YHey,

i'm on my continuing quest to learn and play Dwarf Fortress. I'm crap at it but something about it is incredibly compelling.

Currently I'm trying to clear a 4x4xseveral cube and have an underground tunnel go under a river and tap said river with a u-bend. This is in order to have a non-freezing water supply in my fortress as I believe the pressure programming will stop the new pool from flooding.

My problem is I can't seem to figure out:

1/ clearing the pit - I suspect I have to channel out several levels otherwise there will still be a "floor" between the z-levels.

2/ How do I dig UP into the river?

3/ Other things I may think of later.

Karl

Two resources that will help you:

http://afteractionreporter.com/dwarf-fortress-tutorials/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn1iW1QN7_s

Uh...I'd double check about the water pressure. From your brief description, it sounds like you're actually at grave risk for flooding. You should definitely have a fill tunnel and a floodgate to prevent too much flooding, wandering alligators, etc.

1)Yes, you need to channel out the floors. Don't mass-designate the channeling, your miners will get themselves stuck, collapse the floor they're working on, etc.

2) You can't dig up - it's not something that can be done AFAIK. Also, forgotten beasts can't attack things when they are directly below them (in most circumstances).

3) I'm really not kidding about wandering alligators (or other wildlife). Taking time to get plumbing right early in the game saves a world of temper tantrums later.

DF Wiki is a player's best friend: http://df.magmawiki.com/

1/ Ramps
2/ Ramps

Ramps will remove the layer above and convert the current level to up ramps if it is next to a wall, or floor if it is not, which makes them the best method of multilevel excavation. Start on the second to top level and work your way down.

Both ramps and stairs allow you to dig up but stairs are (from memory) a two stage process - up stairs and then down stairs - whereas ramps are one stage.

I know being patient would result in an answer. It may have taken a literal year but still :)

Thanks for the tips. I'll bust open DF again and give it a shot :)

Karl