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[ColonelTEE3]

I'm making a room thats basically dedicated to the feeding of my hydra, where i will drop goblins and other unfortunate creatures into for my hydra to devour. I had a couple questions that i couldnt answer through the wiki.

-Gem windows: I wanted to at least simulate the possibility of a dwarf watching as the hydra devours our goblin foes, even if they dont get any thoughts from it ; can a hydra destroy a gem window? If so, are there any alternate structures i can make out of gems that it cannot destroy?

-Deployment of sacrifices: Basically, its a 4x5 room of only 1 z level in depth. My plan was to dig out the level above it, channel down, and build some sort of platform i could BOTH put a cage on, AND remove it via levers, thereby dropping the caged creature/goblin into the hydra den, and then releasing THAT cage so they can meet: I really need help in designing this because i cant think of a way to drop any creature into the den without either letting it run away from me and getting out, OR chancing the risk of the hydra getting out.

The second question is a bigger concern of mine because i really cant think of how im going to get them in without it getting away, or the hydra getting out.

Advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Furious Fish]

I think you're out of options with the windows because megabeasts can destroy pretty much anything, but there is one thing you can do - put a channel inside the pit, between the hydra and the windows. That way it won't be able to reach the windows.

code:

WWWWWWWWWWW
W_________W
W_......._W
W_......._W
W_...H..._W
W_......._W
W_________W
WWWWWWWWWWW

Of course, your dwarves will still get scared of the hydra and run away from the windows all the time, so it's not perfect.

[ March 01, 2008: Message edited by: Furious Fish ]

[ColonelTEE3]

Alright ill live without the windows. At least -i- will get to watch the show.

As for the deployment of the sacrifices, any ideas?

[BishopX]

Use the "bait" method, build the two cages in the arena and then link them to a lever. Put one exit to the arena with a door linked to another lever with a cage trap right in front of it( you can use several if you're paranoid or dealing with larger fights). Station a dwarf a ways behind that door. When the fight ends open the door to let the survivor(s) attack the bait dwarf, trapping them in the cage traps.

[ColonelTEE3]

Yeah i had thought of that, but i guess i kind of wanted it to be more like the hydra lived there, not in a cage that happened to be located in the room. I wanted it to be in the true spirit of the rancor and maybe even put it in a 1x1 room, with a retractable bridge for it walk over when the food came and otherwise would just sit behind it.

So far the only way to get the sacrifices in requires constantly recaging the hydra after each fight, which i may end up having to resort to. Hopefully someone can think of another ingenius way to drop them in before i have to though.

[Ravendas]

You could build a retractible (not raising, retractable) bridge over the pit, and then set the goblin cage next to the pit. Lock the doors to this top level bridge room, release the goblin via lever, then wait for it to walk around onto the bridge. Retract the bridge, causing the goblin to fall into the pit with the hydra.

I never did this before, i typically just did arena style, where i put a bunch of cages in a room together and open them all at the same time, i never had a massive monster like that captured. That bridge/pit thing is what i'd try though.

Side view:

code:

*************
**_________G+
**         **
**    H    **
*************

That flat line would be the bridge, the G would be the goblin on a single tile of ground, the + the door to the room, and that flat line would be the bridge taking up almost the entire room, forcing the goblin onto it.

[Kagus]

Hmm...  You could also try the watery approach.

Build a chute of sorts leading into the hydra-room, and set up a row of pumps behind it.  Drop a goblin into the chute, and start pumping water at high speed.

With a little luck, you can flush him into the room, where he can be munched on by the hydra.  Simply install a few grates for drainage, and you're set!  It'll even clean the room from time to time.

[dreiche2]

Okay maybe I'm not getting it, but why not simply designate a pit on the level above? The only problem I can think of is that the hydra might scare away your dwarfs bringing the sacrifice, but in that case you could use a buffer level with a retractable drawbridge in between the hydra pit and the "drop off".

[ March 02, 2008: Message edited by: dreiche2 ]

[Kagus]

Bah, where's your sense of dwarven unnecessary projects?  Sure, you could just designate a pit over the hydra chamber, but that's for pansy races.  

Dwarves build massive and complicated designs for simple and ordinary tasks, just to prove that they're better at it than anyone else!

[Furious Fish]

quote:Originally posted by dreiche2:
<STRONG>Okay maybe I'm not getting it, but why not simply designate a pit on the level above? The only problem I can think of is that the hydra might scare away your dwarfs bringing the sacrifice, but in that case you could use a buffer level with a retractable drawbridge in between the hydra pit and the "drop off".

[ March 02, 2008: Message edited by: dreiche2 ]</STRONG>

Doesn't work, in my experience. The dwarf frees the goblin while he's dragging it to the pit, and the goblin escapes. Throwing animals into pits only seems to work if they're tame, unless there's some trick to it that I'm not aware of.

[Kagus]

Build the cage directly adjacent to the hole, and then order that specific goblin to be dumped.

He'll be tossed down the hole by a dwarf before either one knows what's going on.

[Furious Fish]

quote:Originally posted by Kagus:
<STRONG>Build the cage directly adjacent to the hole, and then order that specific goblin to be dumped.

He'll be tossed down the hole by a dwarf before either one knows what's going on.</STRONG>

I've tried that, it still escaped.

[dreiche2]

Goblins do not always escape, though. I think it's the thieves that are especially prone to it. And, like I advertised in various threads now, just put the animal stockpile into your barracks... goblin escapes, fun for everyone.

[ShunterAlhena]

Also I can't sell the damn buggers, either. I have a Spearmaster captured that I'd really like to torture, or at least sell off to the Mountainhomes where they have much more potent techniques for interrogation than we do here in Deepwater.
However, when I order the beast to be brought up to the depot it is freed and runs away (not far, since the prison has cage traps at the exit).

[ March 02, 2008: Message edited by: ShunterAlhena ]

[Kagus]

Are you trying to sell the goblin spearman or the cage that he's in?  If you bring the cage to the depot, you should be able to sell the whole thing.  I'm not sure how much goblins go for these days, though...

Just trap him, make sure the cage isn't built, and then bring the "goblin cage" to the depot.  Finally, sell the cage.