Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Mikademus]

Given that uranium is one of the most common heavy elements in the crust, I think that the dwarves should be able to collect and refine it. Since normal uranium is quite stable it wouldn't give much damage until after prolonged exposure, which is why heavy utility dresses made from cloth and metal (preferably lead) would be made by tailors. GIven the density and melting point of uranium it would require a magma furnace to melt into bars.

In the next step, given dwarves' skill at mechanical constructing, they should be able to make enrichment centrifuges to turn the low-grade uranium into plutonium. The centrifuge itself could be driven by pack animals and would require a number of high-grade mechanisms as well as much metal. This off course would also require a skilled alchemist with an adjoining laboratory. Since enriching uranium yields more intensely active isotopes handling them would require master-woven utility suits.

Enriched isotopes could then either be used in a reactor to produce enormous steam, heat and/or pressure, perhaps to create a steam catapult for sub-orbital bombardment of other kingdoms, fortresses or hostile strongholds, or as delivery systems for orbital deliveries, which would tie in with DF's space arc. The material be packed into metal containers with conventional explosives (produced by alchemists) for being terminally introduced under intense pressure to achieve critical mass enough to set of a thermo-nuclear reaction. The production of this encasing would require skilled weaponsmiths, alchemists and mechanics.

Dwarves are hardy, of excellent constitution. Even so, children born, especially those in close proximity to enrichment centrifuges, reactors or weapon storages, and perhaps even to a lesser extent, those close to uranium stockpiles, should increasingly exhibit mutations. To make this simulationally more interesting, rather than create a high proportion of severely handicapped or inviable offspring, we could reduce the nativity but make the survivors have interesting effects: extra arms and eyes (which on the one hand make them good fighters due to multiple redundancies, but on the other hand requires specialised armour), or even mental deficiencies (tree-fancying).

The risk of nuclear strikes also makes deeper fortresses preferable in that they alleviate mortal anxiety and reduce unhappy thoughts.

Finally, weapon stockpiles have a new function in that they now can affect diplomacy and negotiations.

[ April 24, 2008: Message edited by: Mikademus ]

[Draco18s]

No.

[PTTG??]

He he he he.... I hope you're joking.

[Ralgor]

I think he is.  The title admits that the suggestion is 'absurdly over the top'.

A few nitpicks though:

Centrifuging uranium doesn't give you plutonium.  It just enriches the easily fissile uranium out of the mix.  U-235 is the radioactive isotope that people use in reactors and the like, and it only makes up less than 1% of common uranium.  Look it up on wikipedia for more.

And it's no where near being 'one of the most common heavy elements in the crust'.  You might call it the heaviest element in the crust, since everything above it is synthetic.  Thorium is only two spots away from uranium on the periodic table and is much more abundant.  Bismuth, which is already in the game, is only nine spots away.

I'm not actually against putting the ore in the game.  People used uranium to color glass a long time ago, so it could just be used for that.  

Edit: Woah.  I should have taken my own advise and read the article.  Pitchblende, which is in DF I believe, IS the ore of uranium.

[ April 24, 2008: Message edited by: Ralgor ]

[Mikademus]

quote:Originally posted by Draco18s:
<STRONG>No.</STRONG>

Ah, I see! You're suggesting the introduction of highly stylised and intellectual theater forms! That's a great idea and in fact implies an entire hierarchy of thespian arts! Of course, No is very demanding, both for the actor and audience, a symbolic and intellectual form of performance (in the game represented as demanding high social skills both of the actors and audience). As such, it would give unhappy thoughts to dwarves of low social skills watching the play, just as dwarves of higher mettle would be depressed by being restricted to lower arts, in falling order, such as Kabuki, Peking Opera, ordinary plays and musicals.

Thus it would be important to balance the architectural development of the fortress with the state of social and intellectual development of its inhabitants, of course taking into consideration immigrants, nobility etc etc. Brilliant suggestion, sir!

