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[biznaz]

First I'd like to say thanks to The Great Toaded One, I'm loving DF.  I just started playing a couple days ago.  

I occasionally get an event that says "a thief has stolen a (pig tail sock)" or other item.  Is this kobold trickery or one of my own citizens?  And how would I put a stop to this?  I have one entrance, patrolled by wardogs, but it occurred to me that a thief could be stealing items of dead goblins (I usually don't let my followers outdoors).   I have developed a righteous commune, and in the eyes of Armok envy and theft are blasphemous!

Also I'm closing in on the default population cap, and I rarely get sieged.  When I do it's by 40 or 50 goblins that aren't mounted and don't have trolls.  They usually mill about outside my fortress, and stay there unless I unleash my crossbowmen in towers.  What should I look for on the world map to make the environment a little more hostile?  I understand Terrifying and Haunted locations have nasty wildlife, but what location would encourage more and better sieges?

oh and one more question, when do megabeasts come into the picture?

[ March 21, 2008: Message edited by: biznaz ]

[gimli]

quote:Originally posted by biznaz:
<STRONG>First I'd like to say thanks to The Great Toaded One, I'm loving DF.  I just started playing a couple days ago.  

I occasionally get an event that says "a thief has stolen a (pig tail sock)" or other item.  Is this kobold trickery or one of my own citizens?  And how would I put a stop to this?  I have one entrance, patrolled by wardogs, but it occurred to me that a thief could be stealing items of dead goblins (I usually don't let my followers outdoors).   I have developed a righteous commune, and in the eyes of Armok envy and theft are blasphemous!

Also I'm closing in on the default population cap, and I rarely get sieged.  When I do it's by 40 or 50 goblins that aren't mounted and don't have trolls.  They usually mill about outside my fortress, and stay there unless I unleash my crossbowmen in towers.  What should I look for on the world map to make the environment a little more hostile?  I understand Terrifying and Haunted locations have nasty wildlife, but what location would encourage more and better sieges?

oh and one more question, when do megabeasts come into the picture?

[ March 21, 2008: Message edited by: biznaz ]</STRONG>

Well....only someone who has dawn syndrome couldnt defend vs. a siege as it is now. Ok that was a bit harsh but you get the point I guess. [very easy to destroy all sieging armies, because 1. traps are overpowered, 2. defense mechanisms -> the attackers cant even get into the fortress]

So basically a normal siege looks like this:

1. The enemy troops cant get into the fortress because of the defense mechanisms, and the player is killing the sieging armies with catapults & marksdwarf squads. Basically its hard to loose a SINGLE dwarf in a siege to be honest.

2. You dont need defense systems like moats etc. at all. Just construct traps, open the gates and voila...even megabeasts cannot survive a few stonefall traps....

Well hopelly with the army arc, we will have challenging sieges...[perhaps there will be new AI options for the siegers, like tunnel into the fortress if they cant find a way in normally etc, siege engines, special units to bridge over a moat etc...]

[ March 21, 2008: Message edited by: gimli ]

[GRead]

The best way to spice up a siege is to refrain from using any of the aforementioned uber-defenses and instead rely more on military dwarves.

As far as making the sieges more impressive by themselves I'd try increasing your fortresses created wealth and maybe settling closer to Goblin Civs.

Hope some of that helps!

[biznaz]

I think I will try settling closer to goblins, thanks.  My created wealth is at 1.3 million right now, is there a certain amount to attract megabeasts and bigger sieges?

also on a side note, I was looking at one of my plump helmet farms and under all seasons, plump helmet was unselectable and red.  I had no problems with it for probably 4 years or so then I couldn't grow plump helmets for a few seasons, then it was back to normal.  Was the soil depleted or was there some other reason?  I didn't use any fertilizer.

[BurnedToast]

To answer your first question, kobolds come and steal your stuff. They will steal goblin stuff outside (which is considered yours) so that's probably it if you have lots of wardogs in your main hall. Consider them free maids and be happy about it (though eventually they will steal so much stuff they will send bowmen to attack you).

Edit: if you really want to stop them anyway, the only real way is to bring the stuff inside then guard it. you can't really protect massive piles of stuff spread out everywhere outside very easily.

[ March 22, 2008: Message edited by: BurnedToast ]

[Areyar]

Does dumped stuff and stuff marked as forbidden count as 'your stuff' too?

Good reason to dump stuff underwater or in a trash compactor then.

[numerobis]

"dawn syndrome" -- the syndrome of DF players who suddenly realize that night has turned to dawn, but their megaproject still isn't built yet.

In a properly-walled fortress, sieges are largely innoccuous, no matter how large -- except that they might kill the caravan and various diplomats.  Ambushes are somewhat likely to catch your woodcutters out working.  Even without traps, and with an always-open entrance, with a half-dozen marksdwarves you're unlikely to lose anyone to an attack (I have a single line of cage traps to get snatchers and megabeasts, so that I can have pet hydras and master thieves for my mayor).

[numerobis]

On the other hand, if you screw up your defenses, and the green menace breaks through, you can have a lot of fun in a short while.

My three favourite battles:
- zerg rushing a bronze colossus.  110 civilian recruits *will* eventually take it down.  About 20 dead (almost all of them in a pile in the corner of the courtyard) and 20 wounded.
- zerg rushing the goblin siegers who were coming in via the ex-doors the colossus opened for them.  Except I screwed up and they got up on the walls and started sniping my recruits that were fighting their melee troops down in the courtyard.  About 20 more dead; the two battles caused a tantrum storm that took the population down to 15 (all the wounded died, of course).
- calmly waiting for a siege of 16 lashers to show up in my killing zone.  Then my three marksdwarves opened fire.  The lashers were dancing.  I wish I'd gotten a movie.  No injuries.  On my side, I mean.