Bay 12 Games Forum

I just am feeling that creating something as intricate and small as clockwork creatures, even if powered by magic, seem completely out of place in DF.

Given the fairly elaborate mechanisms made by dwarves, even without megaprojects needing to come into play, I'm not sure. Heck, just making a drawbridge raise at the pull of a lever is an impressive use of counterbalances. Sure, something as delicate as a clockwork critter is beyond their ability at this time, but so are moving fortress parts (which are planned), and back in 0.31, powering minecarts was impossible as well. The only problems I can see are miniaturization and power source.

Quote from: GreatWyrmGold on February 02, 2013, 04:09:29 pm

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I fail to see the interest in this. Why just not make a puppet with movable parts and then make these move with telekinetic magic?

Funnily enough, that's precisely the suggestion.

eh bad communication
By puppet, I mean something articulated with movable parts but without a complex gear system ala Dwemer automaton. Magic moves the different parts. Undead skeletons are a good example of what I mean by "puppet" here.

I dunno, actually. I hadn't realized the implied complexity.
Go ask an engineer, they'll have an answer.

Quote from: GreatWyrmGold on February 02, 2013, 04:09:29 pm

We already have a bronze colossus who magically moves without even being made of different parts.
Yes, dwarves know about gears and with magic it could be doable. But it seems improbably complex when golems already exist in the world, and are far simpler than that.
I'm all for my dwarves building golems, but let's just go with the original Jewish golem myth and be done with it. aka: craft statue out of some material, add  magical item on it, instant golem.

Have you contemplated the possibility that golem-making secrets might not be known to dwarves, if extant? Or that moving something designed to move might be easier/simpler than bending a solid metal statue?

Never said golems should be known to dwarves.
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Really?

I'm all for my dwarves building golems,

You DO have communication issues.

Besides, do we really want to reduce the game down to repeating beard memes? DF is plenty capable of generating its own memes without having to rehash every Flanderization of the race that's already pretty Flanderized.

Kohaku speaks words of wisdom.

Maybe in some dwarven cultures, or goblin cultures, or whatever, a man's beard is a sign of his honor or something else important, and shaving off his beard is a great punishment. This should NOT be standard. It should be a "quirk" of a civilization, not a feature of a race.

Quote from: NW_Kohaku on February 03, 2013, 07:40:56 pm

Quote from: Toady One on August 04, 2010, 08:00:04 am

Our eventual goal is to have the player's role be the embodiment of positions of power within the fortress, performing actions in their official capacity, to the point that in an ideal world each command you give would be linked to some noble, official or commander.  I don't think coaxing is the way I'm thinking of it though, as with a game like Majesty which somebody brought up, because your orders would also carry the weight of being assumed to be for survival for the most part, not as bounties or a similar system.  Once your fortress is larger, you might have to work a little harder to keep people around, but your dwarves in the first year would be more like crew taking orders from the captain of a ship out to sea or something, where you'd have difficulty getting them to do what you want only if you've totally flopped and they are ready to defy the expedition leader.

Or in other words, you're the expedition leader/mayor/whatever.

To me his quote sounds like you're that quiet voice in the phone that tells dwarven government what to do. The personality of any given official may matter somewhat but as long as office is occupied your orders will be carried out.

To me, it sounds like the player is, if not actually the mayor or whomever, a sort of driving force behind the assorted nobles.

-----

The actual ideas:
Banning elections--Meh. Once we get to the point where the dwarf in office matters, I'd rather have the dwarves in power enact this. Of course, if we're supposed to be the ones in charge of the fortress, it could make sense, but I think you should need a specific kind of leadership to do that.
Deportation: Planned, eventually, as much to be rid of the excess cheesemakers as anything. This will come coupled with or following emmigration.
Execution: Reasonable. I can think of many uses past keeping "El Intendente" in office.
Bribing: Meh. Maybe once greed, the economy, and dwarves not doing what you want come into play.
Brainwashing: How and why?

Oh, and the title...is terrible, bluntly put. Take out the "Vote for El Intendente (OR ELSE)" and it would be a lot less ludicrous.

So, apparently the internet is now complete.

The Internet will never be complete.

I just watched the Pilot video. Funny. I especially like the credits bit.
"Yeah, I'm stuck in the roof again..."

Quote from: GreatWyrmGold on February 05, 2013, 07:34:43 pm

Quote from: Remuthra on February 05, 2013, 07:19:51 pm

Quote from: GreatWyrmGold on February 05, 2013, 07:16:33 pm

Quote from: Remuthra on February 05, 2013, 06:47:19 pm

Quote from: GreatWyrmGold on February 05, 2013, 06:38:46 pm

Quote from: Remuthra on February 05, 2013, 06:18:08 pm

Quote from: GreatWyrmGold on February 05, 2013, 06:13:20 pm

Quote from: Remuthra on February 05, 2013, 05:07:04 pm

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I wasn't sure what we had agreed on, and why are the others superfluous?

Why make firejackets rest in positions harder to defend instead of in the main citadel?

Why not have some hives full of creatures which produce healing salve/explosive/food/etc and can also be sent out to burn our enemies?

It's more a question of where to put them. I'm saying we put said hives inside the main area instead of on weapons platforms.

The hives wouldn't be a main weapon; we'd just make it easy to toss a hive or several down if we had to. Because, let's face it, it'll be useful to do so eventually, if only to spread firejackets.

The problem with that is we would be tossing overboard valuable hives of firenectar. What is the advantage over just sending firejackets?

Again, it's not a common tactic, more of an emergency thing. It sounds like the kind of thing that could come in handy and we'd regret not adding a simple thing like that some time later.
Oh, and to answer your question: Ever kicked a yellowjacket nest?

I know it would be a good emergency tactic with normal bees, but we can reproduce the effect by telling our firejackets to go hug the targets. More accurate and no turret slots required.

The hives are filled with what I presume is a highly flammable substance; telling the firejackets to go "hug" enemies isn't quite the same as having them angered; we can't always be relying on our own personal command for last-ditch defense stuff; and who said it would take a turret slot? It would just be something with however we set up the hives that makes it easier to detach and drop them.

My main objection with this is the fact that it would be a set of hives in place of a perimeter turret.

Why would it need to be put in place of a turret?

Charge after Shadow dragon and get to the location twice as fast.

[2] You start running, but will get there in five more turns.

Aaahh...
Eat some contemplative oatmeal.

[5] You are full. And contemplative.

Eat someone

Wait, what?
...Respawn?

Continue traveling towards the something.

Four turns and counting.

Put on stuff. Throw gasbomb at Furtaka

[6v2] The gas bomb turns Furtaka into gory chunks while also hurting you pretty badly...

Sprint tpwards city-esque thing.

Five turns out.

Ok enough turn wasting,

Follow the people going toward the thing that is 6 turns away

Five turns out.

Respawn as a Medeval knight then go and find a settlement.

[5] You spawn on a horse, riding quickly. You will get there in THREE turns!

Give up chanting, take up farming.

[6] You grow a crop of wild almonds.

Suck out his life force to heal us.  Also does that mean that the gauntlet is really valuable or that for some reason we can't sell it.

It means we got mashed against the rock.

Wait, he ripped out his own skull to beat the troll to death with?