Message for Ludeon Studios, as well as some suggestions

[litenthadark]

Hi there! This is my first time posting on the forums, so I wanted to make sure that I shared all my thoughts.

First off, I have to congratulate you guys. This game is incredible! Everyone has their own opinions, but the depth and way in which this game is executed is by far the most entertaining and magnetic thing I have ever seen. I have never been so engrossed in survival games, especially ones where you control a group of people, until I found RimWorld. Who knew a top-down (kind of) game like this would hold my attention? It's clearly one of my all-time favorite games, and one that I'm excited to see develop and grow from where it is now.

Second, I want to congratulate you as a developer! You are reliable, honest, and not about all of the PR bullshit that a lot of others spend an extra amount of time dealing with. You focus on the important stuff, like giving the small important "what I'm working on" updates through google docs, and comment back on some of the comments from your fans. It's incredible to see a developer so dedicated to truly making sure people know what's going on, even if it's just a short blurb such as "AI optimization. Lots of AI optimization." (My personal favorite). You stick to what you know needs to get done and the feedback you get, and don't make empty promises. Some games (cough dayz cough) make promises like "We're going to add THIS!" and everyone gets excited and 10 updates later "Oh yeah, it'll be in a few months from now". It disappoints people. You guys are active, and really are working to make this a game a truly outstanding product.

Third, here's a few thoughts of mine:
1. I love the defense system. Something that caught my idea was the idea of having turrets that settlers can man. They'd be cheaper than the automated sentry turrets, and wouldn't require power, however your settler would still be in the line of fire.
2. Pillbox, or something of the sort. Basically, a bunker that requires a lot of materials, but it nearly impenetrable to bullets, requiring grenades or firing from close up (or a lucky shot) to hurt the settler inside.
3. Competitive AI - This would be a hard thing to add, but just something I thought would be cool. Maybe another group of raiders decide to try to build a small outpost (similar to the siege groups) but instead of mortars and a few sandbags, they build walls, and beds, and start growing food (etc.) it would constantly be resupplied with supplies and troops, and you would constantly be attacked by groups of raiders until you killed all the raiders inside.
4. New types of food to grow
5. Thirst. Meals include a drink of some kind by adding a bucket of water to the ingredient list (buckets are reusable). Add in structures like rain collection barrels, wells, and a water pump.
6. Boredom - I don't know if this is already in game and I've never experienced it, but I feel like after spending a few hours with nothing to do a settler could get bored. Maybe add small anti-boredom objects like... well actually, I don't know what they would do to alleviate boredom. Maybe a ball? Or an RC car. I mean, they can build a functional Solar panel, I'm sure they can make an RC car.
7. Relationships - Betty got mad at Sam for being a jerk. Tammy kissed Ricky and now Lucy is jealous. This isn't a typical middle school story, its RIMWORLD! In all seriousness, relationships between settlers would make things more hectic and interesting. Everyone might get along, but someone could have different thoughts about whether or not to execute a hostage, and before you make serious decisions, the game would show you the settlers thoughts on it, letting you make the call.
8. Ability to travel to a different sector - Basically, say your colony is HUGE. you have 15 people living there, with bountiful supplies, enough turrets to make the U.S. Military wince, and everyone is so happy their face muscles hurt from grinning so much, but you just don't want it to end. You don't want to send them to space. What's a survival story without the survivors eventually getting killed in one last large ass raid, or by a debilitating disease? Basically, after a set amount of time, I think that an "Endgame" raid or disease or situation should take place. Something to truly test a players skill in not only managing their colony, but the choices they've made in building it. Should they survive, an option becomes present, which requires the players to build a "planning table" complete with the proper number of chairs (Max 8 Settlers) for each settler they want to send. Once all the settlers are seated, the player can select the "plan a second colony" option, which allows them to check the map and select a new location to settle. The farther away the player travels from their current colony, the more food they'll need to take. Anyways, after selecting the location and the amount of each supply currently in your stockpiles that they want to take, they can send them off, and it will take some time to travel. After the colonists reach the new map location, the player has the option to switch between locations (like 2 separate save files). However, the new location will be more difficult, with a higher increase in difficulty. This will challenge even the best players, as they are forced to adapt to a new environment and different situations.
9. Ability to "Raid" Pirate colonies - Note: This is not an easy task. Raider colonies are extremely well built, armed, and crowded with plenty of men to make your lives a living hell. You can send your settlers to set up a siege position (similar to the way the pirates attack you) with a certain amount of supplies that you dictate. You are not allowed to build anything except sandbags and mortars though. The only way to fully succeed an attack is to kill the pirate leader (Name in gold or something) which will stop Raider attacks for several months as they try to elect a new leader, or kill ALL of the pirates, which causes the pirate attacks from that faction to cease. If you fail your attack and retreat, the pirates will launch a counter-attack shortly after. However, if you succeed, you may deconstruct their base and pay a trade ship (in silver) to deliver the goods you recover to your base. Carrying capacity of ships is limited, and the more goods you want to transfer, the more silver you have to pay.
10. The pirate colony raids give me an idea for a new type of weapon: A breach charge. 3 variants: Homemade, Black Market, and Military. Breach charges can take down any wall in one hit. They have a 5 second timer to set up, and take 10 seconds to detonate (KEEP YOUR SETTLERS CLEAR). Anyone directly on the other side of the wall will be killed or seriously wounded. Homemade charges are costly to make, and aren't guaranteed to work as well (i.e., going off to early, not punching through the wall, etc.). Black Market ones have less of a chance of having problems, and the Military ones work perfectly 95% of the time. Raiders have a tiny chance of being equipped with them, but they should be obvious and taken down quickly to prevent the enemy from blowing a hole into your base.
11. Have the raiders search for a weak point. I found that the easiest way to funnel raiders was to tunnel into a mountain with the door on the side, and keep my building inside the rock. However, if for some reason I needed to dig out, id just construct a concrete wall around my steel one and the raiders completely ignored it. I feel like the Raider AI should search for weak points in your base (i.e., a location where a steel wall is just past a concrete wall) and attempt to get in there as well. It would add more dynamic and prevent the OP-ness of the tunneling method.
12. Bullets as a resource. I'm not talking about standard mortar rounds. I mean actual bullets to put in your gun. This would force more realistic and careful resource management, and make players think. It would also increase the use of melee weapons, both among raiders and players. Raider runs out of ammo for his gun? Better grab that sword from my dead buddy and CHARGE! Also, players would need to manage who needs the ammunition more. The guy with the minigun would need 100 rounds, while the sniper would only need 10. Also, crafting bullets would now be important.

