March 6, 2024: Dwarf Fortress 50.12 has been released.
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We could probably shape it like a porcupine quill, which has fancy shape stuff that lets it pierce stuff faster.Bee stingers. They're tough as hell. They have to be. Also, they're like a hypodermic needle so they can pierce stuff easily.I'd rather go wasp, because bee stingers...y'know...rip out the bee's internal organs.
Giant eagles are still less practicle than a soldier who can actually withstand being in the thick of the battle.Plenty of birds can crack skulls. Eagles can take down a young deer that's twice their own size (maybe a bit less, but they could if they were war eagles). If we wanted to, we could probably make bombs of some sort (eggs, throat-thingy or droppings). A bunch of eagles eating your face would be rather good at helping secure borders for ground troops. We've got six more days to make that lot.The problem with investing in an airforce this early is that we're not facing another airforce. We can bomb them all we want, if we create artillery we can shell 'em, but if we don't have boots on the ground we will never own the land. And right now we need to own the land. Not to mention that these are likely going to wind up being an ineffectual waste of mana. These are going to have to crack skulls, and you want us to make a songbird. What are we going to do, drop pebbles from orbit? This is why we need infantry, not bombers or fighters, those won't win us this battle, and if you need proof look at what happened with the Germans at Dunkirk.Yeah, they won't stop a direct hit to the body, but the bird (as long as it doesn't fall too hard) won't have problems like infection and blood loss if it gets hit in the wing, and it won't be permanently grounded.I don't think that feathers will protect from something that directly attacks the target.Not sure about that, but they won't be able to make the feathers shrivel up and die, since they're already made of non-living tissue. And unlike insect wings, feathers can be replaced. If the birds stay out of lethal range, they can simply lock their wings and glide to a (relatively) safe landing.Okay, guys, let's think of what the enemy is going to try and do. He's got death, water and cold magic, so we need either troops that can work with that or troops that can work against that.What about death spells? Bird-bombers looks fun for enemy though.
I would recommend using a bird as a base. Their crops could hold our wanted ranged weapon, and a thick coat of feathers can be useful in both warm and cold temperatures.
We also need a creature that can prevent ice from forming, as that could be lethal to even the best-insulated beast. Perhaps we could give them a second crop that contains a chemical reaction. We could take a note from Parasite Eve, and have hyperactive mitochondria.
We need them to not drown, either.
From this, I would presume that our best option would be to have a modified gull, or other seabird, as our soldier unit. Bats would be better against damage to the wings, but they wouldn't cope as well with the cold or water.
If we want a larger animal, on the other hand, bats all the way. Their larger size means they aren't as vulnerable to cold, and a membrane wing gets stronger with size, while a feathered wing gets weaker as it grows.
Plenty of birds can crack skulls. Eagles can take down a young deer that's twice their own size (maybe a bit less, but they could if they were war eagles). If we wanted to, we could probably make bombs of some sort (eggs, throat-thingy or droppings). A bunch of eagles eating your face would be rather good at helping secure borders for ground troops. We've got six more days to make that lot.The problem with investing in an airforce this early is that we're not facing another airforce. We can bomb them all we want, if we create artillery we can shell 'em, but if we don't have boots on the ground we will never own the land. And right now we need to own the land. Not to mention that these are likely going to wind up being an ineffectual waste of mana. These are going to have to crack skulls, and you want us to make a songbird. What are we going to do, drop pebbles from orbit? This is why we need infantry, not bombers or fighters, those won't win us this battle, and if you need proof look at what happened with the Germans at Dunkirk.Yeah, they won't stop a direct hit to the body, but the bird (as long as it doesn't fall too hard) won't have problems like infection and blood loss if it gets hit in the wing, and it won't be permanently grounded.I don't think that feathers will protect from something that directly attacks the target.Not sure about that, but they won't be able to make the feathers shrivel up and die, since they're already made of non-living tissue. And unlike insect wings, feathers can be replaced. If the birds stay out of lethal range, they can simply lock their wings and glide to a (relatively) safe landing.Okay, guys, let's think of what the enemy is going to try and do. He's got death, water and cold magic, so we need either troops that can work with that or troops that can work against that.What about death spells? Bird-bombers looks fun for enemy though.
I would recommend using a bird as a base. Their crops could hold our wanted ranged weapon, and a thick coat of feathers can be useful in both warm and cold temperatures.
We also need a creature that can prevent ice from forming, as that could be lethal to even the best-insulated beast. Perhaps we could give them a second crop that contains a chemical reaction. We could take a note from Parasite Eve, and have hyperactive mitochondria.
We need them to not drown, either.
From this, I would presume that our best option would be to have a modified gull, or other seabird, as our soldier unit. Bats would be better against damage to the wings, but they wouldn't cope as well with the cold or water.
If we want a larger animal, on the other hand, bats all the way. Their larger size means they aren't as vulnerable to cold, and a membrane wing gets stronger with size, while a feathered wing gets weaker as it grows.
Yeah, they won't stop a direct hit to the body, but the bird (as long as it doesn't fall too hard) won't have problems like infection and blood loss if it gets hit in the wing, and it won't be permanently grounded.I don't think that feathers will protect from something that directly attacks the target.Not sure about that, but they won't be able to make the feathers shrivel up and die, since they're already made of non-living tissue. And unlike insect wings, feathers can be replaced. If the birds stay out of lethal range, they can simply lock their wings and glide to a (relatively) safe landing.Okay, guys, let's think of what the enemy is going to try and do. He's got death, water and cold magic, so we need either troops that can work with that or troops that can work against that.What about death spells? Bird-bombers looks fun for enemy though.
I would recommend using a bird as a base. Their crops could hold our wanted ranged weapon, and a thick coat of feathers can be useful in both warm and cold temperatures.
We also need a creature that can prevent ice from forming, as that could be lethal to even the best-insulated beast. Perhaps we could give them a second crop that contains a chemical reaction. We could take a note from Parasite Eve, and have hyperactive mitochondria.
We need them to not drown, either.
From this, I would presume that our best option would be to have a modified gull, or other seabird, as our soldier unit. Bats would be better against damage to the wings, but they wouldn't cope as well with the cold or water.
Not sure about that, but they won't be able to make the feathers shrivel up and die, since they're already made of non-living tissue. And unlike insect wings, feathers can be replaced. If the birds stay out of lethal range, they can simply lock their wings and glide to a (relatively) safe landing.Okay, guys, let's think of what the enemy is going to try and do. He's got death, water and cold magic, so we need either troops that can work with that or troops that can work against that.What about death spells? Bird-bombers looks fun for enemy though.
I would recommend using a bird as a base. Their crops could hold our wanted ranged weapon, and a thick coat of feathers can be useful in both warm and cold temperatures.
We also need a creature that can prevent ice from forming, as that could be lethal to even the best-insulated beast. Perhaps we could give them a second crop that contains a chemical reaction. We could take a note from Parasite Eve, and have hyperactive mitochondria.
We need them to not drown, either.
From this, I would presume that our best option would be to have a modified gull, or other seabird, as our soldier unit. Bats would be better against damage to the wings, but they wouldn't cope as well with the cold or water.
