So this is a linked topic in response to the Dev Blog update and this post which was posted on the stonehearth site.
Vincent Oostelbos • 17 minutes ago
I like this a lot! I was skeptical at first when you started talking about the “AI Gamemaster”, because that remains one of the aspects of the game I am least excited about (I much prefer the freestyle roguelike-like approach where if you’re unlucky, you will run into that dragon very early on and just be wiped out, over the gameplay-oriented approach where your opponents and other challenges scale with the strength of your town). However, the actual update was fantastic, with the goblin camp and the shakedown and such. I especially hope the camps will be somewhat active, and the goblins will do more than just run around—maybe they also need to find food and resources, to some extent, and so you can see them be busy and autonomous. Looking forward to this in-game!
So my response to this was an idea to have the camps grow in parallel with your own town. They would also gather resources (cut down trees, mine, trap, etc) which would eventually lead to a point in which you would need to war against the town for resources. Maybe there’s only a little forest left in the map and you need more wood… Or maybe you are trying to defend the last place where valuable minerals are and the Goblins are trying to take control over it.
Idk…I literally had a brain explosion when I suggested it. It would add such a great depth to strategy and how you interact with other villages… Seriously would be an EPIC addition!!!
I could see the gathering of resources as a possibility… only because having a “scripted” stockpile appear every now and then that can hold the ever increasing harvested goblin goods seems more likely than having the unit randomly start construction on new buildings (although that too would be stellar)…
either way, I too would love to see these camps become more than a passing concern… and if left to their own devices could start to have a major impact on the landscape…
Yeah I have a feeling Radient already has this idea in mind Watch in a couple alphas there’s going to be full scale wars between 3+ factions in one map!
With what Radient has already given us…I wouldn’t be suprised if that ended up being the case!!!
Radient…you guys are seriously amazing…such a worthwhile investment!!! Even if the game were to “stop” i’d still enjoy the game as it is. Again I am dumbfounded at how well you guys have handled this game…AND IT’S STILL IN ALPHA!!! Srsly…mind blown…time and time again!
I’ll back thatbup too. For an Alpha its so enjoyable, even with the bugs. Some of which are enjoyable, its funny seeing Hearthlings sleeping in invisible beds
I really hope the AI camps come to life. Faction wars will be so much fun and it gives the mods something to do.
Thanks for making this thread @christiazn0321! (For those who aren’t aware, I’m that Vincent character from the OP.) I am reminded of a mod request I once made, from which sprang a discussion on how feasible this sort of thing was in a game like Stonehearth. Might be an interesting read for those… interested. Ahem.
Anyway, I hope some of this will make it in. It might be difficult to go all the way with it as I was hoping back when I made that linked topic, but perhaps some middle ground will be attainable. The more (and the more honest the) simulation, the better, as far as I’m concerned.
Watch in a couple alphas there’s going to be full scale wars between 3+ factions in one map!