A.1. “Allowed Area Designation” should be available so that the player would be able to impose a user designated constraint on the hearthlings - preventing a single soldier with no direct order from assaulting a rock golem (RIP Soldiers) or desist a weaver from going and picking up a skullcap of a deceased goblin that was killed by a couple of giant Zombies(RIP weaver). - there is no way that the player could click the “Do not loot” button on all the objects on a map, nor do this player care for it. - hearthlings will stay in the designated area unless were ordered to move to a different area. #zone
A.2. “Allowed Area Designation” method could be managed through a beacon, A marker pole or a Totem that has a settable range #Totem
A.3. Once two separate areas were designated, hearthlings will opt to go through the shortest and friendliest route between them in a way that will allow totems or areas to form a safe route marker for pathing. #pathing
A.4. All pickable objects that fall from monsters or are too close to monsters should have a “Do not automatically loot” flag set to them. Maybe monsters could pick loot up and add to their own hoarded treasure? Maybe monsters “turn off” the auto-pickup setting for loot when it gets in their detection range? idk, these are things to consider I just don’t want my dwarves… um, hearthlings going mano-a-mano against a friggen stone giant. #Loot
B.1. Dig Designation should shine through the terrain so it’d be easier to carve stairs in the rock. #Dig
B.2. Planning Mode for digging or other general tasks. I would like to suggest a back and forth, toggle switch button to Isometric view for precision digging and building placing to make life easier. #Isometric
C.1. Lava Furnaces, Forges, Kilns and industry based on harnessed geothermal power. #Lava
C.2. Water Power - Mills and general appliances and industry. #Hydro
C.3.a. Wind Power - Mills and general appliances and industry. #Wind
C.2/3.b. gears, relays and transmissions to get the energy around. #Gears
C.4.a. Arcane Power - Suicidal development ensues! Local Gates, Portals to other realms, Soul-ge… erm… Spirit-Onyx(or what ever other name for a mana battery you may want), Man-Traps, necromancy, cursed chairs and blessed squirrels goes here. - every classroom needs cursed chairs to keep students sitting in silence for 45 minutes! A must have, no doubt. #Mana
C.4.b. Would be nice to have schools of magic to profess in, Devine and Abysmal, Natural and Artificial. #Arcane
D.1. Retractable bridges and portcullises, powered by any of the methods described under C section. #RB
D.2. Lifted bridges and portcullises, powered by any of the methods described under C section. #LB
E. Farmable everything, as long as tech and resources allow. #Farm
F. Ladders from other materials. Ropes, Bones, Metal, Straw Reinforced Clay. #Ladders
Disclaimer: some of these are my ideas while some are commonly in use… I don’t care, I just hope that the game will be a bit more playable, deeper and fun. 
Cheers, Tuxu.