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[veok]

Look, all I'm asking is for you to use an alternative name in the title and put in a spoiler tag, because you can spoil this stuff for some people when you don't. It's not like it's hard to do that or doing so detracts from the value of the thread, so there's no reason not to do so unless you're pointlessly stubborn.

You must admit it's a pretty arbitrary line to draw though -- why should the demons be spoiled and not, say, sieges?

[Detonate]

If you really don't want to experience lag from the clowns, then compress (or is it decompress?) the save and remove the [BUILDING_DESTROYER:2] tag.

[Panopticon]

My 2 Urist on the spoiler topic:
The first time I visited the forums I saw all these references to cotton candy and clowns, then detailed explanations of how to deal with/make use of them.
Suddenly, without even knowing the real names I knew basically all there was to know about the things from about the first page of threads here.

Exactly what is hidden when you write: Clowns are building destroyer 2 and trapavoid, so if you let them out of the circus by mining the cotton candy they will break your bridges and doors, walk right over your traps and devour your dwarves delicious meats?

From that sentence I get the information that these things kill dwarfs, aren't stopped by doors and suchlike, are immune to traps and are released when something called cotton candy (which another thread tells me is the best thing for making armor/sharp weapons out of) is mined.

By this point do I really need to know they are called demons, are from hell and are trapped by adamantite? There are no more surprises anyway.

[Urist Imiknorris]

They will not break your bridges.

Also, it's still fun to find out that "oh, they were talking about breaking into Hell?" when you find them yourself, no matter how spoiled you are..

[Deadly Lamarr]

Personally, I was at first under the impression that Clowns were some sort of insidious new enemy lurking about with their bulbous red noses and their tiny cars and their cannibalism. Much as in real life. I was disappointed to discover that these Clowns were just demons, which I already knew about. They don't even wear baggy pants as a rule. *Sigh*

The closest thing we have to the Pale Menace are Night Creatures, and they just don't convey the same level of horror.

[Urist Imiknorris]

You could always mod them in. Although I don't think more than one person can ride the same mount, so the clown cars will be an issue.

Oh wait, cages.

[Deadly Lamarr]

Can you have a cage full of creatures spawn?

Aside from a pretty brief, unambitious stint back in 40d, I haven't done any modding, but adding actual Tent Horrors would be a worthy task.

[Loyal]

I wonder if anyone has ever tried a full-scale clown mod? Your dwarves are clowns, you can grow bananas and use the peels for traps, you craft horns and produce cotton candy for trading, and everything's blood is replaced with custard.

[Biag]

On the spoiler issue. Spoilers aren't about gameplay, they're not a "oh hehe, we are so clever to screw people over" kind of thing. The reason it's there is because there are people who don't want things spoiled, and we should give them the tools to stay unspoiled. The demons are there to surprise you, and pretty much only to surprise you, when you're at the point in the game where you think you know everything about it. They're that one last surprise that's supposed to jolt you awake.

Look, I'm not saying that I can change your opinion. I mean, I'm trying, but it probably won't work. All I ask is that you use some kind of spoiler tag when you're talking about this stuff. It's not any effort at all, and the fact that you disagree with me is completely irrelevant to the fact that there are people who don't want to be spoiled. Out of respect for them, just use the silly clown metaphor. Please.

[rephikul]

On the spoiler issue. Spoilers aren't about gameplay, they're not a "oh hehe, we are so clever to screw people over" kind of thing. The reason it's there is because there are people who don't want things spoiled, and we should give them the tools to stay unspoiled. The demons are there to surprise you, and pretty much only to surprise you, when you're at the point in the game where you think you know everything about it. They're that one last surprise that's supposed to jolt you awake.

Paradoxical.

Spoiler: fun to some people (click to show/hide)

[Loyal]

At risk of repeating myself, the clown euphemisms are completely useless, self-defeating (as they are almost invariably accompanied by descriptive context that tells the person exactly what the euphemism means), and hypocritical coming from anyone who espouses concealing spoilers.

If protecting the poor innocent newbies from the evil spoilers (such as they are) is that important, you can choose not to mention the demons at all. I personally am not likely to bring them up at all, except where it's relevant. But I will have absolutely nothing to do with this "clown" and "cotton candy" crap.

Spoilers aren't about gameplay, they're not a "oh hehe, we are so clever to screw people over" kind of thing. The reason it's there is because there are people who don't want things spoiled, and we should give them the tools to stay unspoiled.

They are about gameplay in this case, because Dwarf Fortress has nothing but gameplay to be spoiled. Demons and Hell are gameplay mechanics, just like farming, combat, nobles, and sieges. And players who are inadequately prepared for any of the above, through ignorance or incompetence, will lose their fortress all the same (well, maybe not from nobles, but then their shenanigans can get pretty spectacular). Given that all of the above will mess a player up if they don't know about it, what makes demons so special?

If a player so wishes to avoid being spoiled, the solution is as simple here as with any work - stay off the damn internet. Because even browsing the wiki, universally toted as the single most useful resource a new player can ask for, can inadvertently expose players to the features deep below the earth, entirely by accident.

As an example of how simple this is, we'll take the article of one of the most fundamental buildings in the game: The furnace, which contains a link to Magma, which contains a link to Semi-molten rock, which contains a link to Hidden Fun Stuff (also known as Hell). Just three clicks is all it takes, and that spoiler tag isn't going to make the player forget that it's there, even if it does convince them to look the other way.

[Cydonian Monk]

Demons and Hell are gameplay mechanics, just like farming, combat, nobles, and sieges. And players who are inadequately prepared for any of the above, through ignorance or incompetence, will lose their fortress all the same (well, maybe not from nobles....)....

[sarcasm]

Wait...  Nobles aren't Demons?  Certainly had me fooled.....

[/sarcasm]

And it's quite simple to lose your forts to nobles.  (Especially back when the Hammerer still existed/worked.)

[Jake]

Somewhat more on topic, I suggest digging a bunker with everything your dwarves will need to survive for several years, setting the demons loose and then sealing everyone off in said bunker whilst they charge headlong towards the surface and eventually (I think) wander off into the rest of the world.

[dood_]

So would a cave in trap destroy an upright spike trap if it hit it? Or will I have to separate the two? Furthermore, can you still capture them if they're knocked over by a cave in? And finally, what's this about bridges not being destroyed by them? Is that if theres a channel in front? I figured they could just fly over it and BOOM.

[Victuz]

Cave + in = solution.

PS. By the way hello everyone. I'm back after about 4 months break xP. I wonder if I can still DO something in df .