Dwarf Fortress Bug Tracker - Dwarf Fortress
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IDProjectCategoryView StatusDate SubmittedLast Update
0001376Dwarf FortressWorld Generation -- Generalpublic2010-04-20 17:542012-07-05 06:49
Reporterslink 
Assigned ToToady One 
PrioritynormalSeverityminorReproducibilitysometimes
StatusresolvedResolutionfixed 
PlatformOSOS Version
Product Version0.31.03 
Target VersionFixed in Version0.34.09 
Summary0001376: Presence of saltwater marsh causes mountain brooks/pools to become salty
DescriptionI have a fortess on a 4x4 map with a brook that descends from a mountain terrian in a series of waterfalls. There is an aquifer. The level of the aquifer is slightly below the level of the brook at it enters the map, and well above the level where it exits the map. There are murky pools at various levels on the map. All of these water sources are saltwater. There is no coastal water on the map and the wildlife for the past seven years has been mountain goats and hoary marmots. There was no notification of saltwater at embark, and to my best recollection, no ocean was nearby the site. It was just a site on a brook, split between rock and forest.

I generated a small world and emarked on a similar site with a throw-away party. The water there was freshwater. Obviously this does not happen all the time.
Steps To Reproduce
Additional InformationMay be related to http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=738, [^] where saltwater crocodiles were found far inland. The fortress is the same one I've been playing for the past week or so, and has been uploaded for another bug.
TagsIntentional/Expected?
Relationships
related to 0002724resolved Logical2u saltwater crocodiles EVERYWHERE 
related to 0005232resolved Toady One Streams/brooks/rivers getting turned stagnant by nearby pools/ponds 
has duplicate 0004281resolved Footkerchief Oceanside embark sites contain only saltwater pools regardless of elevation 
Attached Files
Issue History
Date ModifiedUsernameFieldChange
2010-04-20 17:54slinkNew Issue
2010-04-20 17:57Logical2uNote Added: 0004393
2010-04-20 17:58Logical2uNote Edited: 0004393bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=0004393#r1486
2010-04-20 18:09FootkerchiefNote Added: 0004394
2010-04-20 18:09FootkerchiefIssue Monitored: Footkerchief
2010-04-21 05:54slinkNote Added: 0004431
2010-04-21 06:05slinkNote Edited: 0004431bug_revision_view_page.php?bugnote_id=0004431#r1512
2010-04-21 06:11WolfenNote Added: 0004434
2010-04-25 15:54MyxineNote Added: 0005049
2010-10-28 07:36Malibu StaceyNote Added: 0013538
2010-11-24 11:33FootkerchiefTag Attached: Intentional/Expected?
2010-11-24 11:33FootkerchiefRelationship addedrelated to 0002724
2011-03-02 17:41lando242Note Added: 0015689
2011-03-15 11:01FootkerchiefSummarySaltwater Murky Pools and Brooks Occurring Even in Some Mountain Terrain => Presence of saltwater marsh causes mountain brooks to become salty
2011-03-15 13:16danarisNote Added: 0016281
2011-03-16 18:01Malibu StaceyNote Added: 0016307
2011-03-16 18:01Malibu StaceyIssue Monitored: Malibu Stacey
2011-03-21 07:13FootkerchiefSummaryPresence of saltwater marsh causes mountain brooks to become salty => Presence of saltwater marsh causes mountain brooks/ools to become salty
2011-03-21 07:14FootkerchiefRelationship addedhas duplicate 0004281
2011-03-21 07:38FootkerchiefSummaryPresence of saltwater marsh causes mountain brooks/ools to become salty => Presence of saltwater marsh causes mountain brooks/pools to become salty
2012-02-26 11:50BuglistIssue Monitored: Buglist
2012-02-26 11:50BuglistNote Added: 0020755
2012-02-26 11:54FootkerchiefRelationship addedrelated to 0005232
2012-04-05 13:27Hieronymous AlloyIssue Monitored: Hieronymous Alloy
2012-05-16 04:05Toady OneStatusnew => resolved
2012-05-16 04:05Toady OneFixed in Version => Next Version
2012-05-16 04:05Toady OneResolutionopen => fixed
2012-05-16 04:05Toady OneAssigned To => Toady One
2012-05-16 13:08BuglistIssue End Monitor: Buglist
2012-07-05 06:49Malibu StaceyIssue End Monitor: Malibu Stacey

Notes
(0004393)
Logical2u   
2010-04-20 17:57   
(edited on: 2010-04-20 17:58)
Might have been a salt-water marsh, and there is some... oddness with salt water - apparently dwarves will drink it in this version, but get a bad thought for contaminants. Might have resulted in the warning being pulled.

Edit: Copy your save for that fort, abandon a copy of the save, then check if it was a salt water marsh using the Reclaim function.
(0004394)
Footkerchief   
2010-04-20 18:09   
^^^ Also, while you're doing the reclaim thing, it would be helpful to grab a screenshot of the embark area and post it along the with the world params (which you can export from Legends).
(0004431)
slink   
2010-04-21 05:54   
(edited on: 2010-04-21 06:05)
The Dwarves were not drinking it when the time came to use water as a beverage, which is what tipped me off to it being saltwater. I have plenty of booze for them.

Yes, I see now that part of the embark was called saltwater swamp, even though it was "Heavily Forested". It was closer to a sea than I remembered although there was no coastline on the 16x16 area from which I chose the embark. The embark was, however, also mountainous on one half. Should a brook coming down from mountains really be saltwater? How does saltwater rise through several waterfalls?

I think at least there should be a warning before embark.

http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=2150 [^] is the fortress. From that you can see the terrain in question.
(0004434)
Wolfen   
2010-04-21 06:11   
I think you've just solved my little mystery from http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=953. [^] Thanks. :)
(0005049)
Myxine   
2010-04-25 15:54   
Once in fortress mode all the water is contaminated by salt, even rainwater, as long as you've got a saltwater source anywhere.
You don't need to have an ocean tile in your embark area to get a saltwater source. I'm not sure how far inland the salt actually goes, it's based on factors other than distance.
I originally suspected aquifers, but after running a few tests that's not it. Seems to be tied to biomes for some reason. If the biome touches a coastline it'll remain salty even several world-map tiles away from the ocean, and systematically contaminate the other biomes in fortress mode. A biome has to be in contact with an ocean tile on the local map to be salty. I have no idea what factors determine where a saltwater swamp ends and a freshwater swamp begins though. (Embarking on a site with both a freshwater swamp and a saltwater swamp gives you only saltwater, by the way.)

However, I always get a saltwater warning on a salty biome, regardless of brooks, rivers, aquifers, freshwater biomes or anything else.
(0013538)
Malibu Stacey   
2010-10-28 07:36   
This is a pretty major bug. The only work around is not to embark on a biome which has a single tile touching saltwater unless you want to put a load of work into creating a desalination plant (screw pump plus fully constructed reservoir).
You do however get the salt water warning when you try to embark so it's possible to work around but it makes large swathes of generated worlds almost unusable.
(0015689)
lando242   
2011-03-02 17:41   
Water pulled from a well is drinkable even if its from a saltwater source. So all you need is a rope, a bucket and a block and you're good to go.
(0016281)
danaris   
2011-03-15 13:16   
I guess the question, then, is: once you have a well, and thus force the dwarves to drink it, does salt water act like fresh water in every possible instance?
(0016307)
Malibu Stacey   
2011-03-16 18:01   
danaris other than giving dwarves bad thoughts from drinking "water laced with salt", I haven't seen any other effects which differ from fresh water.
(0020755)
Buglist   
2012-02-26 11:50   
related 0005232