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Author Topic: Stone Tools and Weapons  (Read 9094 times)

Dozebôm Lolumzalìs

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Re: Stone Tools and Weapons
« Reply #30 on: May 29, 2016, 01:45:22 pm »

Have you seen Aztec obsidian swords?

Doesn't the game already have those?

I was responding to this:

i think obsidian swords are supposed to be wood with sharp bits embedded all around

Which would really be more of a mace, both with skill and use.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2016, 01:53:42 pm by Dozebôm Lolumzalìs »
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catoblepas

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Re: Stone Tools and Weapons
« Reply #31 on: May 30, 2016, 03:52:49 am »

Macuahuitl are long, thin, have sharp edges on two sides, and were used explicitly for cutting rather than blunt trauma, not for so they probably would be classified more accurately as a sword than a mace.

Actual stone maces do exist, but they would not typically be made out of something like obsidian or chert that would be likely to break, and would be made using a different process-grinding, carving, etc instead of knapping.

So you'd have some stones with something like a [CANKNAPP] tag and some with a [CARVEDSTN] tag to differentiate stones that must be knapped, and those that are carve-able.

I'm all for including the distinction though. Something like obsidian is certainly not something that can be knapped into rings or goblets easily (it would end in crying, bleeding, and a lot of obsidian shards for anyone short of master skill), and certainly not by stonecarving, and should probably not be used as the head for a mace or hammer. On the reverse side, you wouldn't want to make a blade out of granite, but it would be fine for a sturdy mace head or a statue.
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DeCervantes

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Re: Stone Tools and Weapons
« Reply #32 on: May 30, 2016, 04:07:04 am »

I would love to see this implemented, but I would add stone picks.
I would also love to see sharpening implemented, although I would add the sharpening to the military schedule or something similar. Maintenance of equipment is also part of the duty. With this weapons from bad materials could loose all sharpness after a few slashes but could be "brought back into shape" after a break. 
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Adam Mantine

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Re: Stone Tools and Weapons
« Reply #33 on: May 30, 2016, 06:56:38 pm »

I would like to submit again the idea of rock trap components, especially spiked balls and enormous corkscrews.
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catoblepas

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Re: Stone Tools and Weapons
« Reply #34 on: May 30, 2016, 09:59:30 pm »

Unfortunately you really can't easily 'resharpen' most knapped tools & weapons. Replacing the stone component of your weapon/tool with a fresh one is what you'd do in the case of a dull obsidian/flint/chert etc edge. Ground stone tools are another story, of course.

But I think that's perfectly fine. You can cut wood with a stone adze or mine using hammerstones and bits of antler, but your tools will wear out, and would have to be reworked, repaired, or replaced regularly, while metal items would perform better and experience wear at slower rate.

The benefits (particularly to early forts or forts without ready access to certain materials) are pretty straightforward in that the materials for primitive tools would be much more readily available. So even if you have a metal shortage and can't afford to give every migrant a pick, you can at least give them some granite chunks and set them to hammering out some rough tunnels.

If/when weapon/tool wear makes it into the game I think this will allow for some different and varied play styles. Sure, one could give all their miners and woodcutters stone tools and save all that lovely iron ore for armor and weapons, but the industries will suffer from having  less durable tools to work with. While using all that iron for picks might mean that dwarves will have to spend much less time maintaining their tools, but could leave the military less prepared for threats.
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Linkxsc

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Re: Stone Tools and Weapons
« Reply #35 on: May 31, 2016, 06:51:02 pm »

Perhaps instead of wear. Stone tools could do operations at a lower speed. Stone axes taking 2-3x the time a metal axe would. Same with picks.
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Dozebôm Lolumzalìs

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Re: Stone Tools and Weapons
« Reply #36 on: May 31, 2016, 08:40:49 pm »

Macuahuitl are long, thin, have sharp edges on two sides, and were used explicitly for cutting rather than blunt trauma, not for so they probably would be classified more accurately as a sword than a mace.

Nonono, I was talking about his idea of

wood with sharp bits embedded all around

and calling it a mace. The "aztec swords" are definitely swords. :P
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Quote from: King James Programming
...Simplification leaves us with the black extra-cosmic gulfs it throws open before our frenzied eyes...
Quote from: Salvané Descocrates
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