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Author Topic: Animal-Powered Watchtower  (Read 45596 times)

Sarudak

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #15 on: March 07, 2011, 07:55:03 pm »

Anyway fortifications let your animals get killed by archers and reloading a new animal is kinda a pain.
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Girlinhat

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #16 on: March 07, 2011, 07:55:16 pm »

Besides, GCS are valuable.  Don't waste it by letting gobbos plug it full of holes!

Marthnn

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #17 on: March 07, 2011, 07:58:10 pm »

Probably use 9 windows instead of 4 depending on how many i have available.
And how is the roof supported? Or do you let any flying beast enter?
Anyway fortifications let your animals get killed by archers and reloading a new animal is kinda a pain.
With windows behind fortifications, archers can't shoot through and building destroyers can't destroy anything.
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Marthnn likes obsidian, steel, star ruby, goblin-cap wood, the color bloody red and giant desert scorpions for their tails. When possible, he prefers to consume sunshine. He absolutely detests cave blobs.

A dwarf wants to heal.  A dwarf is motivated to heal.  A dwarf is, by Armok, going to heal or die trying!  Because if he doesn't heal, he doesn't get alcohol.

Excedion

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #18 on: March 07, 2011, 08:01:23 pm »

Probably use 9 windows instead of 4 depending on how many i have available.
And how is the roof supported? Or do you let any flying beast enter?

Just build a floor on top of it as in the original design?
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If adamantine is perfectly rigid, as shown by having 0 strain at fracture in the raw files, then the speed of sound in the metal approaches the speed of light. Adamantine musical instruments would produce ultrasonic vibrations, and cut off the fingers of the musician.

Girlinhat

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #19 on: March 07, 2011, 08:02:52 pm »

Windows don't support constructions, which is why I use the 4 walls.  I was originally using 7 windows and 1 wall, with that wall in the direction of the fort, but I like the posted walls better.

Excedion

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #20 on: March 07, 2011, 08:05:42 pm »

Well i guess if you build a wall then build a paved road ontop then remove the wall it will still float anyway iirc
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If adamantine is perfectly rigid, as shown by having 0 strain at fracture in the raw files, then the speed of sound in the metal approaches the speed of light. Adamantine musical instruments would produce ultrasonic vibrations, and cut off the fingers of the musician.

Urist Da Vinci

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #21 on: March 08, 2011, 02:45:58 am »

The main reason that you need a roof is goblins on flying mounts (like giant bats or giant cave swallows). They won't destroy the windows, but they will fly up and over the windows to kill the animal.

I'd put an animal watchtower over the front entrance to keep kobolds away; that is, when the kobolds stop starving to extinction in year 4. If you put watchtowers in the far field, you might consider putting hedge walls nearby to force enemies to path

With windows behind fortifications, archers can't shoot through and building destroyers can't destroy anything.
If you do that, you end up with only 1 tile of detection on each side:
Code: [Select]
3210123

 FW_WF

Just using windows is safe enough:
Code: [Select]
3210123

  W_W 


Window-behind-fortification is good underground, on the inside corner of a bend in a hallway.

Girlinhat

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #22 on: March 08, 2011, 02:51:19 am »

I put a roof to be nice, actually.  Poor peacock stuck out there, cramped into a tiny tower, rained on and trying to run from ambushers...  Plus aesthetics.  It just feels wrong without a roof!

Dutchling

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #23 on: March 08, 2011, 10:05:12 am »

Great idea! If you haven't pu it on the wiki yet, you should (or someone else if you don't feel like it)
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Girlinhat

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #24 on: March 08, 2011, 04:43:54 pm »

I'll get around to it later today.

Hans Lemurson

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #25 on: March 08, 2011, 06:10:31 pm »

If you put a female cat in each tower, will you be able to have sustained families of cats that inhabit each tower?

Also, I think I might implement a slightly different design that includes a staircase leading down into my fortress so that animals can be accessed internally, but it won't have quite the same aesthetic appeal as your watch-tower.  Either a 2x1 or 2x2 internal area, though the wanderings of the animal will give an inconsistent detection range.
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Foolprooof way to penetrate aquifers of unlimited depth.  (Make sure to import at least 10 stones for mechanisms)
Toughen Dwarves by dropping stuff on them.  (Nothing too heavy though, and make sure to wear armor.)
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And into every face he saw
his sooty foot he put."

Girlinhat

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #26 on: March 08, 2011, 06:25:21 pm »

I did mention the hatch.  If you build stairs in that center tile, and then a hatch that's forbidden, you can selectively open it and re-stock the tower.  This generally isn't an issue though, since I use peacocks that live 15 years minimum.  Given that, restocking is so rare that you don't have to worry about it!  So, while the thought is nice, it's a point of practicality really.

Also, .19 and later, cats pinned like that will kill each other.

Naros

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #27 on: March 08, 2011, 08:52:42 pm »

Hmm. This could be nice to train an unneeded Dwarf (immigrant)'s Observation skill, perhaps?

Lock him in with a stack of good food and better drink to keep him happy?
Only trouble is that he'll sleep at times.
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Girlinhat

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #28 on: March 08, 2011, 08:57:10 pm »

If you have safe access to the tower, place a lever on /R with no purpose, to ensure someone's always there.

EDIT: Pumps also work like military orders.  People will just about die of thirst while on a pump, rather than leave it unmanned.  A bit more room, but a lot more reliable watcher.

Naros

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Re: Animal-Powered Watchtower
« Reply #29 on: March 08, 2011, 09:01:13 pm »

Yeah. I was just pondering that it's possibly to have little pillboxes connected with tunnel networks. So your dwarves can go have fun in that legendary dining hall and such, but .. well, that would just be too kind, wouldn't it?

I think I'll lock my next immigrant cheesemaker into a watchtower like you built for the peacock with a few barrels of drink and a stack of food dumped onto his bed.
See if he survives / becomes good at Observation. >:3
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