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Author Topic: Ballista operators are Dick Cheneys  (Read 544 times)

numerobis

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Ballista operators are Dick Cheneys
« on: January 24, 2008, 09:10:00 pm »

See my prior thread.

Seems like a ballista operator shouldn't fire if there's a friendly right next to her (like her pet, or her spouse).  It causes unpleasant thoughts.

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Patarak

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Re: Ballista operators are Dick Cheneys
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2008, 08:57:00 pm »

That will work swell.

"OMFG HUNDREDS OF GOBLINS THE BALLISTA'S OUR ONLY CHANCE!"


"Sorry captain, I can't fire the ballista because it will upset my family!"

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Paul

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Re: Ballista operators are Dick Cheneys
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2008, 02:23:00 am »

Haha, I know what you mean about the firing...

One season I had my expedition leader training his siege operating skill up. I didn't really pay it any attention, he was just firing away on the ballista off in my firing range. I had fortifications in front of the ballista and it just went into a wall, so it wouldn't be able to hit anyone.

Then the humans arrive, and I order some stuff brought to the depot, not paying much attention to my expedition leader. In the list I see a bunch of iron armor. Huh? I zoom to the armor and it's piled up on top of the ballista, on the left most center square (ballista was facing left). Turns out, the expedition leader kept firing away, even when the liason and his guards came to speak with him. The liason survived, but both the guards ate ballista arrows.

It's also a surprisingly effective way of killing off unwanted pets. If I get an immigrant with some stupid pet, I make him a siege operator. Little bit later and his pet comes to visit him, he fires a bolt, and bam no more pet.

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Mechanoid

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Re: Ballista operators are Dick Cheneys
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2008, 03:02:00 am »

Set the squares in front of the ballista to the "Restricted" traffic mode, and the ones on the sides of the center. In fact, just set the entire 3x3 area as "Restricted" (assuming the 'fire ballista' job ignores the traffic restriction)
That should stop the bearded retards from stepping in front of the arrow tip.
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Nite/m4re

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Re: Ballista operators are Dick Cheneys
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2008, 01:35:00 pm »

quote:
Originally posted by Mechanoid:
<STRONG>Set the squares in front of the ballista to the "Restricted" traffic mode, and the ones on the sides of the center. In fact, just set the entire 3x3 area as "Restricted" (assuming the 'fire ballista' job ignores the traffic restriction)
That should stop the bearded retards from stepping in front of the arrow tip.</STRONG>

bearded retards  :D

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Paul

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Re: Ballista operators are Dick Cheneys
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2008, 03:34:00 pm »

It won't change anything to set it to restricted. If characters are running to stand beside someone, they will stand beside them no matter if the area is restricted or not. It's the exact same as a stone hauling job - if there is a stone deep in a mine to be hauled, they will try to go after it, even if there are 100 restricted tiles and a raging river between them and it.
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Mulch Diggums

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Re: Ballista operators are Dick Cheneys
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2008, 07:22:00 pm »

HaHaHa.. Man I love that. Once I found out balistas could do that I set up a long hallway and lined up all my dwarves in it then places a balista facing them. It was fun stuff =]
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Shadowlord

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Re: Ballista operators are Dick Cheneys
« Reply #7 on: January 27, 2008, 07:38:00 pm »

Plus, non-dwarves and presumably non-local dwarves (e.g. hunams, pets, traders, goblins, etc) completely ignore path designations, as far as I've been able to tell.

Disclaimer: I haven't actually closely watched to make absolutely sure dwarven merchants ignore path designations.

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