Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

v0.34 Talk:Armor

2012-08-17T18:46:29Z

Oaktree: /* Throat Protection */ new section

== Layers ==
In different parts of the article, we have two different orderings of layers:
#Under < Over < Armour < Cover
#Under < Armour < Over < Cover
I'd assume the first is correct, but I've never played adventure mode, and I don't pay that close attention to see what my dwarves are wearing. If someone could confirm which order layers actually occur in, the incorrect line should be changed. --[[User:Timrem|Timrem]] 02:13, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

== Bars ==

Since .34 some metal weapons/armour take more than one bar to forge. Would it be suitable for someone to add the costs to the respective tables?

From my own experience (smelting done in game without mods right now);

:Weapons: 1 bar
:Gauntlets: 1 bar (for a matching pair)
:High Boot: 1 bar (for two)
:Shield: 1 bar
:Mail Shirt: 2 bars
:Greaves: 2 bars
:Breastplate: 3 bars
Others (namely low boots, leggings, caps, bucklers) unknown at the moment, but I can't imagine the less-covering counterparts taking more.

These values can probably be determined from the raws by someone more skilled than I, though i'm happy to experiment more to gather data.<br />
::"The number of bars needed to make a piece of metal armor is equal to the material size divided by 3."
:It's covered already in the article. Thanks, though. --[[Special:Contributions/74.102.139.234|74.102.139.234]] 12:49, 8 March 2012 (UTC)
::: It seems to me that most people who are looking at this wiki for some quick advice won't want to determine material size or divide by three. Might be a useful to write it out explicitly for us dolts. [[Special:Contributions/174.1.230.63|174.1.230.63]] 04:30, 22 March 2012 (UTC)
::::Partly because I agree with you, but mostly because I long for your affection, I've added the cost in bars to appropriate pieces of armor. I think that it's only fair that you begin returning my letters now. -- [[User:Vasiln|Vasiln]] 07:28, 22 March 2012 (UTC)

== Armor comparison ==

The armor page says that copper > iron > bronze > steel, but unless major changes have been made, I'm pretty sure bronze is worse than iron. Anyone confirm that bronze indeed outshines iron?
:A short session of testing in the arena of equally-skilled, equally-armed dwarves, one squad in bronze armor and the other in iron armor, ended with all bronze-wearing dwarves alive, and all iron-wearing dwarves dead. The order indicated on the page seems correct. --[[User:Timrem|Timrem]] 17:22, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

:Group tests with large control groups are not the best way to test materials, due to the outnumber snowball effect. I just did a 20-group test with 4vs4 per group, all competent with iron swords. It seems to be mostly a tie, with a <s>slight leaning</s> more major leaning* toward iron. It seems that both bronze and iron are near equal materials, with iron having a slight advantage due to its lighter weight. * I just tallied a few more tests that were in an unconsious-deflect deadlock and iron took the cake on all of them. 70% iron over bronze wins.--[[User:Acetech09|Acetech09]] 19:45, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
::Alright, thanks. I've not really done any arena testing before, and I wasn't really trying that hard to test this. I threw together a 1v1 and a 5v5 is all, sounds like you know better what you're doing. --[[User:Timrem|Timrem]] 21:45, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

:K. I'm about to rework the armor comparison chart a tiny bit to better reflect defensive properties.

== Shaped headgear and armor limits ==

With the changes to caps and masks, some of the examples of calculating armor limits have become invalid. Perhaps some Urist McEditor more prone to adventuring than myself and more enlightened on the subject could provide new examples? [[User:Earthfiredrake|Earthfiredrake]] 10:13, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

I was going to make a post similar to yours, but I guess I'll just change the info myself. Caused me enough worry already.--[[Special:Contributions/173.3.16.92|173.3.16.92]] 22:25, 28 May 2012 (UTC)
*Someone's going to have to check my work though... I might just change the easiest parts.--[[Special:Contributions/173.3.16.92|173.3.16.92]] 22:31, 28 May 2012 (UTC)

