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Author Topic: No goblins?  (Read 1156 times)

xyzzy

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No goblins?
« on: June 21, 2017, 12:32:44 pm »

Hi all, I'm new to DF and have been trying to teach myself to play over the past few weeks. I'm using the Lazy Newb Pack.   My first few fortresses died right after the first set of goblins or beasts arrived since I did not know how to create a military or attack/defend.   So for my latest fortress, I set the "Invaders" option to no in the LNP launcher at the start of the game so I could learn how to do these things.   I now have a fortress up and running with several squads equipped with iron armor and weapons which are training and patrolling, and the fortress entrance is protected by traps, drawbridge, etc.   I'm anxious to try to kill some baddies now so I turned the "Invaders" option back to yes, and keep waiting for goblins to show up but so far nothing, I've waited at least several seasons of game time.   Migrants and caravans keep coming, but so far no enemies.     Can the invaders option be toggled on and off at will to control goblin invasions, or since I set it off at the start of the game does it always prevent invasions even when I set it back to enabled?

I've also read that goblins might only show up depending on population or wealth.   I have a population of 160 and created wealth of 323,390  (no idea what the really means or if it's good or not).    Previous games where goblins did show up I had fewer than these numbers for both population and wealth.
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StagnantSoul

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Re: No goblins?
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2017, 12:46:39 pm »

In recent versions, goblin invasions are rarer, due to them needing a valid path and a good enough reason to invade you, plus population. That's three more checks than needed before, that are also harder to achieve. It is disappointing to an extent, but it keeps stuff from being constant invasions with hundreds of gobbo bodies strewn about.
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xyzzy

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Re: No goblins?
« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2017, 01:45:02 pm »

Ah, thanks.    I'll just keep going then and hope I get attacked at some point.
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CaptainArchmage

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Re: No goblins?
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2017, 05:12:04 pm »

Ah, thanks.    I'll just keep going then and hope I get attacked at some point.

Specifically goblins are no longer ambushers. This means they will only siege you, and that requires a population of 80 to have been reached along with some other wealth requirements.
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Shonai_Dweller

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Re: No goblins?
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2017, 05:58:19 pm »

There are no wealth requirements for goblins in vanilla. It's just pop. And they need to be neighbors of course (shown on the embark map before you start).
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xyzzy

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Re: No goblins?
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2017, 06:06:13 pm »

Thanks all.   Update :  I kept playing a while longer and finally got sieged by about 10 goblins.   About half of my squads got killed but I was able to fight them off and it looked like a few of the goblins fled before I could kill them all.    I'm still pretty confused about exactly what happened - my best fighter (a hammer lord) just sat around in the training area inside the fortress and wouldn't go out to fight (his job was listed as "go to combat training") while the others in the squad went out to kill the goblins.    I saved the game as soon as the siege started so I can replay the combat again to try to do better.
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StagnantSoul

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Re: No goblins?
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2017, 06:34:22 pm »

Thanks all.   Update :  I kept playing a while longer and finally got sieged by about 10 goblins.   About half of my squads got killed but I was able to fight them off and it looked like a few of the goblins fled before I could kill them all.    I'm still pretty confused about exactly what happened - my best fighter (a hammer lord) just sat around in the training area inside the fortress and wouldn't go out to fight (his job was listed as "go to combat training") while the others in the squad went out to kill the goblins.    I saved the game as soon as the siege started so I can replay the combat again to try to do better.

Check his personality, he may be lazy or single minded, both of which reduce the chance of listening to order changes mid-job.
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Quote from: Cptn Kaladin Anrizlokum
I threw night creature blood into a night creature's heart and she pulled it out and bled to death.
Quote from: Eric Blank
Places to jibber madly at each other, got it
Quote from: NJW2000
If any of them are made of fire, throw stuff, run, and think non-flammable thoughts.

Shonai_Dweller

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Re: No goblins?
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2017, 08:49:19 pm »

If he was stuck on go to combat training, he was probably scheduled for training. If you set an 'under attack' alert you can make a new schedule and have them take up positions where you like whenever there's a siege.

That won't stop them from falling asleep, wandering off to find some new gauntlets or popping down to the tavern for a quick sing-song as the hordes of darkness approach. But at least they don't have the excuse of 'but I was ordered to train' when you lower them into the magma pit.
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xyzzy

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Re: No goblins?
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2017, 11:46:22 pm »

I reloaded and fought the battle again and that was exactly it, half of my squads were still set for a training alert.   I fixed it and only lost two dwarves this time - the first one that made it to the battle had a few kills then got overwhelmed.   Most of the other dwarves in the squad got to the battle to finish it but a few just wandered around trying to pick up equipment for some reason.   This game is quite puzzling, but also insanely fun!
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PatrikLundell

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Re: No goblins?
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2017, 04:08:32 am »

They tend to select better gear when shifting tasks, typically dropping the thing to be replaced at the spot. They may then either go and pick up the new gear or go to the next station/fight (half) naked.
One way to combat that behavior is to ensure they don't have any better gear to pick up, e.g. by narrowing down their uniform items to be fairly specific and then upgrade their uniforms only when masterwork pieces are available. Once they're at the top level, any replacements should be due to combat wear, and if you have stocks available the replacement ought to be picked up after the battle, rather than just before the next one.
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Fearless Son

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Re: No goblins?
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2017, 12:55:08 pm »

I reloaded and fought the battle again and that was exactly it, half of my squads were still set for a training alert.   I fixed it and only lost two dwarves this time - the first one that made it to the battle had a few kills then got overwhelmed.   Most of the other dwarves in the squad got to the battle to finish it but a few just wandered around trying to pick up equipment for some reason.   This game is quite puzzling, but also insanely fun!
How did you order your squads?  Because if you just told them to rush out and attack the besiegers, they were probably not engaging in favorable conditions.  If on the other hand you tell them to take up station inside a defensible choke point where they have cover from ranged attacks, then it means that the goblins probably have pretty good equipment. 
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