Printing Pod is not fun, or is it just me?

[arvenil]

Disclaimer: I love the game.

I absolutely HATE printing pod.

I don't know if it's just me but picking dupes or resources from printing pod is opposite of fun.

1. Please fix a bug where you can save before picking from printing pod and then load the save to get different options. Even though I don't want to do it, I always end up loading 3 or 10 times because the options are nonsense.

2. I will never pick flatuant dupe. This means I often end up with one less choice... but actually there is more traits I rarely choose e.g. alergic, which means there is even less to choose from and I'm often left with just one or none dupes to choose from.

3. I will never pick resource over a good dupe, and if there are no good dupes, then getting 2t of salt water is not a choice, but rather like a punishment.

4. It's really hard to get dupe for specific job, e.g. good luck with looking for cook or farmer. It is even more difficult with DLC because there are more combinations.

 

I'm never happy with whatever I choose from printing pod, it's like picking lesser evil, and it's really not fun. It's the only thing that puts me away from this game - getting usable dupe is really frustrating.

 

The starting screen is a bit better because a) you can re-roll b) you can pick a job e.g. scientist.

 

I was thinking what could make this better at a low cost and my idea was to:

0. Fix the "save and reload" bug.

1. Give player both, dupe and resource, he can always pick "none" for any (e.g. he is not ready for another dupe in his colony).

2. Let player pick one from 3 (or 2) random resources - this will give a player real choice rather than resource being punishment.

3. Let player re-roll dupe stats and let player pick his profession - similar how it works on starting screen.

 

While not perfect, it should make printing pod less frustrating and shouldn't be hard to change.

 

I will honestly welcome anything that will make printing pod more fun or at least less frustrating.

[SchlauFuchs]

No problem with flatulent dupes. Provides some natural gas for the kitchen.

But since Spaced Out I noticed, too, that the chances for a good print have dropped. My colony population grows much slower.

[nakomaru]

I also don't like reloading, so I used to use a mod to reroll directly. That's way too powerful, so I later switched to Duplicants Generation Settings Manager, which is not yet available for the DLC. This feels much more balanced and less frustrating.

I think this fixes a lot of the problems you have with the pod. You can disable flatulent dupes from the pod, select the numbers of interests, and disable dupes entirely after a certain colony population.

[crbd115]

Yea I have been trying for a while to get something to change for duplicant selection. It's an unnecessary headache the way its designed now. It will only get worse the more things they add to the game, more care packages,  more duplicant skills /  traits. I want more content but you have to also be able to still filter through what is useful and what isn't and that gets harder the more stuff they add while not fixing the selection process.

[arvenil]

18 minutes ago, SchlauFuchs said:

No problem with flatulent dupes. Provides some natural gas for the kitchen.

But since Spaced Out I noticed, too, that the chances for a god print have dropped. My colony population grows much slower.

It's not about being problem or not. It's about illusion of choice, if game wants me to have flatulent dupes (or any other type player chooses to not prefer) then just remove the choice altogheter and print random dupe. If it want's to give me control then LET ME CHOOSE. Now it just pretends I can pick. If you have bad, worse and nightmare to choose it's hardly any choice.

8 minutes ago, nakomaru said:

I also don't like reloading, so I used to use a mod to reroll directly. That's way too powerful, so I later switched to Duplicants Generation Settings Manager, which is not yet available for the DLC. This feels much more balanced and less frustrating.

I think this fixes a lot of the problems you have with the pod. You can disable flatulent dupes from the pod, select the numbers of interests, and disable dupes entirely after a certain colony population.

I've used that mod too - love it. BTW all mods from this author are amazing. However since this is not working right now for Spaced Out I've got second look how frustrating base game printing pod is. IMHO it would be really nicer if we have more control over it. In current state the game could simply give me random outcome rather than creating this illusion of choice as rarely any option is fine to pick. I really would like also to split dupes from resources.

Maybe another option could be difficulty setting e.g.

