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[DrJonez]

So I was thinking about how cool it would be to have more machinery in DF. Dwarves are generally considered to be pretty mechanically proficient, and it'd be pretty cool if you could build various things with that knowledge.

What I'm suggesting is an entire system to make machinery. For instance, you could have a mill that grinds wheat into flour. You build the mill, but it can't be used until you hook it up to some sort of power source. If you're outside, perhaps you could build a windmill, and then connect the windmill to the grinder to power it, and then you can grind flour. Another option for generating "power" (not electricity, just mechanical power) would be a water wheel you could place in a river or stream. Even better beyond that would be allowing us to construct boilers (which would need water and fuel) that produce steam, and then being able to dig some sort of channel or build a pipe to carry that steam to various bits of machinery/traps/whatever to use it. It would also be fun to be able to build things like robots that could haul rocks, or mine, or protect your fortress. I'd like to see them as something special as opposed to something you'd have 10 of in your fortress, so perhaps the materials required to build a "robot" would be fairly difficult and/or expensive to acquire. They'd also be a bit quirky, not always working quite right and generally being a little odd. I'm imagining more the jumble of parts stuck together that sorta work type of robot as opposed to some big fancy futuristic looking thing, considering this is fantasy after all   This would also create a necessity for several new skills/jobs pertaining to the various buildings you'd need to do this.

Anyone else like my idea?  

[ September 10, 2007: Message edited by: DrJonez ]

[Fishersalwaysdie]

quote:Originally posted by DrJonez:
<STRONG>So I was thinking about how cool it would be to have more machinery in DF. Dwarves are generally considered to be pretty mechanically proficient, and it'd be pretty cool if you could build various things with that knowledge.

Sounds good.

quote:
What I'm suggesting is an entire system to make machinery. For instance, you could have a mill that grinds wheat into flour. You build the mill, but it can't be used until you hook it up to some sort of power source.

yes...

quote: If you're outside, perhaps you could build a windmill, and then connect the windmill to the grinder to power it, and then you can grind flour. Another option for generating "power" (not electricity, just mechanical power) would be a water wheel you could place in a river or stream.

Hell yeah!

quote:
Even better beyond that would be allowing us to construct boilers (which would need water and fuel) that produce steam

no...

quote:, and then being able to dig some sort of channel or build a pipe to carry that steam to various bits of machinery/traps/whatever to use it.

no...  

quote: It would also be fun to be able to build things like robots that could haul rocks, or mine, or protect your fortress.

No!

quote: I'd like to see them as something special as opposed to something you'd have 10 of in your fortress, so perhaps the materials required to build a "robot" would be fairly difficult and/or expensive to acquire. This would also create a necessity for several new skills/jobs pertaining to the various buildings you'd need to do this.

Nooooooooooooooooooo...oo!

quote:

Anyone else like my idea?   </STRONG>

Kinda.

[Shankist]

I honestly think that steam and all those other powering ideas are pretty badass.  The robot needs to go, though.  Yay I just rhymed.

[Grungy Dwarf]

I'm fairly sure that it's been suggested before. Some people are strongly against it, so I think that It'd be nice if we were able to choose technological (and magical) level available to our world upon world generation (it's also been suggested afaik   ).

Personally I like the idea to have steam and gunpowder in my fortress. I have two words to back it up: STEAM TANK baby .

[BurnedToast]

what would be beyond cool is if you had an inventor profession, and he sat around and invented these things. It should take a really long time (at least a decade if not longer!) but once you get them, the technology should slowly spread around the world and be usable in future fortresses.

That way all you naysayers can have your stupid stone age dwarves by just not building inventors, and I can have steam tanks and dwarven riflemen, and the original poster can have his robots.

[Bricktop]

One option would be that if there was both Steam and Magic in... but in you're fortress you could only choose one. So you could have Dwarves with Wizards and Alchemists or Dwarves with Inventors and Scientists...

[Felix the Cat]

quote:Originally posted by Bricktop:
<STRONG>One option would be that if there was both Steam and Magic in... but in you're fortress you could only choose one. So you could have Dwarves with Wizards and Alchemists or Dwarves with Inventors and Scientists...</STRONG>

And that's realistic... how?

I agree completely with Fishersalwaysdie on his analysis. No freaking robots of any sort, mechanical or magical.   :roll:

[Tamren]

DF is a bit young yet to turn into Dungeons and Dragons or a Steampunk game.

Not to say that sort of thing wouldnt be fun in the future  

[Captain Mayday]

What about Golems? They're already in the game, and seem a sufficiently dwarvey thing to have. Golems are powered by Rune-magic, supposedly, which is traditionally a dwarven forte.

[AlanL]

If you want steampunk tech really bad, you could try modding it in. Although, more modding options would be needed to make it convincing.

[Tamren]

quote:Originally posted by Mayday:
<STRONG>What about Golems? They're already in the game, and seem a sufficiently dwarvey thing to have. Golems are powered by Rune-magic, supposedly, which is traditionally a dwarven forte.</STRONG>

Runes are a tad cliche, but lets face it so are all the other options of explaining golems. Obviously they exist in the DF universe and when killed leave behind an inert statue.

They would be handy to have around thats for sure  . Problem is limiting them so they are not too "easy". That said even having slow but untiring labour to help build our grand dreams, especially in light of the new Z levels, would be very handy.

[Fishersalwaysdie]

Maybe if magic was radioactive in a way and having golems could give your dwarves cancer and make your farm plots infertile for good.
That would be a penalty heavy enough to stop you from building hundreds of golems.

[Tamren]

Tom Bombadil cancels harvest crops, mushrooms have achieved sentience, and gunpowder.

[ September 11, 2007: Message edited by: Tamren ]

[mickel]

I like the steam and other machinery stuff, I've left suggestions to that effect a couple of times I think. It seems to be a subject that divides people, and personally I think magic robots and whatnot is a bit too outlandish. At least for a vanilla dwarf game... But having stuff like that selectable either from init files, or - which is preferrable - from in game when you generate a world, sounds like a fun idea.

I know I'd give steam/magic powered dwarven exoskeletons a whirl, given the chance. Of course, the other cultures would have to have comparable tech.

[Grungy Dwarf]

quote: quote:Originally posted by Bricktop:
   One option would be that if there was both Steam and Magic in... but in you're fortress you could only choose one. So you could have Dwarves with Wizards and Alchemists or Dwarves with Inventors and Scientists...

And that's realistic... how?

I agree completely with Fishersalwaysdie on his analysis. No freaking robots of any sort, mechanical or magical.

I know what you mean Felix. In my country you don't have to choose between magic and technology, you can use both . But seriously, how realistic are dwarves, elves, dragons etc. ?

I don't quite remember what's Toady's view on this subject, but I think that technological advancement is vital for creating a believable world (it could always be optional).