Traps killing dogs and injuring settlers

[grizranger]

Kept wondering why my dogs were dying then I realized the settlers and pets (while hauling) were setting off traps. I thought settlers didn't set off their own traps?

[Kaelroth]

The experimental branch changes traps to have a small chance to trigger if walked over by settlers (and your tame animals apparently) as well as merchants (who will then become hostile and you will lose reputation with that merchant's faction).

If you are wanting to use a large number of traps to use against invaders, you will probably want to place them in a checkerboard pattern if possible. Settlers, merchants and hopefully tame animals will walk to avoid them if there is a clear space on the ground to cross. You can see an example of this in the Medieval Monday post that explains the changes to the pathfinding system. The devs also mentioned the changes to traps there as well.

edit: it's in Medieval Monday Talk #18

[grizranger]

Originally posted by Kaelroth:

The experimental branch changes traps to have a small chance to trigger if walked over by settlers (and your tame animals apparently) as well as merchants (who will then become hostile and you will lose reputation with that merchant's faction).

If you are wanting to use a large number of traps to use against invaders, you will probably want to place them in a checkerboard pattern if possible. Settlers, merchants and hopefully tame animals will walk to avoid them if there is a clear space on the ground to cross. You can see an example of this in the Medieval Monday post that explains the changes to the pathfinding system. The devs also mentioned the changes to traps there as well.

edit: it's in Medieval Monday Talk #18

Roger that, did the checkerboard and monitoring their paths they did nothing to avoid them. A few patches ago there was no issue as I test the same play-through.

[Yohaskan]

and we have no veterinary skills to treat our animals... so a level 30 doctor can do nothing but see his dog die

[Chick Norris]

Friendlies triggering traps is a flaw not a development asset. I, too, thought it was a bug that the traps keep triggering when my settlers leave the keep. Devs need to turn it off or at the very least give some capability to heal livestock and animals.

[Kaelroth]

Hopefully settlers (and merchants/tamed animals) not avoiding traps when possible is something that just needs to be ironed out with the experimental branch's AI.

I suspect the devs plan to add some sort of veterinary mechanic to the game. Since they added crop blight, they will probably add negative health conditions to animals as well. Personally, I hope this will be addressed by the animal handling skill and not the medical skill, as it is more difficult to raise the medical skill.