== Foreign high boots ==

34.09 - I just discovered that my civ can not make high boots. In the equipment screen, it says (foreign) next to the high boot entry. I double checked by abandoning and choosing another civ to embark with. I found they had high boots on the embark list. I aborted and checked the first civ's embark and they didn't list high boots. --[[User:GoldenShadow|GoldenShadow]] 05:09, 18 May 2012 (UTC)

== Throat Protection ==

v 34.11

I am seeing combat logs showing throat strikes on goblins being deflected by their mail shirts. Has the coverage of the throat and possibly other facial areas been modified for better armor coverage. Possibly depending on the layer designation?

v0.34:Siege

2012-07-27T20:00:00Z

Oaktree: /* Goblin sieges */

{{quality|Masterwork|14:21, 27 July 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}

:''For catapults and ballistae, see [[Siege engine]].''

'''Sieges''' are large scale assaults on your fortress by other [[civilization]]s, normally [[goblin]]s and [[necromancer]]s. They are usually announced with the message screen "''A vile force of darkness has arrived!''" (the message screen differs depending on the attacking race : the previous one is for goblins), and the main screen shows "SIEGE" tag along the top for the duration.

Caravans will not arrive at a besieged fortress. It is unknown if they will arrive if a siege is quickly broken, however, but it is possible to miss out entirely on a civilization's caravan for the year this way. Even if they do have arrive before the siege, the attackers may kill them or chase them off if they can reach them. Consider this when deciding how you set up your [[trade depot]] and how heavily to lean your economy on imported goods.

A civilization will be unable to lay siege if it can't reach your fortress site, meaning you'll never get sieges if you embark on an island or in a valley which is completely surrounded by mountains. If you want to make sure that a certain civilization will be capable of laying siege to you, then look at the "neighbors" view of the [[Embark]] site finder when selecting your fortress site.

=== Structure of a siege ===

Siege forces usually consist of several 'squads'. Using the [[goblin]]s as an example, each squad consists of several goblins of one military class (swordsman, lasher, etc.), and often one 'squad leader' (typically an Elite or better, which need not be the same class as the squad it leads).

Occasionally, a squad will be mounted - this means each of its members will be riding a suitable [[creature]], though the creatures typically vary between members. The squad leader can be mounted, even if his squad is not. These mounts can change the combat dynamics, since some can fly, are [[building destroyer]]s, or have substantially different combat traits than a goblin (for example a [[Jabberer]] tends to grab [[body parts]] and tear them off).

After being sufficiently "successful" at defending against the siege (killing sufficient attackers, waiting them out, or some combination thereof), the attackers will retreat. All of the remaining squads and groups will head for the map edges and leave, typically favoring the edge they entered from. Once all of the remaining attackers have decided to retreat, the "SIEGE" tag will go away.

It is possible to have multiple sieges at the same time. If the attacking civilizations are at war with each other, they will start to fight with each other as well.

Different races will favor different styles of attack during sieges. The following attack styles were observed in .40d; it remains to be seen if these traits are still present in current releases.

You can also turn off sieges and [[Forgotten beast]]s altogether by editing the [[d_init.txt]] file to change [INVADERS:YES] to [INVADERS:NO].

=== [[Goblin]] sieges ===

Goblins will start laying siege to your fortress when you reach a population of around 80 dwarves.

Sometimes goblins will charge in an open march toward your fortress and attempt to kill your [[dwarves]].

Goblins sieges often include groups of [[Troll]]s, [[Ogre]]s, or [[Cave dragon]]s that can [[Building destroyer|break buildings]]. Unlike the squads, however, these 'groups' usually enter the map in single file, somewhat akin to arriving [[migrants]], usually possess random civilian classes, and show little of the organized behavior of the squads.

Goblins may bring elite human or even dwarven fighters as leaders of their squads, previously kidnapped by [[snatcher]]s.

They may also ride exotic mounts; aquatic mounts can breathe under water, which means they are able to swim through your moat, often resulting in the death of the goblin riding said animal. Goblins can also ride flying mounts which can avoid your fortress [[wall]]s. Some squads may enter the screen underground, making the underground workings of your fortress vulnerable to attack if you are not patrolling underground caverns. Mounts will no longer appear if you kill the Goblin leader. {{verify}} You can see if the Goblin leader is still alive by checking the Civilization menu ({{k|c}}).

