Animals eating my crops!

[toledo23]

Hi guys, I'm playing in an arctic biome, it's mid winter so my hydroponic farm's food is very precious.  A travelling merchant visited with a train of animals, and much to my horror, one of his muffalos wandered into my base, and started eating my crops!! Short of killing it, and starting a war with the merchant, how can I prevent animals getting to my crops?  I want to lock the doors, but there's no option to do that.  Please help!  My starving colonists will thank you 

[milon]

When I play an arctic game, I keep a small stockpile of stone blocks near my freezer.  When traders show up, I build a wall in front of the door (to the freezer, or other freezer-access choke point).  Obviously I deconstruct it later.  It's a pain in the butt, but much better than losing half your food.

Also, consider using Nutrient Paste Dispenser if you're not already.  Takes less ingredients to make a meal, and in early game you can shrug off the mood penalty.  Finally, check out the geothermal green house topic for arctic gardening. 

EDIT - Link:  https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=20183.0

[toledo23]

Hi, and thanks for your reply and information.  Is it the case that doors are impossible to lock?  Seems a bit of an oversight if so...

[cultist]

Sadly, trader AI isn't quite what it could be. The best way to prevent this is to put your growing zones/hydroponics far away from whatever place traders seem to prefer (usually the outskirts of your home area)

[b0rsuk]

Be grateful they're not eating your devilstrand. They can do that. And rice... rice grows quickly.

[milon]

Hi, and thanks for your reply and information.  Is it the case that doors are impossible to lock?  Seems a bit of an oversight if so...

It's a design change.  We did have lockable doors a few alphas back, but it got nerfed because it was far too easy to exploit them.  (I'm hopeful that will change with time, though.)

[Vaporisor]

It's a design change.  We did have lockable doors a few alphas back, but it got nerfed because it was far too easy to exploit them.  (I'm hopeful that will change with time, though.)

Locking people into rooms and wait for them to starve so you can loot all their high level gear...

There have been some good ideas on how to implement travelers escaping being locked or walled in.  Will be nice if so.  Perhaps what is needed is a no visitors zone.  Though until walling off of people is fixed, that will just be exploited to always corral visitors to some starvation box.

[Chibiabos]

If you have a lot of beer near their caravan, their pack animals (muffalo or elephants that you can't buy) can binge on it ... and if their pack animals become incapacitated, they spill their entire inventory and never pick it up

[Jstank]

Well the cheapest fix would be to create a new zone where traders are allowed to go, much like a trade depot in dwarf fortress.