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Author Topic: Future weapons  (Read 3464 times)

LegoLord

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #30 on: February 12, 2009, 07:12:22 pm »
Ah hah!  The dwarf in Jim C. Hines Goblin Quest had scale mail, so I knew it must exist, but I wasn't sure about the time frame.
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Quote from: Vlynndar on April 02, 2009, 03:36:26 pm
"Oh look there is a dragon my clothes might burn let me take them off and only wear steel plate."
And this is how tinned food was invented.
Quote from: Vester on October 10, 2009, 10:10:11 pm
Alternately: The Brick Testament. It's a really fun look at what the bible would look like if interpreted literally. With Legos.
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zchris13

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #31 on: February 12, 2009, 07:14:23 pm »
If carp had armor, they would be scale mail.  Don't screw with that stuff.
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Twad

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #32 on: February 12, 2009, 11:50:16 pm »
I like the idea. Only military weapons or all tools as well? IMHO tools would not be a good idea, especially if we lose them early we are in big trouble.
I want some way to keep our weapons in good shape..
- oils, they prevent rust?
- some sort of metal "mill" for sharpening as its own workshop that soldiers/metalsmiths could use, or its an option inside a metalsmith forge "maintain weapons"
- small sharpening stones. Portable, but slow to use, soldiers could try to maintain their own stuff before sleep or in the field, if they have them.
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Felblood

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #33 on: February 13, 2009, 02:02:08 pm »
Perhaps rust prevention should be abstracted. Don't kill me yet! I can explain!

I know it's weird for me, of all people, to argue for more abstraction, but hear this out.

Using a weapon or tool prevents it from rusting. Knives get washed and dried, swords get polished and sharpened, as natural extension of equipping and using them. Why make the dwarves take a separate chunk out of their day to do it?

Old tools left lying around in a damp storeroom should rust over, in about a season. This might take atmospheric modeling, or something, to keep weapon stockpiles and armories from being destroyed by moisture in a sealed vault.

Bins could help prevent rusting, just as barrels protect food from spoilage.
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Footkerchief

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #34 on: February 13, 2009, 02:25:24 pm »
*kills u*

But really, I don't consider polishing and sharpening to be a "natural extension of equipping and using them," mainly because there's a great deal of precedent for people forgetting or not having time or otherwise failing to take care of their weapons and then suffering the consequences.  Which is cool.  It should happen in DF too.

It's not like off-duty soldiers in DF have busy lives anyway -- they spar and hang out near statues and that's about it.  Maybe there could be a little 1x1 whetstone building, or they could just go to the barracks and take a moment to sharpen blades, etc. (with abstracted-out tools, or not).
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Felblood

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #35 on: February 13, 2009, 02:36:44 pm »
Military gear probably should require maintenance, if only to keep your troopers from having an unhealthy number of friends.

Tools however, are another matter. Taking proper care of your tools could just become part of cooking or stone crafting. Wood cutters and hunters should probably also need to maintain their weapons. Their tools aren't going to rust significantly, while in used, but sharpening your tool is half the work of chopping trees and digging ditches. (This is hyperbole. Do not interpret this statement literally.)
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The path through the wilderness is rarely direct. Reaching the destination is useless,
if you don't learn the lessons of the dessert.
--but you do have to keep walking.

Footkerchief

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #36 on: February 13, 2009, 03:27:15 pm »
Oh yeah, I would be dubious about having to clean the tools that are currently abstracted out (knives, work hammers, chisels, saws, and many more I'm sure).

I'm also not sure to what extent some cruder weapons like war hammers or maces would require maintenance.
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Tormy

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #37 on: February 13, 2009, 03:35:25 pm »
Quote from: Footkerchief on February 13, 2009, 03:27:15 pm
I'm also not sure to what extent some cruder weapons like war hammers or maces would require maintenance.

