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Author Topic: Help with cages?  (Read 1243 times)

Iamblichos

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Help with cages?
« on: November 04, 2013, 01:11:05 pm »

Hello, only been playing about two weeks, loving every frustrating minute of it...

Problem: I can't seem to get the goblins/creatures/anything else out of cages.  They get trapped (or bought), then my dorfs trundle the cages to the Animal storage area... and there, they defy all attempts to open them.  I finally figured out how to strip the greenies down to get to the goblinite lode, but now they are just tying up a useful cage, standing around and waving their goblin junk at everyone.  The mayor was incautious and got peed on.

How do I get them removed from the cage, and safely (ahem) into the warm embrace of my military?

Thanks,

Iamblichos
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I'm new to succession forts in general, yes, but do all forts designed by multiple overseers inevitably degenerate into a body-filled labyrinth of chaos and despair like this? Or is this just a Battlefailed thing?

There isn't much middle ground between killed-by-dragon and never-seen-by-dragon.

Urist McRas

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2013, 01:17:24 pm »

Build those cages as constructions (b-j, if i'm not much mistaken). Then connect it to a lever. Then station your military near the cage and pull the lever.
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The fortresses are penal colonies.
The mountainhome has far too many degenerates too deal with by itself, so it sends out minor nobles to establish penal colonies across the world.

Iamblichos

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2013, 01:19:01 pm »

OK... how do I get the goblins out of the cages I already have in storage?  Are they un-extractable?
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I'm new to succession forts in general, yes, but do all forts designed by multiple overseers inevitably degenerate into a body-filled labyrinth of chaos and despair like this? Or is this just a Battlefailed thing?

There isn't much middle ground between killed-by-dragon and never-seen-by-dragon.

Urist McRas

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2013, 01:24:12 pm »

That was what i meant: build the cages with goblins inside. When you choose which cage is to be build hit 'x' to expand your list of cages and select a goblin cage.
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The fortresses are penal colonies.
The mountainhome has far too many degenerates too deal with by itself, so it sends out minor nobles to establish penal colonies across the world.

Iamblichos

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2013, 01:42:02 pm »

Aha... When I get home tonight I will try this.  Thanks!  Intuitive rating = -10
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I'm new to succession forts in general, yes, but do all forts designed by multiple overseers inevitably degenerate into a body-filled labyrinth of chaos and despair like this? Or is this just a Battlefailed thing?

There isn't much middle ground between killed-by-dragon and never-seen-by-dragon.

Duuvian

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #5 on: November 04, 2013, 01:54:47 pm »

You can also have a dwarf release animals or goblins without the use of a lever. Hit q and hover over the cage, then a to assign creatures to it. Things inside the cage will be at the top with a + next to them. You can release them by hitting enter, which removes the +, which is your designation that they should be inside the cage.

The goblins and non tame animals will try to escape or fight your dwarves if you don't open their cage with a lever from a room they can't escape with one exception. The exception is if the cage is built directly next to a pit that has marked the specific goblins for dropping into it. To make a pit, dig a channel, remove any ramps, then use the i (zone) menu to designate a pit. You can assign creatures to it just like a cage. Remember to build the cage before assigning them to the pit and not the other way around.

To remove a goblin's equipment, which is highly recommended when moving them around along with stationing armed guards in case it goes wrong, build the cage and then mark it with d>b>d. This marks everything, including the cage for dumping in your dump zone. Once everything is done and the goblin is naked and unarmed, you can remove the dump with d>b>D, and the cage won't go to the dump zone once it's deconstructed. If you want the dwarves to move the goblin's stuff to an appropriate stockpile, go to your dump zone and d a d>b>c on the pile of stuff there.

If I want to release goblins, I usually use mechanisms to link the cage to a lever. You can then wall the cage in and use the goblins as marksdwarf training for dwarves on higher ground or something.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2013, 01:58:58 pm by Duuvian »
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Aslandus

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #6 on: November 04, 2013, 02:38:22 pm »

I have a dwarf trapped in a cage, I think he went crazy and got caught in a trap, but he seems to be fine now. How do I get him out?

jcochran

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2013, 03:58:43 pm »

I have a dwarf trapped in a cage, I think he went crazy and got caught in a trap, but he seems to be fine now. How do I get him out?
Unfortunately, you gotta do it the long way.

Build the cage   'b->j'
Link a lever to the cage.
Pull the lever.
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EvilBob22

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2013, 04:01:36 pm »

The easiest way (in my opinion) is to create a Pit/Pond zone.  It has to have one square next to an opening down to the next z-level -- for example, the Pit/Pond can be one level above the barracks.  Assign any creature in a cage to the pit and they will be thrown in, even if the cage is sitting in the animal stockpile.  If you want to get fancy with it, check out the mass pitting page on the wiki.

I was going to comment on the dwarf in the cage too, but jcochran beat me to it.
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I will run the experiment to completion anyway, however. Even if the only reason why there is a punctured equilibrium in the fortress is because I have been brutally butchering babies
EDIT: I just remembered that dwarves can't equip halberds. That might explain why the squads that use them always die.

Oddible

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #9 on: November 04, 2013, 06:17:27 pm »

When you build (b), cage (j), you can hit (x) to see the expanded view of the cages (so you know which one has your gobby in it, no sense in building an empty cage somewhere). 
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CRM114

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #10 on: November 04, 2013, 08:50:47 pm »

The other option is to build a restraint like a chain (good use of lead) and assign the caged creature to it. My mechanics are usually busy elsewhere so I like this method.
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Button

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2013, 09:35:44 am »

I have a dwarf trapped in a cage, I think he went crazy and got caught in a trap, but he seems to be fine now. How do I get him out?
Unfortunately, you gotta do it the long way.

Build the cage   'b->j'
Link a lever to the cage.
Pull the lever.

There's a quicker way to release dwarfs from cages actually

Build the cage 'b->j'
Look at the new Cage Building 'q'
Assign the cage to 'Nobody'
Someone will be by to let the dorf out.
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Iamblichos

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #12 on: November 05, 2013, 10:59:05 am »

That worked like a charm... now I just have the tedium of dumping out naked goblins one by one into the melee woodchipper.  The dorfs are enjoying themselves, though  :D
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I'm new to succession forts in general, yes, but do all forts designed by multiple overseers inevitably degenerate into a body-filled labyrinth of chaos and despair like this? Or is this just a Battlefailed thing?

There isn't much middle ground between killed-by-dragon and never-seen-by-dragon.

Button

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Re: Help with cages?
« Reply #13 on: November 05, 2013, 04:24:57 pm »

That worked like a charm... now I just have the tedium of dumping out naked goblins one by one into the melee woodchipper.  The dorfs are enjoying themselves, though  :D

With non-dwarf captives, you can assign the captives to chains, where they will hang around until you tell your dorfs to chop 'em up. That way you don't have to deal with the lever. :)

N.B. 'Friendly' units, such as merchant guards, will kill your target practice dummies on sight, including if they see you dragging one from the cage stockpile to the chain room. Try to keep the chain room and cage stockpile reasonably far away from the depot, depot-paths, and any route that caravan guards might take to get to the space on the other side of a wall from the depot..
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Always assume I'm not seriously back