Making smokeleaf more viable

[cultist]

I'm probably not the only one who doesn't like using smokeleaf for recreation, as the penalties are significant when compared to other low-addiction drugs like beer or ambrosia.
Smokeleaf joints have a niche as painkillers but that's about it - and pain is a problem best solved with bionics or implants.

Here's a few suggestions to increase the value of smokeleaf as a recreational drug - feel free to add your own:

• lower effect on consciousness - this one is obvious, as it causes the most problems. Consciousness is the most important stat, as it governs all other physical stats.
• Increase artistic by a percentage as a bonus for the duration of the drug
• Increase chance of creating a higher quality item
• Remove or reduce direct effect on movement speed - this one is particularly annoying, as smokeleaf can often down pawns because they get hit with movement reduction from both the effect itself, as well as the penalty to consciousness
• Small chance of scientific breakthrough when researching when high on smokeleaf. Effect could be extra science points or a large bonus to the pawn's research skill
• Poor man's love enhancer - slightly increased bonus from lovin'

You're probably starting to see the pattern here. Smokeleaf could have an actual purpose as "crafter fuel", giving bonuses to people who don't need high move speed and won't suffer problematic penalties from low manipulation. Basically, you keep your crafting monkeys high on leaf and in return, they have an increased chance to create higher quality items, meaning more potential value from the rescources used.

Obviously all of these effects together would be unbalanced. Either negative effects should be reduced, or the creative effects should be added. I do still think the penalty to move speed is too much. It was fun to see old/heatstricken/sick pawns keel over when they smoked a joint the first few times, but it's gotten old now.

[Canute]

Too bad Smokeleaf Industry isn't updated to 1.2 yet, then you would got alot of things made out of smokeleaf.

[cultist]

Too bad Smokeleaf Industry isn't updated to 1.2 yet, then you would got alot of things made out of smokeleaf.

Yeah I didn't even consider the fact that hemp (I assume smokeleaf is a hemp strain) can be used to make textiles of all kinds. Hemp/smokleaf clothing could be an alternative to cloth, although that seems a bit redundant.

[rancidmustard]

it's extremely viable, pawns smoke it constantly to boost mood, and it can be sold for a ton when grown & rolled in mass

[cultist]

it's extremely viable, pawns smoke it constantly to boost mood, and it can be sold for a ton when grown & rolled in mass

It's cetainly viable as a trade item (flake is better though),  but this is about making smokeleaf more useful for your pawns. Beer and psychite tea have similar effects with much fewer downsides.

[Mr_Fission]

Yeah I agree it's not competitive with the other chemicals right now.  The only real role it plays is that if someone's mood is really, really low, you can apply smokeleaf after they've already used ambrosia, beer, and psychite tea.  That's about it.

From my perspective, that's a fine niche for it to fill.  The problem is that joint production takes forever.  If that was sped up, I'd make wider use of it in the role of a "last ditch" recreational drug.

[ShadowTani]

I dunno about it taking forever to produce, a few drug labs with two tool cabinets and they tend to produce joints faster than I grow smokeleaf, which also get me quite a lot of silver too. I agree its not good as a consistent recreational drug though, but I don't think it should be used that way to begin with. Personally I have it set so that pawns that are at risk of a major or higher breakdown and with 20 or less recreation takes it. Making it a nice emergency mood booster. That means they rarely take it as I try to keep mood high by other means otherwise, but when they do the penalties they have is very worth it compared to them having a mental breakdown. Just make your own drug policy instead of using the default and you'll be good.

[cultist]

Growing time could also be reduced to make it a better crop in colder maps - psychite usually takes too long to grow to maturity outdoors on a boreal or colder map - but smokeleaf grows pretty slowly as well.

I don't really have an issue with production time (growing time feels too long though) or value - it's the downsides when uses that causes me to see it as a cash crop rather than a useful one.