Potential mounts include:
*[[Cave crocodile]]
*[[Giant olm]]
*[[Rutherer]]
*[[Blind cave bear]]
*[[Giant bat]]
*[[Giant cave swallow]]
*[[Voracious cave crawler]]
*[[Giant toad]]
*[[Elk Bird]]

=== [[Elf|Elven]] sieges ===

It is possible to have elven attacks as well, but that usually requires some effort on part of the player, or for your starting civilization to have a pre-existing conflict with a nearby elven one. You can check this when you embark while looking at nearby civilizations, where it will read WAR next to the elf civilization, though it seems to be entirely dependent on how world gen plays out and embarking at a time when a war is happening. Another, possibly simpler (and more amusing) way to elven siege is to blatantly provoke them. If you don't want to be attacked by elves you should not offer them wooden goods or goods stored in wooden barrels or bins. You might also avoid clearing too much woodland, as elves will be offended if you do so.

Elven sieges are announced with the message, "''The elves have brought the full forces of their lands against you.''". Elves use stealth squads, a la goblin ambushes, to hide their numbers and locations. {{verify}} It should be noted, however, that unlike goblin ambushes which cap at four squads, elves can come in vast numbers, atop mighty (and tasty) unicorns or other exotic beasts. Fortunately, unlike goblins and humans, who wear heavy armor and wield metal weapons that can cause considerable damage, elves fight with flimsy wooden swords, and march into battle wearing wooden armor, or nothing but cloth robes and trousers. That isn't to say the attack should be taken lightly, because their melee forces aren't what you should be worrying about, as their bowmen are still deadly and can perforate your dwarves with hails of arrows in very short order.

=== [[Human]] sieges ===

Humans may also siege you should you let their [[diplomat]] die while visiting your fortress, if too many of their trade wagons get destroyed or if you trade with an elven nation the humans are at war with. Human sieges are announced with the message "''The enemy have come and are laying siege to the fortress.''".

Humans would sometimes set up a camp near the map edge they arrived on, harassing wandering dwarves and waiting for you to come to them instead of blindly charging toward your fortress.

Humans often ride animals like horses, camels or war grizzly bears, and may bring along further war animals like trained cheetahs.

Be warned that human siegers know of all traps that their diplomats have seen before, even their war animals are immune to those traps. If you had a human diplomat in your fort, best assume that your traps are useless against the invaders unless they were built after his last visit. A removed and rebuilt trap counts as "new", even if it's the same type of trap in the same tile.

=== [[Necromancer]] sieges ===
Necromancers will occasionally besiege your fortress by sending undead to your fort or even coming themselves. Either way, undead sieges are hectic messes. The undead units will arrive from all sides of the map in huge numbers. It is recommended that you have many traps set in advance, and when they arrive, lock everything down. Have your refuse areas locked up tight, your crypts or tombs sealed off, and your butcher shops under lock and key. Also, be careful with fishery workshops, as reports of mussel shells rising from the dead are fairly common. Necromancers will raise any corpse or corpse part that they see, and simple proximity to undead can cause things like skin and hair to rise and attack the unfortunate butcher. Undead sieges may arrive with as few as one zombie to as many as one hundred or more. It doesn't really matter much how many arrive, if you are not prepared, you will probably get slaughtered, as one zombie can easily become two zombies, then four, then eight and so on. If the zombies cannot get at your dwarves, they will simply mill about on the surface until something living (wild animals included) comes too close or until they are all destroyed.

