Messages

Yup, I'm wrong. Translation is wrong, to be more precise. In Polish translation there is a "skill" multiplier, but it really is QUALITY multiplier.
Given the values themselves it seems that melee does really have really low impact.

All in all value is still pretty high, but melee skill itself should affect it more.

[accurate]

Absolutely not. You either had super-efficient insulation (like spaceship level efficient), or it was like 10oC outside. :V I actually have masters in power engineering (if something like that exists in the west - it sure does here, in Poland )

The US equivalent is called electrical engineering, if it's the program I'm picturing.  Engineering is not easy stuff so don't forget you're a few inferential distance iterations in front of a lay person in understanding.

Regardless, it's pretty obvious the game intentionally doesn't care about the realism of absolute scale...or about energy in general overmuch. 

As we have discovered in another thread, it is possible to burn trees to heat/light further tree growing and come out slightly ahead in energy in this game, so I wouldn't worry overmuch about accurate wattage or scaling of energy usage of devices to real-world equivalents.  When you're modeling a system where even the trees disobey thermodynamics I don't think our physics apply in general .

Well, yeah, that is the point of this thread, I guess? We're still in Alpha, stuff will be changed, and if we provide enough accurate (so no I think it works that way or My friend of friend told me that...) information/feedback, it is only for the better, amarite?

Nobody is calling to make it mesh-calculations - by simply adjusting the numbers, so that they make sense both gameplay wise and are somewhat realistic, it is enough. Having a 175W heater doesn't feel right.

I actually have masters in power engineering (if something like that exists in the west - it sure does here, in Poland )

The US equivalent is called electrical engineering, if it's the program I'm picturing.  Engineering is not easy stuff so don't forget you're a few inferential distance iterations in front of a lay person in understanding.

Hmmm, my degree actually deals more with energy than electricity (but does not exclude electricity, naturally). It includes powerhouse level turbines, engines, heat exchangers, pumps (from mechanical and hydromechanical standpoint) but also transformers, electrical engines, power lines and so on. 

[damage]

Melee skill increases DPS only because melee skill affects hit chance.  It doesn't affect damage or attack speed, which are determined by the weapon.

Noooope. While it doesn't affect attack speed (which is determined by the weapon), damage IS increased by the skill of the wielder.
If you are at your computer (I'm sadly not atm, could just make some screenshots), check the details on equipped melee weapon and then click on damage. You'll get a detailed list of what affects it. Skill level is sure on that list.

Weird you are arguing that melee is bad without even fully understanding how it works, eh?

Seems I didn't understood melee myself, being silly here. Well shit. D:

The Centipedes always reminded me of the protoss Reavers from StarCraft.

Someone's workers are gonna disappear soon!

I'm trying to get close enough (behind cover) the Scythers to take them out before Centipedes roll in. When there are only Centis left, I spread out my ranged guys (so that they don't get hit all at once) and proceed to charge them with my melee folks (shields if I happen to have any - please, make them craftable with reasonable amount of resources. I have a mod for them, but 100 gold and 100 uranium is WAYYYY too much to be able to sustain them). Meanwhile, I reposition my ranged guys close behind melees (so they don't shoot their backs).

It usually ends up with Centis being surrounded and beaten to death.

[Cooking]

Cooking - [...] since that means less work for your cleaners.

Social - [...] That said, recruitment chance seems to be really arbitrary (and eventually becomes nigh impossible as colonist numbers increase) so even then it's not all that useful.  I haven't really noticed any difference in trade prices, either.

Melee - [...] Additionally, it seems to be one of those skills where a high skill doesn't matter.

Food poisoning also causes a -50% debuff to consciousnesses, which in turn makes your pawns work much slower. :v Because of that, having a good cook is pretty crucial - otherwise you'll have your colonists work way slower, which may turn into a death scenario.

There is a difference in prices, but they are small. Still, they are big enough to make a difference. Think of it that way - getting 7% more silver for your sold stuff means that, indirectly, your trader just produced 7% extra goods. Sold 3000 rice? You just got ~196 extra (if you have 7% bonus, I assume). Buying? Same thing.
It might be hard to notice, but these things add up pretty quickly if you are trading a lot. If this bonus was much bigger, it would be wayyyyy overpowered.

Melee skill increases damage with melee weapons. :@ A level 19 melee with plasteel sword can output 16 damage per second (hits for 32 every 2 seconds - high chance to severe limbs, since it is focused damage. It is very frequent for raider to lose their arms and drop their weapons - unless they simply get killed by 2 hits in the torso. :V). For scale, Charge Rifle can output 14 DPS (assuming you hit everything). I feel like hitting in melee is pretty easy, too.
Melee cannot hit your own guys, no matter how many and how close your enemies are. Melee cannot be locked by enemy melee charge. YOU can lock enemies in melee.
I mean, it is not perfect, but honestly I think people underestimate melee.

