So, I bought this game a week or two ago after watching Scott Manley do a video on it. I love the game and premise and I definitely want to see it keep going. While playing however, I had a few ideas pop into my head that I believed would make sense as inclusions in the game. Being that I'm very interested in the development of this game, I thought I'd share them.
Building Ideas
1. Map Levels
This was the first idea that came to mind while playing. It just makes sense to me that you should be able to have multiple floors of a building, each separated by stairs or ladders. Basements, towers, etc. One could design it so that if a building isn't properly constructed, doesn't have enough support, or is too tall, it will collapse. This would of course also mean that you could dig up or down as well, creating multi-storied bunkers.
In terms of combat, elevation (like, say, shooting from a window on the second story) would confer range bonuses to firearms. If you're close enough, it would even eliminate the advantages given by cover. Of course, if the enemy go too close, you wouldn't be able to shoot them at all.
2. Windows
Something else that just made sense to me. It would allow for light to shine into buildings, eliminating the need for lamps in every building. Additionally, they'd provide a place to shoot out of when defending from attackers. They'd also be structural weaknesses.
3. Deconstructing Flooring
When I built my current colony, I started out in wooden buildings by a mountain. Eventually, I moved in to a bunker I built in the mountain and demolished the wooden buildings. Unfortunately, the floor remained until I was forced to place a fertilizer pump on it (I was just annoyed by the wood sticking out like it did). I don't see a reason why it wouldn't make sense to be able to remove floors. You'd gain back a portion of your materials, and whatever material had previously been under the floor would return.
4. Metal Burning
I don't see why metal structures burn... I mean, was this just oversight or was it intended?
5. Fortifications
Something other than sandbags would be great, mainly for older colonies with greater access to resources. Wooden or metal walls that someone can stand behind and still shoot. They'd be more resilient and perhaps provide better protection. In addition to this, perhaps bullets should strike cover more often, causing real damage.
Colonist Ideas
1. Physical Condition
Physical condition (strength and endurance) would judge some of a colonist's attributes and could be improved by training and doing certain jobs. Mining, stone-cutting, moving, constructing, and other jobs would improve a colonist's condition over time. Certain jobs, like researching or cooking would provide no benefit, potentially leading to an unhealthy colonist. Colonists would even gain weight and become fat when unhealthy, or become strong and buff when healthy. This would also affect speeds, as fat or unhealthy colonists would be slower. Healthy colonists would also be more apt to survive certain injuries, while unhealthy ones would more easily succumb.
2. Colonist Personalities
Basically, just an expanded version of what's already there. Several traits, most of them relating to social interaction. This would permit another feature- colonist interaction. Various colonists would interacted with each other in certain ways, becoming friends or enemies. Bob could have a set of traits that match Bill, so Bob and Bill could become friends. As friends, they'd enjoy talking to each other more giving greater boosts to their mood. On the opposite end, Bob and Zach may have opposing traits, making Bob and Zach enemies. As a result, they'll dislike being around one another, giving negative penalties to their mood.
Certain events could influence this as well. If Bob is knocked out in combat and Zach rescues him, they will get a boost to their relations that could be permanent (or just last a long time- the duration of the bonus could depend on their traits). Colonists that are enemies could also potentially get into fist fights as well, with their friends joining certain sides, potentially creating messed up inter-colonial conflicts.
3. A Mayor
A mayor could be either selected by the player or elected by the town. The mayor's social skills judge his effectiveness as mayor, and his effectiveness judges his popularity. This colonist would still work and act like a normal colonist, with he exception that he would essentially act as a sort of avatar for the player. If the colony is doing well, the mayor is popular, if it's failing, he is disliked. A popular mayor would confer happiness bonuses to the colonists he's around, while an unpopular one would do the opposite.
Mayors would only become an option after the colony reaches a certain number of people but wouldn't be mandatory.
While I'm sure I'm forgetting several of the ideas I had, I just figured that perhaps this list could provide some food for thought for development.
Building Ideas
1. Map Levels
This was the first idea that came to mind while playing. It just makes sense to me that you should be able to have multiple floors of a building, each separated by stairs or ladders. Basements, towers, etc. One could design it so that if a building isn't properly constructed, doesn't have enough support, or is too tall, it will collapse. This would of course also mean that you could dig up or down as well, creating multi-storied bunkers.
In terms of combat, elevation (like, say, shooting from a window on the second story) would confer range bonuses to firearms. If you're close enough, it would even eliminate the advantages given by cover. Of course, if the enemy go too close, you wouldn't be able to shoot them at all.
2. Windows
Something else that just made sense to me. It would allow for light to shine into buildings, eliminating the need for lamps in every building. Additionally, they'd provide a place to shoot out of when defending from attackers. They'd also be structural weaknesses.
3. Deconstructing Flooring
When I built my current colony, I started out in wooden buildings by a mountain. Eventually, I moved in to a bunker I built in the mountain and demolished the wooden buildings. Unfortunately, the floor remained until I was forced to place a fertilizer pump on it (I was just annoyed by the wood sticking out like it did). I don't see a reason why it wouldn't make sense to be able to remove floors. You'd gain back a portion of your materials, and whatever material had previously been under the floor would return.
4. Metal Burning
I don't see why metal structures burn... I mean, was this just oversight or was it intended?
5. Fortifications
Something other than sandbags would be great, mainly for older colonies with greater access to resources. Wooden or metal walls that someone can stand behind and still shoot. They'd be more resilient and perhaps provide better protection. In addition to this, perhaps bullets should strike cover more often, causing real damage.
Colonist Ideas
1. Physical Condition
Physical condition (strength and endurance) would judge some of a colonist's attributes and could be improved by training and doing certain jobs. Mining, stone-cutting, moving, constructing, and other jobs would improve a colonist's condition over time. Certain jobs, like researching or cooking would provide no benefit, potentially leading to an unhealthy colonist. Colonists would even gain weight and become fat when unhealthy, or become strong and buff when healthy. This would also affect speeds, as fat or unhealthy colonists would be slower. Healthy colonists would also be more apt to survive certain injuries, while unhealthy ones would more easily succumb.
2. Colonist Personalities
Basically, just an expanded version of what's already there. Several traits, most of them relating to social interaction. This would permit another feature- colonist interaction. Various colonists would interacted with each other in certain ways, becoming friends or enemies. Bob could have a set of traits that match Bill, so Bob and Bill could become friends. As friends, they'd enjoy talking to each other more giving greater boosts to their mood. On the opposite end, Bob and Zach may have opposing traits, making Bob and Zach enemies. As a result, they'll dislike being around one another, giving negative penalties to their mood.
Certain events could influence this as well. If Bob is knocked out in combat and Zach rescues him, they will get a boost to their relations that could be permanent (or just last a long time- the duration of the bonus could depend on their traits). Colonists that are enemies could also potentially get into fist fights as well, with their friends joining certain sides, potentially creating messed up inter-colonial conflicts.
3. A Mayor
A mayor could be either selected by the player or elected by the town. The mayor's social skills judge his effectiveness as mayor, and his effectiveness judges his popularity. This colonist would still work and act like a normal colonist, with he exception that he would essentially act as a sort of avatar for the player. If the colony is doing well, the mayor is popular, if it's failing, he is disliked. A popular mayor would confer happiness bonuses to the colonists he's around, while an unpopular one would do the opposite.
Mayors would only become an option after the colony reaches a certain number of people but wouldn't be mandatory.
While I'm sure I'm forgetting several of the ideas I had, I just figured that perhaps this list could provide some food for thought for development.