Slave Labor

[AteWithoutTable]

Concept
I was thinking, I have all these useless tribal prisoners around who I know I'll never be able to recruit, so why don't I make them useful?
I have large tunnels that would take in game weeks to dig out, but with the help of prisoners/slave labor I could do them in a day.
Execution
Slaves can have schedules set to them where they will be instructed to be in a certain place and do a certain thing. For example, if you designate a work zone for the slaves to Mine or Stone cut, they must be overseen by a Warden during that time-period. If a Warden is not present, they will escape.
Of cource, Slaves will grumble about being forced to work. Slaves get a -15 mood debuff
"I am a slave" -15 "This is what life has come to, being forced to do cheap labor for the rest of my life."
BALANCE
Slaves get a -50% work speed because they are shackled, and they are slaves. Depending on the skill of your Warden, you can convince the slaves to be better workers over time.

[bobucles]

Cute idea! I wouldn't mind making my prisoners smash some rocks, sweep some floors or cook some food.

[mumblemumble]

Problem is, how do you make prisoners and colonists DIFFERENT in gameplay?

[EnricoDandolo]

Problem is, how do you make prisoners and colonists DIFFERENT in gameplay?

Make the prisoners like animals. They have to be convinced in order to certain tasks, or trained to do certain tasks. They will constantly be looking for weapons to use, and if they are assigned to a crafting job they will try to make weapons. The only way to stop them would be physically stopping them.
Slaves would also be constantly trying to run away. If a slave and a injured recovering warden are far from the colony, there is a high chance that slave will either try to run away, or beat the fuck out of the warden.
Basiclly Prison Architect.

[Hans Lemurson]

I thought all members of your colony WERE slaves.  They are certainly lacking in the free will department, operating primarily on instinct until you give them an overpowering irresistible command.

But in any case, forcing prisoners to do labor should probably be restricted to "Dumb Labor".  It would at the very least provide a solution to the problem of colonists who refuse to do dumb labor.

[Wishmaster]

Problem is, how do you make prisoners and colonists DIFFERENT in gameplay?

This is a feature I really want.

I would say prisoners gets a mood malus if they do forced labor aswell as a global work speed malus (I would say -30%).
In counterpart of not needing joy.

Also you can't draft them to get them to fight.

[SpaceDorf]

Problem is, how do you make prisoners and colonists DIFFERENT in gameplay?

This is a feature I really want.

This could be fun. It would force you to rethink your complete Base Design

I would say prisoners gets a mood malus if they do forced labor aswell as a global work speed malus (I would say -30%).
In counterpart of not needing joy.

They are also restrained, so they get a movement malus, like they allready have.
And If you let them stray into open areas or off base they should try to run away
or get their Hands on a Weapon.
But they should be able to use joy items and bond with your Colonists, which would increase your chance for recruiting ..

Also you can't draft them to get them to fight.

As long as I can send them to a zone between my colonists and the enemy

[Wishmaster]

Sorry but I don't agree. I don't want them to need joy. But this is rather a personal preference, I don't have concrete gameplay arguments for that.

If you think they would still be too OP however (no joy need), I would add a foreman role for colonists:
* Required to make a certain amount of prisoners work.
* Acts within a limited area.
Also prisoners should have limited possibilities of assignment: no research, no social, no hunt, no doctoring (you better don't trust those pirates !).
Finally if they are forced to work, they will more often insult colonists, so you should avoid to make them clean your colonist's barracks.

[mumblemumble]

The whole concept seems a lot of work for something which will be barely noticable in gameplay...I mean what, you get colonists who cant fight, but also don't need joy? Seems a silly idea.

Doubt it would be worth the time to code, nor very enjoyable, unless colonists themselves were radically redone.

[AngleWyrm]

Prisoners wear shackles, slowing down their movement.
So maybe work performed in prison zones can only be performed by prisoners, at the same speed penalty.

[mumblemumble]

But then why bother with prisoners?

Seems like all this effort would just make an inferior colonist with more management...

....Like I said, we need other things first

[BetaSpectre]

It's easier to get prisoners than colonists.

I would have prisoners clean, cook, and craft. But then they'd be between animals, and colonists. This would be a nice mod, but main game probs too much effort too little gain?

[mumblemumble]

I get that, but the issue is how is it balanced?

ALL colonists and prisoners need to be fed, and cared for, to an extent, and they add up into your colony wealth for what determines raids

So how do you balance it? Balance it so slaves are, on one hand, not op, but also not worthless compared to colonists, and worth the food?

I remember 1 mod where it was slavers / slaves, and slavers required "pay" to be happy, and it was a silly balance IIRC.

... So its a neat idea, but no idea how it can work well.

[Brutetal]

Well, traditionally slaves do heavy or dangerous work or housekeeping.
So that would narrow it down to growing, stone cutting (only that), mining, cleaning and cooking. Hauling as necessary in the slave zones, anythibg else would be risky.
They wouldn't fight of course. But why not use them as a meat shield? That could balance out the issue with abnormal raids if you go full slavery colony.
Also it seems like a fair tradeoff that you get more pirate raids - slaves are most certainly one of their main incomes. So it would make sense that they'll try to steal your slaves or get rid of the concurring slave colony.

And the working slaves would not get a joy bar, instead something like a "motivation" bar. Handle them good - they'll work. Not fast (50% maybe?) but they will.
Handle them bad and they will at the first threshold refuse work, at the second try to flee and at the last go berserk. Similiar to the normal mood breaks, but guaranteed breaks at each threshold of mood and a bit different.

[AngleWyrm]

But then why bother with prisoners?
Seems like all this effort would just make an inferior colonist with more management...
...
I get that, but the issue is how is it balanced?

Another way of looking at the question is: Which is better, a colonist or a prisoner? This is a design decision and IMO the answer to that question should be colonists are superior to prisoners. This creates the impetus to recruit/convert them.

A plan for balance might be to consider the picking and choosing process, where the player assesses the merits of a potential colonist. Would that particular prisoner better serve the colony as a colonist or a prisoner, or is their upkeep more than their merit in both cases? Then it becomes interesting for the player.