Muckgrotto - Martin - 108 Early Spring by martin

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Points of Interest

• ¶ 15. 10,000 Foot View
  Yes, this is the embark level. The 10,000 foot view of the map shows the megaproject quite clearly - the majority of the map has been collapsed eliminating the aquifer layers. This serves two purposes:
  1) Ninja spawns are restricted away from the entrance for the majority of the map, allowing the dwarves to best control the fortress defenses. Occasionally spawns will occur on the central area around the magma moat but the first level of the glass tower houses the armory/barracks and marksdwarves are constantly on station there. A set of traps serves as a last-resort defense to the main part of the fortress.
  2) by eliminating the majority of the aquifer, the dwarves are free to build pretty much any wider structures on the map that they desire without risk of flooding. There remains the ninja spawn threat, but it's still a big improvement.
  
  The perimeter of the map has a 5-wide natural access so that the fortress is still fully accessible from any part of the map and wagon caravans (trees permitting) can approach from any direction.
  
  11 dwarves died during the fortress life, by a variety of means. At least one was immolated by magma, one somehow got stranded in a channel that was to get flooded and died of thirst, a few by harpies and the like, most by gobbos, but there was a nice assortment of deaths. There were a rather large number of injuries - either to mining accidents, gobbos, wildlife, so there was much health care employed in spite of the few deaths.
  
  At the peak there were 48 miners, all legendary I believe. That's the most I've ever employed. The aquifer collapse was an absolutely massive undertaking and if not for a large number of mining experiments to find a time-efficient way to channel it never would have been completed in time. A detailed write up of that will be put in the forums and probably on the wiki.
  
  The miners were drafted into the masonry corps so that there were approximately 60 masons working on the towers and bridge. - martin
• Δ 15. Project 2 - Central Tower
  At the ground level, the central tower serves as a critical defensive element to the fortress. Completely inaccessible from this level and with a 3-wide magma moat around it, marksdwarves have their way with any ninja spawns that should occur in the central area. Prior to the collapse, the only bridge to the central area was to the north and ninja spawns in the south would walk within range of the marksdwarves. The 2nd level stores trade items and gives protected access to the fresh water supply.
  
  A 2nd defensive terrace is on level 19 where dwarves can fire down on attackers and where the tower narrows. Originally planned to reach the top of the map, the tower sits incomplete due to lack of time. - martin
• Δ 15. Project 3 - Entrance Tower/Bridge
  Following the collapse, the fortress entrance shifted from a small bridge that directed traffic in via the south doors to a massive glass bridge that brings traffic in from the north map edge. The trade depot was relocated to this central area and the bridge heavily trapped (just in case). Marksdwarves can fire down on attackers from one level up, and in the last siege no gobbos even reached the traps. A guard dog looks out for thieves. At the far end of the bridge a staircase leads down to the collapsed layer. This allows ninja spawns in the collapse region be directed up the stairs and back down the bridge where they will be promptly slaughtered. The staircase can also be locked down preventing attackers from going down into the collapse area, allowing dwarves to harvest/clear with relative safety.
  
  A permanent sand collection area on level 11 was created by building and removing constructions which leaves sand behind because it's a sand biome. Because it's underground, sand collection was safe even during sieges.
  
  The original plan was to build a green glass outer wall around the entire central core (the 60-tile diameter obsidian breach) at ground level up to level 16, but there wasn't sufficient time. This would have recovered safe use of the obsidian shelf on level 12 and allowed it and the top level to be safe defensive positions to fire down into the collapse area should a siege spawn there. - martin
• Δ 11. Project 1 - Aquifer Removal
  The main project was to remove the aquifer for the majority of the map. With the exception of a 5-wide perimeter and the central round core, the entire map was collapsed 4 z-levels down below the aquifer layers, eliminating them entirely.
  
