Family system

[Robert California]

Is the family system in plans? It would be good To have our settlers being able to have kids etc.

[SeVerin]

This has been debated on our Discord for a long time, that we included it in our FAQ which you can read here:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1029780/discussions/0/3153060475181440288/

Short story:

We've considered adding children to the game in the past during development, but we opted not to have children in Going Medieval. We think some of the features and systems, like raids, cannibalism, etc would not be fitting to include child settlers into. And of course, this then could be presented out of context outside of the game, and we do not want this association. Treating them as a different type of unit with different rules might solve things, but implementing this, as well as adapting existing systems would require a development overhaul of the game. We know there are various ways we can tackle this to make the mechanic work, but we have a whole bunch of features to add before this (as evident in the roadmap). This may change in the future though when the game has continued to develop during Early Access.

[Robert California]

What about making grown up version of children? Something like someone turns certain age and bang here comes his son out of nowhere

[Delta-9]

Originally posted by SeWerin:

This has been debated on our Discord for a long time, that we included it in our FAQ which you can read here:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1029780/discussions/0/3153060475181440288/

Short story:

We've considered adding children to the game in the past during development, but we opted not to have children in Going Medieval. We think some of the features and systems, like raids, cannibalism, etc would not be fitting to include child settlers into. And of course, this then could be presented out of context outside of the game, and we do not want this association. Treating them as a different type of unit with different rules might solve things, but implementing this, as well as adapting existing systems would require a development overhaul of the game. We know there are various ways we can tackle this to make the mechanic work, but we have a whole bunch of features to add before this (as evident in the roadmap). This may change in the future though when the game has continued to develop during Early Access.

Frostpunk managed to get by with it, and not much negative feedback. J/S
But, I can understand not wanting to make your job harder, for the type of game you're wanting.
They could be purely aesthetic, if you wanted. Think Stronghold2. They didnt do anything but run around. There wasnt any gameplay mechanic for them.
They could be treated as a timer for the next available settler.
Meh, either way, kids arent needed for this game, I dont think.

[DeadMechGaming]

As SeWerin said, it's already been addressed; but since mod support is coming I don't doubt we will see a children mod on here like we do with Rimworld. It might not come though until some kind of ranching mechanics are introduced as the base code for animals being pregnant would have to be used to make such a mod.

[Ty Kichard]

Children would be an amazing dynamic for the capture system that was being discussed!
It would even work if they were just a non combatant uncontrolled settler.
If raiders captured settler children (with massive morale penalties)
it would motivate players to rescue them. Otherwise seeing them later grown up and part of the raiders settlement would be great story line.

[TehJumpingJawa]

If inter-personal behaviour is going to be fleshed out into a meaningful aspect of the game, then children would be a far more impactful & relevant aspect than whether or not human flesh was consumed.

[Machiavelli]

Why should this matter? Crusader King doesn't care about murder plots against the virtual children. No controversy there.

It literally makes no sense in colony-like games. Reproduction is the main method of population growth. Ok? You have cannibals in the game but you draw the line at child murder? Which was more common in the middle ages than cannibals.

Remove pixel children from being murdered like in skyrim if this the main reason why the game doesn't have this feature.

[atticroom]

Originally posted by Fellington:

Why should this matter? Crusader King doesn't care about murder plots against the virtual children. No controversy there.

It literally makes no sense in colony-like games. Reproduction is the main method of population growth. Ok? You have cannibals in the game but you draw the line at child murder? Which was more common in the middle ages than cannibals.

Remove pixel children from being murdered like in skyrim if this the main reason why the game doesn't have this feature.

Agreed. Developers seem to have a problem with siblings in games if it pertains to any form of harm, but yet they want to make games as real as possible. You can't blame them. It's society that's the problem. Like Skyrim, if they add children with a little text, the modders can do the rest.
In my days, women and children were not worshipped as they are now.

[Gaming Existence]

I did like in Frostpunk that my first few campaign maps I refused to enact the law to force the children to work. Then I upped the difficulty got to a hard map and it pained me but... I sent the little blighters into the coal mine for the precious coal of warmth and life!

[Wantoomany]

Originally posted by Fellington:

Why should this matter? Crusader King doesn't care about murder plots against the virtual children. No controversy there.

It literally makes no sense in colony-like games. Reproduction is the main method of population growth. Ok? You have cannibals in the game but you draw the line at child murder? Which was more common in the middle ages than cannibals.

Remove pixel children from being murdered like in skyrim if this the main reason why the game doesn't have this feature.

Having kids in colony Sims only matters if the scale fits. How much impact do you think kids will be in a game that only lasts 10 to 15 years on average?

[Zalzany]

Originally posted by Fellington:

Why should this matter? Crusader King doesn't care about murder plots against the virtual children. No controversy there.

It literally makes no sense in colony-like games. Reproduction is the main method of population growth. Ok? You have cannibals in the game but you draw the line at child murder? Which was more common in the middle ages than cannibals.

Remove pixel children from being murdered like in skyrim if this the main reason why the game doesn't have this feature.

First you say child death is more common, then say make them unable to die. Even if you don't kill them they die from some other thing some ones cannibal run will butcher them, and go viral when they do. That is the issue, its why rimworld never had kids put in because there are people who already theory crafted making children into food source like live stock, and no one really wants to do that. Even sims refuses to let a kid die it instead sends a social worker out to take the child when it should have died.

Its a huge thing also it has to do with their raiting adult dying to raider or stavation still like pv-13, child dying suddently its rated M

[Lastpick72]

I could go either way on this, but as it stands now the odds are pretty terrible for growth. Save 1 settler and then 8 show up ready for battle. The attrition rate is not much fun.

[DeadMechGaming]

Originally posted by Wantoomany:

Originally posted by Fellington:

Why should this matter? Crusader King doesn't care about murder plots against the virtual children. No controversy there.

It literally makes no sense in colony-like games. Reproduction is the main method of population growth. Ok? You have cannibals in the game but you draw the line at child murder? Which was more common in the middle ages than cannibals.

Remove pixel children from being murdered like in skyrim if this the main reason why the game doesn't have this feature.

Having kids in colony Sims only matters if the scale fits. How much impact do you think kids will be in a game that only lasts 10 to 15 years on average?

Depends on how you play, which is the great thing about a sandox game like this; you can play it however you want.

As I said in another discussion where this topic came up, in Rimworld I play a generational game where my original pawns great-grand kids are now adults and having their own kids. I don't rush to have them escape on a starship, I play to see if their "civilization" can last for as long as possible (gives it an extra challenge because now you have extra mouths to feed that can't work, have to have a school for the kids, decide if parents will work or stay at home to take care of the kids, etc.)

If a mod is made that adds kids into this game, I'll probably end up doing the same kind of playstyle on this.

[Wantoomany]

I said on average. You have already admitted your play style is not average.

[DeadMechGaming]

Originally posted by Wantoomany:

I said on average. You have already admitted your play style is not average.

1.) You asked a question, I answered it.

2.) Just because your games only last 10-15 years, doesn't mean it's the average. I've seen let's plays like the way I play where the players go through multiple generations. Hell I've seen some let's plays where the player starts after one major update, and then ends it when the next major update comes out, which could equate to hundreds of years in game.

3.) I'm not claiming my playstyle is average like you are. You asked how kids would impact the game, and I answered how they could depending on the playstyle. Most people who want kids in their game wouldn't play for only 10-15 years, most would probably play through multiple generations.