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[defi]

Hi,
I created a 1 Z level deep pit with no ramps. Once you're in it, you can only escape if you're able to fly or climb vertical walls (which in this version at least isn't possible). So I thought it'd be a good place to dump goblins and other monsters, like a blind cave ogre, to battle each other. I built a goblin cage next to the pit and ordered the inhabitant to be thrown inside it (with militia nearby). All went as expected and the goblin is inside the pit. But now whenever any of my civs go near the pit, they get interrupted by the goblin and run away. So alright, that's just how the mechanics are I guess, even though:
a) civs on the same z level as the goblin can be just 2 tiles away and not get interrupted (I suppose walls make a difference, and it makes sense)
b) civs don't run away from monsters that are 1 Z level below/above when near the stairs, only when both are ON the stairs

It remains a bit incomprehensible as to why they run away from pitted monsters. In any case, the question is basically how to create what I want to create without dwarves running away when I order them to pit another monster. Will it make a difference if the pit is 2 Z level deep (I don't want monsters to fall and die)? Would building cages inside it with levers attached be the only option? Which wouldn't satisfy what I'd want to accomplish as I can only let loose 1 patch of monsters and the next patch only after they're all dead.

[tolkafox]

If you channeled out the top that will cause this, but the way I do it is to have a hallway leading to the arena and have floodgates along the hallway linked to a lever. As long as they have no way of seeing the goblins, they'll be safe.

Hatchcovers on stairs help if you don't have the ceiling channeled out.

Goblins won't fight each other, but they will fight wild/tame animals. Take away their weapons if you want the animals to win.

[defi]

Right, so they run only when they see one, and they'd indeed see one when the top is channeled (Would they also run from them if my walls were made out of glass? Or are those treated as something your dwarves can't see through?). This means I need to figure out another way, as the pit I used was actually the moat to my fortress with a bridge over it. Caravans would never get inside like that until the enemies are killed. The arena would still need to be "outside" since I wouldn't want miasma from rotting corpses.

[Dorfus]

Just build a four-z pit. Dump them in the top layer, second and third layer = retractable bridges, bottom layer = battlan.

Dump one at a time from z0 to z-1. Pull bridge, gobbo falls from z-1 to z-2. Pull z-1 bridge again. Then repeat until all your gobbos are on z-2. Then just pull the z-2 bridge and all gobbos fall onto your ogre and get ripped asunder. Whatever you do make the levers around the corner from the pit and make sure you wall off the bridges, instead of just using doors.

Similarly make sure military dwarves are on hand - goblin thiefs and stronger creatures can occasionally wrestle away from your pitter and make good their escape/slaughter. And don't use military dwarves to pit - I had one happy chappy dodge into the pit and get ripped apart

[defi]

Dorfus, that method worked well with goblins, but when I tried to do the same with the blind cave ogre, the bridge he was on didn't retract after the lever was pulled (the other bridges did, just not the one he was standing on). Seems there's some sort of weight limit, not sure if it's intentional or a bug, though.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Dorfus]

I think it's a weight limit. You'll have to airlock him in, or cave him in. I don't know if building destroyers will destroy lowered drawbridges.

[PainRack]

An unrelated question..

Are there certain mob/status that prevents mobs from being pitted? I keep trying to throw in certain creatures like zombie crundles and flesh ball from my stockpile, what happens is they escape right in the midst of my fort