=== Bugs ===
* Enemy squads will never abandon their caged or dead leader. {{Bug|1598}}
* Amphibian invader mounts drown their riders. {{Bug|926}}

{{Military}}

v0.34 Talk:Siege

2012-07-27T19:55:53Z

Oaktree:

humans camped at map edge for me too so i'll remove the verify tag

[[User:Kartofius al andalus|Kartofius al andalus]] 18:18, 4 June 2012 (UTC)

== Environments effects on sieges ==

Can anybody verify whether or not the length of a siege is effected by things like temperature or natural resources surrounding your fort?
--[[User:Dissimulation|Dissimulation]] 22:33, 17 June 2012 (UTC)

update on what i've found. I'm in a freezing biome, very close to the north pole. I've reached 160 dwarves but i've only received snatchers from the gobbos. I'm not sure if this is because of the temperature or some other factor. I'm assuming it's not because of the civilizations nearby because i have recieved the snatchers. If i see any new developments i will report. any extra information is appreciated --[[User:Dissimulation|Dissimulation]] 04:06, 23 June 2012 (UTC)
:I've embarked in glaciers and had full sieges. It definitely doesn't outright prevent them, although the distance from other civilizations might help reduce them. -- [[User:Qazmlpok|Qazmlpok]] 12:42, 23 June 2012 (UTC)
Another reason they may not be coming is my fort has very little created wealth/exported wealth due to lack of resources. About 190k created and 6k exported --[[User:Dissimulation|Dissimulation]] 12:48, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
Alright, the winter right after my exported was increased to 10k I recieved a Giant and then right after the giant a goblin siege. I'm going to test the theory that exported wealth effects sieges in another type of biome. --[[User:Dissimulation|Dissimulation]] 17:44, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
:If it has to do with exported wealth, then it's no where near 10k. I think it might have to do with the amount of time you've had the fortress. I normally start getting Goblin sieges around the 2nd or 3rd year of the fortress being alive. I can't remember what season, but I remember that once I had a siege end, a caravan (I think it was elven) arrive, then another siege begin all within 5 minutes of each other. Needless to say, that caravan was slaughtered. Anyway, I'm off topic. I only had 1-2k exported wealth that entire time. Maybe it's created wealth? My created wealth had 6 digits on it, but I can't remember exactly what it was. I wasn't really taking notes at the time. lol. --[[User:Zackman0010|Zackman0010]] 00:17, 2 July 2012 (UTC)
I'll still run my test fort, it's going slow due to my job. --[[Special:Contributions/96.237.176.159|96.237.176.159]] 01:13, 2 July 2012 (UTC)

I've just thought of something. the fort that had a low exported wealth also had a very vigilant guard dog that never let any snatchers into the fort as well. the only thing the goblins could have known I had would be the front gate, a chain, and a dog. did your fort have tight defenses versus thieves? --[[User:Dissimulation|Dissimulation]] 13:24, 4 July 2012 (UTC)
:Actually, no. I was actually getting sick and tired of being interrupted by 'Snatcher! Protect the children!' or 'Thief!'. One time, I even found a goblin snatcher 5 levels below my entrance. He had managed to get through the front hallway and down 5 flights of stairs before being spotted in the hallway to the dining room. I really need to start using guard dogs more often. --[[User:Zackman0010|Zackman0010]] 03:10, 6 July 2012 (UTC)

== Goblin Leader ==

I saw this posted somewhere on the forums once, but I cannot remember where. In my world, after I killed the Goblin leader, no more mounts appeared the next siege. I added the 'Verify' to make sure it wasn't just a one time thing. I lost the fortress before a second mountless siege could arrive, so I can't test any further for now. If I manage to kill the leader again and I don't see any more mounts, I'll remove the 'Verify' myself if it isn't already removed. --[[User:Zackman0010|Zackman0010]] 02:15, 30 June 2012 (UTC)

The entry under "Goblins" repeats the data that if the Goblin General is killed (or simply enters leading a siege and then departs) that the goblin civilization ceases to get mounts after that point. I have seen the behavior with mounts ceasing to appear once the general is gone. However, in v34.11 I saw this happen and the goblins continued to get mounts in the sieges following the one in which the civilization's general appeared. Said general did, however, disappear from the civilization's leader list. So, at this point this particular game behavior varies by which version is being run. --[[User:Oaktree|Oaktree]] 19:55, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

v0.34:Goblin

2012-07-26T17:40:58Z

Oaktree:

{{quality|Masterwork|16:15, 13 April 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|contrib=no
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{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

Goblins are intelligent, evil, aggressive humanoid creatures that live in mountains, and the main opponent of Fortress Mode. They often establish settlements in Dark Fortresses (currently these do not exist) within regions touched by evil, though it may be hard for some to imagine that goblins are capable of building those obsidian monoliths. They are also playable as adventurers. They quickly become a threat to the great majority of fortresses - excepted some island or mountain forts.

