Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

Roll back to before Taupe's disastrous turn

Keep going and see what happens

Let it die

[Taupe]

Are the banshees affected by the mist?

Yes. You demonstrated such in your turn, actually -- we would have fallen to the banshees in short order, had the seething mist not mutated them and caused them to wander off (kinda hate that bug tbh). However, the mist is unreliable both in terms of how often it comes and whether it will hit anything; relying on it for defense is quite literally hoping for a miracle.

Wow i'm so dumb, I need sleep.

Still, if we can build a terminal amount of puppies and stash them right underneath the jungle, they can hopefully buy us time for the mist to catch some banshees. It's not a bulletproof idea, but it's a nice layer of defense to have. at the very least it can buy the soldiers some time by eating up one wave of screams.

[Mr Frog]

Are the banshees affected by the mist?

Yes. You demonstrated such in your turn, actually -- we would have fallen to the banshees in short order, had the seething mist not mutated them and caused them to wander off (kinda hate that bug tbh). However, the mist is unreliable both in terms of how often it comes and whether it will hit anything; relying on it for defense is quite literally hoping for a miracle.

Wow i'm so dumb, I need sleep.

Still, if we can build a terminal amount of puppies and stash them right underneath the jungle, they can hopefully buy us time for the mist to catch some banshees. It's not a bulletproof idea, but it's a nice layer of defense to have. at the very least it can buy the soldiers some time by eating up one wave of screams.

> Implying we have some means of obtaining large amounts of dogs before the next banshee wave
> Implying we have any animals left in the fortress, period (to clarify -- we are entirely out of livestock in any form)

That's honestly a pretty clever plan once we have the resources required to implement it, but in order for that to happen, we must first somehow weather our foes long enough for us to get a decent-sized migrant wave and/or a caravan into the fort.


MAJOR EDIT: Okay, here's my plan for a trap to kill the banshees:

Spoiler: the ConTRAPtion (click to show/hide)

Total material cost of each trap is 6.5 magma-safe rocks, rounding up (5 to make the mechanisms used in the pressure plate and bridges, plus 3 blocks required to build each bridge for a total of 6 blocks which can be produced from 2 stones with 2 blocks left over for a second trap).

[DolosusDoleus]

MAJOR EDIT: Okay, here's my plan for a trap to kill the banshees:

Spoiler: the ConTRAPtion (click to show/hide)

Total material cost of each trap is 6.5 magma-safe rocks, rounding up (5 to make the mechanisms used in the pressure plate and bridges, plus 3 blocks required to build each bridge for a total of 6 blocks which can be produced from 2 stones with 2 blocks left over for a second trap).

Erm, doesn't this kinda break the "no trap hallways" rule you put forth at the beginning?

Or is this gonna be an instance of "lets break our own arbitrary rules so that the world doesn't fuck us into oblivion"?

ALSO:

Couldn't you just do the same thing with spear traps? I'm thinking that this is a bit too complex for our current for size. Also, if we used spear traps we could use this trap against the spawn. Just sayin'

[Lolfail0009]

MAJOR EDIT: Okay, here's my plan for a trap to kill the banshees:

Spoiler: the ConTRAPtion (click to show/hide)

Total material cost of each trap is 6.5 magma-safe rocks, rounding up (5 to make the mechanisms used in the pressure plate and bridges, plus 3 blocks required to build each bridge for a total of 6 blocks which can be produced from 2 stones with 2 blocks left over for a second trap).

Erm, doesn't this kinda break the "no trap hallways" rule you put forth at the beginning?

Or is this gonna be an instance of "lets break our own arbitrary rules so that the world doesn't fuck us into oblivion"?

ALSO:

Couldn't you just do the same thing with spear traps? I'm thinking that this is a bit too complex for our current for size. Also, if we used spear traps we could use this trap against the spawn. Just sayin'

I reckon it's more of a case of "do what we need to to survive"

[Splint]

I will put forth that Spear traps worked well when used en masse against spawn as part of a dodge pit trap in Spearbreakers.

[Mr Frog]

MAJOR EDIT: Okay, here's my plan for a trap to kill the banshees:

Spoiler: the ConTRAPtion (click to show/hide)

Total material cost of each trap is 6.5 magma-safe rocks, rounding up (5 to make the mechanisms used in the pressure plate and bridges, plus 3 blocks required to build each bridge for a total of 6 blocks which can be produced from 2 stones with 2 blocks left over for a second trap).

Erm, doesn't this kinda break the "no trap hallways" rule you put forth at the beginning?

Or is this gonna be an instance of "lets break our own arbitrary rules so that the world doesn't fuck us into oblivion"?

