Here are several thoughts that have crossed my mind of late. I don’t see any particular theme, so I’m throwing them into this grab bag thread for lack of a better idea. Technically, there are probably a few spoilers for existing content in here, so reader beware.
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Content from special occasions (read “holidays”), like the recent Patriot profession, should probably go in the data/recycling folder alongside the old Halloween stuff. If such themed content is worth storing with releases, even if they’re disabled, then all such content probably deserves the same treatment. They should probably be packaged as mods, actually.
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Is there some particular reason Construction projects don’t use tool qualities the way Recipes do? I assume it’s intended but not yet implemented. As is, adding another hammer type (maul? mallet? ban hammer?) would require quite a few adjustments to construction.json.
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The barter system determines prices strangely. If you min/max a character to be a high-INT barter-monkey, you can end up selling items to NPCs for negative dollars. The price formula should scale for arbitrary skill/attribute values. Maybe something along the lines of
where k is some constant and the “modified barter score” is some function of INT, barter rank, and applicable traits. So long as the “barter score” function is linear, the price should scale smoothly for arbitrarily large attribute/skill values.
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The tool quality system should be expanded. Existing items should use them more liberally e.g. querns, in case someone wants to add a second grinding tool (millstone? mortar & pestle?) without tweaking individual recipes. The quality system could also be expanded to charged tools, so recipes can specify the function instead of individual items (e.g. soldering iron, welder, and makeshift welder). Also, AFAIK tool qualities have no actual “quality” value, so all tools with a given function perform equally well. It’d be nice if better tools could reduce crafting/construction times.
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Items using the “transform” and “auto_transform” functions can specify the target item (e.g. flashlight to flashlight_on). More tool functions should allow such targets, so we can add, say, new chainsaws or radios, with JSON-only mods (no source code changes).
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New gag item: Illudium Q-36 Space Modulator. Essentially to the mininuke what the jacqueshammer is to the jackhammer.
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Fog.
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A lunar cycle that affects the light level at night.
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New mutation category: Vampire? We already have the Albino/Solar Sensitivity and Fangs traits. Throw in Animal Discord (or Empathy) and the Strong/Dextrous lines and you’re halfway there.
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New trait: Deaf. Like permanent ear plugs. Maybe -3 or -4 points? Probably best as a starting trait only, never a mutation.
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New trait: Mute. The player never vocalizes (no screams, cancels the Snarl or Howl trait lines, etc.) and cannot speak to NPCs, unless maybe the NPC knows sign language. I suppose writing back and forth could work for some conversations, so long as the player isn’t also Illiterate.
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New trait: No Mouth. Horrible mutation that prevents eating, drinking, and any utterances beyond muffled screams and such. If you don’t have purifier, mutagen, Roots, or that one slime trait (was it Amorphous?), you’re in trouble. This is really just an excuse for a trait with the description “I have no mouth and I must scream.”
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New trait: Psychosomatic Might, as a fun nod to the Halfling ability in Incursion? Food only weighs half as much while carried.
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I’m not sure how nutty visual hallucinations should be, but a few possibilities: Jesus, Buddha, William Shatner (probably too outdated for 204x, but whatever), a clown, a talking baby.
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“What a horrible night to have a curse!” AFAIK there’s no way to flag creatures and/or hordes as (mostly?) nocturnal. A game mode with much-safer days and hope-you’ve-barricaded-yourself-in-somewhere nights could be a fun change of pace. As is, it’s the opposite. Needs more bogeymen-come-for-you-at-night option.
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Bionics/mutations should probably modify permanent stats (foo_max) instead of applying bonuses (mod_foo_bonus) more consistently if they aren’t conditional. Compound Eyes should apply a bonus since it only applies when you have no eyewear. On the other hand, CHITIN2, BIRD_EYE, bio_str_enhancer, and the like should probably adjust base stats (foo_max) since they are always active. The main difference is in the display, since bonuses appear green (instead of grey) and suggest a temporary/conditional state.
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Some netherworld creatures could interfere with radio signals and such, for added flavor. They could either disrupt the signal (more static) or transmit creepy signals, like the radio equivalent of a Mi-go’s utterances.
