I should probably ask the people who have been thinking about modifications to OP1 longer than me their opinions on these ideas:
(1) What are the most important features of OP1 that were desired but not implemented? (for example, I spent hours looking for geothermal vents originally on all planet types until I read that it didn't exist; also, solar power was extremely limited).
(2) Would a tick-based real-time mode with adjustable speed be desirable? This is in additional to a similar but turn based mode (essentially with each turn being a tick). Prevents having to press a turn button constantly.
(3) Is the disaster style of OP2 more appropriate, in that they have a physical presence and graphics? Should there be techs to protect against these at higher tech levels? Is it better to do damage to structures and not destroy them outright like in OP1 (give player a chance to repair)?
(4) What resource system makes the most sense? People have complained that Mineral A/B/C could just be "minerals" as it serves no gameplay purpose. I would like to include the ability to store food, water, power and even air with specific storage structures (or perhaps DIRT stores emergency supplies for a number of turns as part of its function).
(5) I think tubes are important, but building them can be tedious and distracting. Perhaps when constructing a building it will not be functional until the robo-diggers make an underground tube connection to existing structures or tubes? The player can make tubes manually for strategic reasons too.
(6) In OP1 some buildings were surface and some underground. Surface structures are more vulnerable to disasters, but there could be some like earthquakes that affect underground too. I'm thinking of making most buildings surface; perhaps there could be an underground version that is more protected but expensive to build.
(7) More detailed population model? I had considered showing the number of people at each age so you could watch them age and grow. Birth and mortality should be more detailed (like, how did a person die so you can fix it, and tech affects it). How about more job groups than worker/scientist?
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Lack of resources reduces building production, but doesn't disable random buildings. This gives the player some warning and wiggle room when going over capacity or missing resources. Having untrained adult workers is less efficient than having workers trained in a specific area such as science, administration, the arts, or police force.
(9) In OP1, morale was easy to max and many buildings were redundant for that purpose. I am considering a system where as the colony grows they demand more types of entertainment etc, so you have to consider new enrichment structures rather than spamming one type like recreation center or park. This will give purpose to the commercial center and non-industrial factories (commercial products) also since you need multiple products to keep people happy too.
(10) I think I will use a system like in OP2 where you launch satellites because there was research for it but nothing happened and I would like a space layer as the colony advances. These advanced techs could provide many benefits to the colony.
(11) Basic research boosts the general tech level which allows more advanced techs to be researched. You won't be making a research bee-line to nanotech, but working with the pool of techs around your current level generally.
(12) I might get criticized for this, but I believe that the micromanagement of labs/factories wasn't that much fun despite being a large part of OP1. I would rather have the items and techs in a list and assign priorities for all the buildings with macromanagement. The focus should be on managing the overall colony.
(13) Improved interface. Opening a bunch of building windows to see how the colony is doing is primitive. The important stuff should be easily accessible and visible in the interface.
(14) Multiple colonies. What role does it play and why would we want to build more than one? Should the player be making colonies in multiple maps that work together (for instance, resources are limited on each map section)? If there are more than one planets in the solar system, could they all be colonized and each offer unique resources or benefits to the player?
(15) Any new buildings that should be added not in the original game?
(16) Power sources? Obviously tech changes this, but having the Tokamak (more dangerous) and basic solar panels (less efficient) at the beginning as items taken with the ship is good. Some basic research is needed to manufacture them. The solar satellite + recieving attena is a more advanced technology, as is geothermal (although geothermal is actually low tech?). Fusion or some other source could exist too. Both the solar satellite and fusion are futuristic but realistic techs.
(17) Things don't spontaneously explode (usually), although buildings do have wear and need to be repaired. Having Tokamaks, Hot Labs, and Nanotechs explode were all very irritating and a DIRT did nothing to stop this, especially on the hard mode. I can make a case for a poorly maintained Tokamak leaking radiation, and perhaps the hot lab exploding during a dangerous experiment, but generally not if well maintained and protected.
(18) Trying to do anything in space will most likely fail without trained people. You need your own NASA basically.
