Hi all,
I had this idea and then found this unfinished mod Macrocosm, here: https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=35187.0
The idea I had was a way to nation build, while maintaining good performance, so that you can have multiple colonies, and not tank your tick rate or bloat memory.
It would work like this:
1. Build first colony (normal gameplay)
2. Assign/elect a mayor to run your colony for you
3. Form a caravan with your favorite pawns and seed supplies for a second colony.
4. Once you start the second colony (or at some other trigger) the other colony map functions and simulations are stopped, values are pulled to form a colony summary (production/consumption rates maybe recorded over a few days of play, or just calculated from tiles present, workbench queues, and man-hours available). This would just be a simple list of stats for the colony, so that it wouldn't have to fully play out the simulation of the pawns. These would be on a per time basis. Like cloth produced per day or per week from fields.
5. Grow, manage, develop 2nd colony, etc. So there is now 1 map loaded and being simulated, which you are playing/managing, and and a closed colony with a colony summary of production/population output.
6. You will be able to interact with this list of values/variables (i.e. the first colony), without actually loading up and re-initializing the maps and pawns within the first colony or having to manage events or pawns in the first colony map. Things like, be able to call a supply caravan, or maybe a trade caravan with a big discount for being in the same nation. Be able to request troops, or saved pawns to join you in your 2nd colony. Be able to send pawns/troops to the first colony. All without opening the 1st colonies map just treat it like a npc faction base.
7. Ability to load up a previous colonies map on demand, and re-save and close its functioning once leaving, so it's possible to have only 1 or 2 maps running simultaneously max. This might include loading times when opening/closing a colony map, but that is the price to pay for reduced runtime overhead while building your nation.
8. Raids, events, deaths, recruits for saved colonies are not run or simulated in real time, but are summarized on re-loading the colony map, based on time elapsed. So say you come back a week later, load the map, it will just list (Colonist contracted infection, died. Colonist killed in raid. Animal died. Animal birthed. New recruit from prisoner from raid.) etc. And it would just randomize and summarize events based on time elapsed. This event summary generation would run when you accessed or re-loaded the map, without actually spawning raids, etc. Just like random journal entries, that alter the saved state of the colony.
9. Use the scouting mechanism from Macrocosm (link above) to intercept invading armies from other factions with caravans from your colonies. If enemy makes it to your closed colonies, the fight is calculated based on # of turrets/traps/other defenses, colonist skill and equipment, etc. Might suffer losses if overwhelmed, un-defended. Might just outright lose colony and have to recapture. Be able to capture enemy faction bases, and assign a mayor/governor.
What do you guys think about this idea? It would allow more world map gameplay, and allow other interesting things to happen. Maybe even a new win condition like territory domination, etc, capture the planet or diplomatic victory end scenarios, etc.
Veteran modders, do you think this is possible? Would this method help reduce performance hit for multiple colonies, etc. You would only ever be playing 1 colony at a time, with maybe having 2 colonies open at once while defending vs. invasions, changing up pawns, making edits to a colony to improve its outputs, etc.
I had this idea and then found this unfinished mod Macrocosm, here: https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=35187.0
The idea I had was a way to nation build, while maintaining good performance, so that you can have multiple colonies, and not tank your tick rate or bloat memory.
It would work like this:
1. Build first colony (normal gameplay)
2. Assign/elect a mayor to run your colony for you
3. Form a caravan with your favorite pawns and seed supplies for a second colony.
4. Once you start the second colony (or at some other trigger) the other colony map functions and simulations are stopped, values are pulled to form a colony summary (production/consumption rates maybe recorded over a few days of play, or just calculated from tiles present, workbench queues, and man-hours available). This would just be a simple list of stats for the colony, so that it wouldn't have to fully play out the simulation of the pawns. These would be on a per time basis. Like cloth produced per day or per week from fields.
5. Grow, manage, develop 2nd colony, etc. So there is now 1 map loaded and being simulated, which you are playing/managing, and and a closed colony with a colony summary of production/population output.
6. You will be able to interact with this list of values/variables (i.e. the first colony), without actually loading up and re-initializing the maps and pawns within the first colony or having to manage events or pawns in the first colony map. Things like, be able to call a supply caravan, or maybe a trade caravan with a big discount for being in the same nation. Be able to request troops, or saved pawns to join you in your 2nd colony. Be able to send pawns/troops to the first colony. All without opening the 1st colonies map just treat it like a npc faction base.
7. Ability to load up a previous colonies map on demand, and re-save and close its functioning once leaving, so it's possible to have only 1 or 2 maps running simultaneously max. This might include loading times when opening/closing a colony map, but that is the price to pay for reduced runtime overhead while building your nation.
8. Raids, events, deaths, recruits for saved colonies are not run or simulated in real time, but are summarized on re-loading the colony map, based on time elapsed. So say you come back a week later, load the map, it will just list (Colonist contracted infection, died. Colonist killed in raid. Animal died. Animal birthed. New recruit from prisoner from raid.) etc. And it would just randomize and summarize events based on time elapsed. This event summary generation would run when you accessed or re-loaded the map, without actually spawning raids, etc. Just like random journal entries, that alter the saved state of the colony.
9. Use the scouting mechanism from Macrocosm (link above) to intercept invading armies from other factions with caravans from your colonies. If enemy makes it to your closed colonies, the fight is calculated based on # of turrets/traps/other defenses, colonist skill and equipment, etc. Might suffer losses if overwhelmed, un-defended. Might just outright lose colony and have to recapture. Be able to capture enemy faction bases, and assign a mayor/governor.
What do you guys think about this idea? It would allow more world map gameplay, and allow other interesting things to happen. Maybe even a new win condition like territory domination, etc, capture the planet or diplomatic victory end scenarios, etc.
Veteran modders, do you think this is possible? Would this method help reduce performance hit for multiple colonies, etc. You would only ever be playing 1 colony at a time, with maybe having 2 colonies open at once while defending vs. invasions, changing up pawns, making edits to a colony to improve its outputs, etc.