40d Talk:Captured creatures

Taming

It looks like animals that killed any "good" creatures (such as elves or humans) can't be tamed (will go rampart as soon as they are released from cages). I've got my whole fortress sealed off, a dragon came, after being hit by few stone traps and killing whole elven caravan, it fell into a cage trap. I tamed him (I do have a Dungeon Master) but when I tried to chain him before the entrance he started to kill dwarfs as soon as he was released from cage. I'm 100% sure it didn't kill any dwarfs (only a war dog) before falling in to a trap, and I'm certain it killed at least one elf. I'm using 27.176.38c, not modded in any way. --Tomato 02:58, 3 March 2008 (EST)

Just to clarify a little here, it doesnt seem that killing tame animals will trigger untamability, but if Tomato's experiences are anything to go by, watch out if other civilized entities have been slain. (I am reasonably sure that tame animals are ok, by an experimental process of de-stealthing a GCS by throwing a dog into its cave, taming it, and letting it wander around in my base for a month or so waiting for the death messages) --Kaypy 10:30, 21 May 2008 (EDT)

I have captured a unicorn that was formerly an elvish mount and it's sitting peacefully in a cage. I am fairly sure that it did not draw any friendly blood before the cage trap got it, but when I queue up a taming job at the kennels, nothing happens. Is the unicorn immune to taming because it served under a hostile force? --Jurph 13:35, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

magma

Initial questions: will cages melt and its inhabitants be killed if magma is released onto it and the cage is non-magma-resistant?

Yes, I burnt a bunch of useless donkeys and kittens this way. Dangerous Beans 12:32, 1 August 2008 (EDT)

breed in cages?

I've done the cages to massive herds idea, but it doesn't work. They'll give birth just fine while in the cage (and the babies *won't* be locked in the cage, btw) but I've gone three years without a birth until a couple seasons after I released them all to presumably breed again. If you ask me, the ideal herd would be contained in a pit that's had access walled off, since (I believe) pathfinding lag isn't a factor when it's a wall, not a locked door.

Yea, I'm feeling a bit lazy right now, or I'd have edited this stuff into the article myself. Feel free to add it in and remove this, assuming I haven't just ended up in some weird situation where they just happen to have been pregnant for 3 years... --Edward 22:56, 10 January 2008 (EST)

I am not exactly sure, but i think both a cow and a dog have given birth inside a cage after being in there for more than a year. So i toned down the statement in the article.--Koltom 10:02, 27 February 2008 (EST)

Actually, the babies born in cages thing is true, but it works this way: the baby is born in the cage but is not assigned in the cage. So when it's born, a dwarf will immediately rush to free it. (Tried this by building a cage behind forbidden doors and the baby remained in the cage.)

By the way, how do you put a timestamp behind your edit? This timestamp below I have manually typed in. --User:ShunterAlhena 09:12, 11 January 2008 (EST)

use --~~~~ or the button that looks like a signature ;) --Edward 08:04, 11 January 2008 (EST)

STOP HIM!!!

How am I supposed to put a captured goblin in an arena without letting the little bastard go? Patarak 00:05, 25 January 2008 (EST)

A lever based enter/exit door for the arena so you can lock it, His combatent will probably have to be the one to let him go in that case. Or use a pit of some kind. --Shades 04:01, 25 January 2008 (EST)

My problem more lies with transporting the goblins from an animal stockpile to my arena/pit, which simply had the goblin released from his cage. Patarak 04:32, 25 January 2008 (EST)

Is there a problem with building a cage using the cage the gobbo's in? As for releasing... you do know levers work on cages too, right? --Edward 05:37, 25 January 2008 (EST)

Just to clarify, I have a problem transporting the goblin, not releasing him. When I attempted to move him, the goblin was released in the animal stockpile. I'm not sure how to specify build the cage that the goblin is using, but that would probably work, yes. Patarak 05:52, 25 January 2008 (EST)

You would build caje (yes its j to build a cage) Jikor 06:51, 25 January 2008 (EST)

IIRC, in order to assign a creature to an existing cage, it first has to be taken out of the cage it's in and carried over to the new cage. However, the dwarf moving it in this way may suddenly realise they are carrying a dangerous 'thing' and drop it. This can be avoided by building the cage directly, which does not require taking the creature out. VengefulDonut 07:59, 25 January 2008 (EST)

With the current (.38c) version I have noticed that transporting goblin soldiers is fine, the poor goblin just trails along and gets moved while goblin thieves will escape when tried to be moved. Perhaps it has something to do with sneaking vs not-sneaking. Yvain 00:06, 10 April 2008 (EDT)

I know for certian this behavior held in 0.23.130.23a. I imagine it probably hasn't changed since 0.27.169.33g. I tagged the article with 0.23.130.23a, so if someone knows better, please change it. VengefulDonut 08:09, 25 January 2008 (EST)

