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[expwnent]

This is something I've been meaning to write for a long time. I'm posting to see how many people would be interested in using it. The idea is to make a "tower defense" mode for DF by triggering invasions more and more often until you're overwhelmed. Combined with digging invaders, it would guarantee that your fort eventually falls into ruin, unless you make a fort that diggingInvaders can't get through, which is difficult but possible. I haven't done it yet but I'm going to abandon the conditional tense because it's awkward and annoying. There's no easy way to control the size of invasions, but they tend to get bigger over time, and it's easy to trigger many invasions at the same time to ensure a difficult enough encounter.

As a modding tool, I'll also allow it to be highly configurable. Different civs can have independent settings. An optional upper bound on the frequency of invasions is reasonable. The rate of increase of invasion rate will of course be configurable. An initial wait time for new forts is also reasonable.

I think that a geometric distribution is a good way of doing it: an independent probability every tick of an invasion on that tick. That probability will of course be extremely small and increase only very very slowly, but steadily. I already know how to do it in a way that the script doesn't actually have to run every tick but it will be functionally the same, so framerates won't be slowed down much except by the invaders themselves. With a geometric distribution, the time of the previous invasion tells you nothing about the time of the next invasion: it could happen at any moment, but it probably won't.

I might make an optional separate script to tag invader items and remove them from the game when they die so that you don't get too much item clutter. Configurable to control the level of clutter acceptable, what items get deleted, maybe delete all invader items and create some generic "goblinite" tokens on top of their bodies instead, etc.

The main target demographic is the "game"ist crowd who want a challenge, so some degree of simulationism will have to be compromised. Would people use this? Any ideas for configuration options besides what I already mentioned?

[Meph]

My opinion: Challenging embarks with lots of enemies can be done by adding more invader civs, or triggering force event several times. I once made a little mistake and my kobolds triggered so many ambushes that over 400 units were on the map. For me this means that what you want to write already exists in a way.

The issues with it would also be FPS death. Thats why I rather use a single megabeast-sized creature in a civ, than have 3 less dangerous civs attack me.

The other issues is goblinite, which gives "free" ojects to the players, and hurts FPS as well. ~10 items per invaders (2gloves, 2 shoes, 1 helm, 1 armor, 1 pants, 1 weapon, 1 shield, 1 shirt, 1 trousers. Maybe ammo. Maybe socks/shoes under the armor). Thats why I rather use naturally armed and armored invaders, which do not drop items.

I think this is much more interesting:

I might make an optional separate script to tag invader items and remove them from the game when they die so that you don't get too much item clutter. Configurable to control the level of clutter acceptable, what items get deleted, maybe delete all invader items and create some generic "goblinite" tokens on top of their bodies instead, etc.

You can use it for civs with magical items that disappear, or natural armor that is supposed to be part of the body (rock armor on an Elementalman, or carapace shield on an Insectman), or simply allow the option "No Goblinite", and delete all invader items.

It would also allow "No robbing of caravans", if you can manage to delete all items inside a wagon when its scuttled. It would be great if caravans that spawn, and are killed, would also be plundered by the invaders. It would make much more sense than having them die and giving you free items after the invasion left. If caravans are killed, their content is destroyed by the collapsing wagon. But I dont know how to handle this, if the player himself wants to rob a caravan.

My suggestion for your siege-plugin: Allow something like spawnunit, create a number of new units, but with some additional options:
 - Units can be hidden (Ambush).
 - Units trigger the SIEGE status.
 - Units can be thieves or babysnatchers.
 - Units have equipment. At least armor, shield and weapons.
 - Units DO NOT have to be a civ member. You dont need to spawn a CIV:EVIL ambush... you could spawn a CREATURE:Whatever ambush.
 - Units spawn at a random location on the map-edge, either surface, or cavern 1,2 or 3.

This way you can make your own custom sieges or ambushes. Hack down trees? Spawn 5 Ents/Treants that avange the forest. Meddle in dark arts? Spawn 1 fully equipped Lich with 10 skeleton minions. Reach a certain wealth? Spawn a group of well trained and well equipped Adventurers/Raiders. You are bored and want a challenge? Challenge the goblin king to a duel, spawns 300 goblins, fully armed, well trained, plus their King/General with legendary combat skills. Modders could create custom challenges, instead of endless waves of the same invaders.

Bonus points for:
 - Units can have custom natural skills. (Like SWORD:0-15)
 - Units can have mounts.
 - Units can be of mixed creature ids. (Like WOLF and BEAR and ELK fighting together)

Obviously I have no idea how feasable this is, but thats my 2 cents.

[SIGVARDR]

sounds interesting and well within the scope of Dfhack. New "game modes" are appreciated. While a fortress defense scenario can certainly be made already, streamlining and improving upon the idea with dfhack would be useful.

[Boltgun]

Giving the enemies a boiling itemcorpse will also reduce clutter further. Only severed limbs will remain.