Your Cheapest Ideas

[Matthiasagreen]

Here's an easy-ish one:
Strip corpses before cremating. I can't mention the number of times I've lost valuable gear from failing to manually strip the corpses before they're automatically cremated. Maybe you can integrate it so there's an option to strip or not. As for some ideas on programming, you already have the strip target code set up, so all you really do is find a way to slap that together with cremating (which I think is under hauling, but I'm not sure though).

That is how it is in a10.

[Jorlem]

I don't know if these suggestions have already been made, as this is a rather long thread.  My apologies if they have.  (They probably have, as I just got the game, and these are only some ideas from just a few hours of play.)

First, the ability to designate a specific area (larger than a single tile) for cleaning, that would bump it up the priorities list.  For example, if one of my prison rooms is covered in blood and/or vomit, I'd like to be able to tell my colonists to prioritize cleaning that room.

Second, the ability to designate prisoner beds for specific prisoners.  If a prisoner gets seriously sick, and I have an open prisoner-designated medical bed in the same room, I'd like to be able to tell my colonists to move that prisoner to the medical bed. 

Third, the ability to see who has called dibs on a task in the info box in the lower left.  For example, if I mark a switch to be flipped, and one of my colonists claims the task, I'd like to be able to see that the task has been claimed, and by who.  Ideally, there could also be a button to undesignate that colonist from the task from there, as if a task like flipping a switch has been claimed by someone halfway across the colony, it blocks me from telling a guy standing next to the switch to do it now.

Thank you for the great game. I'm really enjoying it.

[Havan_IronOak]

I don't know if these suggestions have already been made...

Third, the ability to see who has called dibs on a task in the info box in the lower left.  For example, if I mark a switch to be flipped, and one of my colonists claims the task, I'd like to be able to see that the task has been claimed, and by who.  Ideally, there could also be a button to undesignate that colonist from the task from there, as if a task like flipping a switch has been claimed by someone halfway across the colony, it blocks me from telling a guy standing next to the switch to do it now.

Thank you for the great game. I'm really enjoying it.

This CAN be done in a way... Simply select a colonist and then right click on the thing needing work. If someone has already jumped on that task it will show-up in the right-click menu.

As to getting a pawn to stop one task so that another can do it. Select the pawn with dibs on the task and give him something else to do. That releases the task he has "dibs" on. I generally do a bit of spot cleaning but any task (or drafting/undrafting) will do.

[Jorlem]

This CAN be done in a way... Simply select a colonist and then right click on the thing needing work. If someone has already jumped on that task it will show-up in the right-click menu.

As to getting a pawn to stop one task so that another can do it. Select the pawn with dibs on the task and give him something else to do. That releases the task he has "dibs" on. I generally do a bit of spot cleaning but any task (or drafting/undrafting) will do.

Yeah.  That suggestion was more of a quality of life suggestion, to minimize clicks needed.  Currently, as you said, one needs to click the character who you want to do the task, right click the task object to see who has called dibs, then click on the overview and then that character's name, then two more clicks to reassign him, and finally two addition clicks to assign the person you want to the task. 

It also occurs to me that an even simpler way would be to have tasks that you manually assign simply override whoever has called dibs, automatically cancelling their assignment to the task.


Also, an incinerator option to only allow dessicated corpses (ideally broken down between human and animal) would be very nice.  I set up mine to get rid of some deer skeletons, and then I noticed that my colonists were cremating freshly killed muffalos as well, which was rather frustrating.

[puddlejumper448]

It also occurs to me that an even simpler way would be to have tasks that you manually assign simply override whoever has called dibs, automatically cancelling their assignment to the task.


Also, an incinerator option to only allow dessicated corpses (ideally broken down between human and animal) would be very nice.  I set up mine to get rid of some deer skeletons, and then I noticed that my colonists were cremating freshly killed muffalos as well, which was rather frustrating.

I like the overwiting dibs. For the incinerator, if you put the maximum health (normally at 100%) down to 99% on the bill, they wont cremate fresh animals

[Claive]

Have the pawns spawn children if there is the correct mix of genders and the correct age range.

[Regret]

Make corpses spawn Devilstrand spores just like grass does, they only catch on and grow if they land on another corpse though.
This gives us a reason to not bury or burn corpses causing some interesting choices/stories.
It would have to grow much faster than the current Devilstrand though.

[Tynan]

Have the pawns spawn children if there is the correct mix of genders and the correct age range.

This is like the exact opposite of a cheap idea! lol.

[akiceabear]

Walls can be built over with different wall types. Rather than manually deconstructing wood and then rebuilding stone, let me drag a stone wall over the old wood one, with pawns automatically doing the intermediate steps. This would be consistent with how doors are currently built on top of walls. Would make upgrading for material much easier!

[Vascar]

I have come up with a few new characteristics:

• Naturalist - like a nudist except for the "slept outside" thought
• Nyctophobia - doubles negative of the "in darkness" thought
• Night Vision - can't get the "in darkness" thought
• Claustrophilia - like a nudist except for the "cramped space" thought

I have others but these are the best of them. 

[Jorlem]

Walls can be built over with different wall types. Rather than manually deconstructing wood and then rebuilding stone, let me drag a stone wall over the old wood one, with pawns automatically doing the intermediate steps. This would be consistent with how doors are currently built on top of walls. Would make upgrading for material much easier!

Ideally, they'd do these one at a time, to avoid roof collapse.

On a related note, would it be possible to add the hit points and beauty of items to the at-a-glance infobox when building them, to quickly and easily compare different materials?

[31337]

I don't know if this would be quick enough to implement but my idea is for an end game type scenario.
(You need to add a new component to the ship, storage (maybe both cold and normal storage?))
Once complete and filled, the player launches the ship and is taken to start a new game (generate world or use existing, and pick a starting area).

They can then start again but with all the characters they had and any stuff they stored on their ship.
(possibly allow the ship to land instead of it being destroyed? Or explain that because of its basic construction it was unable to land and only the basic spine survives (which then ties in to resetting the research because AI was lost!) )

It might not be feasible as a quick win but it might be a good way to introduce continuity and re-playability at the same time.

[Play2Jens]

Here's my cheapest idea, it's an event:

1-4 characters from a neutral faction arrive. They get in and steal some food or other basic resources. Only from the moment they grab something a warning messages pops up.
- Now the player has the option to:
1. Attack them. They will run off or fight back (with poor weapons) and won't return
2. Try and arrest them. If one gets captured, they won't return
3. Let them go. They might return to try it again or one day in the future repay the debt

As I see it it's pretty easy to implement. If you attack them or arrest them it will be a 30% odd that they will change their stance from neutral to hostile. 70% that they start fleeing as if raiders do at the end of a raid.

If you let them go there should be a variable that remembers that the colony 'helped' them. there is a 20% chance that they're pitiful and will come back in approx. 6 months - 2 years with a big reward. 80% chance that they are scumbags and will come back next month to steal again

[akiceabear]

When a item on the group is selected, clicking 'i' or some other keyboard shortcut brings up its info pane.

Screen to view the basic stats of two items (last two info'd/selected) side by side.

[Timmytime]

Multiplayer would be a great idea