Whenever I build the cage, the dwarves just bring an empty one. I still haven't figured out a way to build exactly the cage the goblins are in. Patarak 14:11, 25 January 2008 (EST)

build menu -> caje [sic], then press expand list to see the indivudial cages with quality levels instead of a broader category list. Pick the one that's called "Goblin Cage(materialname)" and the dwarves will construct the cage with the gobbo still inside. Then link it up to a lever, station your executioner in a locked room with it, and yank the lever to start your pitfight. --TangoThree 10:23, 26 January 2008 (EST)

No more reusable method? I mean, for next fight the cage has to be dismantled, then new cage built and connected to a lever. I could imagine "dumping" the goblin right onto the cage (set as cage trap?) on the arena (short pit/pond shaft right above) should work?

One method would be to build the cage on some kind of isolated platform that would force the combatant to run back across a grate or other pit trap, then pull a lever or whatever to drop them in. Puts whoever opens the cage at risk, though.

No "more reusable" method is really possible with a lever-triggered cage in the equation; opening a cage via lever is a one-time exercise, and a mechanic has to reset the lever and cage's mechanisms. If you wanted to avoid this I suppose you could have a dwarf remove the creature from its cage and dump it into the arena as outlined in the "injury tower" section, but it's probably not worth risking the creature escaping, IMO. Re-linking the cage and lever only takes a few seconds and your mechanic will re-use the mechanism anyway. Kirig Stonebeard 23:44, 1 March 2009 (EST)

RE: Arenas section

Is it actually possible to strip the weapons and armour off a captured creature as suggested here? --TangoThree 11:15, 26 January 2008 (EST)

Yep, Check out the talk page for cages, under "Captured thieves" someone should probably integrate that info this article. --The Flying Febe 23:20, 3 February 2008 (EST)

Sentry Animals?

Can tamed creatures be used as sentries? Or would I have to have a dwarf?
--Lordmick134 22:43, 30 March 2008 (EDT)

Yes. Build a chain or rope and attach a tame creature to it, and it will have a good chance of spotting any nearby thieves or other sneaking creatures. I usually set up 2-3 chained critters in alcoves along my entry halls for that purpose. --Janus 02:55, 31 March 2008 (EDT)

Can caged animals see ambushers farther away than the 8 tiles adjacent to them? I figure they probably don't (in which case they're still plenty useful anyways), but it'd make it a lot easier to cover large areas if I don't have to put a cage every third tile. LegacyCWAL 20:08, 7 June 2008 (EDT)

No. The best way is to set up some high-traffic areas, and make sure all your valuables are indoors and that any potential ambushers have to get past your security. For example;

xxx

xOx

xxx

If you put your roped animal in the middle they will have access to all 8 tiles around them with very little chance of an enemy bypassing it. --AlexFili 04:09, 9 June 2008 (EDT)

I was afraid of that. Ambushers getting into the fortress isn't a problem because I've already done what you describe (and racked up a hell of a kill count in the process =P ). I was just hoping for a better way to help keep ambushers away from stuff like road-builders and caravans that my Corridor of Doom can't protect. --LegacyCWAL 13:45, 9 June 2008 (EDT)

Animal Training Labor

The article said only a dwarf with Animal Training activated will release animals. I had a dwarf releasing and caging animals with no labors active, except pump operating. Using 38c. --Strangething 15:31, 14 June 2008 (EDT)

I don't know where it says that, so I'll leave it to you to fix it. You're correct; the article is wrong. --Savok 15:48, 14 June 2008 (EDT)

I already fixed it --Strangething 20:31, 15 June 2008 (EDT)

Capturing friends

Does anyone know of a way to capture friendly entities? Elves would be awesome but I was thinking more like my own dwarves, without makind them go berserk (I'm also trying to figure out whether or not it counts as lowering population, and if not what happens if you sell them?). --MagicGuigz 20:00, 7 October 2008 (EDT)

I think that making them go to sleep on a cage trap (such as by locking them in a 1x1 room with said trap in it) will do it.LegacyCWAL 20:58, 7 October 2008 (EDT)

Ah yes probably, didn't think of that...thanks! Maybe we should include it if it's veryfied? There's lots of fun to be had with captured dwarves and humans/elves I think. --MagicGuigz 21:31, 7 October 2008 (EDT)

It was pretty hard but I managed to catch one! The trick is to dig a 3-4 z-levels hole with a hatch over it (or bridge, etc), and have a cage at the bottom. Draft someone and make him stand there while someone pulls the lever. 2 dead dwarves (and the one in the cage gravely wounded I suspect) but it was worth it. The 1x1 room thing didn't work, as they tended to starve before they actually fainted...or maybe I didn't wait long enough? More testing to come and then maybe I can include that in the article. --MagicGuigz 22:24, 9 October 2008 (EDT)

The dwarf was automatically released and helped by others... I guess the only way to keep dwarves locked is to make them go berserk...