1. survival = you get totally random dupe and you need to deal with it. Would be pretty cool mode - you will need to find many creative ways how to handle and kill dupes
2. creative = you can design your dupes the way you want, maybe with some point system e.g. you pick that negative trait then you can have +1 morale etc.

[evilcat19xx]

There is another bog as well. 

• Assume that you don't have a Pip in your main planetoid. Then one of your dupes goes to a new planetoid with Pips. Tada, now the pod in your main base has a chance to give you pips.

 

Here is my idea:

 

• For the normal difficulty: let them be as it is.
• For the hard difficulty: only one pod in the main base, and no more pods. No resources from pods.
• For the god mode difficulty: The main pod randomly provides you with a dupe, you can't change it, and you should deal with it. You can only decide on when you would accept them.

[NewWorldDan]

I have never reloaded simply because I didn't like what the pod had to offer.  You work with what the game gives you.  If you want more of a challenge, you can turn off care packages.  The only issue a lack of care packages has made for me is that I wasn't careful and all of my shine bugs died off.  On the other hand, I'd really like if Oxyferns, Wheezeworts, and other plants that never get harvested would occasionally produce a seed.  Like every 50 or 100 cycles, a domesticated Oxyfern drops a seed.  Oxyferns are great for a number of reasons, but the limited number of seeds limits what you can do with them.  Also, I run with just the main pod on my home asteroid, but that's just me.

[qda]

There is currently a mod named "Printing Pod", which lets you reroll, as many times as you wish, your entire printing pod selection. It isn't as polished and doesn't give as much control as Duplicant Generation Settings Manager, mentioned earlier, but it works with the DLC.

If the frustration of not getting what you desire from the printing pod, as you described it, really taints your ONI experience, don't refrain from using this mod, or another one, to have some lever over what is given to you !

[Yunru]

To answer the title question:
I have pretty much the polar opposite opinion of everything, especially choosing resources over dupes. I hate picking dupes when I don't need to unless they're something special.

[Kevdog]

For me, the printing pod feels like scratching off a lottery ticket once every 3 cycles. Most of the time there will be nothing good, occasionally I'll get a  nice little bonus, once in a while I'll find something amazing. I don't dislike it, it's just kind of there. It's pretty rare for me to hit Reject All though - I only do that if the care package is something like a critter that will cause more trouble than it's worth.

I also agree that I'm printing dupes less often in the DLC than I did in the base game. It feels like there's more potential for poor trait combinations. I've seen dupes with interest in cooking and a negative to the skill for it, lots of mismatches in digging/building bonuses/penalties, and dupes pre-trained in odd skills (art level 2?) with really bad negatives to offset.

[TheMule]

On 1/25/2021 at 9:14 PM, SchlauFuchs said:

god print

Exactly.

Now you have decent prints only. God prints are very rare, if not impossible. It seems they introduced a balancing system that - if a dup is very good in something, they must have major drawbacks.

[KittenIsAGeek]

On 1/25/2021 at 12:54 PM, arvenil said:

Please fix a bug where you can save before picking from printing pod and then load the save to get different options.

So you're saying that because you have no impulse control, the system must be wrong?

You're not required to pick anything from the printer pod.  You don't have to save and re-load.  You can DISABLE your pod, and guess what? No more printables!

 

On 1/25/2021 at 12:54 PM, arvenil said:

I will never pick flatuant dupe. This means I often end up with one less choice...

That is definitely your choice.  The side-effect of that choice is that you have one less option occasionally.  There are pros and cons to every decision we make.  Personally, I think flatulent dupes get a bad rap.  Yes, its annoying when they break a vacuum by farting, but overall they often have some better bonuses than otherwise equivalent dupes.

On 1/25/2021 at 12:54 PM, arvenil said:

I will never pick resource over a good dupe, and if there are no good dupes, then getting 2t of salt water is not a choice, but rather like a punishment.

