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[Armok]

One proud tradition of DF is trying to build a computer, using things like animal pathfinding or water pressure. With the new version, lots of complex interactions betwen materials and cretures will be added... It seems possible that this might be used to make a computer that is a single creature, or even a digestible that turns any dwarf into a computer.

Changing from one for to another, either permanently or reverting on a timer. Built in clock cycles synchronized with day/night or the moon. Syndromes can cause vomiting or bleeding wich will collect on the ground and be able to have different interactions with a different form. Heat can retrieve information stored in an inert liquid by vaporising it into a gas with inhalation symptoms. Movment can be controlled by making the creature hostile or scared or immobile. Many more tools that I'm forgeting.

Imagine it... A Turing machine implemented as one long coridor with a single cursed dwarve, constantly changing betwen forms each corresponding to the state of the turing machine, states of cells encoded in different kinds of blood or vomit in each tile...

[freeformschooler]

That would require some serious set up. But I'd love to see it.

[Lagslayer]

You are insane. Keep us informed about the project .

[Armok]

Hey! I'm just brainstorming! I have no idea how to do the kind of moding needed for this and I'm to lazy to learn. (And I never get around to playing the actual game any more so it wouldn't get done anyway)

[darkflagrance]

The easiest way I can think of off the top of my head is a workshop that spits out several curses. They change the affected dwarf's size anywhere from once a month to at the beginning of each year or every ten years. They also inflict the dwarf with the permanent ability to no longer need drink or food or have emotions..

Then, lock the dwarf in a 1x1 room on top of a pressure plate that triggers by size. When the dwarf changes size, the plate will be trigger, and might do things like unlock a gate or raise a floodgate to irrigate the farms, or open a magma flood to annihilate a garbage dump. You could have the dwarf patrol up and down a hallway of pressure plates like this as well, as imagined in the OP.

[Funburns]

One thing to consider is that it could be possible to integrate interactions with existing computation techniques to make them more efficient. Creatures can move faster than water, but not faster than mechanical power through a gear system; but perhaps this could save FPS by integrating more functions into a single unit with many scripts.

Interactions might also give more options for automating fort tasks. If it could check when a dwarf was hungry, then turn it into a chicken that lays edible eggs, and then back again afterwards... That dwarf would violate not only laws of thermodynamics, but also any sense of decency and the very fundaments of sanity. In just one interaction!

[EvilTwin]

I will definitely try this! It sounds awesome. 

[Geb]

Only on these forums could you ever find a proposal that vomit might be turing complete.

I think that for the case of the single tile enclosed version, you'd be better off not using temperature as an input, but instead mod in a few different types of input-beast with various custom breath attacks. The more different types of input you can get into the central computation creature, the more useful it could potentially be. It also leaves you free to use temperatures for cleanup of... completed calculations. Just make sure all fluids involved will vapourise if magma is nearby.