From my own testing, I locked a dungeon master in a 2x1 room with a cage trap and a lever (used as bait) with food and booze available. If I left her as-is, she would sleep on the lever space, but never on the trap. I had a dwarf enter (airlock style), remove the lever, and replace it with a wall. But now she just wouldn't go to sleep at all. She got drowsy, then very drowsy, then went insane and starved herself to death.

I've seen similar behaviour in my other dwarves. If I use the draft technique to get normal immigrants into the death rooms, they get drowsy but die of dehydration before they sleep. If I do the same with nobles (who need a lever as a lure), they sleep on the lever before they die, always. My guess is, Toady solved the "traps kill sleeping dwarves" problem by simply marking traps as a place dwarves cannot sleep on under any circumstances. And per above, I suspect they would be let out of the cage if they got caught anyway.

That being said, if you don't mind a one-in-three chance of capturing a dwarf, you could simply put them in a 1x1 room with food and drink, wait for them to go insane, and hope it's berserk so you can capture them. — Wisq (talk) 06:29, 1 June 2009 (UTC)

Slavery?

Is it possible to sell caged entities? I once tried to sell a caged Goblin (Pedogob, I think it was) to Dwarven Merchants, and the Goblin was released from its cage when the cage was set down in the Depot. Did I do something wrong, or is it just not possible? --Nekojin

Bug #41 (or was it 40?). Sometimes (not always) a dwarf will take only the cage without its content to the depot. --MagicGuigz 11:02, 19 October 2008 (EDT)

"This can be avoided by building the cage the animal is in"

Caveat — When an animal is captured via a cage trap and then assigned to an existing cage, the dwarf moving the animal will tend to let it go. This can be avoided by building the cage the animal is in.v0.27.176.38c

Can we get some clarification on the last sentence? SwallowedSpear 18:56, 11 January 2009 (EST)

In DF, building an object can (and often does) refer to placing it as a building. EG: "I have 20 limonite tables for my dining hall, but I didn't build them yet". Does that clear it up? VengefulDonut 19:18, 11 January 2009 (EST)

Well, does it mean that if, say, a goblin gets caught in a *Lead cage*, you should "build" that same *Lead Cage* where you want it to go? SwallowedSpear 19:49, 12 January 2009 (EST)

Yes. --Edward 21:07, 12 January 2009 (EST)

Jailbreak

I had caught goblins in my traps over the years. I put all the cages in a big room because I didn't know what else to do with them ... then during the second siege of my fortress I caught a GOBLIN MACE LORD!
I read the arena section and put him in there with a giant jaguar. Locked the door and pulled the lever.. the mace lord literally tore the giant jaguar apart and began walking in a circle inside of the room.. I don't get it.
I thought that he could at least try to free his captured brethren. That way an army of 7 would form and even though they were mostly thieves a simple locked rock door shouldn't be able to hold a MACE LORD and his 6 followers captive now would it? Am I the only one who thinks this would be a welcome change? --Aspgren 05:25, 7 Feb 2009 (CET)

Toady actually reads the suggestions in the DF forums. If you have an idea and an interest in seeing it happen, here is not the best place to put it. VengefulDonut 00:26, 7 February 2009 (EST)

Injury Shaft

Is it only me or does the instructions to build sound confusing? I'm having a hard time deciphering it. --Myroc 08:05, 14 February 2009 (EST)

Hopefully this will help =) LegacyCWAL 12:17, 14 February 2009 (EST)

Goblin-raised dwarfs

So, my fort has a lot of cage traps. I've been just chucking captured goblin invaders down through the baracks roof to give the rookies some combat experience, but last time the fort got attacked, there were some dwarfs among them. So, now I have three captured dwarves in cages. Unfortunately, I cannot 'pit' them into the baracks. I have tried building cages and 'unassigning' the invader-dwarves from the cages, but nothing happens when I do so. When I tried to use a lever to free them, someone came and dismantled the cage. How does one free one's long-lost children so they can get a face-full of crossbow? Dogun 20:56, 22 February 2009 (EST)

This brooks some discussion.

I channeled out a couple tiles on the side of a brook, assigned as a pit and tossed a goblin in. The poor bugger EXPLODED. As in chunks and limbs everywhere. No carp or anything in the brook, no fighty friendlies anywhere nearby, just one very dead goblin.

I'm not sure what version I'm using, it's the latest as of maybe the start of the month. I'm not modding at all. Also, goblin ambush, still at seven dwarves. WTF? Blargityblarg

Just did it again with the second goblin I captured. This one took some time to drown, but also exploded.Blargityblarg