Raiders taking my colonists

[Quasarrgames]

I really don't like the fact that raiders now take my colonists away during a battle. I mean, we're supposed to get to know our colonists and eventually treasure them as part of our colony. however, that just makes it all the more heartbreaking when raiders drag their bloodied bodies to randy-knows-where. they've been such a great part of the colony, and now they're gone forever. If their fate was death it would be one thing, but i can only imagine that what the raiders do to them once they are captured is even more horrible. *shivers*

I know, it's what would really happen on a barren rimworld, but it's kind of sad

To make it more fair, and so that a game mechanic isn't wasted, maybe raiders could try rescuing their own fallen kin first, or they could wait just a little while before capturing so i actually have a chance to rescue my colonists.

thoughts?

[sparda666]

all the more reason to perfect your defense strategies to keep them from such a horrid fate

[Halinder]

Your last point assumes raiders care about one another and wouldn't jump on each other's throats for a few extra bits of silver. These guys make a living off raiding because they don't produce anything on their own. Their strength is their numbers and brutality, and one would easily bail on the others if it means living another day. Your colonists, on the other hand, aren't plentiful, get queasy at the sight of bodies, and yet hold their position until they're physically incapable of fighting. They are as honorable as their mental state allows them to be, even though from all walks of life.

Moving on, the tragic points of Rimworld are the points that keep us playing. I once trained an assassin to shooting level 19 and she singlehandedly picked off 6 raids, but a wave of psychotic boomrats field-cremated her in a successive wave of explosions. Things like that make you want to be better prepared for next time. The entire progression part of Rimworld comes off of making it through things to reach a better point than where you started.

I will agree that kidnapping is somewhat anti-climactic in a sense, that instead of going in a blaze of glory your colonist gets dragged off never to be seen again. Perhaps later on there will be missions to raid pirate camps and retrieve colonists, but that's not here yet, so.

[BetaSpectre]

This makes 100% sense to me, cause raiders RAID they should smash and grab, albiet resources more so than people.

[anexiledone]

The slave traders pay good money. I'm surprised raids aren't more about taking your people than anything else.

[user553]

I liked this mechanic.
The guy who dragged incapacitated colonist moved slowly, thus I was able to chase him down and rescue the prisoner.

[sparda666]

I liked this mechanic.
The guy who dragged incapacitated colonist moved slowly, thus I was able to chase him down and rescue the prisoner.

This. They also dont retaliate while dragging

[Snownova]

This makes 100% sense to me, cause raiders RAID they should smash and grab, albiet resources more so than people.

I have to admit that it would be interesting to see resource raids added as an attack type. Maybe a tribe is going through a famine and is coming for your food stocks, or they simply want your silver.

It would encourage players to keep their resources in a safe place, but also force them to balance security vs ease of access.

Also prison bust raids, if you have prisoners the raid will attempt to free them and retreat once they have recovered their brethren.

[christhekiller]

This makes 100% sense to me, cause raiders RAID they should smash and grab, albiet resources more so than people.

I have to admit that it would be interesting to see resource raids added as an attack type. Maybe a tribe is going through a famine and is coming for your food stocks, or they simply want your silver.

It would encourage players to keep their resources in a safe place, but also force them to balance security vs ease of access.

Also prison bust raids, if you have prisoners the raid will attempt to free them and retreat once they have recovered their brethren.

It'd be cool if we could be raiders as well

[milon]

I will agree that kidnapping is somewhat anti-climactic in a sense, that instead of going in a blaze of glory your colonist gets dragged off never to be seen again. Perhaps later on there will be missions to raid pirate camps and retrieve colonists, but that's not here yet, so.

It would make an awesome mod for Alpha 5 or 6!  I was planning on creating this myself, but just haven't had time yet to learn the mod system.  And I won't for quite a while.

[Tynan]

First, I hope some day you can meet your captured colonists again. As slaves, refugees, escapees, or pirates!

Second, I like the idea of them grabbing silver and running. You could even have a "give up point" where you leave a pile of silver. Retreat past it and the enemies will grab the silver and run. Basically, you pay to not die.

[TenSaidYes]

First, I hope some day you can meet your captured colonists again. As slaves, refugees, escapees, or pirates!

Second, I like the idea of them grabbing silver and running. You could even have a "give up point" where you leave a pile of silver. Retreat past it and the enemies will grab the silver and run. Basically, you pay to not die.

I hope that eventually there might be some system of ransom, whereby perhaps you can purchase back your imprisoned colonists for 'x+50%' amount of silver... you know... the +50% is the markup to keep them from just selling your guys off to the slave traders.

Speaking of paying off the raiders for things, it might be nice to have the option to just... pay them off in advance? Maybe a way to earn favor amongst the raiders, and lose favor amongst the other tribes and townships who the raiders now target instead of you? Because that's really how most LARGE groups of bandits would work. Killing and burning and looting is only effective when you want to instill fear in the hearts of OTHER people. The real objective isn't random destruction, it's getting other people to do all the work for you while you reap all the reward.

So say, first they demand money straight up to avoid attacking you. Then, once you've agreed to their fee, they decide that you've got a lot of food and they want enough to feed their guys. So you pay up. Then they want you to provide them metal, or more money, or weapons, and they'll keep on expecting you to meet their demands until you start fighting back. But it wouldn't be a COMPLETE downside, because they'd be doing really good for themselves feeding off your colony, so they wouldn't like the idea of some OTHER band of pirates thieving off of you. So the next time the OTHER pirates come, you call up your 'good buddies' in The Black Cat Men and they come obliterate the pirates attacking you.

Or, as it might so happen, the other COLONISTS who come to get revenge for all the hell you've caused them by siding with their enemy.

Or whoever.

Anyways, just a thought.

[hopdevil]

I think the attackers should have motives and kidnapping seems to be a step in that direction.   They want to achieve something other than feeding your cremator or watering the battlefield with your colonist's entrails.

It could be silver, the release of a prisoner, or maybe they are starving and just want food?  Some demands could be countered by methods that don't result in combat or siege.  You would weigh the enemy combat ability versus the cost of the demand and make a choice.

[Serrate Bloodrage]

I think the attackers should have motives and kidnapping seems to be a step in that direction.   They want to achieve something other than feeding your cremator or watering the battlefield with your colonist's entrails.

It could be silver, the release of a prisoner, or maybe they are starving and just want food?  Some demands could be countered by methods that don't result in combat or siege.  You would weigh the enemy combat ability versus the cost of the demand and make a choice.

Everything you said...minus watering the battlefield with entrails...that was weird

But I love the way you think! Raiders turn up and demand x amount of food for example, you make the choice of fight or fill a stockpile they place with the demanded food (or silver, metal..whatever). If you fold and do it, they start to make it a regular thing, turning up every month!

[Tynan]

If the whole ransom/demands thing happens, it'll be part of a bigger diplomacy system. But that's a deep, challenging system, it really needs its own alpha.