Print

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

[Girlinhat]

So, I've hit my height limit for my tower, as my upper ceiling was +10 Z.  You cannot build walls on the highest level, sadly, so I'm going to make this a sort of outdoor temple.  However, on level 9 I've set up preparations for a dwarven drop system, which will drop a soldier (or several) from the top of the tower, all the way to the surface, landing safely upon a chained dog or other creature, at which point the Fun begins and the dwarves fight whatever is out there.

After a few moments, I decided this wasn't nearly dwarfy enough.

Project Armok's Thunder, which shall be repeated when I eventually make a new world and a higher ceiling, will involve an entire barracks that's supporting by an overhang.  Unique to this barracks is that it shall have no ceiling, and very tightly controlled training positions, perhaps done via burrows or otherwise via the forbidden internal door trick.  When triggered, the system will drop the dwarves down upon waiting living cushions - as well as the entire barracks itself.  That's correct, the entire barracks will descend the distance to the ground, which should create a plume of dust sufficient to toss any would-be invader clear across the map, providing the drop troops enough time to prepare and meet them face-on.

The prototype, made within my shorter tower, will drop a pair of weights down, instead of an entire barracks.  The specifics of design shall be revealed upon first firing, for which will will elect Urist McUseless to perform the first live firing.  That's correct, HelpedFountains is animal-friendly!  Except for the animals having armored soldiers dropped upon them.  Upon successful testing, the system shall be expanded to allow orbital drops into the caverns themselves, through a narrow drop tube.  This promises to be an exhilarating 50+ level drop!

[Shrapull]

How do you intend to get the barracks back up?  Rebuild the walls?

Also, I like this idea.  Keep me updated.

[Girlinhat]

Rebuild it all, quite simply.  These will deconstruct upon impact, so the floor above will likely be reserved for material stockpiles, allowing for reconstruction of the entire thing.  This includes beds, chests, armor stands, danger room, and, perhaps, plumbing,

[Bererez]

I've been told that it is possible to build fortification on the top Z.

[Girlinhat]

It appears to be, since fortifications do not place a wall above them.  However, this is less than ideal for making a room out of.

[Bererez]

Imagine the view, though 

[mrtspence]

While I can all but guarantee that your soldiers will die on impact, this is still a massively awesome idea.

Please continue!

[Girlinhat]

It's actually been debated, the amount of soldier damage involved, anywhere between "none, the dog will cushion you" to "DOG-SOLDIER LIMB EXPLOSION!" but I guess we'll find out, huh?

[Urist Imiknorris]

I think the soldier in that second case missed the dog, and the dog was fine.

[Terrahex]

even if the soldiers did survive the fall, the dust that may or may not knock out the enemies would also affect your soldiers, leaving them open to attack.

[Shinziril]

While the dogs ought to cushion the soldier's falls if you get them in the right position, I'm worried that due to the fact that cave-ins happen instantly while creatures take time to fall, doing this will result in the cave-in killing the dogs and then letting your soldiers splatter on the ground. 

[Girlinhat]

I have accounted for this, in fact, and have taken precautions in planning.  I am, unfortunately, distracted by my desire for a waterfall at current, so I'm building a wind farm on my topmost level and a pump stack to draw water from the cavern (once I forcefully rearrange this cavern layer) to fuel a waterfall of combined hospital well (which is 8 floors above the ground) and in-tower mist generator.  Instead of those wimpy waterfalls in the dining hall, mine will be 4 cascading falls around the central stairwell, eventually draining back into the cavern.

[Musashi]

If you want to drop soldiers and keep them mostly alive, grates and floor hatches may be a better way to go. They reduce greatly rebuilding time (though you'd better make many, many mechanisms and more time to set it all up), though they can only be attached to walls or floors, not other floor hatches/grates.
If your priority is dropping PAIN upon the invaders... what I think your project is is best.
Anyway, it seems you know what you're doing, so I'll be waiting for the results. Good luck!

[durbu]

Rebuild it all, quite simply.  These will deconstruct upon impact, so the floor above will likely be reserved for material stockpiles, allowing for reconstruction of the entire thing.

Would it be possible to cast the barracks out of magma, dropping a solid building?

[Girlinhat]

After carefully consideration (aka, it came to me in a dream) I've decided to attempt a full obsidian cast barracks, likely by building a wall ring and a temporary floor and/or bridge to hold the lava, upon which water is poured, and then capped with supports before the floor/bridge is removed.  Thus, it will be considered "natural wall" and when it plummets, it will remain intact, dropping the entire structure, minus the armor stands and such, which should survive the fall but need placement, onto the ground.  This can have the interesting and perhaps unexpected ability to drop entire intact structures from the air.