What does everyone think about the current stress reaction system?

[BaloneyOs]

ATM if things get out of hand I can just jail 3 out of the 4 stress reactions. Liquids can be cleaned/handled while binge eating simply goes away after a while when they can't reach food, and the only real penalty to doing this is a bit of micro. Is it convincing that these issues could be handled this way?

For the record I love imprisoning a dupe who's about to binge eat. Fk you and your colony-destroying antics lol just sit tight in jail until you go back to 60%.

Additionally, sometimes trying to get a stressed dupe to actually use a massage table in the middle of a workday is a nightmare but that's another story.

[goatt]

I think it's good, not too hard, but needs intervene when it happens.

[Skrivener]

I haven't had a dupe stressed to the point of acting out in a long time. I usually don't even need to build a massage clinic until I feel like it.

[FIXBUGFIXBUGFIX]

Same with @Skrivener

I build clinics only when newbie ask me how to build it.

[MorsDux]

7 hours ago, BaloneyOs said:

ATM if things get out of hand I can just jail 3 out of the 4 stress reactions. Liquids can be cleaned/handled while binge eating simply goes away after a while when they can't reach food, and the only real penalty to doing this is a bit of micro. Is it convincing that these issues could be handled this way?

For the record I love imprisoning a dupe who's about to binge eat. Fk you and your colony-destroying antics lol just sit tight in jail until you go back to 60%.

Additionally, sometimes trying to get a stressed dupe to actually use a massage table in the middle of a workday is a nightmare but that's another story.

I had my dupe sit on a massagung table with clinique bonus (-60% stress). The dupe  had a 40% from missing 4 points of morale in sum he had -5%/cycle while being massaged. I wouldnt dismiss the difficulty of handling stress responses. If you dance on the edge with morale, you puncture a natgas geyser and the natgas floods your base before handling it, maybe your one and only decor plant stiffles in your great hall costing every dupe the 3 extra points of morale you were balancing on to get the needed jobs in time.  

So it depends on difficulty settings, and if you go tight on your capabilites. Ravaging hunger + getting to 10 dupes in the beginning of the game will make a tight schedule. Of course easy settings will not give you any serious consequence but sou make a mistake like my natgas incident and dont notice your farm stopping production the a binge eater can make the difference between collapse and harmony. 

[Saturnus]

18 minutes ago, MorsDux said:

If you dance on the edge with morale, you puncture a natgas geyser and the natgas floods your base before handling it, maybe your one and only decor plant stiffles in your great hall costing every dupe the 3 extra points of morale you were balancing on to get the needed jobs in time.  

Question is, why would you do that? It takes a modicum of effort to set up a water lock. In many cases depending on terrain you can dig one out without building a single tile.

A few examples from my current casual game. At the beginning of a new game they are live savers.

[Xuhybrid]

There's a stress reaction? Barely ever go over 5% because i handle their morale properly.

[angrybovine]

If the Dupes are reaching 100% stress, you probably have more pressing concerns than the stress reaction. 

Focusing on what is causing the stress, not the stress, is the better long-term solution.  Otherwise, trying to lower stress without addressing the cause that will keep adding stress is wasted effort.

[MorsDux]

4 hours ago, Saturnus said:

Question is, why would you do that? It takes a modicum of effort to set up a water lock. In many cases depending on terrain you can dig one out without building a single tile.

A few examples from my current casual game. At the beginning of a new game they are live savers.

I made my point about mistakes pushing you into a collapse.

1 hour ago, Xuhybrid said:

There's a stress reaction? Barely ever go over 5% because i handle their morale properly.

Are you playing on all difficulty settings set on hardest?

[Saturnus]

28 minutes ago, MorsDux said:

I made my point about mistakes pushing you into a collapse.

Indeed. And I gave an easy remedy for one of the possible mistakes you mention that many players make in being careless when poking holes into vents and such.

[Xuhybrid]

-

51 minutes ago, MorsDux said:

I made my point about mistakes pushing you into a collapse.

Are you playing on all difficulty settings set on hardest?

is the OP?

[Sasza22]

The stress reactions are mildly annoying. One dupe getting stressed shoudln`t be a problem and it isn`t most of the time. Occasional stuff like vomitting on your mushroom farm or breaking a wall of a liquid pool might be problematic but don`t happen often. Ugly criers just do nothing for a while an binge eaters can only be a problem early game.

Stress is more of an issue when we consider that dupes are not doing their job for a while and instead do something random. Having too many stressed dupes might be a problem (and should be).

IMO the system is mostly fine. Maybe the ugly crier could use a longer decor debuff (lasting after he finished the reaction) and destructive dupes should attack the closest machine instead of running through the entire base to destroy a small battery but that`s it.

[angrybovine]

Without the stress system, what would motivate a player to take care of the colony properly?

[Zarquan]

My reaction to stress responses is to run around breaking things and then eat litterally everything in the fridge.

