a multiplayer game of parenting and civilization building
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The key idea
Each Eve spawns with a randomly generated/selected Family name and when a baby is produced that new-born will have the same Family name. When a player dies they have the choice to re-spawn in a new family with a new Family name or re-spawn in the same family and keep the same Family name. Any player can view another player's Family name by simply hovering their mouse cursor over them.
I'm interested to see everyone's thoughts on this...
~IndieCrypt
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Even without the choice, this would help the problem of not being able to tell who is who.
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I've already seen several posts on whether the game should impart more information with its graphics (characters emoting), or systems to help organization in some way, such as names, but ideally every mother should name her child and talk to them as they sit around a fire; or if a settlement decides to name a new chief, maybe they would use a wolf hat for the chief to wear. And farmers and smiths and shepherds and so on should take on apprentices that will pass down knowledge. And if players wish to honor the legacy of someone great, they should pass that on to children.
Ideally players should figure things out themselves. That said, maybe the game does need to remind players in some small way of what they should be striving for (i.e., if you have a name, that implies lineages). Although something as simple as tweaking hunger rates, and giving players enough time to talk, would also change the game a little.
*Gah, another edit, so many typos.
Last edited by Doctor Flintrock (2018-03-06 12:29:01)
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I've already seen several posts on whether the game should impart more information with its graphics (characters emoting), or systems to help organization in some way, such as names, but ideally every mother should name her child and talk to them as they sit around a fire; or if a settlement decides to name a new chief, maybe they would use a wolf hat for the chief to wear. And farmers and smiths and shepherds and so on should take on apprentices that will pass down knowledge. And if players wish to honor the legacy of someone great, they should pass that on to children.
Ideally players should figure things out themselves. That said, maybe the game does need to remind players in some small way of what they should be striving for (i.e., if you have a name, that implies lineages). Although something as simple as tweaking hunger rates, and giving players enough time to talk, would also change the game a little.
*Gah, another edit, so many typos.
I feel I didn't fully express the main reason I believe this feature should be added. I just simply want a way for friends to easily play the game together, it doesn't even have to be the addition of names. If I could even just simply input my friend's Email on the main menu and spawn as their baby if they are a fertile woman I would be okay with that! My idea simply allows groups to stay and play together much easier.
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https://onehouronelife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=138
Private servers is the simplest solution. I'm sure someone skilled enough will make a guide for anyone that wishes to set them up.
For a mainstream solution, that would require work on Jason's part (he works alone), and there are also delicate matters to consider, like my post above.
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I've set up a private server for my friends and I to play on. It is pretty fun for setting up a village and learning the game, but it pales in comparison to the experience you get on the live server. We go back and forth between them.
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Although something as simple as tweaking hunger rates, and giving players enough time to talk, would also change the game a little.
Honestly, I think this is something we're supposed to create ourselves by advancing society. If you have a complete set of clothing, your hunger decreases much slower, giving you time to spend on things other than eating. Being by a fire slows down hunger, so you if you need to talk, maybe gather around a fire, or create a structure to meet in which also will keep you warm. Keep food inside or by the fire so if you do get hungry, you don't have to run off to eat.
The problem is, we're still in most places struggling just to survive and get enough food, few places have structures yet, and people still frequently run around cold and naked. It's up to us to create a settlement that has the luxury to sit around talking, and we are slowly getting there in some places.
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Problem is, advanced players are going to stop playing. The server will be continuously filled with new players and never really progress. Its very frustrating to help build a town when half the people you raise just stand around, eat food, do nothing, all that time is lost. One new player can eat the carrot seed rows and starve off entire town. Plus there is barely enough time to make a set of fur clothing let alone teach someone how to play, then you die. Sure ideally everyone passes down equipment, but that rarely happens. People die in the wild by animals or accidental starvation.
There needs to be tribes or some set of people/village you can be reborn into. Go and find lost clothing, to understand how the town is run, where resources are. Maybe show special names indicating how many times you were born into a village. So people can identify new and experience players in that village.
I can tell you I played enough to know most recipes off hand and im sick of playing because i see the same thing happen over and over again. One or two new players destroy entire towns.
Last edited by coderone (2018-03-07 05:56:15)
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Problem is, advanced players are going to stop playing. The server will be continuously filled with new players and never really progress. Its very frustrating to help build a town when half the people you raise just stand around, eat food, do nothing, all that time is lost. One new player can eat the carrot seed lot and starve off entire town. Plus there is barely enough time to make a set of fur clothing let alone teach someone how to play, then you die. Sure ideally everyone passes down equipment, but that rarely happens. People die in the wild by animals or accidental starvation.
There needs to be tribes or some set of people/village you can be reborn into. Go and find lost clothing, to understand how the town is run, where resources are. Maybe show special names indicating how many times you were born into a village. So people can identify new and experience players in that village.
