(Poll) What could make factions more interesting in your opinion?

[Ramsis]

So my last poll garnered some serious attention so I figured the community enjoys getting a stronger voice from time to time in regards to content; which honestly is one of the best parts about indie gaming is the fact that some devs actually care! Thanks Ty, you actually give a crap about us and we love you for it ;.;

So, the factions system is amazing and funny all at the same time, but a bit barebones! It lacks some of the more interesting concepts that I have no doubt will be fleshed out in the near future if anything. I wanted to see what the community would like to see added though and threw in some options, feel free to post your thoughts though and I'll throw it to the vote if it seems likeable enough!

1: Actually being on the map. Not all computers can handle 50-100 random colonists on the map and that's okay; but it would be a lot more interesting if the other factions could set up camps and locations on the map that give you better access to their people. Maybe send a social colonist to go chat with the camp's leader for a bit and increase how much the faction likes you.

2: Designated Buildings. Personally I think it would make RimWorld more interesting to have the ability to designate rooms but meh. For the sake of colonists visiting though I get tired of watching a random batch of allies standing outside of my base with their heads up their butts unless a random squirrel goes crazy and tries to attack. Let us build them a bunkhouse/camp for them to stay in. This gives the ability to opt in for visitors to stay longer or even give you time to impress/work with them. Also could lead to some pretty amazing combat options overtime.

3: Marketplace. I know the comms system is fun and all but it leaves a lot to be desired at the moment. Sure it's great for contacting people easily but outside of calling for help and bribing it gets kinda dumb really quickly. I propose that around day 20/day 30 all friendly/passive factions send a worker or two to a designated spot within about 100-200 blocks away from the players main cluster of beds/buildings and build a small-medium base with a shop network in the middle of it. This could serve as the global market that factions can use to sell and buy items. This is good for multiple reasons. 1: This opens up the ability to maybe make peace with pirates over time through selling/bartering with them instead of the "go fuck yourself" attitude they have. 2: It makes a hell of a lot more sense then stuff magically being removed from your stock of stuff. 3: It opens the door for individual faction types to offer different items that others might not such as pirates with weapons/slaves and tribes with cheaper mats. Oh, also the Marketplace can be invested into by the player to make it larger and nicer or even offer benefits such as places to rest that are open to the colonists or defenses to protect it from raiding parties. Might even open up the ability to hire mercenaries that get paid daily for their services/workers that help around the base for the right price.

4: Favor System. Removing the "I'll give you a crap ton of Silver so you don't hate me" and replacing it with a system that revolves around helping one another. Sure leave the silver bribe system but offer us better options. Sending a high ranking med colonist when a neutral colony is ill opens up an interesting scenario akin to what games like FTL offer. Maybe your colonist gets the illness, maybe they cure it, who knows but it might help your relationship! Just a thought.

5: Piracy Diplomacy. I'm not expecting miracles here but it gets kind of old not being able to talk to the pirates at all. I understand they are jerks and all but they should be able to slowly be swayed. Also if you befriend the pirates it might piss off their enemies that are already your allies. Potentials of an interesting tradeoff seems high.

As always, please post your ideas and thoughts on why you voted for what.

[Tynan]

I actually really like the marketplace idea. I've been thinking it would be cool to be able to set up a little inn or shop of some kind, where you can place items for sale.

But I do have a lot on my plate (http://puu.sh/85PbM.png)...

[Ramsis]

I actually really like the marketplace idea. I've been thinking it would be cool to be able to set up a little inn or shop of some kind, where you can place items for sale.

But I do have a lot on my plate (http://puu.sh/85PbM.png)...

We know you're busy as hell Ty and if I could stop attempting to prod the community for five minutes in regards to learning what they want I would so try to help :<

Honestly the Marketplace just makes a lot more sense and removes the need for the comm center setup completely; I mean you already dislike the random ships that are selling stuff out of nowhere. Just, honestly groveling for this, let the player spend money/resources so the thing can upgrade to be bigger and better! Heck, you could even hold a contest for the design and that will just spur up some community love for the different tiers and upgrades that the market/town/city could receive.

Honestly you changed the game when you stopped having the sky poop out pirates and now had them waddling towards your base. Made me think "well if there are civilized people where the hell do they get any trading done?"

[Freya 'Tail' Fairwing]

It'd be pretty nice if you could do something like, release a pirate prisoner back to their faction in exchange for a some favour and a few days of peace from that faction, eventually resulting in them leaving you alone (although at the cost of relations with other factions, as you sympathize with pirates.

What if each faction had their own little luxury that they share with you when they really like you, and when you have access to it everyone in your colony is a little bit happier. Say, you have access to a factions coffee, everyone is 10% happier because of it.

