Quality and Variety of Life Suggestions

[Vahla]

Howdy, I’m a super casual StoneHearther. I pop into play (2-3 hours depending on bugs/performance) ever other release or so and I’ve just tried out the unstable build 14. I would like to offer some suggestions after my latest session.

Quality of Life:

• You should be able to view the new settler’s stats who wants to join your kingdom. Sometimes your food usage is right on the edge of growing or not growing, but the new person may not be usable as a farmer yet to help out.

• Traders or pending trade quests should have a separate window/icon from the existing ! notification icon. I use notifications to look for level ups or danger warnings but the pending stuff just makes it always highlighted.

• There should be either a building (or more preferably) an object that you can build that allows you to designate a room/area (I like to make caves instead of houses) as the main place where new villagers spawn at. This is to prevent them spawning next to a goblin camp and then bringing all the goblins to base. Make a slightly developed item to spice up those first early few days.

• The clay titles should have an alternate version that is 4x4 along with the 3x3. As mentioned above, I prefer to build in caves and cave walls are naturdally 4x4.

Variety of Life:

• I tried out Rayya’s children (in a desert biome) faction this time and I love their concept; however, I think it needs to go a step further. Disallow them from learning carpenter at all. There might be one or two items you have to add to potter class (to support buildings) but I think it would help lock in the Rayya’s building style.

• To make up for no carpenter class, allow them to build/designate an item/building as a trading post and have a rotating set of 2 to 4 items that are always on sale there. Also allow a set amount of selling to the trading post per day, but always at worse prices than what you could save up and sale to a trader event. If you want make it a class a hearthling can be assigned to, maybe? Not sure how leveling up would work on that one.

• Allow hearthlings to be “traded” or “sent off” to other factions (might need this in multiplayer later?). As a result of this trade you gain a certain amount of gold (or other items) and maybe improve relations with that faction? It sounds crazy but it lets you trade out lower stat characters for hopefully higher stat ones in the future. Adds more player choice while giving the illusion that the player is gaining from this action.

These were just some thoughts I came up with while enjoying my latest session. I see that there have been several hotfixes in the last 24 hours so I will give it another go and hopefully not have wolves and goblins spawn inside my cave structures. Thanks for taking the time to read and I look forward to any discussion this generates.

[coasterspaul]

@Vahla

I tried out Rayya’s children (in a desert biome) faction this time and I love their concept; however, I think it needs to go a step further. Disallow them from learning carpenter at all.

I think even worse than all the things in the game they wouldn’t be able to do if that change was made right now is the fact that it limits the player’s choices. If someone wants to take down what few trees are in the desert and spend their hard-earned cash buying more wood to make their Rayya’s Children a bit cozier, that’s their decision. It shouldn’t be easy, though. The economy definitely needs some balancing.

[Vahla]

Well, that’s a fair observation. Perhaps the time I had played them was to short but it just felt like they a step away from doing this already considering how difficult it is to get the carpenter in the early game.

I also like the idea of each faction having something completely unique to effect the play style (which they are already doing). Potter for Rayya’s, carpenter for all-rounder faction (who’s name I just went blank on), and maybe a weapon/military crafter for the 3rd faction.

[jomaxro]

@Vahla

Traders or pending trade quests should have a separate window/icon from the existing ! notification icon. I use notifications to look for level ups or danger warnings but the pending stuff just makes it always highlighted.

Yes, yes, YES! I am in 100% agreement with you on this, especially with the increase of combat in Alpha 14, I want a clear differentiation between combat notifications and “Joe is now a level 6 carpenter”.

@Vahla

You should be able to view the new settler’s stats who wants to join your kingdom. Sometimes your food usage is right on the edge of growing or not growing, but the new person may not be usable as a farmer yet to help out.

This is an interesting idea. I am not sure if the current system really supports it, as I believe their stats are generated when they spawn, which doesn’t happen until you click accept. I could be wrong…but I think it is something worth looking into.

@Vahla

There should be either a building (or more preferably) an object that you can build that allows you to designate a room/area (I like to make caves instead of houses) as the main place where new villagers spawn at. This is to prevent them spawning next to a goblin camp and then bringing all the goblins to base. Make a slightly developed item to spice up those first early few days.

Something for @linda to see. I agree that this is more of an issue in Alpha 14 than ever before as there are naturally more enemies roaming the map.