User talk:Teres Draconis

the sig

(heavily edited for noise reduction. I'm going to keep this info for at least a while longer because it's useful to me.)

EXAMPLE: Three!Zchris13 Four!Zchris13 17:07, 21 May 2009 (UTC) Five!17:07, 21 May 2009 (UTC). Very cool, no?

You are delightfully strange. I like you. ... just, out of curiousity... how did you get it to do that? ... And why would you want to? - jaz

It is the amount of tildes.

• 3 tildes (~~~) Zchris13
• 4 tildes (~~~~) Zchris13 18:29, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
• 5 tildes (~~~~~) 18:29, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

--Zchris13 18:29, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

Now you yelling out numbers actually makes sense. I get it... so I shall experiment. What happens at one, two and six?

<Experiment redacted to reduce noise>

The scientific world will be in awe. I know I am. (What a bummer. Couldn't it just, like, throw up a thing that says "Over tildified?" That would be amusing, at least.) - jaz

I am somewhat amused by the fact that "jaz" and "~~~" have the same number of characters. So it's not like typing will be longer, just... different.

My personal note taking place

A lot of the following is just for my own personal note taking stuff. Feel free to add or comment or whatever. I don't mind. Some of these questions (are) answered in the forums. I'll go check at some point, until then, this is where I'm storing my questions so I don't forget what it was I wanted to ask. ... the personality tags aught to have one for forgetfulness... which would related directly to how long they continue to think about things that have happened. One who was extremely forgetful might not list "slept in the rain" for as long as someone who had a clear recollection of things long past.

I play three versions of the game, randomly... one, the pure, out of the box, only thing messed with are the init files. Another with minor modifications to things like, oh... domestic cats are spayed when captured (affected by the child tags being replaced with [NO_GENDER])... we'll just pretend that they continue to breed like crazy out in the wilds.

--- For my modding purposes (uh, I've turned the smelter into a store to "buy" stuff from) , if anyone knows the TYPE:SUBTYPE:MATERIAL:MATGLOSS tags for any of the following, please please pretty please share them.

ivory, pearl, coral (I don't care if the creatures still don't drop them. I can "buy" it from my smelter, once I figure out the values for them)

containers with stuff in them. (for example, the cage the cow is in, the bag the sand is in, etc.) I figure the contents have to be listed seperately, but how do you get a barrel full of booze, and not booze in one hand and barrel in the other?... though, hey, now I have the idea for a booze-rfall. Must go attempt.

Sadly, the boozerfall did not work. Nor the blooderfall that I had going in the smelter next to it (I figured, two trials for the price of one)... Even using a smelter to make a waterfall doesn't work. Apparently, any liquid product from the smelter, even if it is not stackable, does not flow out of the smelter, no matter how many you have... and if you unmake the smelter in the attempt to let it flow, it does not, but rather mysteriously vanishes into the unseen ether.... for my trial I used the (seemingly absurd) number 13,263. Strangely, 13263 waters will not overflow the smelter, nor run down the channels next to it, nor anything. They just sit in the smelter, making it nie impossible to use due to the liquid clutter.

It would have been glorious, though. The plains flooded with Dwarven Ale. The gentle nurse lowering her bucket into the giant lake of booze to tote back to the wounded soldiers. The Generator [1] making sweet smelling (and potentially intoxicating) mists... Sadly, this method does not work. I'll see if I can find another...

Perhaps if I fill a room with 10000 barrels of booze, and then go mod the melting tempurature of the barrels to really low? Or, hmmm... wonder if you can make barrels out of ice? No, it acts like rock, and there are no rock barrels... except for... so maybe, hmmmm... ok! Gonna go try that next!

These things all start as "stacks", not flows, so they don't. I've heard mutterings that certain kinds of cave ins can turn fluid stacks into fluid flows but that's it. Whether it works or not, caving in something on top of a smelter containing a million water would be hilarious...--Corona688 16:54, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

"plant cheeses"... like, say, tofu. ... how do I get the plants to let me make cheese from the extract? Twice I've tried, twice I've failed. I can keep experimenting, but... eh.

- For the game designers and those who speak to them (go ahead, claim credit, I'm ok with that)... things I'd like to see in future versions...

a way to mod the workshops themselves. For instance, when I tell the manager I want to make 300 cheeses, I don't want the "make cheese" task to fill up the farmer's workshop I've dedicated to my spinner (making plant thread). I can dedicate /who/ works there. I'd like to dedicate the kinds of tasks that can be performed there, too.

I know I can make a task repeatable... but if I want to save out 100 of my 400 barrels of milk for direct cooking, and don't want to have to forbid them, unforbid them, etc... besides, this was an example... could just as easily be "make stone toys" at the bone carver's shop.

I'd like to see a tag to put on things like sheep that allows for sheering. I want to make wool cloth without having to slaughter my sheep for them. ... and angoras, too. Poor bunnies. Not that I get cloth now... I get leather still, but...

