1
DF Dwarf Mode Discussion / Thief detection through windows?
« on: October 11, 2013, 08:40:02 am »
Can a dog situated behind a glass window still detect sneaking enemies? What about glass floors for enemies one Z level below them?
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2
DF Gameplay Questions / Upright Spike traps and horizontal momentum questions
« on: October 10, 2013, 08:25:06 am »
I searched the wiki and did not find any information there regarding these questions.
1. If a creature has horizontal momentum and 'collides' with a spike trap, will they be impaled? Or will them colliding with it sideways be no more deadly than them simply colliding with a normal wall?
2. If a minecart enters (or tries to enter) a tile with raised spikes while it has horizontal momentum, how do the spikes affect the minecart?
1. If a creature has horizontal momentum and 'collides' with a spike trap, will they be impaled? Or will them colliding with it sideways be no more deadly than them simply colliding with a normal wall?
2. If a minecart enters (or tries to enter) a tile with raised spikes while it has horizontal momentum, how do the spikes affect the minecart?
3
DF Suggestions / Display pedestal
« on: October 08, 2013, 12:16:37 pm »
The display pedestal would be a furniture item and could be made out of wood, stone, metal or glass. It would be treated like a statue in terms of both movement blocking, and room valuation considerations.
Once constructed, you could assign a single specific item to it in a manner similar to assigning an animal to a cage.
A hauler would then bring that item and place it on the pedestal. The pedestal's room value would then become its base value + the value of the item stored on top.
Further... you could order the display pedestal to be engraved. This would not only further enhance the value of the item...the engraving would specifically be about the item.
Thieves would be especially attracted to pedestals and if they are able to approach them, they would be able to remove the item. Tantruming dwarves would be prone to knocking items off of pedestals too. A building destroyer could destroy a pedestal and cause the stored item to fall to the ground. If 4/7 water or magma touched the pedestal, the item would be swept into the water or magma with the flow. You could also instruct your dwarves to remove items from the pedestal. Only one item could be stored at a time.
The pedestal could also be used as a sort of pressure plate. When fed a mechanism and linked to other items, it would act as a lever...sending a signal when an item was placed onto it, and sending another one when an item is removed from it...allowing for some indiana jones style traps.
Lastly, it would finally let you make use of those previously useless artifact crafts by letting them lend their value to a room by way of the pedestal. That said, anything that is not an animal or a container could be put on display. Items with titles would display their titles on the stand. Weapons with kills would display the kill list. The Pedestal would also display who made the item (if manufactured in the fort) or who was slain to win the item (If obtained from a foe).
The pedestal would count the item it contains for the purposes of checking for material preferences and generating happy thoughts.
Once constructed, you could assign a single specific item to it in a manner similar to assigning an animal to a cage.
A hauler would then bring that item and place it on the pedestal. The pedestal's room value would then become its base value + the value of the item stored on top.
Further... you could order the display pedestal to be engraved. This would not only further enhance the value of the item...the engraving would specifically be about the item.
Thieves would be especially attracted to pedestals and if they are able to approach them, they would be able to remove the item. Tantruming dwarves would be prone to knocking items off of pedestals too. A building destroyer could destroy a pedestal and cause the stored item to fall to the ground. If 4/7 water or magma touched the pedestal, the item would be swept into the water or magma with the flow. You could also instruct your dwarves to remove items from the pedestal. Only one item could be stored at a time.
The pedestal could also be used as a sort of pressure plate. When fed a mechanism and linked to other items, it would act as a lever...sending a signal when an item was placed onto it, and sending another one when an item is removed from it...allowing for some indiana jones style traps.
Lastly, it would finally let you make use of those previously useless artifact crafts by letting them lend their value to a room by way of the pedestal. That said, anything that is not an animal or a container could be put on display. Items with titles would display their titles on the stand. Weapons with kills would display the kill list. The Pedestal would also display who made the item (if manufactured in the fort) or who was slain to win the item (If obtained from a foe).
The pedestal would count the item it contains for the purposes of checking for material preferences and generating happy thoughts.
4
DF Dwarf Mode Discussion / Best way to un-stick a stuck goblin siege?
