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[Storapan]

Now, I'm sure this has been brought up before, and I've just missed it. I started playing a couple of months ago, and haven't read through the forums so far... But still, I can't shake the idea and I thought I'd give it a swing.

No major modifications here, just a new form of challenge in the form of a new kind of Forgotten Beast / Megabeast with the ability to tunnel through earth and/or rock. Basically, as if mining. This, in itself, would of course make it possibly extremely deadly both through bypassing defenses and in causing cave-ins and other problems, but there are a few more twists to add to this:

1. These creatures need not at all be aggressive towards dwarves. They could simply be tunneling around, minding their own business. They could be mindless, and not even defend themselves from attack, or just be docile and attack only in defense.
2. They probably eat minerals, gems or choice kinds of ore. They would probably even be able to "track" their favorite foods. They could also, very possibly, leave behind useful products (such as eating minerals and dropping ore, or perhaps dropping gems, maybe even "cut" by stomach acids or another process). This would probably lead to all kinds of interesting uses for these creatures that I haven't thought of, including using them to track veins of ore and to run mining operations and let your dwarves lean back and sip some rum.
3. If they track their choice foods, dwarven stockpiles might prove an irresistible "draw". Imagine the "FUN" to be had when the giant cave worm gets a whiff of your gigantic metal bar stockpile and decides to stop by for lunch, perhaps completely unintentionally covering your entire metal industry team with his acidic excretions in the process.

There are of course many more possibilites. The main draw in this, to me, is that these creatures could pose a unique challenge to many fortresses designed to be "impenetrable", which sounds like fun!

[Kogut]

Planned. Use search.

[10ebbor10]

Sieger digging is planned(part of the army arc). The army arc comes after the caravan arc. Animal/megabeast digging will probably be in then as well.

[antymattar]

See the problem with tunneling creatures is that they would, if left unguarded, cave in the entire map. A reasonable sollution would be to make the "tunnels" tmporary so that they fill up over time.

[Detoxicated]

Well if the rebuilding of soil will be added in, it shouldn't be a problem at all. I like the idea of having giant moles ruining your food area, they shouldn't necessarily be forgotten beast though!

[knutor]

See the problem with tunneling creatures is that they would, if left unguarded, cave in the entire map. A reasonable sollution would be to make the "tunnels" tmporary so that they fill up over time.

Or keep them out of the rock layers, and make them peter out, early.  What ever is digging through rock would have to have one tough snoot.  I'd enjoy DF better if I could turn starvation off for Dorfs.  Food would be a combat-job buff on the Dorf, not a necessity.  Just a way to keep them happy, dodging, and hauling fast.  And for the monsters, animals, a way to trigger their power moves.  Firebreathing,  Burrowing, etc...  That last FB I had to face had a chain AOE attack, which seemed rather harsh and unrbalancing..  Maybe if he had to swallow a corpse to do it, it'd be a more enjoyable battle, plus then I'd not have to bury him or fret about possible ghosts, later on.

Sincerely,
Knutor

[Loud Whispers]

See the problem with tunneling creatures is that they would, if left unguarded, cave in the entire map. A reasonable sollution would be to make the "tunnels" tmporary so that they fill up over time.

Or keep them out of the rock layers, and make them peter out, early.  What ever is digging through rock would have to have one tough snoot.  I'd enjoy DF better if I could turn starvation off for Dorfs.  Food would be a combat-job buff on the Dorf, not a necessity.  Just a way to keep them happy, dodging, and hauling fast.  And for the monsters, animals, a way to trigger their power moves.  Firebreathing,  Burrowing, etc...  That last FB I had to face had a chain AOE attack, which seemed rather harsh and unrbalancing..  Maybe if he had to swallow a corpse to do it, it'd be a more enjoyable battle, plus then I'd not have to bury him or fret about possible ghosts, later on.

Sincerely,
Knutor

Constructed walls and floors anyone? No diggers are getting through my fort... Without me knowing it
Also, you can turn off starvation for Dwarves, in the raws under entity_default, find [CREATURE_DWARF] and givem em all [NO_EAT]. Personally, I find the mastery of panic and stress in the random situations DF can bring are absolutely rewarding.
"SIR! THE FORGOTTEN BEAST AB TROLOL HAS DESTROYED THE MAGMA FORGES!"
":O
GROW THE PLUMP HELMETS NOW."
No two embarks are the same, even if they all reach an untimely and horrific demise...

[peskyninja]

Maybe to avoid cave ins this kind of creature should only dig when looking for food or fleeing from something.
And they could also have the ability to create natural rock/soil walls.

[Loud Whispers]

Maybe to avoid cave ins this kind of creature should only dig when looking for food or fleeing from something.
And they could also have the ability to create natural rock/soil walls.

Why would you want to avoid cave ins? NONSENSE! THE GROUND SHALL TREMBLE!
(Hilarity ensues when you allow all Dwarves to burrow).

[peskyninja]

Zergling Dwarfling ambush!
And  maybe the  tunnels this creature digs are only usable by the creature.
So instead of: Red sand caver floor we would get this:Burrowed red sand wall

[Z1000000m]

So, rock worms doing the digging and searching for metals, making little caverns in the process?
I'm game.

[C27]

How about if they fill their tunnels with soil/sand behind them as they dig through rock?

[Silverionmox]

How about if they fill their tunnels with soil/sand behind them as they dig through rock?

That's the way to go, IMO. Make it impossible for the small ones to breach stone - gives you a reason to tile and wall off rooms in earth layers.

Bigger burrowers could exist too, but they need a darn good reason to burrow through the rock, rather than just using the caves. Bigger ones ought to leave real corridors and stones, just like a mining dwarf. Those ought to be rare.

In general, there ought to be differentiation in the hardness of the material that creatures can dig through. That goes for civilized folks as well as naturals.

[C27]

In general, there ought to be differentiation in the hardness of the material that creatures can dig through. That goes for civilized folks as well as naturals.

Wooden "training" picks to dig soil but not stone, maybe?

[Loud Whispers]

Wooden picks? Now that just makes no sense whatsoever. Looking at you minecraft. Shovels would make more sense though.

I'm still thinking about the idea that burrowing critters leave gaps/passage ways or whatever in your walls that act like pollutants, which allow creatures to pass through. Doesn't mess with cave ins, and would open an option for it to be removed with some designation or perhaps a building deconstruction, which means it would have to be secured first by military Dorfs...