[lunazone]

 I want them to disobey the rules as punishment for not handling their needs properly

[chemie]

the jobs system essentially eliminated stress from the game.  dont over promote and you are at 0% all the time even on hardest setting

[MorsDux]

20 minutes ago, chemie said:

the jobs system essentially eliminated stress from the game.  dont over promote and you are at 0% all the time even on hardest setting

If you dont overpromote you lose progress. If you dont mind it of course it means the game is easier

[chemie]

9 minutes ago, MorsDux said:

If you dont overpromote you lose progress. If you dont mind it of course it means the game is easier

what progress is slowed by limiting to tier 3? (which is easy to hit with things you need anyway)

[Zarquan]

10 minutes ago, chemie said:

what progress is slowed by limiting to tier 3? (which is easy to hit with things you need anyway)

The later you get exosuits, the slower your dupes will perform in exosuits.  The later you start training astronauts, the later you can launch rockets.  The later you get mechatronics, the later you can make automated shipping systems (though you can temporarily promote to this position).  Also, mastering jobs gives permanent buffs which speed up jobs.

I think stress responses should reduce stress directly and dupes should be useless until they execute their stress response.  Destructive dupes shouldn't lower stress unless they break things and binge eaters won't reduce stress or be useful until they eat tons of food.

[0xFADE]

I also have not had anyone get over stressed in a long time.  The game does a fairly good job of easing you in to each situation.  You can easily send someone all the way through a job tree before they can manage the stress if you like. 

[MorsDux]

Depends how much you push it. In the end game when you have aboundant 4-5 quality food, constant avg decor over 120 you will have dupes with high morale even on fatalistic settings. But thats end game. 

[chemie]

38 minutes ago, Zarquan said:

The later you get exosuits, the slower your dupes will perform in exosuits.  The later you start training astronauts, the later you can launch rockets.  The later you get mechatronics, the later you can make automated shipping systems (though you can temporarily promote to this position).  Also, mastering jobs gives permanent buffs which speed up jobs.

I think stress responses should reduce stress directly and dupes should be useless until they execute their stress response.  Destructive dupes shouldn't lower stress unless they break things and binge eaters won't reduce stress or be useful until they eat tons of food.

I think we are are coming from different thoughts here.  I meant that you do not promote too fast and it does not slow the game progress.  yes, you still need top tier dups but I have not had that get in the way of promoting as the systems for morale come online.  my point was it is not hard to avoid stress unless you feel the need to have astronauts by 100 cycles

[Lilalaunekuh]

12 hours ago, MorsDux said:

I had my dupe sit on a massagung table with clinique bonus (-60% stress). The dupe  had a 40% from missing 4 points of morale in sum he had -5%/cycle while being massaged.

If that would be the worst point it would be easy.

Last time a duplicant of mine went into a death spirale after he had a bug that kept him at 4000kcal all the time.

(But the same could happen if something else would result in a huge morale drop.)

 

Here the effects on the stress level:

1. 20% stress for playing on fatalistic

2. 50% stress for low morale (I was 6 points to low^^)

3. -5% stress beeing appreciated (I got some supply routes through the massage clinic).

4. -60% receiving a massage in a massage clinic

 

=> Even if I use the follow cam option for an additional temporary -5% stress relief, my duplicant gained stress while receiving a massage. (Appriciated isn´t up all the time.)

 

Keep in mind that a duplicant will prefer to receive a massage over going for some down time activities.

=> After a full cycle in the massage clinic my duplicant will have a higher stress value and a lower morale value ...

 

 

[MorsDux]

54 minutes ago, Lilalaunekuh said:

If that would be the worst point it would be easy.

Last time a duplicant of mine went into a death spirale after he had a bug that kept him at 4000kcal all the time.

(But the same could happen if something else would result in a huge morale drop.)

 

Here the effects on the stress level:

1. 20% stress for playing on fatalistic

2. 50% stress for low morale (I was 6 points to low^^)

3. -5% stress beeing appreciated (I got some supply routes through the massage clinic).

4. -60% receiving a massage in a massage clinic

 

=> Even if I use the follow cam option for an additional temporary -5% stress relief, my duplicant gained stress while receiving a massage. (Appriciated isn´t up all the time.)

 

Keep in mind that a duplicant will prefer to receive a massage over going for some down time activities.

=> After a full cycle in the massage clinic my duplicant will have a higher stress value and a lower morale value ...

 

 

It is good to know that 50% seems to be the cap. Best if you make your massage clinique high decor so at least next day your dupe can start off with high morale (if thats enough..)

[Hellshound38]

There are tons of games where you don't even realize entire systems or strategies of play exist until you play on a harder difficulty.

Oxygen Not Included however doesn't even require that. You are playing differently to manage the effects of stress. Your buildings water locks, your making higher tier food, your managing job promotions, your using exosuits.

The sandbox nature makes almost any implementation pointless unless it was ruthlessly balanced against you.

Try taking a dupe every 3 cycles and keeping morale balanced and your dupes alive...