Roofs?

[earanhart]

Do most buildings in Exile have roofs? Obviously some have multiple stories, and so they must, and others need to be secure(treasuries), but for the most part they seem unnecesary, given that the point of a roof is to keep the weather out, and underground you are never going to have weather. Why spend the extra effort and materials to build a roof when you don't need it?

[Randomizer]

It makes it harder for the vermin (rats, goblins, adventurers, etc.) to get into the structure.

[Emperor Tullegolar]

Security, most likley. I imagine most, if not all buildings in Avernum have roofs. Rats, chitrach, slimes, all these things are probably capable of crawling over a house wall, and having a roof would help you keep them out. Also, I'm no architect, but I think having a roof simply makes your house more stable.

[Drakefyre]

Caves drip - you can even hear the sound in-game.

[Zeviz]

You also could heat your rooms to make them warmer than (relatively cold) cave temperature.

 

Another reason could be simple force of habit. People are used to living in houses with roofs, so they build them the same way underground. For example, in many cases it would be easier to simply build a wall in front of a section of a cave, but people still build all four walls in those areas.

 

PS Talking about cave temperature, what is the temperature of Exile's caves?

[BainIhrno]

Cold enough to turn you pale.

[Alorael at Large]

Avernum is never really described, temperature wise, but I'd imagine it's on the cold side of bearable and slightly damp. Climate varies enough that the sliths are fine in some caves and miserable in others.

 

So, at what distance from lava fields are property values highest?

 

—Alorael, who thinks everyone needs a roof to keep the cave bats out. It's funny that Avernum has walled towns instead of basically single, huge, fortified buildings. That would be less homy but probably easier to set up.

[Randomizer]

It's probably due to the types of people that get sent down to Avernum. They don't play well with others and the violent ones get sent into Exile into the Abyss. Think of all the shifty thief types that you meet in your adventures and then you understand why if it hadn't been for the demons, sliths, and nephils there wouldn't be that close an association.

[The Mystic]

I've always taken for granted that all buildings (except some that are, for example, in a state of disrepair) had roofs. The word "building" almost implies the word "roof."

[Dikiyoba]

I always thought Avernum was generally warm. There are several comments such as this one from the entrance of the Verdant Valley in A2:

 

Quote:

You enter a wide passage through this enormous stone mound. The corridor is very drafty. Though most of Avernum is warm, the breeze is very cold. This area is out of the ordinary.

Dikiyoba admits that there are probably several comments that say Avernum is cold as well.

[Andraste]

Quote:

Originally written by Dikiyoba:
I always thought Avernum was generally warm.

You said "I"!

Quote:

Dikiyoba admits that there are probably several comments that say Avernum is cold as well.

Yeah, I think that most of the glove and cloak descriptions describe Avernum as being cold. I always thought of it as warm and humid.

[Alorael at Large]

Diki is only obligated to make the last paragraph third person. The rest can be first person.

 

—Alorael, whose gimmick is quite similar. The critical difference is his obligation to start with 11 characters with no variation.

[Lilith]

Quote:

Originally written by Buffalo xn:
—Alorael, whose gimmick is quite similar. The critical difference is his obligation to start with 11 characters with no variation.

I count 13.

[Jewels]

Quote:

Originally written by Cryptozoology:

Quote:

Originally written by Buffalo xn:
—Alorael, whose gimmick is quite similar. The critical difference is his obligation to start with 11 characters with no variation.

I count 13.

15 with punctuation.

[Nioca]

Quote:

Originally written by Jewels:

Quote:

Originally written by Cryptozoology:

Quote:

Originally written by Buffalo xn:
—Alorael, whose gimmick is quite similar. The critical difference is his obligation to start with 11 characters with no variation.

I count 13.

15 with punctuation.

16. Don't forget that space!

[Lilith]

Nothing after "–Alorael, who" (13 characters) is invariant. The space after "who" is clearly not invariant, as evidenced by the very sig you quoted.

 

I suppose it's 15 if you count the linebreaks before the last line.

[The Mystic]

(shakes his head in disgust at the recent nitpicking over Alorael's writing style) Could we get back on topic, please?

 

I think I know why the buildings in Exile/Avernum would need roofs; it's similar to why surface buildings have them. There are animals (birds on the surface, and bats in caves) which can fly, so you'd need a roof over your head, simply because when they fly over your house, they don't leave evidence of it on your carpet.

 

Disgusting, I know, but it's as good a reason as any to have a roof.

[earanhart]

Hadn't thought of bats. Cave drips happen in the same spot all the time, so you just don't build a house under one, but bats... theres the reason.

[Alorael at Large]

Thuryl is right. I didn't count the comma or the space.

 

—Alorael, who doubts Avernum's drips are widely spaced enough to allow entire buildings to be placed between them. And don't forget the chance of falling debris, especially in areas with quakes or sudden vahnatai invasions.

[Angry Ogre]

Does the moss ever stop glowing? If it doesnt a roof would be usefull to keep the light out.

 

Also, i may be a lower class of person, but i might be tempted to throw stuff into your house if it didn't have a roof, just for laughs.

 

Its hooligans like me that keep the Avernum roofing industry in buisness.

[Sullust]

In Exile II/Avernum 2 you walk on the roof of the lower portion of Ornotha Ziggurat in order to escape...

[Alorael at Large]

Quote:

Originally written by Angry Ogre:
Its hooligans like me that keep the Avernum roofing industry in buisness.

Actually a very good point. I'm sure it's petty hooligans who got sent to Avernum in droves when the mayor wasn't banishing people for gloominess.

—Alorael, who wonders what the breakdown of Avernum's original exiles was in terms of political exiles, riffraff, absurdly charged hapless bystanders, and genuine minor criminals.

[Fort]

It is pretty amazing that a colony of misfits could have banded together to make anything useful.

[Sven_v2.0_LITE]

Quote:

Originally written by Garrison:
It is pretty amazing that a colony of misfits could have banded together to make anything useful.

Hey, it worked for Australia.

[Ephesos]

Quote:

Originally written by Lt. Sullust:
In Exile II/Avernum 2 you walk on the roof of the lower portion of Ornotha Ziggurat in order to escape...

That means very little... the Ziggurat was rather unique. According to the text dumps, it was Empire-built, and since it was home to some of the most vital experiments for the Empire's war effort... it should have a roof.

Besides, rooftop fights are just awesome.

[Alorael at Large]

In E3 you see a tree and ask what it's for, but you never bat an eyelash (or whatever sliths have) at roofs. I conclude that roofs are commonplace in Avernum.

 

—Alorael, who now wants to climb on top of the Bunker and see if they left out a crucial part of its impenetrability. Or not so crucial, since Avernites are very limited in climbing ability.

[John S]

Quote:

Originally written by The Overarching Mystery of Man:
In E3 you see a tree and ask what it's for

Which is really quite suspicious, considering the common use of cavewood in construction.