Editing v0.34:Gravity

{{quality|Fine|18:41, 22 August 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
 "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 <s>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"</s> will no longer fly in a straight line (34.09 and later versions)
* Creatures fall at a constant rate (6 ticks for each z-level, although the first z-level '''usually''' takes an extra tick due to the order with which the game evaluates events).  Water falls at a random rate, taking between 5 and 20 ticks to fall a single z-level.
* Creatures that fall into water do not take damage for the levels they fall in the water, only for the levels above the water-- a dwarf dropped into 10 z-levels of water directly beneath him will fall the entire way, but won't even be stunned by the fall, although he might be stunned by drowning.
* Creatures that are dropped from a [[hatch cover|hatch]] onto a standing creature's head will only ever be stunned by the fall, regardless of how many z-levels they fell.  For some reason, creatures dropped from [[bridge]]s don't benefit from the same effect.

When designing [[trap design|pit traps]], one consideration to keep in mind is how a creature will respond to the fall. Larger creatures like [[blind cave ogre]]s 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.

Falling is far less dangerous than in previous versions. Before, any fall of more than 1 z-level was guaranteed to at least break a bone on a dwarf sized creature or larger. However, it now seems that dwarves can survive falls of at least two z levels unscathed, and goblins have been seen to fall more than four with only light bruising and stunning.<sup>[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=110718.0|1]
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 {{quality|Fine|18:41, 22 August 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
+ "The bigger they are, the harder they fall"
-:''"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 more slowly (over multiple ticks)
+* In a [[cave-in]], terrain collapses to the lowest point instantly, however items, creatures and buildings fall slowly (over multiple ticks)
-* A support, fortification, or natural wall on the top level of the map will be effectively immune to gravity and capable of supporting a column of tiles directly below it. This effect, known as [[Sky Support]], can be used to construct a [[Skyfort]].
+* Buildings in a cave in will instantly deconstruct before they fall, and the resulting items will then fall slowly
-* Buildings in a cave in will instantly deconstruct before they fall, and the resulting items will then fall separately
+* Items and creatures that are thrown, shot, cut off and sent flying, knocked back or generally expected to travel in a parabolic arc <s>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"</s> will no longer fly in a straight line (34.09 and later versions)
-* Items and creatures that are thrown, shot, cut off and sent flying, knocked back or generally expected to travel in a parabolic arc will tend to do so (within the limitations of the game tiles); one notable exception is for [[siege engine]]s, which currently launch projectiles in a flat trajectory.
+* Creatures fall at a constant rate (6 ticks for each z-level, although the first z-level '''usually''' takes an extra tick due to the order with which the game evaluates events).  Water falls at a random rate, taking between 5 and 20 ticks to fall a single z-level.
-* Creatures and items accelerate while falling.  Water falls at a semi-random rate, taking between 5 and 20 ticks to fall a single z-level.
+* Creatures that fall into water do not take damage for the levels they fall in the water, only for the levels above the water-- a dwarf dropped into 10 z-levels of water directly beneath him will fall the entire way, but won't even be stunned by the fall, although he might be stunned by drowning.
-* Creatures that fall into water decelerate, generally suffering less overall damage upon impact with the bottom. Drowning while stunned, however, is still a concern.
+* Creatures that are dropped from a [[hatch cover|hatch]] onto a standing creature's head will only ever be stunned by the fall, regardless of how many z-levels they fell.  For some reason, creatures dropped from [[bridge]]s don't benefit from the same effect.
-* The [[density]] of the material in the landing zone can have a significant effect on the outcome of a fall. Light materials like [[featherwood]] reduce the risk of serious injury, while dense materials like [[platinum]] increase it.
-* Creatures that are dropped onto a standing creature's head will generally suffer little damage regardless of how many z-levels they fell. The unfortunate creature who broke their fall may suffer significant damage, however.
-In general, falls of 1-2 z-levels are unlikely to cause significant damage to your dwarves, and goblins have been seen to fall more than four with only light bruising and stunning. Large falls (30+ z-levels) will tend to cause the hapless victim to explode upon impact. The minimum drop with 100% mortality appears to be around 25 z-levels.<sup>[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=110718.0|1]</sup>
+When designing [[trap design|pit traps]], one consideration to keep in mind is how a creature will respond to the fall. Larger creatures like [[blind cave ogre]]s 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.
-On the other hand, falling items and creatures can cause grave injury to any creature they fall upon, even when falling a single z-level.{{bug|5945}} A falling [[giant cave spider]] web can easily break the neck of your master weaver, while [[wear|worn]] [[clothing]] is liable to maim or kill anyone below. Refuse dumping may therefore be [[Trap_design#Falling_debris_trap|weaponized]].
+Falling is far less dangerous than in previous versions. Before, any fall of more than 1 z-level was guaranteed to at least break a bone on a dwarf sized creature or larger. However, it now seems that dwarves can survive falls of at least two z levels unscathed, and goblins have been seen to fall more than four with only light bruising and stunning.<sup>[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=110718.0|1]
+</sup>