  This was accomplished in 7 stages:
  1) The inner aquifer breach was a relatively large initial breach. Miners dug down the north staircases and excavated via ramps a ring with an outside diameter of 30 tiles, 7 tiles wide, channeling down revealing the first aquifer layer, and providing an interior defensive barrier spanned only by a single bridge. Magma was poured in forming an obsidian cast, and a 5-wide excavation in the center (visible) revealed the 2nd layer, which was also turned to obsidian, creating both the access to the main fortress layers and serving as half the bathtub wall for later removing the aquifer altogether.
  2) A 2nd, much larger square pierce took place at the exterior of the map. Also 7 wide, this formed the exterior barrier, accessible also by a single bridge. Magma was pumped in from 3 locations - west, north, and northwest, and when magma couldn't reach the far corners, temporary walls and one aquaduct to the south were erected to allow magma to reach all corners. A major problem was getting magma out of the pipe and still allowing it time to regenerate. This required an almost constant pumping effort. Magma was redirected by tearing down and building walls since no bauxite was available. After the first pierce, the center was channeled out creating a 5-wide and then a 3-wide channel since the aquifer changes height across the map. This formed the outer bathtub to excavate the aquifer.
  3) The soil layer directly above the first aquifer layer (level 14 on the map) was excavated. The top layer of the map was held in place solely by the wooden walls used to direct the magma pumping effort. The miners channeled to the bottom of the map in the hopes that a fortification carved in the exterior edge of the map (SW corner) would allow water to drain out. Instead water poured in. Fortunately the miners prepared for this possibility and installed a door and then walled the area in. This was the first (and preferred) design for draining the map. On to plan 'B'!
  4) The first aquifer layer (level 13) was dug out. All water-producing tiles (mostly to the south and east) were channeled out and all non-water producing tiles ramped out except for a 'wall' surrounding the water area. This wall was breached allowing the water to drain into the non-aquifer portion of the level. Because no water-producing tiles remained, it steadily drained. Channels down into the next aquifer layer down (12) were placed to speed up draining.
  5) The 2nd aquifer layer (level 12) was dug out. This was nothing but aquifer - no dry tiles and the north magma pump was temporarily redirected back under the edge of the digging area to create a small obsidian cap so that the miners could channel down into the bottom aquifer layer (level 11). This served as the main drain for this level until the water level became low enough that additional drains could be channeled. Some water was directed down to the bottom level of the map to evaporate.
  6) The bottom aquifer layer (level 11) was excavated much like level 13, with a wall separating dry and wet. The wall was breached providing a long flow so that water would steadily evaporate without the map reaching a consistent 2/7 depth. Some water was drained into the bottom level to help this along.
  7) Once a dry section of the bottom layer was revealed a series of floors and supports were constructed to hold up the top layer of the map. This was attached to a lever for the final collapse. Because unrevealed tiles get revealed on collapse at the new level, the top level had to be flattened out so that the hills didn't turn into aquifer tiles on collapse. This was accomplished, and the lever was pulled dropping the top level down, wiping out all plants and trees (they'll grow back in time) and killing one dwarf who was knocked out by the dust and fell on a weapon trap (sushi!). - martin
• Δ 10. Project 1 Addendum
  With the collapse of the embark layer, the pool regions were channeled out below so the pool functionality would be preserved. When the top layer falls the pool tiles fall into the channeled areas and will continue to collect water. - martin
• Δ 8. Project 4 - Ring Fortress
  My most unique fortress layout, I wanted to retain the core design from top to bottom without really extending it beyond the original boundaries until the aquifer was eliminated. On most levels this results in an 8-wide ring extending to the diameter of the top level. These are divide up into related workshop and storage rooms. On the east and west side, magma is breached to create forge areas. Levels 1 and 8 allow for a central housing core which each hold 52 bedrooms varying from 4 to 9 tiles in size. Each dwarf gets a bed, chest, and cabinet. Level 4 holds the noble quarters - two master suites for the baron/baroness, and 4 lesser suites for the other nobles. Most noble furniture is exceptional or masterwork native aluminum. All noble needs are met. This level also houses the 4 fortress shops.
  
  There is considerably more space here than is needed, allowing the fortress to further expand production and storage, and several levels have yet to be excavated.
  
  Level 7 offers the fortress dining room in a vertical extension of the entrance tower, and inside the ring lies the catacombs, fortunately not as large as space would allow. 11 dwarves died in the course of the fortress, which is attributed to a fair bit of luck since defenses in the first 5 seasons were pathetic and the beak dogs were kind enough to remain at bay. Once the outer perimeter was established marksdwarves were given overlapping, counterflow roaming patrols inside the outer perimeter and rarely did wildlife manage to breach it with only a single (trapped) bridge from the north edge of the map. - martin
• Δ 8. Project 5 - Survival Elements
  There are a number of specific survival elements integrated into the fortress. The entire fortress is designed around survival with minimal access from the outside, traps, and the like, but other details are designed so that even under a massive lockdown, the fortress can survive and even prosper.
  
  The most ambitious survival element is the collapsed aquifer which isolates much of the map from ninja spawns and allows a relatively safe region to harvest trees. The area can be further protected by building a glass dome over the top, though this would take considerable time, but the resources are of course available - even for a clear glass dome. The collapsed area also allows safe construction to take place without risk of flooding.
  
  The entrance tower on level 8 contains a large subterranean farm area, created by way of a huge bucket brigade dumping water from a layer above, muddying the floor. A similar (and even larger) above-ground farm is located on level 17 created by the same approach. These two farms allow growing everything from sunberries to plump helmets in safety and in massive, massive quantities. A fortress of 400 could easily be sustained with these two farms.
  
  Directly above the barracks in the central tower is protected access to fresh water. The pumps run continuously thanks to the windmills and thanks to the aquifer will never run dry.
  
  Levels 7,8 of the ring fortress contain a modest obsidian farm on the east side. The farm produces 165 obsidian per effort and resets quickly. The double thick walls allow for the magma to be plugged by obsidian which is channeled out to reflood the chamber with magma. Copper floodgates control access to the obsidian chamber and water flow, and access to the water chamber.
  
  All resources are therefore renewable and safely accessed. The fortress is extremely defensible with even a modest security force even though it can easily maintain a much larger one. - martin

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Map details:

• Fortress Name: Muckgrotto - Martin
• Map Year: 108 Early Spring
• Author: martin
• Submitted by: martin
• Date Added: 26/09/2009