Feedback requested - Purify iron with blood and flameThere's been a bit of discussion in another thread about iron vs ironbone as a building requirement, with orcs often being starved for actual iron. The result of this is an unintentional bottleneck when building the blacksmoke furnace, which is essential for orcish iron production, and yet requires iron to build. It's been pointed out that ironbone and bloodsteel represent the "old ways", and iron and steel the "new ways", and that the blacksmoke furnace is definitely a "new ways" building.
I propose there be a 'purify iron with blood and flame' reaction, possibly at the smelter, but suggestions for other buildings are welcome. I propose this is an expensive reaction, needing a barrel of blood, *two* rusty iron bars, and fuel; the product being a single iron bar. This would remove the accidental bottleneck on iron, but wouldn't be an attractive reaction for cleansing iron in bulk.
Feedback is appreciated on this proposed reaction.
Feedback requested - Tribal CircleI'm mapping out the scalping system, and I want to add a new workshop that forms the locus of it. I'm imagining a "tribal circle" or "tribal bonfire", which would be a core building for orcs. I'm looking at it being 5x5 in size (although we may make it bigger, see below), and built from common components. Orcs will gather here before great battles, and celebrate their victories after them.
It will feature the ability to "scalp fallen enemy" (yielding a totem and scalp), and 'sew standard of honor' (requiring 10 scalps, and possibly a length of cloth). As the honour system is expanded, those reactions will be available here. I'm anticipating both a tiered honour system (5 standards of honor can be combined into a 'great standard of honor'), and race-specific items ('craft item of elven conquest'). Standards will be non-consumable items that are required to construct some buildings. For example, I would like the shadowbroker not to depend upon obtaining a blueprint, but upon gaining enough clan honor.
The workshop will also feature buffs. I dislike the micromanagement required at the totem pole to apply buffs; it's too easy for an orc to buff themselves twice, nearby orcs *may* or may not be affected (it uses a boiling stone rather than DFHack), and the skill itself is locked to the EXTRACT_STRAND skill, which is only featured on dreamwalkers. The music buffs are less bad, but they result in orcs running around casting music interactions on everyone they see, and I don't think they're exclusive. Having an orc playing bagpipes, the drums, the horn, AND wielding a two-handed weapon in battle doesn't feel right.
Instead, the tribal circle buffs will take a reagent, and apply the buff to all orcs currently in the workshop (this is easy with DFHack). You station your squads in there once, run the buff, and then head into battle. All the thematic goodness, but without the micromanagement. Because this will apply buffs to all units in the workshop, it might make sense to have it larger than 5x5. In fact, it might make sense for there to be different tiers of this building (tribal circle -> great tribal circle), with the higher tiers requiring standards of honor, and having more reactions available.
I'd like the buffs to be more thematic to the tribal theme we have going. The courage buff would involve applying tribal warpaint made of blood. The pain-resist buff would involve fortifying warriors with fire, and so on. All of these buffs would be warrior-oriented, they wouldn't use any of the dreamwalker skills.
One of the side-effects of this change is that it would essentially obsolete the existing totem pole. Soulgems and spirit talismans are likely to be created from Meph's new soul system, and can be crafted at any of the Places of Power (circle of stones, etc).
Questions(Answer as many as you like)
- What should this building be called? Tribal Circle is my working name.
- Should there be multiple tiers of this building? How big should they be? Does it make sense to have tiered buildings?
- What buffs and reactions should we implement here? Brainstorming appreciated! Be bold and creative!
- Are we happy retiring the totem pole? Can you see a thematic way for it to be repurposed?
- Do you like designing buildings, or writing reactions? Would you be interested in helping contribute?
- Any other thoughts?
Many thanks!
~ T
