Hey all. I’m sad to say that I definitely didn’t originally get the game via 5 finger discount, I was originally unsure if the current state of my condition would let me get into playing a proper degree. However, it turned out I could play this game for hours at a time just fine, most of which ended up being in Vanquisher, even getting to Tier 4 successfully on Arid Highlands. So, after reaching a savings target, I bought the game, so hopefully I will be given the time of day on this.
Some observations:
- Farmers not emptying farm storage (without a save and reload): I have noticed that sometimes farmers would take only a small amount of product with them, rather than their full carrying capacity. I don’t know if they decide how much they’re carrying when they task to collect the crop to take to food storage, if so maybe more dynamic predictive programming would be needed to modify their task as the amount of farm storage changes?
- Farmers harvesting crops often place them in another field’s storage bin: Maybe it could make fixing this easier if farmers only placed the harvested crop in the field they harvested it from? (That could help a lot with the predictive programming above)
- Sawyers bringing planks to a build site, but only dropping them on the ground in front: I would guess that the sawyers are trying to help stock a build site, but can’t cooperate with the builders or actually stock the build site. So these planks don’t get used, a labourer just takes them back to the stockyard.
Some ideas for reaching 1.0:
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Rivers would make for a very interesting mechanic, but I would suggest having them in their own map types rather than adding to the existing ones; Lowlands Rivers (mostly calm rivers instead of lakes), Alpine Rivers (mix of rapids and calms), and Arid Highland Rivers (mostly rapids) (concepts rather than name suggestions). Rivers could consist of thin rapids or wide calm areas. Different spots for good fishing, other areas could be where silt is deposited for great ground fertility (characterised by longer areas that go in directions according to building squares for easy farm placements). Rapids could, if the ground level nearby is appropriate, have water wheel industry buildings placed (mills for instance) to have greater production speeds than the regular buildings.
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Crossing Rivers: For this, a new producible resource would be needed - ropes. These could be made from flax. The first building required to cross a river could be a ferry, which requires rope to function, across a calm part of a river, to allow workers to be able to cross the river, maybe at Tier 2. A rope bridge for workers (slower movement speed while crossing) could then be made by a worker on either side of the build site. Tier 3 could introduce a wooden bridge which allows either workers to move across freely or a wagon going one way (with a queue system for workers or wagons waiting for each other). It could also be the point where the announced relics are able to be brought across. Tier 4 could allow a stone bridge allowing unlimited access.
Camping raiders could also take over a bridge, forcing your people to pay a toll to use the bridge (if they allow them at all), but with a chance of increased loot when defeated. -
Baker Upgrade/Cakes - With the announcement of chickens coming in 0.9, this idea already has some groundwork. A luxury food item could be the cake, made in an upgraded bakery, and could be made out of flour, water, honey, and eggs.
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Advanced/Expert Education - Some children have a bit more talent than others, or they just happen to come from a better home. Perhaps some children in School (a percentage chance per child born) could have the capacity to attain an Advanced or Expert Education, if their happiness scores remain high over their education. After entering the workforce, a villager with a higher level of education could work more efficiently, or they could be slotted into a supervisor position in an industry building/barracks/field to increase the capacity of the other workers (according to their education levels). Expert Education villagers could also have the bonus of using less resources to get the same product (and pass some of that ability on when supervising). Also, having hunters who can safely hunt boars and wolves without notifications, and maybe 1v1 a bear, could be super sweet.
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Hunters Guild: With the announcement of Guilds in 0.9, perhaps this would require a different name. Being a unique building, this building’s main function would be to create a flag meeting point for Hunters, similar to the one the Barracks employs. This would allow the player much greater control of Hunters during raids. The building could have some desirability to give it a 2nd function. Perhaps if the greater education function is implimented, an Expert Education villager could be slotted in, who would go around to each hunter/fisher/foraging hut to eventually stock each building with a Hunters Certification item, which would cause the villager working in that building to work as if they had an advanced education (but only while slotted in that building.
Ideas for the Farthest Future:
Eventually 1.0 will come out and it will be awesome. I would guess eventually you would want to make DLCs, and those DLCs would have to be something that’s not just a bit extra to the game we already play. So what they could be is entirely new regions, with their own map types, seasons, crops, resources, building types, etc. A new experience in a familiar game. Some ideas could include:
- Middle East/Northern Africa: Map types could include Oases, Flood Plains (Nile), etc. Less wood, at least early on, could make Clay and Reeds the primary building materials instead of logs. Cows could be less common, but Sheep and Shepherds could take their place. A scorching flooding Summer could take the place mechanically of Winter. Incense Plants could be foraged to create Incense, a luxury good. Aqueducts could be built to bring water from far-flung oases. Slings and stone bullets take the place of bows and arrows. Dyes & Dyed luxury clothing, Pomegranates, Oil Lamps, etc.
- East/South-East Asia: No wheat, but farms built next to a river can be irrigated to grow Rice. Silk Worms can be collected to create Silk, to be made into luxury Clothing. Jade can be mined by tier 2 work camps and, later, Quarries, to create luxury items. Orchards could work more like Farms, with a number of crop variants of different variables of fruit groups, like Citrus, Melons, etc. Dyes could be combined with Ceramics to create luxury goods (Ceramics could be a lower level good on its own, so Luxuryception). Paper Money could be created from Paper and Dyes, and increase improved Market income as well as be a higher level Luxury Good.
- Central/Southern Americas: No more Iron! We don’t need it anymore. We can now mine Obsidian for level 2 arrows and Weapons. Jewelry can be wrought from gold ore. Maize is our staple crop. Llamas are the only domesticatable large livestock, but produce Wool over their lifetime. Hunters can slot multiple workers to hunt Tapir. Guinea Pigs can reduce house waste, until they are used for a small amount of meat, as a Utility Good in certain level shelters (bred in another building). Plaster can be mined for higher level building material. City expansion in higher tiers can be made on lakes, Tiered Farms made on steep hills, and river shallows can allow Panning for mineral resources.