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[Zako]

Hi there!

Im new to the forum and i have always been a big fan to DF. I've had some decent forts in my time and yet i am still not all that good at defence.

What i would like is some advice on defence by using terrain to my advantage, but at the same time making as little constructed walls as needed. (I want it to look like it has been carved out of the earth.) It should be easily maintained and effective but not boring if you can help it! 

Here is a map of where my brand new fort will be: http://mkv25.net/dfma/map-2353-silverblood

All advice is welcome! (Is it spelt defencive or like how i got it now?)

[Dwarfaholic]

"Defensive".

Anyways, I suggest building a small walled enclosure near the cliff face, with an airlock-system for letting in merchants.
As per:

Code: [Select]


I
I
I
I
IOOOOO
I    O
I  OOO
I  BDB
I  OOO
I    O
I    O
I    O
IOOOOO

I = Cliff-face
O = Wall
D = Depot
B = Bridge (raisable)


Keep the outer bridge down at all times. When caravans arrive, you simply close the outer bridge after them, then open the inner bridge to let your trader enter.
With sieges, you simply close the outer bridge.

The only weakness is ambushes, but if you keep the inner bridge shut all the time, the only time it matters will be when the caravans arrive and are minced by the goblins.
Oh well, no can do.

EDIT: Horrible code-thing

[sneakey pete]

The best defense that isn't boring is a good military, in a good barracks near a long hallway that gives them time to stop sparring and get their arses ready.

[Caledonian]

Merchants need to be able to path to the Depot, so I don't think it's a good idea to have the bridge be up most of the time.

I sometimes make an entry chamber taken up mostly by a pit, which is usually covered by a retracting bridge.  A long, narrow, and twisty tunnel connects the two platforms at opposite edges of the room, bypassing the pit.  This tunnel is heavily trapped.  When being attacked or besieged, I retract the bridge and let the enemies path themselves through the twisty tunnel.

Thus far there have been no survivors.

[Zako]

Wow, that was fast! I'm already planning ranged defences as I type! Thanks! Any strategies you think I should use for the terrain? Entrance placement would be fantastic if you have the time. (I thought there was a s in there lol)

[pushy]

Merchants need to be able to path to the Depot, so I don't think it's a good idea to have the bridge be up most of the time.

Ditto. An alternative I like to use is instead to have the depot near the entrance and a bridge further inside that raises to block the way; a trapped corridor goes from the main corridor around the trade depot and past the bridge so there's still access to the rest of the fort (for woodcutters, primarily...and fishers if I haven't dug them a little pond inside). For example:

Code: [Select]

###############
#^^^^^^^^^^^^^#
#^###########^#
#^##DDDDD####^#
#^##DDDDD####^#
#^##DDDDD####^#
#^##DDDDD####^#
#^##DDDDD####^#
#^###+++#####^#
+++++++++++╔╗++
+++++++++++║║++
+++++++++++║║++
+++++++++++╚╝++
###############


Entrance is to the left, main area of fort is to the right.
# = wall
^ = trap
D = depot
+ = floor tile
and the little box is a raisable bridge

This is one I've used countless times to very good success. If a creature is able to get beyond the traps (and depending on the traps that could well be a big "if"), a squad of marksdwarves can be deployed nearby to take it out when it comes out of the corridor. It's a very basic setup but it works a treat

[Spiff]

here's a neat idea:
Make pillboxes. These are 5x5 boxes (with an interior of 3x3) that are not connected to your base in anyway, and are instead out in the open near your entrance. Within these boxes, have a connection to an underground system of tunnels leading to your barracks so that your many marksdwarves can safely travel to these defensive positions. Also, you're gonna wanna 'carve fortifications' all of the walls of the pillbox... or else you just get a little room with no firing ports. Or you could just outright build the boxes out of fortifications.
This works very well for me, perhaps it will work well for you too.

[Sheb]

Well, you'll need large moats around your pillbox, or a Bowgob' squad can very well kill your dwarves trough the fortifications....

[Dwarfaholic]

It seems you misunderstand my design. The depot is between the two bridges.

