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Author Topic: Of Cages and Colossi  (Read 787 times)

InquisitiveIdiot

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Of Cages and Colossi
« on: January 08, 2008, 03:42:00 pm »

So, I've got a Bronze Colossus in a larch cage that I'm not sure what to do with.  I'm not even sure what I can do without the big guy breaking loose and starting the maiming and the killing and the glayvn flayvn.

My current plan is to dig a pit, put Mr. Crunchin's cage in, hook it up to a lever and deconstruct the staircase.  Anyone who falls in gets to meet His Destructiveness with nowhere to run.  

code:

z=0
........
.______.
........
z=-1
########
#<..C..#
########

Then, tile over the pit with hatch covers and hook those up to the same lever.  When a goblin siege comes, funnel them over the pit and set the lever on repeat.  Goblins fall in, MechaNorris quickly liquefies them, and none of my citizens come rushing out to loot the bodies.

Think it'll work?  Got any cooler/simpler/safer way of using Stompy McPounderson to the same effect?

Also, for my own reference and to add to the wiki when complete, safe/UNSAFE cage actions!  Please contribute/correct, thanks.

Safe:
Moving a cage by fiddling with stockpiles.
Building a cage (b,j) with a wild occupant.
Unassigning a wild occupant from a built cage (a dwarf will come with another cage).

UNSAFE DO NOT DO THIS:
Assigning a wild occupant to another built cage.
Assigning a wild occupant to a pit/pond.
Opening the cage with a lever (duh).

[ January 08, 2008: Message edited by: InquisitiveIdiot ]

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InquisitiveIdiot

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2008, 03:43:00 pm »

Damn, hit reply instead of edit.  Lemme find the delete button.

[ January 08, 2008: Message edited by: InquisitiveIdiot ]

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Railick Stonemane

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2008, 03:59:00 pm »

Just wanna say your various names for the monster made me laugh out loud. Mecha Norris made me almost break down into tears, I must be slap happy.
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madpeople

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2008, 06:36:00 pm »

what happens if i try to melt a cage with something inside it?
not sure if i should kill my caged titan and bronze colossus or just leave them in my zoo.

do they get better thoughts from seeing mega beasts or are they happy enough with my cows and elephants etc?

i've heard that you can safely assign a caged goblin to a pit and have them not escape, though sometimes they do (do snatchers escape but war ones not?)

[ January 08, 2008: Message edited by: madpeople ]

[ January 08, 2008: Message edited by: madpeople ]

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Slappy Moose

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2008, 07:28:00 pm »

Hah, I like the names you made up.

But I would say your original method sounds good, it's what I would do. However, make the pit deeper so the colossus doesn't die in some crazy accident.

Make him mangle goblins who are knocked out and already hurt from the fall.

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Skanky

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2008, 08:24:00 pm »

Using two floodgates, make an airlock so you can add other caged creatures safely. Open the outer airlock, place cage and hook up to lever, close outer airlock and open inner airlock. Release creature and watch as a the colossi and the creature dance. Thats probably safer than tipping caged creatures down the grates into the pit.
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Lord Licorice

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2008, 08:29:00 pm »

I had related questions...

What affects creatures still caged?  Will a goblin in a cage still drown underwater or are they unable to drown while caged?  Similarly, if you drop a cage from a great height, does it break and kill the occupant, or does it remain intact while the occupant dies, or does the occupant survive?

Also, if you hook a mechanism to a cage (e.g. to a lever), then move said cage, does that break the link?

[ January 08, 2008: Message edited by: Lord Licorice ]

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InquisitiveIdiot

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2008, 01:23:00 am »

quote:
Thats probably safer than tipping caged creatures down the grates into the pit.
I think you misunderstand - my intention was to use xXPoundYouGoodXx for *active* defense, as in waiting for sieging goblins to cross over his hatch bridge and drop them to certain doom.  Just like having spikes at the bottom, but more entertaining.

Trying it in action, it's quite fun.  When the hatches are down von Killenstein doesn't interrupt laborers above.  Setting a lever on repeat toggles the bridge too frequently, but I think a solution could be found using a floodgate and pressure plate to establish a timer circuit.  

The only disappointing part of setting up the trap was having to sacrifice a miner to dig out the stairs, to prevent Him from coming up to say hi.  Note to Toady: we need rope ladders!

Licorice: Nothing, no, yes, no, no, yes, prolly does.  Also, gb2/v/.

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Tamren

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2008, 01:34:00 am »

I heard that keeping a colossi in a pit is good for marksdwarf practice. You get more Xp for shooting a live target than you do shooting archery targets.
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Skanky

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #9 on: January 09, 2008, 02:01:00 am »

I understood the intent of your trap II, my thoughts were just related to the disposal of additional creatures that get caged before getting to trap. My idea hinges on floodgates keeping the colossi at bay though, which I am presuming is not possible due to the fact that you sacraficed a miner rather than building such an exit.
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InquisitiveIdiot

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #10 on: January 09, 2008, 03:25:00 pm »

Sorry for the misunderstanding, then.  

I didn't use floodgates because of the colossus's [BUILDINGDESTROYER] tag.  Even if he can't punch through floodgates, he should theoretically be able to, so it kinda feels cheap.  Plus, a pit with *no way out* seems cooler to me (and worth the loss of a fish cleaner) than one with *no way out until I pull that lever over there.*

The point's moot anyway; the third goblin siege was lead by an superhumanly tough Mace Lord with exceptional iron armor who took out my colossus without suffering a single wound.  RIP, Fragginator.

So now I've a trench full of half-dead goblins and an uber brigand.  Guess I can toss in goblins and elves and more goblins, then flood the whole thing.

Note to self: next time, also put lever-toggled menacing spikes at the bottom of the pit.  Wooden spikes.  With splinters.  Bastard.

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Railick Stonemane

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #11 on: January 09, 2008, 03:29:00 pm »

just dig down to where the bottom of the pit is and create a room all around it with traps ect then release them. That way you can get the joy of watching them cut to bits by giant axe blades and spikey balls instead of just watching them drown which is kinda boring.

On the other hand you could have them drown via bucket brigade throwing water own on their heads. That is slow and funny  :) Long live the memory of Mecha Norris. My Cyborg Angel of Awsome.

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Lord Licorice

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Re: Of Cages and Colossi
« Reply #12 on: January 09, 2008, 05:48:00 pm »

quote:
Originally posted by InquisitiveIdiot:
<STRONG>Licorice: Nothing, no, yes, no, no, yes, prolly does.  Also, gb2/v/.</STRONG>

Thanks, I'll definitely be sure to throw some goblins from a really tall tower.  Also, NO U! /tg/ has permitted Roguelikes as an acceptable crossover topic.  :p

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