Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Frogwarrior]

I've been thinking about javelins and those throwing axes that some Frankish tribes used - the idea was to start a battle by everyone hurling their throwing weapons into the fray in the hopes of gaining an edge. I think this would be a fun addition to Dwarf Fortress; in addition to a primary weapon, give some dwarves a throwing weapon to carry around, so that in battle they may get an edge by charging into a horde of goblins with pre-pierced spleens. And it would come at the cost of extra training time to get their throwing skills to something usable, and they'd have to carry around a fairly light extra weapon and retrieve them after battle.

[Lord Shonus]

To put it bluntly, the last time someone checked, this had been suggested more than a hundred times.

[Frogwarrior]

I suppose that shouldn't be surprising. Shame that my searches didn't turn anything up though, oh well.

[iceball3]

Throwing hasn't been put in the A.I. yet, and if it were then everyone would have a hard time with bugs like dwarves throwing the wrong stuff or equipment mismatches and etc. So not yet.

[TheyTarget]

Throwing hasn't been put in the A.I. yet, and if it were then everyone would have a hard time with bugs like dwarves throwing the wrong stuff or equipment mismatches and etc. So not yet.

hahaha,
Urist McSoldier Throws his *bronze shield*
Urist McSoldier Throws his *steel battle axe*
Urist McSoldier cancels kill order, retrieving equipment.

[de5me7]

im pro specialist throwing weapons. Atm you can use anything as a throwing weapon to devistating effects. You can use regular spears and axes as throwing weapons, but id prefer more realisim in this area of the game.

[Lord Shonus]

Actually, throwing was nerfed in the 31.xx series.

There is a weapon mod, soon to be integrated into civ forge, that adds slings and atl-atls.

[Rowanas]

Still, both of those are crossbows by another name.

You have an Atl-atl, that fires spears, just as a crossbow fires bolts. Only difference being that the ammunition is heavier and less readily available.

[TheyTarget]

Hmmm, if throwing weapons are implemented, I suggest as a balance issue, they have to have one hand free. So no shield, and weapon, or a shield, and wrestling, or two throwing weapons, and wrestling, so on. It's not exactly realistic, but I think, if you took the time, to throw something, you'd lose a bit of the momentum you gained, by taking time to draw a shield, or pull out your sword. Mostly though, it's just so you wouldn't have to nerf throwing weapons, to balance it, and you could represent there damage fairly, and accurately. On a semi-related note, they should probably use the same throwing weapon forever picking it up, when the fight is over, so we don't have to make twenty javelins for each dwarf. With, possibly a ranged unit, that has some special case, and only uses thrown weapons, as an exception.

[Rowanas]

I wonder when we'll be able to have Dwarven Legionnaires, with short sword, shield and pila. We can do it in Adventure mode, but alas, not in Fortress mode.

[TheyTarget]

I wonder when we'll be able to have Dwarven Legionnaires, with short sword, shield and pila. We can do it in Adventure mode, but alas, not in Fortress mode.

A dwarf can dream, a dwarf can dream.

[bobsnewaddress]

To make this work you'd have to have a new piece of "clothing" to hold weapons as a backpack holds food. Perhaps a Sheath for swords or a Large Quiver for Javelins.

Hmmm, if throwing weapons are implemented, I suggest as a balance issue, they have to have one hand free. So no shield, and weapon, or a shield, and wrestling, or two throwing weapons, and wrestling, so on. It's not exactly realistic, but I think, if you took the time, to throw something, you'd lose a bit of the momentum you gained, by taking time to draw a shield, or pull out your sword. Mostly though, it's just so you wouldn't have to nerf throwing weapons, to balance it, and you could represent there damage fairly, and accurately. On a semi-related note, they should probably use the same throwing weapon forever picking it up, when the fight is over, so we don't have to make twenty javelins for each dwarf. With, possibly a ranged unit, that has some special case, and only uses thrown weapons, as an exception.

[Frogwarrior]

That was part of the idea I had cooking around, yes. If they're assigned a throwing weapon, they'd carry it around until battle is joined - then when they engage, they'd throw, pause to whip out their primary weapon, and charge. Or, if you're unlucky enough to get ambushed, be forced to use their javelin in melee.

I'd also imagine that throwing weapons would be a sort of separate class - they'd have some THROWING tag associated with them. Dwarves could be assigned one THROWING weapon in addition to their primary equipment. I think it would make the most sense if they did not auto-forbid when thrown so that the dwarves don't have to trek all the way to the stockpile after every battle - although there you run the risk of having your javelins immediately claimed by hauling jobs. Hmm, that's a toughie.

To make this work you'd have to have a new piece of "clothing" to hold weapons as a backpack holds food. Perhaps a Sheath for swords or a Large Quiver for Javelins.

Hmmm, if throwing weapons are implemented, I suggest as a balance issue, they have to have one hand free. So no shield, and weapon, or a shield, and wrestling, or two throwing weapons, and wrestling, so on. It's not exactly realistic, but I think, if you took the time, to throw something, you'd lose a bit of the momentum you gained, by taking time to draw a shield, or pull out your sword. Mostly though, it's just so you wouldn't have to nerf throwing weapons, to balance it, and you could represent there damage fairly, and accurately. On a semi-related note, they should probably use the same throwing weapon forever picking it up, when the fight is over, so we don't have to make twenty javelins for each dwarf. With, possibly a ranged unit, that has some special case, and only uses thrown weapons, as an exception.

[Rowanas]

So, halfway between melee weapon and ranged weapon. Singular, retrievable, but also ranged. I think, because of the way DF ranged combat works, that thrown weapons may have a very high hit rate because at ~5 tile range the enemy won't have a chance to move out of the way before the shot strikes home.

On the other hand, they're likely to be fairly useless. It'll be like hitting someone once with a spear (for javelins and the like). Now, in the real world, hitting someone with a spear is fantastic because they're probably not drawing breath, but in DF, where having things sticking out of you doesn't hinder your ability to fight at all and opponents only go down once you've emptied all 412 pints of blood onto the floor, they might not be of much use.

You'll get the occasional lucky shot, but unless this suggestion is combined with the morale ideas bouncing around or equipment damage, thrown weapons are going to be about as much use as a one armed peasant facing off against a GCS.

[Matz05]

Collossi have been felled by wamblers. Every little bit counts...

!!!!
<lightbulb>
!!!!

Maybe haulers interuppted by hostiles should throw the hauled object at them within a certain radius. I can see a lot of hilarity ensuing.

Urist McHauler: dum tee ta tumm... +Large serrated steel disk+ to pille four...
Urist McGobbo: ARGLEBLARGH!!!!!!
Urist McHauler:  ARGH!! <chuck> RUN!!! GOBLIN!!!!!
Urist McGobbo: HahahaCHUNK...plop. <head sawed off by flying disk>

or

Urist McHauler: This artifact adimantine sword menacing with spikes of every metal and with the world history inscribed in it in GCS silk sure is heavy... time to put it safely in the vault...
Urist McKobold: BOO!!!!!!
Urist McHauler: ARRRGH!!!! <chuck> RUN!!! THIEF!!!! DON'T LET HIM NEAR THE VAULT!!!
Urist McKobold: <catch> Thanks! <flees>