Hmmm, not sure if we want to bother with another micromanagement of smoking spots (most probably outside). This would hit sea ice play hardest, since you can't quite offer to go outside.

Doesn't seem to add much to the fun scenarios, difficulty or theme.

Getting hit in the face with an inferno cannon round would solve Geek Hlynur's existential angst quickly enough.

Don't forget a trip to the other side of the planet. Or beneficial deconstruction.

So many problem solvers. :2

If carewolf lives in some northern country like Finland, Sweden or Denmark I wouldn't be surprised if he did have a super efficiently isolated house. Poland is known for cheap, shoddy craftsmanship, short-term thinking and saving pennies on material quality. Low prices are most common thing advertised on billboards. I know - I live here. By the way, Poland's best university is barely in the top 300 universities of the world, and it's getting money cut because of political reasons. So unless you made your degree somewhere abroad... yeah. Nordic and Scandinavian countries have people who value quality, good design and wisdom.

Lol, are you undermining what I said because I'm from Poland? D:
Also, you want to check those lists of top universities, namely those in US, who are promoting absurd Kickstarter projects and BLM and what not. Don't want to undermine their credibility (nor to open can of worms about them), but suggesting I can't be right because Polish Universities are so top 300 is pretty silly. :2 Look up the facts for yourself instead of guessing.

By the way, good insulation (the good quality North you are suggesting) does not mean it is any different from what we are using in Poland.
Execution, yes. Materials - no. The poor, cheap houses you are talking about are usually 40+ years old.

But, well, you REALLY want me to bring you these calculations, don't you?

[should not work]

There is a reference to Warhammer 40k scale in RimWorld. And when it comes to melee, I see it just how it is (was?) in tabletop Warhammer 40k - melee is to break ranged-heavy squads.
And to be honest, this is how I see melee in RimWorld. Using ranged is obviously a good choice over melee - because it is ranged. But to shoot you need to aim, and that needs some distance and space. Honestly, the fact of melees locking ranged in melee fight makes it fun and diverse. It isn't just about who has better guns - it takes strategy to not let your ranged guys be overrun by melees.
Using your melee guys to attack a shooting range of enemies is simply a bad play, and it won't work. Yes, melee guys will get hurt, but it is better for those melee guys with proper melee weapons to get hurt over guys with ranged weapon who will most probably get killed, because they have no weapon to fight back (other than iron hands of justice ).
Striving to take no damage seems logical, but honestly it should not work.

Having full-ranged army should almost always end up in failure. If game generates armies that can be shoot off before even reaching you - something is wrong (unless you have weapons are better than they are supposed to be at given point in game).
For the same reason kill-boxes are such a plague, to level of exploit. No sane raider would enter something like that - they would try to get around any way possible, and if nobody is coming out, they would first burn every single geothermal generator, piece of cable, plant and so on.

Being able to defeat raids with no damage on your part (be it building, injured pawns or cut off limbs) would suggest raiders are complete morons who don't know what they are doing. And if so, they would be long gone, because nothing that is that dumb survives in the Rim.

Ps. Got a little off-topic, but I hope it still serves to explain why I think melee should be a thing, and why skill itself should be considered as useful, even tho there are some exploits (like kill-boxes) that prevent it from being useful.

There is way too much of it from trades anyways. I would see no need to produce it. :2

If it was to be produced, the amount of it on trades would have to be vastly reduced. That would in turn increase the requirement for medicine production (production line of whatever you need for neutroamine), making it not very profitable (or impacful) thing to do, which would end up with everyone using herbs (because why bother when difference is so low).

Same problem when making medicine - I keep my medicine in hospital, but I don't make it there. I make it in my drug lab (or general working area), where I also create other things. Having to place these close together because the crafter refuses to use stockpile that then is transported by hauler is pretty annoying.

Pyros should be able to manually set things on fire via player command to reduce their urge to go on a spree, and should get a mood boost for using molotovs/flamethrowers. Using the weapons would also reduce their urge by a large amount.

That's how I'd fix it.

This. It isn't that pyro is bad because of it's drawback. It is bad because of lack of pros. Pyro should be able to set raiders bases on fire without any tools, should get mood bonuses when using fire weapons (and actively shooting them).
Adding a need of fire, which has a large buffer and drops very slowly could do the trick?

How are there working train stations on a deserted rim world? Would raiders simply pillage the tracks?   

TBH, if anything, it would have to be the player building the tracks and trains, but with a high chance of running into broken tracks, since raiders can damage them easily.

Given all those facts, making vehicles without tracks make far more sense. :@

[forever]

I am merely an acquaintance. Gotta rescue me first for that +15 relationship points.

So I assume someone would have to get you downed then, right? :@

Gotta admit I something do it with refugees who stand up on their own and refuse to join my colony. A gentle pat on the head using a club usually makes them my friends... forever. C-: