Just a quick idea…
How would it be to have a mode where by one can start in a early stage of a town… be it fiishing village, merchant town, fortress town, citadel, city, etc…
What do you think?
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I could see how it might appeal to some. To me it would be the equivalent of skipping the first 2 or 3 chapters of book. Besides the basic start is a good way to get players used to the tools they’ll need for survival. Making stockpiles, harvesting resources, building up the army/defenses. It may be a way to speed things along for folks that are just “over it”, just not my cup of tea.
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On the other hand, trying to fix up an older town which is already “set in stone” can be a much greater challenge than starting from a clean slate. It depends on the state of the town, of course – having things like a blacksmith’s forge and a tavern already build is a big leg-up, even if you have to train the hearthlings to fill those jobs. However, if that tavern is poorly placed so that the hearthlings spend inordinate times walking to and from meals; or the blacksmithy is in a place that’s vulnerable to goblin raids… those issues don’t always make themselves immediately apparent; but they can cripple an otherwise very advanced town.
I’d love to see some scenarios later on which are more than just a leg-up; more like a few mini-campaigns which extend on the tutorials. Showing players what not to do is just as important as showing players the best way to do something; and having these scenarios with poorly planned towns is a great way to teach players about those pitfalls while wrapping the whole thing up with a story (and an added sense of achievement for solving the puzzle.)
I do like the idea of “quick-start” towns as well though; I’d probably never use them since they’d have to be hand-built and I much prefer exploring what the game procedurally generates… but all the same I can see the appeal for another kind of player and I reckon they’d be useful for some other things like mod testing.
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Oooooh good point!! Kinda like the game Townsmen, has different scenarios which present the players with a set of circumstances they have to deal with along with the terrain. Like needing a large store of food to keep your folks alive through the winter, droughts, outbreaks of disease, fires, or preparing for certain events.
“Quick-start” towns could be an easier way to ease newer players into dealing with certain game conditions.
Hmmm…okay @YetiChow ya changed my mind. This is a great idea!!
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I loved back when we did the “turn-based multiplayer” where we all took turns adding to a save file that we passed back and forth. Having an already functioning town let you mostly focus on building. I imagine scenarios could do the same, but a military battle scenario could be pretty cool, too.
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Yes - exactly That is something that gave me the idea, amongst others
Also, I like your point @coasterspaul
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Okay the more I see this thread the better this idea gets lol. This is an ideal way of giving players Tutorials on how to deal with certain tasks without just dumping them in the middle of nowhere with some food and a few tools. Also a great way to deliver more lore into the story. Maybe we could have “flashback” scenarios with founders like Rayya (to cover crafting) and Cid (to cover combat).
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Oooh, that’s brilliant – actually playing with Cid or Rayya as your advisors, with the player taking on the role of the “first new generation” of leaders; so there’s a good reason for these people to be telling you exactly what to do. As you continue through the tutorial/campaign they fade more into the background and you take over starting to make more decisions, and absorbing their advice into your own play-style as you see fit.
It’s a great way to give players direction on not just the basics but also the over-arching narrative – explaining why something is a good idea, or how a mechanic is supposed to work (or at least what it was originally envisioned as). So it’s not just a random “thou shalt plant carrots in your second day of settlement” command from the tutorial; rather it’s Cid’s wisdom being passed directly to you to help you understand why carrots are a great thing to plant ASAP.
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