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Author Topic: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?  (Read 1015 times)

smjjames

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How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« on: November 29, 2009, 03:30:50 pm »
I have the requisite biome and savagery (my embark zone is actually divided in half between savage rainforest (wet broadleaf I think) and savage sand desert with mountains along the middle. I haven't done any hunting and the only deceased wildlife are the chasm and UG river stuff, so spawn rates are unaffected. The wildlife spawns regularily cycle (sort of) between the three biome types, so there is no shortage of wildlife, but I haven't seen a single GDS.

I have them set to be tamed and trainable, made them breedable, they still have BD 1. I even looked at the worldgen sites and pops and there are plenty of them, they are even a resident critter in a couple of caves. While its true that I don't check the unit list for the wild animals all that often, the BD 1, means that they would have been attracted to the doors inside my fortress.

I have thought of making a wooden archery target lure (out of wood no less, lol), but I'm in a wood drought right now as I'm having trouble getting my TC farms started and I can't really spare the wood atm (for powering the pump stack which I haven't built yet). When the next caravan comes, probably.
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G-Flex

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2009, 03:53:38 pm »
If the creature isn't on your map, he won't be "lured" there by any means. You'll just have to wait and get lucky.
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smjjames

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2009, 04:11:29 pm »
Well, its entirely possible for them to just not be in this particular desert.

Anyways, would a wooden archery range surrounded by cage traps act like a homing beacon for any GDS that enter my map? I haven't tried to actually lure one (short of using my dwarves, but I don't want to make it 'blooded'), so I'm not sure if it would be effective.
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Grendus

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2009, 01:10:11 pm »
Building destroyers, in my experience, only go after buildings near them. They won't rush towards the archery target unless it gets within "aggro" range. Megabeasts  home in on buildings to destroy because they're hostile, they're searching for things to kill. Normal buildingdestroyer creatures only do that if they decide to hunt the building.
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PencilinHand

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2009, 01:32:39 pm »
Pretty much have to be lucky(a large embark helps with this).  I have only ever had one GDS come near the entrance of one of my fortresses and unfortunately he got scared off by so tame camels or something(he was quick too!).
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silhouette

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2009, 08:50:30 pm »
Quote from: PencilinHand on November 30, 2009, 01:32:39 pm
Pretty much have to be lucky(a large embark helps with this).  I have only ever had one GDS come near the entrance of one of my fortresses and unfortunately he got scared off by so tame camels or something(he was quick too!).

Never underestamate the power of those camels...
Serriously, they once drove off a goblin raid...

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Skorpion

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2009, 09:04:41 pm »
I have lost many dwarves to camels. They're good wrestlers.

As for the GDS, I got one once. I charged and killed it with the military. Bit of an anticlimax.
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Kietharr

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2009, 11:57:48 pm »
Build a giant dwarven terrarium of clear glass no less than 100x100 squares and fill it with crickets. Works every time.
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Grendus

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #8 on: December 01, 2009, 02:13:58 pm »
Quote from: Kietharr on November 30, 2009, 11:57:48 pm
Build a giant dwarven terrarium of clear glass no less than 100x100 squares and fill it with crickets. Works every time.

You need a giant glass jar. Start flipping over boulders, then try to throw the jar over the GDS. Try to catch his companion and shake the jar to make them fight. Lots of fun.
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They Got Leader

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #9 on: December 01, 2009, 02:56:09 pm »
The elves sold me one once. I was a little afraid to release it because it would have gone for my wood buildings, right?
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smjjames

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2009, 03:31:25 pm »
Quote from: They Got Leader on December 01, 2009, 02:56:09 pm
The elves sold me one once. I was a little afraid to release it because it would have gone for my wood buildings, right?

The wood thing is a joke since they live in a treeless or near-treeless environment. As long as they have the building destroyer 1 tag, they will target doors, archery targets, and a few other stuff, you'll have to check the wiki. If you don't want them to do that, just remove the tag from the raws.

The elves that I have contact with seem to have some desert type biome on part of their borders, so there is a possibility that they will bring one. I've never had the elves bring a GDS since they almost never have any desert biome bordering their lands.

I think I've heard of the elves bringing GCS, but never had that happen.
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G-Flex

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Re: How do I attract Giant Desert Scorpions to my map?
« Reply #11 on: December 02, 2009, 02:09:58 am »
Quote from: They Got Leader on December 01, 2009, 02:56:09 pm
The elves sold me one once. I was a little afraid to release it because it would have gone for my wood buildings, right?

I had one and it didn't cause any problems. Maybe tamed animals don't destroy buildings?
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