Vintage Story: March Wishlist

[Tyron]

Let's continue the wish list thing that I stopped a year ago!

As before, any of the features may be implemented eventually, what's important though is what we should focus on first of all.

[Milo Christiansen]

Mechanical power for the win! Currently it has a clear majority

[Novocain]

Mechanical automation is cool and all, but the focus right now should be on survival mechanics.

[redram]

I voted for crafting stuff, but I'd add armor into that.  I think armor would be greatly appreciated, especially as we get new hostile mobs.    I'm not even entirely sure how you do mechanical power without also making mechanics for it to power, which will surely involve various crafts?  I mean, windmills with nothing to drive won't probably impress many...

[MarcAFK]

Animals should be nerfed significantly untill armour comes into effect. My own thoughts is that more survival features should be added, something that gives you more to do. Though the current survival game is already quite good, but what's the point?

Well in multiplayer at least there's always contributing to a community, major construction projects etc, but what more is there to do in single player after reaching the end of the tech tree?

Minecraft has more exploration potential, finding strongholds, nether forts, then the end cities. Ruins serve a similar purpose, but maybe there could be something a little more connected between them, rather than just some rocks and a chance at getting some loot, even if it's just a little plot.

[Ivan]

My instinctual preference is always for creative tools and blocks, but with players doing such great stuff on the servers, I think survival should be the focus. 

[Ivan]

3 hours ago, MarcAFK said:

Ruins serve a similar purpose, but maybe there could be something a little more connected between them, rather than just some rocks and a chance at getting some loot, even if it's just a little plot.

More ruins will be added, but specific things will have to wait for plot development. In the interim guidelines for ruins are that they are not alternatives to players building their own creations, and that they provide a lifeline in the tough early phase of solo survival. I cannot reveal much, only that the current ruins are a mix of the remains of pre-disaster civilizations and cultures, and more ancient cultures that preceded them. Within that there is plenty of scope for further development, and beyond that there will be loads of possibilities. 

[tony Liberatto]

First question. Does the forum software allow for a pool with multiple votes, like a priority? It would be cool to see what is the second and third most voted in a pool like that. This way we could vote on what we want first but also what we want second. and third.

I voted for more blocks, the main reason is that right now the buildings are kind of boring in survival, I know we have a lot of blocks in creative but they have not been added to the survival game.

I am no coder, but it gives me the impression that once the game has a block variations on the same block are somewhat easier to introduce than whole new mechanics.

It's a simplification, but like just copying the class of one stone type and just changing the name of the file and the references inside the file, adding a texture and how it will be generated.

Again I am no coder, but I believe it would be faster to add to the game, and there are a lot of other things that would benefit from that.

For example, to have ores and mineral spawning on the correct rock types we need first to have all those rock types spawning in the world.

What good is to add transportation if there is no need to travel long distances?

[Stroam]

• Building blocks are fairly trivial. This from the person that adds a bunch of blocks from his mods.
• Skills shouldn't be a thing until there's stuff to tie into. Right now 70% or more of the game is devoted to smithing.
• Seasons are a really big deal. There's a reason they weren't being included in TFC2. Seasons require dynamic environments which is difficult in any game. To take advantage of seasons each chunk will need calculations done on it each time it's loaded, at least if you want it to feel like seasons are more than weather effects.
• mechanical power would be cool but the timing isn't right. As soon as you give players high tech features they always want more and from what I understand we're trying to keep this more feudal.
• Crafting mechanics would definitely add more depth to the game right now.
• Not enough stuff to fight to worry about combat right now.
• Graphics I'm sure is one of your loves and you could spend years on but it's really good as it is right now.
• animal transportation and husbandry are actually near the top of my modding list.
• Villagers aren't really needed because there isn't much to do.
• Transport mechanics I feel if you don't entrench early on in the game it's going to feel like a burden later rather than a game mechanic. Like you said, people don't like it when you take away things from them. For instance, everyone hated when gregtech changed the recipes to make vanilla items more difficult but didn't mind when it took more of that item to complete gregtech recipes.
• Story is so intangible right now no one is going to vote for it unless you rename it to exploration.