« on: October 05, 2013, 09:14:16 am »
My current fort just had its first goblin siege and I was really excited as I finally had a chance to test out my new minecart powered trap defenses.
....except it is stuck on the map edge. They aren't attacking unless one of my dwarfs wanders too near.
I don't have the raw military to just up and defeat them in the field (I don't have any weapons grade ore in my embark)
I realize this is because the leader is mounted on a giant cave swallow and his pathing bugged out. My fort is open (to encourage pathing through the trap zone).
What is the best way to unstick the siege? Is there some command in dfhack that might fix (or just delete) the leader? Will they eventually leave on their own?
....except it is stuck on the map edge. They aren't attacking unless one of my dwarfs wanders too near.
I don't have the raw military to just up and defeat them in the field (I don't have any weapons grade ore in my embark)
I realize this is because the leader is mounted on a giant cave swallow and his pathing bugged out. My fort is open (to encourage pathing through the trap zone).
What is the best way to unstick the siege? Is there some command in dfhack that might fix (or just delete) the leader? Will they eventually leave on their own?
5
DF Gameplay Questions / Any information regarding wind?
« on: October 01, 2013, 04:59:56 pm »
Dwarfwiki is surprisingly sparse with any info on wind.
All it says that a windmill can generate 0, 20 or 40 power based on your location.
Other than placing your windmills outside (which I think is a requirement) does any aspect of their placement impact their power generation? If I build a 5 z-level high tower and put one on top of it, would it possibly generate more than one sitting on the ground? If one is surrounded by walls would that impact it?
If one is on a multi-biome embark, would it be possible for one biome to have one wind level and another biome have another?
Is there any types of biomes that tend to favor wind or are more likely to have high wind levels?
All it says that a windmill can generate 0, 20 or 40 power based on your location.
Other than placing your windmills outside (which I think is a requirement) does any aspect of their placement impact their power generation? If I build a 5 z-level high tower and put one on top of it, would it possibly generate more than one sitting on the ground? If one is surrounded by walls would that impact it?
If one is on a multi-biome embark, would it be possible for one biome to have one wind level and another biome have another?
Is there any types of biomes that tend to favor wind or are more likely to have high wind levels?
6
DF Dwarf Mode Discussion / Minecarts as weapons, some questions from a minecart newbie.
« on: October 01, 2013, 12:37:26 pm »
In my current fort, I'm finding a severe lack of weapons-grade metals...thus far only finding veins of zinc and lead.
That has me thinking of alternative strategies for defenses (besides marksdwarves).
Reading on the wiki that lead minecarts are really freaking heavy and thus really deadly...I have determined that I want to use minecart based weaponry.
I have *never* worked with minecarts before, so this is all new to me. So I have some minecart newbie questions.
1. How many z-levels of a ramp would an empty lead minecart need to travel down to reach really good killing power? Can rollers be used to decrease the height needed?
2. Is there a way to tie several minecarts to a switch so all I would need to do is throw a lever and all the minecarts would speed down their ramps?
3. Would it be possible to have a melee dwarf (decked out in arms and armor) be a passenger riding one of these minecarts, letting the minecart mow down foes and come to a safe stop at the end without harming the soldier (so he can pop out and finish off any survivors?). If so, how would I command them to ride the minecart down?
4. Can a caravan travel along constructed minecart tracks? (Presumeably without deadly lead minecarts zooming down them)
5. If a Minecart is traveling at high speed and the track they are running under suddenly stops for a few squares and then resumes in the same direction, will they continue their forward movement without crashing or spilling their contents.
6. If a minecart hits a creature with a passenger inside it, will it stop and hurl the passenger out? What if it is full of materials?
7. Does the weight of carried materials impact the deadliness of a minecart for the purposes of running foes over (not for using it as a shotgun)
8. If there is debris on a minecart track (body parts, weapons/armor/corpses) will they derail a mining cart or be knocked out of the way? (or ignored)?
9. Can a dwarf guide a minecart back up a heavy incline if given enough time to push it?
10. Is it possible to put living non-dwarf passengers in carts (Cats? Captured goblins?)
That has me thinking of alternative strategies for defenses (besides marksdwarves).
Reading on the wiki that lead minecarts are really freaking heavy and thus really deadly...I have determined that I want to use minecart based weaponry.