Observe:

Code: [Select]

1. Normal state

B = Raised bridge
D = Depot
_ = Lowered bridge
0 = Wall

000000000
B DDDDD _
B DDDDD _
B DDDDD _
B DDDDD _
B DDDDD _
000000000

2. Traders arrive

000000000
B DDDDD _
B DDDDD _   Traders
B DDDDD _   <----
B DDDDD _
B DDDDD _
000000000

3. Enter... your trader:

000000000
_ DDDDD B
_ DDDDD B  The bridge is closed behind the caravan, preventing
_ DDDDD B   goblins/kobolds from entering.
_ DDDDD B
_ DDDDD B   You own trader enters from inside.
000000000


Once trading is finished, you have your trader leave, close the inner bridge and open the outer one.
Voilâ, les merchants, ils peuvent partir.



[Granite26]

here's a neat idea:
Make pillboxes. These are 5x5 boxes (with an interior of 3x3) that are not connected to your base in anyway, and are instead out in the open near your entrance. Within these boxes, have a connection to an underground system of tunnels leading to your barracks so that your many marksdwarves can safely travel to these defensive positions. Also, you're gonna wanna 'carve fortifications' all of the walls of the pillbox... or else you just get a little room with no firing ports. Or you could just outright build the boxes out of fortifications.
This works very well for me, perhaps it will work well for you too.

I've got a lot of these, but they are slow...  (I've had 1 invasion with time to get my marksmen into them.


My suggestion is to limit the board edge access of your trade depot.  I.E. minimize the number of edge squares that the traders show up at.  Then, build a back door with all your crazy defenses.  That way, at most 1 set of invaders will take the trade depot route, will the rest will show up and take other routes.  This defends your merchants by not subjecting them to attack, or at least not a strong enough attack to overcome their guards.

Then just funnel everyone else into a small area overlooked by guard towers and kill them all.  (That is, a big moat around your outside area with only one or two paths in.)  Best way is to make sure the seige packs arrive one by one (make sure pathing takes different amounts of time, try playing a tower defense game to see what I mean)

I like fighting outside because A: I don't like spending all year resetting water/magma traps and B:  channels are just as good as walls and don't take up REAL fortress space.

Finally, make sure there is no path from the map edge to your fortress inside that isn't trapped.  Also, put dogs at all the inside/outside choke points.  Will stop kobolds cold.

[iskurthi]

here's a neat idea:
Make pillboxes. These are 5x5 boxes (with an interior of 3x3) that are not connected to your base in anyway, and are instead out in the open near your entrance. Within these boxes, have a connection to an underground system of tunnels leading to your barracks so that your many marksdwarves can safely travel to these defensive positions. Also, you're gonna wanna 'carve fortifications' all of the walls of the pillbox... or else you just get a little room with no firing ports. Or you could just outright build the boxes out of fortifications.
This works very well for me, perhaps it will work well for you too.

I did this once, with a map that was perhaps overly large, in order to have defenders covering a large area of forested land. Little 3-level-high towers connected by tunnels, all of which had food/booze stockpiles, open dining rooms, and barracks beneath them, so that during operations the assigned marksdwarves wouldn't go wandering across the fortress for some tipple.

Brutal against normal goblins, but Elite Bowgoblins had an unsurprising tendency to shoot in and kill them...

[Calenth]

I like to find cliffs that are at least three levels high, then look for a recessed spot in those cliffs. i.e., something like this:

#########
#########
###
#########
#########

Then I hollow it out something like this:

#########
................#
..########
..DBBBBBBB
..#######
..............#
#########

Where  D is my entrance and BB's are bridge. (not sure how well the spacing is going to come out there, but you get the idea).

Then go up one z-level and carve fortifications all around your entranceway. For added points, put a walled bridge across the entrance "mouth."

The benefits are multifold. enemies charging your fort get channelled into an area where you can completely surround them with marksdwarves; you can use a bridge to completely seal off your fort, which is more reliable than a door; when you turn on "all dwarves stay inside", they'll only go partway into your courtyard area before they see sunlight and retreat, and won't exit all the way out.

[Boatmurderer]

The most important thing for defense is to have multiple ways to kill whatever is coming into each entrance.

Myself, I like green glass serrated discs. On a map with both sand and magma, they're free, and dice Gobbos REEEAL good. At the end of a row I usually have a cage trap. Terrariums are also free, and you'd be surprised what they can hold. Outside on cliff faces one z-level up I have carved fortifications with marksdwarves, and inside a variety of foot soldiers.

At the beginning of this fortress design, the traps are the most crucial, but they'd get gummed up a lot, and it's tough to make sure you have enough cages. after a few years, though, your marksdwarves become some serious snipers with their crossbows. Your foot soldiers probably won't see that much action, though.