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[Ancalagon_TB]

Hello

There is a lot of utility in having an above ground area.  Refuse pile, pasture area for animals (until you pierce the cavern and get an underground area covered in fungus etc that is), farming of above ground crops, trade depot possibly, etc... but it also exposes you.

I created a wall to enclose an area, but this isn't ideal.  It does nothing vs fliers, and creatures can climb walls now anyway, so it's not a great line of defense.  If you build a roof, you aren't outside anymore.  BUT... what if you put, on top of your walls, a series of large drawbridges?  In peaceful time they are open, but in time of crisis, a leaver is pulled and boom, the bridges become an effective roof and your fort becomes an (almost) impenetrable box...

[MDFification]

I've tried that. The game counts the area under the bridges as underground, even while they're open. Same goes for hatch covers.

[StagnantSoul]

It should ork.

[Weremammoth]

If you have sand, or can trade for it, I suggest building a glass roof.  I believe it will protect from fliers and still allow light to pass through(not 100%, check the wiki) without the need for action when invaders come to visit.

[danmanthedog]

It should ork.

it only ork's if it has red paint and you go warghghh during your game play.

[utunnels]

Above ground pastures can be annoying because the livestocks are easily scared by random birds and begin running around. If that happens, your dorfs will run after them, trying to herd them back to the pastures... unless your also build walls for the pastures.

[Ancalagon_TB]

I've tried that. The game counts the area under the bridges as underground, even while they're open. Same goes for hatch covers.

:/   what version was this?  I may build a mini fort and see hot it works...

[Aslandus]

Unless it changed in the last patch, light should still hang around anywhere it has touched, even if you cover it... meaning the room will still be considered lit and outdoors if it was lit in the past, even if the roof is closed now...

That said, having bridges on top of your base where invaders climb up to then get launched off sounds like a recipe for !!FUN!!

[Cattani]

I'm currently trying an experimental wall design that *should* block climbers from coming up my wall. Basically it has a floor built on the outer side of the wall, so technically foes should not be able to climb because they bump their head on a piece of floor.

Couldn't test it properly though.

[Ancalagon_TB]

I'm currently trying an experimental wall design that *should* block climbers from coming up my wall. Basically it has a floor built on the outer side of the wall, so technically foes should not be able to climb because they bump their head on a piece of floor.

Couldn't test it properly though.

I tried it with a little box fort, it said "inside" but light (I left an opening), even when the bridge was raised.

Your idea is *brilliant* and so simple.  I shall have to test this.  Doesn't deal with fliers but still

[utunnels]

Couldn't test it properly though.

This? http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=145164

[§k]

Can creature climb up to raised bridge?

[Max™]

Just posted a thread which kinda relates to this indirectly. The wandering weirdness is not part of this of course, but the climbing?

Legendary climbing dorf, saw him walk up from the ground to a wall with a floor out over the edge AND a fortification out from the floor... I'm hoping he just jungle-gymed across from the stairs but it looked like he jumped up and started clambering around the outside of the fortifications.

Also watched him climb up a smoothed natural wall (only one z, true) and then DOWN into the supposedly sealed off part of a magma pumpstack venting chamber.

# = fortifications
F = floor tiles
W = wall on the same level as the floors
w = the roof of a smoothed wall on the ground level

Wwwww
#FFFFF
#FFFFF
#FFFFF <= he went down and inside the area under the floor through the fortification there
Wwwww

I moved him back out with gm-editor and he did it again so he could take a nap inside the barrel of a doomsday device apparently.

Also watched him shimmy up the side of a smoothed block wall, climb down to sit on an autodumped elf corpse in a little nook off to the side, then climb back down like it was nothing.

Oh, he also climbed down into the fort through what should be a wagon only entrance, specifically a ramp with no walls around it, he just dropped in without a care, so, keep that in mind, gotta build an UP ramp to actually keep them out with wagon-only ramps now.

[GavJ]

glass roofs are no different than granite roofs. Glass in the game is not transparent. WINDOWS are transparent (whether made out of glass or polished granite), but only the specific window building.

Bridges shouldn't be different either. It says "inside" but inside doesn't really matter for anything I don't think. The "light" does matter -- that's what lets you grow outdoor crops and things. I.e. you can grow outdoor crops on any farmable tile that has EVER seen sunlight, even if it doesn't right now. Which means there's no disadvantage to having a roof, even a permanent one, other than the pain of building it.

So yes bridges would be fine as well. Although there's not really any real reason to keep them open once you've built them. Even so, they do save a lot of building materials anyway.

[gunpowdertea]

Bridges are not a good idea. Open bridges can be destroyed by creatures with the "building destroyer" tag. It is better (but much more labour intensive!) to build a roof out of floors. I like green glass, even though the game does not consider it to be transparent (I do) and as it remains viable for above ground plants I roll with that interpretation (water will also continue to freeze under the roof...). The correct Dwarven thing would of course be to cast a roof out of obsidian...