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[rhesusmacabre]

Want to burn your enemies to a crisp, but hate the pain of waiting for magma to evaporate?

Dropping an object into magma creates a small cloud or magma mist, but I wanted to create a persistant mist. The most obvious answer was to drop a minecart repeatedly into the same patch of magma. I tried various designs, both linear and spiral, but finally I decided on a system using linear generators for maximum concentration. I also wanted to keep a 3 tile wide path into the fort.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

z=-1

z=0

z=1

This design is made up of 9 identical units arranged side-by-side, each flinging a minecart back and forth over the path to splash down into the magma, and create a mist. The minecart and the rollers are magma-safe, naturally.

Each unit is arranged as follows:

    #  ___  #
    #       #
    #▲F###F▲#

Where ▲ is an E or W track ramp facing inwards, with a roller also pointing inwards, and F is a constructed fortification. These are flooded with magma. 1 level above the path is a 3 tile EW track to keep the minecart airbourne.

Results are...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

...somewhat underwhelming.

Undeterred, I tried a more compact design on the north gate:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

z=-1

z=0

This design is made up of 6 self contained units, each firing a minecart north then south:

     _____
     #   #
     #▲F▲#

The symbols are as before, with inward facing ramps/rollers, and a constructed fortification. The unit is roofed over to keep it compact, although this isn't strictly necessary. As long as the minecarts have wall to hit, whether at z=0 or z=1, they would fall back down.

This time results are...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

...more promising.

So far, the only casualty is a passing war dog. I await the next siege with great anticipation.

[Crashmaster]

I like this. How fast did the war dog died? Is there not an issue with now-flaming enemy units pouring into the fort still?

[rhesusmacabre]

Thanks. The dog died fairly quickly, within 1 or 2 tiles. It was the same case with a goblin and my Chief Carpenter (accident) during the testing phase. It remains to be seen how larger creatures fare.

Obviously, this kind of device is not advisible against enemies that aren't that bothered by being on fire.

[Broken]

This could work grat against pesky zombies if conmined with a weapon trap. The trap kill the zombie and the mist destroyes the corpse,
preventing reanimation.

Is an idea that i has some time ago, but i didnt find any way to make a reliable magma mist generator. Nice discovery.

[rhesusmacabre]

This could work grat against pesky zombies if conmined with a weapon trap. The trap kill the zombie and the mist destroyes the corpse,
preventing reanimation.

I'm not sure about that. Disappointingly, the only thing I've managed to ignite so far are "living" creatures, and maybe their inventory. Items that are lying on the ground, and buildings (e.g. wooden axles) seem unaffected.

[GreatWyrmGold]

How do you keep civilians from leaving through the magmagate while still causing goblins to come in by it?

[ZzarkLinux]

You can have rollers on ramps?

The design looks awesome. Looking forward to the live siege test.

[rhesusmacabre]

How do you keep civilians from leaving through the magmagate while still causing goblins to come in by it?

I'm keeping it switched of for the most part, although my dwarves currently have no particular reason to wander out. In addition I even have a "safety mechanism" that shuts of all power and covers the magma with bridges, just in case, for when they need to cut trees or whatever. During a siege, civilians will be burrowed as usual, and the military will be held way back.

You can have rollers on ramps?

Rollers can be built on a ramp if there is a building capable of transmitting power to it in an adjacent square (not above or beneath), or you have designated such a building.

[rhesusmacabre]

And the siege arrives! 62 goblins in 4 squads, with a squad of 8 trolls. Not huge, but it'll suit the purpose.

The generators are switched on, and the dwarves are hidden away.

The first group to charge are (no surprise) the trolls:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The first two reach the mist and immediately burst into flames, and the others scatter!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

At first I thought they were running away, but no, they ran around my fort to try the south entrance, accompanied by 3 squads of goblins:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

4 of the trolls get in with 3 goblins, and the rest pull back:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The other 2 trolls meet up with the bowmen at the north gate and give it one last go...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

...with predictable consequences.