[Tyron]

14 hours ago, redram said:

I'm not even entirely sure how you do mechanical power without also making mechanics for it to power, which will surely involve various crafts?

It's a chicken and egg problem. One needs another to have its potential fully realized.

10 hours ago, tony Liberatto said:

First question. Does the forum software allow for a pool with multiple votes, like a priority?

There's multiple choice but with no limits, so useless

10 hours ago, tony Liberatto said:

I voted for more blocks, the main reason is that right now the buildings are kind of boring in survival, I know we have a lot of blocks in creative but they have not been added to the survival game.

 

7 hours ago, Stroam said:

Villagers aren't really needed because there isn't much to do.

A simple trading hut with one villager would be my plan  to make creative only blocks available to the survival player.

 

7 hours ago, Stroam said:

• Story is so intangible right now no one is going to vote for it unless you rename it to exploration.

Should have probably made that a separate point for that, named World Generation / Exploration

[tony Liberatto]

Let's put some order to this list in a way that makes sense for coding, gameplay, and development:

1.  A greater variety of building blocks.
   1. More rock Types
   2. More tree types.
   3. More Ore types.
   4. Generate all that in the survival world.
2. Transport mechanics, such as horses, boats or minecrafts ( I think you meant Minecarts).
   1. Now there is a reason to explore far away and transportation will be needed and welcome. 
   2. Even though Minecarts are moving entities I put them in a different category than boats and Horses. I see them as a mining mechanic.
3. Farming/Environment related mechanics, such as seasons and weather ( 2 items in one)
   1. Latitude and Seasons.
      1. At first just as a visual effect. Going North you will find colder vegetation and finally snow and the Tundra.
      2. Going South you will find Tropical Plants and some hot deserts. Unless you pass the equator line and keep going south.
      3. Change the default spawn point from 0,0 to a temperate Northern point or give the player the choice to choose Spawn Latitudes.
   2. Now that we have Seasons we can add specific vegetation and animals for those temperatures
      1. Farming would be dependant on the weather, with the player concern about the first frost.
4. Player mechanics, such as skills, nutrition system or specializations.
   1. Nutrition should now be added as Farming will only make sense if the player actually needs to eat grains, Fruits, and vegetables.
5. Animal Husbandry: Ability to transport creatures and to multiply them and/or gather additional resources from them.
   1. Now that we have a Nutrition System we need to add Dairy, so we can have farm animals. 
6. More crafting mechanics, such as leather tanning and cooking.
   1. Makes no sense to add Cooking before we add Nutrition.
   2. No sense in improving Leather before weather and seasons. Now is the time to add environment effects, such as cold and hot that the player suffers, so they would need Hides and Hemp/fiber clothes for the Hot climate. And HATS, we definitely want HATS. 
7. Technical Stuff, like mechanical power.
   1. The reason to get Mechanical power, to grind resources such as grains.
   2. Now that Farming is such an issue, Irrigation would give another reason for the Mechanical power.
8. Better Combat mechanics, such as armor and alternatives to spam-clicking to attack
   1. Cool to have, but it can be added slowly as more creatures are added to the game. 
   2. Now that we have a leather tanning system we can have some leather armor, from that we can evolve into the metal armor that needs lots of leather strips to hold in place.
9. Villages, Interactable NPC and Trading.
   1. Villages are exciting, especially when they have unique items that can only be obtainable from them.
   2. An NPC trading Booth would be great for those yet not available in survival blocks.
10. More Story rich experience (readable texts, dungeons, ruins, etc.)
    1. that's another one that does not really change gameplay, so it can be added slowly when the Devs are bored and want to do something different. Good to have but not a must.

