How to make children work in game

[Kogan Loloklam]

Hello. My first post. I haven't gotten this game, and don't yet plan to. The main reason why fits into why this suggestion shouldn't be knocked by the people saying "this doesn't fit into the game!"

I like survival games. I like games where my people have children. I like those games to have realistic child scales.

What is Human Reproduction?
It's not positive. See, basically when restricted from basic medical care, there is a chance that a man can give a woman a 270 day long incubated disease that has  historical records of a mortality rate as high as 1 in 7 or worse.
At the conclusion of this, a creature is created that demands more than the normal operating time of a normal adult human in a day. That lasts for weeks.
When that phase is over, you still have a creature that is for all intents and purposes not only worthless to society, but will remain pretty worthless for almost a decade and will severely reduce the capabilities of at least one functional member of your society, if not several.

So... Why would ANYONE really want this thing in their game, especially if it is implemented in a realistic manner?

Simple. Stories.

Does it matter that the child you are dealing with provides no positive gain? No. It doesn't. It's still a child in your game. It gives you a different creature to know.

I never played this game so I don't quite know how the stories go (I know enough to know there is a pregnant flag, which caught my eye, but that it never results in a birth?) but here's two different scenarios.

Scenario 1) Two men and Three women crash down on a planet. They fight off a band of raiders. One is killed. They finally flee the planet after 7 months.
Scenario 2) Two men, a Woman, a 4 year old child, and an Infant crash on a planet. They fight off a band of raiders. One is killed. They finally flee the planet after 7 months.


Tell me, which story are you more interested in hearing about the details? Do you want to know who died in scenario 1? What about Scenario 2? If I pick one at random from the 5 creatures in both scenarios, is there one scenario where it matters?
Does it matter that the 4 year old and the infant are totally worthless to providing for the colony for the story you want to know more of?


You want children to work in the game? Just put them in the game. The game is about the story is it not? Then let the story be told! You don't have to make enhanced mechanics to make stuff happen faster than it should. It doesn't have to provide any benefit. If the mechanics are there for birth, aging, until death, people will play it strait, and even those who aren't trying to "populate the world" will enjoy it. Trust me on that.


That's how you make children work in game. That's what I was looking for when I looked at this game, and the mechanism I don't think is going in, and why I am not plopping 30 dollars down today for it. I know that statement will annoy some people, but remember, THIS is my message...

If this game is about the story, just put the mechanisms in as the would match reality as you already do when it comes to day interactions, and they automatically work towards what this game is about.

Have a nice day.

[Grey_Mako]

Hello, OP here. Not checked this in a while as it dried up, but now it's exploded a bit!

Good to see some people looking at this with an open mind and discussing the ins and outs.

Bit disappointed to see some people totally stuck on the concept of gestation periods, and in game day cycles. It really doesn't seem like an issue to me.

Anyway. Just popped in, and now I'm popping out again - see you in a few weeks

[keylocke]

k. first off. welcome to the forum kogan. 

here's my reaction to this post :

Hello. My first post. I haven't gotten this game, and don't yet plan to. The main reason why fits into why this suggestion shouldn't be knocked by the people saying "this doesn't fit into the game!"

At the conclusion of this, a creature is created that demands more than the normal operating time of a normal adult human in a day. That lasts for weeks.
When that phase is over, you still have a creature that is for all intents and purposes not only worthless to society, but will remain pretty worthless for almost a decade and will severely reduce the capabilities of at least one functional member of your society, if not several.

yea.. kinda my point exactly. what sort of unfathomable madness could create such a malevolent parasitic creature, amirite?

and then there's the 180 spin..

So... Why would ANYONE really want this thing in their game, especially if it is implemented in a realistic manner?

Simple. Stories.

*snip*

You want children to work in the game? Just put them in the game. The game is about the story is it not? Then let the story be told! You don't have to make enhanced mechanics to make stuff happen faster than it should. It doesn't have to provide any benefit. If the mechanics are there for birth, aging, until death, people will play it strait, and even those who aren't trying to "populate the world" will enjoy it. Trust me on that.


That's how you make children work in game. That's what I was looking for when I looked at this game, and the mechanism I don't think is going in, and why I am not plopping 30 dollars down today for it. I know that statement will annoy some people, but remember, THIS is my message...

If this game is about the story, just put the mechanisms in as the would match reality as you already do when it comes to day interactions, and they automatically work towards what this game is about.

Have a nice day.

this part kinda made me applaud to it, it sounds so badass and yolo. 

i figured there's a reason why the minimum age of colonists in the game is 15. old enough to learn how to drive in some countries, but not yet old enough to drink. (or get cannibalized for that matter..)

but hells yea. screw logic in a dog-eat-dog survival game. clementine all the way. (for the drama)



look at that, it doesn't matter even if they nevah-grow-up. they're like cute little puppies.  (we can just treat them like edible mascots or something)