Security system

[Unexpected]

Friendly warning; Wall of text!

Hello all! 


First of all I'd like to say that I just bought this game and I really like it! It's a lot of fun and I can see myself spending many hours on it. These suggestions are some ideas I've had over the hours I've spent on this game and you are all welcome to wholehartedly disagree with me
Secondly I'd like to say that I know that some of the things I'm about to suggest have been suggested before. I haven't seen them put into a system like the one I have in mind though so I hope you won't shoot me for repeating them. If, however, all of this has been suggested before you are free to take your shots.


I'm thinking about a system for security, protection and observation.

When you first land on the new planet you have no technology or gadgets to help you. You shouldn't be able to detect cargo drops or raiders arriving on the other side of the map. If it doesn't come in near, or over, your colonists, how do you know they are there? I suggest two new buildings to allow you to detect things entering your region of the world:

New building: Security station.
New building: Sensor antenna.
- The security station is a building a lot like the comms console (only shinier and with more screens ) and forms the core of your colony's defences. It needs power to operate and it needs to be on the same power grid as the buildings/items it's supposed to control.
- The sensor antenna is used to detect drops in your region. It needs power and needs to be on the same grid as the security station. It should also be placed in a suitable clearing to provide good cover of its surroundings. It's a passive system needing no operator in order to provide data. It gives you the same message you get today when it detects something.

Before you get this up and running, raiders and drops land without a popup. Stay alert!
This should help increase the feeling of being all alone and vulnerable.


Now that you are able to detect raiders it's time to prepare your defences:
- The security station unlocks turret research. Turrets need to be on the same grid as the security station in order to function. The station can only maintain a certain amount of turrets without degrading performance. When you have more than X turrets connected to the same security station all turrets suffer from decreased accuracy, range and rate of fire, depending on how many turrets you have over the limit. In a pinch you can turn off some turrets in order to restore function to the rest.
- Having a colonist using the security station gives you increased range, RoF and range based on that colonist's gunnery skill. Manning the station will also give you manual targeting control for the turrets. Great for boom rats and other critters.

New building: Turret control addon.
- The addon must be researched and adds X extra turrets to your security station's turret limit. Must be placed in the same room as the security station, be powered and on the same grid.

New zone: Defence zone.
- This has been suggested before. Designate defence zone(s) along your perimeter so your colonists know where their battle station(s) is/are. If you rely on turrets for defence, you can designate a 1x1 defence zone in front of your security station to make a colonist go there and give your turrets a boost.

New role for colonists: Militia.
- Accessed through the overview and either "on" or "off". If a colonist is tagged as militia that colonist will respond to the general alarm.

Alert system. This has also been suggested before. Three alert types; General alarm, Full alarm and Normal.
- General alarm makes all your militia-colonists muster at the defence zone(s). If you have more than one defence zone you get an option to select which zone(s) the alarm will be valid for. If more than one zone is active your colonist will evenly distribute themselves to ensure that all zones are manned.
All non-militia will return to, and stay within, the home zone during the general alarm.
- Full alarm: Everybody runs to the defence zone(s) to help out.
- Normal: Everybody goes about their business.

New building: Klaxxon.
- Alarm tower to alert the colonists when you issue an alarm. Needs to be powered and on the same grid as the security station. Only colonists within earshot of the alarm will respond.

New building: Perimiter watch tower.
- Place these outside your colony to get advanced warning about incoming hostiles. Needs to be powered and on the same grid as the security station.
- They are equipped with cameras and sensors to detect when wanderers, raiders and hostile animals get within their range. You can select if you want them to give you a popup or sound a proximity alarm (general alarm). Each tower can be tied to defence zone(s) so that only the designated zone(s) become active when a certain tower sounds an alarm.
- If fog of war is implemented, these towers will provide line of sight.


This is all something I'd like to see in the game, but that does not mean that you agree. What do you think?

[TronPrime1]

+1 On everything you said. LOVE IT! Tynan, you need to put this in Alpha 3.

[Hexxagon]

Really great, I wanted these things, since I started playing RimWorld
Would appreciate it, if it would be in Alpha 2 though

[Nasikabatrachus]

A lot of this meshes with my thinking lately. Overall, I think the greatest fun-bang for the least development-buck would be adding stealthy attacks by small groups of raiders who don't enter the map via pods and aren't visible until they're seen by a colonist or a turret. That would give the turrets extra functionality beyond being dinky toy soldiers and it would make solar flares into periods of paranoia and heightened alertness.

[keylocke]

i agree with this thread. awesome.

although i would just like to suggest another alarm type (maybe not an alarm at all) :
-basically i want something that is designed for guard duty.
-anyone tagged for guard duty will head to the defense zones (*more on this later). just like stated in the general alarm. however, this guard alarm type allows the troops that needs a break to do their stuff and then return back to the defense zones when they're done with their business.

-as for defense zones : just like dump zones and stock piles, defense zones could also have priorities (ie: you can set a defense zone to prioritize troops with long range, mid range, short range, thrown, or melee weapons. some zones could also have higher priorities than others so that troops will prioritize defending them over others). this way, the arrangement of your troops will always remain optimal without having to micromanage each troop.

[GriffenDorf]

great ideas, +1

[Japzzi]

Awesome ideas! But it would be cool with more threats aswell! But I still believe you should be able to make turrets from day one since I find it hard defending without (You can call me a noob) xP

[Vas]

This is actually a bit better than my idea which I replied on another topic.  xP
http://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=2182.msg20142#msg20142

So yea, to include some of my ideas from that post, an option for your people to be set to what they will do during an alert, either combat medic or rescue, front line defense, secondary defense, hide in a hole somewhere.

[colonistPally]

I'll only support anything in this thread if someone will please let me turn my turrets onto aggressive animals.

Colony 10 keeps getting set upon by aggressive boomrats. I don't mind all the passive ones that are just grazing but it's getting out of hand with the pissed off ones. >:[

[AcDie]

just bump this ideas