! Delicious delicious updates!

[sdp0et]

In short order, Dojango was left alone, standing before the carved statue of his friend.  He stared at it for what felt like hours, willing the stone to move, to step forward, to do anything.  But it stayed steady, a monument that would last for eternity if the Gods willed it.  Unlike the poor shell entombed behind it, bent and broken midst the sodden wooden wreckage.

It's been almost a year for me, so I'm a bit lost.  Who is the statue?

[Jim Groovester]

Pretty sure it's Akroma, who drowned in the last update.

I will weep a single tear.

[Vactor]

not only drowned, but drowned saving the world from flooding

[Heavy Flak]

Akroma indeed.  Storyline wise, both of those things actually happened, though ... not the part about HOW he stopped the wheels.

In truth he waded into the torrent with some new-found swimming ability, dismantled everything, then got swept into a trench and drowned a true Dwarven death: one that was both senseless and avoidable if the furry little psychos had any thoughts of self preservation.

I really do dislike when named Dwarves die, it feels like a personal failing on my part.  At least it's believable and keeps everyone on edge.

[Mephansteras]

Eh, when it's stuff like this it makes for a better story overall.

A named Dwarf just randomly getting killed with nothing else going on...that's when it's just jarring.

[Heavy Flak]

From the files of Aryn Estetar
1^st of Granite, 1076

It is always setbacks in this accursed place.  It is water pumps failing, it is landslides, it is invasions during prime trading season.  It's dwarves falling drunkenly down stairs and breaking their backs andTonight then laying lame in bed until their sanity snaps and they squeeze their children like ripened melons until all their insides burst out of their mouth like a blood soaked fireworks show.

We are out of booze.  My head has been throbbing for days.  Dojango confided in me after I threw an empty cask at him that it could be the maggots he's leaving in the stew, that they've gone from my stomach to my head.  We don't have any animals left that aren't pets, and no one is willing to spare the beasts.  Hikan has recommend that the bears, breeding like roaches now, are technically not pets until they've attained Adulthood.  I've instructed him to "silence" and also to "never suggest that again".  I also threw an empty wine cask at him, but he moves.  He always moves.  They all move!

I can hear The Rat in the walls, that filthy traitor, and I know that he's being hunted by Dwarves best left alone.  They think I'm oblivious, they all do, and fine, let them.  They leave me alone on the issues they think I'm not watching.  Fine.  Fine!  FINE!!!

Any day now the pumps will work, the domes buried into their watery shell.  We will move.  We will grow.  We will prosper.  And we.  will.  be.  happy. 

We will survive ANY storm.

[Jim Groovester]

That new pump stack is going to cause you FPS woes while doing very little to make your lake fill quicker.

I'm in the middle of some heavy waterworks and magmaworks in my own fort. It's crawling along in the single digits, and that's with everything off. I could offer you advice based on the fruit of my observations on what makes that number drop to zero, if you'd like.

[ricemastah]

Like Jim said more pumps won't do it. You literally need to build a water tower to STORE the water and allow it to build up in order to fill that monstrosity. That way instead of hoping that your river has enough to fill a Z level at a time you have a supplementary water supply that you can build up over time and fill your Z's that way. It's work, but that's the way I would do it. Less loss from 'evaporation' that way as well.

[Heavy Flak]

That new pump stack is going to cause you FPS woes while doing very little to make your lake fill quicker.

Like Jim said more pumps won't do it. You literally need to build a water tower to STORE the water and allow it to build up in order to fill that monstrosity. That way...

Like Jim said more pumps won't do it.

Like Jim said

Haha, I love you guys.  Did I ever tell you that I don't understand how water works in real life, let alone in this game?  My deck flooded the other day as I attempted to water some herbs, and just last week I managed to spill water all over my desk during the simple task of drinking. 

My thought process was that having rows of nine pumps will double the amount of water pumped into the quarry.  I don't need to worry about the river drying up, but what exactly SHOULD I do?  I'd love some advice from competent folk like you two.  Outside of, well,

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

waving my hand and creating water from thin air, since I have that as a fallback

[quip]

Like Jim said more pumps won't do it. You literally need to build a water tower to STORE the water and allow it to build up in order to fill that monstrosity. That way instead of hoping that your river has enough to fill a Z level at a time you have a supplementary water supply that you can build up over time and fill your Z's that way. It's work, but that's the way I would do it. Less loss from 'evaporation' that way as well.

While I'll admit I know little about DF water physics, megaprojects or anything else of that ilk this seems like a sensible idea.

My ideas are all basically 'hey, why don't you add a roof to the massive lake you're filling! I don't know if that would solve anything but hey, at least your Dwarves wouldn't go for lack of work!'

[ricemastah]

What you want to do is build a tower like 10x10 or bigger and have that take up multiple levels say like 10 z's. The area you want filled is about 80x70 ish right?So you have 5600 squares you need filled at a time. That can be accomplished by a 20x35x8 tower.

Code: (Water tower diagram) [Select]

% = Pump, # = Wall, _ = Floor, = Empty Space, ~ = River, ... = several levels needed here

# %%__ ####
#_%% #    #<<Water storage area
# %%_#    #
...      v<<<<<v These are attached or connected somehow
# %%_#____#>>>#Dome area
~~~~~~~~~~
And so on for several levels. t the top of the stack is where you start filling in the tower. 4-5 pumps on each level should probably be enough to fill in a 20X35 without too much loss. What matters is the amount of water available from the river. Anyway, the bottom of the tower should be connected to the top of the dome area so you can fill it up. You will want either a hatch coverings at the bottom floor or wall so that you can open and close the tower as you want, and so you can fill it back up. The construction should be simple enough, and the location of your river is quite convenient for it.

I would take a look at the pump stack article to make your constructions move efficient.

There is a reason Rice is a mason after all

Edit: While not quite the same scale as Oceanbled here is a map I was working on a while back. The large areas of blue are basically water storage for whatever large projects I need filled up. And yes, if you notice underwater dwarves, I made it so they don't need to breathe. They are interestingly enough legendary swimmers, but they refuse to path out of the water. Good luck!