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Author Topic: Military patrol. Is there a better way?  (Read 1465 times)

Tanaman

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Military patrol. Is there a better way?
« on: May 07, 2013, 12:07:01 pm »

So, I've got some Marksdwarves set to patrol a burrow, "Ramparts". Everything works fine, but the problem is they consider several steps outside the burrow to be an acceptable patrol range. Of course, that range happens to coincide with outside the fort on the other side of the fortifications. This isn't such a problem with the all the drawbridges in button up mode, but I have to let the bridges down to bait the stupid goblins to come into firing range. Naturally, putting the bridge down signals a couple of Dwarves to go running outside to patrol the outside of the Rampart burrow. Is there anyway to get them to stick to the defined burrow?
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Laserhead

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Re: Military patrol. Is there a better way?
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2013, 12:18:54 pm »

I've got a similar setup, and my marksdwarves stay where I put them. I've got a one tile wide "Entrance Overwatch" which is adjacent to fortifications, and has a wall behind it. Beyond the fortifications is empty space and below that is where the goblins, zombies, and goblin zombies come to die. I set squads of marksdwarves to "Defend Entrance Overwatch" and they obligingly line up in the burrow, crossbows at the ready.
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Tanaman

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Re: Military patrol. Is there a better way?
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2013, 12:23:03 pm »

I've got a similar setup, and my marksdwarves stay where I put them. I've got a one tile wide "Entrance Overwatch" which is adjacent to fortifications, and has a wall behind it. Beyond the fortifications is empty space and below that is where the goblins, zombies, and goblin zombies come to die. I set squads of marksdwarves to "Defend Entrance Overwatch" and they obligingly line up in the burrow, crossbows at the ready.

That sounds pretty identical to mine. Including the one z-level difference. Maybe it's that you're using the defend command, but I couldn't get the defend command to work. It sounded like to me they would only go to defend the burrow if an enemy entered it?
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BoredVirulence

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Re: Military patrol. Is there a better way?
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2013, 12:36:01 pm »

Its been a while since I've used defend, but I think they should "patrol" that burrow. I recall a fort where I had too many supplies to drag inside quickly, so I stationed a guard to defend the entrance and wagon. If I remember correctly I used defend, and if I remember correctly the guard would walk all around my burrow in a random patrolling fashion. I remember that being a problem, because I made the burrow much larger than need be, so he was often far away from the wagon which was a simple fix.
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Laserhead

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Re: Military patrol. Is there a better way?
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2013, 12:45:15 pm »

Defend works for me. I think the fact that the burrow is small and consists only of where I want them to stand is the key for that. If it was a huge burrow they'd spread out and wander around. The enemy doesn't have to be in the burrow, I think any time an on duty military dwarf sees an enemy they'll try to kill it.
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Tanaman

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Re: Military patrol. Is there a better way?
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2013, 01:15:33 pm »

Defend works for me. I think the fact that the burrow is small and consists only of where I want them to stand is the key for that. If it was a huge burrow they'd spread out and wander around. The enemy doesn't have to be in the burrow, I think any time an on duty military dwarf sees an enemy they'll try to kill it.

Thanks. I'll try giving defend another shot then.
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PDF urist master

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Re: Military patrol. Is there a better way?
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2013, 06:35:35 pm »

i don't really patrol so much as put all my barracks around my gates.

i don't know if there are any drawbacks to that though.
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Drazinononda

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Re: Military patrol. Is there a better way?
« Reply #7 on: May 07, 2013, 07:01:21 pm »

i don't really patrol so much as put all my barracks around my gates.

i don't know if there are any drawbacks to that though.

For melee dwarves, that's a good option, in terms of keeping the soldiers where they need to be most. Which is the idea behind a marksdwarf station directly over the entrance, where they can rain pain and death upon the invading hordes before they reach the gates and your alert melee troops. The two compliment each other quite well.
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