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[Daff]

I pretty much always have (a) moat(s), dry ones work atleast as well as ones with water or magma, just remember to remove the ramps on the side of the entrance.

I tend to play DF too safely, my forts usually only end to me generating a new world and updating the game

[asfghn]

I pretty much always have (a) moat(s), dry ones work atleast as well as ones with water or magma, just remember to remove the ramps on the side of the entrance.

I tend to play DF too safely, my forts usually only end to me generating a new world and updating the game

Hmm—Daff, would you mind drawing me up a diagram of what you mean? ASCII is fine (so the word 'draw' here is a bit of a misnomer, but hopefully you get what I mean, lol), but I'm not sure I'm really able to visualize what you mean.

I'm actually trying out a moat design in a solo fort I'm playing currently—just walled off a nice chunk of area surrounding my downward staircases (the map's nice and flat), and I was going to channel a few z layers down and then have a little 'maintenance exit' (1x2, incl. upward stairs to get up and out, sealed off by a door marked forbidden). Would that work?

Not sure how I'll fill it with water/magma yet, but I'll cross that bridge (ha! see what I did there??) when I come to it.

[Elone]

Here is a very easy way to do it. It requires very little resources, it is quick to build too.

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..7777777777777777777777777..
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..7........>..............7..
..7.......................7..
..7.......................7..
..7.......................7..
..7...............ó.......7..
..7..........▼╥▼..........7..
..777777777777║777777777777..
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There you can see a bridge controlled by a lever. The moat is rectangular, looks neatest when designed in that way. Notice the DOWN slopes. You will make them while channeling the moat so that your miner could leave. referably on your side of the moat! Also note the small branch on the right side of the moat. You use it to bring water from your nearby river. Personally I like to dig this tunnel one Z below surface from my moat til I'm close to the river, as opposed to channeling, so that it would look prettier from above. While there, I also plant a floodgate close to the river and link it to a lever. Then I withdraw people fr from there, and I channel near the river om above to connect the two and let the water flow in. It's pretty neat being able to choose when the water will flow in and when not, so have a floodgate!

Upsides are obvious. You raise the bridge, and regular invaders have no way in. You could put the lever indoors if you wanted. You could also use the area for grazing or farming if you are not afraid of ranged attacks. Downsides are fairly obvious too. You wont be protected from fliers and rangers. If you are bothered by rangers, you can replace the whole moat with walls. If you are bothered by fliers, still... then build this whole thing a few Z under the ground. You wont wanna use water from a river, due to pressure issues, and walls are just more abundant underground anyway!

But that's the dull way to make a moat. Take a look at this, I usuaully build this version myself.

Code: [Select]

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..7777777777777777777777777..
..7.......................7..
..7.......................777
..7................>......7..
..7.......................7..
..7.......................7..
..7.......................7..
..7.......................7..
..7...............ó.......7..
..7.......................7..
..77777777777777777777777╬7..
..╬...^...^...^...^...^...7..
..7777777777777777777777777..
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In this manner, earthbound invaders will have to pad their way through the small gauntlet with traps. Note that I have evenly spaced five traps in there, but of course every single tile can be filled with weapon traps, 10 weapons each (gradually of course, as you find time, you will add more traps). Also note that I have used bridges (they are raised) to wall off their advance and retreat. You can only see one lever, but if you want, you can create one for each. If they dont seem motivated to go through the gauntlet because the inner bridge is blocking the way, just put a regular door there and military behind it. Rest assured however that the military will invariably die. Of boredom. Traps will mince invaders up before they reach the other end.

The gauntlet can be made as long as you want, you can add as many turns as you wish to it. Same remarks apply as for the previous design. If bothered by rangers, make this out of walls and not water. If you have aggressive fliers on the map, might as well move the design underground. Fliers are then forced to the trap Z level and they die a horrible horrible death if they dare to enter.

