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v0.31:Gravity
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| This article is about an older version of DF. |
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall"
Gravity in Dwarf Fortress shares similarities to the real world but has some key differences. Items, creatures and fluids will descend under gravity, moving to a lower z-level in the right circumstances. While this mimics the real world, the biggest key differences are listed below:
- In a cave in, terrain collapses to the lowest point instantly, however items, creatures and buildings fall slowly (over multiple ticks)
- Buildings in a cave in will instantly deconstruct before they fall, and the resulting items will then fall slowly
- Items and creatures that are thrown, shot, cut off and sent flying, knocked back or generally expected to travel in a parabolic arc will do so in a straight line, on only a single z-level. This means that a stone thrown by a catapult will only appear on the same z-level as it was launched from, is only displayed on the same z-level and will come to a halt only at a wall or at the maximum range for the projectile. No additional z-levels are required for "clearance"
When designing pit traps, one consideration to keep in mind is how a creature will respond to the fall. Larger creatures like blind cave ogres don't require much: a five story drop will kill nine out of ten of them, and the tenth one will bleed to death within a game week. Smaller creatures like crundles or creeping eyes, however, tend to land lightly and require a much longer drop.