Your Cheapest Ideas

[Hayhorse]

This seems like a big thread, suffice to say i didn't read all 100 pages so not sure if it's been suggested before.

You can already do that, look at the glitter tech mods code to figure it out. I think you need to ask before you can dissect the mod though.

[RookE5]

After the player releases a prisoner or the prisoner flees, either way, if he successfully escapes the map, he might tell his buddies a tale about the awesome/terrifying treatment while he was imprisoned.

Following message might appear after some days have passed: "John, Sailor made it successfully back to his base. He tells his comrades everything about your awful/awesome hospitality. (your relation with the big Whales has decreased to {some lower/higher value})"

This would be a welcome alternative way for the player to naturally alter relations to enemies, in times of monetary tightness and endless raids.

[Wolfen Waffle]

Turning manning the mortars during a siege into a job that colonist can do when not too busy

They could quit the job automatically to eat and sleep when necessary

[shade88]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned before, but a simple idea I've really wanted: Prison Doors.

All they'd need to do is allow prisoners to interact with them, and make the rooms on both sides of them into prisoner rooms. They couldn't be placed unless both sides of them are rooms, which would avoid any complications related to prisoner AI when dealing with the outdoors, but a roofless room could be used to relieve prisoners of their "cabin fever".

The reason I want this:
   -No more prisoners insane from cabin fever!
   -Prisons could actually be set up like small houses: dining rooms, walk-in storage, etc.
   -Prisoners could have social chats with each other and their own rooms!

It's a small thing, but this one item would make the game much better!

[Apophis]

Smarter sieges; Snipers should patrol the edges of the group to prevent a lone colonist sniper to be able to take the entire siege out.

[Toshiro]

Just registered here to say a few things I think could really make the game more enjoyable! I really think it's quite good, the reason I even do this is because I obviously have some faith in the game.

But, I've noticed I tend to lose interest with my colony after a while. One of the key requisites for me in these types of game is the ability to create a safe, balanced place where my people could live in peace and happiness. But in order to create that story I need more things that stimulates my fantasy than there is currently. I think the traits is a great idea btw, and a lot of storytelling can be created through roleplaying a bit with them.

But a simple thing would also be to create a sense of belonging. Atm, when someone's house/room is very small and crowded they dislike it while there but then it goes away. The same thing happens when it's big and beautiful. But in reality, if you have a small terrible home that is going to affect you the whole day and vice versa, so i think there should be something like "My house is lovely +15" or "I have a shitty house -15" etc. that does not go away. That would increase the point of making nice homes for people.

Furthermore, on the same thought although a bit harder to implement, would be to have general feelings about the colony as a whole. If there is a lot of turrets around "I feel safe +10" or "I feel unsafe -10" if it is beautiful "My colony is beautiful +10" etc etc etc. I think you get the general idea here. I realise this might be fairly complex things to properly integrate into the game, but a simplified version (if someone exploits it fine, you play games like these for your own pleasure) I don't think would be to difficult to create, I don't know.

I would also love to see an elaboration of interactions between colony members. Love and jealousy, fear, respect, hatred, so forth. An empath with a deep social skill/need, how would they interact with a sociopath? Of course, the layers can be made extremely thick, but I would like to see some recognizable bonus if you for example have a colony where everyone is friendly or vice versa, personality homogeneity might give a bonus or a negative or perhaps both (less people want to carry stones and shit) bonus (but they are happy).

Maybe this is all in your plan! For me to make me wanna play the game over and over again there would need to be rewards for making life for my people good, and I don't want to have the space ship actually. I want to create a balanced society that life in peace and prosperity. Of course I understand that you don't even come close to their budget, but one of the things that europa universalis 4 does so right is to have a very harsh, potentially lethal world, but if you play the game carefully and deliberately, you can become so powerful that nothing can touch you. And once you do that, you feel like you fucking earned it and you revel in the glory. Glory man, I don't want to flee my colony, I want to revel in it's glory!

Edit: also, I just remebered, it would be great to be able to have a feast of sorts. If you're really in balance and stuff, have a party where you invite other clans! You have to have food and perhaps you could implement alcohol as well!! If the food is plenty, the alcohol to, and you have a blasting time, it would be bonus like "Great fucking party man!!! +20" that would drop by a point each day +19 +18 etc. And also, and here comes the good part, you could invite a fellow tribe over, perhaps as a way to broke for peace... and then murder them all in their sleep!!!!!!!!! Red wedding-way! Stuff like that man, with the very potent combat system in place, would make this a great game with infinite re playability.

[shade88]

Just registered here to say a few things I think could really make the game more enjoyable! I really think it's quite good, the reason I even do this is because I obviously have some faith in the game.

But, I've noticed I tend to lose interest with my colony after a while. One of the key requisites for me in these types of game is the ability to create a safe, balanced place where my people could live in peace and happiness. But in order to create that story I need more things that stimulates my fantasy than there is currently. I think the traits is a great idea btw, and a lot of storytelling can be created through roleplaying a bit with them.

