Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Hyndis]

Due to my unfortunate lack of nobles to bravely explore the uncharted depths, I have begin a new approach.

As you all know by now, the depths are full of cave spiders. Cats love to chase and kill cave spiders along with other vermin.

I also do not want to waste useful dwarves on finding out that there is a giant cave spider in the next cavern.

So I have resorted to using brave feline explorers.

Any kittens and cats, as soon as they are spotted, will be thrown into the underworld. The fall is small enough that they will survive unharmed.

There is no route back until I am satisfied that it is safe and my military and masons can properly fortify and secure it.

Once there, the brave feline explorers happily chase spiders and olms all around the underworld, mapping every chasm for me. They also alert me to the movements of any forgotten beasts,

[Myroc]

Finally, a use for all those cats!

(Save for as a renewable source of food.)

[Hyndis]

I'm also using the automatic vermin => coke reaction, so not only does it solve the problem of vermin not rotting, but the cats are actually productive members of the fortress, helpfully fueling my metal working industries.

[CrossBolt]

But cats are in leauge with the elves! they would lie about everything!

[userpay]

I'm also using the automatic vermin => coke reaction, so not only does it solve the problem of vermin not rotting, but the cats are actually productive members of the fortress, helpfully fueling my metal working industries.

Oh thats a good idea, care to post the reaction?

[Kagus]

Huh, cave cats...   That's a very interesting and clever idea.  Well done, good sir.

Heck, I'd suggest this for the wiki.

[Pickled Tink]

Finally, a use for all those cats!

What do you mean "Finally"? I've been tethering early warning kittens about the map for ages. Goblin ambushers cannot resist killing these poor helpless kittens, which is great because it lets me get my woodcutters back inside and the floodgate fort doors closed before the goblins get there.

This is an excellent use of cats. I heartily approve of this advance in the use of our expendable feline friends. Survivors win a trip to the butcher shop.

Another use for kittens was throwing them into the hidden fun stuff in 40d to find out just what kind of hidden fun stuff I was dealing with.

[Coidzure Dreams]

^: Pinkled Tink: Yeah, this release just greatly expanded the ways and places one could do it in, which is pretty sweet. 

Huh, cave cats...   That's a very interesting and clever idea.  Well done, good sir.

Heck, I'd suggest this for the wiki.

I second this motion.

Hmm...  I'm trying to think of other good approaches to this sort of thing now.  Blanking out, but trying.  Don't think any other animals would be expendable enough for semi-suicidal recon. Or quick-reproducing enough.  There's probably some which are just badass enough to do it by roaming through and killing everything, but those might be reserved for guarding the entrances to the fortress.

[Kagus]

The main benefit of using cats (as I see it) is the VERMINHUNTER tag.  This means that, instead of just sitting around and waiting, the cats will actively seek out and slaughter small vermin.  This will indirectly cause them to explore the vast reaches of the underground as they start looking for more critters to pounce on.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

Heh. Now I'm thinking some vermin should have a poison blood/gas syndrome attached to them that only effects cats... you'll only realize you have the vermin when you start noticing all your cats' tails rotting off, or something...

[Kagus]

Heh. Now I'm thinking some vermin should have a poison blood/gas syndrome attached to them that only effects cats... you'll only realize you have the vermin when you start noticing all your cats' tails rotting off, or something...

Huh...   So that's what happened to Scamps.

I never knew.

[PopeRichardCorey]

This is a great idea.  I know it's been said, but it's  great idea.  You have to hope it doesn't lead to tantrums, though.

[Rumrusher]

wait this is all good until your cat finds a cat version of him/her self down there and bomb demxplodsion and your fort gets over run with twisted breeds of cats adopting them selves into your fort and breaking your buildings on accident.

[Earthquake Damage]

Cats aren't the only possible animal explorers.  Have none of you noticed that tame animals tend to congregate in meeting zones?  So not only can you drop cats into the depths as automated explorers, but you can drop mules and other useless critters as semi-guided explorers.

[monk12]

And lets not forget hurling kittens into magma pipes to see whats on the bottom!