These are ideas and elements I would love to have access to, but I currently don’t, in order to achieve a deeper impact with backstories (which, ever since I started playing around version A17, have been my favorite element in the game):

- A "<linked>" category: the ability to create a backstory that's linked to either adulthood or childhood. Ideally, this would also include something similar to a <chance> parameter (so that some childhoods would more or less commonly end up connected to specific adulthood stories). also IDEALLY, since there are far more adulthood backstories than childhood ones, it would make more sense for the system to work the other way around... but I suspect the game generates childhoods first, and this would be hardcoded even using a Harmony patch.
All of this could be handled using "<allowedBackstories>" and "<disallowedBackstories>", exactly like traits are handled right now. I believe I read somewhere that traits used to have a randomized chance value and that feature was later removed, which makes me a bit less hopeful about seeing this kind of advanced function implemented, at least the "chance" one. I consider the first one absolutely necessary.

- Some backstories are very unique, and we could actually turn the repetition of certain ones into a feature. For example: backstory opinions about other backstories (e.g., freed slaves would hate slave masters), and backstory "acquaintances" with characters who share the same backstory—because they worked in the same place. A good example would be my story about Oplot prison guards, or even some vanilla ones. This is only extra flavor stuff, so we should see it has no effect in perfomance.

I did a few Harmony experiments with this, but didn’t get anywhere. It was my first time using Visual Studio, lol. so don’t take that as a serious attempt.

- More control over the chronological and biological age at which pawns spawn. Creepjoiners in vanilla and mods already use this. A really good and complete system.

- Define passions and interests for backstories. This may not be entirely realistic, or even accurate, since shamefully what we do love not always is what defines our lives, lol. still could be a useful feature. not a priority.