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[assimilateur]

I've started a couple of dwarf characters using different types of weapons, and it seemed to me that short swords were vastly superior to other melee weapons (save maybe axes, since I hadn't tried those out yet).

Am I missing something here, or were your experiences similar? I found swords to very easily amputate limbs or otherwise incapacitate the enemy, very often scoring a mortal blow even on the first strike. Compared to those, blunt weapons were rather boring (I didn't really appreciate all the "explodes into gore" stuff, even though the concept of breaking bones vs slashing limbs appeals to me), and spears were a bit problematic because of becoming stuck all the time.

[cerapa]

Reality is unbalanced.

I fail to see a point.

[piecewise]

I've started a couple of dwarf characters using different types of weapons, and it seemed to me that short swords were vastly superior to other melee weapons (save maybe axes, since I hadn't tried those out yet).

Am I missing something here, or were your experiences similar? I found swords to very easily amputate limbs or otherwise incapacitate the enemy, very often scoring a mortal blow even on the first strike. Compared to those, blunt weapons were rather boring (I didn't really appreciate all the "explodes into gore" stuff, even though the concept of breaking bones vs slashing limbs appeals to me), and spears were a bit problematic because of becoming stuck all the time.

if you look here
http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=36215.0

you'll find an extensive guide of weapons, damage types and their usages.  I'll copy pasta a bit for you.

2. Combat.
a. The weapons
Weapons are basically divided into ax, sword, spear, pike, mace, whip, bow and hammer, with various versions of these taking up the gray area.  Swords are your jack of all trades weapon, doing reasonable slashing damage. They come in short, long and two handed varieties, with the two handed doing the most damage and the short doing the least. Axes are similar to swords and do slashing damage as well. They come in 3 types, battle ax, great ax and halberd.  The battle ax does slightly less damage then the long sword while the halberd does the same damage as a two-handed sword. The Great ax is generally too large to use, but it does slightly more then the halberd in damage. The spear does piercing damage and is ideal for damaging internal organs and causing heavy bleeding and unconsciousness. It has no variations. The spear is much more likely to become stuck in its target, which can be a great benefit if used right and a curse if not. The Pike is, for all intents and purposes, the same as a spear. The mace and the hammer are generally the same thing, simply a big metal thing to club your enemies over the head.  As expected, they do high damage but their bludgeoning attacks tend to be slower and less effective , if more hilarious, ways to dispatch your foes. The Maul, a hammer, is the highest damaging weapon in the game. The last weapon is the whip, which does gore damage. Its relatively weak but has its uses. The bow throws arrows, which act as tiny spears. Basically, a bow and crossbow is like having a very slow, long range spear. 

b. Weapon Tactics.
Sword: Once again, your general fall back weapon. It’s good against almost everything, if not being that great against almost anything. Works well against both living and non-living enemies as it actively dismembers them.

Ax: Pretty much the same as a sword, though some people believe it hacks off limbs more commonly. Good against organics, acceptable against anything else.

Spear/Pike: Ok, here’s where we get a little bit more advanced. The spear is most effective against organic creatures because of two abilities, pierce damage and stick ins. Piercing damage does major harm to internal organs, causing pain, bleeding, vomiting, unconsciousness and death. Stick-ins are when the weapon becomes stuck in the target, allowing it to be twisted. Twisting increases bleeding and causes extreme pain. Because of these two factors spears and pikes are ideal for single combat against organic targets. The are less effective against multiple enemies (because of the stick-ins lowering kill-to-turn ratios) and are even less effective against non-organic enemies (ie bronze colossus).

Mace/hammer: These weapons rely on their ability to turn your opponent into a tasty pulp through repeated wacking. They break bones and bruise flesh, meaning that aside from a critical hit they generally are less likely to mortal wounds quickly. They are great for crippling organics and non-organics alike, but when it comes to a swift, efficient death they are generally less then perfect. The exception to this is high strength and mace/hammer skill which allows for instant head crushing. 

Whip: The whip uses gore damage, which is similar to a cross between slash and pierce. It can cut off limbs but is more likely to slice up organs and cause extreme pain and bleeding. A few hits will generally render an opponent unconscious and perhaps even badly injured enough to eventually bleed to death. However, the whip is a slow outright killer, sometimes needing dozens of blows to actually finish its target.

Bow (and arrows): Arrows are much like spears, because of their piercing damage and all the benefits it has. The benefits it has however are its range and its ability to target multiple enemies.  They are most effective against organic targets. You, unfortunately, are organic, which makes archers one of your biggest problems.

[assimilateur]

Reality is unbalanced.

I fail to see a point.

I wasn't making a point, I was asking if I had maybe missed some advantages of those other weapons.


piecewise:

You see, I don't think that I agree with some of those things in your guide. For example, in my experience swords were, in fact, great, not just good. Also, they are hilarious weapons since almost every enemy is missing several limbs until I'm finished with them. And for things like gobbos or elves the trauma of a single amputation is usually so overpowering that the fight is already over while there's still time for torture.

[Evil One]

On the note of damage types, does anyone know what the differences are(besides wording) between Burn and Heat based damage?

[piecewise]

Technically anything is great against organic targets, they tend to pass out and bleed to death at the drop of a hat. I was looking at a overall combat assesment, including creatures that don't care if you hack them apart. Swords are good against almost anything, but they're nothing insanely special. They're a jack of all trades, but when it comes to fighting a BC or Fireman they're not exactly a godkiller. 

On the note of damage types, does anyone know what the differences are(besides wording) between Burn and Heat based damage?

I believe, at least in my experience, that heat is a quicker killer. Burn seems to be like a weird combo of blunt and slash, that does crippling damage up until it simply removes the limb. Heat, in my experience, seems to just burn you up near instantly.

[Evil One]

seems to just burn you up near instantly.

Damn I was hoping that one of them would cause a victim to ignite.

[piecewise]

seems to just burn you up near instantly.

Damn I was hoping that one of them would cause a victim to ignite.

You're looking for the [immolate] tag

[assimilateur]

Well, my praise for swords was based on my limited experience where I only fought organics. If you say that there are better weapons against collossi and such, then I won't argue since I have yet to meet one.

It was just the way I was hacking people to bits with my sword, even quadruple-amputating some of them, and very often landing a mortal blow on the first strike, that made me think piercing and blunt weapons had to be inferior to slashing ones.

[Evil One]

You're looking for the [immolate] tag

Doesn't seem to work for a player controlled race.

[Footkerchief]

You're looking for the [immolate] tag

Doesn't that just set barrels and other items on fire though?

[piecewise]

You're looking for the [immolate] tag

Doesn't that just set barrels and other items on fire though?

according to the wiki it sets anything on fire. And even if it only set objects on fire those objects can set people on fire.