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[CaptainLambcake]

Captured a Dragon, thought i'd try and make a flamethrower.  it worked, except for one key component.  here, i will show you.

W=Wall
B=Bridge
D=Dragon
F=Fortification
 WWWWW
 WW     W
BB F      W
BB F   D W
 BB F     W
WW      W
 WWWWW

So I lower the bridge, and the dragon shoots fire.  However, upon shooting fire, it will destroy the bridge, even though it's made of mudstone.  I cannot utilize the flamethrower if this keeps happening, as the dragon will be shot and killed by the crossbowmen.  How do I make it so the bridge does not explode upon coming into contact with fire?

[MonkeyHead]

What is the mechanism in the bridge made of?

[CaptainLambcake]

Mudstone, I use ALOT of mudstone.

[Calech]

According to the wiki, Dragons breathe fire which has a temperature of 50,000 degrees Urist.

The magma-safe materials guide lists all the usual candidates for high-temperature work, but the only item with a higher melting point seems to be dragon-based products (dragon bone and dragon leather, at 55,000 °U)

Even adamantine should be reduced to molten slag at these temperatures, according to what's listed; I have no experience with dealing with a dragon non-lethally though (either my military kills it, or it kills everything else), so I'm not sure just how destructive it can be. (the wiki entry on bridges observes that an adamantine bridge will stand up to it a little longer but still not be a long-term solution)

I suspect the dragonfire is dismantling your bridge in the same way that magma flowing over a non-magma-safe bridge behaves.

[MonkeyHead]

Would floodgates or doors be a better solution? Are they technically "there" when set to open by a lever?

[Garath]

yep, nice fire eh?

the only material safe, according to the wiki, is nether-cap wood, which has a constant temperature. Unfortunately you can't make mechanisms out of it

and yes, floodgates are "there" when open. The big issue though is that there is no dragon-safe mechanism

[CaptainLambcake]

Damn.  It works well too.  Nothing left to bury, no clothes left to collect.  Just the armor.

[Calech]

You could always create a filter room for crossbow-wielding enemies. Just put a room with fortifications next to your corridor, away from the dragon, and fill it with legendary soldiers / excess poults / excess dwarves. The ranged attackers will appreciate the shooting range, while the rest of the troops move up to get roasted.

Opening a bridge beneath the crossbow siegers to dump them into the magma sea will offer them  a similar, although reduced, experience.

[MonkeyHead]

Hmm. Why not a bridge above the z-level the dragon is on, built so that invaders path onto the retractable bridge which can be removed to drop them into the field of fire of the dragon? Keep it closed when crossbow armed enemies are around. The mechanisms/bridge a z-level up shouldnt be touched by the dragonfire.

[CaptainLambcake]

It seems like way too much effort, the dragon's fire seems to spare some of the goblins, without singing them even a bit.  I may just use it for executions or to fight Forgotten Beasts.

EDIT:  Artifacts cannot be destroyed, right? I have an artifact mechanism.  Perhaps if that was used with the bridge?

[laularukyrumo]

Ooh. Try it, I say. Just be aware that your bridge might still get disintegrated, unless you happen to have nether-cap wood.

Which, irritatingly, is kind of buggy and doesn't always actually exist in worlds. I personally have never actually seen any.

[Crashmaster]

That sounds like a plan. I have a series of adamantine bridges to replace obsidian ones that were being lost to dragon fire from ambushing fire imps. They hold up ok, havn't lost one while the obsidian ones would be gone in one breath. Actually, I'm still using obsidian mechanisms though so an artifact one might not make any difference. Nethercap would be my next choice then.

[CaptainLambcake]

When selecting the mechanisms, do I select the artifact one first or second for linking?

[Crashmaster]

I can't recall for sure, I think it is the first one. In the linking menu doesn't it say, "use in target (sic)," and then, "use in lever (sic) now?

[CaptainLambcake]

I already got it, but thanks.  I gotta go now, but i'll test it tomorow and let you guys know, since i'm pretty sure this is valuable science.