Your Cheapest Ideas

Started by Tynan, October 09, 2013, 12:17:07 AM

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GC13

Well, if we're adding in features just for me...

How about have both? You open up the screen when you haven't messed with the "all" check box, and you click the "all" check box: everything turns off in that category. You click it again, and it goes back where it was. Click it a third time, and it goes to all selected. And it just keeps bouncing between "what it used to be, plus whatever manual enablings/disablings you've made" and all/none.

It's not the most intuitive thing in the world, but I think people will get used to it quickly if it's ever pointed out to them by the game.

MarchingHome

Quote from: GC13 on October 17, 2013, 09:12:38 PM
Well, if we're adding in features just for me...

How about have both? You open up the screen when you haven't messed with the "all" check box, and you click the "all" check box: everything turns off in that category. You click it again, and it goes back where it was. Click it a third time, and it goes to all selected. And it just keeps bouncing between "what it used to be, plus whatever manual enablings/disablings you've made" and all/none.

It's not the most intuitive thing in the world, but I think people will get used to it quickly if it's ever pointed out to them by the game.

I really like that idea!

Another idea (nothing to do with GC13, sorry):
Sometimes, you want to finish building a turret, no matter the costs. When a colonist is wandering off to bed and you click "prioritize building this turret thingy" it builds like 5 of the 16 blocks and then wanders off to bed again. I've seen multiple LPs and every single on of them had commentary like: "nooooo, finish the turret! [click again, again, and again]"

You (Ty) yourself has drawn the simmilarity to The Sims. One thing that always bother me was when I gave them a job and they did it for 4 seconds and then said: "Noooo, I wanna sleep!", when I was like: "No, finish this! Because you're gonna be even less happy when you wake up and you didn't do this."

If a player knows what he/she wants to accomplish, the colonists AI shouldn't get (too much) in the way. If a player clicks something twice while a colonist doesn't want to  do that for more than a few seconds, the colonists should keep doing that. Otherwise, the player will just keep clicking on "prioritize [job]." Whatever the costs (death of the colonist...), the player needs to feel he/she's in control.

Anybody disagree?

SweetLogan

Interior Walls
  -They could be slightly cheaper, build faster, with less HP.
  -Increase happiness with a room, over the thick, cold metal walls. These interior walls have decorative paneling!
(Apologies if this is elsewhere, but most of what I see about walls/structures is for modifying combat, not decreasing resource use or upping happiness.)

Selling research, either so you have to do it again or just for quick cash, to a passing colony ship.
  (Buying was suggested. I don't think selling was. This also might already be planned with factions/trading research)

An event where a weapon breaks or is lost.

A training dummy to shoot/punch to upgrade your combat skills, outside of combat.

A flare gun that scares off animals or recalls colonists. (has a chance to catch something on fire)

Smaller/1x1 dumping areas, to allow more flexibility. (Plus, you can make an S.O.S. with rocks!)

A recreation/social room or lounge chair, where idle citizens go to increase happiness. (Could also be used as a focal point, if the game gets an alarm to call citizens back to base, during an attack.)

A backpack/cart that causes your colonist to go slower, but carry more.

Blitz

Quote from: SweetLogan on October 18, 2013, 08:05:13 AM

A recreation/social room or lounge chair, where idle citizens go to increase happiness. (Could also be used as a focal point, if the game gets an alarm to call citizens back to base, during an attack.)


Heh, draft a person, right click on the unhappy colonist, click 'arrest'. They unhappy guy gets to go to my fear inducing dark dirty cave of doom to sleep on the hard floor. This way he gets to learn what it is like to be unhappy. If he gets sent to prison multiple times, he needs to watch out for the slaving ship.

SweetLogan

Quote from: Blitzkriegsler on October 18, 2013, 12:24:22 PM
Quote from: SweetLogan on October 18, 2013, 08:05:13 AM
A recreation/social room or lounge chair [..snip..]

Heh, draft a person, right click on the unhappy colonist, click 'arrest'. They unhappy guy gets to go to my fear inducing dark dirty cave of doom to sleep on the hard floor. This way he gets to learn what it is like to be unhappy. If he gets sent to prison multiple times, he needs to watch out for the slaving ship.

But this way, your unhappy colonist is already in a central location, so your drafted colonist doesn't have to walk so far. Plus, a slave that smiles, is a slave that sells!

