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[S31-Syntax]

Okay! since i have grown an obsession with obsidian... i had to learn to farm it, so after three failed forts, and a days research later, i have developed a quick, dirty, and effective obsidian making machine.

I could probably cap it... but oh well. here's a view from the west.

Code: [Select]

----->--        ------
-----<          ------
--------________------
Here is a view from the south, water in from the west, magma from the east, two levers controlling their respective floodgates.

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--------          -------
========          =======
--------__________-------
Fill magma first, then close it and flood with water. use just enough to convert to obsidian, close that gate, wait for evaporation to do its thing, channel it all out, remove the products of your madness, and repeat.

For a first successful attempt, how was it?

[fanatic]

It was my exact first version too

i suggest you try this improvement (side view):

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##### %%___________########
WWWWWW##           %% #####
########MMMMMMMMMMM##MMMMMM
###########################

# wall
_ retracting bridge
M magma
W water
%% pump.

link a lever to the bridge


from this state:

1) Activate water pump fill the top if the bridge with ~2/7 water
2) retract bridge
3) mine out obsidian
4(optional) pit some prisoners from above =D
5) use magma pump to fill with 2/7 magma
6) expand bridge
7) goto 1

[Grendus]

I used a different version with some success.  It went something like this.

Top floor:
WWDWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
WBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBW
WBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBW
WBBBWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
WBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBW
WBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBW
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

W = wall
D = door holding back water
B = retractable drawbridge

The bottom floor was identical, except it had a bauxite drawbridge holding back magma. I'd flood the room with magma, then drop water directly on top of it. The advantage was, so long as I didn't forget to close the water door before I closed the drawbridge it never overflowed. I managed to build a 16 z-level tower out of pure obsidian by hand, as opposed to casting. Twas very fun (and, when I forgot to close the door, Fun^tm... do you know how long it takes dwarves to empty a 20x20 pit of 5/7 water with buckets!?)

[Hyndis]

I do the same thing. I create a two Z level room. In the lower level is magma. Just tap into the magma and pump or let it flow to fill up the bottom level. The top level is where water comes in, either via a pump on the same level, or more commonly, through a gigantic vertical shaft leading up to near the surface where water is pumped down and falls a huge distance.

Extra waters drains off the side of the map through fortifications.

Once its all evaporated out I send in my miners to channel out the obsidian and haul away the obsidian rocks to nearby stockpiles.

[Grendus]

Ahh, that's what I was forgetting...

Because my fortress was a ways away from the magma pipe (this was in 40d), I didn't want to do all the work with making blocks out of obsidian so far away. Instead, I used 7 solid steel pumps to force magma down a 5 tile wide path and pumped magma from the lowest level of the magma pipe. I actually managed to drain the first 6 z-levels of the pipe or so. The pumps were not powered, which in hindsight was an awesome idea as it created more jobs in the dwarven economy (so I'm a bit of a masochist). Forcing 7 pumps into a 5 tile path essentially pressurized the magma, allowing me to cast a new load very quickly. The walls drastically reduced evaporation, which in turn sped up production. Once I'd get the last path up to 2/7 magma, I'd go ahead and cast.

For water, I actually tapped directly into the brook on the surface... and when I say tapped I mean I carved a ramp directly into the middle and had my miner run for his bearded life. A 14 z-level fall pressurizes water very nicely, filling the water tank took about 15 seconds at 20 FPS and could be done while the haulers were busy making, binning, and storing the blocks. After two or three casts they'd carry all the bins to the surface (which didn't take long, all the masonry they were doing had most of them superdwarvenly strong) and build another z-level or two on the tower before dragging the bins back down to be refilled. Took about 8 dwarf years, but I finally had a constructed obsidian tower. Twas fun.

[goffrie]

Forcing 7 pumps into a 5 tile path essentially pressurized the magma, allowing me to cast a new load very quickly.

I believe that the width of the channel doesn't matter after it's been filled up: the pump pressure is the same regardless. (In other words, you could have made a 1-tile-wide channel and it would have been the same except that it would take less time to fill up.)

[Hyndis]

Forcing 7 pumps into a 5 tile path essentially pressurized the magma, allowing me to cast a new load very quickly.

I believe that the width of the channel doesn't matter after it's been filled up: the pump pressure is the same regardless. (In other words, you could have made a 1-tile-wide channel and it would have been the same except that it would take less time to fill up.)

On a related note if you don't have enough magma moving into the molds it can actually evaporate before filling.

To do this a snakelike path, going back and forth, with constructed walls forming the edges of the mold just to make mass designating ramps easier. This limits the flow of magma to only a few tiles at a time ensuring none of it evaporates before it fills the mold entirely.

[Misterstone]

Meh whats all this levers and retractable bridge nonsense?  Just make a pool of lava and get a dwarf to pump water on it.  Steam is harmless right now IIRC?

[fanatic]

Meh whats all this levers and retractable bridge nonsense?  Just make a pool of lava and get a dwarf to pump water on it.  Steam is harmless right now IIRC?

this nonsense :
1) makes sure you dont have to bother with evaporation.
2) a magma pump above the actual obsidian layer makes sure you dont accidentally block your magma entry with obsidian
3) none of this needs to be magma-safe unless you want to automate stuff with pressure plates (didnt try that tho)
4) levers are dwarfy. simplicity is elfy.

and why do you people bother with snakelike designs? just designate a ramp on the whole thing and let the miners do the job. with ramps none of them will get stuck.

[fanatic]

EDIT : deleted double post