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[slackermandan]

I've tried what the wiki says - I have my cage traps build, I have a lever built. When I use the "q" menu on the lever, and "j" to link it to a cage trap, it tells me that "There is nothing that can be linked up". Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?

[NecroRebel]

You can't link levers to cage traps, but you can link levers to cages. Those are, as you might guess from the emphasis, two different things.

To link a lever to a cage, you must first have the cage built as a building (b-j), then use the link lever to cage (j) option on a lever.

[ReignMan]

I got the same problem right now and I am pretty sure slackermandan actually meant "cages" instead of "cage traps".
Have a look at this picture:

(the cages are filled with enemys)

I've built this construcion exactly how it is stated in the wiki. (http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/Mass_pitting)
But there is one problem now: When I am in the "Building Tasks" menu of the lever and hit "a" and then "j" I get the message "There is nothing that can be linked up".
If I build a cage through "b" -> "j" it works, but this is useless for pitting enemys which have been caught through cage traps because of the (apparently) different behaviour of those cages. (correct me, if I am wrong)

How does it work?

[NecroRebel]

If I build a cage through "b" -> "j" it works, but this is useless for pitting enemys which have been caught through cage traps because of the (apparently) different behaviour of those cages. (correct me, if I am wrong)

How does it work?

When you release an enemy through pitting, they're just released, dragged to the pit, and thrown in. Linking cages to levers is unrelated to pitting enemies, and in fact if you release an enemy with a lever you can't pit them anymore.

The mass pitting array that you've linked doesn't require a lever at all. You make a zone (i) over all the holes, designate it as a (p)it, then set the (P)it/pond status so that all of the caged animals are marked for pitting. Dwarves will go to the cages (which don't have to be built, and probably shouldn't be) and toss them through the hatches.

[ReignMan]

When you release an enemy through pitting, they're just released, dragged to the pit, and thrown in. Linking cages to levers is unrelated to pitting enemies, and in fact if you release an enemy with a lever you can't pit them anymore.

The mass pitting array that you've linked doesn't require a lever at all. You make a zone (i) over all the holes, designate it as a (p)it, then set the (P)it/pond status so that all of the caged animals are marked for pitting. Dwarves will go to the cages (which don't have to be built, and probably shouldn't be) and toss them through the hatches.

Sincere thanks are given to you, sir!

[Terrasleet]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I've tried making this mass-pitting system before with no success. Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

When I assign the creatures to the pits my dwarves will seemingly release the creatures from their cages instead of tossing them down the hatches, then get scared off by the released baddies. The result ended up with my fort being terrorized by disarmed goblins and raging badgers.

[Quietust]

If the cages were properly stockpiled next to the pits, it's likely that the dwarves simply decided to take a non-optimal route and drop a creature into a pit several tiles away from its cage - if this is the case, then there is no solution because the setup itself is inherently flawed.

[celem]

Agreed.  This escape and subsequent scaring you are seeing is the default behaviour when pitting certain creatures.  The design we are talking about is a player invention to circumvent it and should not be expected to always be perfect.  Distance between the dwarf picking up the cage and opening the door to pit seems the vital aspect, for safetys sake you should probably accompany all pitting orders with a militia station just to be safe. (more cage traps round your pit area is cool too)

[FrisianDude]

I got the same problem right now and I am pretty sure slackermandan actually meant "cages" instead of "cage traps".
Have a look at this picture:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

(the cages are filled with enemies)

Are you sure those cages have been built? It looks as if they're simply in a stockpile.

[khearn]

I've had dwarves drag several dozen goblin soldiers dozens of tiles and multiple z-levels to drop them in a pit with no escapes at all. But I've had thieves escape when the pit was right next to the cage. Thieves are escape artists, soldiers are docile once captured.

I guess badgers are just hostile at all times. Seems in character.