the problem
If I build a house, I do this to house a specific villager.
Why? A crafter needs its own workshop building. I want it to sleep there, eat there, raise its family there etc.
If I build a castle and appoint a king, I dont want the local farmer sleeping in the royal chambers just because it was the nearest bed for him.
The problem is people walk around randomly, sleep where they like. Eat at the nearest table.
I care about this stuff. In a sandbox game where you make your own story, this should matter to us all.
How to solve it
But how do you do this without to much micro management?
You give the option to designate a home to one or more villagers.
Everything in the home belongs to those villagers. Only they will sleep in the beds inside the building or eat at the chairs.
Undesignated building can be used by everyone.
Pro’s:
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makes everyone more efficient (ability to have everyone sleep near their workplace and keeps them somewhat rooted to it. Since farmers will walk into mines to collect stone and so on)
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Towns become more organized and feel more real
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ability to make families (if babies are ever implemented then designating becomes a must)
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when villagers idle, they have a place to go(letting them stay in or near the house looks better than have them stand around in a random place)
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archers will have a place to stand guard. And will use archer tower(just thinking of the future)
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when towns become bigger all effects listed above will become even more beneficial. Otherwise there would be no structure and it would fall into chaos
Cons:
None
Conclusion
There could be allot of other solutions to this problem, but by designating buildings to villagers. You tackle multiply problems with one solution. Without adding any micromanagement. because its optional, but it will make the core gameplay and organization of your town much better.
Ps. please don’t say something like: "a farmer will probably sleep near its farm."
Because they never do.
Why? Oh just that it was helping out others by moving some wood. And slept in the carpenters bed, who was out building a house somewhere. so he stayed the night in the trappers house in the woods. But the trapper doesn’t mind he always sleeps in the weavers home. Because its the closest one to the fire pit and he idles there.
Ps. Sorry if I come off a little angry in this post, I am not. I just find this very important. You can make some cool cities but if the inhabitants don’t follow the “rules” of the city then whats the point of it all. If you make a hunting cabin but the trapper doesn’t use it. Then its just disappointing.
I hope you guys feel the same way