I guess I should report a bug on the shedim I just found. They bring mounts to siege, but the shedim themselves are opposed to life, while the mounts are not. As such, they are fighting with their own mounts as I type this.
As amusing as that is, I'll have to do some research to see if I can fix that, since I made sure not to give them COMMON_DOMESTIC_MOUNT.
The thing with zingers... I'm finding it hard to kill them off. Several reasons.
Firstly, these guys are pretty cute. Yes, I said it. Hairballs with legs and give birth to live, miniature hairballs? Adorable!
Secondly, when I first suggested the idea of zingers I have not imagined them to be such... evolved creatures. I was thinking a rather blind, slow, primordial blob of acid and assorted elements that the dwarves lug around and chuck down chutes to explode on enemies. What we have here is instead a fast creature with a decent kicking ability, sight, hearing (I presume), that give birth to live young that start as babies, children, and then finally adults. I just don't see a live hand grenade here. I see a pretty advanced creature instead of something that's barely alive.
I know, this sounds a bit like a rant on how it's all about me and my ideas. But really, I just don't see the concept I have suggested to you working out. I'm just hoping my little argument here can move you to make some concessions on the zinger creature ai, anatomy and appearance.
Here's, what they look like before the (massive and largely irrelevant wall of) caste definitions...
[CREATURE:ZINGER_LFR]
[DESCRIPTION:A walking, spotted ball of flesh covered with long, fine hairs. It is rarely hostile, but is not a good source of food, as its death causes its body to rapidly disintegrate, often with harmful consequences to those nearby.]
[NAME:zinger:zingers:zinger]
[CASTE_NAME:zinger:zingers:zinger]
[GENERAL_CHILD_NAME:little zinger:little zingers:zinger]
[PREFSTRING:spots][CREATURE_TILE:'z'][COLOR:1:0:1]
[CHILD:2][BABY:1][LITTERSIZE:1:2]
[PET][PETVALUE:10]
[COMMON_DOMESTIC]
[BIOME:SUBTERRANEAN_CHASM]
[UNDERGROUND_DEPTH:1:2]
[LARGE_ROAMING][DIFFICULTY:2][FREQUENCY:2]
[POPULATION_NUMBER:40:60]
[CLUSTER_NUMBER:5:7]
[BENIGN][AT_PEACE_WITH_WILDLIFE]
[LARGE_PREDATOR][MEANDERER]
[GRASSTRAMPLE:50]
[BODY:BODY_WITH_HEAD_FLAG:BASIC_3PARTLEGS]
[NO_THOUGHT_CENTER_FOR_MOVEMENT]
[EXTRAVISION]
[NOBREATHE]
[NOFEAR]
[NOTHOUGHT]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:STANDARD_MATERIALS]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:STANDARD_TISSUES]
[SELECT_TISSUE:HAIR]
[RELSIZE:150]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:VERTEBRATE_TISSUE_LAYERS:SKIN:FAT:MUSCLE:BONE:CARTILAGE]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:BODY_HAIR_TISSUE_LAYERS:HAIR]
[SELECT_TISSUE_LAYER:HEART:BY_CATEGORY:HEART]
[PLUS_TISSUE_LAYER:SKIN:BY_CATEGORY:THROAT]
[TL_MAJOR_ARTERIES]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:STANDARD_HEAD_POSITIONS]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:HUMANOID_HEAD_POSITIONS]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:HUMANOID_RIBCAGE_POSITIONS]
[BODY_DETAIL_PLAN:HUMANOID_RELSIZES]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:SINEW:SINEW_TEMPLATE]
[TENDONS:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:SINEW:200]
[LIGAMENTS:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:SINEW:200]
[HAS_NERVES]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:BLOOD:BLOOD_TEMPLATE]
[BLOOD:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:BLOOD:LIQUID]
[CREATURE_CLASS:GENERAL_POISON]
[GETS_WOUND_INFECTIONS]
[GETS_INFECTIONS_FROM_ROT]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:PUS:PUS_TEMPLATE]
[PUS:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:PUS:LIQUID]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:ACID:BLOOD_TEMPLATE]
[STATE_COLOR:ALL:GREEN]
[STATE_NAME_ADJ:LIQUID:acid]
[SYNDROME]
[SYN_NAME:acid burns]
[SYN_AFFECTED_CLASS:GENERAL_POISON]
[SYN_IMMUNE_CREATURE:ZINGER_LFR:ALL]
[SYN_CONTACT]
[CE_PAIN:SEV:400:PROB:100:LOCALIZED:START:1:PEAK:6000:END:10000]
[CE_BLISTERS:SEV:600:PROB:100:LOCALIZED:START:1:PEAK:5000:END:10000]
[CE_NECROSIS:SEV:500:PROB:100:LOCALIZED:START:1:PEAK:6000:END:10000]
[BODY_SIZE:0:0:5000]
[BODY_SIZE:1:122:20000]
[BODY_SIZE:20:0:50000]
[BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER:HEIGHT:90:95:98:100:102:105:110]
[BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER:BROADNESS:90:95:98:100:102:105:110]
[MAXAGE:10:35]
[ATTACK:KICK:BODYPART:BY_TYPE:STANCE]
[ATTACK_SKILL:STANCE_STRIKE]
[ATTACK_VERB:kick:kicks]
[ATTACK_CONTACT_PERC:100]
[ATTACK_FLAG_WITH]
[ATTACK_PRIORITY:MAIN]
[ALL_ACTIVE]
[HOMEOTHERM:10070]
[SWIMS_INNATE][SWIM_SPEED:2500]
If I were to remove everything in yellow and bring in a simpler detail plan for some less familiar tissues, would that be more along the lines of what you were thinking? I might also give them [SPEED:2500] to allow them to move around in pens for reproduction, but not much in combat.
I was thinking... I might even be able to recycle the idea of a the adorable little walking ball of hair as the basic platform for creature transformations. Because what would be more dwarven than "aww, it's so cute, let's mount hydraulics, armor, and mithril spikes on it," right?
I feel like they're exactly where I want them from a balance standpoint (we'll see how frigid ones end up working out), and the flavor and immersion aspects are the most flexible. I can see why someone would get attached to the little buggers in their current form, so maybe it's time for some change.
Any plan to add graphics to the many creatures that don't have one? I think even wolverine don't have a graphic right now, I would not mind if they used anything, even leopard sprite...
Yes. A number of others have also been working on this, and I'm going to try to secure a few permissions to fill out some of the unfinished vanilla creatures' graphics.
Wow so this world ended up with a lot more populations than I expected.
Civilized World Population
22876 Bog trolls
16644 Lizardmen
38732 Meowkin
16304 Nephilim
33137 Dwarves
16587 Humans
44607 Elves
32827 Goblins
541 Kobolds
51066 Voidwalkers
Total: 273321
Nothing died out 
There's at least 30 dragons but according to the site list no cave has less than 800 inhabitants. Which could make adventuring interesting to say the least.
Here's the full file.
I'm impressed by my own ability to fall ass backwards into some sort of balance. I'll definitely be giving this a DL. Thanks.
I've been pondering for a time on the use of a research system a lot like the taming knowledge that dwarves collect through animal interaction.
It's most likely impossible or just not feasible at the current time, but I'll give some of my thoughts anyway.
It would be neat if alchemical tasks adding slowly to the overall alchemical knowledge of certain elements or forces, say you get lucky and get 2 ethereal reactions right off the bat, your alchemists would learn more about the process of pulling ether from the void and you might have better luck with it, perhaps at enough research poured in, the ability to specifically use a reaction to search for ether.
The same could be for other tenets of dwarven research, from the production of bayonets to the magnetic dart launchers, or delicious, Delicious robotics. If they were randomly generated with the civilizations, albeit with a cap (Nobody who knew exactly how to make the things moved on, only those who may have been involved in the process or used them); Knowledge of their existence is present but not much about making them.
That gives a bit of headway into the pursuit of science, at least for one or two areas, without having to cause some sort of breakthrough to gain access to them (Like the slabs of hastily chiseled, etc) which could be specifically to unlock research areas entirely untouched.
The idea would be that alchemy experiments and the like produce results, which are filed away until a breakthrough is made, the breakthrough officially adds that section of Science to the research pool, and additional dabblings in that area slowly raise your fortress' knowledge of it. Robotics might rise up to General familiarity (They stopped trying to kill us) and you as a result, have better luck building them or possibly access to more designs.
Those are my initial thoughts anyway, I might add more to it later, if everyone doesn't completely hate it. :3
It is unfeasible right now, but I'm making a note of this in case any of it ever becomes feasible.
Poll
36 (26.1%)
Author
Topic: *=*=* Legends of Forlorn Realms (LFR 2012) v0.21a *=*=* [DF 0.34.11] (Read 403954 times)