Water Canals

[Chebermech]

Water canals have been in minds and on a wishlist of things to see in the game for so long, and maybe now is the time to make that wish come true. Imagine all the creative possibilities canals could add to the game and change the gameplay all together. How you could connect the world, change the village planning and overall outlook, finally have a dock, farm irrigation, and yet another reason to bug devs to add bridges!



Making this system is by no means an easy task, and there are many questions that rise up when you actually think of it, so here are some suggestions on technical side of how it might work.

Have the canal building similar to building of the wall, with 90 degrees angle turns and treat each section as a corner post, allowing to build them only on flat or slightly curved surface as well as connecting them to a pre-existing rivers, lakes and previously build canals. Make a restriction on canal width (ex. 5-10 square tiles) while still making it possible to build L, T and X shape extensions for turns and intersections. Add another restriction to disallow placing canal construction signposts parallel to another canal construction section or an already built canal at a distance less than the width of the largest canal (or canal construction site signposts) if the parallel canals are not merging (distance between canals is 1 or more tiles apart). And don't allow building more canal sections if they trigger any restrictions on already built sections.



For construction materials make it rocks or sand, or anything really + water of course, and let it possible to "build" water in the construction signpost using close by barrels and water tanks, as well as inventory water from flasks and buckets, but not from water wells, rivers and lakes (to prevent people from making a small section canal and build from there for free). Also make all the canals shallow water only, and allow people to fill shallow water back up with soil to remove them easily (either all shallow water or only canals).

Another few suggestions to consider if canals become a thing, is making all canal water q10 and have no fish and clay in canal water, to prevent people from getting an easy and safe access to water resources. Also don't allow building canals in the mines.

Please leave your comments with support and most importantly try to challenge this system trying to find what could be wrong with it and how it can be abused, to polish this idea and make it possible!

[TheOriginalFive]

While I think it could be a fun way to add terraforming, will it end up making deep water tiles or just shallow ones?

[Chebermech]

While I think it could be a fun way to add terraforming, will it end up making deep water tiles or just shallow ones?

shallow water only imo, but its all up to devs really.

[ChildhoodObesity]

Perhaps a new water survey type would work better. It'd basically work the exact same as a land survey, but for water hehe. You could just drag it to its appropriate dimensions listed in your original suggestion and it could fill just how dirt is normally filled (so from water in nearby barrels and skins/buckets in your inventory). You could even implement it exactly how dirt works so if it's flat already or a pit the water requirements could scale the same way the soil does. heh idk

GREAT IDEA LAD, U BETTER ADD IT GORBO AND LORFTAR THE PPL DEMAND IT!!!

[Onep]

I think it could work similar to a basement. You simply remove the rock and soil equal to the dimensions of the canal, and once you attach it to a natural water source, it fills up. But, I suppose for those who want to make isolated moats manually filling the moat might be necessary.

Perhaps the required building object could be "Sluice Gate" and it could take some measure of stone/wood/metal to setup in order to prepare your canal.

I know jorb has complained about the necessity of fluid dynamics for such a structure. But if the canal could be filled via sluice gate you could limit the canal to a single height. So basically, canals could only be built with a single elevation. But you could make locks by using multiple sluice gates.

Oh well to solve the issue of connecting to two different rivers, basically a canal could have the option to build a lock, similar to the gate function, and that lock could connect to a canal at a different level. It'd be a little bit tricky sorting out the issues, but I HAVE FAITH IN GOBRO AND LORFTOR

[Nikitan83]

I LOVE this idea The devs gave us leveling (digging simulator) which has created so many new ways to shape our villages, adding water feels like the next step for the game! Just imagine all the cool stuff we can make with it <3

[Onep]

also, to commemorate the addition of canals, please add a boat and/or sailor hat. TY

[ChildhoodObesity]

also, to commemorate the addition of canals, please add a boat and/or sailor hat. TY

this onep guy is on to something!!

[Onep]

also, to commemorate the addition of canals, please add a boat and/or sailor hat. TY

this onep guy is on to something!!

omg imagine a tiny knarr hat, like, on your head?!

[karcheress]

I think almost everyone at least once thought about such idea, so let's now try to make it come true