I was thinking, when you spawn a doctor *or* a chef, they should request certain things they need, that would improve their services... For instance, a doctor could ask for a laboratory set up, with at least a desk and a computer to start with, and any other medical related items (Blood banks, vials of various liquids) could then improve the items the doctor could provide you with. Same goes for the chef, maybe he could start to sell complete meals, instead of just ingredients.. Perhaps cheaper, and better meals with an improved kitchen... Guards could have a base camp deal... Something to improve moral while on patrol (a camp fire), somewhere to rest when injured (tents, bedrolls) The comfortable environment could boost the strength of your guards! On a side note, I think that guards should start with crappy gear... You should have to provide for them, if you want them in good shape. Armor should start at first tier, same with weapons. An equipment locker could be built, with a menu showing all your guards, and what they have on. Here you could give them gear you built, arm them with mighty weapons.. This too could be a quest, to prepare your troops, for a boss fight or something maybe? Also, guards should be race specific like villagers... Not sure why that isn't the case. I got a little bit off topic there, but ah well...
Anyone else have any ideas? There's gotta be someone out there lol. I want more reasons to build a base/town. Ways to improve it, beyond making it look fancy with various pointless items that I find at Apex facilities. Everything should have a purpose. On a side note, beds need to heal faster, at least improve as you make better ones... As they are, they simply look different. Once again, a pointless vanity feature. If I'm wrong about beds, and they do indeed improve as you make better ones... Then I haven't noticed lol. In the end you should be using healing tanks anyway... not beds. So yeah, anyone else have ideas?
Yes, this sort of thing should exist and as a part of a larger settlement building mechanic. Having a base full of NPCs with needs that include security, food, medical care and more would make base building feel like more than something you do when you are bored of digging holes through rocks. When experience and leveling is implemented (I think it is still planned) I would like to see it extended to NPCs. Higher end equipment could require more skilled NPCs to operate. The difficulty of recruiting or training high skill NPCs would be good motivation to take care of them. There have been some good threads about base building as a (n alternate) means of progression and I really hope the devs have been paying attention.
Not only NPCs, also certain objects could require construction around them. A generator is improved by solar panels or a windmill (is that the term?). Traps are improved by video surveillance. The clone crafting table (I'm making this up) is improved by eery tanks. Even the very easy way of "less pixel cost" would be great. Have a metal working station and a generator right next to it? Save on pixels!
Glad to see that others have the same idea, now the devs need to listen! The guard thing interests me most now. All npc gear needs to be customisable, and their strength should come from whatever you're able to give them, meaning they would pretty much be as strong as you. This should include non combat items for doctors and such... A way to train them, if the exp thing comes in, would be to take them with you on missions. It would be a risk, as they could die in battle, or return home all the more experienced. New crew members could be hired from various alien settlements, giving you the option to branch out into different races, should you want to do so. (at the moment most spawns are random in terms of race, which is silly imo, each race should be tied to spawn npc's of their own race) One more thought... Npc's could be directed to use interactive objects in a similar way as the 'N' magnifying glass function, where you simply look at things and say something depending on your races knowledge of said item. An npc could be spoken to, and an option to Command them could appear (maybe by holding E?), then a player would simply click on something (a chair, a bed, a healing chamber, an enemy to attack, a position to guard) and the Npc would use it. (or ignore you, depending on their disposition towards you.)
A generator is a good idea, I definitely would like to power my base somehow, and not just have electricity for no reason. Wires could be led from it to power things, and the generator itself could be upgraded, to then improve the function of the things it powers as you said. Generators could have various means of operating (directly fueled by coal etc, solar panels on the planets surface, or windmills for perma-dark planets, even hydro for ocean biomes)
I like this idea. Have the village level with you. Maybe the merchandise in the shops can improve too with the shopkeeper's level. I also want NPC's that can take care of farms for me (I like to raise as many crops as possible and as wide a variety of crops as I can find), so I second the idea of letting NPC's be able to interact with objects, and being able to direct NPC's. As for building objectives, I think a villager might want quests like: -Build x amount of new houses for our village. Each house has requirements (similar to Terraria) -Spawn us a chef/doctor/mechanic/more guards and build them a house -Build us a farm; these are the crops we want planted and here are some seeds -Build a fence around the town -Build a coop for our chickens so that they don't wander off at night -Build us a library to expand our knowledge (the reward could be new codexes, blueprints, and recipes appearing every now and then in the bookshelves, or a blueprint vendor moving in) -We need storage, Build us X number of storage containers -We get attacked a lot by monsters, build some traps -Build us a water well/water fountain -It's hard to see at night, build some more lighting -We need to stimulate the economy; here's a blueprint for market stalls, start building (as a result, you can either let existing NPC's become vendors, or vendors start to move in) Guards might want quests like: -Build us some traps to boost our defenses -Build a gate to keep monsters out -Build a weapon rack -More lighting = more safety, build some lights -Give us a tent or someplace we can sleep when switching shifts -Build us a tower so we can shoot at flying monsters, must be minimum X blocks high -Give us some storage lockers and put X amount of armor items, Y amount of guns, Z amount of melee weapons in them.
A reason to build farms for your town would also be nice. CF said that one of the main progression paths through the game, could be the life of a farmer. If that simply involves hording up produce and selling it for pixels, I'll be disappointed... "At this stage were introducing a new planet type called an outpost. A small and safe planet populated by members of every race. A safe haven for trade and quest taking. You’ll learn how to generate pixels through selling crops, taking quests, selling trophies found in dungeons and renting out houses in your settlement." At the moment you can pretty much get by never having to grow anything, it's just something to do when you're bored. However, I've seen many towns with a large creature locked in a barn, or a fenced off area with chickens. This too should be part of farming. There should be a way to gather items from creatures (milk from large mammal beasts, eggs from various alien chickens, maybe even furs and leather), and with the crops you grow, you should be able to/ have to feed them. These farm animals could be a rare spawn, much like the dog, traveling in herds across Savannah planets, waiting to be tamed. The game could take on a slight 'harvest moon' feel, and I think that would be awesome. Any ideas?
