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[alfie275]

Ability to attach levers to toggle zones, mainly forbidden areas so they arent caught in the path of an atom smasher etc.

[PMantix]

I'm not really sure how this adds any realism at all.

I think what you actually want is a more robust interface so you can deal with zones more easily.

[irmo]

Simpler solution: remove atom smashers, and remove forbidden zones.

[Exponent]

Simpler solution: remove atom smashers, and remove forbidden zones.

I think that kind of misses the point.  The atom smasher may have been a bad example.  Consider another one:  Perhaps you have a complex water-based trap at your entrance, which is a perfectly acceptable contraption in the DF-world; not an exploit or anything.  However, you would like a way to indicate to your dwarves that you're about to use it on the invading goblins, and that they should therefore stand clear of the area, to avoid being drowned, swept off into a chasm, or whatever.  In effect, there should be some form of a signal that would only be properly understood by the dwarves.

In modern terms, I image something akin to a traffic light, or audible alarms which can indicate different things depending upon the sound used.  Clearly this is too advanced for DF, but more era-appropriate ideas are conceivable as well, such as an automated bell system or simple levers that visually indicate an on/off status and are automatically controlled through simple mechanisms.

[FoboslC]

No. That wold ruin fun.
You have to watch out for things like this. If its too hard for you go play sims.

[zchris13]

I demand this in the name of realism.

[Exponent]

No. That wold ruin fun.
You have to watch out for things like this. If its too hard for you go play sims.

Challenge is often an important component of fun, but it is a mistake to assume that all challenge results in fun, or that any removal of challenge results in a reduction of fun.  Also, how many times does it have to be pointed out that different people enjoy DF for vastly different reasons, and that no particular game play style is really privileged?

[DanielLC]

I suggest making it an alarm. If an alarm goes off, everyone within five squares runs away and gets a bad thought. It would sort of be like being scared off by goblins.

[Aquillion]

No. That wold ruin fun.
You have to watch out for things like this. If its too hard for you go play sims.

This is "fake difficulty", though -- difficulty that comes entirely from a flaw in the interface that fails to give you tools that you logically should have.  It makes perfect sense that a Dwarf should be able to shout "CLEAR THE AREA!" before pulling a flood-lever.  In the real world, any dangerous mechanism like that would have signs posted warning "WHEN ALARM SOUNDS, CLEAR THE AREA", and workers would triple-check before pulling the lever.

I think an alarm is the best way to handle this.  When it's triggered by an attached lever (or pressure plate, or whatever), any dwarves in its room-like radius drop what they're doing and flee the area.

[Carcer]

How would you ensure they'd flee in the right direction?

Maybe along with the alarm you designate a direction to flee towards, like with an archery range. You put down the alarm, link it to a lever which is also linked to a a trap, and you designate that they flee from "Top to Bottom" or "Left to Right."

[scale_e]

No. That wold ruin fun.
You have to watch out for things like this. If its too hard for you go play sims.

Right, so how about you play the game with your left hand covered in pickles and your right up your arse?

[Urist McDetective]

 
Pickles go on the left? I've been doing it wrong all this time!!

[Spoonfeed]

I suggest making it an alarm. If an alarm goes off, everyone within five squares runs away and gets a bad thought. It would sort of be like being scared off by goblins.

This sounds the most realistic, and can result in genius dwarf-related deaths

[irmo]

How would you ensure they'd flee in the right direction?

Maybe along with the alarm you designate a direction to flee towards, like with an archery range. You put down the alarm, link it to a lever which is also linked to a a trap, and you designate that they flee from "Top to Bottom" or "Left to Right."

They should flee toward the nearest meeting zone.

And treating this as an alarm, and not a magical toggling of the already magical zones, is a great improvement. So great that I'd even support designating a rectangular or room-like "alarm zone" from which the dwarves are told to flee. You should, however, have to install a physical bell in the middle of that zone and link it to something.

(I expect that in practice these would mostly get linked to pressure plates.)