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[Brian]

I have an issue right now that when I go into lock-down during an attack, my civilian population perpetually runs outside to do outside jobs, then runs back inside.  I really want to put them much further from the entrance, even a couple of Z levels off.

Short of disabling every outdoor job every time anything attacks me, is there a way I can mark my entryway as outdoors so that they stay way out of the threat zone?  The only other idea I can come up with is to build a second level outside my fort so that there are two Z levels that are outdoors.  What use are up/down spike traps if every dwarf wants to play reverse whack-a-mole?

[Fikes]

I've heard a couple of ideas here that I have yet to try. First, you could take an early part of your entrance And hollow out all the floors above it and then make the roof glass. This would let light in and it would be considered "Outside"

I am using a simplier, airlock system. Basically 2 sets of flood gates in my base. When a seige comes I'll flip the switch on the inner gates. If any dwarves are left outside they get drafted and sent next between the inner and outgates. Then I close the other gate closes and the inner opens, the dwarves move through and the inner gate is closed again.

Another good idea is to build a base at the end of a valley with sheer cliffs on either side. This will form a natural entrance that your dwarves won't enter.

I'll let you know how the airlock works.

[Dadamh]

Just as a side note, you don't have to make the floors glass.  Even stone floors (constructed ones) let light through.  It makes the area "Inside Light Above Ground"  Dwarves won't go into that area if you have the order "Dwarves stay inside".

Please note that this can be an issue if you have a skylight over your dining room/main stockpile.

Also, the best idea is generally to make an 'airlock', yeah.  Make a wall around the entryway of your fort, maybe ten tiles long, and put doors on the end.  Then, when dwarves go outside before deciding that "Urist McHaul cancels place item in tomb: Forbidden area", they will realize their mistake inside of a walled off area instead of out in the open and full of goblin bolts.

[Puck]

I just build some walls above ground, which block line of sight to the main entrance of the compound. you could do this underground too, as somebody mentioned, with a floor that lets light through.

Has the benefit that you only need to hit o/i, or whatever, to make your dwarves really stay inside and not get hurt. well, actually, the in/out dance just doesnt matter anymore.

To me, building it above is just fine. I suck at ascii, lemme get you a screenshot... here it is
leet entrance
(On the right you see Urist showing us where NOT to stand)

in the middle theres room for a trade depot, on the right, thats a bridge hooked to 6 pressure plates and around the entrance there are 3 weapon traps, which never get used, since the bridge kills intruders one by one, until they leave. well actually the pit under the bridge, and all its nasties, kills them.

at least when they come on foot.

it also kills raccoons, which i deem important      

[ June 11, 2008: Message edited by: Puck ]

[Calenth]

quote:Originally posted by Dadamh:
[QB]Just as a side note, you don't have to make the floors glass.  Even stone floors (constructed ones) let light through.  It makes the area "Inside Light Above Ground"  Dwarves won't go into that area if you have the order "Dwarves stay inside".

Well that explains why my seige operators won't use that ballista. Is there any way to build a tower that dwarves will use during a seige?

[ June 11, 2008: Message edited by: Calenth ]

[Puck]

well, if its only considered "inside" when there never was floor removed above it... you could dig away everything else around it....

[Dadamh]

quote:Originally posted by Calenth:
<STRONG>

Well that explains why my siege operators won't use that ballista. Is there any way to build a tower that dwarves will use during a seige?

[ June 11, 2008: Message edited by: Calenth ]</STRONG>

Not a tower per se, at least not for siege operators.  If you leave it "Soldiers can go outdoors", you can have a bevy of marksdwarves up there.

They will get shot though.

However, if you have a nice cliff face near your door, you can mine out an area inside the cliff, smooth the cliff-face, and then carve it into fortifications.  Seige engines can fire through those.  As said though, that requires a  stone cliff face.  Otherwise you could have your seigers at the ready and then forbid the out-doors instead of setting "Dwarves Stay Indoors".  At the cost of a sensible quick retreat, your guys will stand there and shoot until the gobbos get close enough to slaughter them

[LeoLeonardoIII]

Remember to plan ahead though, as seige weapons currently fire only on their own Z-level. You'd need to put all those catapults down on the ground floor!

Anyway, I construct an S-shaped entrance that features at least two bends beofre you get line of sight with the part of the entrance tunnel that was mined out. This way the invaders get to sample a lovely array of traps while my goofy Dwarves entrance-dance the night away in safety. Make sure you roof it over!

Also, note that some creatures destroy constructions like floodgates and doors. So the best bet is to have a raising bridge at some point in your entrance tunnel, so the invader cannot reach the bridge to smash it nor can he look farther in to shoot at your dwarves. This means the best place for your drawbridge is out in the constructed half of your tunnel.

Unfortunately, this requires forethought because you need space under a bridge, and it's likely your farms are directly under it since there's probably grass right outside your for entrance. Easy to avoid, but like I said think about it before you start digging.

[Karpatius]

If you also raise the drawbridge towards the entrance tunnel, it will block line of sight to civvies, and enemy marksmen cannot shoot them.

Also, if you also build bridges simpply on the ground and then raise it when an enemy is on them, some clever positioning will cause enemies to be flung down cliffs or even better, into magma pools, if you got the aim right.

[ June 12, 2008: Message edited by: Karpatius ]