# Irrigation and wells

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452>\
**Category:** The Drawing Board\
**Created:** [October 10, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452 "2013-10-10T13:52:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![therealskitz0](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/therealskitz0/32/178_2.png) [@therealskitz0](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/therealskitz0)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/1 "2013-10-10T13:52:41Z")

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The most important thing you need to survive in cata is a water source  
whiether this is a nearby town your can raid for toliets or a mosquito infested swamp that you make a mad dash to fill up a keg every few months  
in ancient civilizations they solved the problem by digging irrigation ditches and water canals to make the water come to them instead of making you go to the water.

What if you dug a pit connected to a rivier and it filled with water?  
You could dig a channel to your crop fields and the proximity to the water could make your crops go faster  
You could make a well to get drinking water from  
Make a moat to keep the baddies out at night  
Or even just a decorative pond to add fueng sheu

if anything fell in youd have to pull the corpse out or risk it poisening your water supply, like when the walker fell into the well in the walking dead

I think it would be a great idea if you could dig water channels and it very visable that you could

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**Author:** ![Chiko](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/chiko/32/3238_2.png) [@Chiko](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Chiko)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/2 "2013-10-10T14:17:41Z")

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Well, the closest thing to a well we can get is to put lots of plastic jerrycans with funnels so this wouldn’t be overpowered or something like that. It would be pretty cool, actually.

I usually build a moat-like around my place and filling it with water, or let it fill with water from rain sounds pretty cool. Or acid rain for better or worse.

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**Author:** ![Zireael](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/zireael/32/956_2.png) [@Zireael](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Zireael)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/3 "2013-10-10T14:58:04Z")

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I like the idea of irrigation and wells. Sounds brilliant!

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**Author:** ![StopSignal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/stopsignal/32/1923_2.png) [@StopSignal](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/StopSignal)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/4 "2013-10-10T15:18:57Z")

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I’d like to have somthing like Dwarf Fortress, but would require a total rewrite…

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**Author:** ![therealskitz0](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/therealskitz0/32/178_2.png) [@therealskitz0](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/therealskitz0)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/5 "2013-10-10T16:49:33Z")

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There could even be a new contructable well, it would use alot of rocks and some 2 by 4s  
it could have like 30 units of water that would replenish over time so its not like an infinite source

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**Author:** ![Luissen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/luissen/32/1025_2.png) [@Luissen](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Luissen)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/6 "2013-10-10T17:05:48Z")

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> [@StopSignal](#):
>
> I’d like to have somthing like Dwarf Fortress, but would require a total rewrite…

Heck yeah. I loved DF’s water mechanics.

in retrospect, they would needlessly add complication though, in addition to not really fitting the scope of the game. However, lesser terrain interaction would be much appreciated

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/7 "2013-10-10T17:27:57Z")

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Wells would be just fine, but I’m not particularly interested in worrying about water flow mechanics, it’s a PITA for little-to-no payoff, this is a survival game, not a city building game. If you have the tme to build a farm with irrigation ditches and all, you won.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/cataclysmdda/original/1X/21b5d044e8473b25d0bf905d60477e25f6fbe0cf.png) [@system](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/8 "2013-10-10T23:21:05Z")

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How’s about a dowsing rod, and every tile has a 8% chance of having an aquifer below (actual statistic BTW). And it would be tied into the survival skill for detection. Only track checked tiles.

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**Author:** ![FunsizeNinja123](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/funsizeninja123/32/118_2.png) [@FunsizeNinja123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunsizeNinja123)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/9 "2013-10-10T23:22:09Z")

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There’s a tool for that, forgot what it was called.

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**Author:** ![Rivet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/rivet/32/11_2.png) [@Rivet](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Rivet)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/10 "2013-10-11T00:59:33Z")

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> [@gtaguy](#):
>
> How’s about a dowsing rod, and every tile has a 8% chance of having an aquifer below (actual statistic BTW). And it would be tied into the survival skill for detection. Only track checked tiles.

Please no magic. Interdimensional science fiction creatures are fine. Pseudoscientific goo-zombies are great. Dowsing, casting bones, haruspicy, and other forms of magical divination do not belong.

Again, please, no magic.

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**Author:** ![therealskitz0](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/therealskitz0/32/178_2.png) [@therealskitz0](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/therealskitz0)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/11 "2013-10-11T01:29:49Z")

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Well isnt the point of cata that youve never really won? even if youve scavenged for miles around your base or built a rolling apocolypse, blown up cities with a nuke or built a huge forrtress in the middle of a city your never really done are you? It just adds another aspect to an already great and ever evolving game. And so what if it turns it into a city builder? isnt one of the points of cata that your trying to establish a civilization, like a phenoix from the ashes?

