Print

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

[Nil Eyeglazed]

Are marksdwarves in arena usually able to fire on creatures they can't path to?  (Different kinds of creatures use different tests for engaging in ranged combat; I imagine arena mode uses only a single method for all kinds of creatures)

EDIT: They can fire on creatures they can't path to.  Range of an entrenched marskman appears to be 1 tile.  (That's going to be the problem.)  In arena mode, creatures will not attack each other in melee without path-- meaning that the entrenched goblin will only ever fire bolts, and never attack in melee or be attacked in melee.  If they have path, they won't attack through z-levels, but instead will pursue path to attack on the same z-level.

One of the things this suggests is that pathing is not to adjacent tiles, but to occupied tiles, which makes sense; pathing to adjacent tiles could cause slowdown.

[Broseph Stalin]

A dwarf on an elevated pillar will fire on a target on a lower z level but the goblin will not path to him. If the goblin is an archer he will return fire. If the archer dwarf is in a channel by the design I last used and a goblin wanders into a tile adjacent to the archer dwarf the dwarf will attack but the goblin will not. From that I built

    xxxxxxxxx
    xD__D_D_
G######## V
    xD_D__D_
    xxxxxxxxx

where
x= wall
#= floor
_=channel
D=Archer
G= Goblin
V=Bait

Arena testing suggests Goblins will run up the narrow walkway to kill the bait animal and the dwarves will engage them. This is in theory a sound idea but the goblins will inevitably dodge into one of the channels and your dwarves are going to be fighting melee combat with crossbows.

[Nil Eyeglazed]

Range of a dwarf in the rear position of a trench two tiles wide is two tiles beyond the trench.

Code: [Select]

 
 #  abc
 #12###
 ######

side view

Position 1 can fire on a or b; 2 can fire on a only; neither position can fire on c

[Broseph Stalin]

#    AB#
#D ###
#####
A death tunnel with the dwarves at position one would work there's still a risk of the goblins dodging into the channel unless they stay in lane B. It's plausible but I don't think it has the trench warfare vibe the OP wanted. It's really just a roundabout way to achieve the same balance of safety and ability to engage enemies achieved by a fortification funnel.

[Linden Spade]

I gave up on this little project. From all of these responses it seems like it's not going to work well. The whole idea seemed pretty cool..

[Jiokuy]

If you want it to be effective reverse it make it a 1z level wall with ramps on the other side. That would allow the marksdwarves to shoot. I use this for my minimalist dead civ forts

[Saint]

Guerilla tactics works better, dig long sets of narrow tunnels around map, place small pillboxes in key spots with access from below.
Your result? Amazingly effective warning system and guerilla warfare tactics for fort defense.

[Poindexterity]

In trench warfare people died in droves to charges, the only thing preventing a massive charge was the fact that people were afraid to die.

AAAAAAND machine guns.

1st time ever seen on the battle field.

twas as horrifying as one might imagine.