I have *never* worked with minecarts before, so this is all new to me. So I have some minecart newbie questions.
1. How many z-levels of a ramp would an empty lead minecart need to travel down to reach really good killing power? Can rollers be used to decrease the height needed?
2. Is there a way to tie several minecarts to a switch so all I would need to do is throw a lever and all the minecarts would speed down their ramps?
3. Would it be possible to have a melee dwarf (decked out in arms and armor) be a passenger riding one of these minecarts, letting the minecart mow down foes and come to a safe stop at the end without harming the soldier (so he can pop out and finish off any survivors?). If so, how would I command them to ride the minecart down?
4. Can a caravan travel along constructed minecart tracks? (Presumeably without deadly lead minecarts zooming down them)
5. If a Minecart is traveling at high speed and the track they are running under suddenly stops for a few squares and then resumes in the same direction, will they continue their forward movement without crashing or spilling their contents.
6. If a minecart hits a creature with a passenger inside it, will it stop and hurl the passenger out? What if it is full of materials?
7. Does the weight of carried materials impact the deadliness of a minecart for the purposes of running foes over (not for using it as a shotgun)
8. If there is debris on a minecart track (body parts, weapons/armor/corpses) will they derail a mining cart or be knocked out of the way? (or ignored)?
9. Can a dwarf guide a minecart back up a heavy incline if given enough time to push it?
10. Is it possible to put living non-dwarf passengers in carts (Cats? Captured goblins?)
7
DF Dwarf Mode Discussion / Squad not using helmets
« on: September 27, 2013, 11:26:02 am »
So I make a squad of dwarves and make a new uniform. The uniform contains only three items: Bronze Helmets, Shields and a Pick. The 5 dwarves in question are already miners but I have a backup stockpile of 5 more picks just in case the civilian/military item bug hits.
I have a room defined as a barracks with an armor stand and weapons stand in it. I have a stockpile that has 5 spare picks, 5 wooden shields and 5 bronze helmets. (The squad is exactly 5 dwarfs strong)
I activate the squad and station them in their barracks. They all pick up a shield, but none of them pick up a helmet. I change my uniform to say "Helmets" rather than "Bronze Helmets" but that doesn't help. I toggle the 'replace clothing' option but that doesn't work either.
When I stand the squad down, they put their shields back and return to their mining jobs.
Why aren't they wearing their helmets? They are in the same room and same stockpile as the shields, and I have no other helmets in the fortress.
Also: Is there any way to make them keep their helmets/shields on after I stand them down?
I have a room defined as a barracks with an armor stand and weapons stand in it. I have a stockpile that has 5 spare picks, 5 wooden shields and 5 bronze helmets. (The squad is exactly 5 dwarfs strong)
I activate the squad and station them in their barracks. They all pick up a shield, but none of them pick up a helmet. I change my uniform to say "Helmets" rather than "Bronze Helmets" but that doesn't help. I toggle the 'replace clothing' option but that doesn't work either.
When I stand the squad down, they put their shields back and return to their mining jobs.
Why aren't they wearing their helmets? They are in the same room and same stockpile as the shields, and I have no other helmets in the fortress.
Also: Is there any way to make them keep their helmets/shields on after I stand them down?
8
DF Community Games & Stories / Imgur Let's Play: Pinestar, the Joy of Cheese
« on: September 27, 2013, 10:53:01 am »
I have started an imgur let's play on reddit and figure I'd post it here as well.
My self-imposed overseer mandates for this fort:
1. All dwarves, be them kings or peasants, will always have access to cheese. It is as vital to life as booze.
2. The fortress will not employ an engraver until one who likes cheese is found so that the appropriate decorations will adorn the floors and walls of the fort.
3. They say variety is the spice of life. Well cheese is life. Thus variety is the spice of cheese. So for the life of me we will have a variety of spicy cheeses.
4. Happiness is the primary goal of the fort. Wealth, prestige, military power and reputation shall not come before happiness.
5. Diversity in industry is more important than raw wealth created by hyper-focusing on a few easier industries. I will seek to establish a working flow of goods for every possible industry, even if some have more limited benefits compared to the work they require.
