Print

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

[Enigma_Nova]

I was building a bridge/pit trap in my base's only entrance. While building, I blocked a caravan's exit, and the horses of the caravan produced 8 foals before I got all the bridges up and linked.
Considering this a good opportunity to test the trap, I pulled the lever, killing 4 of the foals, both wagons, most of the merchants, and creating both a melancholy horse and a horse that shows as "running around babbling". Since this horse was not running around, I dropped a cavein on it, killing it.

[Tahin]

When Mr. Ed goes crazy...

[Deon]

Where's a bug here? Animals have emotions too and can become crazy. I had a killer donkey once which murdered 4 or 5 dwarves before catching a bolt.

[Ascii Kid]

I think the bug is the babbling part.  "Freaking hey, everyday, hey, one these days I'm gonna show these little bastids what I think of their PRECIOUS hey"  Sure it's funny to imagine, but probably not intentional.

[Deon]

It's just a text for the same mood. Well, maybe it should be fixed for the flavour sake =).

[Ascii Kid]

It IS awful funny, tho.  =->

[slMagnvox]

Wait.  I think the Horse that triggered the babbling message is a trader and traders, guards, their pack animals and even their caravans are all treated kind of the same, as visiting units.  Thus you get messages like the famous wagon has been struck down.  Also, the horse that birthed those foals had to have been one of your local critters.  i.e. Stray horse (tame).  Trade animals giving birth, thats gotta be impossible, right?  Never heard of anything like it. **

So the birth and death of the foals is a red herring here.  The reason the horse (trader) started babbling is because you broke it's path to the map edge.

** I had just a female donkey once, no other donkeys on the map, that gave birth one spring.  I could only guess the trade caravan brought a donkey that rocked her world one crisp fall day.  Didn't they know it could never last?  Guess thats a nice perk if you are a trader, outpost lovin'.

[Tayrin]

Trade animals giving birth, thats gotta be impossible, right?  Never heard of anything like it.

Back when dwarves would still tantrum if but a single masterwork of theirs was destroyed, I once traded so many individual bone bolts to the traders that, while the traders were busy packing the bolts away, their animals had enough time to give birth many times. By the time the traders eventually left, there was a huge group of animals lurking at the edge of the map; they never did follow the traders back home. Also, I couldn't butcher the animals or manipulate them in any way. They've just been lurking in that same spot ever since.

[Ascii Kid]

Their planning something, you just know they are...=->