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[SabbyKat]

Simplified, I've always ran into the issue that DF is just too easy. I'm not going to go into detail, but you suggest it - I've done it. One major factor I've noticed is soon as I get an army up past 15+ skill level, they become literally gods. I've set invaders to level 15 skills, and dwarves at 0 - and manage to get 15+5 skilled guys, and those 5 levels make them GODS. I've had 3 dwarves run vs 60+ archers, and never be hit a single time, ever in dozens of encounters like the above.

naturally, skills will rise as they fight, with no way to stem this bar murdering my own soldiers when they grow too strong (which is idiotic). Instead, I am pondering two things.

A) Is there a way to set a 'max skill' on skills for a race?

If yes,

B) Would it be possible to add such a function into the launcher? Many may argue why that's needed, but if you've fought sieges with dwarves at say, skill 11 vs skill 15, you see a very interesting balance between absolutely being slaughtered, and slaughtering your enemy with no injury/risk at all. Actual fights which make your doctors useful!

I've been unable to find any information relating to if this is possible, and hoped someone with more experience in the code could perhaps enlighten me how, and where to look for this if it exists. Masterwork is great!... when the 'big scary things' are actually big and scary, and not walking target dummies to murder.

[BlackFlyme]

I don't know about giving them a skill limit, but you can set learning rates to slow down how quickly their skill advances.

[SabbyKat]

I don't know about giving them a skill limit, but you can set learning rates to slow down how quickly their skill advances.

Which works - temporarily. Once you're in a 15-30 year fort, either A) they are dead before cap from too low skill gain, or B) they are at cap and gods.

It's rather frustrating in truth how easy it is, considering i don't use runes, 'Candy' (or any of the high tier metals, nothing above steel), or poisons, animals, turrets, notta and I can wipe out sieges of 120+ enemies at 15 skill level, with 5 military. It's so poorly balanced, I don't NEED those extras to dominate everything that walks (beyond some freakish forgotten beasts, but yes).

Hopefully someone can pitch in how to limit the caps if its even possible. I want a challenge, damn it!

[qorthos]

Can you up the skills/abilities of the invading frost giants and automatons?

[smakemupagus]

Can you up the skills/abilities of the invading frost giants and automatons?

If I read his question correctly, he already uses that option on the MDF GUI.

A) Is there a way to set a 'max skill' on skills for a race?

Not that I know of with regular raw modding, but I suspect it's possible with some DFHack wizardry, so you might want to ask over there.

[BlackFlyme]

A thing I just remembered that may be of some use: You can alter attribute ranges and caps.

Not quite the same as altering skills, but forcibly making all dwarves weak and clumsy may weaken them in combat.

A few other ideas that came to mind would be to make them smaller or to remove their ability to trance.

[megahelmet]

Are dwarves just better at combat? My ultra powerful 'shaft of knowledge' enhanced warlock with 4000 in all stats in adamatium armor got oneshotted by a mithril pike to the head.

[Zuzu Reish]

Beyond modifying skill learning rates/physical sizes, you could try playing as another race; if direct combat is simply too easy for you, which it seem that it is, try playing as kobolds or gnomes. Alternatively, you can impose limits on yourself like only using leather/bone armor; trade independence; itemless/skill-less embarks, and/or a strictly aboveground fort.

[AquaMouser]

Hey sabbykat,

I could offer you my brain, because i have the exact opposite. I just cannot survive long enough. I know the basics about Danger Rooms, and patrolling etc. but the moment i use the danger room, my dwarves alway's die.

Any tips you could give a military un-genius?

Aqua

[smakemupagus]

Well, don't use danger rooms, they kill your dwarves. 

Start with small-group training (which prioritizes sparring) and if you're Dwarves or Orcs, you can use the weight room to get a little bit of skill up.  Shield and dodge are key.  With other races look for opportunities to practice on wildlife.

Then train your half-decently trained and equipped dwarves with live action.  Be aggressive but never fight "fair" -- use archers, warbeasts, and any other tricks you like (poison, traps, magic) to weaken the enemy so you always win.  Target elite enemy melee from a safe distance with rangers, and elite rangers should be ambushed with melee as they walk through a door.  Use doors, bridges, or blind corners so you always outnumber the enemy.  Once your guys are engaged there's no retreat, so don't even try to deactivate them, you'll just get them killed.  Have a good hospital. 

Live action training can get your guys to high levels of skill in no time, and once they're veterans, training in the barracks will be even more effective, just be sure to set a duty schedule that has less than 10/10 members active so they have a little down time.  Otherwise they'll stand around waiting all the time.

p.s.  Some fortress defense "easy" races make the warfare game easier actually, (for the strong player races like dwarves and orcs) because you can fight and win against them with very bare equipment.  Dark stranglers or beak dogs for example.  Shield, helm, weapons.

[AquaMouser]

Thanks for those tips Smakem,

I tend to play the succubi. and the bigger problem i have are the names of the equipment, i know the table of copper beating steel (*giggles* switched them on purpose) but what i don't know are what boot is better, do i need a skirt, or a string or both. My succubi, i tend to make them fire-immune, and give them fire attacks, but even the simplest raid just obliterates me, every time.

[smakemupagus]

Succubi have shield, whip, mail shirt, helm, gauntlets, boots, mail greaves right?  that's fine right there.  add a cloak and another piece of upper body armor to the kit if you want extra protection.  Skirt is OK, thong is practically useless, no you don't need either unless you're going for style points.  You need your defenders to have more skills than the enemy, not a particular type of armor.  Fight with your bows or whatever other ranged units you have from behind fortifications until your militia is trained enough to fight.

[AquaMouser]

well, they got alot more than those

They have corset, armor, upper bodysuit, cloack, lower bodysuit, skirt, helm, gauntlet, glove, boot, stocking and round shields.
Should i just make 1 of each per military succubi?

[smakemupagus]

No, you can't equip one of everything. 

look up
LAYER
LAYER_SIZE
LAYER_PERMIT
SHAPED
on wiki

~edit

http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/v0.34:Armor

[AquaMouser]

That is why i am confused, the ones i wrote, are not on that page.