 

 

 

 

[redram]

One thing that is not on this list that I feel is extremely important:  maps.  minimap, and ore maps.  It would basically eliminate my sign-spamming if I could mark ores on a map instead.  Honestly with the way ores work this is going to be crucial to whether or not players enjoy the ore hunting mechanic as it stands.  

Also, I posted this in novo's thread, but probably should have posted it here instead (I've added maps here though):

I think it'd be best to work on basic crafting mechanics first.  I agree with Stroam that skills aren't a lot of use without something to tie them to, plus they don't really provide any 'wow' factor as far as advertising goes.  The one exception I could see is smithing - a simple smithing skill with simple durability bonus for tools and weapons would be addable right now.  I don't know that I'd recommend climate right now, as I do think it's probably helpful to playtesting to be able to see a variety of biomes quickly.  On the other hand, if detailed climate tie-ins are planned for animals and crops, it may need to come in sooner rather than later.

I would suggest the following general strategies for updates.  Phase 1 generally tries to get parity with TFC, phase 2 goes beyond:

LEATHER UPDATE

Phase 1 - leather making process, basic (grid) leather crafting, animal domestication, bones as handles, basic leather products (armor, quiver, saddle, bellows).  horses and cows.

Phase 2 - Non-grid crafting method for leather (and maybe cloth and metal as well depending on how it works exactly), involved butchering system to get leather and other animal goods, more leather products (clothing, containers, etc)

MAPS & MATERIALS - try and incorporate anything that may be needed in the future, so that we don't constantly be having to regen worlds or travel to gen new chunks. Also some misc, and maps.  I just don't think most players are going to have a chance of enjoying the ore system until there is a way for them to map it.

see stone & ore suggestion post

Also hot springs, natural sapling growth, and chisel for making smooth stone at least.

Inventory limiting system (either summed or class based), basic transport (carts, boats)

maps (minimap and ore maps)

FOOD SYSTEM

Phase 1 - quern, food decay, food preservation, wild crop growth, fruit trees, alcohol, strawberries

Phase 2 - stove, baking oven, other more complicated cooking tools and methods, nut trees, nutrition and food benefit system

METAL SYSTEM

Phase 1 - iron anvil, metal sheets, steel making process, anvil, tools, & weapons, armor making, crucible system, more weapons

Phase 2 - whatever materials are beyond steel.  Special smithing processes such as case hardening and pattern welding, possibly more advanced transport

MACHINERY

Phase 1 - basic machinery - windmill, water wheel, horsepower, treadmill.   Basic powered machinery (knock hammer, stamp mill, quern is already made, potting wheel)

Phase 2 - mid game machinery - steam and combusiton (alcohol) engines.  various smithing machinery, steam powered mining machinery

 

That's my suggestion for a general update strategy.  Complete the basic systems that will get parity with TFC, and also go beyond where appropriate.  Would also be great to get at least one new mob per major update.  Leather and food are so basic I think they deserve to be finished before the 'flashy' stuff, though the phase 2 stuff could be put off in most cases.  Getting world-genned stuff in game early is better imo, just to avoid re-genning as much as possible.  Machinery is flashy and a good advertising though, so that too needs to come in, and I could see it coming in earlier perhaps, in the basic forms.

[DMKW]

Tough choices.  Especially with how they are laid out.  I think armour creation is pretty important right now but I don't think new combat mechanics are.  I think dungeon and cave revamps are really important right now and I assume they would only appear with unvisited chunks, forcing game restarts to have them near spawn.  However I don't think story elements are really important right now.  As much as I can't wait for mechanical stuff its almost better to leave it for later and builds anticipation.  I agree with those above who argue for a more realistic progression.  Armour really is needed sooner than later and cooking/preserving, animal husbandry take priority with maybe new blocks and smaller things spread into each update as they come.  

[tony Liberatto]

I think is time to revive this list. 
Maybe even to establish some kind of roadmap.
For me, right now one of the things that are a high priority is some kind of NEI/JEI system, where the player can easily find out how to make all the blocks, item and tools.