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[PIB76]

Hi guys,
does it make any sense to build a wall with the height of 2 or more level to protect your fort? If a markdwarf shoots from higher does he take any bonuses?
Thanks

[Shonai_Dweller]

Invaders can climb over walls, or just jump them. Add an overhang to the top of your wall to prevent climbing.

Also be sure to put a roof over your marksdwarves or they'll climb or jump over the wall too (carved fortifications with roof is better, constructed fortifications seem to end up with a gap in between fortification top and the roof which enemies and marksdwarves will climb through).

[PIB76]

Thanks. So no bounus for higher position?

[Greiger]

Nope fraid not, currently they fire directly at their target, so in actuality every z level up their range would be reduced by 1 at ground level, but being a bit higher protects them so it's worth it in the end.

Toady did mention he has plans to make them fire more realistically eventually, but it has not happened yet.

[Urist McVoyager]

"Dwarves will fire at targets 20 tiles away and are able to engage targets that are 3 z-levels up or down without any loss in firing distance."

http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2014:Archery

As long as you're not too high, you won't lose range. But height really is mostly about keeping yourself out of enemy reach right now. Still useful to do it. I tend to build two flat levels of wall, top that with an extended and roofed over catwalk for archers, and dig a ten tile wide moat about five to ten levels deep to prevent enemies from getting too close. Depending on how big the entrance is, it takes forever to do, so I'm considering building archery towers with interlocking fields of fire, and keeping the main wall shorter. Enemies won't climb unless they see a reason to.

[Grand Sage]

The same problem affects catapults and ballista, making them fairly useless at anything than ground level...

If your wall is high enough and build out of a relatively smooth material, most enemies will slip and fall before reaching the top. Though you will have a severe range penalty for your marksdwarves.

[PatrikLundell]

The same problem affects catapults and ballista, making them fairly useless at anything than ground level...

If your wall is high enough and build out of a relatively smooth material, most enemies will slip and fall before reaching the top. Though you will have a severe range penalty for your marksdwarves.

As far as I know ballistae and catapults are unable to target anything at a different level than their own, so they're even trickier to use than xbow dorfs. However, ballista bolts work great to remove trees growing in water.

[Rockeater]

The same problem affects catapults and ballista, making them fairly useless at anything than ground level...

If your wall is high enough and build out of a relatively smooth material, most enemies will slip and fall before reaching the top. Though you will have a severe range penalty for your marksdwarves.

As far as I know ballistae and catapults are unable to target anything at a different level than their own, so they're even trickier to use than xbow dorfs. However, ballista bolts work great to remove trees growing in water.

Yes balista don't, it costed mea lot ofdwarfs to find that  out

[Funk]

High walls keep you out of melee range from any one at the foot of the wall.
There harder to climb/ jump over and hurt attackers more if they fall.

[Sooner535]

How high can goblins climb? If I build 4 high wall surely they cannot reach right?

[Shonai_Dweller]

How high can goblins climb? If I build 4 high wall surely they cannot reach right?

They probably could quite easily. But if you add an overhang to the top of your wall they can't climb around it.

[PatrikLundell]

There's no hard limit to climbing distance, but rather: how far can you climb with a reasonable chance not to fall... They certainly didn't have any trouble climbing to the roof of my 4 Z level high courtyard early in 0.40.X.

Overhangs are wonky in DF: they can climb a wall jutting out one tile, but not a floor doing the same. Since that looks silly, I'd add a wall outside of the floor that actually does the blocking (but in practice I add a roof, so they can climb how much they like, but there's nothing of interest up there...)