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**Author:** ![therealskitz0](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/therealskitz0/32/178_2.png) [@therealskitz0](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/therealskitz0)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/12 "2013-10-11T01:33:29Z")

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and it wouldnt be water flow mechanics, a block would just change into a water source when you dig a pit next to a river

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**Author:** ![DrPepperNapalm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@DrPepperNapalm](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DrPepperNapalm)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/13 "2013-10-11T03:06:56Z")

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> [@therealskitz0](#):
>
> Well isnt the point of cata that youve never really won? even if youve scavenged for miles around your base or built a rolling apocolypse, blown up cities with a nuke or built a huge forrtress in the middle of a city your never really done are you? It just adds another aspect to an already great and ever evolving game. And so what if it turns it into a city builder? isnt one of the points of cata that your trying to establish a civilization, like a phenoix from the ashes?

I believe the point of cata is “survive”.

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**Author:** ![TheGrifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@TheGrifter](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TheGrifter)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/14 "2013-10-11T03:21:33Z")

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It’s not just to survive though. OP has a point. That’s a bit of a cop out of an answer. The game isn’t just about survival. It’s about thriving. I want to build a moat around a base by the river. Why not have some proper mechanics for things like that? If you dig a pit by a river, the pit ought to fill.

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**Author:** ![Miloch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/miloch/32/1339_2.png) [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:51am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/15 "2013-10-11T05:51:33Z")

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I could totally see building something like that without worrying about water flow. You just use \* to effectively build a water tile with the requirement of being one already there. Also, how about wells? Require lots of rocks (to line the well as you dig down) and lots of time. Could take a randomly determined amount of time as you don’t know how low the water table is at that location. You could also just set it to be a static amount of time that is decently long. I also think we need a minor water generator forests and what not. A small stream that runs into a river. Also, drainage ditched and what not near road. These would be dry except for when it rains, when they become low water tiles.

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**Author:** ![StopSignal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/stopsignal/32/1923_2.png) [@StopSignal](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/StopSignal)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/16 "2013-10-11T15:45:42Z")

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I’d like to construct a house next to a river and use it to make water-filled pits around it, like a castle. And put spikes in that pits. The water would become red…

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**Author:** ![fartbutt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/779978/32.png) [@fartbutt](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/fartbutt)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/17 "2013-10-11T16:13:31Z")

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> [@Kevin Granade](#):
>
> this is a survival game, not a city building game. If you have the tme to build a farm with irrigation ditches and all, you won.

Its certainly not a city building game but what do you mean by survival game? How many people play this game wanting to progress from cavemen survival, to Base Building, to Mad Max vehicle builder, to NPC gang leader, to etc? I know that its a work in progress, but saying that if you have time to build a farm with irrigation you’ve already won, I hope not.

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/18 "2013-10-11T17:07:40Z")

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Wells are totally fine, just to get that out of the way.  
Strictly enlarging existing infinite/permanent water type terrain would be ok, keeping in mind it would have to proceed from the river/lake/pond outward. That’s a good hack on the concept 🙂

Anything dealing with a non-infinite or non-permanent water supply necessarally requires water flow simulation, since if you have two connected water-filled tiles and one goes empty, it’s nonsensical for the next one over to stay full. The way our map infrastructure is coded, it’d be a HUGE PITA to try and keep water flow consistent. DF handles this by having the map always loaded, I assume there is no water flow mechanic happenining in adventure mode, as it would run into the same problems.

If your goal is an indefinitely sustainable base and basic terraforming in support of that, you’re at the minimum pushing at the boundary of the game. The game is very strongly centered around a lone survivor, you know, surviving.

While we want to do NPC settlement like stuff, and probably running water and electricity in those areas, that will be a faction thing. I’m not planning on managing every litre of running water and every watt of electricity, which is what would be required to have a _player managed_ large scale settlement.

At a small scale, like within a single building, water/electricity/heating/cooling sure, player controlled and fully managed resources, but like I said, player-controlled city-building is out of the scope of the game.

I’m not saying this will never change, this is a very organic and community-driven project, and if we have a good coder come along that wants to do all the heavy lifting for this kind of thing, I would almost certainly let it develop in that direction, but if I’m doing any of the heavy lifting, I just don’t think it’s a good fit.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rivet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/rivet/32/11_2.png) [@Rivet](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Rivet)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/19 "2013-10-11T18:21:56Z")

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As a side note: Somehow or other, DF manages to handle flowing water in adventure mode too. I don’t know what black magic Toady uses to make it work, but it seems to operate just fine.

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/irrigation-and-wells/3452/20 "2013-10-11T19:09:32Z")

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Really, you can dig trenches and redirect water in adventure mode?  
It’s not impossible, just doesn’t seem worth the trouble.  
Then again that kinda defines df 😉

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