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[hegchog]

Have alligators always been so dangerous? I've been doing an above ground fortress in a marsh area and have had some annoying animals get to close but I retired then un-retired my fortress to arm my people with knifes but a group of alligators got too close to my wood cutters, while most of the alligators got on the land and were mobbed by my workers and were stabbed to death, one stayed underwater and ripped apart three humans (Im playing as humans for the now) before I even noticed! I called in my militia who waited for it to surface then hacked it up.

I normally just live underground as dwarfs so I don't see much animals but have alligators always been so dangerous?

[StagnantSoul]

They're pretty bad. Randomly, one may get enraged by a bumping otter or fish, and start hunting your dwarves/humans until he's un-enraged. It's pretty annoying. I've actually lost a bronze clad, steel swinging axe dwarf in the embark to alligators. When a moderately well armed and skilled dwarf loses to three alligators, you know there's a balance problem. Outnumbered ten to one, a dwarf can handle goblins. Three to one with alligators? Fast-ish death.

[IndigoFenix]

To be fair, alligators ARE one of the world's most dangerous predators in real life.  Even guns aren't very effective against them.  I don't think there's anything off balance about three gators being able to take down a dwarf with a sword.

[hegchog]

I have three archers in the hospital and two dead. My plan for now is to just build a massive wall to keep them from getting inside.

[§k]

An idea: chain the pack animals somewhere between the water and your wagon, hopefully gators would fight them before going for your dwarves.

[pisskop]

Alligators are predators.

And they've always had a reputation for killing new fortresses.

An idea: chain the pack animals somewhere between the water and your wagon, hopefully gators would fight them before going for your dwarves.

Pasturing them would probably work.  Once the alligator locks onto them, he should chase them down.  On the plus side, most pack animals should be fast enough to get away.  On the down side, increased risk of him eating you.

[Sus]

Yes. I've seen an alligator rip a bunch of badgers (!) to shreds, before tearing off my miner's both arms. Were it not for a lucky head hit from the other miner's (copper pick), the embark party could have been wiped before I even realized they were under attack.

[StupidElves]

I set up in a swamp once to see how difficult it was back in .34, gators tore my axe dwarf to shreds. Embarked in another swamp and quickly went underground, only opening up to let in the migrants and merchants. Once I got enough military people I set up traps and began to train the gators for war. No goblin survived. Ever.

[Panando]

Alligators are very good at depopulating embark parties, but they are vanishingly rare. The reason is that even if a biome has alligators, the animal group which first comes onto the map is randomly selected. So you're not very likely to get alligators in the first few months.
This is especially true now that there are so many animals (and animal men) to dilute the animal pool.

I've only had a gator' embark once. I've embarked on many tropical swamps in the hope of getting gators or crocs, but have never since been lucky. The change might have been after all the wombats and kea men and stuff made their debut.

[Tacomagic]

Alligators are very good at depopulating embark parties, but they are vanishingly rare.

Tell that to the alligators.  I've had them at my last 5 river embarks.  Luckily, the last time they only killed a dog and a peahen instead of knocking my miner, and his pick, into the river.

[Mlamlah]

Are alligators dangerous? Yes. Are they unbalanced and overpowered? Maybe if you were playing a different game.

[Tacomagic]

Are alligators dangerous? Yes. Are they unbalanced and overpowered? Maybe if you were playing a different game.

The thing really unbalanced about them is that they lay so many eggs.

Wait, did I type unbalanced?  Sorry, typo, I meant "awesome."

[pisskop]

Are alligators dangerous? Yes. Are they unbalanced and overpowered? Maybe if you were playing a different game.

The thing really unbalanced about them is that they lay so many eggs.

Wait, did I type unbalanced?  Sorry, typo, I meant "awesome."

I happen to agree.  Infant mortality rates are terribly low.

[dwarf_reform]

They do lay excessive amounts of eggs in reality too, but the survival rate due to temperature sensitivity and predators (including ants, of all things) is generally pretty low (Dirty Jobs taught me things, meheheheheeeh)..

For their toughness, they can shrug off a pretty good range of low caliber bullets :|

[sneakey pete]

I'd be more worried about the saltwater crocs to be honest. Twice the size.