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[GlyphGryph]

So I've been thinking, since I don't use a lot of traps due to their super over powered nature, I don't have much reason to have mechanics - Even though I build quite a lot of machines and use power for a lot of things (most of which are water). A machine built by a totally ignorant dwarf is just as effective as one built by a mechanical genius - It doesn't make any sense.

So my proposal, mechanic devices require regular maintenance, based on quality, or they may fail.

Edit: That had to be cut short because my computer decided it HAD to shut down because of some error, and gave me a couple of seconds to do whatever before it did, and then promptly stopped working. Which, honestly, is just more support for my contention that complicated devices should break.

Anyways, I imagine it working a little bit like this - the mechanics go around and access things, keeping them maintained, and the longer they go without maintenance and the lower quality the pieces, the greater the chance of them failing. Picture the fun! Collapsing windmills, malfunctioning magma levers, traps that hit friendly units or just fail, pumps that catch fire, rollercoasters that go flying off the trackes, carrying a score of people to their fiery doom in the lake... err, sorry, wrong game, but still a good example of mechanical failure (And who knows? Maybe some day...). Once it breaks, of course, the mechanics still have a chance to fix it unless its destroyed.

It would also change (In my opinion, in a good way) how mechanical systems are built, since you'd actually have to have everything accessible, which I think better fits the setting anyways. Access hallways and such. And eventually, you'd really want to replace all those crappy machines with high quality pieces from your now much more experienced mechanics.

Failure suggestions:
Powered devices:
Failure can cause device failure, or increase device power cost.
Unpowered Devices:
Failure causes it to ignore or greatly delay signals it receives. Doors, floodgates, some traps, simply don't work, or work later when you don't expect them to. Best part? You don't know which.
(eyes the magma door that failed to trigger earlier carefully...)
Triggers:
Failure causes the detector to either switch what sets it off to something else (in the case of triggered traps and motion plates), send a switch signal once, or simply not send a signal when used.

[profit]

So I've been thinking, since I don't use a lot of traps due to their super over powered nature, I don't have much reason to have mechanics - Even though I build quite a lot of machines and use power for a lot of things (most of which are water). A machine built by a totally ignorant dwarf is just as effective as one built by a mechanical genius - It doesn't make any sense.

So my proposal, mechanic devices require regular maintenance, based on quality, or they may fail.

Edit: That had to be cut short because my computer decided it HAD to shut down because of some error, and gave me a couple of seconds to do whatever before it did, and then promptly stopped working. Which, honestly, is just more support for my contention that complicated devices should break.

Anyways, I imagine it working a little bit like this - the mechanics go around and access things, keeping them maintained, and the longer they go without maintenance and the lower quality the pieces, the greater the chance of them failing. Picture the fun! Collapsing windmills, malfunctioning magma levers, traps that hit friendly units or just fail, pumps that catch fire, rollercoasters that go flying off the trackes, carrying a score of people to their fiery doom in the lake... err, sorry, wrong game, but still a good example of mechanical failure (And who knows? Maybe some day...). Once it breaks, of course, the mechanics still have a chance to fix it unless its destroyed.

It would also change (In my opinion, in a good way) how mechanical systems are built, since you'd actually have to have everything accessible, which I think better fits the setting anyways. Access hallways and such. And eventually, you'd really want to replace all those crappy machines with high quality pieces from your now much more experienced mechanics.

Create a BartPE disk and scan your machine for infections using the mcaffe plugin when you you boot from that CD.

Your computer having a critical service fail and giving you 59 seconds till windows shutsdown is a common synmptom of a really nasty rootkit infection. 

PS. You can also click on your clock and set it back a year when the message pops up... it will give you a year till it shuts down.

PPS. Maintenance has been suggested time and time again. But your method seems semi-realistic and non-intrusive.

[LegoLord]

I support this idea and regret that I have nothing to add.

[Foa]

Just make the mechanisms lose power, failure only happens when it is gunked up enough to lose all of the power necessary needed to run it.

[GlyphGryph]

Reply to Profit:
Public computer, so no can do. Also, wasn't the problem you were talking about - I've dealt with that before, the easiest solution to most of those is sending a shutdown abort signal. (typing shutdown -a into the command line.) This was, however, something wonky with their automated shutdown settings.

Anyways, back on topic.

Just make the mechanisms lose power, failure only happens when it is gunked up enough to lose all of the power necessary needed to run it.

I think basic reqs maintenence for levers and floodgates and stuff would be nice too. But the concept of it reducing power instead of breaking right off might be pretty cool.

Powered devices:
Failure can cause device failure, or increase device power cost.
Unpowered Devices:
Failure causes it to ignore signals it receives. Doors, floodgates, some traps, simply don't work.
Triggers:
Failure causes the detector to either switch what sets it off to something else (in the case of triggered traps and motion plates), send a switch signal once, or simply not send a signal when used.

[LegoLord]

Ah!  Lack of maintenance for un-powered mechanisms could also increase the amount of time the toggle takes.

[Aldaris]

Dwarfputer complexes Will Not Be Amused if/when this is implemented, it does seem realistic, though.

[Leafsnail]

Yep, overpowered is right *continues to fill entrance hallway with rockfall traps*.  But my dwarves keep suspending them, for some reason.

[RickiusMaximus]

I posted something similar to this ages ago- using animal fat as grease to keep the machines running!

[¿]

Only if you have an option to turn off this in the raws, then I'd support it.

[GlyphGryph]

Yeah, for fun purposes it should definitely be disable-able. Sometimes I DO just want to build something and not worry about it breaking down (Although a dwarfputer with maintenance on? Now THAT would be something awesome to accomplish).

[quintin522]

I can already see the magma pumps failing