Okay, either I’m TERRIBLE at searching for things on this board, or maybe I’m just blind. Either way, I’d love to know if there are any plans to have classed workers (e.g. the carpenter) join in on the basic work while they have nothing queued up specifically for their class? It feels kind of dumb to have them just hang around, while the rest of the peeps are chopping up wood, bringing and moving things around, building houses etc.
From what was mentioned this type of system is not planned. The main motivation behind the classes is that upgrading them has a pay off. “Do I really want a carpenter? Can I manage with one less worker?” that sort of thing. It adds a bit more strategy to the game, having to balance resource production with good manufacturing.
Fair enough! That’s a good point I didn’t really consider. Having said that, is there any plans for a way to de-class workers then, given there truly isn’t a necessity for, let’s say a trapper for the sake of argument, one after a while?
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There are plans to allow for demoting classes (and there is a little code written in the classes now that would allow for this) but the exact system hasn’t been disclosed yet.
Radiant has stated that they don’t want you to be able to constantly change classes every time you need something (such as making a trapper to harvest a few bunnies than make him something else), so there will be some sort of limitations around it.
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Only makes sense to have at the very least some sort of quota for how many times you can de-class individuals, if at all. I’d imagine it being frustrating for even the worker to get promoted, demoted, only to be promoted again. So mechanics wise it makes sense to have a certain limit to all of it, even when considering the workers as something other than just fodder for our greater plans.
My plans have failed. . .
Oh God! I hated, HATED that scene that they added. In the original there’s no “Nooooo!!”, and that’s how it should be!
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Yeah, I agree. And I was watching it on TV and when Greedo shot first, I was like ARGH. It didn’t even go the way he was pointing the gun!
aye, limits or penalties of some sort… there will always be the case of “oh crud! I didn’t really need a trapper”, so you take some sort of penalty if you demote the unit…
but I like the idea of having to make those meaningful profession choices…
I like the idea of having to make those meaningful profession choices
For someone. Hehe, well regardless, this makes up an interesting point. Will the workers at any point have any personal preferences visible? This most likely would be tied to their abilities, and might serve as a great way to introduce some to which stats are worthwhile for what workers. For example, having someone want to be the carpenter could be in their bio, but would only be guidance (as in, their preference reflects their abilities, and how they’d be utilized the most efficiently) without any penalty for making them something else other than a carpenter. They might also change a bit as need changes, and their attributes would serve beneficially as something else at a later time, given a carpenter has already been established.
Redundancies aside, that could be an interesting consideration!
as some character background, sure… i like this… 
but i wouldnt want it to influence which unit might be better at being one type of profession… the team has mentioned something to this effect as well (i believe the example was having a big burly unit with a glorious beard, who would be perfect for magma smith… and the player feeling obligated to turn him into one)…
But if the workers have stats that have real effects on their abilities, wouldn’t this be the case regardless? Otherwise the bio would just be garnish, and the numbers would be pretty meaningless. As a benevolent overlord, I’d imagine individual abilities should be utilized for the benefit of the hive.
What I referred to would be just a sheer numerical “fact” or guidance. It would be veiled under the workers’ “preference”. So people who aren’t prone to numbers, and immersing into the mechanics of games, would have an easier time figuring out what unit is the most suitable for a certain profession (for the time being). This would also help with avoiding cosmetic-based decision making. Also proactive in possibly avoiding gender typing with labour division in the game (definitely a small concern, but I always appreciate the proper leveling of the gender playground), because a female worker might be factually “better” being a magma smith, than that burly red bearded fellow! Sure, it wouldn’t force anyone’s hand, but would help with first-time players, and with the more “casual” gamer community, who aren’t as good with RPGs and/or RTSs, let alone their hybrids.
That makes me think of Pixel Piracy and how it says what they were and are.