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Author Topic: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!  (Read 4102 times)

Deathworks

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #30 on: July 21, 2008, 05:08:54 am »

Hi!

I don't know if this may be caused by the transfer (most likely (^_^;; ). Civilization conflicts have been improved considerably in the new version, so it seems likely that you have some defaulting phenomenon there.

IIRC, Toady mentioned that civilizations no longer respond to a simple system of EVIL vs. GOOD, instead basically depending on conflicts in their spheres which are not guaranteed to spawn wars.

Anyhow, I wanted to mention that dwarves are not as pacifist as people claim, at least in history. I have seen enough Dark Dwarven Fortresses and Dwarven Forest Retreats, and there are regularly ruins on the map in the mountains near dwarven halls (or near goblin fortresses :) :) :) ).

I think the biggest problem with wars we have is the low civilization density. Currently, if you have a medium map, for instance, there is more than enough land to go around so that the civilizations may initially have a few wars but then experience quite a lull as the borders become defined and they hit their population maxima.

20 civilizations, belonging to dwarves, humans, elves, goblins, and kobolds, that is theoretically 4 civilizations each. It seems that each civilizations starts with a single settlement at best (actually, it seems to just generate some people and they may build a settlement), that is 20 settlements on the entire map. Look again at how large the medium sized map really is.

Add to this the various restraints placed on civilizations (check the raws):
Toady mentioned the max civ number, which effectively currently means that you can't have more than 31 civilizations alltogether. Each race has a different max number of civilizations.
But the interesting part is in the next two lines:
Each race also has a maximum population cap, which probably also overrides the menu population cap.
And each race has a maximum population per settlement, which may help explain why goblins are so easily overwhelmed from within.

So, I think that making things a bit tighter may help getting some wars started.

But then again, personally, I am a fan of SimCity, so I can live happily without sieges, wars and the like...

Deathworks
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Hyndis

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #31 on: July 21, 2008, 06:00:41 am »

They don't actually move to attack even though there's a clear path. They just hang around at the edge of the map forever.

Are you sure it's completely clear? I realized that if goblins can't path to your fortress, they do exactly that - hang around the edge of the map and do nothing until they get bored and wander off.  I caused it by raising my drawbridge, the only entrance to my fortress; this broke the path and they stopped coming.  Every time I lowered it, they'd all make a mad dash toward my fort, but raising it again stopped them cold.  (I eventually let them walk in the gates just for some action, though I butchered the lot of them regardless.)

Its clear enough that I can march my own soldiers out to meet them.
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DeadRoseRed

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #32 on: July 21, 2008, 07:28:08 am »

I loaded up an old save game (first created in 38 and then moved up) and within 5 minutes, a goblin siege arrived...but this might have to do with the save being from an old version. Idk.

Most likely. The civilizations were generated in 38, and the state of war was most likely preserved despite going to 39.

However, starting in 39 seems to cause everyone to declare peace with everyone else. Or at least, dorfs do. I see plenty of human/goblin/elf wars, but dorfs seem to be almost completely ignored in every world I've generated in 39. Almost 2 dozen worlds by now so far, and I've only been at war with one civilization...and that was the elves.

Makes for a very bored military.

It's not a bad theory, but my world was also genned in .38.  And after the half-update/half-abortion operation I pulled in regards to .39, that's when kobolds and (presumably goblins) decided it would be a swell idea to put aside our ideological differences and sweet what we could garner in trade (damn hippies)
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Calenth

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #33 on: July 21, 2008, 08:10:22 am »

So what items did the kobolds bring for trade? Daggers?
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Koji

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #34 on: July 21, 2008, 08:13:48 am »

If kobolds are working right, they should bring bows, daggers, loincloths, and possibly bags. The weapons will be made from copper and the clothing will be made from chitin and silk. They can make crafts, and should work with stone, bone, fabric, and leather.

Interesting to note is that kobolds cannot harvest wood, and so they make bows out of copper. A copper bow would not work under any circumstances, so that's a little weird.
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Aqizzar

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #35 on: July 21, 2008, 08:23:10 am »

What's weird is that they can smith at all, since they can't harvest wood.

What's the merchant say in the dialogue screen?

Did they send an ambassador?
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Belteshazzar

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #37 on: July 21, 2008, 03:22:00 pm »

For some reason I keep imagining Kobald caravans as a mix between Kender and Jawas. They 'collect' junk and then sell it at a shrewd bargain. However they obviously have either poor memories or no shame (probably both) because if you let them they'll sell you back your own shoes.

Perhaps Kobald thieves even tag along with the caravans and replenish their stock before they leave (an old Kobald tale telling of a merchant so crafty he stole all the weapons of both armies before a battle and sold them all to the opposite sides). However, they have a good mix anything and everything for sale so civilized peoples are unwilling to simply shoot em on sight.
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Aqizzar

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #38 on: July 21, 2008, 04:54:48 pm »

Perhaps Kobald thieves even tag along with the caravans and replenish their stock before they leave (an old Kobald tale telling of a merchant so crafty he stole all the weapons of both armies before a battle and sold them all to the opposite sides). However, they have a good mix anything and everything for sale so civilized peoples are unwilling to simply shoot em on sight.

This should be added that goal list.  I love the idea of bartering with incommunicable traders for stolen trinkets.  This would put a great new spin on Kobolds.
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dUMBELLS

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #39 on: July 21, 2008, 11:00:38 pm »

What baffles me most about this is how you actually think this is a bug. All alliances with entities are based purely on diplomacy.
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Qmarx

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #40 on: July 22, 2008, 12:53:09 am »

I loaded up an old save game (first created in 38 and then moved up) and within 5 minutes, a goblin siege arrived...but this might have to do with the save being from an old version. Idk.

Most likely. The civilizations were generated in 38, and the state of war was most likely preserved despite going to 39.

However, starting in 39 seems to cause everyone to declare peace with everyone else. Or at least, dorfs do. I see plenty of human/goblin/elf wars, but dorfs seem to be almost completely ignored in every world I've generated in 39. Almost 2 dozen worlds by now so far, and I've only been at war with one civilization...and that was the elves.

Makes for a very bored military.
I don't have this problem.  My newly generated maps all have the same alliance/enemy balance as in 38.
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JoRo

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #41 on: July 22, 2008, 01:02:22 am »

I also have a freshly genned world where the kobolds and goblins come to steal my crap and kill my dwarves.
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Jetman123

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #42 on: July 22, 2008, 01:38:29 am »

Honestly, I prefer the old version until Toady irons things out. No offense, but things are a bit too weird right now. :P
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Topace3k

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Re: a kobold CARAVAN arrived?!
« Reply #43 on: July 22, 2008, 05:20:46 pm »

I wish I could get in on some of this weirdness, all I have is kobold and goblin ambushes and thefts entering year 5.
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