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Author Topic: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?  (Read 13372 times)

psychologicalshock

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What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« on: April 12, 2011, 03:45:23 pm »

It was kind of already known when crossbows were the next big thing. I just think gun powder as something only dwarves have discovered so far would seem to be rather in character. That's sort of how it worked in Arcanum for example - the explanation for why humans advanced so quickly into the industrial age (compared to in real life) was because dwarves provided inspiration. In that game , for example, the story is that dwarves didn't find use for a steam engine since they prefer to haul stone manually, but humans found a lot of uses for it. It would fit this game to at least have cannons. I think it would make sense that only dwarves would have gun powder since only dwarves have steel, clearly dwarves are tech-oriented (if individually silly).
« Last Edit: April 12, 2011, 03:49:16 pm by psychologicalshock »
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alcohol_dependent

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2011, 03:47:18 pm »

I've been thinking about this too. The mineral saltpeter is there so maybe Toady's thinking about it.
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EmperorJon

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2011, 03:49:52 pm »

Pitchblende is there. Maybe he's thinking about making it possible to extract and process uranium and make dorfnukes.
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I think it's the way towns develop now. In the beginning, people move into a town. Then they start producing tables, which results in more and more tables. Soon tables represent a significant portion of the population, they start lobbying for new laws and regulations, putting people to greater and greater disadvantage...
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psychologicalshock

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2011, 03:50:25 pm »

Yeah and I think it would give siege weapons more application than right now - a cannon loaded with grape shot would actually be a reasonable defense against a wave of goblins (And it would be awesome to read the reports).
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psychologicalshock

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2011, 03:54:15 pm »

Another thing is that in the future there's going to be enemies that can dig into your fortress right? The game could then still be balanced because even though you'd be able to quickly gather up a militia of dwarf musketeers you'd have to also defend on multiple fronts - not just a predictable trap hall.
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Kogut

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2011, 03:58:00 pm »

Yeah and I think it would give siege weapons more application than right now - a cannon loaded with grape shot would actually be a reasonable defense against a wave of goblins (And it would be awesome to read the reports).
We have siege weapons. And Toady is against guns - so no guns (except modding).
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Byakugan01

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2011, 04:03:32 pm »

Pitchblende is there. Maybe he's thinking about making it possible to extract and process uranium and make dorfnukes.
Urist McHauler cancels hauling-irradiated by nuke!
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148. There is no Gnomish Deathgrip, and even if there was, it wouldn't involve tongs.
171. My character's dying words are not allowed to be "Hastur, Hastur, Hastur"
218. No matter my alignment, organizing halfling pit fights is a violation.
231. I am not allowed to do anything that would make a Sith Lord cry.
240. Any character with more than three skills specializing in chainsaw is vetoed.

khearn

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2011, 04:08:55 pm »

Maybe Toady and ThreeToe where inspired more by Tolkien than Arcanum. That's what I think of. More of a low medieval technology level.

Crossbows have been around since at least the 5th or 4th century BC. They were certainly in common use during the Roman Empire. According to Wikipedia's History of Cannon article, "The first documented battlefield use of gunpowder artillery took place on January 28, 1132, when Song General Han Shizhong used huochong to capture a city in Fujian." They weren't very common until the 1300s or so, which is also when the first hand-held firearms started to appear.

So crossbows were in use for a millennium and a half before gunpowder was in use at all.
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UnrealJake

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #8 on: April 12, 2011, 04:11:50 pm »

Maybe Toady and ThreeToe where inspired more by Tolkien than Arcanum. That's what I think of. More of a low medieval technology level.

Crossbows have been around since at least the 5th or 4th century BC. They were certainly in common use during the Roman Empire. According to Wikipedia's History of Cannon article, "The first documented battlefield use of gunpowder artillery took place on January 28, 1132, when Song General Han Shizhong used huochong to capture a city in Fujian." They weren't very common until the 1300s or so, which is also when the first hand-held firearms started to appear.

So crossbows were in use for a millennium and a half before gunpowder was in use at all.

Heh, Chinese words. They're always fun to read!
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Oliolli

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2011, 04:16:54 pm »

Yeah and I think it would give siege weapons more application than right now - a cannon loaded with grape shot would actually be a reasonable defense against a wave of goblins (And it would be awesome to read the reports).

Grape shot: the next best thing after large, serrated metal disks!
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UnrealJake

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2011, 04:19:10 pm »

Yeah and I think it would give siege weapons more application than right now - a cannon loaded with grape shot would actually be a reasonable defense against a wave of goblins (And it would be awesome to read the reports).

Grape shot: the next best thing after large, serrated metal disks!

We all thought carp was going to be the deadliest animal but now it is no longer, so too, shall metal disks have thier day.

Bring on the Grape Shot.
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Huochong sounds like what you hear when a ninja hits somebody with a frying pan.

"HUOOOOOOOOOO-"
*CHONG*

Mister Always

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2011, 04:21:33 pm »

Maybe Toady and ThreeToe where inspired more by Tolkien than Arcanum. That's what I think of. More of a low medieval technology level.

Crossbows have been around since at least the 5th or 4th century BC. They were certainly in common use during the Roman Empire. According to Wikipedia's History of Cannon article, "The first documented battlefield use of gunpowder artillery took place on January 28, 1132, when Song General Han Shizhong used huochong to capture a city in Fujian." They weren't very common until the 1300s or so, which is also when the first hand-held firearms started to appear.

So crossbows were in use for a millennium and a half before gunpowder was in use at all.

Heh, Chinese words. They're always fun to read!

Huochong sounds like what you hear when a ninja hits somebody with a frying pan.

"HUOOOOOOOOOO-"
*CHONG*
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UnrealJake

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #12 on: April 12, 2011, 04:25:28 pm »

Huochong sounds like what you hear when a ninja hits somebody with a frying pan.

"HUOOOOOOOOOO-"
*CHONG*

Beautiful.
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Huochong sounds like what you hear when a ninja hits somebody with a frying pan.

"HUOOOOOOOOOO-"
*CHONG*

Hyndis

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #13 on: April 12, 2011, 04:26:20 pm »

Gunpowder traps would be fun. Link an explosive charge to a lever, wait until something approaches, pull lever, goblins go boom.
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Mister Always

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Re: What's the reasoning behind restricting gun powder?
« Reply #14 on: April 12, 2011, 04:33:50 pm »

Gunpowder traps would be fun. Link an explosive charge to a lever, wait until something approaches, pull lever, goblins go boom.

Better yet, make it pressure-plate activated, and have an option for landmine-style bombs. So they step on the pressure plate, triggering the explosive under it...and boom.

Of course, years after your fortress gets abandoned and subsequently reclaimed, some poor child will step on one while it's out playing in the fields.

Huochong sounds like what you hear when a ninja hits somebody with a frying pan.

"HUOOOOOOOOOO-"
*CHONG*

Beautiful.

Hell yeah, I'm in two peoples' sigs now.
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