Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: [1] 2

Author Topic: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)  (Read 3563 times)

DuckBoy2

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« on: June 06, 2014, 07:45:34 pm »

I recently came across the thread revival of dwarven drop pods.  Someone pointed out that featherwood floors are best for dwarves drop pods, due to the low density of the floors when slammed into them.  Someone else pointed out that a thin layer of kittens or goblins on the feather wood is better, as the dwarves will transfer their momentum into the animals that they land on, causing the animal, not the dwarf to be slammed against the floor. 

I put two and two together and did some science. 

I embarked with 6 cats, a one humped camel and a water buffalo bull. 
I dug a 10z level hole in the ground, with a granite floor, and assigned it as my meeting hall. 
I then created a pit/pond above the hole and dropped my water buffalo into it.

Sure enough, the water buffalo landed on a cat, shattering its bones and spine, and the cat suffocated shortly thereafter. 

I then managed to land a cat on my miner, shattering his arm and keeping him stuck in place. 
I then attempted to test whether cats are more or less effective than water buffalo in causing damage. 

The results are as yet inconclusive.  Cats have caused broken bones and damaged lungs.  I did have a streak of three cats in a row which, while they did slam into the miner, did no damage.  I have never had the water buffalo land on a target without at least breaking bones. 

While cats are therefore potentially less damaging than say, draltha, any animal that can be bred in sufficient numbers, and dropped onto a horde of foes in a single tile wide platinum corridor should suffice to make a trap that is capable of breaking the spines of powerful foes. 

The simplest method for achieving this is to simply keep a 10+ z level chute directly above your entrance which you can use to drop stray animals onto invaders. 

A more automated method would be a pressure plate at the end of a small corridor which toggles floor grates in an breeding pit far above.  With proper chaining, you could easily guarantee that the breeding animals remain safe from harm, while their children are used to defend your fortress like burning oil in the middle ages.  Burning oil that should it survive the fall can also bite/scratch/claw and generally rip the heads off of injured invaders. 

I do need help coming up with a name for this technique.  Thoughts? 

Further !!science!! items:
Do heavier animals deal more damage?
Do denser floors cause more damage?
Do upright spikes on the floors deal damage to the dropped animals, or the target invaders? 
Logged

Mohreb el Yasim

  • Bay Watcher
  • ♫♪♫♫♪♫♪♪♫♪
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2014, 07:52:41 pm »

Make a catsapult !!!
for ... hmm ... science !!!
Logged
Mohreb el Yasim


GENERATION 24:The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experime

MeMyselfAndI

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2014, 01:06:47 pm »

I know that denser floors cause more damage.

Things are weird like that - something hitting the ground is modeled as the ground hitting the miner with a large blunt cube of the material the ground is made of. (and isn't that just the weirdest mental image?)

For best results, you want something that is heavy and not a grazer. Ideally something that reproduces relatively quickly. Giant tortoise? Although that doesn't breed quickly. I wish the wiki had a single table of animals and their attributes.
Logged

Zammer990

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2014, 01:10:59 pm »

I know that denser floors cause more damage.

Things are weird like that - something hitting the ground is modeled as the ground hitting the miner with a large blunt cube of the material the ground is made of. (and isn't that just the weirdest mental image?)

For best results, you want something that is heavy and not a grazer. Ideally something that reproduces relatively quickly. Giant tortoise? Although that doesn't breed quickly. I wish the wiki had a single table of animals and their attributes.
cave crocodiles
Logged
If your animals aren't expendable, you could always station a dwarf or two out there?

deepfreeze78

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2014, 02:47:35 pm »

I know that denser floors cause more damage.

Things are weird like that - something hitting the ground is modeled as the ground hitting the miner with a large blunt cube of the material the ground is made of. (and isn't that just the weirdest mental image?)

For best results, you want something that is heavy and not a grazer. Ideally something that reproduces relatively quickly. Giant tortoise? Although that doesn't breed quickly. I wish the wiki had a single table of animals and their attributes.

How long does it take for rocs to reproduce? Or will they just fly away before landing?
Logged
Nothing's truly dwarfy until it's been weaponized to kill elves with magma.

blue emu

  • Bay Watcher
  • GroFAZ
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2014, 03:22:32 pm »

The cats would probably be more effective if you set them on fire first. Just sayin'.
Logged
Never pet a burning dog.

MeMyselfAndI

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2014, 04:57:52 pm »

How long does it take for rocs to reproduce? Or will they just fly away before landing?
Code: [Select]
[CHILD:1]
I'd assume one year.

But they'd just fly away. Although: that raises an interesting question: does a flying animal that has its wings damaged / is unconscious / stunned drop out of the sky?
Logged

TheFlame52

  • Bay Watcher
  • Certified geezer & only man to win 0.40.24
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #7 on: June 07, 2014, 05:10:28 pm »

I'd assume one year.

But they'd just fly away. Although: that raises an interesting question: does a flying animal that has its wings damaged / is unconscious / stunned drop out of the sky?
Yes. Not stunned, though.

MeMyselfAndI

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #8 on: June 07, 2014, 06:09:59 pm »

So: new idea!

  • Get forgotten beast with unconscious-inducing (paralyzing?) secretions
  • Breed Rocs above your entrance
  • Wait for enemies
  • Make rocs go to sleep
  • Drop rocs
  • ?
  • Pofit!
Logged

gtaguy

  • Bay Watcher
  • {Curly Brace}
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2014, 06:16:22 pm »

Or make a slade corridor, breed turkeys (they don't have the flying tag), and drop them on INVAIDERS.

They're larger than cats and breed relatively faster. Plus they're more edible afterwards because they don't adopt.
Logged
Quote from: GoldenShadow
I don't understand why you need magma.
Quote from: Duuvian
Well done OP, you've inadvertently weaponized ghosts.

Zammer990

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #10 on: June 07, 2014, 07:00:32 pm »

Don't reptiles have egg counts of like 50, and aren't cave crocs as big as bears?
Logged
If your animals aren't expendable, you could always station a dwarf or two out there?

MeMyselfAndI

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #11 on: June 07, 2014, 07:24:06 pm »

A cave crocodile has a grown volume of 600,000 cm3.

For comparison, a water buffalo has a grown volume of 1,000,000 cm3, and a polar bear 400,000 cm3.

It does look like they are the way to go.
Logged

Zammer990

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2014, 07:28:48 pm »

A cave crocodile has a grown volume of 600,000 cm3.

For comparison, a water buffalo has a grown volume of 1,000,000 cm3, and a polar bear 400,000 cm3.

It does look like they are the way to go.
Just imagine the vanguard of the goblin siege, wandering through the lavishly decorated platinum hallway, when suddenly 50 crocodiles fall from the ceiling and start devouring your crippled friends.

How dwarfy
Logged
If your animals aren't expendable, you could always station a dwarf or two out there?

MDFification

  • Bay Watcher
  • Hammerer at Law
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2014, 09:26:24 pm »

There's nothing about this thread I don't love. Cats are indeed the optimal ammunition.
Logged

Panando

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: On The Weaponization Of Cats (+ Other Animals)
« Reply #14 on: June 08, 2014, 05:29:46 pm »

This is sounding Quest for the Holy Grail-ish. Enemy army tries to siege fortress, defenders throw down a barrage of chickens, ducks, pigs and cows, leader roars "RUN AWAY!".
Logged
Punch through a multi-z aquifer in under 5 minutes, video walkthrough. I post as /u/BlakeMW on reddit.
Pages: [1] 2