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[Iamblichos]

Hi all...

Has anyone else noticed that mob pathing for invaders has changed?  They used to path directly into the fort if there was a way open; now in several of my forts they just mill around.  They will attack anything that gets near, but they don't seem to enter even a convenient passage.  This makes cage traps a little useless, since they won't go into the hallway... and I don't have any other way to defend a first year fort against 40+ zombies and goblins 

Anyone had any luck inspiring them to come inside?

[Sanctume]

Zombies tend to need some visual cues (line of sight), or perhaps some scent of a victim. 

Or maybe their necromancer leader that is not yet visible to you, is busy doing something else in the mean time.

[Iamblichos]

Well, a little more explanation -

I currently have two necros, an army of 35 dead, and 10 goblins (2 sieges showed up at the same time, worst of all worlds scenario) milling around outside the fort.  I have dug a long 1 block wide tunnel to them, lined with cage traps.  I dug a ramp up into them and they have killed a dwarf in the entrance, but they step in and out of the tunnel without proceeding down it.  I have a clear shot in... dwarves are kept out of the tunnel with burrows, not walls.

In a previous fort, I captured the two necros but still have 25 zombies milling around at the bottom of the map.  They won't path into the tunnel.

If I can't cage them, I am effectively cut off.  Attempts to break out with military would be ineffective, given the youth and inexperience of the military in these forts.  Caravans no longer come when the fort is sieged.  If I can't solve the issue somehow, these forts are effectively dead.

[Diamond]

If I can't cage them, I am effectively cut off.  Attempts to break out with military would be ineffective, given the youth and inexperience of the military in these forts.  Caravans no longer come when the fort is sieged.  If I can't solve the issue somehow, these forts are effectively dead.

You are way overreacting. Sieges come and go in half a year at most, and in my experience 99% of fortresses don't need an access to outside at all to survive.
Alternatively, if you can't handle them - turn invasions off until you are ready.

[Iamblichos]

Ah, OK.  That's new then... I was under the impression that zombies would not leave under their own power.  I know goblin/troll armies leave after a while.  If zombies will likewise wander off map, then all will be well eventually.

[Vattic]

Pretty sure this isn't a new thing. I've had goblin siegers hang around even back in 40d. Always seemed to be on forts with ramp entrances, but could just be coincidence.

[Pirate Bob]

I thought the siegers would always try to path to a meeting area (i.e. your dining hall).  If they don't have any path to that, they mill around.  If you don't want them to path to the dining hall, you can leave that cut off, and designate a meeting area zone which your civilians cannot access, but the invaders can.  Place it where you want them to go...

I have not actually tried this in the current version, so it may not work any more (I never seem to get many invaders, and also don't usually build drawbridges etc. as that makes things too easy).

[Vattic]

I used to experience it most in 40d when I spent loads of time working on automated death traps. It wouldn't happen every fort or every siege, but sometimes they'd refuse to path into the fort or all hang around at the entrance. Luring them in had mixed results.

Seems there is a similar bug report already.

[Iamblichos]

Yes, I expect this is something that got fixed and re-broken.  Someone who understands Mantis should open a bug ticket.

[Bearskie]

It does mirror a real siege more effectively though.  Traps are op neways 

[gchristopher]

I'm certain there are new problems with undead pathing, and have been experimenting with how to work around them.

I seems likely that sight, smell and/or sound have something to do with the new pathing changes.

[krenshala]

Remember that undead have extravision (if i'm remembering the name correctly), and someone else verified pretty conclusively that the undead have to 'see' a victim within its range to try and path to them.