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[claer_runway]

i now have three catapults pointed down a hallway in which i have trapped several goblins. the catapults have done no damage whatsoever to them and they have fired many shots now. do catapults suck this badly? or am i doing something wrong?

[Jayce]

Yes they suck.

[JoRo]

Catapults are a joke weapon put in to screw with new people.  I remember my first ever fort, I actually put them in elevated positions and expected them to rain death down on the loitering goblins.

[Hans Lemurson]

How about Ballistas?  Are they worth it given how expensive their ammunition is?

[Psieye]

Catapults are a relic of the old 2D era. They didn't get adapted into 3D properly. So yes, they suck and they REALLY suck if you don't have elite quality siege components and legendary siege operators.

[Hans Lemurson]

So I won't be able to put my High Master Siege Operator to the fulfill the purpose he was set upon the earth to do?  (It's his only useful skill).

[Sheb]

Ballista are awesome if you can get the gobbos to line up in front of them. Just build a corridor and put your ballista behind fortifications at one end.


P.S. And ballista arrows only require one log, they aren't expensive... You do know that arrowheads are useless, do you?

[Hans Lemurson]

I do now.  I also think I might have the perfect location for a ballista...my entrance is a long 3 tile wide path.

[Psieye]

P.S. And ballista arrows only require one log, they aren't expensive... You do know that arrowheads are useless, do you?

Obsolete 40d knowledge. With the material system of DF2010, arrowheads change the material of the ballista shot. Do you really want to play with Elf weapon materials or do you want to do some damage?

[Xenoc]

So I won't be able to put my High Master Siege Operator to the fulfill the purpose he was set upon the earth to do?  (It's his only useful skill).

I think if you take another look you'll find that he's also a fully qualified and paid up member of the Master Hauliers guild... 

[Alastar]

Catapults are an awesome way of moving stone, which just requires a pit in front of a wall to avoid the stone being destroyed... and probably a lot of fiddling with permissions to move the actually useful ones.

As a weapon, they are useless. Even ballistae are questionable - if you can set up a location where they do well, you could probably use traps to better effect.

[peregarrett]

I was always curious about jobs that need such massive stone moving...

[Alastar]

I don't need a reason, I need an excuse! And while we're at it, give me catapult-driven public transportation.

[rmunn]

Catapults are great for one thing and one thing only: training siege operators.

Build a 3x6 tunnel that looks like this:

Code: [Select]

CCC._|
CCC._|
CCC._|

Where C is the catapult, _ is a channeled-out line (do NOT remove the ramps below it, you want your dwarf to be able to go down and back up) and | is a wall, whether constructed or natural.

Set the catapult facing the wall, then set it on "fire at will". Your trainee siege operator will start firing rocks at the wall, which will then drop into the channeled moat. Since siege ammo falling down a Z-level or more is not destroyed, the rock will sit on the ground ready to be retrieved. Since it is now the closest rock to the catapult, the operator will go fetch it rather than go traipsing across the fortress looking for another rock. (Actually, due to some uninteresting details, he'll go fetch another rock ONCE, then cycle between two rocks in his training). Result: a siege operator who's spending ALL his time training his skill, and who'll hit Legendary in just a couple seasons. Then you can assign him to the fortress-defense ballistas.

For extra training time, use the square in front of the catapult for two 1x1 stockpiles (of food and booze, respectively) and build a bed on the third square. Then build a burrow around your catapult training hall and restrict your trainee to the burrow. Now he won't even have to go away for booze/food breaks!

[claer_runway]

actually, i was using about seven catapults to train them downstairs. but i figured that they would at least a little damage. it seems that the catapult has a "landing" zone of one block. anything on that block when the stone ends it's route get hurt. anything outside of it is fine, it goes right through them. it's not just line of sight, it seems that they have to be exactly the right distance away.

i'll be setting up ballista now.