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Why is everyone so hell-bent on making people build their bases in a manner which is suicidally easy for the raiders to break into?

This is not a suburban cul-de-sac, nor is it an Appalachian mining town or a big city.

This is an unplanned settlement on the border worlds, under constant attack by armed maniacs whose only goal is to murder you and everyone you like.

Screw having lovely views of the plains, you know what I'd find aesthetically pleasing and not-depressing in such an environment? Machine guns mounted on top of guard towers, sandbags and barbed wire, searchlights cutting through the night, snipers (of my own) up on top of the mountain ready to rain death down on the dumb bastards who always congregate in the lowlands, and maybe a few artillery pieces ranged in to fill the natural and artificial choke-points with hellfire and shrapnel.

We want to play a City Builder here, and with options like Phoebe Friendl y at least some people want to build it up.
This is not a Zombie Horror Survival Game.

More importantly, all people need to live and over a period of time they get de-sensitised to stuff.
Create windows and (if you are so concerned about firing raiders) lets have the option to board them when an attack comes.
Or auto-board.

Just another thought form my last couple days of playing:

It would be nice if colonists took care of their happiness in the same way that they do their other needs. There have been a couple times where my colonists, especially when working on major excavations, have worked themselves to near mental breaks because they won't take time off from environments that they hate until they have to go eat or sleep. I end up having to disable their mining job entirely to get them to go have a rest or do something they like more, such as farming. I don't think I should have to micromanage job settings minute to minute like this, it doesn't seem like that is the intended use of the jobs screen, correct?

However, I'd suggest that they only take breaks on their own if their fear level isn't enough to keep them loyal. This way, if you're running a horrible slave colony where everyone is loyal through fear, they'll work harder and be miserable. But if they're there because they're happy there, they should be more free to take breaks when they get unhappy from working too much.

+1

looking at the lone guy slaving away at the research bench i realized that what irks me about research in games is that:

1) all research items come from one source (some structure, bench, desk, room or building dedicated to research) with no regard for disciplines or methodology.
2) usually research can be solo'd, i.e. there's no need for any of the researchers to discuss or cooperate. This while knowledge production is - with the exception of Newton locking himself in his attic - an intensely social endeavour.

with that in mind i think research in Rimworld could be done more creatively and intuitively:

1) socio-political research items (concerning behaviour, morale, happiness etc) do not come from the research bench, but from (leadership) discussion groups. The governing attribute for this research is the social skill, not the research skill. Research goes faster if there are more people discussing an item, though it should plateau to avoid putting your 20 colonists in a room and steamrolling the techtree.
2) some of these research results could be mutually exclusive policies (with good and bad effects) that a leader or council can implement. Some colonists will be happy with this, others disgruntled. This can lead to internal political turmoil and maybe leadership change.
3) the social component becomes more important as tech becomes more advanced. The further up the research tree, the more scientists need to be working together on benches (or other furniture) within the same room. Other than just an increase in the amount of points needed for certain research items, certain furniture and a personnel quota is also required. This makes teching less straightforward and more resource intensive.
4) Either by locking paths or making costs increase exponentially, research should force choices on the player the further they go into the techtree. This will also stimulate players to replay the game a few times to explore different paths and strategies.
5) Random tech dropping out of the sky or being found in escape pods could open up otherwise inaccessible items/paths

This plan assumes that there will eventually be an extensive researchtree in place. I have no suggestions for the items themselves.

I like the option of:
A. Branching Paths: Choosing Choice A makes you forgo Choice B.
B. Social Engineering a la Civilisation: Choose traits / culture that will determine advantages and disadvantages.

Very much not cheap, though.

I'm currently running a rather successful Dwarf Fortress - I mean, accidental colony - on my first try, no less. There's been ups and downs, of course, there always are. However, my main problem at present is the lack of metal.

I've just about excavated the entire bloody mountain! Well, that's a bit of a fib - I've HALF excavated the bloody mountain. The other half is coming soon. What happens when I'm done?

I think there needs to be a way to reclaim metal from "Slag Debris." There's quite a lot of it on the map to start with, and I generate quite a lot more whenever raiders show up. (Well, the raiders generate more.) Far and away my chief problem is the incessant cost of replacing sandbags, turrets, and blasting charges. I don't really mind the cost for blasting charges, you get what you pay for (a line of corpses.)

So, then, my proposals are that any or all of the following would help vastly with the metal shortages.

1: Sandbags should not cost metal! There's literally no reason for sandbags to cost metal. The very name of them indicates exactly what they are - sand in a bag! If you feel it needs some kind of further balancing point (and what with waffles to slow down the raiders, it probably does,) then either make it cost a sand resource, harvested from any sand squares but taking time to haul back to base, or just make them cost a lot more time to build than they already do.

