Print

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

[DarthCloakedDwarf]

I am probably the most military-incompetant person ever, and can't stop anything bigger than a hoary marmot from utterly crushing my fort. So, instead of killing them with axes and arrows, I've decided to defeat sieges and thieves by blocking enemy paths, keeping them outside until they get bored and go home. It's pretty easy against anything that's on land. However, giant bats, which goblins love to ride, complicate matters.

So, I have a few questions.

1: Can flying creatures path in a vertical diagonal fashion? IE, can they path through this (side view) :
_#
#_

2: Will a mounted demon lawgiver on a giant bat path like a giant bat or like a demon lawgiver, or some horrifying combination (ie, will they act like they have BUILDINGDESTROYER_2 and seek out my hatches?)

3: Will a mounted demon lawgiver trigger traps?

4: If a mounted demon lawgiver triggers a cage trap, will both be affected?

5: How can I wall off a fortress from these guys and still be able to let in merchants?

[HAMMERMILL]

Just construct an above ground structure with a roof to cover the entrance to your fort.

You can build ramps that go up to the roof outside of the building so you can build a roof without needing any hatches.

Also:

1. No idea what that means.
2. Quite likely
3. No, traps don't work on demons/FB/Titans
4. Probably just the rider or mount that doesn't have the [trap avoid] tag would get caught while one or the other runs through.
5. Yes. Build a drawbridge wide enough for them to come into and put your trade depot indoors. Keep the drawbridge down untill whatever horrible thing comes along then raise it. Building destroyers only destroy drawbridges if you try to drop the bridge on them.

[Scruga]

Just construct an above ground structure with a roof to cover the entrance to your fort.

You can build ramps that go up to the roof outside of the building so you can build a roof without needing any hatches.

now how about them traderfolks?

magma/water airlock?

[Noble Digger]

I was attacked by mounted elves (riding Horses) at Bustnut, but I don't remember how they handled cage traps. If both creatures were inside the same trap or if they got trapped separately, etc. Maybe they just dismounted upon being discovered in ambush, I forget.

[Psieye]

I think there's 2 pieces of information I've read you need:
1) Flying building destroyers can't destroy stuff directly above their heads, so locked hatches can't be destroyed from below.
2) A raised drawbridge is invincible to everything including your own dwarves.

I've not tested them directly as I tend to avoid the problem entirely while I get my military up - I embark away from Evil Savage areas so I don't have to deal with flying undead building destroyers.

[DarthCloakedDwarf]

I think there's 2 pieces of information I've read you need:
1) Flying building destroyers can't destroy stuff directly above their heads, so locked hatches can't be destroyed from below.
2) A raised drawbridge is invincible to everything including your own dwarves.

I've not tested them directly as I tend to avoid the problem entirely while I get my military up - I embark away from Evil Savage areas so I don't have to deal with flying undead building destroyers.

I stay away from Evil zones too-- the problem I'm having is a fire-breathing goblin lawgiver who likes to participate in sieges and ride on giant bats.

#2 is helpful info... #1... well, not so much.

[Gus Smedstad]

3. No, traps don't work on demons/FB/Titans

Many titans do not have the trap_avoid flag.  I've captured quite a few in cage traps.  In particular, cage traps are absolutely required to deal with the inevitable early Bronze Colossus.  I always get those, they get damaged but not killed by a dozen strikes by steel discs, and can thoroughly mash up a steel-equipped military.  A single cage trap will neutralize one, though.

Forgotten Beasts do seem to be invariably immune to traps.

 - Gus

[DarthCloakedDwarf]

3. No, traps don't work on demons/FB/Titans

Many titans do not have the trap_avoid flag.  I've captured quite a few in cage traps.  In particular, cage traps are absolutely required to deal with the inevitable early Bronze Colossus.  I always get those, they get damaged but not killed by a dozen strikes by steel discs, and can thoroughly mash up a steel-equipped military.  A single cage trap will neutralize one, though.

Forgotten Beasts do seem to be invariably immune to traps.

 - Gus

Thanks! That's helpful info... I think I have a design now.

D=Depot
_=Floor
#=Wall
/\=Ramps
F=Floodgate
ò=Lever
Z=temporary scaffold

Code: [Select]

Z___________ 
Z#_X_____X_# 
Z FXDDDDDXF 
Z/#X__ò__X#\_


[CognitiveDissonance]

If you're thinking safety, think German bunkers
http://image04.webshots.com/4/5/12/46/54351246UsDvFX_fs.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/3375645563_4ec2b9529d.jpg

As such, only have a narrow entrance, protected either by a drawbridge, or a small stockpile of blocks - that way, you can build 3-wide wall in no time.

[DarthCloakedDwarf]

If you're thinking safety, think German bunkers
http://image04.webshots.com/4/5/12/46/54351246UsDvFX_fs.jpg

As such, only have a narrow entrance, protected either by a drawbridge, or a small stockpile of blocks - that way, you can build 3-wide wall in no time.

403 Forbidden. You don't have permission to access /4/5/12/46/54351246UsDvFX_fs.jpg on this server.

[CognitiveDissonance]

Better?

[DarthCloakedDwarf]

Yes, that's nice, but it doesn't addess the issues of the following: How do I get my dwarves off the roof? How do I let traders in?

I think my drawing does.

Still, yep, that's a bunker all right.

[Eric Blank]

I can confirm that drawbridges are no longer invincible when raised. I had a fort protected by a pair and closed them in a dragon attack. The dragon just knocked them down (after killing my early warning kitten) and proceeded to make delicious toasted dorf jerky. She also set the entire map on fire and killed the last migrant wave before they even reached the fort. 

So, defense has really boiled down to the also failurific military. Unless you want to cut off all access/rely on your dwarves to seal things off with walls just in time (a horrible idea, but your best bet at survival.)

[Bronze Dog]

I've got a few drawbridge concepts and such for protecting the place against non-flying building destroyers, but all I can think to do for the flying ones is having a nearby stone or block stockpile to rapidly build a wall behind the drawbridge and hope I can convince some marksdwarves to fire from behind fortifications, which involves some unfortunate buggy behavior for this version.

For me, I'd probably end up accepting that I can't really do anything about flying destroyers and go down fighting if they show up. Given my fort concept, I'd probably make it a priority to seal an engraver on the graffiti floor and have him document the downfall of the fortress.

[DarthCloakedDwarf]

Actually, dragons do not have Trapavoid, so they're not a significant threat (can be neutralized by cages at drawbridge entries), so the real threat here is Goblin lawgivers riding flying mounts and Landscape Titans.

Both of these give announcements when they come.

So, if one builds his fort in the center of the map, he can build a layer of walls behind his raised drawbridges to save his fortress.

The sieges will eventually leave on their own, and the Titans will eventually be neutralized by a single marksdwarf in the caravan.