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[simonthedwarf]

To achieve complete immunity and dwarven disinterest towards sieges, there are two main obstacles.

1) Wood
2) Traders/Migrants

I believe 1) can be solved by breaching the caverns and creating a sufficently big treefarm. I have no experience in this however. Does anyone have useful information to share on creating a self sufficient non-aboveground tree farm that an supply the occasional need for beds or charcoal?

2) would be solvable by a method of entrance to the fort which traders, wagons and migrants can execute but invaders cannot. The main tool here is DOORS, which are bypassable by building destroyers. Have anyone ever managed to create a system of access which ensures safety and entrance for traders and migrants that requires no activity from the player whatsoever that denies invaders?

[Garath]

invaders take the shortest route, traders with wagons a route wide enough. If you make one entrance 2 wide and relatively straight but a death trap, and the other a lot longer but three wide, invaders will happily be munched down by the dangerous path while merchants take the longer but safe path. Make several of those, so invaders and merchants always take the closest path.

[Sphalerite]

Have anyone ever managed to create a system of access which ensures safety and entrance for traders and migrants that requires no activity from the player whatsoever that denies invaders?

Almost.  The trick I have used on some fortresses is to make a protected 3 tile wide path from the trade depot to the map edge.  Surround the 3 tile wide path with walls and cover it with a roof where you have to run it aboveground.  For the last 5 tiles to the map edge, where you can't build walls, use raising bridges to seal the sides.  Caravans will spawn on the protected spot and be able to go to and from your trade depot safely.  Ambushes and sieges will spawn randomly around the map, and will very rarely spawn on the protected spot.

It doesn't solve the problem of protecting migrants or diplomats, which still spawn on any random spot on the map edge.

[schismatise]

1) Caverns
2) MAGMA

[robertheinrich]

I was wondering about the same things because for me as a rather new player sieges are really annoying, I already have enough FUN getting my fortress running without them...

As for 1) : in the long run you will want to be independent of surface-level wood anyways. Because you will reach the point where you already harvested most if not all of the trees - especially when you need them for charcoal as long as you donīt have access to coal or d magma. My strategies for that are:
- Only use wood where it is absolutely necessary. This means beds, bins and maybe charcoal.
- If possible buy bins, chests, barrels, buckets etc from traders and focus your production on stone goods to exchange for them.
- Buy logs from elves.

As for 2) : I donīt think itīs possible to completely automate the process of letting in migrants and traders safely. I guess you *could* try to arrange a complex system of pressure plates connected to which try to channel dwarf migrants into a meeting hall inside your fortress, but that wouldnīt account for the pets they bring and for the other races the traders can have. As for traders I donīt think it would be possible at all since they need direct access to the depot upon arrival. I was hinted that using bridges is relatively save against invaders. And that you can disable them completely in the .ini file.

[ASCIt]

I forget - can invaders see through hatches?

[Stefrist]

I forget - can invaders see through hatches?

Not closed ones, as far as I know

[ASCIt]

then, in theory, you could simply create a depot on a different level, protected by hatches (up a level would be preferable to protect from building destroyers) and only let dwarves access it from a sealed staircase or something and, assuming the caravan can fend for itself on the way, you won't have to worry about unwelcome guests, miright?

[Tripphippy]

I have a very simple system for making sieges a joke. You need a 3 tile wide entrance with tons of serrated disc traps and a burrow set to inside the fort. Under siege set a burrow alert for the civ and when you aren't let them run free. The disc traps mulch everything. Clean up is a bitch though.

[peskyninja]

They can't "See" trhough hatches and doors but they know that you are there. Invaders are similar to heat seeking missiles.

[Noodz]

Have anyone ever managed to create a system of access which ensures safety and entrance for traders and migrants that requires no activity from the player whatsoever that denies invaders?

Almost.  The trick I have used on some fortresses is to make a protected 3 tile wide path from the trade depot to the map edge.  Surround the 3 tile wide path with walls and cover it with a roof where you have to run it aboveground.  For the last 5 tiles to the map edge, where you can't build walls, use raising bridges to seal the sides.  Caravans will spawn on the protected spot and be able to go to and from your trade depot safely.  Ambushes and sieges will spawn randomly around the map, and will very rarely spawn on the protected spot.

It doesn't solve the problem of protecting migrants or diplomats, which still spawn on any random spot on the map edge.

I think a 3 tile wide tunnel with an access ramp to the surface is easier to setup. Another advantage of making an underground tunnel is that you can use ramps to make the hallway go up and down, giving you plenty of room to place fluid-based traps while denying invading xbow/archers clear shots

[Levi]

Well, its not 100%, but this works pretty well:

Code: [Select]

###################
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
###################
#:  Wall
P:  Pit, 10ish Z-Levels Deep
T:  Wood training spear traps.

Put this as the entrance of your fortress(with a ceiling over it in case of flyers).  The Wood spear traps don't do much for damage, but enemies will dodge them and fall into the pits of death.  Since Caravans are friendly, they won't trigger the traps and will make it through just fine.

[Naryar]

I do think a dodgefall trap over magma might work.

aka 1-tile wide path made of weapons that don't get stuck in corpses easily. Blunt if possible, so it doesn't make too much of a mess.

Then make your invaders fall into a death pit, with or without magma and raised iron spikes at the bottom. Both is even better.

[Shooer]

Well, its not 100%, but this works pretty well:

Code: [Select]

###################
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
###################
#:  Wall
P:  Pit, 10ish Z-Levels Deep
T:  Wood training spear traps.

Put this as the entrance of your fortress(with a ceiling over it in case of flyers).  The Wood spear traps don't do much for damage, but enemies will dodge them and fall into the pits of death.  Since Caravans are friendly, they won't trigger the traps and will make it through just fine.

This style of trapped entrance works great in an evil region with zombiefication.  Anything that falls down into the corpse pit and survives gets torn up by all who preceded them.

[RAKninja]

To achieve complete immunity and dwarven disinterest towards sieges, there are two main obstacles.

1) Wood
2) Traders/Migrants

I believe 1) can be solved by breaching the caverns and creating a sufficently big treefarm. I have no experience in this however. Does anyone have useful information to share on creating a self sufficient non-aboveground tree farm that an supply the occasional need for beds or charcoal?

2) would be solvable by a method of entrance to the fort which traders, wagons and migrants can execute but invaders cannot. The main tool here is DOORS, which are bypassable by building destroyers. Have anyone ever managed to create a system of access which ensures safety and entrance for traders and migrants that requires no activity from the player whatsoever that denies invaders?

make your entrance a raising drawbridge.  have the lever controlling it in a meeting area.  behind the bridge, have a three (or more) time wide hall loaded with weapon and cage traps.  outside, pen three (war)dogs to discover hidden snatchers or thieves.

as soon as the siege message pops up, pull the lever.