Rollerpons
I want this so bad. Switching between rollerskates and hiking boots is a time consuming process that can easily kill a skater that gets cocky (assuming they even have enough inventory space for spare shoes)
Suggestion: wearable shoes. Tie shoes to your pack/belt using the laces. This would effectively make carrying normal shoes cost encumbrance and weight but not cost any volume. Vital, as a skater who doesn’t have a backpack yet really, really needs an easy way to carry a spare set of shoes around. This feature alone would add this mod to my must-haves list.
Base AI
THIS is the way to make AI: divide, simplify, and conquer. If you can accomplish the following you will be put on must have list:
NPCs defend base (and no zombies/wildlife spawn inside base)
NPCs are automatically hostile to hostile NPCs (and hostile NPCs cannot spawn within 2 overmap tiles of base)
NPCs automatically “defend” my base from NON hostile NPC looters (non hostile NPCs cannot spawn in base, and never path into the base)
NPCs feed themselves from communal stockpile
NPCs heal themselves from communal stockpile (ESPECIALLY disinfect, radiation, and other status effects)
NPCs rearm from communal stockpile (Only for grabbing ammo/throwables, they shouldn’t grab weapons - I’ll manually give them appropriate weapons. There are MANY reasons they should use a weapon the AI considers “inferior” (ammo availability and ease of crafting, roleplay, weapons with special attributes like reach/range/block/martial arts, terrain, noise, common enemy types in current biome, and a dozen other variables that no AI could possibly take into account)).
The above is what I consider the bare minimum to make NPCs viable, and should be prioritized above everything else. Making a populated home that feels safe and sustainable would be an incredibly luxury in the Cataclysm (until a horde of worms invade but let’s try not to think about that…)
Secondary goals: NPCs repair/reinforce clothing, automatically crafting items as they run out (ex: if we have less than 200 arrows, craft more). This would turn NPCs from being attention hogs to a glorious convenience.
Stretch goals: Jobs, like producing loot on simulated hunting/scavenging trips (especially tedious stuff like gathering rocks, foraging bushes, hunting small game, fishing, etc), simulate looting tiles that you designate with overmap notes, tell follower(s) to pick up everything on a specific tile, tell follower(s) to dump all non essential loot into communal storage, large scale raids on your base (ideally give 1-2 day warning that “a giant horde/gang is coming”), etc.
Honestly, there are only two mistakes you can make here: Getting too ambitious and burning out, and trying to make the AI too smart instead of letting the player tell the NPCs what to do.
