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[Tevish Szat]

While I like the idea of enemies breaking through constructed walls, use hooks etc, I'm a bit sceptical about digging through (gen) walls...

Yeah, constructions can always be rebuilt, but enemy miners reducing the map to swiss cheese?  That kind of strikes me as no fun.  If their tunnels were self-sealing... well, they'd still probably destroy ore/gem/mineral as well as being impossible to funnel, but at least they wouldn't irrecoverably butcher your layout.  And invasions through the caverns seem like something that ought to be in already.

[CapnUrist]

While I like the idea of enemies breaking through constructed walls, use hooks etc, I'm a bit sceptical about digging through (gen) walls...

Yeah, constructions can always be rebuilt, but enemy miners reducing the map to swiss cheese?  That kind of strikes me as no fun.  If their tunnels were self-sealing... well, they'd still probably destroy ore/gem/mineral as well as being impossible to funnel, but at least they wouldn't irrecoverably butcher your layout.  And invasions through the caverns seem like something that ought to be in already.

Just kill the invaders before they get a chance. It's not like they'll be digging in from the edges of the map, since those can't be dug out anyway. However, this seems like it could really turn the tables on us: imagine a goblin destroying the only floor tile supporting half the fortress above the magma sea.

[Drazinononda]

I for one look forward to the addition of digging enemies. Historically the two things that made sieges difficult were

1) proper defensive walls were too expensive to build and maintain around the size of farms necessary to maintain the urban population, and

2) besieging armies could dig under the walls to undermine them -- a technique known as "sapping" -- which could only be countered either by sending soldiers out to the tunnels or by counter-sapping (undermining the sapper's tunnels); both of those methods were very difficult to perform successfully and both introduced a large risk of letting enemy troops into the city.

Right now DF allows you to build a wooden palisade around the entire map within a year or so, and when armies show up to besiege you -- including humans, who will camp out around fires -- they take one look at your heavy-duty privacy fence and say "ah, forget it, we'll never get past that."

[Solon64]

You guys are aware that someone is already working on a beta version of a script that let's invaders tunnel, right? I cant remember where I saw that thread, but it only triggers when the enemy cant path in, and then assigns one random invader a pick who then digs toward the nearest inaccessible meeting hall. It cant path through water but it will dig down to go under a moat.


Now WHERE did I see that thread...

[wierd]

If the floors are also made to contain magma, then this isn't useless. Every floor is just a few tiles of deconstruction away from housing a magma smelter, glass works, kiln, or smithery.

That makes the fortress quite flexible, and could be quite useful.

Now, the REAL bonus is to do this on top of a glacial embark.

[hiroshi42]

Now WHERE did I see that thread...

here

[Dwarvinator]

I for one look forward to the addition of digging enemies.

Agreed.

...besieging armies could dig under the walls to undermine them...

They would also stuff live pigs in with the timbers before sparking it all up, as their fats would raise the temperature of the fire with potentially explosive results...pre-explosives!
Perhaps goblins could use elf captives for this purpose. Wouldn't that be nice?
Edit: Hearken, the elves are singing...that gives us two days before the wall comes down...

[UnlawfullyDeranged]

Reactive walls might not actually be that hard to build in the current version. Just make the floor level of the outer walls windows. Then, when a troll comes along to destroy it, !!trolls!!, and possibly !!goblins!! if they're standing too close. Are FBs/Titans immune to lava? This system could be really nice for getting rid of the odd building-destroyer mount or such. Admittedly, repair could be tricky.

Edit: Scratch the windows, just use bridges or floodgates connected to pressure plates ringing the walls. That way trolls will still path towards your walls (assuming floodgates), but hopefully be immolated before reaching them.

[Lich180]

Trolls... That reminds me of a previous thread where someone was making a magma cannon, and came under siege during a pressure/leak test. A troll destroyed the floodgate in the barrel of the cannon, and instantly immolated the map...

Off topic, yes.

On topic, I would think raised bridges would be best, but floodgates would be good for something in the air, like the Black Cauldron floating around.

[Tevish Szat]

like the Black Cauldron floating around.

Every time I read about this project I expect weaponized necromancy.

[Mohreb el Yasim]

you gave me an idea:

-=Side view=-

 ║▓║
║▓║

with water upside and magma down (in a diagonal way),
once the dig througth the magma flows, the water too, and the wall regenerate

[Spacespinner]

you gave me an idea:

-=Side view=-

 ║▓║
║▓║

with water upside and magma down (in a diagonal way),
once the dig througth the magma flows, the water too, and the wall regenerate

interesting idea

[tompliss]

Then why keep walls ?

Just make your walls magma waterfalls !
You'll only have problems with bowgoblins, but their arrows will be hot enough to cauterize the wounds ! (or not ?)

[InfinityOrNone]

And your framerate would sink slightly below "dead"!