The macemen and the bowmen show the most resolve trying again and again, while the lashers rout after one more charge, and the axemen rout without a single casualty.

One bowman almost makes it through the south gate, but not quite (solid grey square):

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Despite being the only one left the last bowman charges into the furnace, and the siege is only broken at his death.

Spoiler: Aftermath (click to show/hide)

As you can see, the north gate definitely outperformed the south gate. It may even be possible to have a secure entrance with just the two generators, but I'd advise using four to give a safety margin. Six is probably overkill.

[ZzarkLinux]

Absolutely beautiful. I was predicting the "chargers" would run past the trap, and maybe even bring the fire into the fort.
But I guess the feature that was implemented "Creatures flee from lethally hot squares" means that they stop charging.

Did any fire get in the fort? A stray panicked goblin or whatnot?

EDIT: Is there any contingency in the case that Traders arrive at the same time as the seige? Just burn them all? Would the wagons enflame the depot?

[GreatWyrmGold]

Cool.
Say, what tileset are you using?

[expwnent]

Great stuff! Very impressive.

[rhesusmacabre]

Thanks very much!

Did any fire get in the fort? A stray panicked goblin or whatnot?

EDIT: Is there any contingency in the case that Traders arrive at the same time as the seige? Just burn them all? Would the wagons enflame the depot?

Mostly the beflamed seemed to stand still as they caught fire. A couple of the trolls moved about a bit, even moving on top of the fortifications, which ordinarily aren't walkable. The closest was the bowman I referenced.

If the caravan makes it inside I'll probably shut them in the depot with a bridge and carry on. If they get caught outside, they usually run off, so there's not a lot I could do.
 

Say, what tileset are you using?

It's a 16x16 one I made myself. I keep changing pixels here and there, and in its 10x10 equivalent, but at the moment it looks like this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

   

[silverskull39]

Awesome! PTW/remind my future self that this is a thing now.

[Crashmaster]

Took me forever to get around to making one of these. Then I wanted to see if it could be re-worked to use impulse  ramps instead of powered rollers. Couldn't figure out compact impulse jumps,  so;

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

W=wall
F=fortification
B=raised bridge
I/i=impulse ramp
A=track ramp
V=downward ramp
+=floor (entrance)
_=empty space with lever controlled hatch/ bridge

z-1
(passable tiles filled 7/7 magma initially - will be 6/7 after first use)
(I=SE)
(A=SW)
WWWWWWWWW
WBBBBBBBWW
WWIAWIAWW
WWWWWWWWW
WWWWWWWWW

z=0
(I=SW)
(A=EW)
+++++++++
+++++++++
WFVVFVVFW
WWAIWAIW
WWWWWWWWW

z+1
(i=NE)
(I=NW)
WWWWWWWWW
WWWWWWWWW
Wi_Wi_WWW
WIVWIVWWW
WWWWWWWWW


Basically an impulse-ramp lift. The top is off-set so they can be set side-by-side and back-to back staggered (NOTE; The back-to-back staggered units that touch another unit both orthogonally and diagonally are unstable at higher speeds and should not be dry-run without magma in the pits as the minecarts fly out without the added fluids friction).
The pits start at 7/7 magma, 2 of which is picked up by the cart reducing the pit level to 6/7 so the cart can impulse-boost out. If a full cart is accidentally placed in the first set-up it will get stuck in the pit.
Magma mist is generated only every 3 tiles along the side of the hallway however it requires no power, is still fairly compact and is quick to make provided you have some magma for the bottom level pits.

To prevent magma-proof invaders from pathing into/ across the magma pits, the walls under the entrance floor are dug out and replaced with raised bridges.
My test set-up idle with minecarts on hatches.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Ignore the walled-off test area in the north wall.

In operation

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Graphics pack doesn't show track ramp direction detail unfortunately.

Elephant test subject video;
http://youtu.be/p4roJtxMMqI

Updated images with trackramp directions for a mist unit set up the same as the

Code: [Select]

example at top. Cart exits tile in direction of tiny arrow.