Print

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

[Norrock]

So, I just got my first ambush in DF ever, and I was terribly unprepared for it. Except for my traps.

So the goblins rushed my fortress, took out my entire military which admittedly only consisted of 3 soldiers and 2 war dogs, and proceeded to my main gate.

Whereupon they got completely obliterated by my array of traps.

it was kind of funny, actually. The big tough squad of goblins completely owned my military then all but one got killed before even getting to my main hallway. I even managed to cage their leader.

So my question is this:

Is traps-only a good strategy for defense or do traps not work as well later in the game? Judging from how my skills at preparing an army are...lacking, I might have trouble with any other defense.

[Untelligent]

Traps are indeed the best defense you can have for your fort. Just remember, losing is fun. So if you never lose, you have no fun. Send forth thy warriors!

Or make an incredibly complicated super-trap utilizing a screw pump, a magma pipe, a tamed dragon, a pressure plate, and several packs of hoary marmots. That's fun too.

[ April 08, 2008: Message edited by: Untelligent ]

[sneakey pete]

Traps are stupidly overpowered as it is. So yes, an ammount of traps can stop anything.... except for a certain something...

[Untelligent]

quote:Originally posted by sneakey pete:
<STRONG>Traps are stupidly overpowered as it is. So yes, an ammount of traps can stop anything.... except for a certain something...</STRONG>

Oh, right, kobolds, I forgot about them. Incorporate those into your super-trap too, somehow.

[Norrock]

Why is it that they can't be stopped by traps? Do they sneak by them?

EDIT: Also, can projectiles go through wall grates/vertical bars?

[ April 08, 2008: Message edited by: Norrock ]

[Cavalcadeofcats]

Yeah, kobolds can sneak through traps. Quite rude.

Projectiles pass through grates. Some enemies can destroy constructions, though, so keep that in mind if planning a defense with them.

[numerobis]

Drawbridges linked up to levers in the dining room are also nice for allowing you to more carefully control what's going on.  So, for instance, you can allow one ambush group to come in, pull the bridge, play with the goblins, and clean up after before dealing with the next ambush.

[Proteus]

quote:Originally posted by Cavalcadeofcats:
<STRONG>Yeah, kobolds can sneak through traps. Quite rude.

Projectiles pass through grates. Some enemies can destroy constructions, though, so keep that in mind if planning a defense with them.</STRONG>

Which leads to a question I wasnīt able to entirely verify yet:

What about the difference between fortifications carved into the stone and fortifications that are built by stone/stone blocks?

Normally I would suspect that built fortresses and alls  (a s they are constructions) are destructible, whereas car ved fortresses arenīt (which is why I always assure that my ground level fortresses get carved out instead of built).
But has anyone ever been able to verify this? (i.e. that constructed walls/fortresses are destructible and carved out ones arenīt)

[gerkinzola]

only structures which you can [q]

• can be destroyed by enemies. i think someone verify this

  [ April 09, 2008: Message edited by: gerkinzola ]

[umiman]

I don't think kobolds are your only concern when it comes to creatures bypassing traps.

& <- this is far scarier than any kobold when all you have are traps

[Jayjayjuhwetplane]

That's correct. Constructed walls and fortifications CANNOT be destroyed by enemies. Constructions are not the same as buildings to the building destroyer tag.

[Spike GT]

If you carve a fortification out of a wall or build a wall and then carve that into a fortification, there is only one difference I've noticed.  If you build it as a fortification, it won't create a floor in the z-level above the fortification, whereas if you first build it as a wall and carve it, it still acts as a wall in regards to being able to walk upon it.

And as for kobolds, I just chain wardogs in front of my finished goods stockpile.  Somebody always notices the little buggers before they make off with my stuff.

[Keldor]

Kobolds are nasty since they loot the giant cave spider silk socks from the goblin ambushers that died 2 tiles from the edge of the map during epic fights with the merchants (who typically end up even worse off...).  Obviously, they escape with the loot, and then the kobolds start sending ambush parties of their own.  I'm just glad I haven't had a ambush group of kobold crossbowmen yet... *shudders*

The best defense against ambushes?  Solid walls.  Of course, this is from the fort that has gotten 8 groups of ambushers simultainously on TWO different occasions... The typical ambush is merely 5 groups or so.

This is also why the traders usually get killed - I just don't dare open the gates for them since they typically arrive about 10 seconds before the ambushers.  When you have 20 dwarves, and they arrive 25+ goblins strong, the little row of traps you've managed to build so far just doesn't cut it X.x

Amazingly enough, the elves have yet to be ambushed.  Not that I'm complaining, mind - they bring tame giant tigers and giant leopards!  Once I have more than a single breeding pair of giant tigers of age, I think I'm going to chain some of them up and see how the ambushers fair... Better yet, I could designate a statue garden, and watch as my 200+ large cats of various stripes and spots patrol (From the elves too...) in and out all on their own > Oh, and don't forget the tame hippos and elephants...

If it weren't for the elves, all I would have would be a couple tamed deer and foxes, along with my dwindling population of war dogs.  Unicorns aren't tamable :-(

[ April 10, 2008: Message edited by: Keldor ]

[Derakon]

Actually, it's pretty easy to drive off goblins with traps, since they start to flee long before their numbers have been significantly reduced. I'd say four or five stonefall traps can drive off 16 goblins; weapon traps can do even more damage since they don't have to be reloaded.

[Keldor]

Problem is, they only drive off one group at a time, and the traps can only handle a couple groups before they get clogged.  This is mostly because they like to walk only over certain trap squares, leaving the rest untouched.

There's also the problem with stray dwarves (tame) wandering out and getting killed.  All the rest of the livestock are smart enough to stay in the safe areas if the fort.

[ April 10, 2008: Message edited by: Keldor ]