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[DS]

In this pic you can clearly see how the relatively open area on the upper right fills far quicker than it drains into the rest of the dome. Eventually, it will fill completely and spill over the adjacent guildhall.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I chose not to drain the underground lake during the second flooding. I need some way in the future to be able to seal the water off completely, and I figure the best way to seal it off in the first place is with magma. Cave-ins were not an option, since I'd have to cave in parts of the dome's structures, and pumps would have been a hassle.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[DS]

A section of the cavern has collapsed!

My decision to leave the lake undrained now threatens disaster. Occasionally the magma will obsidianize a square of water that is not joined to any support, causing it to plummet a single level down to the bottom of the lake. However, in minutes the magma will reach a part of the lake that is directly above literally all of my stockpiles. Food, booze, stone, wood, animals, tools, everything.

Thus, I have decided to drain the lake and hope for the best.

[Girlinhat]

Terraforming...

[DS]

Lake is drained, and disaster averted.

Terraforming...

More like petraforming, but yeah. How did you mean it?

[Girlinhat]

The entire scale of the project and the goals it sets forth.  It just screams "this is dwarves changing the earth".

[DS]

Unfortunately, due to another series of cave-ins, the seal on one of the drains was compromised, causing magma to drain prematurely. I've had to halt flooding of the dome so the seal can be repaired, which will give me an opportunity in the meantime to fix the lake drainage issue.

The entire scale of the project and the goals it sets forth.  It just screams "this is dwarves changing the earth".

Ah, thanks! It's the largest DF project I've ever attempted, and I'm happy with how things are turning out so far.

[darkflagrance]

The entire scale of the project and the goals it sets forth.  It just screams "this is dwarves changing the earth".

I agree with this. The chance to read about grand-scale endeavors such as yours is one of the few reasons I still read the Dwarf Mode forums.

[DS]

I agree with this. The chance to read about grand-scale endeavors such as yours is one of the few reasons I still read the Dwarf Mode forums.

The only reason I continued the project when I was bored with it (which has happened a few times) was the hope that people like you would enjoy reading about it.

Draining continues - the buildup of magma in the northeastern dome takes a while to equalize into the rest of the fortress. However, as the magma recedes, I've noticed something quite fascinating:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Those are tiles of red sand, where originally there was only bare rock. I believe this is a result of first flooding with water, thus producing muddied stone, which then becomes muddied floor fungus/cave moss. The magma burns away the vegetation, which results in red sand (no idea why it is specifically red, but it seems to be the same fortress-wide). As an additional side effect, the mud has been removed, so instead of having brown colored tiles of fungus, they are the proper yellow/teal when they grow back in!

CORRECTION: As magma recedes from the actual cavern floor, there are tiles of silt. It appears that the red sand is only present when the original tile (before irrigation) was raw stone. This could be used as an exploit to produce glass on maps with no sand - only rock, water, and magma is needed.

[Girlinhat]

Does cast obsidian count as "rough stone"?

[Karakzon]

could you write out a small essay about how you planned this endever?
Ive always wanted to do somehting as obsurdly complex as this but never got round to it, and i feel inspired to at least try when i next get a damn load of free time.

[DS]

Does cast obsidian count as "rough stone"?

Yes, I'm sure of it. Natural stone, either smoothed or rough hewn (cast obsidian functions in every way like natural stone, I believe), seems to be sand-able. Engraved floors are also probably usable for this as well, though you run the risk of angering the engraver.

could you write out a small essay about how you planned this endever?
Ive always wanted to do somehting as obsurdly complex as this but never got round to it, and i feel inspired to at least try when i next get a damn load of free time.

Sure, when I have time. Unfortunately, I don't have many screenshots of the designation/excavation process, but it would be easy enough to explain. I'm afraid it would turn out to be a rather long essay, though.

[darkflagrance]

By the way, any updates on getting the recruited merchants to become "fuller" citizens of the fort? Maybe conscript them into the military if worst comes to worst?

[DS]

So far, neither the merchants or their guards can be enlisted in the military, or have their labors altered in-game. I've been using Dwarf Therapist to enable or disable jobs, but otherwise, not much progress has been made.

[NRDL]

So long as the assimilated dwarves can be used for labor, it's fine.  You just need a bigger workforce to replace your dying natural dwarves, like serfs, during the feudal era. 

Do this with humans, it'll be awesome. 

[Karakzon]

Thanks DS.
and i bet youde still get an awesome readership.