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[Reasonableman]

I think the problem with a rope ladder would be that it would require all kinds of new programming tidbits to get it to function as a rope ladder. Hauling, hand number, and exhaustion affecting building use would be, so far as I know, completely new concepts that Toady'd have to program from scratch. What we need is some other, placeholder structure that would perform the same basic function (deconstruction from the top rather than the bottom,) that would make sense in the game and be easier to program, at least until Toady can get around to an "Advanced Buildings Arc" or something.

[Jackrabbit]

yea and the tiering thing should be an option, will customizable lines like
Miner Urother cancels climb: exhausted
Miner Urother cancels task: shat himself
Miner Urother cancels task: falling
Miner Urother has died and left a disgusting brown corpse

[Neoskel]

I think the problem with a rope ladder would be that it would require all kinds of new programming tidbits to get it to function as a rope ladder. Hauling, hand number, and exhaustion affecting building use would be, so far as I know, completely new concepts that Toady'd have to program from scratch. What we need is some other, placeholder structure that would perform the same basic function (deconstruction from the top rather than the bottom,) that would make sense in the game and be easier to program, at least until Toady can get around to an "Advanced Buildings Arc" or something.

Thats why i suggested it just work like a retractable staircase for now. Toady can add in the other concepts whenever he feels like it.

[Neskiairti]

just LOVE the idea.. so many fucking uses! heee.. for my death pits.. with levers and what not connected to retract the ladder.. or or or.. for making my well! i HATE having to dig a stairway next to a channel

[Keldor]

"Urist has been unhappy lately.  He has complained of the rickety rope ladders lately.  He has been upset about getting tangled in a rope ladder and requiring assistance lately.  He has admired a fine rope lately."

[Overdose]

I'm not too keen on the concept of rope ladders being able to hold dwarfs carrying tons of stuff. You would think that wearing heavy armor, or carrying a big barrel of wine would prevent you from using said rope, and that at best, you'd only be able to use it one at a time (it's difficult to go down a rope while someone's going up. Even more so if both are carrying large packs).

A rope bridge however wouldn't be a bad idea as a temporary bridge.

[Keiseth]

I'm all for this. Even if you had temporary wood / metal ladders, if rope doesn't seem like a good idea. Something would have to exist to prevent non-intelligent creatures from using them, though. Or rather, quadrupeds, etc. I suppose checking for a grasp would be enough.

[Paul]

Just thought I would bump this, because ropes for downward construction would be wonderful. It's not the only thread about it, just the most recent I saw... I seem to remember posting in a downward construction with ropes thread over a year ago, but couldn't find it.

Right now building up is easy, but building down requires a separate set of stairs and a lot of work, and you can't close it up - you have to leave an escape shaft for the miner to get out. Either that or leave some poor miner at the bottom to die. Ropes would let you build downward and completely close up the room, allowing for completely sealed off wells, pits, and other constructions.

[Granite26]

It seems like a climbing skill where the dwarf in question carried rope and a harness (made with a mechanism and cloth) and could move on wall faces up to his skill level.

Climbing is coming for adventure mode, I can't see the dwarves not getting it too.

[G-Flex]

There are some issues that would be involved with NPC climbing that aren't involved with PC climbing, though. Mostly what I can think of is pathfinding. I think it would be a great idea, though, and would definitely make sieges more interesting.

[Paul]

Thats why you just make them a constructed building that acts as several levels of up/down stairs, based on how many ropes you put into it. Then have it deconstructable from the top (with all the rope appearing at the top), and bam - you have the ability to build from the top of pits without leaving messy staircases.

[G-Flex]

Yeah, but like someone else said, you then end up with situations where you have dwarves hauling solid gold statues and bins full of iron up and across *rope reed rigging* at normal walk speed. If it weren't for that, building them like a sort of vertical retractable bridge would sound good.

[Paul]

You could probably have the tiles be set as occupied for the ropes, so dwarves would have to crawl up and down. They would crawl awfully slow carrying something heavy, so ropes wouldn't be a permanent solution - just a quick temporary one to do some work on a pit without having to carve out permanent stairs.

I could live with incredibly slow moving dwarves hauling heavy objects up/down ropes. The ability to build downward without carving permanent stairs is such a huge positive, it easily cancels out the minor negative of the illogical carrying of heavy objects up/down them.

I mean, we have the ability to defy the laws of physics by building perpetual water wheel energy machines. Surely crawling up a ladder with a heavy object doesn't outweigh the benefits of having said ladders.

[G-Flex]

True, that could work.

The only other issue I can think of is the possibility that the game simply cannot support any sort of structure spanning more than one z-level. This could be problematic if you want to properly implement anything which does, like ropes.

[Paul]

Thats true, but I'm sure it could be done. There already appears to be a similar thing going on in wells. A well is only built on 1 z level, but when a dwarf drinks the bucket from it lowers down multiple Z levels to get the water - it then uses up 1 unit of water from below and gives it to the user, either to fill a bucket or quench their thirst. This may or may not be similar, but it does prove that multiple Z level coding exists.

Only Toady knows how difficult multiple z level buildings would be, so the idea certainly shouldn't be shot down due to a limitation which may or may not exist.