Probably never, since those are blunt weapons. [Well, obviously if the handle of the warhammer -for example- is damaged, it must be replaced, but it has nothing to do with maintance basically..]
« Last Edit: February 13, 2009, 03:37:30 pm by Tormy »
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TheMirth

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #38 on: February 13, 2009, 03:42:15 pm »
Functionality wise they may not require maintenance but could lead to an unhappy thought if the unit isn't seeing combat regularly. Low Morale for crummy seeming gear etc.
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LegoLord

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #39 on: February 13, 2009, 07:06:37 pm »
According to a sufficiently-cited Wikipedia article, there are several devices used to sharpen blades.  One of the ones mention, probably the most commonly seen, is the grinding wheel.  Those could exhaust dwarves if the wheel has no power source.  For flavor, fighting dwarves that get knocked back into them while they are active could get friction burn wounds.  You'd have to put them in some room cut off from the rest of the barracks, which shouldn't be too irksome.  It will make for some fun times for new players, though.

Article here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpening_edged_tools#Implements_with_essentially_straight_edges
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Quote from: Vlynndar on April 02, 2009, 03:36:26 pm
"Oh look there is a dragon my clothes might burn let me take them off and only wear steel plate."
And this is how tinned food was invented.
Quote from: Vester on October 10, 2009, 10:10:11 pm
Alternately: The Brick Testament. It's a really fun look at what the bible would look like if interpreted literally. With Legos.
Just so I remember

Foa

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #40 on: February 13, 2009, 07:45:23 pm »
I just reforge it!

It's either a full recast, reshaping, or something else.
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LegoLord

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #41 on: February 13, 2009, 09:10:30 pm »
Quote from: Foa on February 13, 2009, 07:45:23 pm
I just reforge it!

It's either a full recast, reshaping, or something else.
That would actually be a lot more effort in the long run, since that would require fuel and work from the smiths rather than the soldiers or workers.
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Quote from: Vlynndar on April 02, 2009, 03:36:26 pm
"Oh look there is a dragon my clothes might burn let me take them off and only wear steel plate."
And this is how tinned food was invented.
Quote from: Vester on October 10, 2009, 10:10:11 pm
Alternately: The Brick Testament. It's a really fun look at what the bible would look like if interpreted literally. With Legos.
Just so I remember

zchris13

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #42 on: February 13, 2009, 11:10:40 pm »
Who needs fuel when you have magma?

Let me restate that.
"Fuel is for sissie's.  Red hot glowing molten stone is where it's at."
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irmo

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #43 on: February 16, 2009, 02:49:24 pm »
Quote from: Footkerchief on February 13, 2009, 02:25:24 pm
But really, I don't consider polishing and sharpening to be a "natural extension of equipping and using them," mainly because there's a great deal of precedent for people forgetting or not having time or otherwise failing to take care of their weapons and then suffering the consequences.  Which is cool.  It should happen in DF too.

If the goal is to simulate the problem of gear falling into disrepair because people forget/don't have time, I'd suggest linking it to morale and On Break-ness. Every time they go on break, they have a chance to maintain their arms, based on morale. (This isn't a job, it's completely invisible.) So if they're miserable all the time, they will start slacking off and letting their gear fall apart (which drags down morale, so you have to catch these things early). If they're on active duty all the time and never get a break, then their gear will fall apart just from overuse.
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bjlong

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Re: Future weapons
« Reply #44 on: February 16, 2009, 03:41:45 pm »
We should probably differentiate from "On Break," when they're hanging around and ready to be called up for active duty at a moment's notice, and "On Leave" or something of the sort, when they're off partying. On Break people would do maintenence stuff, and get only a very small happy thought. On Leave people would do no maintenence but get ~5 very happy thoughts, so if you've got a group with low morale, giving them leave would be the solution. (Urist McSoldier has been ecstatic lately. He was finally given leave lately. He was able to talk to civillian friends lately. He was able to eat where he wanted lately. He didn't have to take orders lately. He was given a chance to form new relationships lately.) Calling a soldier back from leave early would cause a major bad thought, and reduce the number of very happy thoughts.

Of course, you'd have to set break/leave status on your own, which could end up with some more micromanagement.
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Quote from: irmo on February 08, 2009, 05:32:01 am
I hesitate to click the last spoiler tag because I expect there to be Elder Gods in it or something.
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