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Author Topic: Caravan leaves before trading  (Read 909 times)

Gus Smedstad

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Caravan leaves before trading
« on: September 15, 2006, 03:00:00 pm »
The second time the human caravan showed up at my fortress, they left immediately on arriving.  I got the warning "The caravan will leave soon" while they were still unloading.  The moment they actually unloaded, they immediately left.  At no time could I trade.

The trading post is inside the mountain, but not so deep that they couldn't reach it and trade the first year they showed up.

- Gus

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Toady One

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Re: Caravan leaves before trading
« Reply #1 on: September 15, 2006, 06:58:00 pm »
This has been a problem for a while -- they might have brought an extra wagon this time or just had more path blocks this time around and didn't make it in time.  There are a couple angles on fixing this.
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JT

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Re: Caravan leaves before trading
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2007, 05:00:00 am »
I'm bumping this post because I think I've isolated a rather significant cause of the caravans not arriving: the swordsmen assigned to guard the wagons get in the way of the wagons.  The wagons will stop dead in front of the swordsman for upwards of several seconds, up to ten seconds at a time, before the swordsman ultimately crouches and the wagon rolls over top.

Some sort of behaviour to make the guards stay well to one side or the other of the wagons should work wonders.


[edit]I've documented this using a video:
http://www.mkv25.net/dfma/movie-135-wagonsblockedbyguards

[ November 11, 2007: Message edited by: JT ]

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Another

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Re: Caravan leaves before trading
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2007, 06:36:00 am »
Maybe make guards keep a minimum distance from any and all wagons (5 squares?) and a maximum distance from his wagon? (6-10 squares?) And I guess that their current pathing significantly slows trade depot unloading for all wagons after the first: they have to move a few last steps to the depot over/under 1,2,3,..6 guards.

[ November 11, 2007: Message edited by: Another ]

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Quintin Stone

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Re: Caravan leaves before trading
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2007, 10:31:00 am »
My caravans never seem to prefer the roads vs normal ground when pathfinding.  So it takes them too long to get to the depot.  Looks like I'll just have to pave the whole map.
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Turgid Bolk

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Re: Caravan leaves before trading
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2007, 12:43:00 pm »
Roads do not give a speed bonus AFAIK, so while paving the world is certainly a very dwarven thing to do, it may not help much. I suppose they won't have to dodge any boulders or trees, though.
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Red Jackard

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Re: Caravan leaves before trading
« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2007, 01:52:00 pm »
I'm not sure if traffic zones work on caravans, but i guess i could channel them to the road and get them out off the danged woods.
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