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[bluephoenix]

I have lost a great number of dwarves during sieges for the simple reason that they abandon their post "station here" to refill their waterskin and sometimes when getting provision.
I often station my dwarves in front of my gate during a siege (I use floodgates so that trolls can actually destroy them, no easy mode indestructible drawbridge ) the problem I encounter is that they very frequently leave their post during a siege to go to the river (since the gate to the fortress is closed) to refill their waterskins and thus walk straight into the goblin hordes.

I propose that the "station here" order has a higher priority than getting food or booze/water to avoid further deaths from them wandering off into the enemy.

Very simple suggestion, if anyone wants to add anything or comment on something feel free to.

[StagnantSoul]

Meh, that's more of user error than game error.

[bluephoenix]

Meh, that's more of user error than game error.

How so? If I tell my dwarves to station at the gate to wait for the enemy I expect them to stand there and be ready, not wander off into the attacking hordes to go refill their waterskin from the river outside.

[Shonai_Dweller]

Meh, that's more of user error than game error.

How so? If I tell my dwarves to station at the gate to wait for the enemy I expect them to stand there and be ready, not wander off into the attacking hordes to go refill their waterskin from the river outside.

AI is a bit dodgy perhaps but...
 1) They aren't robots, they're thirsty dwarves left outside by their overseer's incompetence to die of dehydration

2) They're not running for the river completely ignoring the goblins. On the contrary, they're heading for the river, spotting the goblins and deciding to fight them single-handed. Because dorf.

The only thing you need is a better spot to station your dwarves. Preferably one near a well.

[bluephoenix]

Meh, that's more of user error than game error.

How so? If I tell my dwarves to station at the gate to wait for the enemy I expect them to stand there and be ready, not wander off into the attacking hordes to go refill their waterskin from the river outside.

AI is a bit dodgy perhaps but...
 1) They aren't robots, they're thirsty dwarves left outside by their overseer's incompetence to die of dehydration

2) They're not running for the river completely ignoring the goblins. On the contrary, they're heading for the river, spotting the goblins and deciding to fight them single-handed. Because dorf.

The only thing you need is a better spot to station your dwarves. Preferably one near a well.

Perhaps you're incapable of understanding what I'm trying to say so I'll explain it a bit better for you.

1. Standing outside for a couple of minutes (RL) while waiting for the goblins to arrive does not make them dehydrated, hell it doesn't even make them thirsty. They are stationed there for a short while to fend of the attacking goblins. There is no "incompetence" here on my part.

2. They are marching away from their position all by themselves into certain doom so call that what you like. I should not have to build a well in front of my gates just to allow the AI to refill the waterskin, they can refill the waterskin a few moments later once the siege is over so I'm not gonna build a well just to keep the dwarves from making the stupid decision to walk away towards the river.

[Shonai_Dweller]

Deleted.

[bluephoenix]

Sorry if it seems like I snapped at you Shonai but I'm not having a good day and getting called incompetent for something that is the games fault and not mine just did not sit well with me.

[Shonai_Dweller]

Sorry if it seems like I snapped at you Shonai but I'm not having a good day and getting called incompetent for something that is the games fault and not mine just did not sit well with me.

Yeah, it struck me after that that wasn't a good thing to say. Was thinking more, from your dwarves point of view they're locked outside and need water, who cares what the orders were?

Are you sure they're going to fill their waterskins, and not just spotting the goblins and going off to attack them?

[anewaname]

This is not in an attempt to address the "dwarfs leaving station for provisions/sleep/equipment" activities, but to suggest a solution for the current issue. If you set up two-square booze/food stockpiles (with 't'ake from links) and a couple of beds in a 4x4 room above or below the location the dwarves are stationed, so they can go into a safe zone instead of falling asleep in the goblin highway or running off to find water.

[bluephoenix]

Sorry if it seems like I snapped at you Shonai but I'm not having a good day and getting called incompetent for something that is the games fault and not mine just did not sit well with me.

Yeah, it struck me after that that wasn't a good thing to say. Was thinking more, from your dwarves point of view they're locked outside and need water, who cares what the orders were?

Are you sure they're going to fill their waterskins, and not just spotting the goblins and going off to attack them?

Yeah I have checked their activity with "v"iew and it says "fill waterskin" it also usually happens when I set up an ambush so when the goblins are around the corner outside of the field of view.

This is not in an attempt to address the "dwarfs leaving station for provisions/sleep/equipment" activities, but to suggest a solution for the current issue. If you set up two-square booze/food stockpiles (with 't'ake from links) and a couple of beds in a 4x4 room above or below the location the dwarves are stationed, so they can go into a safe zone instead of falling asleep in the goblin highway or running off to find water.

Yeah I guess I will have to do a work around like this until Toady does something about this issue.

[FantasticDorf]

A simple solution could be like anewanaeme says in setting up the food stockpiles (food & drink, water can be overrided by the military screen) and then creating a link to supply the barracks with supplies only from those places in the assigned barrack's troop, allowing you some micromanagement.

Explicit drinking zones can also already be set to stop dwarves running to the river when wells are available, i don't usually make bathhouses (floor grilles + a well with 2 or more deep water resovoir underneath the room) because of map differences & situations but communal places to get water are all quite useful and more convenient for your military dwarves since its not a trek outside.

Yeah otherwise you will have to wait for toady to make changes or least accessibility to military dwarf priorities or a "do it now!" order setting to immediately override, as we see in workshops.