But a simple thing would also be to create a sense of belonging. Atm, when someone's house/room is very small and crowded they dislike it while there but then it goes away. The same thing happens when it's big and beautiful. But in reality, if you have a small terrible home that is going to affect you the whole day and vice versa, so i think there should be something like "My house is lovely +15" or "I have a shitty house -15" etc. that does not go away. That would increase the point of making nice homes for people.

Furthermore, on the same thought although a bit harder to implement, would be to have general feelings about the colony as a whole. If there is a lot of turrets around "I feel safe +10" or "I feel unsafe -10" if it is beautiful "My colony is beautiful +10" etc etc etc. I think you get the general idea here. I realise this might be fairly complex things to properly integrate into the game, but a simplified version (if someone exploits it fine, you play games like these for your own pleasure) I don't think would be to difficult to create, I don't know.

I would also love to see an elaboration of interactions between colony members. Love and jealousy, fear, respect, hatred, so forth. An empath with a deep social skill/need, how would they interact with a sociopath? Of course, the layers can be made extremely thick, but I would like to see some recognizable bonus if you for example have a colony where everyone is friendly or vice versa, personality homogeneity might give a bonus or a negative or perhaps both (less people want to carry stones and shit) bonus (but they are happy).

Maybe this is all in your plan! For me to make me wanna play the game over and over again there would need to be rewards for making life for my people good, and I don't want to have the space ship actually. I want to create a balanced society that life in peace and prosperity. Of course I understand that you don't even come close to their budget, but one of the things that europa universalis 4 does so right is to have a very harsh, potentially lethal world, but if you play the game carefully and deliberately, you can become so powerful that nothing can touch you. And once you do that, you feel like you fucking earned it and you revel in the glory. Glory man, I don't want to flee my colony, I want to revel in it's glory!

Edit: also, I just remebered, it would be great to be able to have a feast of sorts. If you're really in balance and stuff, have a party where you invite other clans! You have to have food and perhaps you could implement alcohol as well!! If the food is plenty, the alcohol to, and you have a blasting time, it would be bonus like "Great fucking party man!!! +20" that would drop by a point each day +19 +18 etc. And also, and here comes the good part, you could invite a fellow tribe over, perhaps as a way to broke for peace... and then murder them all in their sleep!!!!!!!!! Red wedding-way! Stuff like that man, with the very potent combat system in place, would make this a great game with infinite re playability.

Alcohol's already in the development change log for alpha 9.

[akiceabear]

My cheapest idea: implement EdB Interface and EdB Scenarios as part of the core game. These two mods so drastically improve the game without actually changing the balance of the core mechanics. I would really enjoy if Scenarios development became a sub-segment of the modding community...

Just registered here to say a few things I think could really make the game more enjoyable! I really think it's quite good, the reason I even do this is because I obviously have some faith in the game. (SNIP)

I agree with all of your points in principle, although I think their decent implementation will be more than just a cheap fix. There are a few good threads on how to improve the mid to late game, and plenty of mods to try and enrich the research/development pacing (which I hope Tynan is following - some good ideas within).

[Mekintos]

What if the rainy weather had the ability to clean the terrain. For example, you survived a bloodshed and then you have to clean the floor, but what if the rain could do it for you then? Is it water and for what is water used to? to clean! Exactly!

[monkeystyxx]

Simple one that might've been mentioned in here before (I mentioned it in another thread earlier and realised 'hey, that actually sounds really cheap!' so thought I'd put it here too).

When a colonist hauls a corpse, have them strip it first (as part of the same task). That way, you don't end up burying/cremating precious armour and bionics because you forgot to strip that one corpse manually.

[Tankh]

Simple one that might've been mentioned in here before (I mentioned it in another thread earlier and realised 'hey, that actually sounds really cheap!' so thought I'd put it here too).

When a colonist hauls a corpse, have them strip it first (as part of the same task). That way, you don't end up burying/cremating precious armour and bionics because you forgot to strip that one corpse manually.

Yes please. That would be very useful after sieges of 30+ units.

[shade88]

How about this: a new zone designation - the "leisure" zone. All it would do is designate where colonists go when they're idle, but it would help with all sorts of problems with idle colonists going where they shouldn't.

[wildeaboutoscar]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned before, but a simple idea I've really wanted: Prison Doors.

All they'd need to do is allow prisoners to interact with them, and make the rooms on both sides of them into prisoner rooms. They couldn't be placed unless both sides of them are rooms, which would avoid any complications related to prisoner AI when dealing with the outdoors, but a roofless room could be used to relieve prisoners of their "cabin fever".

The reason I want this:
   -No more prisoners insane from cabin fever!
   -Prisons could actually be set up like small houses: dining rooms, walk-in storage, etc.
   -Prisoners could have social chats with each other and their own rooms!

It's a small thing, but this one item would make the game much better!

I like this.

[Toshiro]

An actual cheap idea, would be to be able to help a knocked out person from a friendly faction. As it is now, I have to choose between capturing them or letting them die and take the hit from it.

[shade88]

An actual cheap idea, would be to be able to help a knocked out person from a friendly faction. As it is now, I have to choose between capturing them or letting them die and take the hit from it.

January 9 Change Log Note: "You can now rescue incapacitated neutral people and heal them. Their faction will be appreciative."