Cow, chickens and other animals can reproduce just fine. What makes you think that humans are any different? Humans can´t reproduce in game right now becease of how complex a task it is to implement human reproduction but lore wise there shouldn´t be a problem. Mutants might be a more complex case but even for those we have cases of giant insects producing viable eggs and some mutant mammals having young.
It would be very wierd and inconsistent if the blob somehow did prevent humans specifically from reproducing but left every other animal species unaffected.
I’ve never argued against human ability to reproduce. There are challenges when it comes to implementing it in the game, including how to represent consent (and rejections) from reproduction partners. Not impossible, but a lot of work.
I’ve never argued against the children having a role playing value, and think they may have a game play value as well.
How long does it take before humans are snuffed out? The lore doesn’t specify that, so we don’t know. This means it may or may not be enough to produce adults from gestation.
I maintain the boredom aspect, though. The game is a very long way from providing decades of content.
This means I’m not against someone producing kids as content, just that I don’t think it will end up adding significantly to the experience due to the mismatch with the game’s content duration, and so mostly would end up being a wasted effort. I’d certainly not be unhappy to be proven wrong.
A few replies to your points, since you do address worthwhile concerns:
In it’s current, very rudimentary (and still misbehaving) state, consent and rejection are handled via persuasion trials via dialogue in the same vein as one would recruit them to be a follower. As I delve deeper into understanding how to work with dialogue, the complexity will increase… but the idea is to implement more in-depth, complex relationships with NPCs via conversation and missions.
That being said, right now for testing purposes I’ve created a SINGLE flirtation challenge (with some flirtatious snippets chosen at random) resulting in the NPC gaining a hidden trait overriding their usual interactions for an amorous one enabling you to go somewhere private and safe to seal the deal, as it were. It’s crude and simplistic, but it currently does proc an Effect-on-Condition to check for whether this encounter could result in pregnancy with a flat 15% chance of conception.
This is by no means even approaching a fleshed-out system. But the groundwork is there and the functionality is a little bugged… but when it works, it does actually work at least. Plus I’ve been having a lot of fun coming up with dialogue options and adding increased opportunities to improve or worsen your relationship with the NPCs around the player!
It also doesn’t say how humans will be snuffed out, precisely. There’s a lot about the lore that is still unfinished or unclear, and probably will be for some time.
For the purposes of my project, at least in it’s current state, I’m choosing to ignore this aspect of the lore entirely. I’m not a developer, and I very much doubt my project is ever going to be seen as something the developers want in the game by default, so I’m comfortable with not stressing too much about the lore’s specifics. Once I iron out more of the kinks in the system, I may well invest more time and effort into making sure it fits with the lore of the setting, but if the lore eventually moves on to prohibit the ability? Then my mod will just ignore that singular aspect or retcon it for internal consistency.
The boredom aspect is actually part of what my project is made to address.
At current, there is a point at which the game’s content just… drops off, and largely it becomes about doing the craziest most extreme things until you run into something that kills you or you get bored and start a new character. My intention for adding this particular feature is to expand more on the idea of community building and NPC interactions. Eventually, NPCs are going to be more and more useful. Right now they’re very cumbersome and of limited value, but the expansion of the functionalities of the Faction Camp system really opens up, in my mind, the possibility of the late-game years-on gameplay revolving around Survivalist Colony Management.
Anyawys!
I’ve still got a lot of hurdles I’m just… banging my head against the wall trying to fix. But I personally appreciate any thoughts and input into how to make use of the functionality of post-apocalyptic family and community building. Even if those thoughts or opinions are “I don’t see how you’re going to make it work” or “I’m not convinced it’s worth the effort.”