Minecart Tracks on Ramps

[harlequin_corps]

To build Minecart Tracks on multiple consecutive ramps. On the up ramp designate a constructed/built Track, carry the designation over the down ramp. Then go back and delete the Constructed Track over the down ramp before it's built. You will only build one 1x1 track per level, (Not a 1x2) on the Upward Ramp. On the Z level it will say Upward Track (E/W/N/S) and from the Z level above it will say Downward Track (E/W/N/S).
Edit: The direction doesn't change. It's Upward Track (E) on the Z level and Downward Track (E) on the Z level above (for example)
If it says Unusable Upward/Downward track it wasn't built correctly for whatever reason. Either the ramp itself has multiple faces or the track above is carrying over into the Open Space over the Built Track.
To ensure the Ramp (Built or Dug, doesn't matter) only has one face make sure it's only breaching to the higher Z level on one face.
Edit Edit Edit: Sigh. Ramps and Channels are not fixed once they are in. (Actually a Channel IS a ramp, it's just connecting to more than 1 sides of the square above. You don't need to remove a Ramp that isn't right, just adjust the facings of the square of the Ramp. and it's connection to the floor above. The Ramp and it's configuration will adjust itself automatically as you adjust the Walls and Floors adjacent to and above the Ramp. So if a Dug Ramp/Channel doesn't look right, no worries, You don't need to remove it, the 1x1 square is just.. "Ramp" (Dug or built). Just adjust the things around it because it's not finished yet. You may have to build a wall in the square behind it though, for a Ramp to be usable it's needs a Wall to snuggle against. Otherwise it sits all sad and alone in the center of the square. Just a little 4 sided ramp.. Because it's now a Pyramid. But I digress.
Either remove the walls next to it at right angles to the breach or build walls on the z level above at 90 degrees from the connection side of the breach. (This is actually wrong, holdon I forgot a step). To make ramps work right they need to connect only on one face of the square they are in to a Floor above. To do that you want to dig not a 1x1 but a 1x2 from above. That removes the opposite face from the connecting face from being factored in. Then on the Z level of the ramp remove the walls adjacent to the sides of the ramp. That removes the other 2 sides. So the top of the ramp is only connecting to the floor above on one face, one edge of the ramp and the Ramp itself is only touching the Wall behind the Ramp, not any walls on it's sides. (you can have Ramps though, just not Walls). You can also build a wall on each side of the Open space of the Z level above the Ramp leaving the connection to the lower ramp only available on the proper face.
If the track above is carrying over the Open Space above the track, remove it and then check to see if the name/status of the track changed to Upward Track/Downward Track from Unusable Upward Track/Unusable Downward track. If that doesn't work, remove everything and rebuild it again.. I guess? The downside to that is removing the Track also removes the Ramp. So.
The whole construct doesn't look right, to be honest. It looks like the Minecart should actually fall down onto a tiny short track below, and then keep falling to the next tiny short track below that, and there is no connection to come back up again. But it works so.. there you go.
Edit Edit: You can't carve Minecart Tracks on Dug Ramps in this configuration. To carve a Dug Ramp, the carving has to start (or continue across) on a Floored Open Space adjacent to the dug Down Ramp. Since there is no Floor adjacent, because it's another Ramp, the carving of the tracks doesn't initiate. That's fine though. This method will allow you to build tracks down ramps relatively quickly because you don't have to wait for each track to be built/carved before continuing (not sure if that's a thing though.. anyway). This technique is relatively quick for dug Ramps/Minecart Tracks. Channel 2 blocks, 1 block over, mousewheel, channel 2 blocks 1 block over.. mousewheel, channel 2 blocks 1 block over.. repeat.. over and over again.. You don't have to change in the middle of the dig to go back and flatten things, then go back to the top, Dig out a 3x3, mousewheel, dig out a 3x3, mousewheel, Dig out a 3x3. repeat. Then go back and lay track, drag, click, click delete, mouse wheel. repeat, repeat.
The only real thing you have to worry about is hitting a cavern right when a rock from another dorf digging above falls down and knocks your dorf a few Z level into an undergound lake.. Or... so I've heard.. from a friend.. who.. has a dog .. that knows a guy.. that... heard about it on the radio... maybe.
Thank you for reading.

[harlequin_corps]

I am currently in the hellscape of securing the top cavern so I can continue the minecart route. Had to drain the cavern so my current FPS is very slow. But they are still building the minecart route. Currently down to -17 from 29.

[harlequin_corps]

So, carving/setting track. You need to pause the game for complicated junctions in order for it to have the right setting. For T junctions and 4 way intersections. Because the game accepts input as part of the game, if you have any game time between the clicks it considers it two seperate inputs so you don't get the right intersection that you are trying to make.

[harlequin_corps]

So.. lessons learned. You have to put ramps on either side of the track. The wiki "says" that minecart tracks have an automatic reduced traffic rate on them, but to a dorf who is trying to get somewhere, going up then over (stairs then across the map) is FAR less preferable than going both up and over up a minecart ramp.
So instead of designated a 1x2 on the channel down and building ramps to match the configuration as necessary, I'm currently continuing the build with a 3x2 channel down to put a ramp up/down on either side of the track.
It does mean I have to go back and redo the upper portions of the track line but I would rather do that than have more dorfs get thrown down (so far) 50 Z levels and smash against a wall.
Also, currently I'm using this multiple sequenced ramp system only for the up track, the down track is a more traditional carved ramp/engraved cart track up/down, then a flat floor/engraved cart track, then a T junction with a full friction track stop with the T portion going to another track stop for that particular floor, then another flat floor/engraved track to the down ramp. The eventual final build will have a loop down at the bottom with all the floors having their own individual stop then proceeding forward and back up the sequenced multiple ramps. Sigh.. So, here I am, essentially in mid game, finally getting the stone moving..