Bay 12 Games Forum

Dwarf Fortress => DF Gameplay Questions => Topic started by: celestial_okami on March 20, 2008, 07:38:00 pm

Title: Siege operators wont fire
Post by: celestial_okami on March 20, 2008, 07:38:00 pm

I have a small party of goblins who sprung an ambush but didn't really manage to kill anyone so now they are just hanging outside of my fortress.  They are standing right infront of a fortification with a Ballista and a Catapult behind it.  The Catapult is set to 'Fire At Will' and is facing the down, where the goblins are, the ballista is not in use (I don't have many ballista bolts and I am low on wood).  However, each time my Siege Operator goes to fire it, I get the message "(name) cancels Fire Catapult: Interrupted by Goblin hammerman" and then generally start milling about in a panic, currently they have migrated down and back up a Z level to the farm fields (connected via underground) just to mill around in a useless clump there.

Is there something I am doing wrong?  When they are made military they still won't fire the catapults.  Do I just need to extend my fortifications so the merest hint of goblins doesn't put them in a panic?

Title: Re: Siege operators wont fire
Post by: Derakon on March 20, 2008, 08:16:00 pm

That's the problem with siege weapons - they're fired exclusively by civilians, and civilians will stop what they're doing any time they see a remotely hostile creature. You might have better luck if there's more distance between the goblins and the siege weapons; I think, though I've not checked, that the dwarven "fright radius" is less than the range of the weaponry.

Title: Re: Siege operators wont fire
Post by: Untelligent on March 20, 2008, 09:20:00 pm

Yeah, if you move your siege engines back a bit more, you should be able to use them.

Title: Re: Siege operators wont fire
Post by: Footkerchief on March 21, 2008, 12:30:00 am

There's already something on the development page saying that enemies with melee weapons should stop scaring operators through fortifications.