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[Cameo]

So after poking around here a bit and reading people's ideas on how to train their military I decided to make a danger room.

Now basically I had around 90/210 in my military, as all new migrants that had no skills I needed for a few years had been recruited. All are in either the iron armour I'd made or armour of lesser metals I'd salvaged from some of my green friends.

Made ~60 spikes, built them, linked them all to a lever (figured someone could stand then and pull it /R), pulled the lever to retract them, pulled it again.

And instantly at least 3 dwarves died, and 2 or 3 babies, and probably close to 10 random animals that happened to be in the way. Also half the survivors were hospitalised, so now my hospital is heinously overfull, so half will probably die of infection (ran out of soap).

Anyone else have similar problems? I think it might not've been helped by the fact that I had legendary carpenters making my spikes, so half of them are masterwork.

Also, I made a repeated as a proof of concept to myself, with raising bridge, then pressure plate, then floodgate, with the plate linked to both other things. Seems to be rather slow, although that may be the 5 FPS my fort is struggling along at?

[Rask]

You are supposed to use training spears, not spikes.

[Lamphare]

you were supposed to use feather wood training spears.

[Girlinhat]

You need A) Training spears, any wood type really, preferably low quality, B) Armor for everyone, which means something more than a single silk sock on a naked dwarf, preferably full plate Helm, Breastplate, Gauntlets, Greaves, and High/Low boots.  Anything less seems to cause injury.  And C) No babies, preferably, babies and children will get slaughtered on the first spike throw.  Pets will too, but let's face it, you've only got cats following them and that's ok!

Also, 5 FPS is your problem.  If you run a danger room with good FPS you'll see the spike is fairly fast with /R

[Dwarfotaur]

B) Armor for everyone, which means something more than a single silk sock on a naked dwarf, preferably full plate Helm, Breastplate, Gauntlets, Greaves, and High/Low boots.  Anything less seems to cause injury.

Dwarfs will still bleed/get infected and die if that's all you gear them with. Their facial features and upper arms aren't covered. You need all that plus mail shirt and a cloak.

[Girlinhat]

Well, my most recent danger room trainee was equiped with all that and a mask, no shirt until after training, and sustained no injuries after two seasons of 10 spear per trap training.  I modded mask to be forced on all dwarf civs, because I like the idea of having masked armies.  Next world I'll likely make specific masks for my tastes, like a wolf mask so that my squad will all have steel wolf masks on.

[Lamphare]

vanilla training spear

Code: [Select]

[ITEM_WEAPON:ITEM_WEAPON_SPEAR_TRAINING]
[NAME:training spear:training spears]
[SIZE:400]
[SKILL:SPEAR]
[TWO_HANDED:47500]
[MINIMUM_SIZE:42500]
[MATERIAL_SIZE:3]
[ATTACK:BLUNT:200:10000:stab:stabs:NO_SUB:1000]
[ATTACK:BLUNT:10000:6000:bash:bashes:shaft:1250]
[TRAINING]
which is blunt
so lighter the better being in danger room
à la feather wood training spear.

[Girlinhat]

This is true, but you're talking about the difference in weight between a spider and an ant.  Featherwood has a density of 100, where the next lightest wood is Cedar at 380, and the heaviest is blood thorn at 1250.  For comparison purposes, all stone has the density of 2,670, which is over twice that of the heaviest wood, aluminum, the lightest metal, is 2,700, and the lightest weapon-grade metal is copper at 8,930.

What this means, is that the heaviest wooden spear, with wood located in the deepest, most evil and savage of caverns, weighs over seven times LESS than the lightest metal spear you can make.  This essentially means that all wooden spears are harmless, even if made from blood thorn, you're extremely unlikely to see any training spear do any damage to anyone actually wearing armor.  Don't worry about the wood you're using, it's makes all the difference of getting hit by a feather, or by two feathers.

[Lamphare]

you have the point
but for the sake of your dwarves' fingers, if you can obatin a dozen feather wood logs at ease, use feather wood.
otherwise, yeah well any thing will do.

[Girlinhat]

Well of course, any dwarf worth their beard will go with perfection.  Base quality featherwood spears, as soon as you're able, master steel armor and weapons for the troops, etc.  But until you get that, you'll settle for cedar training spears and bronze armor.

[CrossBolt]

Well, at least the room isn't totally useless. Use it to execute pirsoners and nobles for fun!

Otherwise, go with the suggestions below. Feather wood training spears and all your dwarves armoured. Otherwise the same hilarious thing will happen again.

[Dwarfotaur]

Well, my most recent danger room trainee was equiped with all that and a mask, no shirt until after training, and sustained no injuries after two seasons of 10 spear per trap training.  I modded mask to be forced on all dwarf civs, because I like the idea of having masked armies.  Next world I'll likely make specific masks for my tastes, like a wolf mask so that my squad will all have steel wolf masks on.

It's all to do with luck. How fast their skills train to avoid being hit and where abouts they get hit. Your masks are most likely protecting their faces but in an unmodded scenario, you can just equip a cloak (don't ask me how it protects the face, it just does). I'm not sure if cloaks protect upper arms but seeing as how you can equip a cloak, chain mail and breastplate, I see no reason not too. I've killed two FBs with an army of 6 and none of them have sustained injuries (wearing iron, with lots of danger room training).

[Girlinhat]

Honestly, cloaks are cheap too.  They take one piece of cloth, and I've listed in a previous thread that with a good farmer, you can make enough pig tails to re-equip your military with cloth add-ons every year, using about 3-4 squares of farmland.  So, really, there's no reason NOT to spam out a few cloaks, trousers, etc.

[Hateweaver]

I also always make my military all male - that way no babies are following their mommas into the point spear room.

[Girlinhat]

But that's what adds the flavor?  How else will I adorn my danger room with statues of children falling into spikes?  Huh?  HOW?!