Lastly, these designs do not have to be so big. It all depends how much of the area you want to claim and protect. If you have no use for so much room, you can make the design smaller, just remember to leave the gauntlet fairly big!

[asfghn]

Here is a very easy way to do it. It requires very little resources, it is quick to build too.

[...]

...okay, Elone? You're awesome and I think I love you.



And I'm writing you a reply email and getting on MSN, so don't think I'm mad at you!

[Raul]

I want a dwarf, please

I have told our farmer (ask and you will be dorfed) to gatherer some plants but we need a farm. We don’t have a booze maker yet so I am assigning the farmer to make some booze as well.

I guess I'll be the farmer/brewer, then

[melkor]

Melkor’s log  16th galena

A caravan has arrived. Too bad we don’t have a trade depot yet the construction will begin immediately. Oh and our farmer was a little bit pissed when I yelled OI! farmerboy get us some booze. So now I am calling him by his name Raul.

Melkor’s log 18th galena
I told those dam dwarfs to seal of that shaft now we have a giant olm in our base.
Dammed it already killed 2 dwarfs.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

I am sending everybody to kill that beast.

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Well he shouldn’t be able to survive this.
Aah shit a fire.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

just wen we killed the olm the fire started our workshop room is on fire.

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The fire has spread to 1 of our bedrooms but it seems to have dead out. I am keeping everybody in the storage room for now till the danger is over.
The fire killed 4 more dwarfs. Daff,asfghn,conflict,tirist and nish. I don’t know what we are gonna do without our miners. We only have 7 dwarfs left. House is the only 1 left from the original 7 dwarfs.

Melkor’s log  23th galena
The dead of so many good dwarfs has pread grief to de few left over dwarfs.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

There is some good news… well good news for people who think it’s good news.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

Before our miners were killed they found a magma pool. Frigging great now it’s not only hot outside but inside as well. At least we can use it later for fuel for our metal industry.
God I need something to cool down.
 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Melkor’s log 26th galena
We have built the trade depot and can start trading, for now I’ll be the trader till somebody comes along who does know what he’s doing. Wait I have to go outside to trade. Wait!! Somebody else do it please.

Melkor’s log 1st limestone
Another cave dweller reached our base

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

Lucky our Raul our farmerboy was able to stun it now the rest of the dwarfs just need to kick it a lot of times and it will die. 
That’s it just kick it in the face. now if you don’t mind I am gonna mentally prepare myself to get outside and trade.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Melkor’s log 4th limestone
Never!!! Just never ever ever!!! Am I never going outside ever again. I just traded some crafts with a barrel of booze and a bag full of cloth. Ooh god I am gonna die of this heat. I mean shit, we have a burning sun above us and burning magma below us. I need some place where its cold. Oh btw after kicking that snake thing for a full day it died so no worries about that.

Melkor’s log 8th

Oh yes that’s true dead body’s smell.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

Better start on those coffin’s.

so yes this is the state of the fortress not so dam good. but if we get some more dwarf's we wil be able to get this fortress back on road.

[Raul]

Oh wow, I managed to survive the fire and even stunned a Helmet Snake? I'm quite the badass farmerboy

[melkor]

Melkor’s log 13th limestone
The battle with the olm and the snake has wounded several dwarf’s including house.
I have decided to take a look at him and treat his wound to the best as I can. I never treated anyone before but how hard can It be to just clean some wounds and dress them?

Melkor’s log 16th limestone
Okay I don’t really know how to tell the poor bugger but his.. well his crotch has been tore open.
I don’t really like it but I think I have to clean, dress and suture it. Well hey keep smiling at least your still alive.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Melkor’s log 12th sandstone
Not much has happened the past day. Some wild animals fighting among themselves.
I have successful dressed the wound of house still need a bucket to clean it.
And we finished the dining hall.

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Wellllll… we have a table that counts for something.

