Hmm? does digging just into sand or soil not work any more? That is what I use to do early game for the first winter. I am hoping that the farm fields now need to be flooded semi regularly to keep working. The flood once and work forever principle I never much cared for.
Why don't you just make a short term farm and bucket brigade it until your main waterworks is running?
That or 2 pump, a intermediate cistern, and dwarf power (or windmills as it sounds above ground)
I just hope he did something about the 2 things that drive me the most nuts in the old version, ****ing mud, and ****ing tower caps growing under my water floodgates and blocking them off.
The game always picking the one dwarf early on for a mood where I don't have a workshop for, and then demands all kinds of stuff I do not have and can't easily get is my other major source of irritation.
I have almost gotten use to their mindless stupidity and utter inefficiency though
Anyhow, I assume we need to generate new worlds for the new version right? Not going to like that one bit, took me forever to find good sites on the map I usually play with. But my sources of "fun" usually involve carefully designing and building an impregnable fortress that can survive forever while locked down, has every possible feature and comfort, and can easily deal with any invasion force.
For example my current 40d fort has a massive 3 story entryway fort (like ~30x50 tiles) that floods by back pressured pumps to drown all invaders, and if they can swim. I have 4 max quality ballistas in a offset row behind fortifications covering the 4 tile wide passage to perforate those who won't drown. Plus archers can occupy the walls in the flood area to pick off swimmers. my "secret" entrance is designed to look like a lake that drains, it is also similarly guarded.