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[KharBevNor]

Has anyone suggested beached whales?

Imagine the boon to a seaside fortress when a whale washes up on their beach. Dwarves scurry before it rots to harvest the hundreds of units of meat, fat, bone and ambergris. You can keep your driftwood! Should be one of those rare events that just happens every now and then as a pleasant surprise.

Then again, imagine the horror in fortress next to the haunted sea, when a zombie whale washes up on the beach and begins worming inexorably through the sand towards them.

Of course, if ships are fully implemented, it goes without saying that we need to be able to skip the beach and fit out dwarven whaling expeditions.

[SirHoneyBadger]

I don't think anyone's suggested it yet...but then we've already got zombie whales in the game. I don't see any reason whales and other cetaceans shouldn't occasionally beach themselves, but it seems almost a little anti-climatic...

I think some work should be put in to developing a fully functioning and (atleast somewhat) sensical ecosystem, with proper consideration given to the role of magic, and magical beings of all kinds, and how they fit into the "big picture".

That's rarely ever done in a truly comprehensive fashion, in a fantasy scenario. It would be terrific if DF ended up going the extra mile in that direction. 

[Internet Kraken]

Has anyone suggested beached whales?

Imagine the boon to a seaside fortress when a whale washes up on their beach. Dwarves scurry before it rots to harvest the hundreds of units of meat, fat, bone and ambergris. You can keep your driftwood! Should be one of those rare events that just happens every now and then as a pleasant surprise.

Then again, imagine the horror in fortress next to the haunted sea, when a zombie whale washes up on the beach and begins worming inexorably through the sand towards them.

Of course, if ships are fully implemented, it goes without saying that we need to be able to skip the beach and fit out dwarven whaling expeditions.

This already happens. A line of code in the sea nettle jellyfish and whale creature raws says that there is a chance for them to beach occasionally. I've never seen it happen though, as it seems quite rare.

[SirHoneyBadger]

I didn't know it was there, but I can't say I'm surprised. Dwarf Fortress isn't so much a game, as it is a box of wonders.

[mLegion]

It would be nice to simulate tides by having the top 1-10 edge of map ocean tiles be infinite water sources/drains alternatively each season allowing you to build something at low tide and have it submerged at high tide.

[SirHoneyBadger]

It would be nice to simulate tides by having the top 1-10 edge of map ocean tiles be infinite water sources/drains alternatively each season allowing you to build something at low tide and have it submerged at high tide.

Yes...but...infinite...salt water... 

Probably make for a better food source than anything. You could build tidal pools, and also harness the sea salt, whenever we get proper food preservation.

Not to mention, tides would become an incentive for harbours, thus impacting trade. Dwarfs running a busy port would be interesting, to say the least.

Ports lead to fees and taxes, which in turn lead to piracy and smuggling.

Ur

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

ist

beard the pirate? Yes please.

Tidal power is another possibility. Tide mills, and the like.

Decanting the fresh water from the brine would be possible, ofcourse, but not necessarily very easy, or efficient, with the given technology.

[Andeerz]

ooooh!  Me gots a suggestion!  I don't think anyone suggested this yet on this thread:

Anemones.  They of course wouldn't be plants, but they could maybe fall under that category as they are generally not terribly mobile.  Tide pools could contain them and they could feed off of small fish fry, shrimp, etc.  All anemones (AFAIK) have venom and nematocysts, though most anemones one could encounter in a tide pool would not be harmful.  However, fitting with the fantasy nature of the game, there could be an occasional giant and/or dangerous one that could pose a threat to larger entities like dwarves and the like.  Anemones could also provide an interesting source of venom.

Also, if this hasn't been suggested yet, venomous sea snails.  Though small, sea snails contain some of the most potent and diverse venoms in the animal kingdom.  They also have some of the most interesting methods of hunting and ingesting prey, ever.  Check them out!

[Artanis00]

ooooh!  Me gots a suggestion!  I don't think anyone suggested this yet on this thread:

Anemones.  They of course wouldn't be plants, but they could maybe fall under that category as they are generally not terribly mobile.  Tide pools could contain them and they could feed off of small fish fry, shrimp, etc.  All anemones (AFAIK) have venom and nematocysts, though most anemones one could encounter in a tide pool would not be harmful.  However, fitting with the fantasy nature of the game, there could be an occasional giant and/or dangerous one that could pose a threat to larger entities like dwarves and the like.  Anemones could also provide an interesting source of venom.

Also, if this hasn't been suggested yet, venomous sea snails.  Though small, sea snails contain some of the most potent and diverse venoms in the animal kingdom.  They also have some of the most interesting methods of hunting and ingesting prey, ever.  Check them out!

Wikipedia: nametocyst -> kleptoplasty -> solar-powered sea slugs.

New creature idea.

[Andeerz]

Wikipedia: nametocyst -> kleptoplasty -> solar-powered sea slugs.

New creature idea.

Hell to the yeah!!!

Elysia chlorotica for the win!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysia_chlorotica

[Andeerz]

Also:

I think some work should be put in to developing a fully functioning and (atleast somewhat) sensical ecosystem, with proper consideration given to the role of magic, and magical beings of all kinds, and how they fit into the "big picture".

That's rarely ever done in a truly comprehensive fashion, in a fantasy scenario. It would be terrific if DF ended up going the extra mile in that direction. 

Win.  Totally with ya there... perhaps looking at SimLife and SimEarth would give some nice ideas.  SimLife is pretty darn awesome at modeling this stuff given the computers it was designed to run in at the time.  Toady, as a mathemagician mathematician, might have access to some pretty cool literature on the matter of making mathematical models of predator/prey relationships and ecosystems and the like.

[SirHoneyBadger]

Wikipedia: nametocyst -> kleptoplasty -> solar-powered sea slugs.

New creature idea.

Hell to the yeah!!!

Elysia chlorotica for the win!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysia_chlorotica

Wouldn't it be cool if we could just like grab an arm off a bear, whenever we needed a bear arm? "Hey mr bear, really need your arm right now, k?" *rip*

[Siquo]

Wouldn't it be cool if we could just like grab an arm off a bear, whenever we needed a bear arm? "Hey mr bear, really need your arm right now, k?" *rip*

Invoking the right to bear bear arms.

[sonerohi]

Now that diseases are in, a re-do of the colored glaciers seems good. Some colorations would be due to a water-borne bacteria strain freezing, rather than just little critters. Cue it melting and unleashing a long forgotten plague on your fortress.

[Heron TSG]

Wow, I must be precognitive. I went back to check some of my old threads and I find that this one has been necromancer'd. I personally don't have the time to constantly update a thread like this at the moment, but if someone wants I can give them the first post's text (including tables and such.).

[CobaltKobold]

Wow, I must be precognitive. I went back to check some of my old threads and I find that this one has been necromancer'd. I personally don't have the time to constantly update a thread like this at the moment, but if someone wants I can give them the first post's text (including tables and such.).

This is a good offer, but...so can the quote button.