6. Whenever possible, new migrants will be assigned jobs based on at least one of their pre-existing skills or preferences. The fort's economy and military will grow organically based on the skills of those who come.
7. Children are to be cared for and protected.
8. Cats are as expendable as the vermin they hunt. They are to be treated as a source of food, materials and experimental test subjects when appropriate.
For those of you wondering what the constant reference to the "MMMM" squad is, refer to this post. http://redd.it/1mykrn
Episode 0: Intro http://redd.it/1n6932
Episode 1: Those Dikes, they be speechless http://redd.it/1n8toe
My self-imposed overseer mandates for this fort:
1. All dwarves, be them kings or peasants, will always have access to cheese. It is as vital to life as booze.
2. The fortress will not employ an engraver until one who likes cheese is found so that the appropriate decorations will adorn the floors and walls of the fort.
3. They say variety is the spice of life. Well cheese is life. Thus variety is the spice of cheese. So for the life of me we will have a variety of spicy cheeses.
4. Happiness is the primary goal of the fort. Wealth, prestige, military power and reputation shall not come before happiness.
5. Diversity in industry is more important than raw wealth created by hyper-focusing on a few easier industries. I will seek to establish a working flow of goods for every possible industry, even if some have more limited benefits compared to the work they require.
6. Whenever possible, new migrants will be assigned jobs based on at least one of their pre-existing skills or preferences. The fort's economy and military will grow organically based on the skills of those who come.
7. Children are to be cared for and protected.
8. Cats are as expendable as the vermin they hunt. They are to be treated as a source of food, materials and experimental test subjects when appropriate.
For those of you wondering what the constant reference to the "MMMM" squad is, refer to this post. http://redd.it/1mykrn
Episode 0: Intro http://redd.it/1n6932
Episode 1: Those Dikes, they be speechless http://redd.it/1n8toe
9
DF Dwarf Mode Discussion / Looking for feedback on defense concept: Release the Hounds
« on: September 25, 2013, 02:29:44 pm »
The idea is this: Breed lots of dogs, have a dedicated animal trainer make them all war dogs.
At the far edge of my fort's entrance, channel a single tile down (leaving the ramp) and dig a single tile out back one space. Build a cage, fill it with war dogs, build a hatch over the 1x1 tile ramp.
Connect the cage and the hatch to a lever. Pulling the lever will open the hatch and deconstruct the cage, freeing all the dogs.
The idea is to use it for two purposes:
1. When a thief is wandering away from my fort outside of my archer's effective range, releasing the dogs to take them down.
2. During a siege, after sending in my melee squad, releasing the dogs to attack the invaders from behind, and/or attack the ranged attackers.
I have a few questions:
1. Can a building destroyer smash open the hatch and/or cage?
2. Will the caged dogs impact an invasion's target selection even if the dogs can't be seen?
3. Do the dogs get a bonus for attacking/charging foes from behind?
3.1 Will a ranged attacker be rendered seriously less threatening if forced into melee with dogs?
3.2 How close would this burst of dogs need to be to auto-engage in the fight if they are not assigned to any of the military dwarves?
4. If I have a LOT of dogs all piled into one cage and thus one tile, will that cause problems with them getting out fast enough to be effective? Would a 1 cage-per-dog setup be more effective?
5. Does an animal trainer bond with every single animal they train? If so, how do you keep them sane in the event that my dog swarm takes heavy losses?
6. How long does it take to train a single dog/puppy into a war dog?
At the far edge of my fort's entrance, channel a single tile down (leaving the ramp) and dig a single tile out back one space. Build a cage, fill it with war dogs, build a hatch over the 1x1 tile ramp.
Connect the cage and the hatch to a lever. Pulling the lever will open the hatch and deconstruct the cage, freeing all the dogs.
The idea is to use it for two purposes:
1. When a thief is wandering away from my fort outside of my archer's effective range, releasing the dogs to take them down.
2. During a siege, after sending in my melee squad, releasing the dogs to attack the invaders from behind, and/or attack the ranged attackers.
