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Author Topic: War dogs?  (Read 805 times)

pvtpob

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War dogs?
« on: April 04, 2011, 06:13:48 pm »

I'm new to dwarf fortress and i had a question about war dogs. In my current Fort I started with a few male and female war dogs who have been non stop breeding so I have about 20 puppies now. I have a pretty skilled animal trainer and I am planning on training them into war dogs. How powerful is a war dog. Who would win, war dog vs goblin? 25 war dogs vs 50 goblins? I have not experienced a siege yet so I honestly have no idea how powerful goblins are.
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Dantrithor

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #1 on: April 04, 2011, 06:16:20 pm »

In 1v1, expect the wardog to die against the goblin. You must have (quite vast) superior numbers of dogs to be able to defeat a random goblin, even if it's going melee. A snatcher is usually enough to severely cripple your little friend.

In my experience they're useful as cannon fodder to protect your (incredibly more-) valuable dwarves.
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pvtpob

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2011, 06:18:10 pm »

Thanks for quick reply :) . Ill keep that in mind as I prepare for my first siege
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wuphonsreach

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2011, 07:06:27 pm »

War dogs have a few uses...

- Chaining them at the entrance to the fort (but out of view of enemy archers...) to spot thieves works well

- Assigning them to wood cutters as guard dogs

- Assigning them to marksdwarves

And now you can also pasture them, which is a bit like chaining, except that they can go chase whatever they see (and of course, a dwarf will attempt to drag them back to the pasture... so it's a so-so idea).
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pvtpob

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2011, 07:32:16 pm »

how do you assign them to dwarfs? and how do you chain them?
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Dantrithor

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2011, 07:35:23 pm »

Assign to dwarves:

Select a dwarf, click "p" for "Pref(erences)", "e" (Work Dogs), and there you can see what dogs (hunting, war) are available.

Chain animals:

Build (or have an available-) rope or chain. b(Building) - v(Restraint). Once built, open it's properties, and a(Assign) an animal. An available dwarf will move the creature there.
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pvtpob

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #6 on: April 04, 2011, 07:50:56 pm »

Ok well a bunch of puppies just advanced to dog-hood. Should I make them hunting dogs or war dogs? Again this is pretty much my first fort so I honestly have no idea which is better.
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Qc Storm

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2011, 07:51:52 pm »


- Assigning them to wood cutters as guard dogs

I just now tried this, and badger corpses are already piling at my fortress entrance, along with some Rhesus Macaque soup.
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DrKillPatient

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2011, 08:59:02 pm »

I hear putting 10-20 in a cage attached to a pressure plate works as a rather amusing landmine, killing whatever poor soul walks past it as well as your FPS, probably.
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Byakugan01

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #9 on: April 05, 2011, 12:08:04 am »

I hear putting 10-20 in a cage attached to a pressure plate works as a rather amusing landmine, killing whatever poor soul walks past it as well as your FPS, probably.
10-20? Isn't that a bit punny? 30-60 if you ask me, now THAT'S more like it!
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jaxad0127

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #10 on: April 05, 2011, 12:25:07 am »

Should I make them hunting dogs or war dogs?
Hunting dogs are made for hunting. If you're assigning them to a hunter, go for hunting, as they sneak and won't alert the prey. War dogs are stronger.
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Bo-Rufus CMVII

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Re: War dogs?
« Reply #11 on: April 05, 2011, 12:46:25 am »

And now you can also pasture them, which is a bit like chaining, except that they can go chase whatever they see (and of course, a dwarf will attempt to drag them back to the pasture... so it's a so-so idea).
I've started experimenting with building a room near my gate and making it a pasture full of wardogs, with the intention of turning them loose if a monster gets in before I get the gate shut.
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