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[imperium3]

My 190-dorf fort is now getting serious lag issues, part of which is obviously due to its sheer size but I suspect it might also have something to do with the 70-odd cats running around as well. Now I can kill new kittens but there are always a few that become pets before I can reach them and then they're untouchable. So I've come up with a few designs to deal with them automatically. Some constructive criticism would be nice as I suspect not all of them will work... And also some of you might find them useful yourselves.

The designs are all largely based on the cats' apparent tendency to wander around the entire fort, ignoring traffic restrictions etc, meaning that they will go places that none of the dwarves will.

Design 1 : Cat accumulator and manual mincer.
This has the advantage of being usable in a moderately-trafficked area. Cats should accumulate in the lower chamber over time, whereas dwarves that fall in by accident should be able to leave at will. When the mincing lever is pulled, the bridge area is blocked off (to prevent dwarves getting caught in the mayhem) and the cage opens, unleashing the megabeast of your choice on the cats (Dragons would be particularly entertaining). When all the cats are dead the megabeast will break down one of the doors and walk straight into a cage trap, ready to be "reloaded".

The disadvantage of this method is that the method of disengaging the trap is clumsy (but I can't think of a better way of doing it without complex hydraulics) and if you're not careful a dwarf might end up in it too.

Code: [Select]

Trap design:
z2:
------------------------
-                             
d p gggggggggggggggg
d   gggggggggggggggg
-----------------------

z1:
     ------------------
     -               D T
     -        C      --
     -----------------
Key:
- wall
d door (shuts when lever is pulled)
p pressure plate, triggered by low-weight creatures, not citizens
g retracting bridge (linked to plate)
C megabeast cage (opens when lever is pulled)
D pet-inaccessible door
T cage trap

Design 2: Curiosity kills the cat

This design is a lot simpler than the first, however it relies on your dwarves following traffic designations properly and going where they are supposed to. So you might have to expect casualties. Also since it runs a repeating spike trap it may cause some lag while active (though not as much as all those cats!)
The trap works by luring the gullible cats into a restricted zone full of repeating spike traps. The dwarves won't go up there as they have a shortcut in the form of a pet-inaccessible door. And it is restricted traffic. This won't stop cats though...

Code: [Select]

-         ---------------
-                       -
---D-------------       -
-          ---------    -
-           ^^^^^       -
-          --------------
Key:
- wall
D pet-inaccessible door
^ spike trap linked to a repeater

The whole side corridor should be restricted traffic.

It can't be emphasised enough that this version is a LOT more dangerous to your dwarves than the first one. Keep an eye out to make sure that there aren't any stray items that they might want to fetch, like rocks, ores or cat corpses. Also, NEVER forbid that door. For the more paranoid overseer it might be a good idea to add a pressure-plate based safety mechanism that turns off the spikes if a dwarf goes down there, but unless you're careful then children still won't trigger it.


Disclaimer: Imperium3 Inc. accepts no responsibility for tantrum spirals caused by the use or misuse of these devices.

[Marthnn]

1 tile Pasture? And then flooding the unfortunate pets, or letting the promiscuity start a paw fight?

Just an idea...

Oh, and in your traps, don't forget to set in (o)rders Forbid items on death (or something similar). Otherwise some dwarf could try to trash the recently-gored cat regardless of the repeating spikes in action.

[imperium3]

I'm still on 31.14 so I have to stick to more convoluted methods

[JmzLost]

Pets will path through tightly closed doors, and will wait next to them even if a longer path is available.  As soon as a dwarf opens the door, the cats will run through.  The 2nd trap would work better if the short, pet-impassable route had the spike traps and traffic restriction.  Also, I hear danger rooms are very detrimental to pet health.

JMZ

[TheeBaconman]

Danger rooms do kill many a pet. Training spears are great for cat pop. control.

[thegoatgod_pan]

I once modified the danger room principle around a much used hallway and animal proof doors.  Micromanagement is an issue though, otherwise you a: won't get any cats, b: will get some children

[Vandersleld]

Surround a 2x1 drawbridge with walls so that it uncovers a tile when it lifts and connect it to a lever. Build a ramp to the top of the wall, designate a pit, and assign all your unwanted kittehs to it. Pull the lever a few times. Repeat as needed. It takes a bit more manual designating and hauling than an automatic method, but it's simple and doesn't generate a whole lot of cat gibs.

[imperium3]

Surround a 2x1 drawbridge with walls so that it uncovers a tile when it lifts and connect it to a lever. Build a ramp to the top of the wall, designate a pit, and assign all your unwanted kittehs to it. Pull the lever a few times. Repeat as needed. It takes a bit more manual designating and hauling than an automatic method, but it's simple and doesn't generate a whole lot of cat gibs.

That's fine for kittens (who I tend to just butcher anyway), but for the adults that are already pets, they can't be pitted so this won't work, I'm afraid.

Seems my second design is a decidedly risky no-go, but I haven't heard a reason why the first one won't work besides how cumbersome it is. So I'll build that one and see how it goes!

[Flying Dice]

-Embark with only male cats
-Kill all cat-attached immigrants
-Butcher shops running full time
-Unfortunate accidents involving levers, magma, steel spikes and repeating drawbridges
-Pits full of captured enemies
-Quantum cages

Really, if you aren't willing to murder the sort of dwarves who collect cats like celebrity couples collect 3rd-world orphans, you deserve a hit to FPS... 

[jseah]

Could also leverage on vermin hunter. 

Build a room with really thick walls.  And only one entrance corridor which has spikes in.  Pit in a land-bound vermin from above (bought from traders say) and watch the cats try to get it and impale themselves on spikes. 

[Crashmaster]

I just have a series of 2, 3x3 rooms with pet-forbidden doors and retractable bridge floors here and there in the fortress. Eventually pets build up in one or both rooms then they are bridge-dropped onto traps.

[flieroflight]

butcher strays, atom smash pets.

[Triaxx2]

No pastures, pet problems? Use Burrows to confine the owners to danger rooms.

[Tetragenic]

Butcher them and eat them. Make soap from the tallow. Trade it to the targets enemies dragon fodder elves.