I have a few questions:
1. Can a building destroyer smash open the hatch and/or cage?
2. Will the caged dogs impact an invasion's target selection even if the dogs can't be seen?
3. Do the dogs get a bonus for attacking/charging foes from behind?
3.1 Will a ranged attacker be rendered seriously less threatening if forced into melee with dogs?
3.2 How close would this burst of dogs need to be to auto-engage in the fight if they are not assigned to any of the military dwarves?
4. If I have a LOT of dogs all piled into one cage and thus one tile, will that cause problems with them getting out fast enough to be effective? Would a 1 cage-per-dog setup be more effective?
5. Does an animal trainer bond with every single animal they train? If so, how do you keep them sane in the event that my dog swarm takes heavy losses?
6. How long does it take to train a single dog/puppy into a war dog?
10
DF Gameplay Questions / Marksdwarf vs Forgotten Beast with a fortification.
« on: September 25, 2013, 09:52:01 am »
According to the wiki, only elite crossbowmen/bowmen etc can shoot through a fortification when they are not standing adjacent to it.
How does this translate to Forgotten Beasts with ranged attacks? (Fireballs, breath weapons, web shooting etc)
Say I have a setup like this:
F=Fortification
B=Forgotten Beast
~=Floor 1 z-level lower than the surrounding fortifications
M=Marksdwarf
FFFFFFFFFF
F~~~~~~F
F~~~~~~F
F~~~B~~FM
FFFFFFFFFF
Assuming the FB cannot fly, it has no way of being "adjacent" to the fortification. Can it still launch its ranged attacks at the Marksdwarf? Or will the fortification rule prevent it from using ranged attacks allowing the marksdwarf to get free shots at it?
How does this translate to Forgotten Beasts with ranged attacks? (Fireballs, breath weapons, web shooting etc)
Say I have a setup like this:
F=Fortification
B=Forgotten Beast
~=Floor 1 z-level lower than the surrounding fortifications
M=Marksdwarf
FFFFFFFFFF
F~~~~~~F
F~~~~~~F
F~~~B~~FM
FFFFFFFFFF
Assuming the FB cannot fly, it has no way of being "adjacent" to the fortification. Can it still launch its ranged attacks at the Marksdwarf? Or will the fortification rule prevent it from using ranged attacks allowing the marksdwarf to get free shots at it?
11
DF Suggestions / Independence and a home grown king.
« on: September 24, 2013, 09:22:53 am »
When you reach the threshold previously required to attract the king of your civilization, a new option would happen.
You make a choice: Either accept the king into your fortress and remain part of your civiliation (Same functionality as it exists now) OR declare independence and raise your own noble up to king status, making your fort a brand new dwarven nation.
If you choose the 'independence' route, your old civiliation would temporarily become hostile to you. After a period of a year or two, they would send a single very well armed very well armored siege against you. Their goal is not the destruction of your fortress but the death of your primary noble. Loyalty cascades would be avoided because your dwarves would be a different civilization at this point, and thus it wouldn't be seen as 'attacking your own'.
The dwarven king would be part of the attacking siege. The siege immediately ends the moment either your noble dies or the dwarven king dies.
If your noble dies, the siege is called off and all the dwarven troops leave and your fotress is returned to ownership by your parent civ. However, you still lose the dwarves as a trading partner.
If the king dies, the siege retreats and you are declared victorious. The dwarven civilization will get a new king and be no longer 'hostile' to you. Meanwhile, your noble is promoted to the level of king. In this case, you WOULD be able to trade with your former dwarven parent civ even once you reach king status.
If you happen to have embarked belonging to a completely dead civ, no independence war would be needed. Your noble would instantly be crowned king and your civilization would no longer be seen as dead. The same would happen if you found your fort on an island with no other connections to other dwarven civs.
As the king of an independent nation, you would have the option of sending 7-dwarf expedition forces out to found new forts. You would have to provide the dwarves and give them equipment and supplies. Their success would depend on how well trained they are and the nature of their starting equipment. Forts that are successfully established would become new trading partners and gain access to materials and goods depending on the location of the area they colonized.
You make a choice: Either accept the king into your fortress and remain part of your civiliation (Same functionality as it exists now) OR declare independence and raise your own noble up to king status, making your fort a brand new dwarven nation.
