Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[A_Curious_Cat]

I've got a few questions concerning building defenses for my fortress.  Specifically concerning running and jumping.

My questions are:

1.  How far apart should I place ledges to keep enemies from jumping from one ledge to another?

2.  Can an enemy who jumps grab and hold onto a smoothed wall?

3.  If an enemy jumps from one ledge to another, and the target ledge contains a trap, will they be unable to avoid the trap?

4.  If an enemy runs through a tile with a trap, does doing so decrease their ability to avoid the trap?

5.  Is a two z-level drop onto a stone floor enough to cause physical damage?

6.  Is there anything wrong with a setup that has a ledge separated by a smoothed walled two z-level pit from a smoothed wall with
    a fortification one z-level above the z-level with the ledge?

[Urist9876]

1. Normally 2 tiles should do. Maybe 1 extra for special creatures. I do not know if the new experiments can jump further.

2 Most can't. Animals like spiders can climb almost anything.

3 & 4. Jumping or running does not matter for traps. Only being unconscious or stunned.

5. Hardly. That will only cause some bruises against armored opponents, as armor protect from falling too. For a moat deep enough as creatures cannot path through it when the ramps are removed. To kill most creatures you need about 20 z-levels deep.

6. It is a safe setup. Though I would still put a ceiling above the fortification to avoid marksdwarves climbing to their doom. Shooting from a higher z-level increases range to target. While only one tile, the setup might work better when at same z-level. Then again, that's where the ballistas and catapults have to go as they cannot aim other z-levels.

[A_Curious_Cat]

Thanks!

1.  I'll probably use 3 tiles between parallel ledges.  Need to dig up some graph paper first.

5.  That doesn't really matter.  There'll be a ramp or some stairs leading back up to the start of the trauma conga line (although I probably will line the pit
     with giant spikes and/or other weapon traps).

6.  This is going entirely underground.  It'll already have a roof.  It'll have ballistas, but no catapults.  I'll see about putting in another level of fortifications,                      marksdwarves and ballistas will be shooting at right angles to each other.

[Bumber]

1. Normally 2 tiles should do. Maybe 1 extra for special creatures. I do not know if the new experiments can jump further.

Trolls seem to be able to jump 3 tiles from a standstill (i.e., after climbing.) Jump distance is tied to movement speed, including sprinting. I don't think creatures are smart enough to sprint before jumping in fort mode.