Honestly though, having more than one way to run things is awesome.  There could be a fear based stockade to adjust a colonist's world views. (but I think that'd be an idea for another thread..)

Reaver00

I don't know if this has been said already, but maybe a night planet? (I'm thinking like the movie Pitch Black).  Night and day almost work like seasons.  You start off with normal daytime when you land, but soon enough night comes for an extended period of time. You need to rely heavily on battery backup, perhaps to the point that you need to disconnect certain systems in order to save power. (perhaps night predators can come out).  You might also add a research into bio-luminescent alternative for lighting. 

This uses the already-present day/night cycle, but adds a layer of difficulty and unique problems to solve in the game.  The bio-luminescent option just requires a new research option to be put in and a game object that gives a smaller light source with perhaps a different color (green or red glow). 

The only thing I can see being a problem is crop growth, but it should be easy to rectify with a different type of crop added.  perhaps a fungus or slime mold? 

SteveAdamo

12 pages of responses.... my apologies if any of these have been suggested!

trip-wire traps (string or laser); triggers explosion of a similar radius to the existing explosive mines; enemies set them off, as opposed to player having to initiate

smoke grenades; disorientation in enemy units, reducing combat effectiveness

different colored lighting, to evoke different emotional responses in units?


Midgetman

Flamethrowers maybe?
Alcoholics
Windpower/windmills
World filters (more water, plants, map size, etc.)
children? schools? teachers?
Hidden underground chambers?
Ability to lose limbs/mechanical limbs?

Semmy

i just went through this topic real quick.

And i made a turf list of some things
i see these 4 passing by 1 way or another alot (hint hint tynan)
- flame throwers
- fire extinguishers
- flash lights
- dart/tranquilizergun

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke

Haplo

#144
I've noticed that the dead people have a health of 100/100 and you only see that they are dead because of the added (dead) to the name.
Could you please also set the health of the dead to 0/xxx?
I find it irritating that the colonists have sometimes less health than their dead attackers..  ???

miah999

Quote from: Haplo on October 20, 2013, 01:02:01 PM
I've noticed that the dead people have a health of 100/100 and you only see that they are dead because of the added (dead) to the name.
Could you please also set the health of the dead to 0/xxx?
I find it irritating that the colonists have sometimes less health than their dead attackers..  ???

It's not actual health, it's just how much damage it will take to destroy the body.

CustodianV131

Toggle button to show a grid so you can plan buildings easier.
Gamers are young at heart and creative thinkers. Shall we play a game?

staffy50

Enemies with low health/high fear surrendering?

They could throw down weapons or something rather than just fighting to death. Then you could choose to cease fire, or just kill them anyway.

Also, how about being able to make some people security/soldier. Who patrol the area (as a job) on lookout for mad animals or enemy's attacking.

SteveAdamo

Quote from: staffy50 on October 20, 2013, 02:32:22 PM
Enemies with low health/high fear surrendering?
right, so instead of fleeing, they may throw down their arms... although, turrets and units would have to know to stop firing, if indeed the enemy was surrendering...

Quote from: staffy50 on October 20, 2013, 02:32:22 PM
Also, how about being able to make some people security/soldier. Who patrol the area (as a job) on lookout for mad animals or enemy's attacking.
i like the general idea, but given the map size, and the alerts already built in, im not sure how useful this would be... perhaps on much larger maps?

staffy50

#149
Quote from: SteveAdamo on October 20, 2013, 02:44:12 PM
Quote from: staffy50 on October 20, 2013, 02:32:22 PM
Enemies with low health/high fear surrendering?
right, so instead of fleeing, they may throw down their arms... although, turrets and units would have to know to stop firing, if indeed the enemy was surrendering...


Just make them the same 'class' as incapacitated, so the turrets stop.

Quote from: SteveAdamo
Quote from: staffy50 on October 20, 2013, 02:32:22 PM
Also, how about being able to make some people security/soldier. Who patrol the area (as a job) on lookout for mad animals or enemy's attacking.
i like the general idea, but given the map size, and the alerts already built in, im not sure how useful this would be... perhaps on much larger maps?

If you get the assassin class, they cannot do anything but fight and firefight. But without any patrol setting they just stand about :/


Another idea but i doubt it will be cheap....

A weapons bench where you can modify weapons. Add a scope for more range etc.