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[Blaze]

If I drop magma directly on top of a goblin standing on a floor grate, will he and all his non-magma-safe equipment be vaporized or will the contact time be too short to have an effect?

Code: [Select]

P ~~~~~~~~MAGMA~~~~~~~~
U +++++FLOODGATES++++++
M =======HALLWAY=======
P #####FLOORGRATES#####
S ~~~~~~~~MAGMA~~~~~~~~


[smjjames]

I don't think they'll vaporize, but they will definetly catch on fire.

[Quietust]

What you've described is the "magma curtain", and it generally doesn't vaporize stuff instantly, instead merely setting them on fire (though if they die on one of the grates, further falling magma will eventually burn everything away).

[Skorpion]

This does, however, bear looking into. I think a container of magma above, and a floor of checkerboard floors and grates to drain magma out. You'd probably need to pump it to get a nice flow, though.

[AlienChickenPie]

If it's actually possible to ignite orcs reliably using this method, then a magma harvester would be capable of keeping bones and magma-sensitive metals. That's great news.

[BlazingDav]

Or for those of us that likes to vaporise our annoyances away *sometimes they aren't just sieges if you catch one of multiple drifts this may have*, build a bigger curtain =P or longer/wider to be precise


_ _ >   < _ _
_ >        < _
>             <
_ _ _ _ _ _ _

I.e, by making multiple levels of pumps pouring out magma goodness into space channelled out with the level below being pulled a square back you have multiple squares of laval coming down on the doomed below, managing flow rates to avoid flooding and spills would be the challenge, but this is dwarf fortress is it not?

[Grendus]

I believe this is called a magmafall. It's very dangerous to your own dwarves, as they'll path right through it at a moments notice, and extremely dangerous to other races (namely elves, who have a tendency to... ahem... not announce their arrival so the dwarves *forget* to turn it off).

It will, however, kill every kind of creature except fiery clowns and creatures from the magma tube, making it an incredibly powerful defense. And let's face it, a magmafall is very dwarvish.

[zchris13]

I prefer the magma moses.

[Blaze]

It's not a constant flow, it's a re-usable timed drop that I can refill through the use of pumps.

Code: [Select]

---------------------------
+++++^+++++^+++++^+++++^+++
+++++^+++++^+++++^+++++^+++
---------------------------
+ = floorgrate
^ = pressure plate
- = wall
Hitting a pressure plate will activate the corresponding floodgates above. The floodgates themselves have reset levers in case they're left in the open position.

I'd make it a wider hallway, but floorgrates don't support other floorgrates; which I learned the last time I tried making this :/.

[Grendus]

The odds of you timing it just right to catch the goblins under it is iffy at best, as there's a random delay between a the pressure plate and the drop. You could wire it to a lever and then pull it when sieges happened, though you'd want a good way to keep your dwarves away from it.

I still prefer curb-stomping them with hammers, but to each his own.

[Reese]

The odds of you timing it just right to catch the goblins under it is iffy at best, as there's a random delay between a the pressure plate and the drop. You could wire it to a lever and then pull it when sieges happened, though you'd want a good way to keep your dwarves away from it.

I still prefer curb-stomping them with hammers, but to each his own.

It's not random, there's a 100 step delay between pressure plate triggering and floodgates opening... no stat goblins have a speed of 10, so take 10 steps between each move or action, so should get about 9 steps after triggering a plate (more agile goblins will get farther) OTOH, the magma flow is chunkier than water, so there might be a random delay before the magma drops.

[Funk]

bewere that it takes time for a goblin to brun to death and thay will move 2x as fast strat for the beer.

[AtomicPaperclip]

I would suggest using bridges instead of floodgates, but whatever floats your boat.

[Shakma]

Or use hatches or doors and have a delay of zero.

[Sensei]

Here's how I like to do it (viewed from the side):


  %>  <%
[_<%  %>_]
+++]__[+++

_ = Floor
[+++] = Walls
%> = Pump, where the arrow is where it pumps TO

All of the top pumps (you would do this along a long area) are on one lever, and the bottom ones on another (probably on all the time). So the basins on the right and left are your permanent magma reservoir, and the bottom floor is where gobbos and elf merchants go. The beauty in two sets of pumps is you can have the area clear and safe quickly, without any 1/7 magma residue to melt goblinite or people you don't hate. For a version where the passage is three tiles wide, put magma-proof floor grates all the way down the middle of the road.