v0.31 Talk:Giant cave spider

Cave Wide Web

Does anyone know where giant cave spiders create their web? I've captured one in a cagetrap and released it in a room (in a layer of clay, if that matters). I hoped it to fill it with webs, cagetrap it again and gather the precious giant cave spider webs safely. But it doesn't make a single one web. I wonder why? --Doub 17:05, 24 April 2010 (UTC)

If it's like the previous version, a better way to get them to web is to provoke them with animals or dwarves that they'll shoot at (for example, you could have your spider be an engine that turns kittens into high-quality clothing!). --Vaniver 05:05, 25 April 2010 (UTC)

Yep, that does the trick, thanks. Well, dogs do, the most of them at least, for most of them attack the spider, which then fights back with web, leaving about 6-7 webs per dog. --Doub 14:46, 27 April 2010 (UTC)

Another Web Question

There's plenty of giant cave spider webs underground, as my adventurer can attest. He hasn't met any so far, and I'm sure he's relieved :D Are the webs randomly generated, or are they actually giant cave spiders running around and avoiding my hero? --Dagoth Urist 19:42, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

Farming

Is the method on the main page verified? In previous versions, the spider had to be able to pathfind to the target before it would spit webs (just like all other breath weapon users). I suspect this is another 'great idea' by someone who's never tested it, much like the oft-mentioned dragon/fireimp turrets that are far more difficult to construct than most people think. 98.212.62.219 18:15, 9 June 2010 (UTC)

I'm trying to verify it now. I modified the object testing arena a bit and added this (top view):

 ...FFF...
 .G.FDF...
 ...FFF...
 G=Giant cave spider
 F=Fortification
 D=Dwarf.
 .=Floor

Nothing happened. The reverse, where the cave spider is in the fortification cell and the dwarf outside, didn't work either. What did work was having them standing on two platforms like this:

 #####
 #G#D#
 #####
 G=GCS
 D=Dwarf
 #=Empty space

What happened here was that the GCS sporadically shot at the dwarf. They didn't do it as fast as they do in a fight, but they did shoot web. They seem to shoot more web the more targets there are, but I can't really verify this. I did two similar setups with platforms as above, where one platform had ~70 dwarfs on it. The one with more target seemed to shoot more frequently.

SO: A viable way to farm GCS silk is a bit hard. The silk doesn't seem to fall down z-levels, and can hang in the air. Just having two pillars would make the collecting part a bit difficult, as noone could reach the silk. Perhaps one could let the GCS shoot at his enemy for a while, and when you're satisfied, a retractable bridge could form a floor to walk on from the main fortress. This would of course let the GCS reach the populated parts of your fortress, but a simple cage trap would solve this issue. This wouldn't work if a retractable bridge destroys raw silk. I haven't tested this, but it's a thought. And if this doesn't work, one could always pit cats in the same room as the GCS.

/Josj 02:53, 10 June 2010 (UTC)

The web doesn't seem to stack, so it would be smarter to have an animal that runs around the GCS all the time than one just standing on a pillar to maximise the produced web. /Josj 02:57, 10 June 2010 (UTC)