Melkor’s log 15th sandstone
Thank god we have some migrants. Just 3.. well 3 is better than nothing. We got a legendary furnace operator… very useful.
A woodcutter/hammerdwarf.
And a all-round soldier. Well the furnace and soldier can move shit.
And the wood cutter can do some carpentry I mean come-on if you can cut down tree’s you can make bucket’s and bed’s it’s both wood.

Melkor’s log 25th sandstone
Aah yes just what we need more caverns

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

I need to build wall’s  around this place fast.
But some good news I have blocked the shaft so no more monsters can just come from below to kill us.

Melkor’s log 7th timber
House his treatment has been successful. This well …crotch is still tore open but at least it isn’t infected.
He’s has been reassign to become chief medical dwarf.
Let’s just hope I never have to take care of somebody ever again.

Melkor’s log 16th timber
A dwarf caravan has arrived. Too bad we don’t have anything to trade with, we are barely making enough food and booze to survive. thing’s like crafts are not possible at the moment.
And nooo! I am not just saying that so I don’t have to go outside.

Melkor’s log 24th timber
I don’t know how long I am cable to keep this up. The heat is just frying my brain.
And the merchants aren’t helping. Just pointing at the hole we call a entrance and saying  with a emphasis on ‘there’.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

barely being able to not laugh. But I am not sure if it’s our sad little hole or the fact that I am sweating so much that I’m forming a little pool around me.
I trade our last poorly made crafts for some leather. They didn’t had that must anyway.

Melkor’s log 1st moonstone
And does it become’s winter. I can feel the  heat becoming bearable.
I won’t be able to take the leadership of this fort much longer. The stress is just too great.
I shall pick a dwarf who has proven his worth at granite the 1st.
The carvan has left.
 I am building some cage traps at our entrance hall.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

And our booze and food industry produces far more the we need. Now we need crafts to trade with. And a military.


Melkor’s log 2th opal
God dammit I forgot to build 1 more wall

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

Go kill that dam frog.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

That’s it just kick it in the face.

Melkor’s log 3th opal
With that frog finally dead I started looking if my shaft stil had some entrance to our base.
I could only find 1 small opening. I ordered our mason to quickly seal it off.
And now where down to 11 dwarf’s. I need to make another miner.

Melkor’s log 8th opal
Finnaly everybody has been buried.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

Yes I burry my dead in the stockpile, do you mind we are busy with digging I can’t dig out tomb’s right now.

Melkor’s log 16th opal
The fight with the frog has wounded me.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

Doctor house must tend to my wounds. Let’s just hope that he does a better job with me then I did with his…. Well crotch.

Melkor’s log 19th opal
Doctor house finnaly took some time to take a look at me. He said that there isn’t much he can do and simply gave me a crutch.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

Melkor’s log 24th opal
Looking at my little fort I am starting to see potentially for it to grow.
I have started plans for more bedroom’s I will not complete this, but the next overseer will find it perhaps useful to dig out. At this moment we are all sleeping in clay room’s and I like it better to be surrounded by stone.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Melkor’s log  1th granite
And there we have it spring the start of the heat. I can no longer take it.
Today I shall give leadership to the most cable dwarf In this fortress.
But before I retire I will show you around.
Here are the map’s I made of the fortress.
F1 this is the entrance to the fort.

F2

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

This is the 2nd layers of the fort. Here is the farm(middle) and our Temporary bedroom’s(bottom) . ooh and house his hospital(top right) but I was going to place that somewhere else. And our entrance hall(top left)

F3

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

Our storage and coffin’s. there still bussy getting everything on the right spot but they get there.

F4

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

The dining hall (top left) food storage and, butcher still and kitchen(middle). Workshop hall(bottom)
The unfinished bedroom’s (top right) the most are for all of us but the bigger room’s are office’s.
 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

We still need a engraver and we don’t have any weapon’s at all we need to change that. And we still don’t have anything to trade with.
 So next overseer you have a lot to work good luck.
And if you don’t mind I am gonna jump in that river over there to cool of see you in a sec.

