Earthquakes

[Bolty]

I've always thought that adding some kind of other natural disaster could make the game more fun and challenging and in this case, it could be earthquakes. This is what I have in mind:

World generation

When generating the map, each tile has a threat level of experiencing earthquakes: low, moderate or severe. The storyteller and difficulty chosen at the start could also enhance this, with higher difficulties resulting in more frequent and damaging earthquakes, and lower difficulties resulting in fewer and lighter etc.

In-game effects

• Earthquake would be an event triggered in-game by the storyteller, with three different flavours - minor, major or devastating. They would first be marked by a shaking of the screen.
• In-game effects would be as one would normally expect. Gradual damage to walls and structures, with more powerful earthquakes completely destroying wall tiles. If enough are destroyed, this could trigger roof collapses, injuring colonists.
• Also, tall free-standing objects (like wind turbines etc) can be knocked over/destroyed which could also injure colonists who are nearby.
• I'd also suggest a temporary mood penalty to colonists (especially colonists with more cowardly traits), as earthquakes tend to (expectedly) frighten a lot of people.

Research

Finally, one way to combat earthquakes would be to add a new research branch called "earthquake engineering". Researching this could result in earthquake-reinforced walls being unlocked, which are much stronger and more resistant etc. Of course for maps in low-risk zones, this would hardly be necessary.

Just some basic thoughts from me. 

[Yoshida Keiji]

I would always welcome natural disasters, but last time Tynan designed a Tornado, the majority of the community didn't like it. I loved it though.

I don't know where you live but I would invite you to Japan, I literally live with earthquakes, so you can get a feel and experience some. In reality...walls don't really crack. You just feel a shake and maybe some objects over furnitures may fall to the floor. There's two types of earthquakes horizontal and vertical. But home walls may not be the same as "bunker" or military base structures. But on a civilian home, walls don't need to be stronger as you think, but instead more flexible so that they absolve the shake instead of trying to resist it.

I don't remember which country now but I recall a TV documentary where living on the top floors of a building would be cheaper rents as they wouldn't have time to flee tall structures...but then here in this game we don't have z-level so...

I think sandwurms hole sprouts like Dunes would be more viable. We certainly need more challenges.

[Bolty]

I would always welcome natural disasters, but last time Tynan designed a Tornado, the majority of the community didn't like it. I loved it though.

I don't know where you live but I would invite you to Japan, I literally live with earthquakes, so you can get a feel and experience some. In reality...walls don't really crack. You just feel a shake and maybe some objects over furnitures may fall to the floor. There's two types of earthquakes horizontal and vertical. But home walls may not be the same as "bunker" or military base structures. But on a civilian home, walls don't need to be stronger as you think, but instead more flexible so that they absolve the shake instead of trying to resist it.

I don't remember which country now but I recall a TV documentary where living on the top floors of a building would be cheaper rents as they wouldn't have time to flee tall structures...but then here in this game we don't have z-level so...

I think sandwurms hole sprouts like Dunes would be more viable. We certainly need more challenges.

Haha, unfortunately I'm from the UK, so I haven't had much experience with earthquakes. Here a 4.0 tremour would sweep the national news and cause a Twitter storm.

Besides that, interesting facts you brought up there and good to know at least someone agrees with me.