How to Decide what The Buildings are Made Out Of (Realistic)

[theonlywanderer]

Brad, you keep hinting on the idea of new players having problems not fully understanding things and messing up.

I have to ask, what's the problem with that?   

Banished is not real life and isn't going to start a thermonuclear war if something is placed wrong.  So what, a few resources were wasted trying to figure something out.   I consider myself a pretty advanced player with MM8.01, yet I still stumble around trying to remember all the different buildings and what they do.   That's part of the fun of the game, discovering new things, making mistakes, learning with each new map.

It's not a bad thing that new players struggle, it's fully expected with a game like Banished.

[brads3]

true but we don't want them too overwhelmed so they stop playing.more players the better. they bring new ideas and also the potential for more modders. i think there is room for both advanced and basic building mods.

[elemental]

The problem you describe with sorghum and the mill could be avoided if modders put a bit more info in the building description that we see before we build. For example, " This mill processes wheat, corn, barley, and oats". This is something that has been improving, but there are some mods that say almost nothing about what the building does.

I agree that a situation like this is not a huge problem. We've probably all done something similar without too much drama. Actually I would say having a bit of a challenge and a learning curve is better than everything being too easy and no challenge at all. If there is no challenge and no learning involved - nothing to discover - people will get bored.

[Necrolex]

Hi!

This is a topic I've been looking for for a while now, as I'm trying to get into the world of mod creators. Whether I'll succeed, only time will tell.

I want to share an idea I've been thinking about to simulate the use of new materials. It's about using points, similar to what you'd find in RPGs.

For example:

A simple building costs 10 points. I would have a table of resources and labor to be used for this building.

The table would show that I need a certain amount of wood, builders, and also the benefit of having that building. Each required item on the list has a cost, and this cost cannot exceed 10.

This would scale for more advanced buildings.

Imagine the player wants a warmer house that requires less fuel. The point cost would be much higher because we can assume that to better treat the wood or stone, the labor would be done by more people, as if they were specialized professionals among the builders instead of a completely new profession added to the game.

So, in a vague example, a house that provides more heat and requires less fuel would need 20 points, or more.

Do you see what I'm getting at with this idea? It's as if the player is paying a specialized "Builder" to construct the "Cozy" house, even if this professional isn't a new entity actually added to the game through the mod.

If anyone is interested in discussing this, I'll come back to provide more examples and ideas.

[RedKetchup]

the modding system is very very basic, you are presently looking for something that exceeding what the developper allowed us. your idea is more about programming than modding.

You can't change the game, just add things

[Necrolex]

I'm speaking from the perspective of the people who create the Mods.
It wouldn't be the player's choice to pay so much, but the Mod creator's choice to put in the necessary materials, as has always been done.

When I talk about a table, I'm referring to the materials that the creator will put as required items to build the constructions. I mean standardizing how the required material is chosen.
The creator creates a new building and consults the table to see which and how many materials that building will need to be constructed according to the benefit it will provide. The same goes for the 'negative' side due to the time to finish the work. The more work and material it takes to be built, the more benefit points and the higher the building's level.
If a Level 1 building costs 10 points, then it needs to reach 10 points and not exceed those points.
Players will play the same way they always have, but Mod creators will have something to follow when it's time to set the cost for each construction.

[angainor88]

I think most modders have their own charts where they keep track of similar statistics. I'm not sure making all of us get together to make a standardized spreadsheet we all have to follow would really work, since we all have our own way of doing things. You can see my charts here, but I don't want everyone to have to follow my vague reasons for why things cost that much.

[RedKetchup]

go check Choo choo mod i did in the past