Goblins will start harassing a fortress early in its life, first with babysnatchers and ambushes, and later with [[siege]]s. Goblin babysnatchers carry a bag for their purpose. Their soldiers are commonly armed with [[copper]] and [[iron]] [[armor]], as well copper, iron and silver [[weapon]]s, generally with no quality levels unless on weaponmasters. These items can be a valuable source of metals for fortresses that embarked on metal-scarce areas (leading some players to refer to the plunders of a defeated goblin attack as [[Main:Goblinite|Goblinite]].) Defeating a majority of an attacking force usually sends the rest of them running.

Goblins show the least concern of [[ethics]] out of any race in game, with the sole exception being that treason is punishable by death. It appears that goblins do not enforce punishment, and instead simply ignore crimes and leave any punishment to be determined by the parties involved. It is because of their acceptance of controversial acts that goblins become enemies with nearly every other race. For example, goblins find the torture of animals, the butchering and consuming of sapient beings, oath breaking and torturing for fun acceptable or consider it a personal matter. Invading goblins are always willing to attack other goblins lounging around at your fortress.

In [[Adventurer mode]], "goblin" settlements will sometimes be completely goblin free, having been displaced by the descendants of children that were captured in ages past. In this respect, whilst they're a goblin ''faction'', they're populated purely by prisoners and mindwashed humanoids.

While aggressive, Goblins are notably cowardly. Although they're brutal and sadistic, they will not hold the line against a superior force and are more than willing to sacrifice their wounded comrades in a badly organised retreat. Their strength generally comes in pure numbers, as they're usually weaker than a dwarf one on one (A notable exception is their weapon lords and masters, who can be VERY talented in warfare.)

If a Goblin siege attacks you with mounts and with a flashing Goblin "General", it will be the last time they come on mounts. Since the general is the one who trains all the mounts, as soon as he dies in your fort (or disappears off the map{{bug|2892}}) there will be no more mounts.{{bug|3442}} (As of v34.11 this appears to have been partially fixed. The general will disappear from the goblin civilization leader list even if they were not killed. However, that goblin civilization will continue to use mounts afterwards.)

{{D for Dwarf}}
Despite their bloodthirsty, selfish, unsympathetic and cruel nature, goblins are also recognized as a benevolent and merciful race in some aspects. Goblin Baby-Snatchers claim moral superiority by "supposedly" rescuing innocent lives from the slavery of making [[finished goods|rock trumpets]] until they are eaten by a [[giant cave spider]]. Atrocities such as the so-called [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=91093.0 "dwarven day care"] institution also spur snatchers to rescue the children from constant abuse. Goblin [[Siege]]s are considered to be a form of mass mercy killings, as a fort can die in the most horrific of ways, such as [[tantrum spiral|social disagreement]]s, an infestation of [[Noble|parasitic organisms masquerading as dwarve]]s, or worst of all: a visit from the [[Demon|circus]].
{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Races}}
{{Category|Humanoids}}

v0.34:Giant cave spider

2012-07-16T18:08:05Z

Oaktree: /* Farming Silk */

{{Quality|Exceptional|18:39, 13 May 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
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'''Giant cave spiders''' are far different from your regular [[cave spider]]s; those are just treats for your [[cat]]. Giant cave spiders are as big as [[grizzly bear]]s and will make treats ''of'' cats, dwarves and the occasional careless adventurer. You can find giant cave spiders in, obviously, caves, caverns and most underground areas. They are extremely dangerous as they feel no pain and thus cannot be stunned, can [[syndrome|poison]] creatures and have the ability to shoot [[web]]bing to ensnare their prey.

