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[Aqizzar]

Probably not there yet, but is there any plans to make the rope/ladder system that allows dwarves to climb into a lower area only a temporary solution for getting down?  For example could it take damage every time a dwarf uses it or prevent hauling making the player have to replace the rope eventually with more permanent constructions?  It just seems silly to me to have a flimsy rope ladder as a heavily trafficked permanent route in a fortress.

You'll notice that rope ladders are basically the only bulletpoint left under map features in the Big Dev List.  Given Toady's desire to get this version fixed up and out the door, I'm betting that any new constructions like ladders or dangling ropes, especially anything with complex interactions, will be put off for some later Constructions cycle.

[Qmarx]

Never mind the above - Cyclopes are only interesting in that regard because I've never seen one personally. If I'd grown up in a world where they existed and could be found if you went looking for them, I wouldn't be taken aback by his size, the same way I'm not taken aback by the shortness of my friend's terrier.

Counterexample: anyone looking at giraffes at the zoo.

[Scarpa]

I know you regularly deny help with coding from other people, but what about raw files etc?

Isn't there some monkey's work, that can be done by other people? Like formating, comparing, spellchecking, doublechecking etc?

I don't want to tell I have plethora of time, but if I there is something I can do to speed up next version, I want to do my best!

Nothing that will speed up the next version, but anybody that wants to fill in material values I couldn't find is welcome to help out.

Can anyone elaborate on what is meant here? I'm willing to help out.

[Neonivek]

Can anyone elaborate on what is meant here? I'm willing to help out

Well Toady released the Raws a while ago and for some of the values he actually didn't know what to put for it so he just gave it a random value.

For example what is the Torque strength of Pearl? Elasticity of Pig Iron?

[Leafsnail]

So, about the crossbows that briefly chopped people in half.  Does this mean an end to the "magic arrow" (two ears cut without hitting brain, both lungs pierced with a shot from the front etc)?  Are body parts being calculated in a different way, or will it still be done in a similar way?

[smjjames]

...though during a brief time while fixing that the crossbows started shooting me in completely half (because the contact area was being miscalculated -- it was more like they were firing giant saws or something).

For at least a brief time, the mighty crossbow continued it's utter domination of all warfare.

Quick, somebody draw a buzzsaw launcher!

I actually have schematics for a theoretically feasible circular-saw launching crossbow.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Only problem is that shooting a spinning object would, more likely than not, cause said object to simply roll off with minimal damage rather than cutting into the target with its rotational force; it'd deal the most damage from the impact of its forward momentum, with the serration being a moderate side effect. And if that's the case, it's easier to not waste the effort on giving a projectile rotational speed before firing it.

Not if you spin it along the forward axis. The spiral grooves in guns make the bullet spin and make it more stable in it's flight path, or something.

Edit: Actually, if you use a combination of magnets and a rail gun, this would be feaseable, but outside the tech level of DF.

[Exponent]

You'll notice that rope ladders are basically the only bulletpoint left under map features in the Big Dev List.  Given Toady's desire to get this version fixed up and out the door, I'm betting that any new constructions like ladders or dangling ropes, especially anything with complex interactions, will be put off for some later Constructions cycle.

Probably no complex interactions, like you suggest, but there might be something simple at least, since Toady just recently commented on it:

Anyways, what's the status on the rope/ladders/suspended elevators/etc, especially for large open spaces?

It hasn't been decided yet.  There will probably be something basic put in.

[Warlord255]

...though during a brief time while fixing that the crossbows started shooting me in completely half (because the contact area was being miscalculated -- it was more like they were firing giant saws or something).

For at least a brief time, the mighty crossbow continued it's utter domination of all warfare.

Quick, somebody draw a buzzsaw launcher!

I actually have schematics for a theoretically feasible circular-saw launching crossbow.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Only problem is that shooting a spinning object would, more likely than not, cause said object to simply roll off with minimal damage rather than cutting into the target with its rotational force; it'd deal the most damage from the impact of its forward momentum, with the serration being a moderate side effect. And if that's the case, it's easier to not waste the effort on giving a projectile rotational speed before firing it.

Not if you spin it along the forward axis. The spiral grooves in guns make the bullet spin and make it more stable in it's flight path, or something.

Edit: Actually, if you use a combination of magnets and a rail gun, this would be feaseable, but outside the tech level of DF.

Forward rotation is different from spiral rifling rotation.

[smjjames]

I'm sure you get what I mean though.

[Aqizzar]

Probably no complex interactions, like you suggest, but there might be something simple at least, since Toady just recently commented on it:

Anyways, what's the status on the rope/ladders/suspended elevators/etc, especially for large open spaces?

It hasn't been decided yet.  There will probably be something basic put in.

True.  It wouldn't surprise me if Toady went with a simple place-holder, like altering stairs so they can be built downwards hanging from one segment to the next, or something like that.

[smjjames]

I thought part of the point would be to prevent animals from climbing it. Primates and other animals capable of grasping a rope with hands could definetly be able to climb it, but realistically a horse wouldn't be able to.

[Aqizzar]

I thought it was ropes and ladders because those are physically possible, while building a staircase downward into open space is not.  Which would hardly be the first law of physics DF breaks, but it would get the job done.

[Leafsnail]

The staircase construction makes sense, but the d option doesn't really.

[LegacyCWAL]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Only problem is that shooting a spinning object would, more likely than not, cause said object to simply roll off with minimal damage rather than cutting into the target with its rotational force; it'd deal the most damage from the impact of its forward momentum, with the serration being a moderate side effect. And if that's the case, it's easier to not waste the effort on giving a projectile rotational speed before firing it.

If you remember Battlebots, this actually came up a few times.  There were a lot of bots with saws that did squat because you had to hold a saw on the target for a lot longer than was actually feasable.  Then there were other bots that looked similar, but were uses more like a helicoptor rotor, using the spin to build up momentum for protrusions on the edge to give a big smack.

Those were always my favorites.  None of this flipping crap, I wanna see an arena full of bot parts!

[IHateOutside]

Don't forget bot chunks.