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[eataTREE]

Having wiped out the Army Of The Dead, I have now turned my attention to construction. I've never tried building via the magma casting method before, and as this map has a volcano that reaches almost up to the sky, it would appear an easy spot to try it out. So, I was looking for general advice from those who have done it on a large scale, and the answers to two specific questions:

- Is it necessary to measure out the amount of magma to be poured into the "forms"? Do I need to fill and empty a reservoir of exact size, or will I get by with pouring it in straight from the volcano?
- If the area to be cast is large, is there an advantage in dividing it into sections and casting each separately? What about pouring magma in from multiple locations at once? I've tried pouring magma too slowly into a reservoir too large -- it dries up before it can ever cover the floor, and I'm worried the same thing will happen with some of my larger casting footprints.

I can't wait to have a smoothed, engraved constructed keep!

[slothen]

Depends on how creative the casting is.
Always use pumps.
If you're doing a tower with roughly the same footprint, and casting it up into the sky, then I would cast it level by level, build a ring around the outside.  You can pump magma straight in or into a cube-shaped primer-tank in the sky that drops it, allowing you to measure.

[Mrhappyface]

Wow, I didn't think of that. Compared to what I did with the Chalice, yours just blows me away.

[GavJ]

I've never done it, so take with a grain of salt, but I would probably try to set it up so that:

1) one side has pumped magma coming from the highest z level I plan on casting
2) the other side has pumped water
3) Each side has a room between the pump and the opening to the casting forms, that serves as a measuring cup, so that I get like 2/7 - 4/7 consistently in my forms (just to not have to worry about evaporation, but also not go above 1 z level).  If the form is really complicated and changes area as you go up, the room could have bridges in it to change its size and the amount of liquid delivered and measured as needed.
4) A separate measuring cup may be needed for whichever liquid is poured second, since the obsidian is only going to require 1/7 of the second liquid to form.  Thus, youll want less of the 2nd liquid than the 1st, probably.  If you had the bridges installed in the first place, this comes for free already built in.

Then just fill up to 3/7 with magma, then pour water over it (amoutn determined by experimentation), then back and forth by just flipping your various levers.