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[Samyotix]

quote:Originally posted by Cthulhu:
<STRONG>Wait, do traps still affect traders?</STRONG>

Only in 38a, I think (or was it b?). In 38c in my experience the traders and liaisons are safe from traps.

(I don't know if that applies if you fight the traders, though). The only trap casualty I had in 38c was a dog that passed out on top of a trap - I think there's a thread in 'bug reports' that says unconsciousness is intended to trigger the trap.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

What they all said.

Plus, try to include a bend right at your entrance between the outside and inside, where the natural underground ends. That way if your dwarves are doing the entrance dance, they won't be seen unless a goblin or whatever is right next to them. One long straight hallway is a bad idea because your dwarves will have to run all the way down it to get away from the line of sight.

Also, make sure you turn off all hauling jobs for your important dwarves. All your skilled crafters, your miners, etc. Keep a corp of dedicated haulers with Health Care and all the hauling jobs turned on, but nothing else. If they're idle, you aren't making enough junk. This should include any fishers (since they tend to run outside to fish in the ponds) and woodcutters (remember, it doesn't matter if you have to start over with a novice woodcutter because you lost your legendary one). This way, nobody important will be outside or doing the entrance dance anyway.

[Cthulhu]

I have a fork in my entrance, but it's quite a ways back, but I'm in the process of building a moat, so I shouldn't have too many problems there(Knock on wood).  I'll probably start on a zig-zaggy artificial entrance outside soon.

[A_Fey_Dwarf]

Look around on Markavians map archive. There are many awesome defense systems just itching to be viewed.

[Inquisitor Saturn]

I like to have a multi-tiered entrance.

Level -1:

code:

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒,,,,,,,,,▒
,,,,,,,,,,▒
▒┼▒╬╬╬╬╬╬╬▒
▒,,,,,,,,,▒
▒........,▒
▒,,,,,,,,,▒
▒,........▒▒
▼^^^^^^^^^▲▒
▼^^^^^^^^^▲▒
▼^^^^^^^^^▲▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

The invaders immediately face cage traps, and, if there's a large number of them, I'll station a squad of marksdwarves behind those fortifications. They'll have to run back and forth to get to them, ensuring they stay exposed.

Level -2:

code:

   ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
   ▒77777777777777▒
   ▒%÷%÷%÷%÷%÷%÷%÷▒
▒▒▒▒%÷%÷%÷%÷%÷%÷%÷▒▒▒▒
▒▼╥.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.╥▲▒
▒▼║.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.║▲▒
▒▼╨.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.╨▲▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

Here they become trapped by pits and bridges, and the pumps turn on, flooding them with the deadly liquid of your choice. In the pits are hatches that allow drainage.

Level -3:

code:

▒▒▒▒▒
,,,,▒
,,,,▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
,,,,▒‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼▒
▒,,,▒XXXXXXXX▒▒▒
▒,,,,,,,,,,,,,▲▒
▒,,,,,,,,,,,,,▲▒
▒,,,,,,,,,,,,,▲▒
▒,,,▒XXXXXXXX▒▒▒
,,,,▒‼‼‼‼‼‼‼‼▒
,,,,▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
,,,,▒
▒▒▒▒▒

This is the last line of defense, a series of wardog cages hidden by floodgates. Hit a switch and the enemy is dogpiled.

[ June 03, 2008: Message edited by: Inquisitor Saturn ]

[Cthulhu]

This is what I have right now, I did most of it before I read about the better ones.  I'm in a mountain/terrifying plains, there are undead horses in the western lowlands, and my barracks is above the entrance hall, with fortifications facing outward.

EDIT: Forgot to put up the picture, lol.

[ June 03, 2008: Message edited by: Cthulhu ]

[Jude]

What I really want to do is have a river close by, and work up a system where I have an entrance hall that can be sealed off by floodgates, locking any invaders in...and then open up a different set of floodgates to allow in some diverted river water, which will drown the entire chamber, and then drain out through a third floodgate.

Don't know if that would actually work, much less if I could get it to drain properly.

[loser]

quote:Originally posted by Jude:
<STRONG>What I really want to do is have a river close by, and work up a system where I have an entrance hall that can be sealed off by floodgates, locking any invaders in...and then open up a different set of floodgates to allow in some diverted river water, which will drown the entire chamber, and then drain out through a third floodgate.

Don't know if that would actually work, much less if I could get it to drain properly.</STRONG>

I have heard that goblins don't drown.

I don't know if that is actually the case.

[Quiller]

From what I gather, some creatures can swim but unless they are aquatic they will all drown if you can manage to keep them in 7/7 tiles with a ceiling.  Probably easier to drop them into a pit first rather than flooding your entrance hall, though.

[Jude]

I just liked the idea of it.

And again, I don't know how I'd be able to drain it...I couldn't really divert it back into the river because that channel would end up taking water out of the river back into the fort...maybe a chasm would be needed.

[kamikazemoose]

The biggest problem with defending the entrance for me is that dwarves who are ordered to stay inside and want to go outside get as close to outside as possible. I've built a couple of prett neat traps only to notice they're too deep inside my fortress (right at the entrance) to take care of invaders before they finish of all the dwarves hanging around there.

I've found constructing walls and maybe roof outside still counts as outside so it'll keep dwarves from standing in the actual entrance.

Just a little something to think of when designing your entrance, I'd love to have known it before I built my last one.

[loser]

Dry moats are great.  Lava's great too, I'm sure.  I haven't used it.

I'm only on my second fortress, but I've got this idea I'm using this time that I'd like to share.

It starts with a dry moat three squares wide and three z deep.  Perhaps I should have made it deeper, but I'd already dug under it.

The far side of the moat is duge out so that it is two z deeper than the near side.  A short, ramped trench is dug out on the near side so that the drawbridge is level with the far side.

A gallery is dug out of the top of the near side moat wall with fortifications looking out over the far side on either side of the draw bridge trench.  These galleries are stocked with combat arrows and archers can be locked in them.

I already have a scrap of 'outside' on the 'inside' of my second, inner draw bridge.  This draw bridge uses a consructed overpass and was built early on to deal with goblin sieges that might be inspired by sudden, unexpected increases in wealth.  So far there haven't been any such things.

So while there are idiots doing the doorway two-step, they're doing it safely out-of-sight anything that can't get through constructed walls.  And while there are these idiots who don't know how to path inside, the marksdwarves are locked in dark subterranean areas with a clear view of their targets.

That's the idea anyway.  I have not had an opportunity to test it, yet.

[McWaffle]

Cowards! I meet my enemies in the field.  I do lose a lot of civilians, and soldiers, but that´s half the fun.  My enterance halls are just about looks, with statues and engravings etc.