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[Rude]

Marksmendwarfs are impressively capable even with wooden bolts.
Even if I don't start with crossbows first (usually axes first) they are still the first to get to elites.
The problem with marksmendwarfs is keeping them supplied. They never seem to carry enough bolts and running out can mean a trip all the way back to stockpile or your unarmored elite's charging pikes.

Material for x-bows DOES matter, but not for shooting. Bashing things with a wooden sword is almost pointless (unless its for the xp or the lulz) and bashing things with a wooden crossbow is also almost pointless. However, I've noticed that even copper or iron crossbows make very poor melee weapons.

[agatharchides]

My only combat experience with marksdwarves was pretty frustrating so I have been avoiding them. Basically I ordered them into a pillbox I had made for the purpose when we were raided. The first time none of them had bolts or were right next to the fortifications so they charged, which lead to loosing 3 of them. I would have lost them all if the caravan hadn't happened to be right here. Next time I locked them into the pillbox. Still nobody did anything but sit around. Next time one guy actually shot his 4 bone training bolts into a goblin which crippled him pretty effectively, but only 2 of my 7 had any bolts handy and none were metal even though I had bunches of wood and metal ones.

So yeah. I haven't had much luck with getting them to use the right bolts or any bolts, but when they do they seem pretty brutal. If 3 bone bolts can cripple a goblin it would be pretty devastating if you actually got 5 guys shooting steel bolts.

[Ibid Straydrink]

For practicality, I reccomend only using marksmen at an isolated distance, i.e. guard towers with locked downward hatches or behind fortifications on the other side of your moat. Sending them in is reckless if you're conerned at all. If you want ranged access to the entire map, build a network of tunnels leading to various outposts.

[Greep]

Well keeping them supplied shouldn't be too hard.  Just keep ammo literally at the site where you want them to defend.  Btw, were you using kill orders agatharchides?  Or were they just stationed somewhere.

[agatharchides]

The bolts were 3 z levels down the stairs in the barracks, not right next to them but hardly inaccessible either. I never tried kill orders though, I just stationed them.

[Kian]

When building a bridge, should I have the bridge overlap the land at the edges of the chasm, or can you make it 'float' over the chasm, by simply continuing the ground without stepping on it. So should I use

A:

Code: [Select]

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or B:

Code: [Select]

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...|xxxx|...
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[agatharchides]

Both work fine IIRC.

[proxn_punkd]

I've not played much of .19 yet, but from what I understand there's a glitch whereby wild poultry will flock to any nestboxes.

Birds aren't grazers, right? So, theoretically, I could build a birdhouse full of cage traps and nestboxes, and collect and hoard turkeys? I always seem to end up a compulsive animal hoarder in DF, so this is relevant to my interests.

[bobhayes]

Will an island embark EVER attract sieges, or will it just be the occasional titan/fb?

[FuzzyZergling]

I've not played much of .19 yet, but from what I understand there's a glitch whereby wild poultry will flock to any nestboxes.

Birds aren't grazers, right? So, theoretically, I could build a birdhouse full of cage traps and nestboxes, and collect and hoard turkeys? I always seem to end up a compulsive animal hoarder in DF, so this is relevant to my interests.

Yes, this works.

Will an island embark EVER attract sieges, or will it just be the occasional titan/fb?

You may get some in the winter, If your ocean freezes over.
I could be wrong.

[Ibid Straydrink]

I've not played much of .19 yet, but from what I understand there's a glitch whereby wild poultry will flock to any nestboxes.

Birds aren't grazers, right? So, theoretically, I could build a birdhouse full of cage traps and nestboxes, and collect and hoard turkeys? I always seem to end up a compulsive animal hoarder in DF, so this is relevant to my interests.

Yes, this works.

Will an island embark EVER attract sieges, or will it just be the occasional titan/fb?

You may get some in the winter, If your ocean freezes over.
I could be wrong.

You are wrong.

Embarks such as islands and isolated valley will never attract invasions, unless you can "bridge" them by filling all of the local tiles between the area in question and a goblin inhabited area with a site (i.e., an abandoned fort). Naturally, most islands are dozens of local tiles apart, and mountain ranges equally as dense, often making this strategy impossible.

[Greep]

well I've officially given up on the whole crossbows thing.  Things went fine, but when I made a second archery raneg for the squad to train at, they stopped training.  FOREVER.  Nothing made them train ever again.  They would constantly get "going to archery practice, and then IMMEDAITELY back to no job.  It might also be because they ran out of ammo and never got any more for no reason.

[Ibid Straydrink]

well I've officially given up on the whole crossbows thing.  Things went fine, but when I made a second archery raneg for the squad to train at, they stopped training.  FOREVER.  Nothing made them train ever again.  They would constantly get "going to archery practice, and then IMMEDAITELY back to no job.  It might also be because they ran out of ammo and never got any more for no reason.

My first markdwarves enter service at the time that the first siege comes within range of our gates, or fall into the moat. This is how you train marksdwarves.

[tolkafox]

Raw mussel (4) yields mussel (4) yet only one mussel shell? Is this intentional, or a bug?

Four mussels living in one shell :/

[Sphalerite]

It's a bug.  Processing a stack of mussel or turtle yields only one shell.