Elevator Consolidation:

i am a bit of a hoarder, so for me, one of the best things i like doing is this:
1) go to a mission with Tunnel Rats and full skills which let you find 4-5 things on an enemy
2) kill all enemies and monsters on each floor
3) pick up almost everything i can use
4) take it all back to the ship (or nearest crafting table)
5) craft extra things to help me against the quasi boss
6) beat the boss (if lucky)
7) take the best stuff back to the ship during Evac.

BUT, it takes a very long time to manually move each item from room to room, back to the elevator, and then for each floor, bring it back to the previous floor, and back to the ship (or at least where the crafting table is), especially on missions with 4 Floors)


the cool thing is that we can find lots of stuff, but the bad thing is that it takes a long time (real time) to go back and fourth, and we then still have to leave most of it behind.
so i came up with this Elevator Storage idea that i think could be a balanced way to add some Quality Of Life to the game, which simply helps us to save time, but still requires some resources to be used up, plus some more ideas i had too:


Elevator Consolidation:
to have a way so that if a player clears out a floor completely of enemies, AND if they drag all the loot they want to that floor's elevator, then when the mission is complete AND if all enemies are destroyed on all floors, then the contents of all elevator items appears on the 1st floor elevator. (or even better, each elevator has a "Central Storage" which is huge, but at the end when all monsters are defeated, ALL items that were dragged and moved into any elevator's Central Storage, become accessible from any elevator's shared central storage.

Psuedo Code notes for devs:
- DEFINE which room tiles make up Elevator Rooms.
- add "Elevator Central Storage" container to each Elevator room and make Indestructible.
- add "Battery Compartment" 1x1 slot container to each Elevator room and make Indestructible, and accepts 10 energy max which can not be removed once put there.
- WHILE "Battery Compartment X" contains 10 energy, set Elevator X = 'Powered'
- WHEN player accesses any "Elevator Central Storage", before displaying content:
IF Elevator 1 is Powered by 10 energy, ADD floor items from Elevator Room 1 to Central Storage container.
IF Elevator 2 is Powered by 10 energy, ADD floor items from Elevator Room 2 to Central Storage container.
IF Elevator 3 is Powered by 10 energy, ADD floor items from Elevator Room 3 to Central Storage container.
IF Elevator 4 is Powered by 10 energy, ADD floor items from Elevator Room 4 to Central Storage container.
= DO show merged Elevator Central Storage items to player.


To use this feature, would still require calories of food, to move things from the current Floor, into that floor's Elevator Room, but once inside an Elevator Room, it would then require any type of Energy Battery units, to activate an internal Central Storage system, which automatically makes everything in that elevator room to be accessible from any elevator room. (this will save time of manually dragging from 4th Floor, to 3rd Floor, to 2nd Floor, to 1st Floor, (but will still need players to drag items into the Elevator Rooms, and then from the final Elevator Room into the crafting room).

It would cost 10 Energy units (from any type of battery), to enable "Central Storage" for each Elevator Room. So for example, a player could bring 1 stack of 40 Batteries, and then they could spend 10 Energy units to activate the "Central Storage" for a particular Elevator Room on the Floor they are currently on, and then anything dragged into that floor's Central Storage, would be accessible from any Elevator's Central Storage. (so if they spend 30 energy as ammo, and only have 10 energy left, they can at least save some time for 1 floor, and access its content from any other floor, after dragging it into that storage.)

i think this will be a cool, helpful, and balanced Quality of Life feature for the game, which basically uses up some Energy cells, to save time and food calories :o)
(and of course, if a player runs out of Energy, or forgets to bring some, then they cant use the Central Storage system and have to move it all manually same as currently) :o)

Miniaturisation device:

This is a device which takes up 1 slot, but can be opened up like a small pouch with 1 slot for items. (But if that slot has Batteries/energy, then it opens extra 4 slots inside the pouch, which lets you store more items inside it)

BUT only while the device is powered. If it runs out of energy, anything larger than 1 item of 1x1 slot, falls to the ground. (uses up 0.1 energy per movement)
+
a Rare Legend version of it, which uses 0.05 energy per movement and 0.2 Fuel per movement. (that one has 2 slots inside, but when powered, it grows by +6 slots.

[the basic miniaturisation device has a blueprint chip which can also be found and unlocked, allowing a player to make it, but the Rare Legend version can only be found/traded]

Crafting it = 20 Tezctclan cold ammo + a backpack + green circuit chip, to freeze atoms so much that the atoms take less space

Mini-Forge for extra Bronze:

4x Bronze of Gannix + 1 stack of fuel + large melee Metal Pipe = Large Bronze Ingot of Gannix.

