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Author Topic: my plans for a wall and other random thoughts...  (Read 1073 times)

fractalman

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my plans for a wall and other random thoughts...
« on: February 20, 2013, 05:20:30 pm »

So. 
A wall is nice, a natural wall is better, and some dwarves have used completely isolated pods made with natural stone and cast in obsidian...
but the biggest long-term threats to a fort are boredom and fps. The former is inevitable.  The latter?
well.  One can try magma.  but if there happens to be a lot of magma-safe junk lying around, or worse, nearly magma safe, then this will make the fps unbearably bad for days.

So. get rid of the world-clutter via traders.

Which means no isolated pods.  But then I was inspired by some shenanigance involving a forgotten beast...during which not a single dwarf was lost.  because the beast decided to admire a door instead of destroying it.  It's still there. (pics when i get home.  maybe.).


There's still a connection to where the beast resides, but it now includes 1 of each seige engine and lots of walls.  plus enough doors to slow it down for long enough to dig out a brand new fortress.

This was all a bit random...but I've decided I shall rely on the phenomena from now on...
I shall indeed expand above ground; but not with a single mega project, oh no, i'm going to use lots and lots of these:

***++***
*XXXXXX*
*XBBBFX*
+XBBBFX+
+XBBBFX+
*XSSsbx*
*XXXXXX*
***++***

*=wall,+=door, X, x=trap, B=building, b=bed, F=farm, S=stockpile, possibly of the quantum variety. 

Are they designed to be independent? no. They're designed to be almost-independent while also being reasonably simple.  And able to trade with caravans...so that if a dwarf IS stranded in one, I can at least keep them from starving/dying of thirst as long as I notice. 
Meanwhile, doors can be slammed in the face of enemy trapavoid+buildingdestroyers; enemies that are only one or the other will be stopped by a combination of cages and humble stonefall traps.

And when a building destroyer+trap avoider arrives? Well. it'll have so many walls and doors to choose between, it'll have to take its time to get to the dwarves, allowing time to not only get dwarves to safety, but to finally train up a military. 


it'll be REALLY nice when I finally get around to playing with magma...It'll stay in one cell as long as i only dump a little bit at a time. 


Logged
This is a masterwork ledger.  It contains 3719356 pages on the topic of the precise number and location of stones in Spindlybrooks.  In the text, the dwarves are hauling.
"And here is where we get the undead unicorns. Stop looking at me that way, you should have seen the zombie deer running around last week!"

fractalman

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Re: my plans for a wall and other random thoughts...
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2013, 02:16:14 pm »

more thought dumping. a lot of questions in this one.

food...wow.  That stuff sells for a lot!
...ok.  WHY, oh WHY, do dwarves manage perfectly fine when you tell them to (d)ump a goblin cage, but if you try to summon one via the trade depot, do they let the goblin out!?!?...(playing a slightly outdated version...was this fixed?)..

I suppose it does require a fair amount of dwarf labor, but I already have them farming and fermenting stuff and cooking stuff just to keep themselves happy and out of the carp infested river. 

Do forgotten beasts stop updating if there's no dwarves within a couple of z-levels?

rubble...if it's implemented, I think that shallow layers should only occasionally drop rubble when mined, while the deepest layers could create as much as 2 rubble objects when mined...and layer clutter should slow miners down.  The "clean rubble" task can only work when a route to the edge is found.


Elves..why do so many dwarves hate them? They're kinda usefull...they bring non-spoiling food, extra cages (to replace the cages occupied by goblin snatchers), and you can dump excess stone crap crafts onto their animals when they're not looking.
Besides, they make really cute faces when they ride over your giant wooden floor as your dwarves chop down a forest. 

Logged
This is a masterwork ledger.  It contains 3719356 pages on the topic of the precise number and location of stones in Spindlybrooks.  In the text, the dwarves are hauling.
"And here is where we get the undead unicorns. Stop looking at me that way, you should have seen the zombie deer running around last week!"

Loud Whispers

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Re: my plans for a wall and other random thoughts...
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2013, 03:13:24 pm »

...ok.  WHY, oh WHY, do dwarves manage perfectly fine when you tell them to (d)ump a goblin cage, but if you try to summon one via the trade depot, do they let the goblin out!?!?...(playing a slightly outdated version...was this fixed?)..
Nup. Dwarves don't condone slavery. It's safe to assume Urist McSoapmaker is setting the wild goblin free before the broker actually finishes sleeping and does her job :|

Do forgotten beasts stop updating if there's no dwarves within a couple of z-levels?
Updating? They'll always be moving if that's what you mean. Unless they get stuck or can't find anything they can be bothered to play with.

rubble...if it's implemented, I think that shallow layers should only occasionally drop rubble when mined, while the deepest layers could create as much as 2 rubble objects when mined...and layer clutter should slow miners down.  The "clean rubble" task can only work when a route to the edge is found.
1. Dig the surface up. No rubble. Profit.
2. Dwarves don't clean unless it's to wash blood off. Rather peculiar.

Elves..why do so many dwarves hate them? They're kinda usefull...they bring non-spoiling food, extra cages (to replace the cages occupied by goblin snatchers), and you can dump excess stone crap crafts onto their animals when they're not looking.
Besides, they make really cute faces when they ride over your giant wooden floor as your dwarves chop down a forest.
Every Overseer is still angry over the last time their fatigued Fortress was nearly condemned to death by Elves who refused to trade their drinks because they saw an image of a turtle in cedar wood on some pot.
Nearly, because that's also usually when Overseers learn military kill orders.