Production Nightmare
Design Outline
-NOTICE- Based On Current (6/20/21) Dev Diaries. Subject to Change
Purpose
Introduce mechanics that reinforce Dickensian and Steampunk ideas and themes around worker exploitation and the horror of Industrialization.
Steam Aesthetic
The first concept I wanted to tackle was the common trope of mechanical limbs of the steampunk look. When thinking about why this trope exists I decided the important parts for Vick 3 gameplay were worker exploitation and combat injuries.
My current idea for implementing poor working conditions involves adding certain maim or death risks to particular production zones. Maimed pops would go on to have negatives to output for industries that can’t or won’t accommodate them. I.e. As the controller of a state you might be tempted to build cheap or experimental cotton gins which could be more deadly or dangerous than the regular cotton production. These installations would come with risk and reward, as long as you maintain a population of abled pops to work them.
With the little information we have on warfare that we currently have the general idea would be to alter the deadliness of certain mass conflicts to make large influxes of maimed pops more common after battles.
Re-enabling Pops
That brings us to replacing these limbs lost in combat or workplace injury. Mechanical eyes, arms, and legs are common in the Steam Aesthetic. Current plans are to include three tiers of replacements varying by cost and technology.
As with other finished products in the game, there will be multiple steps needed to equip your maimed pops with new limbs. Hopefully by breaking up some of the production it will encourage players to specialize in certain areas or be able to trade for parts from abroad.
In Short the currently intended way to re-enable pops is as follows:
Current guidelines for the planned replacement part tiers:
1. Pneumatic-Copper - Only requires metal and craftsman pops, but pops will have lower output than fully-able pops.
2. Steam-Brass - Requires the metal component and coal, which as we all know will be a thinly spread resource as it is. Intended to be the most common replacement that puts pops enabled in this way to be close if not equal to their previous state.
3. Spirit-Steel - The investment for this part is high but improves pops above regular output. Alongside the metal, an ectoplasmic energy source specific to this mod will be needed to produce these parts.
Ghost Energy
Adding a new harvestable resource to the game, Ghost Energy is the technologically captured power from a source of Dread on the map. Ideally Dread could be passively added to the map based on large scale Pop death either through domestic conditions, disease, or in war.
Besides construction of Spirit-Steel Replacement Parts, I intend Ghost Energy to be an improvement/replacement energy source for many coal-powered buildings. Upon further information in the realm of warfare, Ghost Energy based weapons may be possible.
Conclusion
I hope that these added features will have far-reaching consequences that empower players to embrace the spiritual decay and exploitation of human capital of the steampunk genre. Thanks for Reading. Comments welcome!
Design Outline
-NOTICE- Based On Current (6/20/21) Dev Diaries. Subject to Change
Purpose
Introduce mechanics that reinforce Dickensian and Steampunk ideas and themes around worker exploitation and the horror of Industrialization.
Steam Aesthetic
The first concept I wanted to tackle was the common trope of mechanical limbs of the steampunk look. When thinking about why this trope exists I decided the important parts for Vick 3 gameplay were worker exploitation and combat injuries.
- Worker Exploitation
My current idea for implementing poor working conditions involves adding certain maim or death risks to particular production zones. Maimed pops would go on to have negatives to output for industries that can’t or won’t accommodate them. I.e. As the controller of a state you might be tempted to build cheap or experimental cotton gins which could be more deadly or dangerous than the regular cotton production. These installations would come with risk and reward, as long as you maintain a population of abled pops to work them.
- Maimed in War
With the little information we have on warfare that we currently have the general idea would be to alter the deadliness of certain mass conflicts to make large influxes of maimed pops more common after battles.
Re-enabling Pops
That brings us to replacing these limbs lost in combat or workplace injury. Mechanical eyes, arms, and legs are common in the Steam Aesthetic. Current plans are to include three tiers of replacements varying by cost and technology.
As with other finished products in the game, there will be multiple steps needed to equip your maimed pops with new limbs. Hopefully by breaking up some of the production it will encourage players to specialize in certain areas or be able to trade for parts from abroad.
In Short the currently intended way to re-enable pops is as follows:
- Have Maimed Pop
- Have Parts To Install
- Build Surgical Mill (may be incorporated into other medical building) to Install
Current guidelines for the planned replacement part tiers:
1. Pneumatic-Copper - Only requires metal and craftsman pops, but pops will have lower output than fully-able pops.
2. Steam-Brass - Requires the metal component and coal, which as we all know will be a thinly spread resource as it is. Intended to be the most common replacement that puts pops enabled in this way to be close if not equal to their previous state.
3. Spirit-Steel - The investment for this part is high but improves pops above regular output. Alongside the metal, an ectoplasmic energy source specific to this mod will be needed to produce these parts.
Ghost Energy
Adding a new harvestable resource to the game, Ghost Energy is the technologically captured power from a source of Dread on the map. Ideally Dread could be passively added to the map based on large scale Pop death either through domestic conditions, disease, or in war.
Besides construction of Spirit-Steel Replacement Parts, I intend Ghost Energy to be an improvement/replacement energy source for many coal-powered buildings. Upon further information in the realm of warfare, Ghost Energy based weapons may be possible.
Conclusion
I hope that these added features will have far-reaching consequences that empower players to embrace the spiritual decay and exploitation of human capital of the steampunk genre. Thanks for Reading. Comments welcome!
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