News

[Xav]

Sometimes I do wonder.......how would they know?

That is, how does the faction know what happens in your colony and knows that their entire trade caravan has been wiped out of existence?  The answer is, they don't, unless the word travels.

I can see how the current system can work during battles/raids/etc....witnesses return home to tell.  But, a prisoner confined to one room gets his left lung removed and instantly, his/her faction knows about it???  *HOW*

The 'word' has to travel and that takes time, if the 'word' gets out at all.

I think faction relations modifiers (whether + or -) should have a probability of becoming effective that changes over time.

Example A:  If only your colonists know about the event there would an 20% chance that the news reaches the other faction within 1 in-game day. 

Example B:  If there any visitors that come within talking distance of any of your colonists (except for perhaps the non-talkative ones) and the two AIs actually SPEAK to each other, the 20% becomes 80% that the faction will hear the news in 1 in-game day after the visitor leaves the map.

Example C:  If the event occurs while a visitor is in the home zone and the visitor leaves the map, 99% chance the faction will get the news in 1 in-game day.

For each example, after 1 in-game day, the percent chance would decay by 50%.  So, the 20% would become 10% on the 2nd day, and 5% on the 3rd.  There could be one random point in each day where this chance is applied and the faction has a chance to 'hear' the news.  This would continue while the percent chance decreases to and remains at 1%, for one full year at which point the news is given a 0% and has no chance to reaching the faction.

In effect, you could completely decimate a trade caravan and as long as there are no survivors you'd only need to worry about the 20% chance that the home faction would hear about it.  That is, until ANY visitor arrives.....if you don't want the word to get out that you exterminated a trade caravan, you'll have to plan the demise of any passer-byes and visitors, additional trade caravans, etc....or risk the 80% chance.

A lot of 'what-ifs', but just a quick idea that come to mind.

[Hans Lemurson]

More mysterious than that is the vitally important piece of news that "EVERYBODY WHO HAS EVER TRIED TO RAID THIS BASE HAS BEEN SLAUGHTERED" never seems to get passed on. 

Did the survivors seriously not tell their clans? 

Oh yeah, bob got lost on the way over.  Stubbed his toe.  But we definitely won.  The raid was super-easy and is totally a thing I would recommend doing again. For the glory of our tribe and certainly not because I am too ashamed to admit defeat.

But yes, it is weird how word gets around so fast.  I also approve of any system which can trap you into "One of those plans.  You know, the kind where we kill everybody that notices we're killing people."

[Xav]

More mysterious than that is the vitally important piece of news that "EVERYBODY WHO HAS EVER TRIED TO RAID THIS BASE HAS BEEN SLAUGHTERED" never seems to get passed on. 

Did the survivors seriously not tell their clans? 

Oh yeah, bob got lost on the way over.  Stubbed his toe.  But we definitely won.  The raid was super-easy and is totally a thing I would recommend doing again. For the glory of our tribe and certainly not because I am too ashamed to admit defeat.

But yes, it is weird how word gets around so fast.  I also approve of any system which can trap you into "One of those plans.  You know, the kind where we kill everybody that notices we're killing people."

Aye.  From a story telling perspective, it makes sense to me.  This could also open up a game mechanic that, for example, would allow a faction to send a (late-game style) heavily armed search party to 'visit' your colony if the previous trade caravan never returned home.  The party spends a little time in your home zone...chats with some your colonists....gets the scoop.  If this party leaves the map, the offended faction learns about the event with 100% chance and immediately becomes hostile and will attack from that point on.  There could also be a 50% chance that, after the party learns of the fate of their comrades, that they immediately attack your colony.

Other game mechanics could spring from events such as these.  Random events such as a faction will send fewer trade caravans due to pirate's raiding them, and/or YOU killing them and the faction, for some reason, never hears the news, or even a faction becoming suspicious of YOU regardless of your actions.  Perhaps, a friendly faction enjoys a bumper crop, and/or hears NEWS about you having a excess of food/etc..., and an event occurs, that lasts a year, that increases the chances of a trade caravan stopping by.

I think it would interesting if in the late game, the pirate leaders began working together to take your down.  They could form separate, but coordinated attack groups consisting of mortar, assault, and sappers and attack all at once from random points on the map.  This could happen after you have repeatedly defeated each of their pirate attacks individually and this NEWS reaches the pirate factions over the course of years.  Any one of the pirate leaders could message you, demanding a bribe or they will attack your colony with their combined strength.

Lots of possibilities.

[milon]

+1

I'd love for this to be a feature of RimWorld.  It really fits with the whole storytelling simulation theme that Tynan is aiming for (strictly IMO).