If you choose the 'independence' route, your old civiliation would temporarily become hostile to you. After a period of a year or two, they would send a single very well armed very well armored siege against you. Their goal is not the destruction of your fortress but the death of your primary noble. Loyalty cascades would be avoided because your dwarves would be a different civilization at this point, and thus it wouldn't be seen as 'attacking your own'.
The dwarven king would be part of the attacking siege. The siege immediately ends the moment either your noble dies or the dwarven king dies.
If your noble dies, the siege is called off and all the dwarven troops leave and your fotress is returned to ownership by your parent civ. However, you still lose the dwarves as a trading partner.
If the king dies, the siege retreats and you are declared victorious. The dwarven civilization will get a new king and be no longer 'hostile' to you. Meanwhile, your noble is promoted to the level of king. In this case, you WOULD be able to trade with your former dwarven parent civ even once you reach king status.
If you happen to have embarked belonging to a completely dead civ, no independence war would be needed. Your noble would instantly be crowned king and your civilization would no longer be seen as dead. The same would happen if you found your fort on an island with no other connections to other dwarven civs.
As the king of an independent nation, you would have the option of sending 7-dwarf expedition forces out to found new forts. You would have to provide the dwarves and give them equipment and supplies. Their success would depend on how well trained they are and the nature of their starting equipment. Forts that are successfully established would become new trading partners and gain access to materials and goods depending on the location of the area they colonized.
12
DF Dwarf Mode Discussion / Some random questions about material preferences, decorations and happy thoughts
« on: September 20, 2013, 11:14:36 am »
I'm planning on making a project for myself but need some baseline things cleared up to help me plan accordingly.
1. If a dwarf likes a specific material, will they get a material happy thought from seeing a piece of furniture decorated with that material, even if it isn't that furniture's base material? (IE a moonstone loving dwarf sees a limestone statue encrusted with moonstones...do they get a happy thought?)
2. If Yes to #1 If a dwarf likes a particular animal, will seeing a piece of furniture decorated with their bones/shells generate a similar happy thought? (IE Would a Limestone statue decorated with cow bones appeal to a dwarf who likes cows?)
3. Will a dwarf going on break or attending a party at a statue garden get their material preference happy thought if they happen to see a statue made from/encrusted with/depicting something they like?
4. If a dwarf likes a specific color, will seeing a statue and/or decorations of that color trigger the happy thought? (Dwarf likes blue, sees a cobalt statue, happy thought or no?).
5. If a dwarf sees more than one of their material preferences represented in a single room, will they get additional or stronger happy thoughts?
6. Does the quality of the base object/decoration impact the strength of the happy thought if the materials match up with a dwarf's preferences?
7. If a building destroyer deconstructs (knocks down) a decorated statue, will the decorations also be deconstructed, or will they simply vanish?
8. What materials can moody dwarves use to build statues that cannot normally be used?
1. If a dwarf likes a specific material, will they get a material happy thought from seeing a piece of furniture decorated with that material, even if it isn't that furniture's base material? (IE a moonstone loving dwarf sees a limestone statue encrusted with moonstones...do they get a happy thought?)
2. If Yes to #1 If a dwarf likes a particular animal, will seeing a piece of furniture decorated with their bones/shells generate a similar happy thought? (IE Would a Limestone statue decorated with cow bones appeal to a dwarf who likes cows?)
3. Will a dwarf going on break or attending a party at a statue garden get their material preference happy thought if they happen to see a statue made from/encrusted with/depicting something they like?
4. If a dwarf likes a specific color, will seeing a statue and/or decorations of that color trigger the happy thought? (Dwarf likes blue, sees a cobalt statue, happy thought or no?).
5. If a dwarf sees more than one of their material preferences represented in a single room, will they get additional or stronger happy thoughts?
6. Does the quality of the base object/decoration impact the strength of the happy thought if the materials match up with a dwarf's preferences?
7. If a building destroyer deconstructs (knocks down) a decorated statue, will the decorations also be deconstructed, or will they simply vanish?
8. What materials can moody dwarves use to build statues that cannot normally be used?
13
DF Suggestions / Feed Bins
« on: September 20, 2013, 09:08:41 am »
A constructed furniture item that could be made from just about any material.
It would act like a one tile food storage container set to only accept raw eatable plants.
