Brain Damage

[Tynan]

I've actually quite deliberately never thought of it as a strategy game. The entire design process has very explicitly been guided by the notion of RimWorld as a 'story generator' above all.

Mainly this is because there are tons of great strategy games on the market that I can't beat. But there are very few decent story generators.

Obviously it's good to create meaningful multivariate decisions for players (tundra/non-tundra is a good example). But this takes a backseat to narrative drama where necessary.

[hopdevil]

Personally I think Rimworld is already one of the best strategy games being developed whether you intended that way or not.  It's a great game and I am happy to be part of the alpha process.  Thanks for your work.

Getting back to the original topic.  I don't think having armor or helmets prevent (or maybe just decease the odds) of those types of injuries as detrimental to the storytelling aspect of the game.  Think about it, Johnny and Jack went to fight the raiders.   Johnny wore a helmet and Jack wore a cowboy hat.  Since then he's known as Simple Jack because he took a head shot and thinks he can talk to Muffalos.

I'm not trying to be a contrarian.  But when I first saw helmets in the game I just assumed that would be part of their function.   Protection against head injury.

[Lochar]

I've actually quite deliberately never thought of it as a strategy game. The entire design process has very explicitly been guided by the notion of RimWorld as a 'story generator' above all.

I can understand that , but with the control of the pawns during combat, it does have a strategy atmosphere. I usually don't build killing floor zones and like to slug it out with my colonists when can.

That being said I would like more options of cybernetics. Afterall you have given us bionic replacements for limbs that behave better than the organic part did. I think giving a chip replacement to brain damage would just give you a basic drone, that maybe cleans, hauls , and anything else simple. This would still be a drama because you could have a great artist or combat vet reduced to a thrall.

While this maybe DF in space in some essences, in others it has its own appeal and signature. While I do appreciate seeing a good story develop within my colony, and sometimes come across a no win occurance (without cheating anyways), I don't like having situations I cant fix. Lol I am probably in the minority but have never purposely let anyone die, wether prisoner or half brain dead colonist. Of course having the release command helps this tremendously.

Also when you introduce hi tech components into the game, it just begs for more hi tech goodies to be used.

[Kinakin]

I like RW as a story game.
Its what makes it special imho.
Things happen that makes you go wtf all the time. And its fun.

Its also so easily moddable that extra features and items can be added by fans. So your individual experience can be greatly customized. Want AI brains? Why not make them?

[durann31]

Probably not. If everything's fixable, nothing's tragic.

.                Oh right speaking of tragic could there be operations that fail Ex. Heart transplant that fails for low medical skills or something ....

[Listy]

Probably not. If everything's fixable, nothing's tragic.

.                Oh right speaking of tragic could there be operations that fail Ex. Heart transplant that fails for low medical skills or something ....

That's not a bad idea. It'd possibly slow people down from just mechanizing their entire colony at the earliest possible point.

[Barley]

I like the Brain Damage Mechanic. It basically forces me to design around the colonist in order to ensure s/he is happy and needs are met. Sometimes I even have to imprison the colonist just to prevent starvation. I like the drama that comes with the idea of a colonist permanently crippled by a firefight and forced to become a burden that others are too good or sentimental to "Rectify".

The mechanic is kinda weird when it comes to prisoners, though. One time, a tribesman was hit in the head with a lee and knocked out of the fight, and when he came to he had over 50% of his brain gone. I didn't want this guy: First Winter was less than a month away and we couldn't have hungry mouths that wouldn't contribute to hunting, harvesting, or mining. I also couldn't release him onto the map, because he moved so slowly that he would starve before reaching the edge of the map. Even if I was coldly practical about it, my colonists were too distressed post-battle and execution could be the tipping point I didn't need. And I really didn't want a dead, rotting corpse lying far outside the colony like an emotional landmine ready to screw over colonists returning from an ousted pirate siege.

Solution was to build a prison on the edge of the map, transfer the prisoner, feed, rest, then finally release him. Pain in the butt, but I felt better for it. But that brings up the question of how a tribesman incapable of getting to the edge of a map unassisted was supposed to make it all the way back to his tribe miles away.

