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[AtomicPaperclip]

well to start, stone fall traps and weapon traps are extremely powerful.

[Kalphoenix]

I appreciate all the input, and I love the examples, it makes it much easier to visualize.  It probably sounds silly, but I am trying to sketch out my ideas so I can see it better before I start building.  I really like the map I'm on, so I just made a backup in case I mess up.  That way, no worries about if I want to start over at embark.  This last year I just started embarking without the anvil so I can spend the points on other things, since I found that I have never gotten my metal industry started before I get caravans anyway.  So I believe I have plenty of war dogs to start, and I think my "ranger" has animal training or whatever, so I can train the dogs who are not wardogs.

I have a neat map, it has a magma pipe, so once I figure out how those work with workshops and whatnot, I can utilize it.  There is a great deal of elevation difference on the bottom end of the map, creating a waterfall across a bunch of levels on the cliff-face.  The embark level with the river is flat, and I think I plan on building on the level just below that one.  Since I'm told that you can avoid flooding by running channels and whatnot back into the river, I'm looking forward to creating some waterfalls inside my fortress, and hopefully a cistern, which I still haven't figured out yet.  THAT is going to require some heavy experimentation, or as the community here likes to say, "fun."  The flat embark surface near the river I think will provide me with some great outdoor walled-in farming area, which I could probably surround completely with a moat for defense, since it wouldn't need access to the surrounding area to be effective.

I thought maybe if I was going with the "L" shaped approach to my entrance, another "line" of defense might be to build some kind of removable floor (Would a drawbridge be best for this or is there a type of retractile floor?  A lifting bridge might be better since it would provide a "wall," when up, right?) either AT the juncture of the "L," or farther in probably before the trade depo.  Before that might even be better, to avoid them shooting in, unless I used a drawbridge, right?

So, more questions for you awesome people who indulge me:

How high/low can archers/dwarves shoot across Z-Levels?

What exactly are fortifications, what do they do and how do you make them most effective?

How do you make/set floors in crafted buildings, such as towers?

How wide should a tower/wall be to be the most effective.  Is 3x3 ok if I'm just using it for an arrow tower?

What causes an enemy to path a certain way?  For example, if I closed up my fort, but provided "trapped" areas that were still open, would there be a way to get them to go into them?

I keep hearing about "assigning" dwarves to a certain area.  How do you do this?

I thought I had more questions, later I guess.  Thanks for the ideas, I think I'm going to get started!

[Kalphoenix]

Oh, it's not a river, it's a brook.  Any real difference there?

Also, is there a way to utilize the already existing waterfall without trying to create new ones to begin with?  If I make grates will the water still flow through them?  Can I enclose the area it's running through somehow but still have the water flowing through it to utilize the mist?

[Randomonioum]

Big thing to remember with brooks. Anything can path over them. Apart from that, they function pretty much the same as a river. Just remember to channel out any parts you intend to use to block pathing and you'll be fine. They are also brilliant for fishing, but that's another story entirely...

On a side note, do brooks freeze?

[Kalphoenix]

Ok, having an issue building ramps.  I go down a level to designate the ramps to be built, but they won't build them unless I channel out the area above them, I assume, so they can reach the area.  However, if I do this, then I am missing a ramp, because (I assume) they dug out the earth normally used to build the ramp.  Am I doing this wrong, or is my ONLY option to hollow out a space and just construct a ramp out of stone or whatever later to put there?  Or should I channel over BEHIND where I want the ramp and just floor it over later?  Can I still build a wall there if I do.  I'm confused, hehe.

Also, how do you tell which direction it is facing?  Or does it just automatically pick whatever Z-Level above it to attach to?

And I did read the wiki on ramps, I actually have it open right now.

[snaggles]

You can assign a ramp to be dug under the place you want to be connected and the dwarves will dig it out just like channels.
For example (side view):

##########
####<
####>#####
##########

If you designate the red space to de dug as a ramp (d>r), then the blue one will turn into the downwards connecting it. The black #'s don't need to be pre-dug, as dwarves can dig ramps like they do channels.

also, # = wall

[cephalo]

underground and above ground is a huge issue defense wise in this version of DF. On one of my early forts I made this massive underground defensive work that was very impressive looking. Once I finally had a seige, I said 'everyone inside!' and they stood at the entrance, in front of my defenses. It was.... a bloodbath.

[Count Dorku]

My approach is to have a REALLY REALLY LONG path to the depot, loaded with bands of cage and weapon traps. The cage traps mean I now have a titan sitting in my fortress looking fancy and a variety of unpleasant ways to off passing goblins; the weapon traps mean that cleaning up takes a really really long time since I have a soft spot for circular saws.

If they get past the trade depot, they encounter a single door...behind which is an artifact mechanism powering a combination of circular saws, spiked balls, iron spikes, whips, flails, mauls, and (I think) a dagger that got stuck in there by accident.

[shadowclasper]

an idea would be a very long cooridor filled with spikes, then having a single dwarf assigned to pulling that lever and having it be a repeat action when you assign to pull. He'll keep pulling it again and again and again, having the spike go up and down until you turn it off.

[HAMMERMILL]

You can make all dwarves hunters and give them armor, sheilds and weapons, but this sometimes makes them more likely to die because they will stand and fight instead of hauling ass back toward safety. Caught alone, they die faster then if they were not hunters. If a goblin runs into your meeting hall or something, they will be cut down in almost an instant by a mob of armed and armored dorfs. If a bunch of civilians see a mob of goblins beating down your dorfs, they will open fire or rush in and make short work of most ambushes.

Hunter-labor dwarves sleep wherever they are and thats a bit of a downer, but if you produce good food and booze and they have nice bedrooms (even if they never sleep in them) they will usually remain estatic even if they wound up asleep in the mud during catapult practice.

[Skorpion]

I keep a large military of champions. About 30 dwarves is enough, split into four squads. Three melee, one ranged.

For passive defenses, I use a curtain wall with a single entrance. This entrance is archer-protected, either through going underground, or through having a kinked corridor. The trade depot is inside the wall, in a sealable, floodable chamber to deal with elves.
The wall has a walkway along the top, with fortifications built to stop return fire.

The melee military take turns guarding the entrance, while the ranged units pull double duty clearing beasties out the interesting features, and standing to at a wall section during sieges, caravans, and ambushes.

EDIT:
Dwarves kipping everywhere is a risk, so I only enable hunting on the miners, to keep them sleeping near the seam.

[Lord Dakoth]

Keep in mind that if you use cage traps, you can just dump the entire thing into a magma pit or a chasm and you won't have all the narrow crap lying around.

[blue emu]

For my main entrance... for Dwarves, not for Caravans... I often use this system:

Two sets of double-doors, seperated by one un-mined block of rock. That gives a 5-tile-wide entry hall-way. Channels run down both sides, to keep the "uninvited guests" back from my Fortifications. Behind the Channels are Fortifications, with rooms for Archers (and Ammo stockpiles) behind that. A few rows of Cage-traps near the door, with a few more rows of Weapon Traps backing them up. Then the passage turns, with another Channel/Fortification/Archer room positioned to fire down the hall.

Channel out the ceiling of that entire area, to convert it into "Outdoors"... so that your Civilians will avoid it during sieges. Glass ceiling optional.

Key:
_ : floor
. : Archer position (floor)
U : Channel
X : Rock Wall
F : Fortification
C : Cage Trap
W : Weapon Trap
D : Door

Code: [Select]

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