2: A recycler building. Obviously costs metal, and probably should cost someone to operate it while it's running. Colonist collects slag from the dump pile or the area, drops it into the recycler, and out comes metal.

3: Digging deeper: Unless and until Z-levels are implemented, there still needs to be some way of acquiring more metal once the entire map is depleted. I'd propose that you can construct mine shaft entrances, either on the surface or under the mountain. Probably under the mountain. Once this is done, you can send a miner down there to mine. They'll pack up some nutrient paste (one or two days' worth, perhaps,) and head on down. Then you don't see them again for a while, and they can't be called up to fight (or alternatively, it takes them some amount of time to return to the surface level,) but assuming they're left alone, eventually they'll emerge from the mine with a vast stack of metal for the haulers to pounce upon.

4: Stone constructions instead of metal. I'm surprised this isn't already in a game which was greatly inspired by Dwarf Fortress. Let us choose to build certain things out of stone instead of metal, if we please - stockpiles, wall, etcetera. Stone walls should take longer to build than metal walls, be just as durable, probably not flammable, but should not carry a current. The colonists would probably think they don't look as pretty as metal walls, though, which is really their problem. They need to grow beards and suck it up.

Some things, of course, should require metal. You're not gonna build a gun turret without metal, not a communications array!

6: Instead of only random traders, allow you to use the hypercomm to send notice to the galaxy that you're looking to do business with a specific kind of ship. They'll arrive.. Sooner or later, anyway. Unless of course, they get shipjacked by pirates. Then when they arrive, they'll pretend to trade with you, but instead of goods, it's a bunch of bloody pirates that land around your drop beacon!

Give the option to create things made of different kinds of material:
Earth/Sand:
Sandbags, walls, mud floors, plus later on exotic stuff like pottery, etc

Stone:
Walls, stone floors, embankments for taking cover behind, watchtowers, pottery, chairs

Metal:
This should be the last stage in the progression.

This removes the need to dig for a minerals from Hour 1 and makes it more realistic.

It also allows for an upgrade cycle: dig earth, then stone, and finally metal.

I know this is a pre-alpha build but when it gets more developed I would like to see a:
mine > smelt > forge  > use  workcycle with blacksmiths and everything.

Maybe even multiple types of metal........

If Tynan wants to do away with the turrets, I think that's fine. 

Just my own opinion though, I think we need better defences which still include the colonists to actively take part in the battle rather than just let expendable turrets do all the work, while the colonists sit pretty inside their homes.

E.G.  You could build a pill box type structure where the colonist can fire, but gains substantial cover bonuses.  Similarly you could build sniper nests, a watch tower that while flimsy, increases range and accuracy of weapons fired from it. 

Just my two cents.

I like the idea of pill boxes and watch towers. Far more in-simulation.

Further, it also helps with making use of your most precious resource - people.
Meaning you need to have people there to fire.

I would not mind tunnels which could be used to reach the pill boxes / watch towers without attracting enemy fire.
(This is, of course, veering dangerously into 3D territory but here I think the rewards would be worth it.)

I really think you should add more levels of research, and have more items or builds that can be gained through researching.

Alpha Centauri had the prototyping concept. Building the first one of any unit cost you double.
Could be an interesting (cheap) idea to implement.

I would like to have more defense opportunities, because turrets doesn’t seems to be a good idea to protect the people. They are very fragile. A good idea would be some sort of energy shield for example. It could have a lot of energy costs, but able to withstand a quite beating. Buildable maybe as a turret platform or it could be inside of a building.   

I would like more upgrade options for the turret.
Implies a deeper research tree...........

Those are some really good ideas!

Tynan: Looks reflectively at the horizon and gestures while lost in thought contemplating the years of development............

But I do think these are some good ideas.

Perhaps this could be a different story teller all together? 'Surprising Sarah'?

Not really. I think the some basic issues related to number of turrets creating more raiders result in some bad gameplay decisions.

I would also like to make the raids winnable. It should not be that a raid which results in a few casualties results in smaller further raids, and other un-successful raids will result in bigger future raids.

Just a couple of things:

UI:  If I click on something, give me a menu if there is a choice.  This would be really handy after melee combat where 3-4 bodies are stacked.  Might save a bit of frustration when I get the sequence wrong as well (Draft a crew member, select someone to rescue, or weapons or whatever and left click instead of right click.  Currently end up Escaping and starting over.)