Edit:

Probably not. If everything's fixable, nothing's tragic.

. Oh right speaking of tragic could there be operations that fail Ex. Heart transplant that fails for low medical skills or something ....

I second this. Surgery needs a fail/pass check similar to healing wounds, both for drama and balance for bionics. On that note, damage to the heart and lungs should probably have more severe consequences in the future. At the very least, I should not be able to look at a guy with a crushed lung, shredded arm, and burned eyes and instead prioritize the girl with a cut toe, knowing that the guy will stay alive for hours regardless, and the girl needs to be back in action (sans scarring or infection) ASAP.

[RemingtonRyder]

I have to agree with Tynan. Although, for different reasons. Having played with a mod that allows you to put an AI chip in a brain-damaged colonist's head, I'd say it's a bit overpowered

As a player, of course you can play with any mods you like to tell the story you want to tell, I'm just saying, these AI chips shouldn't just fall off the back of a trade ship or be easily crafted, nor should they be without consequence.

[UrbanBourbon]

Part of the fun was to come to the conclusion that there really was no hope. My fastest runner, now basically a zombie. He showed much promise. Thanks, Tybama. Anyway, the only thing that irks me about brain damage now is that if it happens to a captured enemy, and if you release him, he might starve before he reaches the edge of the map because he moves so insufferably slowly, even with a full stomach. And that's just with the default map size. As I'm typing this, I realize I should check from now on if incapped enemies have severe brain damage and just end them there instead of capturing. On the other hand, I could place a miniprison at the edge of the map, relocate them there, and then release.

[windruf]

I've actually quite deliberately never thought of it as a strategy game. The entire design process has very explicitly been guided by the notion of RimWorld as a 'story generator' above all.

Mainly this is because there are tons of great strategy games on the market that I can't beat. But there are very few decent story generators.

Obviously it's good to create meaningful multivariate decisions for players (tundra/non-tundra is a good example). But this takes a backseat to narrative drama where necessary.

sorry Tynan, but there always MUST be a way around. cos if there is none then there is no need to fight, no need to live cos you'll die anyway...
you just killing your game.

[Shinzy]

sorry Tynan, but there always MUST be a way around. cos if there is none then there is no need to fight, no need to live cos you'll die anyway...
you just killing your game.

now this is just the Winnie the pooh kind of logic in play there =P

You don't give up if somebody just flat out dies
So you shouldn't give up if somebody "dies" either
atleast the latter you can still use as a immobile meatshield with a minigun
or something you can turn into a social training machine and/or a pet for your socialists recruitment people

you just need to accept that some things may be unfair
or reload the game or use mods to fix bits you don't like! (We can't all like same features so that's totally okay!)

a good tip is to keep anyone you don't want to die or get braindamage out of the fight ..the second class citizens don't matter =P

[Captain Crash]

How about a risky surgical procedure?

If successful, it reduces the severity of the damage. If not you run the risk of crippling your character further? If done right it could be be one of those weighty decisions.

[Pletter]

Atleast allow us to craft a wheelchair, having people walk at a snail's pace because his brain is damaged is just annoying. People in a wheelchair always have 50% movement speed and half of their current manipulation. That should balance things out

[Easton]

How about a risky surgical procedure?

If successful, it reduces the severity of the damage. If not you run the risk of crippling your character further? If done right it could be be one of those weighty decisions.

This is what I was thinking. A failed procedure could render the doctor with the depressive state, permanently altering his mood. This would also utilize the dynamic psychology that a few people have mentioned on here. Then the depressive state could eventually be overcome (a happy marriage, a highly skilled social colonist, a long period of time...etc) or it could never go away, maybe even end in a rampage or suicide.

I think options are good, but weighted options are better and way more dramatic.

[REMworlder]

I'm really enjoying this thread, the range of views and Tynan's approach are interesting to hear.

Also super relevant with some of the responses
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kübler-Ross_model#Stages