Probably would have the same problem as milking currently does. Perhaps when they get around to fixing that, they may put this one in as well... if someone makes them think of it.

I'd like to be able to make dyes from animal products. For instance, there are snails that produce a lovely purple color when crushed. No, I'm not with PETA, how did you guess?

I'd like to be able to dye worked cloth. The dress was made with undyed cloth? Should be easy to fix. I'd also like to be able to redye dyed cloth. In real life it would simply add color but I'd be ok with a "paint over" kind of effect.

Maybe mix dyes to make new colors? ... The only way I can think of right now to mod that in is to have a plant for each of them and then smelt two dyes into something else, red and blue make purple like iron and pig iron make steel.

I think bones (raw hides, skulls, shells) should be binable. I mean, really. I have 10 fishbones a cat's skull and a turtle shell that take up the same floorspace as 12 beds?!? Put them in a bin. On raw hides: it rots. Ok, two choices. One: don't let me bin this. I'll still be happy if I can bin the friggin' bones, shells, skulls. Or, two: The rot spreads to everything it touches, and, since it's "in" something, it produces miasma. Even if the bin is outside. I don't think that "rat remains" and "dog chunks" and such should be binable. I mean, ew. Also, those don't go into the workshop stockpiles for processing. At least, not in /my/ fortresses. ... again, ew.

... One or two last thoughts before I actually post this...

Is there a way to make a mixed group of creatures that spawn together? I mean, take your average herd in Africa. You're going to have zebras and elephants and girraffs and several other things besides, often all walking together. Sure, often you find a herd of just elephants, but often you'll find one or two in a mix of other things as well. And flocks of birds who travel with them, too.

I'm considering adding a new medium-heavy mod that accounts for things like mixed herds, beehives (worker bees, queen bee, guard bees), maybe beemen... though antmen could use this, too. Antmen could maybe have pet Giant Aphids (who, storywise they milk but who aren't tamable to humanoids)...

And, thirdly (I know I said one or two)... feralization. I can keep my tame but unclaimed pets mostly in one area by defining it as a meeting zone... but if I don't... and if they wander off (even if they don't)... I think that if they don't see one of their caretakers for, oh, two seasons (maybe less... maybe a tag that says how quickly?)... they should feralize. Easy way is just to make them go back to being the wild version of that creature. If it's in the wrong biome... uh, oops? Might die sooner? Might get eaten by a grue, I mean, uh... Another way is to make a whole other classification (wild, tame, feral)... maybe it adjusts how aggressive it is. Maybe not. Maybe it adjusts how easily it goes back to being tame. Would this tag be passed on to it's young? Or would the young just be "wild" to start with? If you were near another outpost, city or whatever, would you have their feral creatures start wandering into your area on occasion? Just what you need, the neighbor's feral dragon has decided your keep is it's new home!

Ok, Done. I'll edit and such later, and reduce the noise as I get answers. Or, you know, you can if you like. Whatever.

-jaz

I would really really like to see a little option pop up. When everything pauses and recenters because the miners struck something new on a level, and it says ... whatever it says... I'd like there to be a (d)ig, (s)trip, (f)orbid option.

(d)ig would just dig the squares you've already designated.

(s)trip would designate for mining squares of that type, on that level, /as they are discovered/, even if they aren't currently designated. If it's done "as discovered", you won't neccissarily know how much you're getting until it's done, thus maintaining the mystery. You should still be able to undesignate squares that have been designated automatically.

(f)orbid would un-designate squares of that type, on that level, as they are discovered.

That way I don't have my newbie miner failing the attempt to mine out the diamonds. I can just leave them there for later. And if I have 4 levels of mining going on, I can't watch every level all the time to see if a new deposite of something already mentioned shows up, or whatever... I can just say "no, not that" as it's discovered, and all the miners know to leave it, and all other instances of it, alone.

Noise Reduction (Should I call this "Zchris13 sets me straight" ?? *Teases*)

Things that got answered... They will get deleted out all together at some point as I don't want this talks page to be 40 bajillion pages long.

Zchris13 distroyed my dreams of milkable cows via the [milkable:33333] tag on 23:17, 19 May 2009 (UTC) I cried. Bad you, making girls cry. He also explained on 17:23, 21 May 2009 (UTC) that "Purring Maggots are VERMIN. Read vermin as Item, because that is what they are in game terms. Items that can teleport. Cows, however, are not items. And it is broken."

I know it's broken. I think /everyone/ knows its broken... I just... I... there you go making me cry again. But thank you for explaining about vermin in short words I can understand. I get it now, I just don't want to. Another question, though... Why are vermin in the creatures raws if they're not creatures? Shouldn't they be in their own raws if they're items?

