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Author Topic: Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?  (Read 1005 times)

Lordfiscus

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Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?
« on: October 16, 2017, 08:57:28 pm »

Is it possible to cut down a tree by shooting it with a ballista or catapult? Or does it destroy the tree and not leave anything behind?
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snow dwarf

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Re: Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2017, 11:27:08 pm »

I believe that doing so would just destroy the arrow and don't think shooting a catapult would work...
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Re: Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2017, 12:18:22 am »

Ballista, destroys all the trees and doesn't leave anything behind. Don't recall catapult being special outside of safety off the top of my head.

@snow dwarf: You believe wrong

eerr

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Re: Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2017, 12:29:56 am »

I just tested this in 43.05.
The ballista destroys a tree if it hits the trunk. The whole entire tree. If it hits the branches high up in a corner, it destroys the tree.  Again, the whole entire tree.
Poof, gone. No roots, no nothing. KO

Catapults however, pass right through.
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bloop_bleep

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Re: Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2017, 12:37:53 am »

Interesting. Does it drop logs?
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Re: Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2017, 12:51:49 am »

Nah. It's why I used them in Deathgame in the first place.

Thanks eerr for clarification on catapults.

PatrikLundell

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Re: Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2017, 01:05:55 am »

As mentioned, ballista arrows disintegrate trees without leaving any remains regardless of which part of the tree it hits, and it can destroy multiple trees that happen to be in their paths. It is often the only reasonable way to get at cavern trees standing in water (when trees block you from closing off the edge access of the cavern lake). When doing so the place taken up by the tree in the water does not get filled in by water until you cause a ripple in the water, and critters (e.g. ones that were sitting in the tree) can get caught at the bottom of those holes.
You can also fire ballista arrows at tree trunks under water if you've got a drain to protect the ballista operator from the water.
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Sanctume

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Re: Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2017, 09:47:44 am »

If you can fire a ballista through a wall of water, can you fire a ballista through a wall of magma so it becomes a fiery projectile?

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Re: Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?
« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2017, 10:46:07 am »

Iirc previous testing from Sphalerite, I think, indicates no. But that was like half a decade ago and fire has been changed since then.

Fearless Son

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Re: Can ballistae be used to cut down trees?
« Reply #9 on: October 17, 2017, 07:51:44 pm »

Maybe it could pass over a flaming lignite grate instead? 
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