Difference between revisions of "v0.31:Stupid dwarf trick"

{{quality|Fine|13:08, 22 June 2010 (UTC)}}{{AV}}

A '''stupid dwarf trick''' is any project that requires a large amount time and effort - often for little or no practical benefit.  They exist only as a challenge for experienced players.  

Build a fortress specifically for exploring in {{L|adventure mode}}. You can either make a nasty monster-filled challenge, or a Smörgåsbord of masterpiece steel weapons and armor. Possibly both. A {{L|chasm}}, underground {{L|river}}, or {{L|hidden fun stuff}} can ensure the fortress is occupied.  

'''Usefulness:''' Not applicable.  

Are your soldiers all sound asleep while blood soaks the walls?  No need to deconstruct their beds one by one, ''if'' you bought the Dwarf Wakey 3000!  Simply a solitary floor tile balanced on a support, one or more can be toppled with the pull of a lever to produce an earth-shaking racket that'll have them leaping for their axes!

'''Usefulness:''' Low.

If your river's a long way away from your fortress, building a trans-map axle may be less efficient than building an aqueduct and pump stack driven by waterwheels in the river.  The pump stack raises it to the height of your fort, where it flows through the long, long aqueduct and drives waterwheels on the other end.  Getting the water pressure <em>just right</em> so it powers your waterwheel without flooding the fort can be {{L|Fun}}.  Diagonal channels make good pressure reducers.  

==Watervator==

By creating a vertical "Hydraulic Elevation and Lowering Platform" chamber (A H.E.L.P. Chamber, so named for the cries of the passenger dwarf) with lever controlled water levels, you can move a dwarf up several z-levels without any stairs. All it takes is the dwarf's ability to swim up to the surface of the water to breathe.

'''Difficulty:''' Medium. Moderate possibility of Fun by way of flooding your fortress. Any dwarves that can't swim will instead experience Fun when using the Watervator. The actual construction time and resource usage is very low. Using the Watervator often leads to unhappy thoughts about drowning

'''Usefulness:''' Low to Medium. The Watervator requires manual micromanaging, while stairs do not. On the other hand, it can be used to create a pathway that most <s>Dwarves</s> enemies will simply be unable to use. Those that can would still be doing so at great risk of drowning or falling to their death

Aquifers can be a resource of immense power.  If you have two levels of aquifer, you can generate a continuous flow by draining one level of aquifer into another and plant waterwheels above it.  One stream can power a lot of wheels.

'''Difficulty:''' High.  Anything to do with draining aquifers is very {{L|Fun}}.

'''Usefulness:''' High.  The lowly windmill pales in utility compared to a waterwheel.

To keep the waterfall going, you need a {{L|pump}} stack, preferably powered by a {{L|windmill}} or {{L|water wheel}}.  

'''Difficulty:''' Moderate.  

'''Usefulness:''' Dwarves love {{L|waterfall}}s. Putting a waterfall in your {{L|meeting hall}} will give your dwarves good {{L|thought}}s, although it can significantly lower frame rate.

=={{L|Ballista}} Battery==

'''Usefulness:''' There are a far more effective ways to defend a fortress, but few are as entertaining.

Bonus: Excavate a reservoir and a lower river valley. <br />

Bonus: Build a control center to control the water flow. <br />

Bonus: Draw your entire energy from a power station within.

'''Difficulty:''' On a map that freezes in the winter, this is easy. Otherwise, very difficult. (See {{L|dam}}, or Moses effect, below.  But with the bonuses it gets a bit harder.

'''Usefulness:''' Depends on how many bonuses you fulfill. The Power station is obvious, and with the control room you could build up a nice defense system.

'''Difficulty:''' Low but annoying. You may have to micromanage to get every child into the room, and it'll be a hassle to get the grown ones out without releasing all of them.  

Whenever a dog or cat gives birth, stuff all the kittens and puppies in one cage in your entryway.  Link this cage to a pressure plate beside it.  Should your last lines of defense be breached, goblins will step on it and in the next instant be torn apart by dozens of goblin-seeking hostiles and distracted by dozens of surplus targets.  The trap actually going off will probably be very bad for your frame rate.  Bonus:  Train all dogs inside as war dogs when they mature.  Super bonus:  Make it a Bear Trap. MEGADWARF bonus: Combine with a drowning chamber and carp trap.

'''Usefulness:''' You can kill prisoners, useless peasants, irate nobles, hammerers, untamable animals, or anything else.

=={{L|Computing|Dwarfputer}} Complex==

'''Usefulness:''' Your mechanics and architects will level up very fast.  Manual pumps give something for your haulers to do and makes them stronger.  Try and make a clock to trigger different mechanisms in different seasons.  See if enemies actually blunder into your intricate traps.  Watch all hell break loose as water freezes.