UI:  Allow me to see what someone is doing.  Fighting the game right now because my crew goes wandering around sometimes without any apparent purpose.  Really a problem during raids where they die.  Just looking for something like "click on person" -> Status of what they are doing (e.g. Heading for mine, returning items to storage container, heading to cleaning job, etc.), which would then, hopefully, allow me to change their behavior.

Player AI:  Don't these people know about smoke alarms?  My place can be burning down and they are sleeping!  Likewise during raids (often go to sleep just as the raid starts and sleep through the whole thing.  Not really a bad thing, since I try for passive defenses (turrets & blasting  charges) , but it would be nice for them to wake up and at least fix things when its safe to do so.

General:  Solar flare almost causes my crew to die of starvation?  Really?

Thanks!

A task list for current and queued tasks would be really appreciated. high priority.

Apart from assigning it to Prisoners.

Every 5 sec (in real time) my colonists go repair something.
Reduce the frequency of repair work: keep if for more realistic stuff: like batteries exposed to rain, wall attacked by demolish raiders, maintenance work scheduled.

This adds to the irritation without adding gameplay value.

This would lead to chaos and would still be exploitable. Double and triple walling your base to bog the demo team down, or turning the entire mountain into a waffle for their pinheaded AI to choose to blast into.

It really wouldn't lead to fun, either. Frankly, if constant combat is going to feature into the finished game, then it is going to be a turret defense game, one way or another, and eventually the players will simply turn all the possible landing sites into massively-turreted killzones to wipe out raiders the moment they land.

I definitely want to have my fun. It depends on what kind of fun we are talking about. Is it the "losing is fun" kind or........

On a more serious note, I think that the goal of the AI should not be to "beat" the player. Nobody outside or inside of a game has made a really good AI except in very specific situations.

So the objective should be to make that the player covers all ends. To this end, I propose the following:
1. Define raider types: Shooter, Demolisher, Sniper, Commander, Spy, etc.
i. Commander gives orders to other raiders. x% bonus to shooting accuracy.
ii. Spy is not seen on the map till "discovered"
A. Starting raids are simple.
B. Down the line, you are start getting multiple types.
C. You get intermittent spy type single raids who may not attack you. If you dont kill them, they will go back with a plan of your layout.
D. Medium / long term attacks involve all types being thrown at you.

Most important, note that in this setup, not all raiders can do everything. This increases belivability, and lets the player win. This is important in a game.

Balance the game by:
1. Giving the player a "must" reason to venture outside: solar generators need to be in the open, etc.
2. Giving him means to stay inside for some time: batteries are inside, etc.
3. Setting the AI to attack buildings, power conduits, etc. Hang around and wait for the guys to come outside.

I would also like to see moats implemented.

Also, create a reason for the player to venture outside

Should there be different costs for different types of tiles.

According to the description, some are more while some are less beautiful.

These can accordingly have happiness effects.

Perhaps it is already planned......

[Add a Demolition Team Raid.]

Right now building an ultimate base can be as simple as placing some walls and few turrets next to lone entrance to the base. As it was well illustrated here: http://imageshack.us/a/img19/5613/9zb1.jpg
IMHO something like that is an exploit, cause very cheaply you can turn your base into indestructible fortress.

So here's an idea:
Add a Demolition Team Raid.

Basically - a group of pirates armed with short range but powerful weapons (shotguns / SMGs) and one demolition expert with explosives.
Team will try to find an approach to your base that's away from sentry guns - plant explosives on a wall or rock, and... boom! Break into the base bypassing security!

(say - arm them with 1 randomly picked type of explosives - regular charges will do 3x3 explosion (like Molotov), shape charges will do 1x5 line. 6 seconds timer. Player can manually plant them on his own if steals them from dead AI, but they're still limited to timer - no remotely controlled explosions (again - too exploitable)

It's needed because right now if you can afford 3-4 towers and some walls - almost nothing can become a threat to your base. And as game progresses you only build up stronger and stronger defences wiping enemy clean faster and faster. Sure, you can give enemy more health, but they're still limited to one approach into the base - which is like asking yourself for exploits.

I suppose writing AI for that might be a bit challenging. AI would need to protect the demolition guy on his way, hope he will demolish the walls quickly enough before other guys die, and than all raiders should run inside of the building wrecking havoc / stealing stuff as quickly as possible to retreat right after that ignoring fire from colonists (perhaps: run&gun escape).
But I think it will be worth adding it into the game as it'd make it much more interesting by forcing players to use colonists for defence more, not just exploit impenetrable walls of sentry guns.

I like the idea. I think 1/2 demolitions guys should be a standard of every raider team after the first few ones.
This is also one of the few things that DF does not have (wink, wink.....)