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I was planning on a fear themed base for my first playthrough.

I like that I don't have to play nice.

As to decision making dialog: i think they're useful as unique events. Something out of the ordinary that occur once or twice a year (that we can choose to engage with or ignore). I would enjoy something like that.

Why don't you run this one to the half-way point of kickstarter, and the 2nd poll from then until the end of kickstarter.

That way when kickstarter ends, Tynan has a fairly good indicator on what might be good to work towards as a first module.

A 2 week(ish) broad poll, followed by a 2 week(ish) focused one.

I think the idea of more complex relationships is good, I don't really like the idea of it being zodiac based though.

Perhaps it could be interesting if everyone had a core ideology or personality trait.

Each ideology might have an opposite that they take a dislike to. Not to the point that it would break your colony, just to the point where it might lower efficiency. So the average player won't find their colony falling apart because a 'Sagittarius' or whatever turned up. But someone min/maxing would be better able to tailor their experience.

So something like:

Hard Worker vs Lazy-bones
Introvert vs Extrovert
Serious vs Larrikin

Or perhaps your colonists are simply happier if there is someone around who is similar to them. So if you have a colony of extroverts and one introvert, the introvert might be a little unhappy until you can find him another introvert to be friends with.

I would prefer something like that to something based on star-signs.

- "No Go Zone": Allows you to forbid areas of the map so that colonists won't go there.

- Can you add equipment / items that you use the weapon slot? I'm thinking basic things like Hoe, Pick, Hammer to give a bonus to farming, mining, construction.

- Corpse Skeletons: I see corpses have a "dead since day03" or whatever tag. Perhaps after a little while the corpse art asset can be swapped for a skeleton.

- Random Skeletons: I like the idea of finding random skeletons already on the map when we arrive. Who were they, how did they get there, how did they die, can we avoid their fate...

As an enemy like a mega-beast type, they could be interesting (especially when accompanied by raiders).

As something you might be able to capture at great cost and possibly then repurpose, that also could be interesting especially with the sense of accomplishment that entails. If Rimworld were to have something like this, I hope that they are incredibly unreliable and hard to maintain -- but cause a hella lot of fear.

As something you can build yourself, I don't really like it. I think it detracts too much from the fragility of the colonists. Life should be hard and cheap for these guys.

 * Ditch: It would really just be an aesthetic thing that would work something like a poor-mans version of the sandbag (similar movement costs, less cover provided) but not require resources to build -- aside from time I suppose. And perhaps much later down the track it could be utilized for irrigation etc. But for now, just a plain old dirty ditch.

* Anger the Herd: I am not sure how your muffulo act in game, but if you shoot one dead it'd be rad to see at least one other muffulo get angry about it.

* Menacing Spikes: I see you have a gibbet cage or whatever, perhaps some additional things to increase fear.

* Noise Maker: Increases fear. (I'm thinking tribal warnings, rather than electronic).

* Dust Storm: I saw on one of the vids that people were tracking sand around (or filth or something?). Perhaps a Dust Storm increases filth or whatever in exterior areas.

* Wash Basin: Can be used to remove filth.

* Personal Locker: claimed like a bed, increases happiness.

* Reinforced Door: A more expensive door that is harder to breakthrough.

* Inquisitive Squirrel: It's taken a liking to your "Home" area. Depending on your current ability to attack things other than colonists, perhaps it could also be incredibly curious about trying to eat your power supplies...

* The Creep: A plant that increases the rate that you get sleepy within its radius.

I would like something like this.

I also like the idea that some personality traits might be more inclined to follow it rigidly, and some would be inclined to ignore it. Damn those surly independent types.

And perhaps threading into this idea a little...

Some kind of Colony Emergency Alarm that tells all your colonists to stay in the home area, or perhaps an "emergency area" or "panic room". It would cancel all other tasks and scheduling.

It could be an easy way to keep your non-combatants relatively safe without having to micro-manage them too much.

Australia.

Far North Queensland originally, but living in Sydney now.

- Funeral pyre: Clearing animal corpses with a specialized Dump area and pouring Molotov cocktails on them (see attachments).

I love how gleeful Rogers looks as she watches those animal corpses burn... I imagine she is also laughing quite evilly. You might want to keep an eye on that one.

- Bounty Hunter: A bounty hunter arrives to collect one of your colonists.

     * "We don't want no trouble..." - Hand over colonist (they're removed from game).

     * "Come and get them, copper!" - The bounty hunter attacks.

I always pick up any new Peter F. Hamilton books that come out. "Fallen Dragon" though, is still one of my long-time favorites.

On the Wild West Frontier vibe...

Distillery: A place to brew Moonshine.

Moonshine Keg: Like the food dispenser, but more fun.

Saloon: A place to drink moonshine. (req: chair, table, keg)


I just really like the idea of making my last stand in a saloon...

I think co-op multiplayer could be interesting.

I like the idea that each player takes control of a small group of survivors just like in single-player. We all crashland on the same map.

What happens after that is entirely up to the players.

We could all just go about our business like in single-player and build our own little outposts.

We could raid each other for resources, slaves / prisoners etc.

We could abandon our little colony and go join a more successful one.

We could all band together to co-operate and make a mega colony.

But the choice of what we do is entirely up to the players in the game, none of it is set out by the game itself.

In the hypothetical multi-player, something like that is what I would like to see.

I love the idea of some form of animal husbandry. Anything that adds variety to the way we build and run a colony gets a big thumbs up from me.

I also really like the idea that boomrats can't be domesticated... however you can catch them and keep them in traps. When a raider comes and sets off the trap, the boomrat is released -- and is hella angry.

You're talking about related events occurring together in a clump or chapter yes?

If one event fires, other events related to that have an increased chance of firing.

So the events should feel more natural and tied together to the player rather than just random occurrences.

A basic example might be:

Event: Heatwave - Colonists dislike manual labor

Follow up events:

- Famine: crops die
- Mad Muffulo: muffulo go mad from heat and lack of water
- Air-Con: a colonist found a way to better circulate air in the colony, Colonists +1 happiness...

or whatever.

Cause and effect in small chapters that help the player feel more like the story is evolving rather than just random events.