Dig your own well

[Vindhler 5]

When the base building is flushed out more and you have the right tools I think a good end game kind of thing for long term bases you should be able to dig your own well   

[Baker. 1484]

When the base building is flushed out more and you have the right tools I think a good end game kind of thing for long term bases you should be able to dig your own well   

How would we accomplish this? What is the mechanic?

[MrAerospace 87]

That is a bit wishful. It takes a hell of a lot of effort to make a well and it ain't gonna happen with a shovel. You could have a mechanic to dig a hole beside a freshwater source however. Could make a good opportunity to avoid contaminated water.

[boneboys 7988]

How would we accomplish this? What is the mechanic?

Shovel & a pick would be a good start, water levels vary depending on location (60cm's where I live).

I like the idea.

[Syphonz 64]

I could see something like a rain trap, setting up a tarp (or oil barrels, wink wink), to get water.

 

 

Wells, maybe in the lowlying areas..but in the mountains? Not so much.

[Baker. 1484]

Shovel & a pick would be a good start, water levels vary depending on location (60cm's where I live).

I like the idea.

I was googling this after i posted and found all sorts of clever ways to drill your own well

 

http://www.drillyourownwell.com/PVC_Drillbit.htm

[therandomredstone 432]

I'm gonna have to say no to wells.

 

But maybe in certain areas around streams, marshy areas you could get a shovel and dig to get some yummy mud water and a couple worms.

 

Or like, you could dig a hole and when it rains the hole is filled with nice yummy rain water.

 

or even better, you could set your canteen/waterbottles up straight and let them fill up when it rains.

 

Fun thoughts.

[yazar8 584]

In real life, you can't find water everywhere though.

[tobias winfro 305]

A lot would depend on the water table for the area. What about digging irrigation channels? Or aqueducts? I know that's a bit of a stretch for aquaducts but like MrAerospace said contamination could be a factor. Right now I would be happy with a rain tarp and some empty water bottles to make a rainwater collection unit

[Whyherro123 2283]

A hand-powered pump well (which is the type we see in-game, at every "fountain" across the map"), will generally only lift water about 22 feet above sea level, according to this source. (http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/how-to-dig-a-well-zmaz70jazgoe.aspx?PageId=2) That means that the water table in South Zagoria isn't going to be that deep underground (make sense, considering the majority of the terrain in South Zagoria is coastal floodplain.) The same hand-powered wells being found on top of mountains just means that the developers didn't think about it very much.

 

The above method, posted by Baker, would be perfectly sufficient in "building your own well".  I'd rather take the time and effort to sink a pipe into the water table than try to rely on rainstorms or dew to collect in a collector, or make daily water runs to the stream at the bottom of the hill (and get sniped). Having a reliable (and large) supply of water is the critical requirement of building any fortification. You could build an awesome wall, with flanking towers that cover 360 degrees, but if you don't have water inside, the first siege will lead to your destruction.

 

As much as a feel like a hypocrite for saying this, Day Z is ultimately just a game, and we shouldn't need a real life structural engineering degree in order to dig a hole. The fact that there are hand-pumps on the top of 300+ meter tall mountains means the whole "water table" thing isn't exactly a big issue. Give us wells, sure, but make us have to treat the water before we drink it. Boom, balanced.