[Dr. Z]

Honestly, I want to click on everything because everything is great. But I chose Designated buildings because when I got visitors for the first time I build them sleeping spots and chairs on the table but they just standed there, so interaction with the visitors is my favorit. And today two visitors left my colony while a group of raiders was preparing an attack, so there should be the possibility to say "Guys we are in trouble help us". I mean to the people on the map not throu the comms console.

And please don't make the mistake many developers make and add a lot of features without finishing one, but complete one system before implementing another.

[PhenomTaker]

I would love changes over time, like Faction A is now an ally of Faction B or is now fighting them. Or more things to do with them. Now its like you have 1-2 enemies and a few "friends". You can push "goodwill" and nothing to fear.
Maybe in the future they will call you for help in their fights, so you are able to send them a few people for a few days and eventually loose them or gain XP, ressources and goodwill for the faction.

Something like that.
But these other answers are good ideas too.

[StorymasterQ]

I picked the Favor system. Elaborated in an older post of mine here.

[JonoRig]

Maybe, rather then have whole towns in your map of the other factions (they are meant to be from various parts of the planet, even if it is nearby) why not, with a certain level of positive relations you can negotiate for an embassy of some kind, Maybe u just designate a room, they live in ur base, eat your food, Maybe help out depending on their personality, but you can't control them. And then your job is to a) keep them happy, so they don't pack up and leave, and b) keep relations with their faction. You May even be able to get multiples then form a council for defence against the pirates (or if u befriend the pirates, everyone else starts to get a little negative towards you)

[ShadowTani]

Would been nice with a multi-choice poll for this.. @_@ I voted for the favor system, but I love the marketplace idea too.

As for the "actually being on the map" option, I would only want that if the game gets dynamically expanding maps ala Minecraft, but not on the current static map sizes.

[Splinterbee]

my idea for better factions is maybe perhaps hiring people from other factions rather then buying slaves. depending on your relations with them some might rarely be willing to join for free or you might get different prices. maybe you could visit other peoples colony's and maybe pay those pirates a visit and stick it to em. also it would be nice if you could give colony's things besides silver. another small thing would being able to see faction representatives rather then just what they do in words. other then that I really like this update.

[jamieg]

Market place is cool BUT imagine being a raider..... wait till factions build a nice place raid it and eat all there food we need both made as mods i think

[Bodog999]

It would be really cool if the market place gets into the core rimworld you could go to a comms console ask a ship to take you to a new custom made map with markets standing around where fighting is (mayby) disabled so you could walk around talk a little and mayby even get the multiplayer in there (there is then no time warp in the market place) so you could go there with 1 or 2 colonists and live chat with other players playing rimworld

[minami26]

Marketplace! because its all of it in one! except option 1, I don't want them taking my area. haha.

I think, it will open up another time sequence where a faction will not be attacking your colony if they have their representative visiting or conducting business in your colony,.

also offtopic: caught a nice screenie, Faction ACTION

[EBM]

Option 1: Actually being on the map. I see a lot of potential in this.

I imagine pirates landing and building small outposts to send out raiding parties from. If a raid fails, they run back to their outpost to lick their wounds instead of randomly fleeing off the map. They can build defenses to protect it, of course, as the player can for the colony. This means the player has to either attack early, facing the pirates in the open without the protection of the colony, or risk assaulting the outpost later and having to deal with both the pirates and their defenses. Both options put colonists at greater risk by forcing them to leave the safety of the colony, which is a good thing.

You could ignore the outpost and go about your business, but raids would be more frequent as the pirates heal or get off-map reinforcements. On the other hand, if you manage to destroy their outpost you gain a period of no raids from that faction.

I really like the idea as it adds more depth to combating hostile factions, and gives a reason to actually leave the colony while hostiles are around. Do I attack before they can build the base, risking my colonists on the open field? After they've built it, where the tables have turned and my colonists are forced to attack a fortified position? Perhaps after one of their raids has failed and the outpost has only a few survivors to man the walls alongside their turret grid?

Alternately, a friendly faction could request they build an outpost in your territory to facilitate trade. You designate an area for them to build on and they offer some small payment for it. These outposts could also be targeted by raids and the owners might ask for your help in repelling the attack, or you could ask for their help. If their outpost is destroyed or all their people are killed and you did nothing to help, your standing with that faction could suffer and there might be consequences.

[SSS]

I think a combination of the marketplace option and bunkhouse/hotel option would be cool. I also like the idea of mini-bases, but unless the map becomes bigger that may get a tad crowded, in terms of both colonists and area.

Anyway, the marketplace should be some sort of neutral zone. Maybe guns aren't allowed? Or you risk angering every faction by taking some there? I agree that there should be some option for interaction with pirates, but I see it more as extortion than becoming their friends. They demand a large sum of silver/metal/food/whatever every so often to leave your colony alone. I suppose you could also hire them out at a high premium should you need big help during an invasion, if you've been paying them.