ALSO:

Couldn't you just do the same thing with spear traps? I'm thinking that this is a bit too complex for our current for size. Also, if we used spear traps we could use this trap against the spawn. Just sayin'

The rules list in the OP refers specifically to weapon traps, since they're wayyyy too efficient for my tastes relative to their creation and upkeep cost.

Also, upright spear traps take forever to build and link (particularly since, as you yourself point out, we lack manpower at the moment), require significant amounts of weapons-grade materials, and need to be operated by a dwarf -- i.e. if our entire fort ends up pinned down by banshees (a distinct possibility given the numbers they have and the numbers we have) and nobody is conscious to flip the lever, we're boned. My design, by contrast, is completely-automated once it's built -- although once it springs it'll take a while for the magma to clear out -- requires only 7 magma-safe stones, and only requires 3 buildings and 2 linkages. (Not counting what you use to build the pump, obviously)

You have me on it being ineffective against Spawn, though -- even if they weren't immune to magma, they're trapavoid and so don't trigger pressure plates :V  I suppose we could integrate Taupe's idea and install a bunker behind it guarded by adamantine-clad soldiers to catch any stragglers. The primary purpose of this trap is to kill banshees without requiring dwarven interference, which isn't something we can reliably muster against them right now.

[DolosusDoleus]

MAJOR EDIT: Okay, here's my plan for a trap to kill the banshees:

Spoiler: the ConTRAPtion (click to show/hide)

Total material cost of each trap is 6.5 magma-safe rocks, rounding up (5 to make the mechanisms used in the pressure plate and bridges, plus 3 blocks required to build each bridge for a total of 6 blocks which can be produced from 2 stones with 2 blocks left over for a second trap).

Erm, doesn't this kinda break the "no trap hallways" rule you put forth at the beginning?

Or is this gonna be an instance of "lets break our own arbitrary rules so that the world doesn't fuck us into oblivion"?

ALSO:

Couldn't you just do the same thing with spear traps? I'm thinking that this is a bit too complex for our current for size. Also, if we used spear traps we could use this trap against the spawn. Just sayin'

The rules list in the OP refers specifically to weapon traps, since they're wayyyy too efficient for my tastes relative to their creation and upkeep cost.

Also, upright spear traps take forever to build and link (particularly since, as you yourself point out, we lack manpower at the moment), require significant amounts of weapons-grade materials, and need to be operated by a dwarf -- i.e. if our entire fort ends up pinned down by banshees (a distinct possibility given the numbers they have and the numbers we have) and nobody is conscious to flip the lever, we're boned. My design, by contrast, is completely-automated once it's built -- although once it springs it'll take a while for the magma to clear out -- requires only 7 magma-safe stones, and only requires 3 buildings and 2 linkages. (Not counting what you use to build the pump, obviously)

You have me on it being ineffective against Spawn, though -- even if they weren't immune to magma, they're trapavoid and so don't trigger pressure plates :V  I suppose we could integrate Taupe's idea and install a bunker behind it guarded by adamantine-clad soldiers to catch any stragglers. The primary purpose of this trap is to kill banshees without requiring dwarven interference, which isn't something we can reliably muster against them right now.

Just had an epiphany: we could probably get rid of both banshees AND spawn by using minecarts and a pit. If we build a long, winding passageway surrounded on all sides by a 10 or so z-level pit, and then engrave minecart rails along said path, we can send minecarts along the rails and force invaders to dodge into the pit. Because enemies in the version we're using can't climb, this provides an effective way to despose of invaders. We could then line the bottom of our pit with upright spikes or whatever, or we could save the invaders for some arena megaproject to make our captives fight to the death.

I'd put in more detail/some drawings, but currently I'm typing this up on my phone. I'll put up some concept art when I get back to a computer.

EDIT: Also just realized this might not make a whole lot of sense. If it doesn't, sorry about that. As I said before, I'll go into detail later.

EDIT2: Can banshees scream from inside cage traps? A large fall will likely stun banshees, and we could line the bottom of our pit with cage traps. If the spawn are stunnable, this will work for them too.

EDIT3: (holy carp my fingers are dying) Just realized this would take huge amounts of dorfpower, which as I mentioned earlier we do not have. I suggest we put this plan into motion after the banshees are dead and our numbers are up again. Or we could try to accumulate 9001 animals as a buffer against the banshees as we put any of the plans into motion.

