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[Keldor]

Well, the human merchants arrived, and moments after their arrival, an ambush... and another... and another... Looking at the game log, there are no fewer than 8 (Yes, EIGHT) separate ambushes.  This makes more goblins than the entire population of my fort!  Needless to say, the merchants were instantly slaughtered.  I think ambushes need to be toned down quite a bit - at least limit the number or simultaneous ambush groups!  As it stands, I only dare trade with the ELVES, since  ambushes don't seem to come during spring.  At least, the elves haven't been ambushed yet.

[Flok Speargrabber]

quote:Originally posted by Keldor:
<STRONG>the elves haven't been ambushed yet.</STRONG>

That's because the elves and goblins co-conspirator... ate.

[Keldor]

quote:Originally posted by Flok Speargrabber:
<STRONG>That's because the elves and goblins co-conspirator... ate.</STRONG>

The goblins also get along with the local unicorns.

The elves, however, have been bringing me lots of tamed animals, though, so maybe that's why the goblins leave them alone.  I mean, this year, I got a hippo, a giant tiger, and a saltwater crocodile.  That goes along with the last couple year's breeding pairs of cougars and leopards, as well as a couple gorillas and a tiger.  Elves are dangerous, evidently, or rather, their allies are. XD

[Wolfius]

Nah - the elves gobbo muscle to eliminate their competition and are just selling you nasty animals so they look tough enough that you can plausibly hand-wave their being ignored by the gobbos away.

If the greenskins will repeatedly attack magma fortifications, tigger isn't going to save the elves - well, he might, but my point is they'd attack anyway, so they have to be buying them off.

In other news, I suddenly want to option to buy off invading dragons/etc. and maybe have them attack people I specify - it'd be expensive, and they'd eventually come back looking for more if they survived, but it'd be so fricken cool!

[Draco18s]

quote:Originally posted by Keldor:
<STRONG>Well, the human merchants arrived, and moments after their arrival, an ambush... and another... and another... Looking at the game log, there are no fewer than 8 (Yes, EIGHT) separate ambushes.</STRONG>

How many goblin theives?  I ussually get one or two PER ambush.  I had 4-6 amushes at once and had just as many theives.  Plus some Kobolds.

[Keldor]

quote:Originally posted by Draco18s:
<STRONG>

How many goblin theives?  I ussually get one or two PER ambush.  I had 4-6 amushes at once and had just as many theives.  Plus some Kobolds.</STRONG>

I only had 4-5 snatchers with the ambushes, though there might have been others that were never uncovered.  There were also a few random kobolds.  The reason I say there were 8 actual ambushes is that there was an x6 (followed by a thief message) as well as an x2 in the game log.  It also kept pausing and pausing as the fleeing merchant uncovered ambush after ambush.

[Draco18s]

quote:Originally posted by Keldor:
<STRONG>I only had 4-5 snatchers with the ambushes, though there might have been others that were never uncovered.  There were also a few random kobolds.  The reason I say there were 8 actual ambushes is that there was an x6 (followed by a thief message) as well as an x2 in the game log.  It also kept pausing and pausing as the fleeing merchant uncovered ambush after ambush.</STRONG>

Sounds like what I get.  Heh.

Ambus! x2
Snatcher x3
Ambush!
Theif!
Snatcher
Ambush!
Snatcher

[Hypcso]

Yeah, I had actually made a post about this a few days ago in discussion. It's really crippling at the early game, especially if you don't have your defenses up quickly. Even then Kobolds will still ream you.

[Pickerel]

I too have had an occasional year with a vast number of different ambushes.  I personally enjoy it.  A bit of a challenge for a later fort.  I had one on one side of the map killing the human traders (I was glad to pick up the pieces later), two on the hill spotted by pets milling about, two vying for my main entrance, and one group taking out 10+ dwarves because I was stupid enough to not wall off my upper area, so they could safely shoot down at us.  It was quite intense, and when we survived because they couldn;t get through all my traps, I thought "Yeah!  That's what this game is about!  whooo!"

[Keldor]

Well, they wouldn't be so bad if there was a way to reasonably keep your dwarves from randomly running out (alone of course) in the middle of an ambush, and springing another in their rush to grab xArmadillo Leather Trousersx or XPorcupine Fur GlovesX from the dead body of the first ambusher that fell.

It also wouldn't be as horrible if the dwarves actually ran toward safety instead of in a random direction.  The conveniently located entrance has traps for a reason!  Use it, instead of getting yourself cornered somewhere 10 feet from the entrance!

Dwarves need to run for safety, EVEN IF there are goblins in the way.  Dwarves also need to simply avoid doing tasks that take them into dangerous areas, such as the middle of a hostile army's camp.  Failing this, there at least needs to be a way to keep dwarves inside the outer wall without disrupting the fortress too badly.

The problem is that currently there is no way to protect your dwarves other than a. ordering them to stay indoors FOREVER, b. systematically micromanaging every item that falls to the ground outside the fortress for any reason whatsoever in order to forbid them, or c. simply walling your fortress off permanently.

Also, it is unreasonable to expect a fortress of 20 dwarves to be able to handle a surprise attack by 25 heavily armed and armored goblins.  Every other month. :-P

[Draco18s]

quote:Originally posted by Pickerel:
<STRONG>It was quite intense, and when we survived because they couldn;t get through all my traps, I thought "Yeah!  That's what this game is about!  whooo!"</STRONG>

I agree that there is that feeling of satisfaction (although with my sextuple ambush, two of them got eaten by the spikey jaws of death and it's 53*4 pressure-plate triggered upright iron spikes).  It's funny, they show up, the first guy hits the pp lowering the spikes, they all move forward, leader gets sliced to bits by some weapon traps, then the spikes pop out of the ground, killing, maiming, and knocking unconsious the remainder.  Ussually a second one crawls towards the fort and sets it off again, killing them all.  My dwarves can then safely harvest their equipment.  I've killed probably a dozen ambushes this way without ever getting an Ambush! warning.

But, sometimes it's just too much.

[ March 18, 2008: Message edited by: Draco18s ]

[Alfador]

quote:Originally posted by Flok Speargrabber:
<STRONG>That's because the elves and goblins co-conspirator... ate.</STRONG>

"Co-conspire."

[numerobis]

quote:Originally posted by Alfador:
<STRONG>"Co-conspire."</STRONG>

"Conspire"