Giant cave spiders are not a rarity with dozens present in the underground caverns, deep below the surface. They can be extremely hard to kill. On occasion, however, a lucky dwarf might pound one to death within a few attacks by punching its skull into its brain, which can be a godsend after an unfortunate cavern breaching excercise.

Webs can be quite a boon to a fortress, when they aren't being used in a direct attack. Giant cave spider [[silk]] is worth much more than ordinary [[cloth]] and, given the proper setup and victims, can be produced in endless amounts.

If you see one in adventure mode, an announcement, "You've spotted a Giant Cave Spider!" will appear.

==Fighting==

Giant cave spiders are ''not'' to be engaged in melee by a lone dwarf, especially if its armor is lacking. If the attacked dwarf is fully armored, then it will eventually die of hunger or thirst. Even a legendary axedwarf will be unable to do anything, due to the immobilizing webs and subsequent deadly bite. You may attempt to flank a giant cave spider with two melee dwarves, one serving as bait and the other killing the giant cave spider, but it is not a foolproof tactic and you will probably lose one or two dwarves. Marksdwarves, cage traps, and weapon traps are better.

Despite being regular animals, giant cave spiders are arguably much more dangerous than all of the semimegabeasts and can kill (or at least knock unconscious) any single blooded, non-armored, melee attacker with ease, including rocs and cave dragons and anything in the caverns.

Giant cave spider venom appears to be a neurotoxin which causes progressive [[syndrome|paralysis]] and is ultimately fatal due to suffocation as the victim's diaphragm succumbs and ceases to function. The poison's effects set in relatively quickly with complete paralysis at phase 5 (360 seconds) and death usually occurs at around 1300 seconds.

Due to the spider only attacking the head of a webbed dwarf, a pair of dwarves with steel helmets and weapons is more than a match for a lone GCS. The coding for all creatures sets headshots as the number one priority if possible, and the web ensures that a headshot is indeed always possible. You may want to avoid using untrained dwarves for this though, because the spider will still counterattack if the dwarf misses, potentially landing a blow on an unprotected area of the dwarf.

==Capturing==
Due to the considerable value of giant cave spider silk, many players attempt to capture a live spider and set up a silk farm to boost their fortress's economy. While simply opening a path to the [[cavern]]s and lining it with cage traps may eventually work, a much more effective method is to take advantage of one peculiar behavior of [[building destroyer]]s: simply build a '''[[wood]]en''' [[door]] within the caverns and surround it with cage traps (to a distance of at least 2 tiles), and any giant cave spider (or [[giant toad]], [[giant olm]], [[cave crocodile]], etc.) that wanders relatively close enough to the door will immediately charge toward it and be captured. Or, if you have enough mechanisms, cages and dwarfpower to spare, cage trap all of the cavern exits. If you are extremely, lucky a migrant will arrive with an already tamed GCS. Be aware that since they lack a [CHILD] tag, giant cave spiders will not breed.

==Farming Silk==
Several setups have been devised to harvest giant cave spider silk in large quantities. Working silk farms have a few traits in common:

# The spider must be aggressive toward its bait. Tame spiders are aggressive toward invaders, while wild spiders are aggressive toward tame animals.
# The spider must not be able to reach its bait; if it can, the bait (or spider) will die and no further silk will be generated. Spiders can destroy wooden doors but not stone or metal doors. They cannot pass through forbidden doors or doors that have been "tightly closed".
# The spider must be able to path to its bait; they can path through non-forbidden doors but not through raised bridges or fortifications. If no path is available, the spider will only shoot webs very infrequently. Spiders '''will''' attempt to path through doors which are "tightly closed" but not forbidden, making them one of the key elements of an efficient silk farm.
(This is no longer a requirement as of v34.11)
# Web collection cannot occur in sight of wild animals or invaders; either the spider or its bait will interrupt collection. Drawbridges work well to block line of sight in either case, as webs will not prevent them from raising.

