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[Wyvern]

Note that bridge catapults are... somewhat counterintuitive. Drawbridges, for instance, can launch creatures in any direction except the one they raise towards. Retracting bridges launch things just as effectively as drawbridges except with no directions omitted. Actually, drawbridges can launch in the direction they raise towards, but the wall the bridge forms will block the launched critters.

Is this really true?  Alas, my dream of the Dwarven Garbage Disposal (two drawbridges opening towards each other with trapdoors between them, thus funneling all the goblins on them into a small pit of mechanized spikes) is dead forever.  And after I had already built one as the last line of defense in my current fort, too.

[Minnakht]

You can still do that, but the bridge anchors can't be in middle of the pit - they have to be on the edges. Whatever is on the bridges will fly, and the closed bridges will stop anything that'd fly out of the area.

By all means, do it.

[nanomage]

from what i noticed about brigde catalults, distance is not great and direction is completely random.
The goblins do not actually move much horizontally, 3-5 tiles is the longest distance i observed. To be sure they get where you want them to get you should have many drawbridges all linked to a single lever and raising outward the volcano crater simultaneously.
Then, with every lever twist they will move toward their death.

[Sphalerite]

For example, is it 11 squares only if the bridge is max length? Do we know if the random range is potentially affected by where the goblin is on the bridge?

As far as I can tell, the distance objects and creatures are thrown is completely unrelated to the size of the bridge, or where on the bridge the creatures or objects are located.

Is it 11 squares on the z-axis as well, or just the original 3?

Raising drawbridges throw objects up to 11 Z-levels, as well as 11 spaces X and Y.  Creatures aren't thrown to different Z-levels at all by raising or retracting bridges.

[dirty foot]

For example, is it 11 squares only if the bridge is max length? Do we know if the random range is potentially affected by where the goblin is on the bridge?

As far as I can tell, the distance objects and creatures are thrown is completely unrelated to the size of the bridge, or where on the bridge the creatures or objects are located.

Is it 11 squares on the z-axis as well, or just the original 3?

Raising drawbridges throw objects up to 11 Z-levels, as well as 11 spaces X and Y.  Creatures aren't thrown to different Z-levels at all by raising or retracting bridges.

Ah, I was misreading what you had originally stated. Thank you so much for clarifying that for me.

You had me worried that I'd be flinging naked goblins at my own dwarfs, which is...not ideal. That being said, can creatures slam into other creatures, do damage to one another? If so, is this possible in mid-air? I'm thinking about a double bridge setup on opposite sides of the volcano. Maybe try to create a midair collision before a quick drop into magma.

[Sphalerite]

I have never tried specifically throwing creatures at other creatures, but I doubt it would do any damage.  Creatures which are thrown by a bridge and hit a wall while traveling horizontally take no damage from the impact.  They may then fall downward and be injured on impact, but that's falling damage.  Creatures which fall and land on other creatures also take no damage, although they are stunned.  I would expect creatures thrown by a bridge to either pass harmlessly through other creatures, or stop moving and be stunned but take no actual damage.

[dirty foot]

I have never tried specifically throwing creatures at other creatures, but I doubt it would do any damage.  Creatures which are thrown by a bridge and hit a wall while traveling horizontally take no damage from the impact.  They may then fall downward and be injured on impact, but that's falling damage.  Creatures which fall and land on other creatures also take no damage, although they are stunned.  I would expect creatures thrown by a bridge to either pass harmlessly through other creatures, or stop moving and be stunned but take no actual damage.

Yet more disappointment.

I'm sure there's a way to mod this in. I plan to do so.