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Author Topic: Suggestion: Drop-Forge/Mold-Forge  (Read 1215 times)

ShadowDragon8685

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Suggestion: Drop-Forge/Mold-Forge
« on: July 22, 2008, 06:11:07 pm »

At present, the biggest Catch-22 in Dwarf Fortress is the absoloute nessessity of an anvil. If you have an anvil an two pieces of metal, or a pick and an axe, you can get your fortress started by demolishing your wagon(s) for wood and going from there. But without the Anvil, you're screwed sideways.

Now, I imagine that the earliest smiths, in need of something with which to work, would have substituted a nice, hearty piece of granite or something. I honestly don't know, and to be frank, you coulden't really replace a worked anvil with one of stone, as the stone would eventually shatter. (Well, you could, but you'd need to make a way for the forge to deconstruct itself when the stone anvil shatters.)

No, I suggest a Drop-Forge/Mold-Forge idea. This forge would not require an anvil; it would require a lot of stone. Specifically, a piece of stone for every single operation, as a reagent. The stone is carved into a mold, which is destroyed to liberate the item, be it an anvil, a warhammer, or what-have-you. Obviously, the primary purpose of the Drop-Forge/Mold-Forge would be to produce an anvil if you start without one, and possibly to produce some early tools as well. Secondary uses would include using it to make metal things just to clear the bloody rock out of the bloody fortress. :)
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Boatmurderer

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Re: Suggestion: Drop-Forge/Mold-Forge
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2008, 06:31:44 pm »

I see this as just being a one-shot forge for getting your anvil made, then nobody will bother with it.

Nice idea, though... 1000 monies would certainly help with skills and items.
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Phoenyx

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Re: Suggestion: Drop-Forge/Mold-Forge
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2008, 06:43:23 pm »

I see this as just being a one-shot forge for getting your anvil made, then nobody will bother with it.

Nice idea, though... 1000 monies would certainly help with skills and items.

Unless there are more items added that are required to be cast or molded instead of forged. This is how bells are created, and I did see them on a suggestion list somewhere. Maybe metal toys could be moved this format as well?

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penguinofhonor

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Re: Suggestion: Drop-Forge/Mold-Forge
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2008, 09:10:15 pm »

I like this. It would be able to make anvils, and would have its own specific types of items to make that the regular forge couldn't.

I usually buy an anvil by the first fall with ~9 socks. These socks could be put to far better use, right?
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Fieari

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Re: Suggestion: Drop-Forge/Mold-Forge
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2008, 09:30:50 pm »

Larger objects should require this sort of forge.  Like large bells, for instance.  And metal statues.  You COULD use it for smaller things, but seeing as it uses up more materials, you wouldn't want to.
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Grek

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Re: Suggestion: Drop-Forge/Mold-Forge
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2008, 01:24:43 am »

Clay should also be useable.
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Granite26

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Re: Suggestion: Drop-Forge/Mold-Forge
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2008, 08:16:24 am »

I like the expanded version of this, whereby

A: What you have determines what you can make.  Right now, the only 'tools' are picks, axes, buckets, ropes, blocks and anvils.  Adding more IS part of the bloats, but hey

B: Anything can be built with two twigs and a rock  (Super Low Adz -> Low Adz -> Crappy + Rock Anvil + Crappy Rock Hammer -> Crappy Iron Anvil + Crappy Iron Hammer -> Decent Iron Anvil + Decent Iron Hammer -> Real Axe.

C: Somewhat above, but min. requirements in skill and equip quality for certain items.  Need an anvil to build anything but a super crappy anvil, but the super crappy can build a really crappy, ad nauseum