Ladder mechanics and diggers?

[Illanair]

Ladders and diggers confuse me slightly. Sometimes it looks like the digger has their own ladder when digging down - sometimes not. How should I go about making a ladder shaft in terms of order of designation?

Should I dig one level at a time and put a latter or dig down further before start placing ladders?

Are staircases more effective / less effective / cheaper?

 

[Xerkis]

It depends – but usually I will mark off about 5 to 10 blocks to dig straight down and let my Digger have at it. Once he reaches the bottom, I then go about placing ladders from the bottom up.

Edit: I should add that don't forget - that if you dig farther down on that same shaft later on with the ladders, the will now fall to the new level. So you will have to replace the ladder at the top level of the shaft.

 

[Illanair]

Really? The ladders automatically go down a level? Good to know - game isn't overly interested in warning me about stuck diggers. Got far too many tombstones in my royal tomb room

 

[Xerkis]

Not true - it warns you. Top UI where the icon for the Dwarf Classes are. This guy is in trouble on me. Now click on the icon and it will send the camera to focus on him. Keep clicking on the icon and it cycles through all of the Dwarves of that Class (if there are more than one)

 

[Illanair]

Oh! I never noticed that warning sign. Thanks for the heads up! o

 

[Xerkis]

That's why I'm here

 

[Grombeard]

Yes it warns you if there is danger or if your dwarves are going to starve but it's really easy to overlook the little triangle when you're busy with other things...

 

[Xerkis]

And that is why they call it a “management” game. you need to learn to manage everything


It does sneak up on you from time to time. And then it get's real exciting for awhile as you hope all will be ok as you try to rush to the aid of the one in need.

 

[Maria Theresa]

Teleport is your friend here. If i notice someone is starving somewhere in a hole for example i just teleport them straight to the nearest table.

 

[Grombeard]

It does sneak up on you from time to time. And then it get's real exciting for awhile as you hope all will be ok as you try to rush to the aid of the one in need.

I once noticed the little triangle and when i clicked it i was there just right in time to see one of my dwarves die of starvation. The sign must've been flashing unnoticed for quite some time...

 

[Illanair]

Teleport is your friend here. If i notice someone is starving somewhere in a hole for example i just teleport them straight to the nearest table.

Bah! We don't need no stinking pointy eared magicks here! This - Is - A game of dorfs!

 

[ImpalerWrG]

It would be neat if their was an upgraded form of a digger (call it a spelunker) that could just climb up the shafts, all be it slowly.

Also it would be really convenient to have a simple rope elevator construction that the crafter could build, it would have a top level with a winch and it would extend as far down (vertical only) as their is open space. Would greatly simplify the construction of vertical shafts as you could build the elevator first thus your digger would never get trapped.

 

[Maria Theresa]

It would be neat if their was an upgraded form of a digger (call it a spelunker) that could just climb up the shafts, all be it slowly.

I have a better name suggestion to your reccomended new class:

Spider Dwarf!
Spider Dwarf!
Does whatever a spider dwarf does!
does he swing from a web?
No he can't
He's a dwarf!
Lookout!
Here comes the spider dwarf!!

 

[Grombeard]

Is he strong?
Listen, bud:
He's got ale-o-active blood!
Digs a tunnel, any size,
catches ore, smashes mice.
Look out!
Here comes the spider dwarf!

 

[City Builder]

Personally, I could just do with a little noise every xx seconds when there is an issue that triggers the triangle on the top UI menu. It's awfully easy to overlook it when I'm doing anything else, when I'm just kicking back it's easy to spot, but when busy and involved in some massive project it's too easy to overlook.

Then again I think we should be paying to get new dwarfs from Hemfort so that when we lose a dwarf it's not just an instant grab a new one situation.

 

[Xerkis]

Also it would be really convenient to have a simple rope elevator construction that the crafter could build, it would have a top level with a winch and it would extend as far down (vertical only) as their is open space. Would greatly simplify the construction of vertical shafts as you could build the elevator first thus your digger would never get trapped.

This would be a nice addition to the Paths group in the Build menu. Cost in wood an iron (for the gears).

Personally, I could just do with a little noise every xx seconds when there is an issue that triggers the triangle on the top UI menu. It's awfully easy to overlook it when I'm doing anything else, when I'm just kicking back it's easy to spot, but when busy and involved in some massive project it's too easy to overlook.

The Dwarves do make cries for help (“I so hungry”, “why can’t we get any food around here”, etc.) but maybe a more alarm call, buzzing, bell is what you are after. I could see that being helpful – after awhile I tend to tune out the Dwarves pleas.

 

[Illanair]

A "lift" would be awesome - make it cost power for every level it extends down to and you've got yourself a fairly balanced alternative to ladders in my opinion.

 

[Xerkis]

A "lift" would be awesome - make it cost power for every level it extends down to and you've got yourself a fairly balanced alternative to ladders in my opinion.

Ah yes, how could I over look that. Must have energy too.

 

[City Builder]

This would be a nice addition to the Paths group in the Build menu. Cost in wood an iron (for the gears).



The Dwarves do make cries for help (“I so hungry”, “why can’t we get any food around here”, etc.) but maybe a more alarm call, buzzing, bell is what you are after. I could see that being helpful – after awhile I tend to tune out the Dwarves pleas.

Yes exactly, some sort of an alarm call. I too tune out the dwarves pleas more times than not.

And yeah I'd love to have some sort of a lift that could be built for those times when we decide we want to build a deep shaft that tries to go from top to bottom so that we don't have to babysit the dwarf in question by sitting staring at the top of the shaft and placing a new ladder everytime that it falls down one more level as the dwarf digs out one more level.

 

[unmerged(514445)]

One trick I've used before is to dig a space over the shaft so that you can place a ladder and then dig down one layer at a time. Once they dig out the block the ladder falls so that they won't be stuck. This is a useful trick mainly for small ore excavation from floors but I've done it for deeper mine shafts that I'll dig out slowly.