---

[rli] About my first suggestion, I wrote everything from the top of my mind without referring to any literature, and I have no degree in nuclear physics, so some errors were bound to sneak their way in   [/rli}

[Mercutio Valentine]

The question this thread brings to mind is whether it's the case that Dwarf Fortress attracts crazy players, or if it turns sane players insane.

Yeah...

[zagibu]

Dwarf fortress causes disorientation, nausea, diarrhea

[Drakale]

Ok here is my over the top suggestion:

The Dwarven Genome Project

Each first dwarves(and other lesser creatures) should have a proper DNA generated at the start of world generation. The DNA would determine the dwarves physical and mental potential, but not their actual developpement. Then through reproduction the DNA would combine according to a random algorithm, with some totally random variations. After the 1000 years world generation, there should be a good chance that the dwarves profession are linked to the dwarfs DNA potential.  

Certain flaws should be included in the DNA like poor vision, genetic diseases, liking water. Of course those dwarves would have a marginaly higher chance of death, thus making them more rare. They would never totally disappear due to the mentionned random inclusion in the genetic material of the new born babies.

The genome would permit the creation of a family famous for it's blacksmiths(for example) due to the genetic disposition of its members. Ideally the family names should be given to descendants to identify the families with more ease.

It's a totally impratical idea with very little actual benefit, so i guess it belong here  :p

[Ralgor]

quote:Originally posted by Drakale:
<STRONG>
Certain flaws should be included in the DNA like poor vision, genetic diseases, liking water.
</STRONG>

I would think to a dwarf this would be a fatal flaw!  Or at least considered an abomination by the dwarven civilization, leading them to 'Sparta' the infant.

[Mikademus]

The Dwarven Genome Project: big, extremely complicated, computationally (horrendously) expensive, would require rewriting most core code, unpredictable results, highly bug prone, I LIKE IT!

[Thassa]

Not all reactors require enriched (centrifuged) uranium.  The CANDU design for instance uses natural uranium that has been oxidized.  That said, pretty much all reactors require extraordinary levels of refined measurement, and loads of special materials that would be difficult to produce even by dwarves at the DF base tech level.  Basically minor mistakes that put a measurement off by mere hundredths of a centimeter could either cause a reactor to go critical (melt down), super critical (couple hundred kiloton explosion) or to stop working entirely.  Worse, a simple lead shirt is not going to allow a dwarf to work safely near the reactor core.  Anything short of a full enviro suit will simply change how long they have till they die.  A bomb would require them to develop explosives and/or the same level of fine measurement that a reactor would (some more sophisticated designs don't need explosives but the measurements are even more refined).

Their was at least one natural nuclear reactor that developed through an accident of geology, discovered some years ago, but it was a simple slow breeder.  It also took the better part of a few thousand years to produce any appreciable amounts of plutonium.

Finally it would entirely ruin the flavour of the game, which in my view is the topmost concern of all.  If I want to play Civilization, I'll play Civ.

[Mikademus]

quote:Originally posted by Thassa:
<STRONG>Basically minor mistakes that put a measurement off by mere hundredths of a centimeter could either cause a reactor to go critical (melt down), super critical (couple hundred kiloton explosion) or to stop working entirely.  </STRONG>

That's why it is strongly recommended to use masterwork mechanisms!

[zagibu]

Nuclear power can be integrated into a fantasy setting. Read up about warpstone in Warhammer, it's a stone formed by mystical forces that inhibits great power. There is a mutant giant rat race that uses it to power it's machinery and also uses it's power for offensive purposes.

[Nite/m4re]

quote:Originally posted by zagibu:
<STRONG>Dwarf fortress causes disorientation, nausea, diarrhea</STRONG>

Oh no, I have been rickrolled AGAIN!  :mad:

[mickel]

quote:Originally posted by Mikademus:
<STRONG>The Dwarven Genome Project: big, extremely complicated, computationally (horrendously) expensive, would require rewriting most core code, unpredictable results, highly bug prone, I LIKE IT!</STRONG>

It's already in the bloats.