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[Sensei]

Two related suggestions I thought should be shared. Yes, I did my best to search for them.

A) Make wordgen rivers (and brooks?) have ramps, all along their course. This is far more realistic to how most real rivers are, making them have a bank instead of a sheer drop-off. Now that we're simulating banks, it would make it far easier (possible) for a dwarf fallen in a river to get out.

B) Make Swimming a labor you can enable or disable. If it is disabled, dwarves will avoid water if at all possible like they do now. If enabled, they will path through water that will not cause them to panic. If they have no swimming skill, they will train on the riverbanks.

B2) Make swimming pools a designatable area, like piles and traffic, as well as a "prefer swimming pools/only use swimming pools" option in the orders screen. This way they won't train with the carp if they have swimming enabled.

[Grendus]

Not a bad suggestion. Perhaps in warm climates dwarves might treat swimming zones as meeting areas, or perhaps you could heat underground water for them to practice in.

[Pilsu]

Would you swim across a river just because it's a little faster than taking a detour?

Swimming should only be used if no there's no alternative.

[Sensei]

I would imagine that pathing had also ought to count for whether it's faster to swim or use the bridge, even if it's shorter. And there are traffic zones if you have carp or something- just make your restricted areas count for 9001 tiles or whatever.

Anyway, swimming because it's faster seems very dwarfy.

[QuakeIV]

I would imagine that pathing had also ought to count for whether it's faster to swim or use the bridge, even if it's shorter. And there are traffic zones if you have carp or something- just make your restricted areas count for 9001 tiles or whatever.

Anyway, swimming because it's faster seems very dwarfy.

Maybe they should not want to swim for various reasons such as the river is too deep, too wide, too fast, just to make swimming more of a temporary measure so players still have to make a bridge in some cases.

[Granite26]

Or when water covering causes an unhappy thought

[Felblood]

Would you swim across a river just because it's a little faster than taking a detour?

Depends on the river, personally.

Granted, dwarves aren't smart enough to tell the difference, so they should use the bridge whenever possible, but this is more about making the limitations of the game less obtrusive, with a minor cost, rather than making the game totally realistic.

[ManaUser]

A) Make wordgen rivers (and brooks?) have ramps, all along their course. This is far more realistic to how most real rivers are, making them have a bank instead of a sheer drop-off. Now that we're simulating banks, it would make it far easier (possible) for a dwarf fallen in a river to get out.

Good idea, though maybe not for all rivers, for instance rivers in rocky ground might logically have steep sides, while rivers in soil probably wouldn't. Pools would most often have sloped sides too I would think, though again there could be exceptions.

[Fossaman]

Remember that the skill system applies to non-dwarf species as well. This would be wonderful for a semi-aquatic species (otter-men or something, for example). You might even be able to work in things like pearl-diving (which is on the dev-list!).

[Grendus]

Would you swim across a river just because it's a little faster than taking a detour?

Swimming should only be used if no there's no alternative.

Swimming could be considered 5 steps or even 10 compared to the 2 your average step is. Dwarves wouldn't swim across the river if they had a bridge right next to them, but they might if the bridge is on the opposite side of the map.

Weight might play a factor as well. A dwarf hauling something heavy wouldn't try to swim for fear of sinking, while a dwarf hauling, say, a barrel might. For the default, dwarves hauling or wearing armor wouldn't try to swim.

[Derakon]

If you want to change the weight of water vs. bridges, then the proper way to do it is with path weights, as Grendus was indirectly implying. Just automatically designate all river tiles as low-traffic and you're set.

[Sensei]

"Just as likely to jump off a bridge as to walk across it."

[Silverionmox]

Anyway, swimming because it's faster seems very dwarfy.

Their short limbs and stocky build make sure it isn't. Seems more something for elves and humans.

Anyway, swimming should be one of the skills trained in the military.

Will it be possible to require to require your civilians to train up to a certain level in military skills? That would fit neatly.

[Pilsu]

How do you swim while hauling a barrel? Scratch that, how do you swim while holding a stone statue?

[Vattic]

How do you swim while hauling a barrel? Scratch that, how do you swim while holding a stone statue?

Part of dwarven swimming lessons requires them to dive to the bottom, while fully dressed, and rescue a Gypsum statue.

On a more serious note I'd like to see dwarves not simply sink to the bottom of bodies of water and allowing them to swim makes sense. You could allow creatures, including dwarves, to climb out of pools and other water like you can in adventure mode, I do like the idea of ramped banks for rivers though as right now they are more like canals when it comes to their steep sides.