And... verminous cows... heee! Oh, sorry, just a thought. (Because yes, I'd trade being able to eat them and get leather from them for the ability to milk them every season.) -- jaz

Personal cow modding complete. Cows became Lulu, because it amused me to find that "genetic testing of the Dwarf Lulu breed [...] found them to be a mix of European cattle, zebu and yak." New vermin added : Dairy Cow. -- jaz 20:31, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

- Name and/or data is in contention....

Zchris13 (apparently did not tell) me there will be a way of saying "creature A and creature B can breed together to make creature C" in the next release. I mean, where do you think mules come from? I have several donkies of both genders, I have several horses of both genders... every once in a while, instead of getting a donkey foal or a horse foal, I (will, next release) be getting a mule foal... and no, mules still can't breed (IRL, anyways. We'll see about IG).

Will there also be a way of preventing such things? I mean, if I keep my horses in one vault and my donkies in another, am I going to get a whole seasons worth of foaling turned into mules? -- the ever curious jaz

I never said that.--Zchris13 17:23, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

It was your sig after the "That will be coming next release" comment. Was that in response to something else? I appologise for attributing to you something you did not say or imply. - jaz

-

Zchris13 suggested I look on/post to the forums for my ideas and wants, game wise... apparently quite a few of them were already mentioned. I've removed some from my list. Not that I think they're neccsissarly upcoming, but well, noise reduction. I've posted some already, and some I don't even know how to search for the thread. Then again, worst is worst, someone calls me an idiot and points to the 47 other threads that I'm repeating. I'll only feel rejected and foolish. What's so wrong with that? ... "Teres Draconis ... is concerned about rejection and ridicule." ... Oh, right. Cry me a river. Do it anyways, Jaz. ... doing, doing, done. ---- jaz 00:26, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

You're a noise one, aren't you. It's ok, just lurk around the forum for a while. Use search, which is a little odd, until you realize that there is two different search boxes.--Zchris13 18:09, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

Chalk & whinging

Nice work, very thorough - but slow down, just for now. On the Main Page discussion, folk are trying to decide whether/how to structure the guidelines, what constitutes "an article" - and they should all be along the same lines. I like your effort - don't want to see it get undone to conform to any new guidelines.--Albedo 07:52, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! I'll go see if I can find that discussion and maybe point to that in a grab for attention and prase. Yes, the gems. *teases* --jaz 08:01, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

If you want to add some new information to a page, it can be done without deleting everything that is already on it. I suggest you stick to minor improvements rather than complete rewritings. VengefulDonut 12:11, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

But the only thing chalk had on it before was, like, three bits of information. 1) it was a sedementary layer stone, 2) i could be used as flux, and 3) it had lots of gems/ore that could be found in it. The first two data bits are still there, and the third one is heavily expanded to the point of actually being informative if someone wants to know "well, what can I find?"

Meh, maybe I should put in a redirect here to the convo on the main page's talk tab. ... Not entirely sure how to do that yet, but I know of at least three places where I can find examples so... meh.

Talk:Main Page --Zchris13 18:13, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

P.S. You're a little overenthusiastic. Chill. Stick to the small things. When you understand how things run around here, THEN start rewriting crap. --Zchris13 18:13, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

There was a big long thing here that, upon going away for an hour, and then coming back and reading it again, I realised was mostly whining and "poor me" and "nobody understands me"... So I didn't post it, because this is not the place for that. I have a blog (which I never use) if I want to whine.

I will simply say that I posted /one/ page (and lots of talk, 'cause I'm chatty), and asked for responses. I got several before I could even start on the next page, all of which asked me to hold off, or slow down, or similar. So I'm holding off, and... ok, not slowing down, exactly... but I'll do the work, and keep it for my own use, and if people say "hey, that was good, do it again" I can, and if they say "Change it this way" I /maybe/ can, and if they don't say anything, I can keep keeping it to myself, unless someone asks for a copy of my work, in which case, I can do that, too. (See, I have a "can do" attitude!)

I am done talking about talking about it. I'm mostly done talking about it directly. Time for me to play the game or get off the computer. Besides. I have milkable cows now. My life is complete. =) - jaz

See, there's something that is pure "addition", not rewriting - milkable cows. Make a new article. Be terse and factual, "how it's done". Be objective, no "I". Link from cows and milk - that's more the sort of thing that the wiki needs.

The problem with the chalk rewrite/reformat is that you completely changed a page that had scores of other related pages that used the identical format. You also, by your own admission, "copied and pasted" - wiki's don't like redundant info if they can avoid it, and certainly not that much. If someone wants to know all about a specific gem, they go to the article on that gem, or failing that then the gem page, not the page on the stone where that gem is found along with many, many others.

After you are here a while, you'll get a feel for the overall style - and can branch out from there.

(PS - And, I gotta ask - why "jaz" when you just signed up as a User with TD? Why not just sign up with jaz to begin with?)--Albedo 22:29, 21 May 2009 (UTC)