(it takes 2x1 slots but is the packaged version which the player can dismantle to get 4 small Bronze of Gannix back on the ship, but the pipe and fuel are fully used up)

example picture:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3078114023
(it also shows a larger 4x4 version for more bronze amounts)

Android Assistant: (a new blueprint crafting chip)

This is a basic Robotic Loading Android, which a player can craft for this:
Robot head + 5 Wires + 80 Energy Batteries + 4 Metal Pipes, and 2 green Android circuit chips.
= at the end of a successful mission, the Android Assistant picks up 5 extra items for which you left behind (chosen at random)
(anything it picks up, retains its current durability)


+ another version of the robot which runs only on fuel, (costing 80 Fuel instead of Energy), but this creates fumes and soot which can damage some items, effectively lowering the current durability of whatever it picks up, by up to 25% less durability.
(this means that a player will still need to repair items etc. including a small use for usual tradeables like thread.)

each Android Assistant can only be used in 3 missions, before they break down and they get left behind by mistake, and a player can only have 1 crafted at a time.

(but their could also be a new Mercenary Chip, who has a special Android skill, which let's them always have 2 Assistants, and there is a 5% to 25% chance (via a skill) that their Android Assistant does not break down

"H.U.D.S.E.M" module:

This is a craftable module ("Heads Up Display for the Stock Exchange Market")
= when crafted, it becomes integrated with the player and ship, to allow the player to press CapsLock which overlays the corporation value for each item, such as 100 exchange points for skulls etc) = just something to help players remember which items are worth more exchange points.

(it doesnt have to be carried around or take space on a player, but it could still be an "item" kept on the ship when crafted to show that they have a "H.U.D.S.E.M" module.

Carry-able Backpacks:

Small Backpack Knapsack:
1x large melee Metal Pipe + 50 rags +25 Thread = 1x2 Knapsack Backpack (which the player can hold in any Hand slot, even 1 Knapsack in each)
(it can be "opened" to gain access to the smallest "tourist" backpack on a stick, allowing the player to extract with a few extra items, at the cost of using more calories per turn, and preventing fast walking or running)

after the mission is complete, it breaks down into trash, so that players have to make or bring more of them.

and/or

you could allow a new character class to carry any kind of backpack, in a hand slot :O)
this will allow a player near the end of a mission, to stuff their backpacks full of as much as they can carry, and then pickup a backpack in each hand too :o)
(but all the extra weight would burn through food until they Evac from the mission, and prevent fast walking or running)
[or, maybe only allow 1 of the 6x4 backpacks to be picked up and it uses both hand slots?]

Vest-Mounted Mini-Laser Guidance:

(This item takes up 1 slot in a mag vest for bonus, and requires any type of Batteries to also be in a Mag Vest for laser shooting)
= Gives the player +5% Accuracy to each enemy within the player's view (using internal battery).
= and each enemy hit by the player's gun shot, also takes 1 unmodified HP damage from the mini-laser :o) (but every 1 laser damage uses up 1 battery ammo from pouch)

Craftable via: Shoulder Mounted Vest + a 3-pouches mag vest + 2x android chips + 40x high_tier energy ammo/battery + any 1 Laser weapon (Blue laser Turret/blaster prototype/etc).

[cool factors: If a player has unlocked the Merc Chip who has 4 mag slots, they could equip them with "1 mini laser & 3 stacks of batteries",
or "2 mini-lasers & 2 stacks of batteries", or even 3 mini-lasers and 1 stack of batteries, depending on what they have or what build they want to try :o) ]

Portable Burner Pot:
(this is an idea to add extra things that you can do with some of the items, either for emergency food rations, fuel, or for some of the materials that you can trade with Teztclatn, because once you start attacking them, they wont trade with you anymore and you can't seem to do anything with those items)


Portable Burner Pot = Crafted with "2x Tin Can + 2 Wire". (Lasts for 5 missions)
(this is a 1 slot item, which can be opened up just like a bag container, and it has 3 small slots which can be used to melt or cook something small over time, IF it has a fuel source inside it, as well as the items that need cooking / melting). [For quality of life, the picture of the Portable Burner can glow Red when all items have been melted / cooked]

The types of 'fuel' it accepts are (rags / thread / gasoline fuel / energy batteries / trash) (every 5 turns = it uses up 1 fuel item, such as 1 rag, and creates an item inside the bag. It has 1 small slot for fuel, 1 small slot for something to cook/melt, and 1 small slot for the output.