I know this is an incredibly long read, so I thank you for taking the time to look it over. Please keep this game on the fantastic track it's currently on, and I can't WAIT for the release of Alpha 9!

~Litenthadark

[akiceabear]

Good list - you'll find some mods for the game which actually meeting some of your requests very well already!

[Necronomocoins]

To build a pillbox or bunker, build a room with no doors and one square inside, deconstruct all but the corner walls and construct sandbags in their place. All good ideas, though I like 8 and 9 the most.

[inman30]

https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=9759.0 Here you go

[Tynan]

Thank you very much for the props liten Always working to make you guys happier.

And to your ideas, I'm afraid I don't have time to respond to them all (some have been discussed around here before) but I'll trawl them and harvest ideas for sure.

[litenthadark]

Of course! You guys deserve it, truly!

I'm not surprised that some of them have been brought up before. I'm a bit late (8 versions late) to the party lol. Anyways, it's glad that you'll use that H key and harvest the ideas out of whatever help my suggestions might have been (I apologize for the stupid reference, couldn't resist.) XD

[litenthadark]

Good list - you'll find some mods for the game which actually meeting some of your requests very well already!

Yeah, I currently use about 20-30 mods. I just feel like some of them need to be permanently added to the game xD

[litenthadark]

To build a pillbox or bunker, build a room with no doors and one square inside, deconstruct all but the corner walls and construct sandbags in their place. All good ideas, though I like 8 and 9 the most.

I'll remember that. That could really help in terms of dealing with bigger attacks. Though i do have the embrasures mod i never use. I'll have to put that to work.

Also, thanks for the compliment! 8 was one i put a lot of thought into to make it interesting and flow well with the pace of the game.

[Reptavian]

Those are all great suggestions.  Also I've only been playing a few days now and already have to agree on the developer seeming like a swell and upstanding guy.

As to your mention of relationships, well the best idea I can put forward is take a look at the game Space Colony, that had some nice relationship dynamic, psychology and colonist needs too.  All of that seems simple enough to apply to this game, or maybe not I'm no programmer lol.

[200Down]

8. Ability to travel to a different sector - Basically, say your colony is HUGE. you have 15 people living there, with bountiful supplies, enough turrets to make the U.S. Military wince, and everyone is so happy their face muscles hurt from grinning so much, but you just don't want it to end. You don't want to send them to space. What's a survival story without the survivors eventually getting killed in one last large ass raid, or by a debilitating disease? Basically, after a set amount of time, I think that an "Endgame" raid or disease or situation should take place. Something to truly test a players skill in not only managing their colony, but the choices they've made in building it. Should they survive, an option becomes present, which requires the players to build a "planning table" complete with the proper number of chairs (Max 8 Settlers) for each settler they want to send. Once all the settlers are seated, the player can select the "plan a second colony" option, which allows them to check the map and select a new location to settle. The farther away the player travels from their current colony, the more food they'll need to take. Anyways, after selecting the location and the amount of each supply currently in your stockpiles that they want to take, they can send them off, and it will take some time to travel. After the colonists reach the new map location, the player has the option to switch between locations (like 2 separate save files). However, the new location will be more difficult, with a higher increase in difficulty. This will challenge even the best players, as they are forced to adapt to a new environment and different situations.

Damn bro, how much for a copy of the game you have in your head? Advancing to harder difficulty levels at your own leisure would be quite nice though even if it's just an option in menu at any time.  Kick the story tellers in the butt and tell them to take things up a notch whenever it feels too easy because it will almost always happen.  Ether you'll die out quite early or get to a point where it's no longer a challenge.

[Apophis]

Advancing to harder difficulty levels at your own leisure would be quite nice though even if it's just an option in menu at any time. 

This option is already there

[200Down]

Advancing to harder difficulty levels at your own leisure would be quite nice though even if it's just an option in menu at any time. 

This option is already there

You've GOT to be kidding me 

Alllll this time...........  sometimes I swear I really wonder about myself lolz

[litenthadark]

Advancing to harder difficulty levels at your own leisure would be quite nice though even if it's just an option in menu at any time. 

This option is already there

You've GOT to be kidding me 

Alllll this time...........  sometimes I swear I really wonder about myself lolz

Even I didn't know it was there (Facepalm) /.-

[OpposingForces]

an add on to your idea of starting new colonies would be that your old colony becomes an allied ai faction to you. a trading partner and military support by requesting help.