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[Techhead]

I was pondering that it might be possible to make your ballistae shoot  flaming arrows and catapults shoot flaming rocks. How?
The answer: Magma!!!
By shooting them through a shallow puddle of magma a the airborne projectiles might catch on fire. Although most rocks will not ignite, lignite will.

As my research in the matter is purely theoretical, I require someone with experience in magma plumbing to test the matter.


On a side note, trees appear to block line-of-sight, movement, and fluids, but not seige projectiles. The implications of this are quite intriguing. Although the idea of constructing walls of trees may offend many dwarves, I am eager to exploit trees to assist with the elven menace.

[Vincent]

On a side note, trees appear to block line-of-sight, movement, and fluids, but not seige projectiles. The implications of this are quite intriguing.

The implications are that the ballista reduces the tree to toothpicks.

[Danarca]

Massive engineering project to constantly keep magma at a depth of 1 in front of a ballista?
I hope you succeed, if not, it's okay, but post pictures.

Go for it!

[Techhead]

I figured on a drainage ditch, actually.

I also will need flammable targets to test this on.

[BishopX]

Just aim it at a booze stock pile.

[Creamcorn]

Just aim it at a booze stock pile.

Course make sure you forbid the booze later on, and make sure it's just not the barrels.

[Footkerchief]

I'm 99% sure it won't work.  Siege projectiles are too hacked-in to support something that advanced.

[Tormy]

Make that 100%. This is not working.

[Warlord255]

It'd be nice if it did. Burning lignite would be a great siege weapon.

[Majorlag]

Maybe the problem is that the projectiles are at a certain height, like say 4/7, and so are just passing over the magma. A magmafall might do the trick.

[THLawrence]

Or set up something like this:

Code: [Select]

.....
██♠██
██~██
██♠██
.▄▲▄.
.\║/.
.╚▀╝.
Hard to set up. But perhaps worth the effort.

[Vincent]

Now that's simply silly. The trees will burn, magma pours onto your ballista, your ballista burns, your dwarf burns, Everything goes to hell in a handbasket.

[daemoria]

logic would state that trees would indeed burn from the magma, but in the crazy wacky world of DF, trees have a fireproof coating on top of their bark, thus making them immune to the temperature of magma.

I think a constant magma fall in the 3 tiles in front of the ballista/catapult would be the best way to ignite your projectiles.
Watch out for 'Magma Mist' tho, its not the safest substance for dwarf kind.

[THLawrence]

Now that's simply silly. The trees will burn, magma pours onto your ballista, your ballista burns, your dwarf burns, Everything goes to hell in a handbasket.

Magma cannot enter a tile occupied by a tree. Also It cannot burn the trees that it is around.