Dwarves with the food hauling labor would fill the bin with raw plants if there are any available.
If an animal with the grazer tag becomes hungry and they are near a food bin, they will walk over to it and eat one unit of food on their own, refilling their hunger to max. Unlike dwarves eating food raw, this would not produce seeds when an animal eats the food. If an animal has access to grazing tiles, they will prefer to graze rather than seek out a food bin.
The idea is that if you can't/don't want to provide grazing areas for your livestock, you can keep them alive with a feed bin. It would also allow you to keep animals like elephants alive who normally can't graze fast enough to survive at the moment.
A food bin will be refilled as it is emptied. It can also be forbidden which will not stop animals eating from it, but will stop the haulers from refilling it with more food.
Non-grazers will not consume food from feed bins.
Food inside feed bins will not be visible to dwarves who are seeking either food or plants for brewing/cooking. Deconstructing the feed bin will deposit any contained food onto the floor, making it usable again for dwarves.
Animals will NOT eat food stored in normal dwarven food stockpiles or mature crops sitting on fields.
It would act like a one tile food storage container set to only accept raw eatable plants.
Dwarves with the food hauling labor would fill the bin with raw plants if there are any available.
If an animal with the grazer tag becomes hungry and they are near a food bin, they will walk over to it and eat one unit of food on their own, refilling their hunger to max. Unlike dwarves eating food raw, this would not produce seeds when an animal eats the food. If an animal has access to grazing tiles, they will prefer to graze rather than seek out a food bin.
The idea is that if you can't/don't want to provide grazing areas for your livestock, you can keep them alive with a feed bin. It would also allow you to keep animals like elephants alive who normally can't graze fast enough to survive at the moment.
A food bin will be refilled as it is emptied. It can also be forbidden which will not stop animals eating from it, but will stop the haulers from refilling it with more food.
Non-grazers will not consume food from feed bins.
Food inside feed bins will not be visible to dwarves who are seeking either food or plants for brewing/cooking. Deconstructing the feed bin will deposit any contained food onto the floor, making it usable again for dwarves.
Animals will NOT eat food stored in normal dwarven food stockpiles or mature crops sitting on fields.
14
DF Suggestions / Fun with Physics: The Seesaw
« on: September 19, 2013, 12:04:18 pm »
The seesaw would be a constructed item, much like a pump. It would require 4 blocks (They specifically must be blocks) and a mechanism. These could be any kind of blocks except glass.
The structure would occupy a 1X3x2 area. The side that is up would occupy the upper z level,the middle and side that is down would occupy the bottom Z level
There would be several modes you could choose to operate it on.
1. Play
Dwarven children will be naturally attracted to the seesaw and if two show up, will begin to play with one another for awhile. This will build social skills between the two.
2. Stockpile
The seesaw would naturally have an 'up' tile and a 'down' tile. You could define a 1x1 stockpile on the down arm. Haulers could place items as long as they can reach the arm.
Items could also be put onto the 'up' arm by means of a dump zone.
If there is ever anything sitting on the down arm when something is placed on the up arm, physics will kick in and determines what happens. The velocity of the items hitting the up arm will transfer into the items on the up arm, potentially flinging them skyward.
3. Controlled
You can hook the seesaw to a mechanism and have it change positions when triggered by a lever or pressure plate.
Water falling onto the middle square would be diverted one tile left or right depending on which arm was down. You could link a mechanism to the seesaw and use levers/pressure plates to move its arms up or down. Can do the same with magma if made of magma safe materials. Water trying to flow up under the down-arm will be blocked, but will be able to flow once that arm is lifted.
4. Lever - Trap
The up arm will appear like a normal walkable tile and enemies (but not your dwarves) can path onto it. The moment they step onto the tile, they will fall 1 z level and be knocked over. The act of changing positions will act like a lever, which can send signals to other objects such as hatch covers, doors or flood gates.
The structure would occupy a 1X3x2 area. The side that is up would occupy the upper z level,the middle and side that is down would occupy the bottom Z level
There would be several modes you could choose to operate it on.
1. Play
Dwarven children will be naturally attracted to the seesaw and if two show up, will begin to play with one another for awhile. This will build social skills between the two.