Example 1:
= to cook a Stack of 10 skin into "Skin Snacks" which can be eaten for 100 calories total.
= (it uses 1 'fuelsource' item per 5 turns, and reduces 'Skin' stacks by -1, and outputs a cooked stackable 'Skin Snack' which can be eaten for 10 calories)


Example 2:
= used to slowly melt 'Skin Fat' into 'Skin Oil'

At a Crafting bench: 1 stack of 10 Skin + melee/knife durability -5% = Skin Fat x10
and then you put the Skin Fat into the Portable Tin Can Burner:
= (it uses 1 'fuel source' item per 5 turns, and reduces 'Skin Fat' stacks by -1, and outputs 1x 'Skin Oil')


Example 3:
= used to slowly heat and mix 'Skin Oil' into 'gasoline'
= (it uses 1 'fuel source' item per 5 turns, and reduces 'Skin Oil' stacks by -1, and outputs 1x 'Gasoline')


[This new item and recipes simply add a few extra ways that players can craft something if they really need to, within the missions, such as needing a bit of Gasoline to re-fuel a weapon, or when there is a food shortage, or when Teztclan restricts you and you already have too many stacks of Skin in cargo] :o)

some missions also don't always have a crafting room, so a player will need to either use up 1 inventory slot to bring a Portable Burner, and/or decide to bring it back or leave it at the end of the mission. it just adds a few extra options for the player, especially if a Quasi-Demon boss appears and your flame-thrower has run out of fuel :)

Solid Fuel production chain: Solid Fuel Brickette: = (a mixture of bone powder, gunpowder and gasoline, mixed into a less volatile and slow burning sludge.)

40 Gasoline + 5 Gunpowder + 10 Bone Powder = 1 Solid Fuel Brickette. (stacks up to 3 times)

Has 3 uses:
1) can be dropped on the ground, and if Ignited, it will keep burning only on that particular tile, lasting until the end of the mission.

2) can be traded with some Corporations (for slightly higher exchange value than regular gasoline)

3) can be carried in stacks of 3, and when back on the ship, you can refine and recover the mixture using 3 Rags to get back 30 gasoline per Brickette.

[this adds a way for players to be able to leave the mission with a bit more fuel overall, but at the cost of time/calories, rags, bones, and some gunpowder.]
+
Bone Powder x3 = right-click on a bone (large 1x2 melee bone) and select "grind bone" (uses up 1 durability of any equipped melee weapon)
+
Bone Powder x1 = right-click on a bone (small 1x1 curved bone) and select "grind bone" (uses up 1 durability of any equipped melee weapon)


Bone extras:
Bone Powder can be the same picture as gunpowder but more white)


Powdered Bone x10 + 5 gunpowder = Weak Thermite Quarteriser x1 (stackable to 5) (stops bleeding on any wound, but causes -1hp and 2 pain, after 2 turns, wound still needs wrapping)

---
Powdered Bone x20 + 10 gunpowder = 30 weak gunpowder
10 weak gunpowder = 5 field-made pistol ammo (does similar damage as regular pistol ammo, but weaker stats) its just for emergency ammo making for use on stunned/outranged enemies.

Necklaces:
(just a way to carry more items out of a mission)

Necklace of Ears:
= crafted with 1x Wire + 10 Ears.

(but 1 necklace of ears can be equipped by the player without needing a slot. for example it can just show a necklace around the Helmet slot)

[this is just so that a player will be able to extract from the mission, with a few ears without using a slot, but when they dismantle the necklace back on the ship, they might get 0-1 wire back, but only 5-8 ears, due to some being damaged or falling off] :o)

(remember Dolph Lundgren in Universal Soldier?)

Most of your suggestions are ways to carry and extract with more items, which (for better or worse) appears to be counter to the design of the game.

The game is designed so that you have to choose between carrying items you may need to survive/complete a mission and the loot you collect within a mission. This does lead to some pretty wonky dynamics (such as encouraging supposedly trained mercs to go in seriously under-equipped just to turn a reasonable profit), but that's how it is seemingly meant to be.

You also aren't meant to be running back and forth across levels just to stockpile items. That's not only something the calorie system is meant to discourage, the Quasimorph timer actively punishes you for "wasting" time.

Crafting is also fairly heavily restricted by design.

I really like your suggestions they are creative and fun. I'll put them all on my big list of ideas. I don't promise that all of them will be implemented or implemented in the form suggested, but such suggestions are very helpful. And I'm very pleased that you've taken the time to think about these mechanics in great detail. In any case, I really hope that we will be able to integrate modding tools into the game, so that such ideas can be realized in the form of custom mods. Thank you.

ah thanks very much indeed, thats all i can ask and hope for :)

just to add a new idea for this:

"Hand-Held Life Form Scanner"
costs 1 Android Chip, 3 Plastic, 1 Wire + 1 Empty Can

(it uses 1 battery item every time you use it, but only lets you scan with a radius of about 3 rooms away, for the current floor - a bit like the large floor scanner, to help you track movement and bosses, omni-directional.)

(a bit like the smaller version of the radar used in Aliens films)

(ah greets baines, sorry i forgot to reply before, yup its just stuff to help us hoard and use more stuff)