have a few minutes free, so going to drop some quick feedback/bugs/etc below.
Version: v.2f (nothing modified outside of gui interface options)
tileset: Phoebus
- My armorer just made an 'iridium INDESTRUCTIBLE armor' Artifact. I don't think this is right... is it? Sounds like a missed tag in the code or similar, as I don't think 'indestructible' is an actual type of armor design.
- I noticed a HUGE, HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEE drop in fps (went from over 400, to under 30!) in 2 seconds. I could not find the cause. No siege/ambush. When one arrived, I slaughtered it, it fled, but still, I lagged so harshly, I could barely move. Nothing abnormal happened, no burrows issues, etc. Rebooted the game, my computer, etc, same result. In rage, I abandoned and noticed it said my 'strength was broken', Yet there were no sieges/ambushes were on my map above...?
Further watching, it said 'offloading 782 units' - WHAT?! I had 48 dwarves, and few animals (butchered them to keep numbers down as I hate the clutter
). I did NOT have any caverns open yet, but my only assumption is basically, cavern ambushes were 'stacking up' in some form. That's the only way to account for the well over 500-600+ extra units I couldn't find...
on reclaim, with just my 7 dwarves, I got '675' units offloading. All the animals are dead, and I didn't even unpause the game, so 'ambushes/sieges that just appeared on the map!' are impossible.
Third reclaim, using DFhack to reveal the map, going to go look what the heck it is... visibly, with reveal, there's nothing abnormal. About 14 animals I can see on the surface/caverns. Hell isn't revealed/breached. The only viable option, is the underground ambush races are down below (which I can't see even with reveal) and are stacking up and bugged. No other real solution to the lag and unit count.
Note for Dragons: I just had a second one appear, and oddly, with even fewer golems (using these as examples for fights, as dwarves vary depending on armor, caste, etc), and this time I was hitting (and missing) a lot more often. A lucky shot from a spear golem in the back of the buggers head fixed him nicely. It was a lucky kill, but it seemed a bit more balanced this time... hrmph. I'll do more testing!
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Red Dragons (the most common 'titan/mega beast' on the surface, from my experience) seem to have in the 2.f version, gotten INSANELY strong. Either I'm absolutely terribly lucky, or something has changed dramatically vs the v1.0 of the mod.
#1 it SEEMS their breath can melt golems, having difficulty confirming due to the crazy speed of battles and lack of 'fire damage' in combat logs.
#2 they seem to be EXTREMELY fast in attacking. I had a group of (for example) 12 golems vs just it - and across my 12 golems, I think during the fight each got 2 shots off (almost every single shot missed entirely), while it hit them at least 6-12 times between their strikes.
#3 Their 'dragon fire' seems a tad op. They can literally spam it non-stop, and basically makes any viable tactic aside from Volcanic (last I recall, that is) non-existent. Send 50 steel-cladded dwarves? you're wiped out before you even take a swing. Archers are viable, yes, but it spits fire at above ground areas (not sure if it still fires at fortifications). I don't think it's intended for them to have god-mode fire breath spam like they do, at least not when they're insanely fast, building destroyers, and very resilient.
I remember before in 1.0 version, they were laughably weak. A siege of 10 copper-bronze armored units would destroy them. But I just watched one take on a full 80+ ferric elf siege (who were riding GIANT bark scorpions and other fun stuff) wipe them out entirely. Then an automaton siege, only deliver 'light scratches' to it! x.x- harder Farming. Over-all, it's a very solid system, which really forces you to extend out and control your food. No more having a stockpile of food ranging over 15,000+ from just 4 fields of farming! It's damn hard to use ONLY farming to survive now, and fishing and other avenues, are vital to be 'comfortable' even with a ton of farms running.
There is a flaw I noticed. Above ground crops take two months to 'grow' - you claimed (pages back
) to plant only in spring/summer, and not autumn, as they won't grow in time for winter. But unless you plant seeds within the first 5 seconds or so of it turning to summer, ANYTHING planted in summer, will generally be lost. 2 full seasons=Summer+autmn, meaning they begin to 'ripen' in winter, which can't be. So only Spring is viable. Not sure if this is intended, but thought I'd point it out.
- Certain plants (still trying to compile a list) do not show up in your stockpile summary (z, bottom left corner - Plants: (4241). Example, I have 490 cave wheat, 183 strawberries, 80 quarrybushes, 500 plump helms, etc. It shows I have 237 plants. Yet stockpile menu, shows I have the listed amounts. If not reported by others (rushing due to being busy in real life), I'll go do a test and try to find which count, which don't, and such to help pin down the issue if not resolved.
- Fish Ponds are a very nifty addition, especially as you can't really optimize where your river/brook/etc will be outside.
My issue is (personal feedback - not direct problems), is it's quite silly in how difficult it for effort vs gain. Speak of Nets/rods, which cost thread (cloth), wood, and various pieces, all of which are renewable of course. Normal fishers, don't need any of this so comparing the cost vs normal fishing, normal fishing wins.
BUT! Ponds let you be safe from mobs from rivers, and the outside! Very true. However, the actual 'danger' of fishing naturally, with some ingenuity can almost be entirely negated. Build a 5 to 9x5 to 9 wide box, put a roof over it, a floor, designate a single wide hole in the water for fishing. Add in a tunnel from inside the base to the hut with no way in from the outside, making fishing from any above-ground source of water, nigh safe from anything, even building destroyers.
This would be fine if the 'catch rates' were equal, but generally, the speed of fishing from 'ponds' seems to be a good bit slower vs normal fishing of equal skill. Now, add in the pretty damn high 'lose' rate of equipment, and the effort to make said tools to fish from ponds... I simply setup 'safe huts' on a murky pool/brook/etc, rather than use them. Less materials wasted, faster catch rate, more food, less hassle over all.
It's also most efficient to just spam buckets from a stonecutter (using blocks from a brick furnace), due to the 'lose chance' of rods/nets, even if lower, will still inevitably happen. I'd much prefer to lose a single block, then valuable thread/wood (wood taking a good bit of time to grow, especially with harder farming!).
My suggestion (unless I'm overlooking something/overstepping my 'rights' to talk about it), would be to either reduce the fail chance of rods/nets to make them much more viable, or increase catch rates/speed, or a mixture of both. Even if rod's are say, 5% fail - after 20 fish average, I'd lose it. 20 fish in a 100 man fort isn't a lot!
Quick positive notes:
- I love the new 'schematic' system to copy schematics, and create most of them with a higher chance of success that's fair, but risky. I also love the ability to create mechanisms, and other 'acquirable' bits.
- I LOVE the new menu's, they help a lot! And are much easier to look at.
- The Apocatherius (damn word!) building, I believe you mentioned is a work in progress. It seems really baron, especially compared to the old one.
- Over-all, I like the rebalance feel from 1.9.5 compared to 2.f - I can see you got good ideas going on here, even if not 'complete' yet, and will be posting more feedback as I find it (within reason).
Also, I completed the voting poll.