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Author Topic: Wait, so what DO those dashes mean?  (Read 1698 times)

GoneWacko

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Wait, so what DO those dashes mean?
« on: May 05, 2009, 11:29:31 pm »

While my experience with actually playing a lasting game of DF is limited, my experience with embarking is a lot more abundant.

So far, I have always assumed that the red dashes on the 'neighbours' screen during embark means that they are hostiles.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

However, after playing some adventure mode, it struck me as odd that I could usually just talk to the goblins and the orcs, in various worlds...

Which made me wonder what those dashes do in fact mean. I've gone and embarked right on top of some Dark Fortresses (be they orcish or goblinesque) with 7 wrestler/hammerdwarf/novice ambusher dwarves, expecting to have some fun fights (got tired of waiting for sieges at my actual fortresses) but instead of fighting I could happily walk into the fortresses and dance around the orcs and goblins like they were my best friends...  ???
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Michaelsoftman

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Re: Wait, so what DO those dashes mean?
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2009, 11:34:04 pm »

They mean that those civilizations are hostile.

Not sure how it affects Adventurer mode.

Also, because of a bug, if you embark on a hostile location, they all become instantly friendly, instead of trying to murder your Dwarves instantly.
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Argonnek

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Re: Wait, so what DO those dashes mean?
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2009, 11:38:48 pm »

Only civilizations that are in an active state of war actually automatically attack each other in Adventure mode. And I, too, have sustained attacks from goblin civs and went to those same civs in Adv mode without any hostility.

illiterate

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Re: Wait, so what DO those dashes mean?
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2009, 07:41:57 am »

They mean that those civilizations are hostile.

Not sure how it affects Adventurer mode.

Also, because of a bug, if you embark on a hostile location, they all become instantly friendly, instead of trying to murder your Dwarves instantly.

that made me so sad when i found out.

when i embarked with 5 axedwarves and two miners...
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Michaelsoftman

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Re: Wait, so what DO those dashes mean?
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2009, 07:44:23 am »

They mean that those civilizations are hostile.

Not sure how it affects Adventurer mode.

Also, because of a bug, if you embark on a hostile location, they all become instantly friendly, instead of trying to murder your Dwarves instantly.

that made me so sad when i found out.

when i embarked with 5 axedwarves and two miners...

It's best to embark with 7 miners, and mine out the entire first floor of a tower, watch it smash to the ground and kill and maim whoever's inside.
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Albedo

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Re: Wait, so what DO those dashes mean?
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2009, 04:17:14 pm »

The DF equivalent of "nuking them from orbit".

I'd suggest that the red dashes imply being at war with a civilization, not a race.  So one dwarf group might be friendly, and the other actively at war.

In adventure mode, you are not (afaik) innately tied to any civ, just a race.
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Mephansteras

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Re: Wait, so what DO those dashes mean?
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2009, 04:33:06 pm »

The red lines are a hack Toady put in. Any Item or Baby stealing race will be 'hostile' to you, in that they'll send thieves, ambushes, and sieges at you. Only effects Fortress Mode, though, and only external groups. So any group you embark on will be friendly.

It's just there until he finishes up the Army arc work that'll provide real diplomacy between groups. Otherwise, you'd never have anyone to fight.
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Untelligent

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Re: Wait, so what DO those dashes mean?
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2009, 09:32:29 pm »

I see it this way: while the civilization itself isn't at war with you, there will still be "unaligned" raiding parties, ranging in size from single babysnatchers to full sieges, that come from the general direction of a nearby goblin fortress.

But yeah, it's a placeholder until Toady fixes the system.
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Time Kitten

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Re: Wait, so what DO those dashes mean?
« Reply #8 on: May 09, 2009, 01:31:48 am »

I see it this way: while the civilization itself isn't at war with you, there will still be "unaligned" raiding parties, ranging in size from single babysnatchers to full sieges, that come from the general direction of a nearby goblin fortress.
And just happen to displace the trading parties.. and by coincidence are led by site leaders?
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