One proven design is as follows:
{{diagram|spaces=yes|color=#888|\
╔═══════════╗
║+++++++++++║
║+++++++++++║
║++++++[#080]╥[#CCC]╔[#CCC]═[#CCC]═[#00F]═╣
[#0F0][#080]≡++++++[#080]║[#F00]╬[#080]╞[#080]╡+║
║++++++[#080]║[#F00]╬+[#F00]╬[#CCC][#888]┼╣
║++++++[#080]║[#F00]╬[#CCC]g[#F00]╬[#CCC]S║
║++++++[#080]║[#F00]╬+[#F00]╬[#CCC][#888]┼╣
[#0F0][#080]≡++++++[#080]║[#F00]╬[#080]╞[#080]╡+║
║++++++[#080]╨[#CCC]╚[#CCC]═[#CCC]═[#CCC]═╣
║+++++++++++║
║+++++++++++║
╚═══════════╝
}}
# Dig out (and optionally smooth) a sufficiently large room (example shown is 11x11).
# [[Construction|Construct]] all of the light gray [[wall]]s and red [[fortification]]s.
# Build the 3 green [[bridge]]s, all raising lengthwise to form long walls.
# Construct a [[lever]] somewhere convenient in your fortress and link it to the 3 bridges.
# Build 2 '''non-wooden''' [[door]]s above and below the gray "S". Mark both doors as pet-inaccessible but leave them unlocked. This allows the spider to path to the bait (due to a long-standing pathfinding bug); without that path, the spider will only attempt to web it extremely infrequently.
# Build a restraint underneath the gray "g". Assign a disarmed captured [[goblin]] soldier to the restraint (do '''not''' try to use a thief or a wild animal, as it will almost certainly escape before it reaches the restraint).
# Pull the lever to raise the bridges (and hide the goblin from your mason), then construct the blue wall to seal the chamber.
# Build the 2 [[floodgate]]s and link them to the lever, then pull the lever again.
# Using a pit/pond [[activity zone]] on the Z-level above, drop a '''tamed''' giant cave spider into the gray "S" square. Place a 1-tile meeting zone on this tile so the spider will be content to stand still while webs are being collected, reducing lag.

(As of v34.11 this design does not function as intended. A tame spider will not fire web at a goblin on a restraint. Please consider the following changes:
* No restraint
* No small raising bridges
* Wall the goblin space in completely. Place the goblin using a pit/pond [[activity zone]] as the last step.
* Place the spider using a pasture [[activity zone]]. The surrounding doors can fully locked.)

At this point, the spider will begin blasting the goblin with webs, and most of the webs will fly through the fortifications and land on the floor to the left. Once enough webs have accumulated, pull the lever to open the chamber for collection and raise the 3 bridges - the bridge on the left will prevent the goblin from scaring your weavers away, and the 2 bridges on the right will block the path between the goblin and the spider, causing it to calm down and stop trying to shoot webs (in order to reduce lag). Once all of the webs have been collected, simply pull the lever again to reseal the chamber and start the spider webbing again.

Silk can be farmed just as easily from a wild spider with a few changes. Domesticated pets can be used in place of goblins for wild spider, but avoid grazers; other animals may need to be replaced when they die of old age. It's recommended that you place a back up cage trap to reposition the spider if your first design doesn't meet your needs, but remember that should any webbing fall on the cage trap, it will trap your dwarves as easily as it will the spider. Wild spiders can be placed via lever-controlled deconstructing cage. Be aware that deconstructing cages can fling components, wedging nearby doors open, so keep any doors adjacent to the cage forbidden.

==Live training==
:''Main article: [[Live training]]''

Pit an entirely metal-armored dwarf (the metal used seems to be unimportant) against a wild giant cave spider. Enjoy as the dwarf gets webbed, then the GCS attempts to bite the dwarf, but fails due to armor.

As it will never attempt any other attack, the GCS will keep biting metal, fail to injure the dwarf, and each attack will train your dwarf in armor using far faster than training or sparring.

As you probably don't want to kill something as rare and precious as a giant cave spider for just training armor user on a dwarf, you may want to set the training area on a lever-linked bridge, then pull the lever and fling/let fall the GCS on cage traps, therefore separating harmlessly the dwarf and the GCS.

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