How to Create a Water Wheel in Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress is a game that has some complex mechanics. And, for the most part, the game doesn’t give you too much of a helping hand. For most players, figuring out how to use the systems and mechanisms is part of the fun, as every failure is a learning curve. The water wheel is one such mechanic. It may be vital to a fortress, but is tricky to use. Here is how to create a water wheel in Dwarf Fortress

How to create a water wheel in Dwarf Fortress

The construction parametres

You cannot simply create a water wheel, as there are some conditions that must be met before you can build it and use it.

Firstly, the water wheel’s purpose is to provide power through using the current of a body of water to spin the spin. The power can then be channeled to other things in your fortress that require power to operate on their own, for complex systems.

You cannot simply place the water wheel in open space on in a body of water, you must follow these steps:

• Find a flowing body of water underground
• Use the channeling tool to dig out three tiles in one direction on the elevation above the flowing water in the direction it is flowing.
• Make a Gear Assembly (requires mechanisms) and place it next to the centre channeled tile.

It may sound complex, but you will be left with something that looks like this:

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The strip of water is under that elevation and is exposed through channeling, which removes the floor tiles. The Gear Assembly is that the water wheel will attach onto.

Now, select the water wheel in the building tab and make sure it is facing parallel to the flow of the water. Place it so that it is inside where you channeled the floor, just above the water, and with the centre part right next to the Gear Assembly.

As long as the water is flowing, you will receive power. The water wheel provides 100 base power for you to channel to other things using axles.

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