2. Stockpile
The seesaw would naturally have an 'up' tile and a 'down' tile. You could define a 1x1 stockpile on the down arm. Haulers could place items as long as they can reach the arm.
Items could also be put onto the 'up' arm by means of a dump zone.
If there is ever anything sitting on the down arm when something is placed on the up arm, physics will kick in and determines what happens. The velocity of the items hitting the up arm will transfer into the items on the up arm, potentially flinging them skyward.
3. Controlled
You can hook the seesaw to a mechanism and have it change positions when triggered by a lever or pressure plate.
Water falling onto the middle square would be diverted one tile left or right depending on which arm was down. You could link a mechanism to the seesaw and use levers/pressure plates to move its arms up or down. Can do the same with magma if made of magma safe materials. Water trying to flow up under the down-arm will be blocked, but will be able to flow once that arm is lifted.
4. Lever - Trap
The up arm will appear like a normal walkable tile and enemies (but not your dwarves) can path onto it. The moment they step onto the tile, they will fall 1 z level and be knocked over. The act of changing positions will act like a lever, which can send signals to other objects such as hatch covers, doors or flood gates.
15
DF Dwarf Mode Discussion / Dodging into same z-level spikes: What happens
« on: September 13, 2013, 12:56:35 pm »
I have an idea for a front entrance trap that still allows caravans to pass, but I'm not sure how one aspect would work:
E=Entrance to Fort
#= low quality weapon trap (meant to cause foes to dodge)
*=spikes
~=Channeled out pit leading to floor of spikes
W=Wall/Fortification
D= Pastured War Animal for stealth detection
M= Marksdwarf squad
M
WWWWWWWWWWWW
W~~~~~~~~~~~~~
W~~~~~~~~~~~~~
E##############
E**************** D
E##############
W ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
W ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WWWWWWWWWWWW
M
The idea being that a lever (located safe inside the fort) would control the line of spikes down the middle...as well as the spikes at the bottom of the pit. They would normally remain up, but could be lowered to allow the passage of a caravan and/or to harvest corpses and equipment from the spike floor in the pit after an attack.
I would have a melee squad stationed deeper in my fort to deal with invaders that survived the gauntlet.
I know what will happen if my enemies dodge into the pit of spikes...but what happens if they dodge into the row of spikes in the middle? Will they still be just as harmful to the enemy even though they're on the same Z level and have horizontal rather than vertical momentum? Or will they just harmlessly bounce off?
Bonus 2nd Question:
If all my W's were fortifications and I had marksdwarves stationed on either side, would the cross-fire of bolts potentially cause the enemy to dodge even more than just the traps alone? (aside from the bolts that actually end up killing them outright)
Bonus 3rd question: How many z-levels of a drop do I need to ensure instant death to anything that falls off the land bridge?
E=Entrance to Fort
#= low quality weapon trap (meant to cause foes to dodge)
*=spikes
~=Channeled out pit leading to floor of spikes
W=Wall/Fortification
D= Pastured War Animal for stealth detection
M= Marksdwarf squad
M
WWWWWWWWWWWW
W~~~~~~~~~~~~~
W~~~~~~~~~~~~~
E##############
E**************** D
E##############
W ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
W ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WWWWWWWWWWWW
M
The idea being that a lever (located safe inside the fort) would control the line of spikes down the middle...as well as the spikes at the bottom of the pit. They would normally remain up, but could be lowered to allow the passage of a caravan and/or to harvest corpses and equipment from the spike floor in the pit after an attack.
I would have a melee squad stationed deeper in my fort to deal with invaders that survived the gauntlet.
I know what will happen if my enemies dodge into the pit of spikes...but what happens if they dodge into the row of spikes in the middle? Will they still be just as harmful to the enemy even though they're on the same Z level and have horizontal rather than vertical momentum? Or will they just harmlessly bounce off?
Bonus 2nd Question:
If all my W's were fortifications and I had marksdwarves stationed on either side, would the cross-fire of bolts potentially cause the enemy to dodge even more than just the traps alone? (aside from the bolts that actually end up killing them outright)
Bonus 3rd question: How many z-levels of a drop do I need to ensure instant death to anything that falls off the land bridge?