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[lcy03406]

I caught 3 firebirds in my cage traps. Because of their fire breaths I think it may be very cool (or hot?) to have some these little birds defending my town though I have not done this before. So any ideas?

[slay_mithos]

I would advise against ever letting them out, or at least confine them in a place where they won't set the whole map on fire.

I have a burning hate for those birds, they killed a few of my human settlements/forts by setting the grass ablaze, destroying and killing a lot of things.

If you really want to use them anyway, plan a lot of fire cutters everywhere, and try to make it so that they are only used outside of your fort, so that they won't kill all your animals and any citizen that happens to be out.

[Nelia Hawk]

bird cagerooms?
like.. a way enemies will go by and next to that you place/dig a "room" with metal bars as walls where the fire should go? and throw the birds in there?
place the cages inside that room and attach levers to the cages so with a lever flip they get released (and not by hand) and then shoot fire on whoever walks by? (or go even more tech-y and release them with enemies walking on pressure plates (no idea if that s possible though to link a bunch of pressure plates for different enemy sizes to cages, but might be similar to levers.))

i guess that bird room should be normally blocked off and just opened/routed through for defense.
maybe also dig some water trenches around that birdroom so fire doesnt spread everywhere?
maybe place this all underground with no grass? but no idea how to keep the birds alive on their own.

also expect everything to go wrong in the worst, unexpected and most hilarious way.
or not work at all and the first random goblin arrow kills all 3 birds at once. (and then explode, catching the goblin on fire, who then runs in panic in your fort setting everything on fire...in the worst, unexpected and most hilarious way.)

[Zuzu Reish]

Paved roads could also be used to direct the flow of the flame.. I think.

[Isngrim]

a simple trench should work to stop the spread of fire,no need for water.if you can get someone fireproof to train it that would help.
you'll probably want to get something that shoots webs as well,since most invaders are wearing metal.

[lcy03406]

I would advise against ever letting them out, or at least confine them in a place where they won't set the whole map on fire.

It's not fun.

i guess that bird room should be normally blocked off and just opened/routed through for defense.

But they are wild-born trained firebirds. Maybe I should not train them in the first place. I can train them in the cage but if they return to wild while on duty I can't catch them again.

Maybe I should hatch some baby firebirds first? To do so, I need a breading chamber laid in webbed cage traps? And another web chamber, if the mother bird burned the web and killed the hatchling.

[Meph]

I wouldnt ^^

If you want to start fires, just take a fireplace or brazier. Much easier to control.

[draeath]

Place the cage, link it to a lever, and then build a "bunker" of fortifications (fire safe of course) around it (eg, a 3x3 of fortifications with the cage in the center). Ramp up and floor over the top. Remove the ramp. Open the cage at your leisure. I recommend trenching around the bunker so that nothing can shoot in.

Your little fire turret should roast anything that gets too close, without moving around. Use traffic restrictions to discourage your civvies from getting too close, as when it eventually loses it's training it is less likely to BBQ everyone around.

You could also creatively surround the contraption with draw bridges, such that you can open a facing up on demand instead of just leaving it "armed" constantly. I'd still recommend the trenches immediately surrounding the fortifications though, else a lucky projectile might end your little birdie.

Eg, you have the original 3x3 arrangement, surrounded by a trench forming a 5x5. Bridges surround this, becoming a 7x7.

Make it such that invaders have to path next to this (or even better, between two (or more) of them) and give them a juicy target... when the attack is delt with, raise the birdguards (bridges) to make the way safe for your own.

Floor the burn area with something fire-safe and you shouldn't get any wildfires or such. Reminder: ash is firesafe (at least in vanilla)

[lcy03406]

I wouldnt ^^

If you want to start fires, just take a fireplace or brazier. Much easier to control.

I think I can't control its direction?

[Arcvasti]

If you can tame them, station them behind fortifications so that they can face a webby thing of some kind across a hallway where enemies would be. Webbing enemies + setting them on fire = Win. With firebirds, you have a source of fire. Webs might be hard to come by, but once you have them and firebirds, they can be freakishly effective.

[slay_mithos]

So far, most of the "safe" uses seem to be using them as a replacement for the fire turrets.

I don't know how they compare to the turrets on fire rate, range, agro or resistance to incoming attacks, but it feels like it is not using the full potential of those flying torches.

[lcy03406]

So far, most of the "safe" uses seem to be using them as a replacement for the fire turrets.

I don't know how they compare to the turrets on fire rate, range, agro or resistance to incoming attacks, but it feels like it is not using the full potential of those flying torches.

Yes! Using a bird as a turret is ridiculous! Wee neeeed more FUN!

[draeath]

Well, I suppose you could replace one of the fortifications with another bridge, this one dropping over the trench. This gives you the option to release them, though how to return them I leave up to you

[Emperor]

Weaponized firebirds, you say? Now all we need is a turtle launcher.

[Nelia Hawk]

Weaponized firebirds, you say? Now all we need is a turtle launcher.

maybe you can load turtle shells into minecarts and then launch them off a cliff so the shells fly all over the place? (no idea if it works but i think i did read some df update months ago about stuff in minecarts getting launched out or something like that, maybe it was just minecart+dwarf collisions though)