I can tell you I played enough to know most recipes off hand and im sick of playing because i see the same thing happen over and over again. One or two new players destroy entire towns.
The coolest and most alluring part of the game, for me, is the emergent and unpredictable behavior of a group trying to make things work without names, special indicators, or quality-of-life features that force a certain playstyle. You're not intended to be the driving force that lives through a colony as an ever-present elder-- you're intended to make the impact you can before you die. You won't often see the fruits of your labor, but producing them is the point, not having their benefits directly affect you.
Why should the game define a 'village'? Shouldn't that be decided by the players? Isn't it at least a little more interesting if the communities that develop are emergent rather than built into the mechanics? If you want to play a collaborative survival game where you're spending time with the exact same named group of people all the time, there are other games for that. The social aspect, and social difficulties, make OHOL unique.
Of course there are new players now-- the game isn't even a week old. Group knowledge is still being developed with fervor.
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The coolest and most alluring part of the game, for me, is the emergent and unpredictable behavior of a group trying to make things work without names, special indicators, or quality-of-life features that force a certain playstyle. You're not intended to be the driving force that lives through a colony as an ever-present elder-- you're intended to make the impact you can before you die. You won't often see the fruits of your labor, but producing them is the point, not having their benefits directly affect you.
Why should the game define a 'village'? Shouldn't that be decided by the players? Isn't it at least a little more interesting if the communities that develop are emergent rather than built into the mechanics? If you want to play a collaborative survival game where you're spending time with the exact same named group of people all the time, there are other games for that. The social aspect, and social difficulties, make OHOL unique.
Of course there are new players now-- the game isn't even a week old. Group knowledge is still being developed with fervor.
I do agree, that is a coolest part of the game and why i purchased it. My point was not about spending time with the same some people. There needs to be efficient way to organize social aspect so that communities can develop in a emergent style within such a short time. I have seen a few successful villages where i give knowledge to the children im raising, and later i see them pass down this information. Its wonderful and works for a smaller village. When villages start to turn into towns one or two bad generations dont pass on knowledge or have a good understanding its too hard to maintain order, pass information, keep new players in check.
Few solutions alternate:
-Could be some lineage notes, wisdom a book, wall painting, or w/e you will. The eldest players of village can update with quick important information. This would help offset one or two bad generations. This book needs to be created and use charcoal to write or something, then new players can go and read it.
-Instead of special indicators or names, maybe the elders can assign roles to players that appear above them. Then those smaller groups can organize within them selves. Farmers, Builders, Hunters, Material organization, etc. If someone does not like the role and town is large enough hey can ask the elder for a role change. If baby 1 does not have a name, and i say baby 1, we need you to help farm. Later baby 2 is born, i say we need you to gather wood. Later i dont know if baby 1 died, or if baby 2 is helping farm because baby 1 died. So now we need another wood gatherer.
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I do agree, that is a coolest part of the game and why i purchased it. My point was not about spending time with the same some people. There needs to be efficient way to organize social aspect so that communities can develop in a emergent style within such a short time. I have seen a few successful villages where i give knowledge to the children im raising, and later i see them pass down this information. Its wonderful and works for a smaller village. When villages start to turn into towns one or two bad generations dont pass on knowledge or have a good understanding its too hard to maintain order, pass information, keep new players in check.
This seems like a good route to go. You could still limit the amount of information that can be written in a book by the age of its elder, but give a heap more room than normal speech. Instead of explaining everything about farming, a parent could say, "Kid, read that book!"
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Oddly enough the part that you dislike, is what I enjoy the most. For me the primary challenge of the game isn't really to figure out the mechanics and craft everything on the tech tree (though that is enjoyable). It's about how to build lasting social structures with an influx of new people. What values and wisdom can you impart the quickest? What are the failsafes you can put in place for when people inevitably mess up (i.e., what are the other "secret garden"-style we can be using and teaching)?
I've had some success with "The Rules". Always asking a baby if they're new. If they are... go over stuff in a bit more detail. If they're not just jump right in. Rule one is "teach everyone the rules". I've been reborn into some of my own families a few times, but after a generation or two, the mothers are all totally silent or will say "f for food" and nothing more. If you're a totally new player dropped in the middle of that experience, you're bound to mess stuff up.
One thing I haven't been doing enough of is leaving someone in charge. Usually it's a scramble when I start aging to go around camp asking who wants to run things. I should probably pick a baby who knows how to farm already, and ask if they want to run things, then pass it off as quickly as possible, and start teaching them about teaching babies.
To get back more to the topic, the feature around heritage that I've wished for is the ability to see something around either what generation you are a part of and maybe if you're your own descendent. I can't imagine too many downsides to the generation count, other than perhaps the pressure if you're a part of a long family line. But if we reach the point with long family lines, I could see people getting tribal, and only helping if they're part of that family line, so knowing if you're part of your own family tree could mess up some of the "global village" feeling that the game has right now.
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