Thought’s of alive dorf’s

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

deon would you mind first checking my  save. just to double check if i reinstalled the right titlepack.
the save: http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=4265

[Daff]

Hmm—Daff, would you mind drawing me up a diagram of what you mean? ASCII is fine (so the word 'draw' here is a bit of a misnomer, but hopefully you get what I mean, lol), but I'm not sure I'm really able to visualize what you mean.

I'm actually trying out a moat design in a solo fort I'm playing currently—just walled off a nice chunk of area surrounding my downward staircases (the map's nice and flat), and I was going to channel a few z layers down and then have a little 'maintenance exit' (1x2, incl. upward stairs to get up and out, sealed off by a door marked forbidden). Would that work?

Not sure how I'll fill it with water/magma yet, but I'll cross that bridge (ha! see what I did there??) when I come to it.

I took a picture of the entrance to my new fort. It's just a bridge over a dry moat with the ramps removed from the "inside" side of the moat.



This is the first thing I usually build at any entrance to my fortress, it's fast and easy and with the bridge raised it's an impassable barrier to anything but a flying building destroyer (I guess, haven't seen any of those around)

Making a deeper moat is just as simple as digging down deeper but has really no practical difference unless you plan on having something drop your enemies down there.

I would always have the exit from the moat on the outside of your fortress. It might be a bit more inconvenient but I don't trust doors to keep me safe, even if they are in the bottom of a spike-filled pit of death, but maybe I'm just paranoid.
Also, if you have a shallow moat that has enemies dropping in, it's easy and fun to make a narrow tunnel to the exit point and fill it with traps. And if anyone survives that he can fall back down since the exit is outside the defenses and he has to go trough whatever dropped him down there in the first place.

PS. Sorry about the slow reply, I went to sleep after posting and have been in a torpor for most of the day.

[Slax]

That works fine until ranged units start picking off cowering dwarves.

[melkor]

That works fine until ranged units start picking off cowering dwarves.

i dont really like making moat's. it is just that the enemy just never ever can get inside your fort because they just cant do anything. it makes the game a bit boring, i mean oh no a siege (lift bridge) now the enemy is just staring at your fort unable to do anything.

and i would like to be placed at the bottom of the list.


edit:some of my screenshot's are missing a bit on the right. but wen i edit and preview them there just fine anyone know's whats going on?

[Daff]

Slax the bridge raises up  to form a wall so no shooting inside, and yeah it's a bit boring and safe but it can be up and working in no time after embark and can mean the difference between life or death in a savage environment.

But I'm a bit of a control freak so I don't want my construction projects interrupted by some pesky centaurs or anything like that.

Also one of the reasons I wanted to try a succession fort, my forts tend to turn out too predictable and safe

[Slax]

Do bridges really work like that? I seem to remember them just disappearing and reappearing.

[asfghn]

A scrap of parchment discovered in an abandoned mineshaft, undated
---

aye, ye bluidy ken I ain't goin'ta go down easy noo, I be thinkin' the overseer's got sumthen in fer us meezly werkin' foke. He dun sent me mate Deon 'gainst some bluidy giant frogthen, an' I tell ye his screems is gonna last weth me fer the rest'a me liven days.

I smel smoke, an be fearin' the wurst. Let this be a warnen te ennywun who finds this miserabble hol in t'grownd: ther wuz a grate civuhla sivva peeple heer onse. A dwarf kalled melkor dun brot us to ruin.

—asfh asphf the miner


((An interlude, while I work through Technical Difficulties with the save tileset. Man, I do not know how much longer I could keep this accent up. ))

[Daff]

Do bridges really work like that? I seem to remember them just disappearing and reappearing.

By default they retract and work just like you described, but if you set them to rise they will turn up into a "wall" on the side you want.

asfghn!
It's up to you to get the fort running smoothly so I can focus on building something huge and impractical