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Dwarf Fortress => DF Dwarf Mode Discussion => Topic started by: Badfuzzy on January 29, 2008, 08:19:00 am

Title: Cage Question
Post by: Badfuzzy on January 29, 2008, 08:19:00 am
How do you move a cage after it catches something?  I can't seem to find this option anywhere, and I want to set up an arena.
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Dame de la Licorne on January 29, 2008, 08:39:00 am
You have to 'b'uild the cage, from the build menu.
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Badfuzzy on January 29, 2008, 01:31:00 pm
Thanks
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: aha on January 29, 2008, 09:49:00 pm
Is it possible to catch a dragon with a cage trap? What material should I use? I presume that wood wouldn't cut the mustard and even ordinary iron would be melted.
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Risim on January 29, 2008, 09:51:00 pm
any kind will work at this point, things don't try to escape
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Fenrir on January 29, 2008, 10:08:00 pm
quote:
Originally posted by Risim:
<STRONG>any kind will work at this point, things don't try to escape</STRONG>

...except vermin.
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Dame de la Licorne on January 29, 2008, 10:12:00 pm
And you can catch dragons with wooden cages...go figure.
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Night Stalker on January 29, 2008, 10:21:00 pm
How do you let an animal or monster out of a cage?
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: n9103 on January 30, 2008, 12:27:00 am
unassign the creature, or alternatively (and safer) hook it up to a lever and use the lever.
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Hyperturtle on January 30, 2008, 12:39:00 am
I had the problem just the other day, where a Titan attacked and was encaged.

I had the cage moved to my Goblin Zoo, and decided to set up some flood gates to block the entrance and eventually open the cage doors and see if they'd fight, maybe throw in a few soldiers to get experience.

For whatever reason, my proficient animal caretaker decided to lug the Titan a few Z levels up to a main hallway, and then managed to transfer the creature into an Artifact Cage I had.  

In moving the cage back, the Titan Escaped!  And he beat the snot out of the countess, the animal caretaker (who died soon after when everyone ignored him; the countess was dropped into a tiny bedroom instead of her regular bedroom).  War dogs descended on him in a tight corner, and a wrestler finally took him down.

(Titan's give 100 bolts, at least mine did, not bad!)

So I am wondering if they decided it would be great to show off this prized megabeast in an artifact cage?  It sure caused chaos.  

Of course, at this time, the human and elven dignitaries showed up and sat next to comatose countess for a long time before leaving disappointed.  She finally woke up and was miserable, dehydrated, and starving, and dragged herself to the dining hall.  While she was unconcious her baby drowned somehow, and I never got around to building the consort's bedroom, so he was tantruming.

At the dining hall, she died of starvation.  Within 30 seconds a migrant wave came in and I got a new count and count consort.  What a pain!

Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Kagus on January 30, 2008, 12:44:00 am
quote:
Originally posted by Hyperturtle:
<STRONG>I got a new count and count consort.  What a pain!</STRONG>

There's something inherently wrong with this statement.  Clothes are one thing, but this...

Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Night Stalker on January 30, 2008, 02:03:00 pm
quote:
Originally posted by n9103:
<STRONG>unassign the creature, or alternatively (and safer) hook it up to a lever and use the lever.</STRONG>

How do you unassign a creature?

Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Crafty Barnardo on January 30, 2008, 02:14:00 pm
You have to build the cage first.  Find a spot, then hit then [j] then
  • .  From the list of cages, choose the one that has the animal that you want to release.  Once the cage is built (a hauler has to bring it to the spot) query the cage with [q] then hit [a].  The animal in the cage will appear in the list with a '+' by it's name.  Hit [enter] to unassign it.  Then a dwarf will come along and let the animal out.
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Night Stalker on January 30, 2008, 02:43:00 pm
There's no way to free the poor doggie while he's sitting in the animal stockpile?  I have to have someone lug him somewhere else first before I send someone else to release him?
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Scorpios on January 30, 2008, 08:21:00 pm
quote:
Originally posted by Night Stalker:
<STRONG>There's no way to free the poor doggie while he's sitting in the animal stockpile?  I have to have someone lug him somewhere else first before I send someone else to release him?</STRONG>

So build it right in front of the stockpile?

Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Pickerel on May 01, 2008, 07:55:00 pm
I am having, it seems, and have for quite some time, cage trouble.  Whether built or unbuilt, my dwarves just will not let vermin out of their cages!  And they will not reuse cages in which vermin reside.  This is tying up many cages.  I could just sell the cages, or I could go through the trouble of building and linking them, but with all other creatures it's just unassign.  If I unassign, I get 'canceled task' messages pertaining to the vermin, and the vermin will never be able to be asigned to a different cage.

Does anyone know a simple solution, or will I indeed have to waste the mechanisms linking cages to ever use them again?

Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Crafty Barnardo on May 01, 2008, 08:10:00 pm
One way to avoid this problem is not to train vermin.  If they are untamed, they will escape if you try to move them.  

Also, you don't lose a mechanism if you link it to a cage, I think.  But even if you do, mechanisms are easy to make.

Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Kagus on May 01, 2008, 11:42:00 pm
Vermin creatures must remain in either a cage (no limit to how many get stuffed in there, however) or an animal trap (one each).  I haven't tried building, linking and "activating" a cage with vermin inside it, but you could always try to give the thing up for adoption.

There are certain vermin creatures that can be butchered, and I think they'll probably bring the cage they're in along for that (provided it's just sitting in a stockpile).  However, the only ones that I know of are purring maggots, whcih you'll want to keep alive in most cases.

Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: Quiller on May 02, 2008, 05:26:00 pm
I've setup a masterwork cage with a Titan in it as a conversation piece.  I designated a small room around it, and the dwarves sometimes have parties at the Titan cage.  I've seen it show up in happiness stats, and since you can't tame Titans in unmodded DF, it seems the best use of it.
Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: tp12 on May 03, 2008, 01:01:00 pm
quote:
Originally posted by Crafty Barnardo:
<STRONG>One way to avoid this problem is not to train vermin.  If they are untamed, they will escape if you try to move them.  

Also, you don't lose a mechanism if you link it to a cage, I think.  But even if you do, mechanisms are easy to make.</STRONG>


the one in the cage gets retured but the one used in the liver is lost i think. (perhaps deconstructing the liver frees all the mechanisms.)

Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: supremeMang on May 11, 2008, 12:56:00 pm
is there any way to lever operate a chain/cage to release an occupant into a pit below? without the use of a pit designation and using a dwarf?

i think it could be done using water to flush the creature off its platform onto a grate fighting surface. can grates be attached to levers?

Title: Re: Cage Question
Post by: GreyMario on May 11, 2008, 01:12:00 pm
quote:
Originally posted by tp12:
<STRONG>...retured... ...liver... ...liver...</STRONG>

Dear god, please learn how to spell.

It's returned and lever.

Also, no mechanisms are lost in any lever operation. All mechanisms are recoverable, you just have to relink the cage when the lever is pulled.