[Mod Request] Backgrounds

[Vagabond]

Can someone either

A) Make a mod that goes through and makes all vanilla backstories gender neutral and nameless, built off a "point buy" system to make them balanced, and update them to reflect the current feature list (ie: animals).

or

B) Point me in the direction to do this. If it's as simple as Mipen's Backstories mod, I can do it without a problem.

Cheers,
Michael

[Fluffy (l2032)]

I have some experience with altering defs at run-time, which is pretty much what you're looking at, but can you elaborate on what exactly you want to do with the backstories, and how you'd like it to work?

The 'point cost' thing makes me feel you want this mostly for EdB's Prepare Carefully?

[Vagabond]

Fluffy,

Basically, there are a lot of backgrounds that aren't referenced neutrally by {Name}, {HE}, {HIS}, {HECAP}, and {HISCAP}. This limits their availability in spawning, but also for the purposes of making colonists via EdB's Prepare Carefully.

Furthermore, there is a distinct lack of balance in the advantages and disadvantages of backgrounds, making some either overpowered or entirely useless. What I meant by a point buy systems was creating a method in which to ensure backgrounds are balanced.

As an example: A childhood background has 10 points, while an adult background has 20 points. "Work disabilities" provide extra points, the amount dependent on the disability.

Cheers,
Michael

[Fluffy (l2032)]

Why does there need to be balance? It's not like colonists are in competition with eachother and we need to remain neutral, some are just better than others?

[Vagabond]

Fluffy,

I mean, there doesn't need to be I suppose. It just seems like there is no rhyme or reason to the values attributed to a background. When a background about a researcher offers more shooting than a trained soldier....all the while they also have a high medicine and research skill...

That just seems off to me is all.

Cheers,
Michael

[10001110]

Vanilla backgrounds are just that, random backgrounds, some good, most trash. It adds to the challenge (or frustration) of starting up with 3 sack of potatoes, because that's what they will always be.
As for Edb, i can see the point of having some sort of point system to it, but also how cumbersome and time consuming it could be sifting through all of that, knowing what each of those do, and the balancing act. From that, i'd go a step further. Maybe a filter. When creating a pawn, we would define skills we want the pawn to be proficient with, instead of just picking backstories, and that would bring up the list of relevant backstories for us to choose from.
But i digress.