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[Firnagzen]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this horribly addictive game.

Anyway, started a fortress and have gotten to the point where I'm looking into defense and the military.

My entrance point is entirely flat (I dug straight down into the soil so I'd be able to make a few stockpiles and farms without bloody stone everywhere), so I've defended it as such:
-4 tile wide water moat + retracting bridge
-fortifications
-getting ready to train some full time siege operators

Now, I've read that I should actually build one z-level up and then add fortifications on these as my defense: how? And can crossbow dwarfs fire down a z level?

And one other question. Do military dwarfs pull levers?

(Also, in the process, I've managed to offend every single merchant who's come by. Oh well.)

EDIT: This just in. A horse got in and killed two dwarves before being shot to death. I love this game.

[Michaelsoftman]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this horribly addictive game.

Anyway, started a fortress and have gotten to the point where I'm looking into defense and the military.

My entrance point is entirely flat (I dug straight down into the soil so I'd be able to make a few stockpiles and farms without bloody stone everywhere), so I've defended it as such:
-4 tile wide water moat + retracting bridge
-fortifications
-getting ready to train some full time siege operators

Now, I've read that I should actually build one z-level up and then add fortifications on these as my defense: how? And can crossbow dwarfs fire down a z level?

And one other question. Do military dwarfs pull levers?

(Also, in the process, I've managed to offend every single merchant who's come by. Oh well.)

EDIT: This just in. A horse got in and killed two dwarves before being shot to death. I love this game.

Yes, they can fire down z-levels.  No, I do not believe military dwarves will pull levers.

And dear lord, that horse must have been pissed.

[Fredd]

For your fortification question, they shine when they are a z-level above invaders,for your marksdorfs. To build fortifications, remember they must be built from blocks, then designated as fortifications from the menu.
 To make a entrance guard tower, build regular walls at ground level, using normal stone.Then build a upstairs next to this wall, when completed, build a downstair above the upstair. This will allow your masons to build a floor, in this stage a scaffolding, so they can build another wall on top of the original wall. The wall on top of your original wall will need to be made from blocks, so it can then be designated as a fortification(arrowslits).Once the second wall is built, you can expand the scaffolding, to make a platform for your archers, or if you get happy, a catapult, or ballista

[Firnagzen]

So I do it something like this?

Code: [Select]

ground floor:
o========o Wall
    >             Up stair

Second floor:
o========o Wall
XXX<XXXXXX Down stair, flooring

Where the X's are the floor?

Also, will catapults be able to fire if they're behind the 2 z-level high wall? Or do they have to be atop the wall, too?

[Albedo]

And can crossbow dwarfs fire down a z level?

They can't fire down so sharply that it "turns a corner", over the fortifications and then straight down a z-level.  Essentially, if you are raised up, there's a "blind spot" down below the edge of the fort'ns - I think about 1:1 is the best they'll do - so you need to keep your targets 1 tile away from the base of a fortification (or the virtual base if it's a balcony-type thing) for every +1 z level up.

You can use a moat (dug down) or built up, burms with ramps on the far side - the latter is my preferred choice.  Perhaps I'm superstitious, but I like the look of something that does not have a sheer surface they can hide behind, and I don't like to cut into that first area if I can help it - it's usually pretty crowded with one thing or another.

[FunkyWaltDogg]

Fortifications are a distinct type of construction from walls, that permit weapons fire (including siege weapons).  So build the first level like you've done, and on the second level build a row of fortifications ('b'>'C'>'F') on top of the wall.

Regarding catapults, even though they can fire through fortifications they won't be able to hit anything if they're elevated.  Siege weapons can only hit stuff on the same z-level.

[Firnagzen]

Yes, but what I'm asking is:

Code: [Select]

(Side view)
        fortification
   \    #
o---o   |                    E
'pult    wall                target

Can the catapult hit the target?

Also, I have a 4 tile wide watery moat around my walls, so that seems that the blindspot problem is solved.

[Awayfarer]

For your fortification question, they shine when they are a z-level above invaders,for your marksdorfs. To build fortifications, remember they must be built from blocks, then designated as fortifications from the menu.

Actually you can build fortifications from raw stone. I never build blocks, but my forts always have fortifications.

I agree with building them at least 1 z-level up though. In one of my earliest forts I had a row of pillboxes setup on a hill, all at ground level. Worked great until a couple of bowgoblins just walked right up and shot my marksdwarves.

[FunkyWaltDogg]

Yes, but what I'm asking is:

Code: [Select]

(Side view)
        fortification
   \    #
o---o   |                    E
'pult    wall                target

Can the catapult hit the target?

Also, I have a 4 tile wide watery moat around my walls, so that seems that the blindspot problem is solved.

Despite what you'd quite naturally think, stones from a catapult fly in a straight line path on a single z-level, so your catapult will unfortunately just be flinging rocks at the wall unless you have fortifications on the same level.

[Albedo]

Yes, but what I'm asking is:

Code: [Select]

(Side view)
        fortification
   \    #
o---o   |                    E
'pult    wall                target

Can the catapult hit the target?

No, as mentioned above it hits the wall.  You'd need this...

Code: [Select]

(Side view)
        fortification
   \   
o---o  #      ________ Elf
'pult   |    |        target
        walls
The advantage of a 'pult is that it can fire over friendlies - but they're pathetically ineffective against moving targets. (Most attacking targets move by the time the stone lands.  Meandering wildlife is the exception.)

Use ballistae.  They kill everything the ammo crosses, and it doesn't stop when it hits.  Swaths of dead.  You can put your 'pults ~behind~ those for a slight add to firepower, if you have the spare crew to man them.

One variation is to have the "moat" (as shown above) actually be a ramped entry to your fortress, dropping down a level to right in front of your siege engines.

Code: [Select]

_>===>_#        ________ Elf
       <-______/        target
        entry
The span of the entryway keeps your civilian siege operators from being "too close" to the enemy.

The wiki has good articles.

Also, I have a 4 tile wide watery moat around my walls, so that seems that the blindspot problem is solved.

Yep - you could have crossbows on a wall maybe 4 z-levels above the target that way.

[Funk]

i put fortifications down like this

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
fffffffffffffffffffffff

side view

     f  F
     W 
___W   WWWWW
     WWW

above the first level is a floor(sun roof/flyer)
simple but good

[zchris13]

Code: [Select]

   F
W  ___
 |_|
Works fine.

[Leafsnail]

I guess I'm the only person who jams their entrance corridor full of traps, makes a "moat" of traps around their trade depot and entrance (stairs) and places a ballista in the main entrance corridor (I like to think of it as a welcoming present).

[zchris13]

I guess I'm the only person who jams their entrance corridor full of traps, makes a "moat" of traps around their trade depot and entrance (stairs) and places a ballista in the main entrance corridor (I like to think of it as a welcoming present).

How long is the corridor.  How wide.  What quality of ballista.  You're never alone, especially not here.

[azrael4h]

I never use traps unless I need prisoners for "interrogation". Even then, it's just cage traps. I rarely ever use siege engines. My forts are defended with fortifications and blood. Mostly blood.