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[GreatWyrmGold]

Has anyone tried to design a device that weaponises cave-in dust?
An idea might be a spot, "supported" only by bridges, that you build a clay (or other) floor on, where it collapses and "fires" the clay (or other) dust out at the enemies. Thoughts on how to turn this into a more effective weapon? Aside from the mandatory dozen-level drop, of course.

[FoiledFencer]

Do bridges support constructions? I seem to remember having one of my designs for Indiana-Jones-style collapsing platforms turning out to be useless because the bridges I intended to retract did not support the constructions (they were built but immediatly plummeted into the deep below).

[Dynastia]

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=78399.msg2028060#msg2028060

The Obsidian Machinegun

[Cheveux]

I don't think bridges support constructions.

I have an idea I intend to do since last month but I keep forgetting about it. I want to make a long and narrow (3 tiles wide, 20 tiles long) bridge that will be the only way to get in my fortress. On each sides of the bridge I'll have small towers that will be used as you described to cause cave-in to push people down a "mandatory dozen-level drop" with menacing spikes.

Code: [Select]

  Entrance
#####+++#####
##...+++...##
##...+++...##
#_...+++..._#
##...+++...##
#_...+++..._#
##...+++...##
#_...+++..._#
##...+++...##


# = Walls
+ = floor
. = empty space
_ = spots were the cave-in will land and produce dust.

I'm not sure it'll work though.

[GreatWyrmGold]

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=78399.msg2028060#msg2028060

The Obsidian Machinegun

Doesn't that drop chunks of obsidian on the enemies, not use the dust?

I don't think bridges support constructions.

I have an idea I intend to do since last month but I keep forgetting about it. I want to make a long and narrow (3 tiles wide, 20 tiles long) bridge that will be the only way to get in my fortress. On each sides of the bridge I'll have small towers that will be used as you described to cause cave-in to push people down a "mandatory dozen-level drop" with menacing spikes.

Code: [Select]

  Entrance
#####+++#####
##...+++...##
##...+++...##
#_...+++..._#
##...+++...##
#_...+++..._#
##...+++...##
#_...+++..._#
##...+++...##


# = Walls
+ = floor
. = empty space
_ = spots were the cave-in will land and produce dust.

I'm not sure it'll work though.

Seems like it would work.

[Dynastia]

No, it drops chunks of obsidian into the Molten Rock layer. The dust where the obsidian is formed (and immediately caves-in) passes through a fortification wall and kills the enemy. Check his test-chamber results against a horse.

[Frogwarrior]

It'd be a bit management-intensive, and REALLY dangerous, but you could have a bridge catwalk and order a lot of floors/walls to be built next to the bridge, floating over midair. As soon as the construction is "nearly completed" (or earlier would work, I guess) Suspend the construction. Then, when the enemies attack, unsuspend it so a dwarf will come along and finish the construction, dropping the thing on the foes.

It'd be really inefficient, prone to missing, and really deadly to the hapless workers who have to cause cave-ins while standing right next to a drop, so only do it if that's your sort of thing.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Inefficient? Prone to missing? Deadly to clumsy workers? What was your point again?

[Frogwarrior]

That it's FREAKING AWESOME and everyone who does it gets cake?
Honestly, the only way to make it better would be to instead have the catwalk made of constructed floors, with the bombing sites made of a constructed floor adjacent to the catwalk with a constructed wall hanging off of it; deconstruct the floor to drop the bomb. It'd take WAY longer to activate, and children would get in on the action.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Ready the cake.

[Frogwarrior]

Pics or it didn't happen?

[Eddren]

It's actually possible to build walls around bridges. I usually do it, in order to make my floating fortresses. The trick is to start off from the shore to the end, and then making the end-walls, floors. That way, you can finish up the project.
WWWWWWFW
BBBBBBBBBBBF
WWWWWWFW
Then you remove one floor.

WWWWWW W
BBBBBBBBBBBF
WWWWWWFW
And replace it with a wall.
WWWWWWWW
BBBBBBBBBBBBF
WWWWWWFW
Rinse and repeat.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Pics or it didn't happen?

I said READY the cake--I'm preparing, but haven't done it yet.

It's actually possible to build walls around bridges. I usually do it, in order to make my floating fortresses. The trick is to start off from the shore to the end, and then making the end-walls, floors. That way, you can finish up the project.
WWWWWWFW
BBBBBBBBBBBF
WWWWWWFW
Then you remove one floor.

WWWWWW W
BBBBBBBBBBBF
WWWWWWFW
And replace it with a wall.
WWWWWWWW
BBBBBBBBBBBBF
WWWWWWFW
Rinse and repeat.

Yes, but the WALLS are supporting the walls. Your point?

[Grumbledwarfskin]

I'll admit I have no experience with this kind of thing at all...but wouldn't the following approach work?

S = support (one z-level below)
B = bridge
- = open space
W = wall
C = constructed floor to be dropped
< = access stairway

Code: [Select]

WWWWW
<BB.W
WSC.W
W...W
WWWWW

...not quite as !!Fun!! as building constructions and suspending them, but you could construct as much floor as you like above your target area, and then drop it all with the pull of a lever.

Doing that for a whole hallway would be a lot of stone for a single attack, though the results might be worth it in some cases.

[Frogwarrior]

Pics or it didn't happen?

I said READY the cake--I'm preparing, but haven't done it yet.

oh I know, I know - I'm just saying, when you DO it, post pics or video for maximum awesome and cakular awards.

Also, I build walls around bridges all the time - prevents dodge-offs and there's not even a need to build+remove anything. Just build it from the outside-in:

Code: [Select]

1234321
=======
=======
1234321Numbers are the orders in which you build the walls.

Anyway, Grumbledwarf, if I understand your design correctly, keep in mind that the support only supports things directly above them (unlike a constructed wall). However, I've also used designs like this:

Code: [Select]

+++++++++
    I
    +The I is a support with a single floor tile above it (to do this, build a wall adjacent to the support and a ramp adjacent to that).
The solitary + is a constructed floor (NOT a wall, or it will hold up the floor above the support!), although it can actually be whatever shape you like. You could build a 10x10 set of floors and drop them all at once.

Then, to activate it, hook up a lever (or just deconstruct the support for maximum suicide). The support will go away, the floor it was holding up will crash through the floor it was standing on, and one tick later the OTHER floor will fall, giving a nice 1-2 punch (or a single floor followed by a huge piece of landscape crashing down, your choice). I've used this to destroy migrant waves; just lock them out of your fort, have them build this over a volcano with the support on the rim-side of the walkway, put a meeting zone on the walkway, remove the support, bye-bye migrants.


The awesome, though, is that cave-ins destroy any buildings under them, including bridges. You know how you can't bridge-drop or atomsmash forgotten beasts or demons? Yes you can. Just drop a single constructed floor anywhere on the bridge and KABLOOIE. I'm pretty sure that the thing on the bridge (or army, depending) will fall straight down too, with no chance of being flung to safety. So you could make the only entrance to your fort be a string of lots of 10x10 bridges, each of which has a single constructed floor hanging over it; whenever you want, just make them all fall down and the WHOLE bridge goes, with everything on it, down a 50-z drop into magma or whatever. Bit of a chore rebuilding the bridges after every siege, but whatever.