[Alpha 8] Some Building/Generic Bugs/Thoughts

Support Previous Build Reports
1

I’m completely new to this game as of Alpha 8, but I’ve spent a good amount of time this weekend playing around with the system want to post what I’ve seen and some additional thoughts.

Bugs:

  • Build Mode:
    • Placing decorative objects:
      • Tapestry/Banners/Curtains (same behaviour for all 3 items):
      • Sometimes when clicking [what I believe to be] an appropriate wall for adding a tapestry, the tapestry disappears on click (but remains in my inventory/stock piles).
      • It takes multiple attempts of placing a tapestry before any of my workers actually place it.
      • The tapestry disappears once I change views for housing, exit the game, or alt-tab. It does not return to my inventory or stock piles, and no longer exists on my wall. The curtains behave the same, but the banners actually stay.
      • The ladders for placing these items do not go away (and since they are not "legit" ladders, I can't select and remove).
    • "Ghosting" Items in Build Mode:
      • After moving multiple items, I get stuck with lots of ghost items in the build menu. Items in their original places, and this seems to confuse the worker AI into thinking something is there, when there isn't.
      • I've had left over floating pieces of walls and/or shadows after building new buildings. These are blocks that aren't actually there, so the workers can't retrieve them.
    • Moving Workshops:
      • I've tried a few times now to move the workshops into buildings, and use those cute little signs to denote their dwellings. Each time I've done this (so far I've tried Weaver and BlackSmith), the workshop becomes unassigned. I tried to work around this by changing the appropriate crafter to a worker, then back to the job but to no avail. It appears that when the workshop is located in a building (or a Mine), no one will use it.
    • Thatch Roof:
      • What material is used for this? I can't seem to find any information using google or navigating the site. Each time I try to use it my workers can't finish (even if I have ample resources in each category currently in game).
  • Combat:
    • Occasionally I've had goblins steal some items, head off into the woods, and just pow wow there until someone enters the area around them. Not sure if this is intentional, or they are bugging out. Typically once they burn the items they run back to take more. When party members die, you cannot remove them from the party.
  • General:
    • Idle workers, I've seen many topics regarding this and am just confirming I have the same problem. I've had one worker get stuck on a roof but her graphic disappeared, so I read that she was starving to death but couldn't figure out where she actually was.
Some **suggestions** (many of these might already be on the way in the far future, I'm sure):
  • Build Mode:
    • Is it possible to lessen the brightness of the color demarcations for build mode? Right now it is the red cross hatch area, it makes it very hard to see what orientation items are when being placed. Similarly, if the objects were more opaque when being placed this would help as well.
    • Ability to remove buildings once they have been placed.
    • Ability to move entire buildings.
    • Ability to mine behind buildings if they are placed too close to other world blocks.
    • Ability to select and remove ladders that workers use to hang decorative items.
    • In crafting windows, list of # of materials in inventory. Related to this, some type of warning when you queue up a craft you do not have resources for.
    • Possible ability to select resources? For instance if you have copper but no iron, the ability to make some basic copper weapons/armor (and have them be less desirable stats-wise)
    • Ability to have columns sans walls. [Added this on Edit]
  • Combat:
    • Ability to direct Hearthlings toward or away from battle. I've had many Hearthlings die because they fought just outside the town outskirts, so no back up ran over with the town defense option on. Health gauge hover on all characters in battle, instead of pop up as a heart portion depletes.
    • Perhaps little words like Blocked! Dodged! Critical Hit! or something down the line during combat (or damage numbers). Not sure if Devs have already addressed if this is something they want or not.
  • General:
    • Bug Reporting:
      • Easier way to submit actual error dialgoue outside of screen shots, maybe something like a copy+paste and bug report email? Not sure how these could be implemented from a coding stand point, but it'd be more user friendly.
      • Auto-Save Option
      • Keybindings:
        • Ability to define user key settings (would like to see options for changing the building view/speeding up time ala Sims).
        • Using the delete key to remove items, CTRL Z to undo a placement, etc.

Please let me know if I’ve posted in error.

2 Likes
2

Lots of good points. For combat direction, you can make a party (I do this to make a party of my footmen). Then, you can plant their flag right in a group of goblins.

If I rely just on the general alarm, my footmen are usually so far away from the goblins, that they’re the last to get there. Possibly losing a worker or two in the process. Hopefully, this will improve when we can assign specific patrol routes for them.

Conversely, you can make a party of everyone else to send them back to the safety of camp.

3

I’ve had this exact one a couple of times now, before I worked it out. What happened was you had your cutaway view enabled (to let you see inside mines etc). This cleverly doesn’t chop roofs off of buildings (unless you drop it another level) but it does hide anything on top of a roof, so it’s easy to forget that it’s on, you can’t see anything on the roof but you can see the roof so you think there’s nobody up there, but actually someone is starving up there and you could easily save them by just building a ladder.

4

I actually happened to save the day before she ended up dying of starvation, so when she died I was able to see the tombstone on top of the building. I loaded the save the day before and built a ladder, and it took her almost an entire game day to come back down. I’m not sure if she stayed up there idling out or not, and did receive errors regarding “unable to locate entity”.

I will definitely keep this tip in mind though in the event I see it happening again!

5

I am using the party system (although the secondary party of villagers is a great idea and work around!) and have had soldiers die because they are the first to arrive to battle.

It’d be nice to have the option to distance the soldier from battle in the event they will be overwhelmed before the remaining party arrives.

6

Right now I have 4 fully armed soldiers and I park them right where I need them at the moment, so that works well (rather than let them wander to the back of the camp when they really need to be guarding the front).

To this point, it would be good if they’d break rank when they need to eat or sleep. (otherwise, you must babysit them)