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Author Topic: ...cancels Fire Ballista: Interrupted by Enemy  (Read 1194 times)

Majestic7

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...cancels Fire Ballista: Interrupted by Enemy
« on: October 15, 2006, 10:28:00 am »

I just had another goblin siege. Dozens of little idiots got themselves killed by milling outside despite my attempts to get them inside. Suits them fine for being retards. However, I ran in to an interesting problem. Siege operators were refusing to fire the siege weapons placed behind fortifications.

Apparentally, having an enemy close enough to a civilian dwarf makes them cancel firing the siege weapon they are operating and run away, even though they are in no danger at all. I certainly consider this to be a bug!

Either siege weapons should be operable by soldiers (who mainly just drink booze during sieges, yupee) or the siege operator dwarves shouldn't be scared of enemies on the other side of fortifications.

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GauHelldragon

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Re: ...cancels Fire Ballista: Interrupted by Enemy
« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2006, 11:15:00 am »

They are in danger if the enemy has ranged weapons though.
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Draco18s

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Re: ...cancels Fire Ballista: Interrupted by Enemy
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2006, 04:22:00 pm »

True, but a big baliste vs. a cross bow.
Yeah.  I think the baliste winzorz, I think they can handle a little danger to fire the thing.
(Can we ever get Piece Makers?  Fires baliste bolts so fast they shatter upon exceleration?)
*Has been reading Terry Pratchett again*
Or, we could have the middle-ages equivelent, The Porcupine.  Fires upwards of 100 *arrows* at a time through holes built into the fortress doors.  Takes a team of horses to pull the bow back again.
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Silveron

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Re: ...cancels Fire Ballista: Interrupted by Enemy
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2006, 08:48:00 pm »

Normally its my fortress guards that end up firing the ballistae during an actual siege.
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karnot

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Re: ...cancels Fire Ballista: Interrupted by Enemy
« Reply #4 on: October 16, 2006, 12:23:00 am »

quote:
Yeah. I think the baliste winzorz  
Not if it misses every single shot
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Draco18s

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Re: ...cancels Fire Ballista: Interrupted by Enemy
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2006, 03:23:00 pm »

quote:
Originally posted by karnot:
<STRONG>Not if it misses every single shot</STRONG>

Those are crappy opperators.  Kill them and get new ones. ;P

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Aquillion

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Re: ...cancels Fire Ballista: Interrupted by Enemy
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2006, 01:16:00 am »

The main problem seems to me to be that the dwarves operating siege engines don't consider themselves part of the military.

Really, what we need is a more detailed military control system, with some sort of 'military jobs...'  Imagine how neat it would be if the player could define a patrol route without assigning it to any dwarves, say, or designate a watchroom for X dwarves, and then just let it grab the military-type dwarves it needs itself, as necessary.

Instead of ordering specific dwarves around, the player could assign an 'investigate' job, calling for X dwarves...  Maybe they could also choose whether they want to send archers or soldiers, and recruits or experts or something.  The player could even get a specific 'kill' job that they could use to have one (or more) of their soldiers kill anyone on the map.  Asking multiple dwarves to do something would have them form up together first and attack at once.

Hrm.  The non-chronic military jobs would need to have the ability to override everything else, though, since when the player wants a military action they usually need it right now.

[ October 18, 2006: Message edited by: Aquillion ]

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We don't want another cheap fantasy universe, we want a cheap fantasy universe generator. --Toady One