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Author Topic: idea for an eggsperiment-- (deals with modding)  (Read 1093 times)

wierd

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idea for an eggsperiment-- (deals with modding)
« on: June 10, 2013, 07:25:32 pm »


This probably belongs in the modding forum, but the applications with fortress mode, along with the question of if I should try this or not, (especially since modding isn't something I usually dabble with too deeply) makes me want to ask it here.

Ok to start:  a few weeks ago a thread came up which made me think about using eggs as bioweapons. Sadly, there was no reasonable way to make eggs shatter or explode. Today a random thought crossed my mind:

If we take the bird's entity data, and in the [LAYS_EGGS] section, we add the following tokens to the entity to make eggs that have vaporizing contents:

[SELECT_MATERIAL:EGG_MATERIAL:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:ALL]
     [BOILING_POINT:10053]
     [STATE_COLOR:YELLOW]
     [STATE_NAME_ADJ:GAS:Deadly Egg Vapor]

That should give the eggs an "exploding" gas that activates a little above indoor room temp. (85 degrees F.)  The eggs should be perfectly stable inside the fortress, underground, but volatize once taken outside in very short order. (Except in winter in temperate biomes, or on freezing biomes)

If we also create an inhalation type syndrome for this gas, we can then weaponize eggs as gas grenades.  If we set the clutch size to 1, we avoid creating stacks that need to be unstacked,  and also make these very unpleasant eggs more rare, and thus, more manageable. Just load them in a minecart shotgun, and bombs away.

What I want to know, is if I should attempt doing this, just to see if the game will respond as anticipated, even though it clearly wouldn't be standard game behavior?

Some caveats might be the homeothermic heating produced by a sitting hen. A tweak on the bird's homeothermy value may also be necessary to permit birds to sit on eggs without detonating them.

So, should I try it or not?

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Girlinhat

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Re: idea for an eggsperiment-- (deals with modding)
« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2013, 07:39:43 pm »


This probably belongs in the modding forum, but the applications with fortress mode, along with the question of if I should try this or not, (especially since modding isn't something I usually dabble with too deeply) makes me want to ask it here.

Ok to start:  a few weeks ago a thread came up which made me think about using eggs as bioweapons. Sadly, there was no reasonable way to make eggs shatter or explode. Today a random thought crossed my mind:

If we take the bird's entity data, and in the [LAYS_EGGS] section, we add the following tokens to the entity to make eggs that have vaporizing contents:

[SELECT_MATERIAL:EGG_MATERIAL:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:ALL]
     [BOILING_POINT:10053]
     [STATE_COLOR:YELLOW]
     [STATE_NAME_ADJ:GAS:Deadly Egg Vapor]

That should give the eggs an "exploding" gas that activates a little above indoor room temp. (85 degrees F.)  The eggs should be perfectly stable inside the fortress, underground, but volatize once taken outside in very short order. (Except in winter in temperate biomes, or on freezing biomes)

If we also create an inhalation type syndrome for this gas, we can then weaponize eggs as gas grenades.  If we set the clutch size to 1, we avoid creating stacks that need to be unstacked,  and also make these very unpleasant eggs more rare, and thus, more manageable. Just load them in a minecart shotgun, and bombs away.

What I want to know, is if I should attempt doing this, just to see if the game will respond as anticipated, even though it clearly wouldn't be standard game behavior?

Some caveats might be the homeothermic heating produced by a sitting hen. A tweak on the bird's homeothermy value may also be necessary to permit birds to sit on eggs without detonating them.

So, should I try it or not?
Better than putting them outside, is to put them atop a floor that has magma running under it - the tile above magma is heated above room temperature, causing things to heat harmlessly, unless it boils at exactly that point.

This has been utilized extensively, not specifically with eggs but with various other materials.  Mostly stone is used, as you can make a 'disappearing structure' that vanishes when the ground underneath is warmed with magma.  Makes for interesting adventure mode, where magma can be used to deconstruct items and allow or forbid passage.

wierd

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Re: idea for an eggsperiment-- (deals with modding)
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2013, 07:47:22 pm »

The idea here is to create ammunition for a minecart gun, that has "special" effects.

Another to add might be a a [CONSTANT_TEMP:600000] to the vapor state, which would make the gas released actually cause fires and the like.  The gas has the constant temp, not the liquid state, so the eggs would be perfectly safe inside the fortress, but horrifically deadly just outside.

However, the utilization of magma to activate the bombs could also be amusing, as a unique and special means of liqidating unwanted traders. Just put the eggs at the depot, which has a drainable magma chamber below.  When elves show up, designate egg barrels, close the doors, pull the lever. Wait for the gas to disperse, claim the goods!

So, I take it that I should deffinately try this?
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Urist Da Vinci

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Re: idea for an eggsperiment-- (deals with modding)
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2013, 07:54:19 pm »

DF eggs are made of solid eggshell.

wierd

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Re: idea for an eggsperiment-- (deals with modding)
« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2013, 07:59:52 pm »

Actually, DF eggs have 3 materials: Shell, eggwhite, and eggyolk.  The above selects all parts of the egg to vaporize. Eggshell is solid, eggwhite and eggyolk are liquids, just there is no reaction to extract the liquid, so the only component exposed to the environment is the shell.

I made the proposal to nuke the whole egg on purpose, so as to reduce leaving odd residual components behind.

I will perform the experiment. If I add this to an existing creature, I shouldn't need to worldgen, right?
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Urist Da Vinci

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Re: idea for an eggsperiment-- (deals with modding)
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2013, 08:39:18 pm »

Actually, DF eggs have 3 materials: Shell, eggwhite, and eggyolk.  The above selects all parts of the egg to vaporize. Eggshell is solid, eggwhite and eggyolk are liquids, just there is no reaction to extract the liquid, so the only component exposed to the environment is the shell.

I made the proposal to nuke the whole egg on purpose, so as to reduce leaving odd residual components behind.

I will perform the experiment. If I add this to an existing creature, I shouldn't need to worldgen, right?

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=77574.msg1988930#msg1988930

DF currently can't handle objects made of more than one material, such as eggs, bolts, obsidian swords, or ballista arrows. All are made of a single material currently.

Girlinhat

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Re: idea for an eggsperiment-- (deals with modding)
« Reply #6 on: June 10, 2013, 08:53:38 pm »

DF eggs are made of solid eggshell.
Similarly, blood does not exist until you're cut.  A creature can survive with blood as hot as the sun, with no problem, until he gets cut, at which point blood begins to exist and burns with stellar intensity.  Can make for some creatively volatile creatures...

wierd

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Re: idea for an eggsperiment-- (deals with modding)
« Reply #7 on: June 10, 2013, 09:18:16 pm »

That's good to know.  Still wouldn't impact the proposal though, since I would be vaporizing the whole egg, including the shell.

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