Bay 12 Games Forum

quote:

---

Originally posted by Armok:
<STRONG>And mortal Slartibartfast should tell its smileys to stop licking the ground; it is not god for their health.</STRONG>

---

However, these are child-smilies, so licking the ground is actually healthy for them since it helps them build up their immune system.

quote:

---

Originally posted by FaultyLogic:
<STRONG>Torches damn you!</STRONG>

---

[ May 02, 2007: Message edited by: Slartibartfast ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mechanoid:
<STRONG> PROTIP: INFRARED RADIATION IS EMITED BY EVERYTHING

Honestly, please read up on this sort of thing before you say "nuh uh" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared

Personally, i think dwarves have both infrared vision, and visible light vision. If they had only infrared vision, they'd be unable to tell the difference between glass and stone, because when you're looking at a infrared image, both the rock and glass are completely opaque (as is everything else that's dense enough) As well, since dwarves seem to be living between the surface and deep tunnels, having vision that can detect visible light is also important in order to get a clear and colorful image -- infrared is only effective up to a specific distance based on atmospheric conditions, as even the air begins to block and absorb the radiation emitted by other objects.

[ May 02, 2007: Message edited by: Mechanoid ]</STRONG>

---

Your Wikipedia quote only proves that Infrared can be used for nightvision, not complete-and-utter-darkness-in-a-cold-and-damp-cave vision.
There's barely enough variation to tell apart a stone chair beside a stone table on a stone floor against the stone walls. Also, just seeing another dwarf would mess up your vision.

Either way, that is with infrared cameras, we are talking about some sort of biologic mechanism.
1) The best infrared imaging in the animal kingdom is attributed to snakes, and even that is presumed to be pretty crappy infrared vision.
2) Lots of cave creature just evolve to be blind, which is evidence enough that any sort of cave-vision just isn't viable.
3) There are only so many sensitivity levels you can have, any vision that works in uberdark cold caves would be blinded in broaddaylightofadventuringtoourfortress, so you need all sorts of different sensors in your eyes, as well as some mechanism to make sure they aren't damage by too instense light. Maybe give dwarves two sets of eyes  

4) BatDwarves are cool! Sonar-dwarves it is then!
Also, some blind people (humans) have actually managed to teach themselves to "see" via sound using clickers, so adapting to sonar-vision shouldn't be hard for dwarves. And also wouldn't prevent ordinary vision.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Scribble:
<STRONG>out of idle curiousity, how effective would some mannor of thermal or electrical sence be?</STRONG>

---

If you are suggesting electrical illumination, I fear the dwarves aren't technologically advanced enough for that.
Now, perhaps some sort of basic chemical lighting would work? I know there are ways to make stuff glow or produce light, but I don't know how complicated these things are.

(even with extreme low-light vision there's no way they can see that deep inside the mountain.)