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[CorruptUser]

Yesterday, Toady posted this:

"You can grab hold of tiles in flight now, either after a jump or a fall. The success rate depends on how fast you are going, and I'm sure it'll depend on attributes and any relevant skills, although I'm not sure I've got a relevant skill named yet. I managed to jump between two far apart branches of a tree, then between trees, and I jumped along a rough wall, which seems like it should be quite dangerous."

The best name I can think of for that skill would be Acrobatics.  That or Parkour.



Now the question is, how do we train our Dwarves in the skill?  I suggest a new room designation, the "Jungle Gym".  Dwarves can construct tightropes, handholds on walls to make them easier to climb, nets to climb, swings to play in, and so forth.  Let the children play there all day, it'll be great fun.  Or if you are the type that believes in the Spartan Way and built your Jungle Gym over a volcano, Fun.  Make a boot camp course, with the Militia Commander overseeing the grunts.  Inexperienced Dwarves and children can fall a short distance, scraping their knees and bruising their elbows, giving your diagnosticians, wound dressers and rarely, bone doctors plenty of minor things to do.

The designation would come from the burrow system, since we do not as yet have a way to make 3d room designations.

[dizzyelk]

I don't know about bone doctors being involved too rarely, the main reason why jungle gyms and monkey bars disappeared from playgrounds is because its rather easy to break bones on them.

[Revanchist]

Still, though, the idea is good. Being able to condition your dwarves... I hope it's possible to use wood. I'd show the elven diplomat that I DO think of the children.

[therahedwig]

This gives me the vision of dare devil dwarves.
If left unattended, dare devil dwarves will try to practice their climbing/acrobatics or try to find the highest point on your map. This might sometimes end up with a dead dwarf due to a misstep or to a dwarf that can make his way across trees and uneven territory much more quickly than normal dwarves.

[Revanchist]

Urist McDaredevil cancels make cheese: practicing parkour
Urist McDaredevil cancels practice parkour: unconcious
(...)
Urist McDaredevil has been missing for a week.

"Damn, he was my best cheesemaker"
or
"I just got this red suit... maybe he should've had working eyes..."

[GreatWyrmGold]

Sounds like Fun. Not like something that dwarves would do, though.

[CorruptUser]

Making the Jungle Gym out of wood gives the Dwarves a chance of getting a splinter based on the quality of the gym.  A minor injury healed with the surgery skill, but if left untreated could become infected.  A metal jungle gym, in freezing temperatures, has the chance of a dwarf getting his tongue stuck.  No treatment needed, but it's a bad thought.  Using the climbing rope has a chance of rope-burn, bruising the skin of the hands and giving a bad thought, though it has a chance of improving the Toughness atribute.  Using the course in general has the good thought of 'enjoyed vigorous exercise', but generally speaking, the good thoughts don't outweigh the bad until the dwarf has about Competent skill in Acrobatics.

It would vary somewhat by the dwarf's personality, and perhaps personal attributes; corpulent dwarves may find less enjoyment from the constant teasing from the other dwarves.  I'm not sure we should include dodgeball, though I often have a room dedicated to dodgespear anyway.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Why would dwarves be holding the bars with their tounges?

[CorruptUser]

Not holding; licking.  Because the other dwarf children dared them to.

[GreatWyrmGold]

It sounds stupid.

[CorruptUser]

Fine they don't have to lick (was mainly a stupid dwarf joke as one of many injuries you could get in the Jungle Gym), but grabbing metal bars in freezing temperatures without mittens should piss off your dwarves.

[GreatWyrmGold]

I think that should be the case for any material with a...low specific heat? Is that what I'm thinking if?

[Revanchist]

[SPEC_HEAT] controls how fast it changes temperature, I thought. You might be looking for [HOMEOTHERM] (the heat/lack thereof that it gives off)

[Bytyan]

Well, wood and rope can get just as cold as metal, but the reason why metal will freeze to your skin and rip it off is because it transfers heat so well, letting it flash freeze flesh. It's not fun. Also, I'd rather see gyms with a variety of options including agility  training in jungle gyms to strength training is some form to toughness training with other dwarves abusing each other.

[GreatWyrmGold]

[SPEC_HEAT] controls how fast it changes temperature, I thought. You might be looking for [HOMEOTHERM] (the heat/lack thereof that it gives off)

Nope, specific heat was what I was looking for. It means metal wicks heat away from people quickly. HOMEOTHERM is only for creatures, anyway.