[Lolfail0009]

So, to recap:
- Weapon traps are taboo
- Spear trap fields are inefficient and we don't have the dwarfpower.
- Mr Frog's conTRAPtion is more efficient but is a hundred ticks of danger once triggered, needs to be entirely magma-safe and small enough ((raising the danger of the hundred ticks)) for the magma to disperse, and takes time to reset.
- Banshees and Spawn have us in the ban-shit like Immortan Joe and co. hunting down the War Rig.

As soon as I get home, this is gonna go chaotically.

E: Minecarts. Fun~

[Crashmaster]

The magma-mist hallway will work in it's current state without repairs if it actually gets filled (which is however quite slow - probably a season - but everything is already connected). It can be turned on and left running indefinitely as well (FPS be damned). The hall remains path-able but rapidly incinerates anything burnable that tries to go through it. It's really quite over-sized as most things rarely move more then 2 tiles after exposure to magma mist. Flying building destroyers would tear it's hatches apart but that would only prevent it from being shut off.

[Mr Frog]

The magma-mist hallway will work in it's current state without repairs if it actually gets filled (which is however quite slow - probably a season - but everything is already connected). It can be turned on and left running indefinitely as well (FPS be damned). The hall remains path-able but rapidly incinerates anything burnable that tries to go through it. It's really quite over-sized as most things rarely move more then 2 tiles after exposure to magma mist. Flying building destroyers would tear it's hatches apart but that would only prevent it from being shut off.

The magma-mist hallway is also unfortunately in Demonland at the moment :V  It'll probably take a bit of time to build up an army capable of reclaiming the old fort (although I'm pretty sure there's only like a dozen GS stuck in the fort so, y'know, this could be worse).

So, to recap:
- Weapon traps are taboo
- Spear trap fields are inefficient and we don't have the dwarfpower.
- Mr Frog's conTRAPtion is more efficient but is a hundred ticks of danger once triggered, needs to be entirely magma-safe and small enough ((raising the danger of the hundred ticks)) for the magma to disperse, and takes time to reset.
- Banshees and Spawn have us in the ban-shit like Immortan Joe and co. hunting down the War Rig.

As soon as I get home, this is gonna go chaotically.

E: Minecarts. Fun~

Your understanding of the situation appears complete and correct.

FWIW, if my understanding of what I read on the wiki is correct (and assuming the wiki itself is correct, which... HAHAHA) a unit with average speed can move 10 squares in the 100 ticks it takes for the bridge to be open, and a faster unit MAY be able to make it 20 spaces if they get absurdly-lucky with the RNG -- 30 squares between the pressure plate and the exit should be more than sufficient to ensure that the prey cannot escape until the trap fully activates and should also be short enough for the 70 units of lava deposited by the bridge to spread across the tunnel's entire length.

E: Also, full disclosure: I haven't actually worked with pressure plates all that much. So, y'know, there's a chance that all of this will just straight-up not work.

[Lolfail0009]

Ok, finally home after quite the shift, and I have the save.

Just need to work out these graphical glitches and we'll be set~

E: Nevermind, apparently I'm just tired '^^ All is well graphically. Gonna start playing now.

[Lolfail0009]

Double posting bc eh

ELECTROLYSER'S DIARY: SPRING 209

26TH SLATE
Diary, it's Zetta here again, miraculously.
I'm still scared, and it's gotten worse; His Gaudiness has stepped down from overseeing the fort and he pointed to ME as he did so. ME. How the FUCK am I meant to be Overseer when I can't even be a mechanic?

First thing I did was hide in a corner in the farms for two days, trying not to salt the ground. Second thing I did was mark them fallow and declare that all farms would be moved underground, and that living quarters be dug so we have SOMEWHERE to die semi-comfortably recuperate. People are fighting, but the screams I hear aren't from them. They're from outside.

15TH FELSITE
Elves. I can tell. The mushrooms glow slightly when elves are around. And they must be traders, this late in Spring. I hope the Spawn barter, for the longears' sake.

17TH FELSITE
Shriller Spawn screams now mix with the deeper ones. Holistic's progeny now fight Holistic's brethren.

Also, progress is being made on the Happy Place!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

28TH FELSITE
Some cave spiders were dancing together. Cute~

1ST HEMATITE
I got beat up today. One of the others really lost it with me.
I didn't fight back.
I couldn't.
I'm too weak.
But you know that, right Diary?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Mr Frog]

The Spawn were fighting the Greater Spawn? How did the latter fare?

[Lolfail0009]

Seven on two, H.Spawn lost seven, G.Spawn lost one I think

[Mr Frog]

Seven on two, H.Spawn lost seven, G.Spawn lost one I think

That's better than I was expecting, at least, although it concerns me that our defenses are already taking losses.