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Author Topic: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges  (Read 1029 times)

Lathana

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Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« on: July 11, 2008, 10:26:31 am »

So, these sieges are getting on my nerves. I'm determined to break the little bastards once and for all. But I must be creative.

I want to know if any of these will work:

1) Mass Catapult : a tall raiseable drawbridge up several z-levels, the max size. Build a temporary tower above it and dump stones over every square inch along the top half (the top being what will be highest when it is raised). I want to know if this will fling all the stones when the drawbridge comes up and if said stones will kill when they come down. Even if it just knocks the enemy over that's fine. I envision a line of these drawbridges all linked to a single lever, the whole length of the map , one set facing west, the other set facing east, and when a siege starts, fire and a thousand rocks arc out to crush the enemy.

2) Mass Flyswatter: A series of drawbridges that are triggered by pressure plates. I have hollowed out an entire z-layer and let lava fill it up (except for walled off enclosures where my staircases go down through). It's like a lava aquifier. I've built a huge lava moat 5 tiles wide around the entire fortress. I want to cover over the moat with bridges that, when an enemy steps on a pressure plate, retracts the bridge and sends the enemy falling 8 z-levels to a firey death. I also want it to trigger spikes at the front and back of the bridge to kill stragglers.

3) Maze of Death: The only entrance to the fort is now through a single long road, which is overlooked by overhead walkways that have fortifications and are patrolled by hordes of crossbowmen. The road itself, every seven squares, is broken by a line of weapon traps, each trap being 4 giant sawblades or whatever they are. At the end of the road is a drawbridge (retracts to reveal lava!) and floodgates I can shut. What I want to do is make a maze of channels that lead to the road in the first place and line them with traps. Like....about 50 or so. Is there any way they can get into my fortress other than the front door if I have all other ways in WALLED off (no doors or even floodgates, just solid walls).

I just want to know if these ideas work or if there is something even more creative I can do.

I fear none of this will be enough to stop the demons when I go to dig out the adamantine. Which is why the adamantine will be connected to the lava flood of death triggered by a lever in my fortress proper while the entrance to the adamantine area is far outside my defenses.
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The Dungeon Master goes around pantsless, wearing like fifty cloaks, he's clearly unstable, and I wouldn't ask him too many questions.  You might set him off.

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LumenPlacidum

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2008, 10:31:54 am »

Things don't go very far when launched by bridge.  Also, I'm not sure they do any damage

Your flyswatter should work.

Lava won't kill the demons.  They'll just be coated in the stuff when they come to eat your soul.
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JacobGreyson

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2008, 10:37:08 am »

Sorry for the hijack, but can demons get drowned?
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Skizelo

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2008, 11:58:25 am »

Nope, they don't breathe.
And some can fly!
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Corak

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2008, 01:10:21 pm »

1) Aside from questionable range and strength, can't bridges be destroyed by piles of rocking falling onto them? Perhaps if its only a Z-level they won't... but any higher and it gets risky...

2) Keep in mind you can't build a plate on the bridge itself (I don't think...) therefore you have to build it just on the other side... so that the first guy gets across to set it off. Also keep in mind that if there are no remaining paths to dwarves, the goblins will just mill around. But I suppose that's why you have a series of bridges.

3) This certainly works. Goblins will take any entrance they can find, even if it is an obvious death trap. If you have closed all others, they will dash down this death road. Try and make it wind back and forth, you can get a great deal more road length for the distance, and keep the goblins busy longer with marksdwarves and traps.

One thing to keep in mind is that if they fall off and into the channels on either side, they will mill around in there forever (so fill it with lava or something).
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Joseph Miles

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2008, 01:25:21 pm »

1)Catapults with this don't work, that was attempted by me to fling goods upwards to a flying fort. Also, the direction they fly in seems random.

2)This will work, but they won't work if it's a demon, and it also fails against megabeasts.

3)This works great, do what Corak said but make sure there's a door at the end, when they get near it, lock the door. So long as no building destroyers are nearby, you're golden.

Also, just wall the demons in, walls are invulnerable as is. Then, nuke them from orbit, just to be sure ;) Meaning, cave in.
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Kagus

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2008, 01:47:06 pm »

Actually, demons have the [FIREIMMUNE] tag.  Only one of them has the required temperature tags to survive a trip through magma.

So they'll all jump in the magma, but they won't necessarily make it back out.

Joseph Miles

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2008, 02:03:14 pm »

Actually, demons have the [FIREIMMUNE] tag.  Only one of them has the required temperature tags to survive a trip through magma.

So they'll all jump in the magma, but they won't necessarily make it back out.

Spirit of fire I take it? Can't they fly?
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Cog - He's the new Urist.
Yes they are a bunch of drunken unstable retards, but they're MY drunken unstable retards, and I will take care of them.
It could be worse, that cat could be alive.

Xehon

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2008, 02:17:23 pm »

Actually, demons have the [FIREIMMUNE] tag.  Only one of them has the required temperature tags to survive a trip through magma.

So they'll all jump in the magma, but they won't necessarily make it back out.
[FIREIMMUNE] means that they won't be damaged by fire, which is the main damage magma deals. Unless they smelt or break apart in a hot environment magma won't do much against them. Although I haven't made extensive tests myself.
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ShadeJS

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2008, 03:19:42 pm »

I built a goblin flinger once. Right beside a Magma vent where goblin squads liked to congregate. Not very effective , but it was great fun. Every once and a while I'd be able to break a squad in one go.

What might work better is a tower masher where you raise bridges of the maximum length into the solid walls of a tower. Then 'Atom Smash' when you raise the thing and 'Atom Smash' when you lower them... It doesn't work on (most?) HFS anymore, but it would gnarl gobbos.
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Lathana

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2008, 07:26:30 pm »

After reading about Skyseal, I've decided to build a map-covering pool of magma on the third highest z-level, with the floor composed of bauxite bridges with bauxite mechanisms. Magma will be pumped up to fill it. When siegers arrive, I'll throw a lever and flaming death will rain down from the skies.

That, and lots of traps.
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The Dungeon Master goes around pantsless, wearing like fifty cloaks, he's clearly unstable, and I wouldn't ask him too many questions.  You might set him off.

DF  in space!

Logical2u

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Re: Questions regarding mayhem and drawbridges
« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2008, 07:55:34 pm »

Magma kills tentacle demons. Of this I'm sure.

Some of them fell into my magma moat while destroying my magma forges. Ended up with some tentacle demon bones.
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