Bay 12 Games Forum

Quote from: Bohandas on September 06, 2011, 09:28:23 pm

I just had a thought. Wouldn't it be terrible if a somepony's cutie mark reflected some embarassing (yet, obviously, significant) aspect of their personality that they would rather not advertise to the world? Like if it was a line of coke or a forty or a bunch of adult toys?

Or it was something trademarked, and they keep getting sued.

I'm just waiting for someone to stick sunglasses between the ellipses and the bolded text.

Two words - Space Ponies.

Off the current topic, what do you guys think of crossovers? Do you have any favorites, do you hate them, like them, what?

I personally don't care for the fanfic crossovers. I like when people draw crossovers, though, especially some of the Dead Space ones.

For making the military effective:

Quote

I really need to save this in a notepad so I can copy & paste it.

How I get weapon-masters with legendary fighting and good shield skills in 12 to 18 (usually 15) months sans danger rooms:

Create squads containing five to six dwarves - I find this to be a good balance between training time and micro-managing
Set them to train all year round - leaving it at 10 minimum is fine in 31.25
Have them sleep in the barracks
Ensure they all use the same weapon type
Ensure they all have waterskins and backpacks
Have a food & booze stockpile in the barracks
Set them to active

I usually just use the default metal armour uniform at first and then change it to include more pieces as I get a decent metal industry going. Military dwarves level up skills like student, teacher, observer, concentration and organiser over time. Later in the life of the fortress when you expand your military it may be worth splitting off your first few squads to train new recruits. Having some masterwork beds, statues or a mist generator in the barracks ensures they never get unhappy due to long patrol duty. Combining the mist generator with flooding functionality can be very useful to get your military some swimming skill. If you're still having problems take a military dwarf or two to kick-start things. The teaching skill helps along with whichever military skills you desire. I wouldn't give them fighting or weapon-use though as they level up a lot quicker than the other skills. One with 4 teacher, 3 dodging and 3 armour use and another with 4 teacher, 3 striking and 3 shields seems to work quite well.

If you're having trouble keeping them happy give them individual bedrooms inside or near the barracks. I usually embark with two military dwarves which do generic jobs or supplement my main miners until the first or second migrant wave arrives and I have enough extra dwarves to take over their duties. Follow this and what others have said above and so long as you can acquire some half decent (bronze or iron) armour you shouldn't have too much trouble.