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[doctercorgi]

Is it possible to simulate Z levels by creating new areas? For example you build mine shaft that lets you send pawns underground. When you use it, it creates a new colony but it is completely covered in mountain roof tops and rock. You could mine, look for treasure, fight bugs and raiders you find down their, and when your done, you go back up the mine shaft and the map is deleted. Is something like this possible? If we can create custom sized maps can we make multi story buildings work with a stair part that sends them to the "upstairs" map?

[Mehni]

Is it possible? I would say the long-range mineral scanner + drop pods to and from that location is already pretty close in functionality to what you describe. The maps look different, but map generation can be tuned. Look at the cave biome mod for an example of the possibilities.

There won't be direct interaction between the two maps, but this is probably the first idea of simulating Z-levels that's somewhat feasible. Still requires a lot of work and hand-waving for the suspension of disbelief, but technically possible.

Best of luck with making your idea reality!

[Ashardalon411]

i agree, a cooperation between you and the the creator of the cave biome mod will be hotly recommended for make this.

[Jaxxa]

Now that I think about it my Stargate mod could work similar to this once I have updated it.

[jamaicancastle]

I don't know about the "upper floors" idea, but being able to take a big mining elevator down into the bowels of the earth and mine things does sound kind of neat. There could be a whole cave biome with its own plants and animals, livestock, weird native cults... you could set up a prison where you send all of your exiles - wait, no, that's something else. Never mind.

I do think it would be an interesting biome, though.

[Thunasura]

I was just thinking about making a mod request for a different way of faking z levels. 

A building that looks like a tunnel called "Tunnel that goes underground"  once 'constructed' colonist will disappear (hopefully) into an imaginary underground tunnel where things can be stored and retrieved.  However, you would never see anything in there except in the list of items stored and who is currently retrieving from there.  Much more simplistic I'm sorry to say and a little off topic, but still an easily made mod that should make your colony feel more roomy. 

Potential fancy features:  Can chose closeness to "basement" entrance (reducing time to extract items), requires mining skill where appropriate, Can expand it 'infinitely' by sending a miner in ('walking' time cost will increase),  Can get mine able resources out of it at appropriate rates (perhaps with options to dig around plasteel for a time), include its room size on your room wealth thingy (if that's a thingy), allow infestations to occur down there (which you would only fight outside the mine/storage area), add a small micro menu that actually allows you to see it (so not "never").

Great realism, use, and ascetics.

Jaxxa, Don't know how you could do it, but we are all rooting for you!

Jamaicancastle, Sounds great!

[Duftmand]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but the mod "Set-up camp" (http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=932951772) uses an interesting system for setting up temporary camps with caravans. I have absolutely no knowledge of modding, but the edges of the map have some sort of trigger that forms the caravan back up when you draft your colonist and send them to the edge. Maybe this function could be used to transfer between "overworld" and "tunnels", where you have the trigger tiles placed on some kind of buildable lift transferring pawns from one map to the other.

[faltonico]

Indeed an amazing idea, but the limiting matter here is if the game can handle all that. Each layer below would be like a new settlement, currently having more than 1 is not recomended.

[DaemonDeathAngel]

By whos recommendation?  Multiple colonies are easy until both get massive raids at once.

Im sure there would be a way to disable raids hitting the simulated lower mining levels.

[Jaxxa]

As far as I am aware the recommendation for 1 colony was for technical performance issues. With two colonies running at the same time you double the calculations.

[faltonico]

As far as I am aware the recommendation for 1 colony was for technical performance issues. With two colonies running at the same time you double the calculations.

^That^
And the recommendation is from the game itself when you turn the option up.
I could not play with multiple colonies in A16. I haven't touched A17 yet, but i can probably bet the issue is still there.

[Canute]

By whos recommendation?  Multiple colonies are easy until both get massive raids at once.

Im sure there would be a way to disable raids hitting the simulated lower mining levels.

But this would create pretty safe zone like the setup camps, without any events.
No the underground map, need to have good and bad events, or it would be like cheating.

[DaemonDeathAngel]

Thats weird because I teated the multiple colonies thing and had three colonies with 10 people a piece running simultaneously, not an issue but then a17 released and my performance went to shit

[doctercorgi]

I am Making a mod to implement this, but it's probably going to take awhile as I have very little experience with modding

Here is thread https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=33500.0

[ChaosChronicler]

I've been thinking about this as I want to do a watch/gun-tower. The only thing I could think is have a "progress" bar showing the pawn moving up the ladder then have bonus stats to range, sight, defense or anything else. Would be cool to build some things on it.