Early Warning System

[Eldarin1]

New mid-game research: Early Warning System

Researched: sometime after the electronic research bench.
Unlocks: The EWS. a 2x2 security device. costs components/steel. once it is built it provides a chance to detect a raid and alert the player early. For example: Player receives the red letter raid alarm. With the EWS built the player can have a fixed chance (simple percentage), or a sliding chance (based on size, stealthiness, direction, weather, etc of the raid) of an early warning. The actual raid spawns 2-4 in-game hours AFTER the red letter alert. Could include approximate size and direction of the raid.

New Late-Game research: Skywatch
Researched sometime after advanced components. Requires the EWS prerequisite.
Unlocks: The Skywatch Net(tm). 3x2 security device. requires advanced components/plasteel, maybe uranium or gold also. Once built it functions exactly as the EWS, except it works for Transport pod raids.

I have always felt like the colony should have a chance to "see it coming", and have some small amount of time to put down their pitchforks and grab their simple helmets.

[Yoshida Keiji]

In other words, you are asking RimWorld to lose the surprise element. Great! This also means that if the enemies get it too, by the time we reach their world tile...they are already waiting at the map border where we would spawn...

[cultist]

Given how long it takes to get a single pawn combat ready in the end game (switch pants, switch helmet, switch armor, maybe even switch weapon...) I think this would be a decent idea, especially if there's a chance it fails.

I get that Tynan wants people to wear out plasteel helmets and marine armor by wearing them 24/7 so they only see actual use for 5% of their "lifetime", but given the fact that they start to penalize you at 50% that's simply not a reasonable strategy. And there's still no effective way to force pawns to switch all their gear quickly, it's intensely micro-managey, even for this game.