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Military testing
This page on the wiki houses trials run within the game by players, with the intention of arriving at conclusions on how certain combat situations work, or just combat in general.
If you want to know more about how to do your own testing go to the DF2010:Arena wiki article. To learn more about the military and how it works in Dwarf Fortress, go to the DF2010:Military article.
The format in which trials are presented here is by no means a strict rule. Feel free to add and change elements but make sure the information is easy to read and understand. Try to provide any information you think is relevant and useful without digressing too much.
Standard format for testing trials
Here's an example of how to present your test's information. If you're not sure how to make tables and stuff, just copy this from the edit page and fill it with your own information.
Times run: 1
Initial setup:
| Side & Creature | Number | Skills | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1: Dwarf | 6 | Grand Master Swordsdwarf Grand Master Elf-hater |
Tower-cap stake |
| #2: Corinthian Magma Weasel | 6 | -no skills- | -no items- |
| #3: Tea cup | 6 | Legendary Absurdist | Mustard |
Results:
| Side & Creature | Survived | Injury level | Health tags | Most common cause of death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1: Dwarves | 0 | Severed limbs Bruised internal organs |
Tired Bored Extreme Pain |
Infection |
| #2: Corinthian Magma Weasel | 3 | Broken nose Broken toes |
Nauseous | Severed head |
| #3: Tea cup | 1 | Cracked handle | -none- | Slippage |
Notes: The creatures were placed in tight groups, spaced equally apart. The dwarves died fast from injuries caused by the tea cups the magma weasels were throwing. The weasels died from friendly fire.
Tester's conclusion: The test was meant to test how 3 different sides interact in combat and if any creature uses other creatures as projectiles. As far as this test goes, it seems to be true.
DF2010 (0.31.16) tests
Dwarves against Skeletal horses (tested by: plynxis)
Times run: 2
Initial setup:
| Side & Creature | Number | Skills | Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1: Dwarf | 6 | -no skills- | full iron armor (with chain leggings and mail shirt), shield and longsword |
| #2: Skeletal Horse | 3 | -no skills- | -no items- |
Results:
| Side & Creature | Survived | Injury level | Health tags1 | Most common cause of death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1: Dwarves | 6 | 4 have no injureis 2 badly wounded |
Unconscious Extreme Pain |
-N/A- |
| #2: Skeletal Horse | 0 | -N/A- | -N/A- | Fatal injuries |
1Refers only to those injured.
Notes: I did this test to see if dwarves can survive horses if they've got full iron armor and weapons. The fight was short and it looks like the skeletal horses charge hard and if they hit, they stun and can kill pretty fast if they're not stopped. I tried it 6:3 because I didn't expect the dwarves to survive a 1:1 ratio against the horses anyway. And yes the amount of trials is pathetic :P
Tester's conclusion: Even if dwarves are fully equipped, skeletal horses are very hard to deal with without casualties or at least serious injuries. Going up to a herd requires at least double the dwarves (if they're unskilled at least) to make sure you'll win and even then you're very likely to end up with dwarves that need hospitalization.