Are Raids even necessary to keep game challenging late game?

[picollo]

For long time Raids were main challenges in-game. Raids and very similar kind of accident- Manhunter Pack.

But I believe that it is time when this could and should be changed. Instead of infinitely increasing strenght of raids this game should receive event update. Raids are fun if they come from time to time. But not if they happen constantly.

Maybe it is good time to start thinking about few events, or some event chains that could change game from tower defense, to real colony sim.

I would say that Tynan should start from changing how wealth of colony is measured.
Expand it. Currently we have wealth measuring all stuff colony owns.
What if game measured diffrent parameters? Let's imagine measuring:
-medical supplies
-food supplies
-weapon power
-health of pawns
-mental condition
(potentially something else)
Now game would throw three types of events minor, major and scenario events.

Minor events:
Happen quite often, can be from any type of events. Event is rather irritating than really important. (Mad animal, eclipse, etc.)

Major Events:
Happening less frequently than minor events. Those would use  parameters introduced previously. Your colony is well secured and have tons of medicine? It would be pitty if event dameaged your food supplies. You have open-spaced farming colony with almost no defense? Maybe pirates would enjoy visiting you?

Scenario events- this one would be "hidden event" i.e. player would not get information that scenario started. This would be chain of events leading us to some important situation. I.e.
The Food Problem.  This scenario would start from toxic fallout, then throw some following events that could potentially further damage your food supply. For example Blight to destroy your farms, short circut to stop your hydrophonics, or somehow destroy your already harvested food, or meals. When event starts it would decide that scenario should remain for like 10 days, and it would contain 5 events during this time, where every of them would supplement each other. From Game design perpective you would just define scenario events like this:
-opening event
-list of events fitting for this scenarion
-parameters like duration of scenario, frequency of in-scenario-events

If we had set of scenarios, and increased number of diffrent events I believe we could easily skip idea of constant raids, and instead focus on fighting from other things.

[keylocke]

i also think the : longer game = larger raids.. is a dead end.

-the factions system really ought to be more developed so that factions can get annihilated and new factions may arise.
-maybe these factions are migrants from your colony starting their own faction via launching the spaceship. (or whatever)
-apply faction distance from your base (nearby factions visit more often, factions from afar take longer to arrive)
-some trade can be biome specific. ie : you can trade for desert flora/fauna from a faction living in a desert biome (maybe buy exotic seeds or animals)
-largely increase the number of factions so that you don't feel like the center of the universe.
-getting caught in the crossfire between two factions will increase combat traffic from both sides. (you can remain neutral or join an ally)
-etc..

----

for me, this should've been the next step, plus kids + water/hygiene. (i would've liked seeing these developed first before drugs system.. but whatever)

otherwise the world map just feels like it doesn't live up to it's full potential.

[eadras]

i also think the : longer game = larger raids.. is a dead end.

-the factions system really ought to be more developed so that factions can get annihilated and new factions may arise.
-maybe these factions are migrants from your colony starting their own faction via launching the spaceship. (or whatever)
-apply faction distance from your base (nearby factions visit more often, factions from afar take longer to arrive)
-some trade can be biome specific. ie : you can trade for desert flora/fauna from a faction living in a desert biome (maybe buy exotic seeds or animals)
-largely increase the number of factions so that you don't feel like the center of the universe.
-getting caught in the crossfire between two factions will increase combat traffic from both sides. (you can remain neutral or join an ally)
-etc..

----

for me, this should've been the next step, plus kids + water/hygiene. (i would've liked seeing these developed first before drugs system.. but whatever)

otherwise the world map just feels like it doesn't live up to it's full potential.

This is absolutely the direction I'd like to see taken.  There is so much potential in the faction interactions, and it could really bring the Rimworlds to life in a way no other development path could.
As to the OP's suggestion, I've already observed Phoebe using dynamic event combos to target my established colony's food supply.  Cassandra will also do this to a lesser extent, although unlike Phoebe, she never seems to give up on scaling up the raids and throwing them at you.