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Author Topic: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.  (Read 2467 times)

BlakeKoris

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I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« on: August 16, 2008, 08:09:13 pm »

Like I may have said, I'm fairly new to DF. As such, I have just now made a fortress that withstood more than a Year. I have a Population of 106, no Sieges as of yet.

The Wiki said that sieges can start once the Pop. hits 80, and I know there are Goblins around, since I've managed to capture a Thief in one of my traps.

I am constantly fearing that I may be unable to defend correctly. I'm just now getting Wagon Access, and don't have an Anvil. Tell me I'm just paranoid, and that I should be able to make it?
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pushy

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2008, 08:30:33 pm »

You're just paranoid, and you should be able to make it.

To expand, how are your miners doing? If you don't have an anvil I imagine you don't have any military (though you can have marksdwarves or swordsdwarves without any metal or forges)...but miners fight with their mining skill, so they can be totally devastating to any brainless invaders ;)
« Last Edit: August 16, 2008, 08:32:33 pm by pushy »
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Moogie

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2008, 08:31:24 pm »

I find that using a 'buffer zone' with two raising drawbridges works really well to protect forts which are unsafe or have no military; not only to protect yourself from a siege, but to protect any visiting traders as well.

The basic idea is to have 1 entrance to your fort, a raising bridge to keep your dwarves in, and then a strip of land outside your main fort, protected by another raising bridge that stops anything entering from the outside.

Like this:

Code: [Select]
                    Bridge     Depot   Bridge
[Fort Entrance] ::::|=====|::::::D:::::|=====|::::: [Outside World]

When the traders arrive they will unpack at the depot. When they're all there (wait for the slow camel people), you raise the outside bridge, disconnecting you and the traders from the world. You then lower your inner bridge, allowing your dwarves into the Depot area. You do your trading etc and raise the inner bridge when everyone's back inside. Then, when the traders are ready to leave, and if it's safe, you lower the outer bridge and allow them to leave.

(Of course, the inner bridge is entirely optional, and is only useful if you don't want dwarves wandering outside.)

If you WANT to be attacked, though (for a nice source of Iron to melt and make some armour with your newly aquired anvil), it's as easy as setting up a 1-tile-wide path at your entrance and lining it with stonefall or weapon traps. You don't even need a military. Your first siege *should* be pretty light, and you'll be okay even with just a few traps guarding the way. But bare in mind, a siege will only be beaten when about 70-80% of the attackers have been captured or killed. The rest will flee.
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BlakeKoris

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2008, 08:41:35 pm »

Well, I assume they'll be fine, I've got a few Catapults Guarding the Entrance, with a good stone supply right by them. If a Caravan comes under attack, so long as they make it past the Catapults, they'll be safe.

Plus, if all else fails, I trap them in the Pit of Watery Death and Hope for the best.

In other news, is there any way to turn a Silk Item back into Cloth? Preferably without a Quern/Millstone or Forge?
« Last Edit: August 16, 2008, 08:45:26 pm by BlakeKoris »
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BahamutZERO

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2008, 09:06:31 pm »

You mean sort of like melting down metal items? Nope, can't do that with cloth stuff.
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BlakeKoris

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2008, 09:21:42 pm »

Dah, blast it then. There's two Dwarves going to die of insanity, then.

Well, regardless, the first siege happened, yet the Human Caravan took care of it before my Dwarves could.
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BahamutZERO

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2008, 09:46:43 pm »

Yeah, the first siege tends to be rather pathetic.
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BlakeKoris

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #7 on: August 16, 2008, 09:49:03 pm »

And now, I've one more question.

Suppose a Baby ends up in a Cage. How would you go about freeing her, if levers wouldn't hook up?

EDIT: Nevermind, better Question. If a Baby is hurt, and the Mother is Dead, will the baby be healed regardless by someone else?
« Last Edit: August 16, 2008, 09:55:15 pm by BlakeKoris »
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ShunterAlhena

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2008, 03:27:31 am »

Presumably so. If any of your dwarves have the "Health Care" job enabled, they're going to feed and bring water to the wounded. At least this is what happens with grown up dwarves, like soldiers. As for babies I'm not 100% certain since they're treated as "second class citizens", e.g. they're not even properly massacred in goblin overruns.
« Last Edit: August 17, 2008, 03:29:05 am by ShunterAlhena »
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Nomadic

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #9 on: August 17, 2008, 03:55:14 am »

Well, I assume they'll be fine, I've got a few Catapults Guarding the Entrance, with a good stone supply right by them. If a Caravan comes under attack, so long as they make it past the Catapults, they'll be safe.

This is a bad idea as not only can a chance shot really mess up a caravan but the catapults are so inaccurate right now as to be all but useless (except as stone removal devices). Best bet is the double drawbridge idea plus some traps (a row 3-5 tiles long of stone traps will send most ambushers running and it can be easily built).
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WCG

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #10 on: August 17, 2008, 08:31:49 am »

Your first siege *should* be pretty light, and you'll be okay even with just a few traps guarding the way. But bare in mind, a siege will only be beaten when about 70-80% of the attackers have been captured or killed. The rest will flee.

I just had my first siege, and it was composed of only 16 goblin wrestlers and pikemen. But what was really disappointing was that they all ran away after only four had been killed (and two injured, but lightly enough to escape) by three of my marksdwarves.

I was really surprised at how few casualties it took to make them turn tail and run. They didn't even make a run at the kitten I'd set out as bait! But maybe that's why they ran, huh? Scared of the ferocious beast guarding my door? :)

Bill
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Reinecker

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #11 on: August 17, 2008, 01:23:19 pm »

I have yet to get a single siege, in fact not even an ambush. I usually end up playing on a different fortress before then.
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Gantolandon

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #12 on: August 17, 2008, 07:12:40 pm »

Quote
But what was really disappointing was that they all ran away after only four had been killed (and two injured, but lightly enough to escape) by three of my marksdwarves.
You propably killed their leader. They escape when he dies.
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EvilCheerio

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #13 on: August 17, 2008, 09:36:09 pm »

Well, I assume they'll be fine, I've got a few Catapults Guarding the Entrance, with a good stone supply right by them. If a Caravan comes under attack, so long as they make it past the Catapults, they'll be safe.

This is a bad idea as not only can a chance shot really mess up a caravan but the catapults are so inaccurate right now as to be all but useless (except as stone removal devices). Best bet is the double drawbridge idea plus some traps (a row 3-5 tiles long of stone traps will send most ambushers running and it can be easily built).

Hey, that's not true, Catapults are also sooooooo much better at training siege operators than Balistas
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autophage

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Re: I think my Dwarves may be living in Fear.
« Reply #14 on: August 17, 2008, 10:33:24 pm »

Presumably so. If any of your dwarves have the "Health Care" job enabled, they're going to feed and bring water to the wounded. At least this is what happens with grown up dwarves, like soldiers. As for babies I'm not 100% certain since they're treated as "second class citizens", e.g. they're not even properly massacred in goblin overruns.

Babies aren't massacred, eh?

That means that after the parents all get killed there is a little Lord of the Flies/Battle Royale sort of thing that goes down in the empty fortress, right?  Right?
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