Essentially, one of the many possible {{L|megaprojects}} dedicated to providing dwarves with rooms so high above the ground they get vertigo. Every floor must have plenty of rooms of at least 2x3 squares, with walls and a door surrounding this. Oh, and it has to go up as many Z-levels as possible. For extra credit, decide on what the top story will be (i.e. as many levels up as you deem possible, minus one so you can build a roof) and turn this into a Royal bedroom for a {{L|noble}}, complete with gem windows, artifact/masterwork components, and untold numbers of armour stands and weapon racks. And then build some shorter but wider apartment buildings nearby to turn your fortress into essentially a giant fist with extended middle finger. Extra points for adding extra useless things for luxury, such as a magma-based heating system, fireplaces in rooms, and a lock-down lever in case of goblin attack. (or a self-destruct lever connected to the main supports, in case your dwarfish tenants are unsatisfied with your 5-star service.

'''Usefulness:''' Limited, because you could just dig the things underground and save yourself the hassle. However it is much harder to flood a tower than a cave, in case you're prone to fun by water.

'''Usefulness:''' Will prevent any sieges, at least. Or anything else, save for the occasional invasion of sociopathic {{L|Carp}}.  

Station some soldiers at the bottom of a shallow {{L|Activity_zone#Pit/Pond|pit}} and dump your captives in. You can also use dangerous animals instead of soldiers. For extra points, put the prisoners in cages connected to ramps underneath the arena floor.  One lever will open both the cage and a hatch above the ramp.

'''Difficulty:''' Moderate, but time consuming. Some danger depending on the relative skill of your soldiers and the danger of the captive.

'''Usefulness:''' The most difficult way to dispose of prisoners. It does give your soldiers a little bit of experience.

Sick of having your dwarfs vomit all the time when they go out to retrieve loot or lumber? Despair no more! Build an almost-infinitely tall tower, and then put a glass floor on the highest level, spanning the entire map. For extra kicks, make a mechanism that will crash the entire thing upon the heads of the one goblin horde that manages to get through all your other deathtraps.

'''Difficulty:''' Medium. Very grueling.

A {{L|farming|greenhouse}} is just a farm with the the ceiling channeled out from above. This lets you grow outdoor plants without venturing above ground. For maximum style, build the greenhouse above ground and cover it with a glass roof to keep your farmers safe.

'''Usefulness:''' Much higher in DF2010, since this is the only way to farm without mud. Surface plants can be grown at any time of the year, and some are more useful than those available underground - for example, {{L|sun berry|sun berries}} can be brewed into valuable {{L|Sunshine}}, and {{L|whip vine}}s can be milled into superior quality flour. Having greater food and booze diversity can also keep your dwarves happier.

A gigantic hammer made out of pure steel and/or valuables looming over your fortress entrance ready to smite those foolish enough to lay a siege on you. Also, gives you a psychological advantage over the traders who unload their goods under it. Attach to a lever-linked support for quick-smiting, or any other single-tile collapse mechanism. BONUS: Cover it with blood.

'''Difficulty:''' Low. Depends on size, materials and magma's existence, though. Make it a gold hammer menacing with adamantine spikes, if you're going for high quality.

'''Usefulness:''' Low-medium. 10x10 size is minimum for practical effectiveness. 30x30 hammer extending handles length from your entrance actually works against sieges.

Building a huge tower is easy. To make things more {{L|fun}}, make one out of some exotic material, like {{L|glass}}, {{L|ice}}, {{L|gold}}, or {{L|soap}}.  

'''Usefulness:''' None.

 

 

 

 

 

 

'''Difficulty:''' High. Depending on the size of your embarkation point, this may involve placing thousands of traps. Depending on the type of trap, that may involve making tens of thousands of trap components.

 

 

 

All the little goblins (or Orcs) coming toward you in a massive siege must be directed into your moat. When they fall in, they

 

'''Difficulty''': Going within two tiles of a carp infested river and surviving.

'''Usefulness:''' Negative. For some reason, no explorers have returned. Of course, if you select only the {{L|Nobles |Best and Brightest}} for the ship's crew...

==Labyrinth==

A maze of twisty little passages, all alike. {{L|Trap}}s and dangerous animals are essential. You can have a retracting bridge drop invaders in, or just have a labyrinth as a back door.  

'''Usefulness:''' It makes a nice element of fortress defense, and you can dump your prisoners inside it. Also makes a great place to explore in {{L|adventure mode}}.

*BONUS: Generate a world with large mountain {{L|cave}}s. Instead of using the labyrinth as your backdoor, use it as your fortress.

'''Difficulty:''' Very high. You need {{L|metal}} (or {{L|glass}}) {{L|screw pump}}s to make it work, {{L|magma-safe}} floodgates and mechanisms, plus a big above-ground construction.  

This trick involves dripping water on to the middle of a magma pool until you have a column of obsidian, then channeling down into the obsidian '