Print

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

[Kat]

I now have a library. And it's full of wandering animals.

how do I keep them out of there ?

[PatrikLundell]

The library is a meeting area, and tame critters try to get to those. You can combat that by using pen/pasture areas and assign the animals to those. That is essential for grazers, as those will starve to death inside (too stupid to seek out "grass" by themselves when lured by meeting areas). In addition to pastures putting a bit of a check on the animals themselves, animals straying from their designated pastures generate jobs to haul them back.

If the issue is with wild animals I'd suggest setting up cage traps at the entrances. There are a few that seek out fortresses to steal stuff, although I wouldn't have expected them to seek out meeting areas.

[Mobbstar]

In addition to the aforementioned, if the animals in question are supposed to guard the area, you can make chains to physically force them to their posts. This will also scare off some wild animals.

[DwarfStar]

You could also try marking the doors as tightly closed, so tame animals won’t be able to open the door.

[Halnoth]

You could also try marking the doors as tightly closed, so tame animals won’t be able to open the door.

Yes, but it is worth noting that animals can still get in through the doors when a dwarf passes through. This isn't a problem usually for low traffic areas but for a meeting area there can be a lot of dwarf traffic opening the doors.

[Thisfox]

1. Make a meeting area that isn't a library, tavern, temple, or otherwise used for something.
2. Pasture animals in places you want them. (use i-n-N to pasture).
3. Cage traps for animals you can't control. Or just have your military slaughter them and have the butchers haul them away to be used for food, leather and bones.
4. Chain animals with ropes to places you want them to be.

I keep a row of chained animals (usually exotic ones like monkeys and parrots and anteaters and things) down the middle of my bookcases, so that they can guard the books from thieves, so I'm pro-animals-in-library personally.

[Bumber]

You could also try marking the doors as tightly closed, so tame animals won’t be able to open the door.

Yes, but it is worth noting that animals can still get in through the doors when a dwarf passes through. This isn't a problem usually for low traffic areas but for a meeting area there can be a lot of dwarf traffic opening the doors.

It will also destroy your FPS: http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view.php?id=797

[DwarfStar]

Well, if there was no reason for an animal to go in there, then a tightly closed door might prevent them from going in. But, if there are lots of wandering animals, one will eventually sneak in, and then kill your FPS trying to get out. The better solution to wandering animals in general is to pasture them. Although, beware you shouldn’t pasture war animals assigned to squads, because if you send the squad on a mission, they won’t ever walk to the edge of the map, leaving the mission not really started.

[Bumber]

Well, if there was no reason for an animal to go in there, then a tightly closed door might prevent them from going in.

Isn't the meeting zone a reason? (Or trying to follow an owner who is in a meeting zone.)

[Thisfox]

Yep, the meeting zone is enough of a reason, which is why putting meeting zones in easier locations will help encourage pets to meet elsewhere. If they're not pastured, caged, or chained, they will eventually tour all meeting zones, even if the dorfs are all busy somewhere else.

[Kat]

Yes... the critters also enjoy wandering through my fort's temples, the tavern, the well, the guildhalls...