Print

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

[HMD Majesty]

We have recently captured an intact bronze colossus, and would like some advice as to how to use it in a dwarf-proof manner.

Our first thought was to set up the cage so that We could release it when forgotten beasts come calling, would it actually fight a forgotten beast or would it merely be another problem to deal with?

Are there any other practical uses for it, and if so how should they be arranged?

[Fleeting Frames]

Even different FBs fight each other; I'd guess your BC will fight with them (but haven't tested).

Typical use for one is archery training - though beware of vengeful thoughts when doing this.

Used to be that one could aim to remove their arms and legs and then use as melee dummy as well; don't know how safe that is now.

You can always use it to increase the weight of a minecart that you hit enemies with, as well.

[HMD Majesty]

What sort of vengeful thoughts?

Sadly, Our fortress is ill-suited for smashing Our enemies with minecarts.  We are on an island with no neighbouring civilizations, and We have chosen to simplify Our defenses by digging Our cavern entrance outside Our fort proper.  While We are informed that it is possible to automate such a system so that no dwarf needs to be physically present, We are uncertain as to how this is done.  Any advice on this matter would be appreciated.

Thank you for your advice.

[Staalo]

A Bronze Colossus will attack anything except another Bronze Colossus. It could be an excellent defence against FBs since most fleshy creatures have hard time doing any damage to it, but recapturing it will be a problem. Unless you just release it to caverns and let it roam free killing everything it encounters.

Personally I've had great success using a captured Colossus as an unarmed combat trainer for civilians. For certain values of "success" of course.

[HMD Majesty]

We have considered releasing it into the caverns once breached, but We decided that wouldn't be interesting enough.

We thought that as building destroyers they were attracted to statues, doors, and other such things, and thus could be lured into traps?

Are constructed beds buildings?  One of Our dwarfs produced an artifact bed and We haven't a clue what else to use it for.

[PatrikLundell]

A royal ought to know the value of an artifact bed for the royal bedroom...

If you have cage traps in all your entrances, releasing the colossus on the surface when invaders appear will allow you to easily recapture it afterwards by opening at least one trapped entrance (this assumes you've closed all entrances off before releasing the monster), but I usually use expendable doors to lure building destroyers to my traps in the entrances to the caverns. Ordinary building destroyers get caught by traps, and FBs are locked in place by destroying the door which allows me time to close the outer door of the airlock (the inner door is already closed when I open the outer one). The FB stands on a menacing spear trap driven by a mine cart repeater, although they sometimes manage to destroy the door before getting killed, and so wander back and forth in the airlock until they finally get the last blow. Non organic FBs are sometimes unaffected by my green glass spears, but since they're contained, I get time to devise other ways to dispose of them (typically cave-ins).

[Fleeting Frames]

Same sort of vengeful thoughts as with birds flying overhead; just less (as there's just 1 colossus) but constant.

Soldiers are overrated shows off some minecart smashing systems - though I'll note that the smash speed shouldn't be at shotgun speed, otherwise the colossus will escape. Ability to prevent dwarves from getting indiscriminatedly slaughtered in them is probably most important thing about them, as then they'll reenact Boatmurdered's sock retrival with minecart in the role of the elephant.

Beds are suitable baits for building destroyers. wiki article

[HMD Majesty]

Thank you all for your advice.