Holy crap so many posts.
I'd rather that they simply have a finite number of tiles they can tunnel, and have those tunnels be "built" so that they are deconstructable.
I like this idea a lot. How would it be implemented though? "In travelling the great distance to your fort, their pick has become old and rusty?"
Of course, I have to wonder how drawbridges would work with this? You don't dig through drawbridges, and if a drawbridge is raised, would you be deconstructing it to get past? What if you make a drawbridge like that a trap, and have magma behind one part of it, and a quick path into your fortress behind the other, divided by a little wall (and a pressure plate that immediately closes off the fortress from harm)?
Uh, i dunno, dig a large pit under/around most of the bridge? So that our goblin friends can't get to it without expending plenty of resources.
Or simply have the miner go really slow and in a straight line, slow enough for crafty players to have surprises waiting of the "so I herd u liek magma" variety.
"This stone's getting warm!" "That means we're getting close, dig through it!"
Oh god, that's great.
"Wait a minute, STOP DIGGING YOU F- NGOSU IT BURNS LIKE THE UNHOLY HELLFIRE OF OUR DEMON LORDS, SAVE US! FLAARGGHHHhhhh...."
*sizzle*
This thread made me think of something... what happens if you leave a goblin siege out until it kills enough elves that the elves attack? Do they fight each other, or join forces against you? Both would be pretty hilarious.
Okay, now I need to figure out a way to have elves, goblins, and humans banging at my gates at the same time.
nbonaparte: I believe you can only have one siege at a time. Sorry!
I see no reason why the player should be able to pick out reliable guards conveniently. It makes the entire mechanic pointless if you can easily and conveniently powergame your way around it. If you want unbreachable defenses, you better be prepared to handpick your men.
Well, since you can view their minds at the push of a button, there's really no way around that except to cut out the guards at the gate concept entirely.
What if tiling/walling/smoothing could be a deterrant? Or the invaders being limited to piercing certain stone. Copper picks being unable to break iron tiles/walls inside the place.
Very realistic ideas! And of course, they would be unable to deconstruct walls stronger than steel.
Guard personalities should affect their effectiveness at finding enemies. Lazy, sloppy guards would be easily distracted and would let some invaders through. I could see the traders offering soldiers stationed nearby gifts and drink, just laced with poison if they're hostile. The player could set laws that guards are prohibited from accepting such gifts but that'd make some of them angry and, being people, they would occasionally disobey orders. Also gives the justice system more to do, should you survive.
I could also see the goblins doing legitimate trading for a while to establish trust. Guards that are familiar with the particular traders or even friends with them would be much more likely to just let them through. Should the player order strict searches and his men obey due to dutifulness, it'd irritate legitimate traders over time.
Great idea, but see above!
The gift thing would be hilarious.
"Oh, here comes the elven caravan...They're coming into the depot and-
wait, what?!?! Why did he die!? He wasn't even wounde-
oh god they're dropping like fli-"
"An ambush! Curse them!"
I myself have another suggestion. Sieges should bring livestock that they can butcher.
Then, when siege catapults are implemented (read: moving catapults), they fling the rotting corpses over your walls and into the aboveground gate complex you so foolishly built.