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[SnowWhite]

I've read the wiki article and some related threads here, but before I re-do my siege engine plan, I want to make sure what exactly is deadly and what is not.  Please help me understand!!!

A catapult near the front (outside) of the fortress that fires off to the left (west) during peace will never injure a dwarf.  This is what I've been doing for practice and so far it holds true.

I've read that a catapult fired during a siege might injure a goblin or troll and will leave a furrow where it lands.  Does a catapult fired during a siege have a chance of injuring a dwarf or pet?

I've read about people putting catapults inside the fortress to use up rock and unclutter the place.  Are there any circumstances where a catapult fired inside will injure someone or damage something?  Will a catapult aimed at a workshop damage the workshop?  Do catapults fired inside become a friendly-fire danger during a siege?  Will firing catapults in or over the chasm or magma channel distress the dangerous denizens and indirectly endanger my dwarves?

A ballista will kill or maim whatever gets in the way of the ballista arrow; dwarf, cow, pet cat, goblin, troll. I've seen this happen.

Will a ballista fired at a rock wall (inside hallway, etc) ever damage the wall?  

Will a ballista damage a worshop, trade depot, or kennel if such a building is within its field of fire?  (it doesn't seem so)

Thanks!

[Shzar]

quote:Originally posted by SnowWhite:
<STRONG>
I've read that a catapult fired during a siege might injure a goblin or troll and will leave a furrow where it lands.  Does a catapult fired during a siege have a chance of injuring a dwarf or pet?

I've read about people putting catapults inside the fortress to use up rock and unclutter the place.  Are there any circumstances where a catapult fired inside will injure someone or damage something?  Will a catapult aimed at a workshop damage the workshop?  Do catapults fired inside become a friendly-fire danger during a siege?  Will firing catapults in or over the chasm or magma channel distress the dangerous denizens and indirectly endanger my dwarves?</STRONG>

I built two training catapults inside my underground tree farm. Since then I've trained two dwarves up to legendary operator, but nothing bad has ever come of it. None of my numerous supports were destroyed, and none of the dwarves or animals wandering by were injured. I seriously doubt that they would damage a workshop or a friendly during a siege. Nor do I think that catapult-flung rocks will distress the chasm's denizens, since they are destroyed upon impact.

I can't help you with ballistae, though. I have no experience with them, but I find it very unlikely they would damage walls or buildings.

[Jonathan S. Fox]

If you're firing catapult rocks outside the fortress, can a stray rock scare off or damage visiting caravans pulling in for a good trade?

[Lightning4]

quote:Originally posted by Jonathan S. Fox:
<STRONG>If you're firing catapult rocks outside the fortress, can a stray rock scare off or damage visiting caravans pulling in for a good trade?</STRONG>

According to the wiki and from what I've heard, yes. Never wanted to try it myself for obvious reasons. Except maybe on the elves...

[ October 16, 2007: Message edited by: Lightning4 ]

[BurnedToast]

I've fired on the elves with a catapult before to no effect, though I think they might just have missed - they fired in a high arc like they normally do with no target - I don't think they aimed for the elves despite my orders. I also fired a few shots on accident while the humans were pulling out and they didn't seem to aim for them either, though I stopped them real quick so I don't know for sure if they ever would have hit it.

my guess is that if the rocks actually managed to hit a trader it would hurt it, but they don't aim for them so it's very unlikely they will hit them.

Edit: spelling

[ October 16, 2007: Message edited by: BurnedToast ]

[Garry]

HEY girls!
not, cataplts dont hurt dorfs unless there is a goblin there.
aNyway, can i have some pix plz??

[Fedor]

quote:Originally posted by SnowWhite:
<STRONG>I've read that a catapult fired during a siege might injure a goblin or troll and will leave a furrow where it lands.  Does a catapult fired during a siege have a chance of injuring a dwarf or pet?

I've read about people putting catapults inside the fortress to use up rock and unclutter the place.  Are there any circumstances where a catapult fired inside will injure someone or damage something?  Will a catapult aimed at a workshop damage the workshop?  Do catapults fired inside become a friendly-fire danger during a siege?  Will firing catapults in or over the chasm or magma channel distress the dangerous denizens and indirectly endanger my dwarves?
Will a ballista fired at a rock wall (inside hallway, etc) ever damage the wall?  

Will a ballista damage a worshop, trade depot, or kennel if such a building is within its field of fire?  (it doesn't seem so)</STRONG>

It IS possible, but very rare, for a flying catapult stone and one of your dwarves to get real friendly with nasty results.  Never had this happen to me but it's been reported by others, so I position my training catapults directly adjacent to walls or pillars and have them shoot into them.  I have never known a catapult to damage anything - supports, furniture, walls, engravings, nothing (this is likely to change at some point).

[jester]

my seige pults do most of my training work, I have 2 that are behind fortifications on either side of the road firing all seasons.  Ive never ever seen the humans hit or even worried.  Rocks only do damage (from what I have seen) when they LAND near someone (shots fired at nothing land off the map, fired at gobs and they go for the closest, the rocks usually bounce 3 times: Ive had 5 gobs put out of action with one shot).  Shots dont seem to get aimed at animals. (once again this is just what I have seen)  I bring a proficent engineer to any map with heaps of trees and train my leg miners as operators.  aim your pults at your trade road bridge (ive landed rocks on it and not smashed it) and any other gaps in the river the skinny buggers come through.

Ive got 7 pults and 6 leg operators on my current fortress, when the seige comes down it lifts my heart to see 4 boulders in the air at the same time.  A system like this chews through stone like nothing else.

[Blackcat]

I've had friendly-fire happen with a catapult. It was pointing west along the main 6-wide entrance corridor (located on the east river bank behind some fortifications). I was stupid and didn't point it at a wall, and my first trainee operator got a direct hit on his third stone.

A direct hit, that is, on a legendary weaver, who wasn't killed by the impact, but he (and I) wished he had been.

[SnowWhite]

quote:Originally posted by Garry:
<STRONG>HEY girls!
not, cataplts dont hurt dorfs unless there is a goblin there.
aNyway, can i have some pix plz??</STRONG>

Gary, there's a cartoon for you:  http://xkcd.com/322/   :-)

(which you may already be intentionally referencing)