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Author Topic: question about bolts  (Read 472 times)

dfJuice

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question about bolts
« on: February 20, 2009, 01:11:26 pm »
So I'm pretty new to DF but really enjoy the game so far. Anyways my current plan for fortress defense is to build two large towers with a bridge connecting them up high (I will force the invaders to use this path using the three drawbridges strategy), anyways my plan is to have a third tower with which my crossbowmen will give dem goblins hell as they cross this narrow bridge, couple of questions.

1) How far is the range on crossbows? How close should I build the third tower to the bridge to ensure the dwarves will be in range. Also doies height affect the range?
2) Will the bolts be able to knock the goblins off of this bridge? What about some seige units firing at them?
3) How tall do the towers have to be to ensure a good splat?

Any help would be much appreciated.
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Hyndis

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Re: question about bolts
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2009, 03:58:12 pm »
Range is about 20 squares, or thereabouts. I personally prefer using moats 6 squares wide to keep baddies away, so build the path of death probably about 10 squares from where you're stationing the crossbows. Not too close and not too far.

Bolts cannot knockback their targets, unless perhaps you mod them to do blunt instead of piercing damage. I'm not sure if making them do blunt damage will cause the knockback, but piercing damage definitely doesn't.

In order to produce more bones from each animal for purposes of decorating or producing bone bolts, I go with about a 10 level drop. Generally dropping them to the bottom level will do it, though I have the absolute bottom level as my tombs. So the next level up from that is the refuse place, where the pit drops to.
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Brian

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Re: question about bolts
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2009, 05:51:55 pm »
Quote from: dfJuice on February 20, 2009, 01:11:26 pm
1) How far is the range on crossbows? How close should I build the third tower to the bridge to ensure the dwarves will be in range. Also does height affect the range?

Unfortunately height does affect the range. Negatively. If your range is 20 squares, it's 20 squares in all directions, or something like that.  Someone 5 Z's up will not be able to shoot as far as someone at ground level standing on the same square, firing at a target at ground level.
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