Grate

2019-05-18T05:41:18Z

Orangh: Made the bars/grates differences section more organized

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{{Quality|Fine}}
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{{furniture|name=Grate
|tile=#
|wood=y
|stone=y
|metal=y
|glass=y
}}

A '''grate''' is a [[furniture]]-type item. It is used as a construction material for wall grates and floor grates. Grates can be constructed from [[stone]] or [[ore]] (with the [[masonry]] [[labor]] at a [[mason's workshop]]), wood (with the [[carpentry]] labor in a [[carpenter's workshop]]), [[Metal|metal bar]]s (with the [[blacksmithing]] labor at a [[forge]]), or [[glass]] (with the [[glassmaking]] labor at a [[glass furnace]]).

== Wall grate ==
A '''wall grate''' is basically a [[fortification]], but with two differences:
* It is a [[building]] instead of a [[construction]]. It doesn't overwrite the tile below it, and it can be smashed by [[building destroyer]]s.
* It can be linked to a [[lever]] or [[pressure plate]]. Once linked, it works like a linked [[door]] which doesn't stop fluids, [[arrow]]s or [[Miasma]] when closed.
Wall grates act as boundaries for rooms being resized, but they do not provide support for doors.
Unlike a constructed wall, the grate has some quality level and can be decorated.

== Floor grate ==
A '''floor grate''' is similar to a floor or a closed [[floor hatch]] in that it can be walked upon and blocks [[creature]] and item movement between Z-levels. However, it lets [[water]] and [[magma]] through like an open tile. Floor grates block projectiles, unlike wall grates. They do not block line of sight. Floor grates can be linked to a [[lever]] or a [[pressure plate]]. When triggered, a floor grate opens like a hatch, but with a 100-tick delay.

Floor grates must be attached [[orthogonal]]ly (i.e. not diagonally) to firm ground or some solid construction (a [[wall]], [[floor]], etc.), not (just) other grates. Floor grates placed directly on top of a floor or [[stairs|staircase]] still require orthogonal support, even though their own tile should be able to provide support. Attempting to construct a floor grate supported only by its own tile will display the message "Surrounded by empty space". Removing the orthogonal support from a constructed floor grate will cause it to harmlessly deconstruct.

A floor grate does NOT count as solid construction. It will not support any buildings or constructions. However, you can designate a construction to be built orthogonally to it with no other supports. This will cause the construction to [[cave-in]] immediately after being completed. This can be useful for controlled cave-ins.

[[Stockpile]]s cannot be placed over floor grates.

Like [[bridge]]s and [[floor hatch]]es, floor grates will mark areas beneath them as being "inside", even if they are retracted.

If a floor grate is placed right on top of a [[soil]] floor or [[mud]]dy floor it will prevent [[grass]], [[shrub]]s and [[tree|saplings]] from growing.

Floor grates do not block [[fishing]] or taking water directly from a [[activity zone#Water_Source|water source]], nor do they block collecting [[sand]] or [[clay]], though they do prevent [[well]]s from working if between the well and the water.

Floor grates over empty space block [[miasma]] from rising through them (miasma will normally flow upward through empty space).

== Bars vs. grates ==
Vertical/horizontal [[bars]] are largely identical to wall/floor grates. There are just a few notable differences between them:

* Grates are finished goods (which must be produced from raw materials) and have [[quality]] levels (and thus boost your fortress's architecture value significantly), while bars are simply raw materials that can be thrown into place at a moment's notice and then deconstructed later should they be needed later for other jobs.

* Building destroyers will topple bars, destroying them in seconds compared to minutes with grates.

* Grates can be made from wood and stone, both of which are generally much more plentiful than the materials for bars.

== Notes ==
* If you wish to remove a floor piece that is linked to a grate, make sure that the dwarf that carries out the job does not stand on the grate, or remove all grates first. The grate will not be supported, and fall (with your uncareful dwarf on it), and you will experience the famous idiom: "It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end."
* On a similar note, be cautious when removing a large number of grates next to each other, as a dwarf trying to remove a grate ''will'' stand on one his neighbor is about to yank out from under his feet. This can be largely avoided by removing them in batches of alternating grates (IE: Grates 1, 3, 5 then 2, 4, 6, etc...)
* Floor grates can be used in watchtowers: place a locked-in animal on top of them, and let them observe possible intruders from above. Since no alternative route to the watcher exists, building destroyers cannot destroy the grate. Getting the animal in place can be tricky, if the floor is all grates - pitting is an option. Bonus points for combining this with an automated magma release valve.

== Bugs ==

* Creatures and dwarves pushed by water flow can be pushed through wall grates. {{Bug|5458}}

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