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[cephalo]

You can issolate your mine cart loading station from the rest of the track with either a cliff, since mine carts will continue rolling on a track when they land (a roller or ramp on the land site may be necessary), or a pond, since mine carts can go under water.

I'd be no harder to get enemies to stand on the track than getting them to stand on a trap, though mine carts should work against trap-avoid creatures.

Since the cart can land and keep going, I could see something like in Indiana Jones where the boulder rolls down from above. Have your carts shoot out from one z level above the rear of the main entrance corridor. If its only one tile wide they might not even be able to dodge.

[King Mir]

Yep, though you'd need to send carts through water if you want to protect against flying creatures.

[Kamamura]

A minecart cannon would be a useful weapon against Titans.

Plus everything described here:

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/matthaywood/main/Warwagons.htm

[Sonlirain]

There are several things that can make minecarts stupidly effective weapons.
1 - How much weight can they hold inside and is it infinite and loaded cargo increases potential damage.
2 - Can we set up tracks to cause minecarts to gain speed indefinitely.
3 - Can we use levers to direct wagons.


If 1 is true then Minecart gauss cannons are possible.
If 2 is true Minecart gauss cannons are possible.
If all 3 are true then it will be glorious to watch as the unstoppable force turns clowns into clouds of gibs at the switch of a lever.

[LumberingOaf]

Who would care about HFS syndromes when the only things at risk are minecarts, which probably can't get sick?

Pff, you forget that wagons were implemented as creatures. I look forward to blind, vomiting minecarts with bruised wheels trundling into my hospital for some much needed rest and recuperation.

[Telgin]

There are several things that can make minecarts stupidly effective weapons.
1 - How much weight can they hold inside and is it infinite and loaded cargo increases potential damage.
2 - Can we set up tracks to cause minecarts to gain speed indefinitely.
3 - Can we use levers to direct wagons.


If 1 is true then Minecart gauss cannons are possible.
If 2 is true Minecart gauss cannons are possible.
If all 3 are true then it will be glorious to watch as the unstoppable force turns clowns into clouds of gibs at the switch of a lever.

Toady already mentioend that there is a terminal velocity.  There is probably also a maximum volume, but maximum weight probably not.  It will probably just behave as it does for enormous things: goes very slowly when a dwarf is pushing it.

Regardless, I imagine if you can pack a FB corpse into a minecart then send it down say 30 z-levels, you will destroy any foe that doesn't dodge out of the way.  Just make your opening into the fort 1-tile wide down a long hallway and you're mostly set.

And to whoever mentioned needing to have the fort open for this to work, that's not necessarily so.  Just construct a valley leading to your fort, hope that enemies path down it, then launch minecarts over walls and into the valley.