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Author Topic: Can military Dwarfs retreat?  (Read 2313 times)

SuicideJunkie

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Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« on: July 19, 2012, 09:24:37 pm »

This is starting to really bug me.

I've got a small, well equipped militia squad, and lots of goblins every now and then.
They can take on gobblobs one at a time to help defend the caravan, but they really need to get back behind the fortifications when the gobswarm builds up.

If they're active, they charge in and ignore orders to station back thataway.
If I cancel the order, they go civvie and flee in random directions away from the fort.

I'd really like them to retreat under fire to the battlements instead of being suicidal morons.

Any tips or suggestions?
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XXSockXX

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Re: Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2012, 09:33:23 pm »

Not really, they tend to be suicidal. If the squad is set to active/training they should not go back to civilians after cancelling orders though.
I would not attack a full siege with a single squad. It works out better if you have more soldiers. In case of attack I station 4 or 5 melee squads of 10 near the entrance and then give the kill orders, so that they all get out roughly at the same time. Combined with traps and a marksdwarf squad that's pretty devastating with only minimal casualties from lucky goblin archers.
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weenog

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Re: Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2012, 09:34:38 pm »

Dorf minds don't work that way, currently.  Dorf minds know only terror and overconfidence.
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krenshala

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Re: Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2012, 09:43:35 pm »

Station them in a walled area where they can't see all the enemies to kill, and once they have finished off the current target/group they will (should) listen to their station orders.  As weenog says, they don't think like we do ... its fight or flight, nothing in between.
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misko27

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Re: Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2012, 09:46:24 pm »

Station them in a walled area where they can't see all the enemies to kill, and once they have finished off the current target/group they will (should) listen to their station orders.  As weenog says, they don't think like we do ... its fight or flight, nothing in between.
Just like goblins. Tvtropes has a description: "Attack! Attack...  Retreat! Retreat!"
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Replica

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Re: Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2012, 09:47:22 pm »

One does not simply "charge" 100 goblin archers in the open.
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SuicideJunkie

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Re: Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2012, 10:07:44 pm »

I'm not too happy with the state of my block stocks, but I suppose the best way to go about this is building some LOS obscuring walls out ahead of the fort.

I was planning on a grid city, but I suppose I could put raising bridges in the streets and then have an office building dedicated to directing traffic with levers :)
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krenshala

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Re: Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2012, 10:13:54 pm »

Its called a bailey, a walled area meant for grouping and killing enemies, usually from multiple directions and a floor or five above, and also preparing your own troops for a sally, if you really want to.
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Quote from: Haspen
Quote from: phoenixuk
Zepave Dawnhogs the Butterfly of Vales the Marsh Titan ... was taken out by a single novice axedwarf and his pet war kitten. Long Live Domas Etasastesh Adilloram, slayer of the snow butterfly!
Doesn't quite have the ring of heroics to it...
Mother: "...and after the evil snow butterfly was defeated, Domas and his kitten lived happily ever after!"
Kids: "Yaaaay!"

Mimodo

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Re: Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« Reply #8 on: July 19, 2012, 11:15:57 pm »

One does not simply "charge" 100 goblin archers in the open.

Oh, my dwarves do... Freaking legends they are. One charged them, and got taken by a headshot... he then lay on the ground the entire siege, and lived through it, only to die in hospital. Another took a nap in the middle of a siege, and still came out destroying half of them single handedly
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sackhead

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Re: Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« Reply #9 on: July 20, 2012, 12:26:12 am »

Quote
Posted by: Replica
« on: July 19, 2012, 09:47:22 pm » Insert Quote
One does not simply "charge" 100 goblin archers in the open.

you mean a coward/intelligent solder does not "charge" 100 goblin archers in the open.
a real dwarf would do it naked and the goblins would have cannon too..
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Bertinator

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Re: Can military Dwarfs retreat?
« Reply #10 on: July 20, 2012, 02:43:48 am »

One does not simply "charge" 100 goblin archers in the open.

Charge of the Axe Brigade.
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