This is an unorganized list of feedback and ideas that I thought of while playing.
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Feedback: My biggest complaint with the game in its current form is that there is no end game depth and low re-playability. You have built a solid foundation for a game, but currently it is just a sandbox.
Idea: There are so many directions you could take this game, and I could list out a bunch myself, but I hope you already have a grand vision you are working towards. So instead of suggesting anything I want to ask that you share your vision with us. -
Feedback: The main factor in difficulty is map generation, even on hardest settings the game is very easy if you get a good spawn of resources.
Idea: I would like to see more control over map generation. It should show a basic map shape seed preview. Maybe add a map editor. I want to control resource types and amounts. I would also like to see difficulty be more directly impacted by settings like; lower work rate, more accidents, faster food spoilage, longer droughts and storms, worse fires, fewer or no immigrants. -
Feedback: Trading is both tedious and necessary.
Idea: Resolving either will fix this issue. I can see you intend trading to be a central mechanic, so the focus should be on addressing the tedium. I want the ability to set auto buy and auto sell options at the trader, dependent on price quality, funds, and current stocks. Automatically send goods in excess of a selected amount to be stocked at the market. Or, keep a certain amount stocked at market. A way to set automatic trades when possible at a selected price, if you have enough gold reserves. Sell if more, buy if less. -
Feedback: This game is often compared to banished, but I think something essential has been lost in the improvements. In banished there were many ways you could go wrong and it didn’t hold your hand but let you find out the hard way so you’d know better next time. In FF, because the tech development and unlocks are streamlined, much of this is avoided. I have yet to encounter a hard death spiral, even on max settings, which is disappointing in a settlement survival game. There aren’t really meaningful choices in setting up your production. Once you work out that bread, beer, and baskets are optional then you have your two possible builds, with and without them. For pretty much everything else, if you can build it you should, and if you do then nothing game ending will ever happen. Because there aren’t choices, there can’t be bad consequences for bad choices, and the context you’re making them in doesn’t really matter either.
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Feedback: Realism gripe. Where are my villagers getting all their gold from?! I know this is just a game, and the economy as it is set up only works because of that magical gold that grows in each house (regardless of occupants). Because the rest of the game is plausibly realistic this stands out as a hard plot hole though.
Idea: Only tax villagers who have an income. This will restrict gold income to mining and trading, which should be fine once the tedium of trading is addressed. -
Feedback: Attackers are not smart, they stream in single file to be slaughtered.
Idea: Instead of being attacked by n single units, I would change it to being attacked for n groups of y types in formations. Maybe bandits and thieves will be disorganized blobs/streams (it would be cooler if they did gorilla warfare on your wagon routes and mines though), but soldiers would march in formation and attack as a group. If you’re clever you can save a lot of pathing AI calculations doing this too. Just have the commander of each unit make the long distance path, and the rest follow him in short range. Make combat more interesting. More defensive options. Archer units, knights riding horses. Fix walls to form raised platforms that you can walk and build on, add ladders. Dig moats. -
Feedback: Logistical control, you know what I mean, storage to storage transport. But once that, then more control over long distance resource movement.
Idea: Change wagons to have a manual control mode which allows you to set a route with stops and instructions to pick up and drop off certain goods, with amounts/wait time controls. Like train simulator games. Storage controls, distribute if more, request if less. -
Idea: A way to set the priorities of general workers, using the 1-5 scale, for gathering wood or stone, transporting small goods, stocking build sites and buildings.
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Feedback: Allow the eventual automation of everything with good design. Auto spread compost rotations. Auto shift grazing fields rotations. Autotrading, auto apple tree planting, etc, etc.
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Feedback: Add a 5 point scale to control the priority of production. This could replace production ratios, but also job fulfillment priority. Also living proximity, important jobs will select closest households.
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Idea: Allow jobs to be able to toggle job sharing, where a worker if replaced with a fresh new worker when they stop for a break. Even better if the new worker arrives to take over without production pausing.
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Feedback: Water is currently boring. Add mountain springs, creeks and rivers. Let lakes form at different heights based on surrounding elevation. Add irrigation systems.
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Idea: Let gatherers upgrade one more time into herbalists, which let you gather seeds and grow herb gardens. Also buy rare seeds.
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Idea: Ability to directly build upgraded buildings.
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Idea: Town bell should give an order for all non combat units to seek shelter and remain there. Useful during pandemics that way. Also add visual UI overlay to make it very obvious when town alarm is on (ditto for pause state).
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Idea: Ability to control where barrels are used to boost storage, I don’t put food in storehouses but the barrels end up there anyway.
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Idea: Drag area of trees to plant, and buildings in general, especially houses.
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Idea: Hotkey access to mine placement map overlay, and barn grazing overlay.
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Idea: Examine villager routine mode, once activated it will store up to the past year of activity and pathing. I think this would be useful for streamlining my settlement.
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Idea: A lot might be done to allow you to set certain workers to certain jobs, but in the end what I actually want is to be able to assign certain homes to certain workplaces. Homes could have a free or fixed setting, with fixed then requiring you to select a certain work building that it’s inhabitants will work at if possible.
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Feedback: I really like the fact you can’t raise or lower ground because it means you have to work with the potential of the landscape. However, it is very tedious.
Idea: Improve the landscaping tool. Enter landscape mode where you can set a target state of raised and lowered ground which your builders would slowly work towards. Constrain this by needing as much lowered as you raise elsewhere. -
Feedback: The townhall is functionally pointless. I put it in a defensive location for early game then just move it out of the way because it doesn’t have a function and so is just in the way.
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Idea: Add travelers to the game. Add a general building the host travelers. Give a general chance for them to decide to settle. Able to pay travelers to do basic work. Chance they will show up sick, or hungry, etc.
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Idea: Add crime. People stealing things, and the need for people keeping an eye on those people.