dealing with rats

[Xoyv]

so, i've ahd rats pop up several times during a game, and while the free leather is somewhat nice, the little buggers stealing my food and messing up my wheat is anoying

anyone know what the reason for rat spawns is?

edit: you know what would REALLY be helpful? some form of "defend the settlement" button, that tells every dwarf to go inside, and kill anything that may be precived as "hostile"

[HobbyCathartic]

Raise your comfort about 50 and there'll be no more rats.

[Qiox]

Pets. Place the pet house things inside and with 3 or 4 pets in the lair they will hunt down all the rats for you.

[Lions_Den]

Originally posted by Qiox:

Pets. Place the pet house things inside and with 3 or 4 pets in the lair they will hunt down all the rats for you.

Pets only work with the DLC while rats are in the normal game. I just got the DLC yesterday but was having rats before that. I did find out that rats stopped spawning at comfort of 50 or I could place something at every free spot in my house and rats would not spawn.

[stylez]

Originally posted by Qiox:

Pets. Place the pet house things inside and with 3 or 4 pets in the lair they will hunt down all the rats for you.

Pets are only useful if you have the DLC, and Rats are not limited to the DLC. Another way to cope is to lay down traps around your tables. Something like:

ttttTtttt

t = trap
T = table

Just have to monitor and replace the traps as necessary.

[Prostanc3]

There are pros and cons to the rats, a pro being that they give you meat and leather, the latter of which is extremely useful early on. However, the con is that they look awful, eat food from your tables (usually the most resources costly stuff too though I could have been unlucky so far) and if they make it to your crops they will destroy them.

I personally feel the devs put the rats in the game only to justify buying their DLC that includes an automated way to deal with the rats (pets). It bothered me that as it feels a bit more 'pay to win' which I despise in games.

Whilst on my soap box ref the DLC, I haven't purchased it because though tempted its for the wrong reasons (as per above). I personally see everything listed in the description as 'additions' should be in the game already in my humble opinion. Female dwarves should be in the game anyway? Females play the game too so seems a little sexist.

[Lions_Den]

You can handle the rats with traps. Place traps around you home and when a rat crosses one it snaps shut. I'm talking about the regular wooden traps but you could also use the iron traps as well.

[RizzanoGaming]

See, I have the DLC and for me, the pets won't kill the rats. I'm sick of the rats spawning every three minutes. I thought when I read the descriptions of the pets "help defend your home" that I would not have to deal with the rats anymore. I placed down 2 Owlcats and 2 Frogolisks. The next time the rats spawned, my pets just continued to wander around the house aimlessly whilst I had to manually kill off the rats, yet again.

I did not know about the comfort level thing though. I will be upping that ASAP now lol.

[stylez]

The pets do not actively seek out the rats. They do kill them if they cross paths, but it's hardly a "pay to win" mechanic as "-( i )- Prostanc3" claims. Traps are cheaper, as well as far more effective and reliable. What's even more effective is simply keeping the food out of their reach. Build a platform/ladder/block that is 3 spaces above the floor (ensuring backwall in the empty space), put your tables on this elevated section. Your dwarves can still reach it by climbing the backwall, the rats can't.

[RizzanoGaming]

Originally posted by stylez:

The pets do not actively seek out the rats. They do kill them if they cross paths, but it's hardly a "pay to win" mechanic as "-( i )- Prostanc3" claims. Traps are cheaper, as well as far more effective and reliable. What's even more effective is simply keeping the food out of their reach. Build a platform/ladder/block that is 3 spaces above the floor (ensuring backwall in the empty space), put your tables on this elevated section. Your dwarves can still reach it by climbing the backwall, the rats can't.

I already have my tables elsewhere so the rats don't steal the food. My pets have come across the rats and they just kept running past them. I will be doing the comfort thing though.

[Lions_Den]

Originally posted by Rizzano™:

I already have my tables elsewhere so the rats don't steal the food. My pets have come across the rats and they just kept running past them. I will be doing the comfort thing though.

To keep rats from spawning no matter what your comfort level is, fill every empty bit of floor space. You can use ladders, furniture, anything that isn't flooring. When filled, the rats have no place to spawn the nest in and the nest is what spawns the rats.

[the sandwich]

as far as im aware rats only spawn in shelters with a comfort level lower than about 45-50%

[RizzanoGaming]

I had comfort at 49% and still has them spawn. 50% is the magic number.

[pierre1928]

I don't understand you people with your 50% comfort!!! I have a 88% comfort home and still have rats EVERY DAY... (not shouting just pointing out). Am I doing something wrong? I didn't try the traps yet but that's not the problem: how come I still have those little pests with such a high level of comfort... ;D

[RizzanoGaming]

I believe the number actually changed to 60% being the magic number, but anyhow, if you really have a comfort level of 88% and are STILL getting rats I would report that as that seems to be a bug,

[vipersan]

Rats appear everywhere under comfort level 50. If you increase comfort level above 50, rats will not spawn in the area your totems cover. But they might spawn just outside of that. So just check what your totem covers, add a few totems to increase your home size, seal the gaps and raise comfort above 50 and you should be fine.