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Author Topic: Siege: Happy campers  (Read 2596 times)

AoshimaMichio

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Siege: Happy campers
« on: December 09, 2012, 09:47:31 am »

I have slightly annoying situation in my hands.

Recently a human diplomat, chinchilla demon, arrived to my fort. Following my policy I had it killed. And as expected, humans have been laying siege against my fortress every summer since then. Which is not problem at all by itself. The problem is that they do not walk into my traps like a good cannon fodder should do. Instead they set camp at the map edge and sit there burning marshmellows and telling horror stories about dwarves who killed their god. And while doing that they seem to prevent dwarven caravan from arriving and countess from getting promotion.

During previous siege I got lucky and they followed a cat into the traps. I don't believe I can get another strike of luck like that so I need new strategy. My military has serious case of cave adaption so they will not go outside. I have one blood straved vampire which i'm willing to sacrifice. Oh, and the humans also have camels and horses.

So what kind strategies I can utilize to solve this situation quickly before next dwarven caravan comes? It's late summer now.
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Aviator CJ

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Re: Siege: Happy campers
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2012, 10:22:02 am »

Is there a path leading into your fortress? I rarely get human sieges, but I get goblins all the time, and when I turtle they just hang around until I open the gates.

Failing that, just put the vamp in his own squad and use him as bait.
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Re: Siege: Happy campers
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2012, 10:26:04 am »

Set up a catapult or ballista and get some pot shots out there.
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Oaktree

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Re: Siege: Happy campers
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2012, 11:30:33 am »

They'll sit for quite a while sometimes.  Maybe a squad will attack every so often.

My solution was putting up archery bunkers on the border of the embark.  If the humans don't have a elite archer or crossbow leader I can then snipe them from relative safety until they break and retreat.
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Urist Da Vinci

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Re: Siege: Happy campers
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2012, 11:47:21 am »

Human siege AI only attacks above-ground targets, unlike the goblin siege AI. IIRC you can exploit the humans into going underground by putting a dwarf/animal above ground in a location that forces them to go underground (and over your traps) first in order to reach the dwarf/animal.

AoshimaMichio

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Re: Siege: Happy campers
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2012, 12:33:34 pm »

In the end camper squad walked into my traps on their own. Turns out this is a proper siege and they weren't alone. Two more squads to go...  ::)

I'll try to build archery bunkers and maybe above ground bait as well, luckily they don't have ranged units.


Edit: Attempt to build archery bunker turned my diggers to effective bait and one squad had to pass though my trapped hallway to get them. After their death last squad gave up and left. Thanks for hints. Archery bunkers will be part of my basic defenses from now on.  8)
« Last Edit: December 09, 2012, 01:57:32 pm by AoshimaMichio »
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Triaxx2

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Re: Siege: Happy campers
« Reply #6 on: December 10, 2012, 07:31:07 am »

If this is the latest version, and the traps have been set since a human caravan arrived, they know the traps are there and won't cross them. Rebuild the traps and they won't know about them. Even if it's disassemble, then reassemble.
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AoshimaMichio

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Re: Siege: Happy campers
« Reply #7 on: December 10, 2012, 09:36:17 am »

If this is the latest version, and the traps have been set since a human caravan arrived, they know the traps are there and won't cross them. Rebuild the traps and they won't know about them. Even if it's disassemble, then reassemble.
I thought they would just be immune to taps seen by their diplomat? At least that is what wiki says.
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Re: Siege: Happy campers
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2012, 10:45:37 pm »

If the diplomat has seen them, demolish your shit and rebuild it. Simple as that. Apparently they sense traps by 'smell' and a new trap comes with that 'new car smell' that confuses and invites them.
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Urist Da Vinci

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Re: Siege: Happy campers
« Reply #9 on: December 12, 2012, 01:39:15 am »

If this is the latest version, and the traps have been set since a human caravan arrived, they know the traps are there and won't cross them. Rebuild the traps and they won't know about them. Even if it's disassemble, then reassemble.
I thought they would just be immune to taps seen by their diplomat? At least that is what wiki says.
Yes, the AI isn't smart enough to not walk over traps yet. They are just immune to the ones that their spy diplomat observed.