No one says you must chose a resource.  The option is there to take or leave as you like.  An option you do not like isn't a punishment -- its simply an option that you don't like.  There are some worlds where I will always take a particular resource regardless of how nice the dupes are when it comes up.  Does that mean I'm being punished when that resource doesn't pop up every time?  No, its simply a choice I have decided to make for that world.

On 1/25/2021 at 12:54 PM, arvenil said:

It's really hard to get dupe for specific job, e.g. good luck with looking for cook or farmer.

This is why I always pick my initial 3 dupes so that they cover the critical jobs that I know I'm going to need to get my base established. I will always have one farmer/rancher, one digger/builder, and one researcher. I'll also try to make certain that one of the three has cooking, and hopefully my builder also has operating.   This way when the printing pod offers a choice of dupes, I'm more flexible about picking one.  Heck, on one world, I picked a dupe with 3 negative traits because I thought it was hilarious. 

On 1/25/2021 at 12:54 PM, arvenil said:

I'm never happy with whatever I choose from printing pod, it's like picking lesser evil, and it's really not fun.

That's terrible!  Clearly the lottery should always be in your favor.  =^.^=

Here's my point of view: The printing pod is a bonus.  You aren't required to pick anything from the pod in order to build your base or even complete the game.  Sure, one of the win conditions does require 12 dupes, but its your choice if you want to go that route.  From my perspective, every time the printing pod pops up, I see it as a pleasant surprise!  "Oh, hey, the pod just popped. Lets see if there's anything I like."  I almost never save and re-load, because I'm not depending on the pod to establish my base.  Yes, I said "Almost never."  There were a couple of games where I did save and reload a couple of times -- mostly to see if it made things better or worse.

On 1/25/2021 at 12:54 PM, arvenil said:

Give player both, dupe and resource, he can always pick "none" for any

The pod already does this.  I almost always have a choice of at least one resource and at least two dupes.  Usually its a choice between one resource or 3 different dupes, but sometimes there have been 2 resources or only 2 dupes.

On 1/25/2021 at 12:54 PM, arvenil said:

Let player pick one from 3 (or 2) random resources - this will give a player real choice rather than resource being punishment.

This is an idea I sort of like. I still don't see resources as a punishment, but I do like the option of having more than one resource choice. The few times the pod has presented me with 2 resources to chose between, I've always thought it was great that I had the extra option.

On 1/25/2021 at 12:54 PM, arvenil said:

Let player re-roll dupe stats and let player pick his profession - similar how it works on starting screen.

I've thought about this idea as well.  I'm still not sure if I like the idea or not.  On the one had, being able to re-roll stats until you get one that fits your base is a great idea.  On the other hand, a LOT of time will end up getting spent re-rolling stats until you get the PERFECT one, instead of making due with an adequate dupe.  Besides, once your base is established, the dupe particulars are less critical.  The only thing I really try to avoid with dupes from the pod are when they are unable to perform a critical task  (Can't dig, can't build).  Perhaps a hybrid, where you can select a role you want for the dupe, but you're stuck with the stats it picks. IDK.  Its something to continue thinking about.

 

On 1/25/2021 at 1:15 PM, nakomaru said:

I also don't like reloading, so I used to use a mod to reroll directly. That's way too powerful, so I later switched to Duplicants Generation Settings Manager,

I think this is a perfect example of the usefulness of the modding system.  If you don't like the way something was designed, use a mod!  That way you enjoy your game better, and others who like the way it was developed can continue to play that way.

 

[Hechicera]

I don't hate the printing pod but it does seem out of place in a game like this. I do approach it most like @Kevdog.

However, it has been in the game long enough that it has become a crutch. Both for game play (to some) and for design. Some examples, critters which do exist on starter asteroid have a "crutch" in case they become extinct before you decide to utilize them will likely be replenished at some point from the pod, it is the only way to expand your dupe count. Those are significant things that, if not there would cause code redesign to solve and many of not most players to change how they play.

So I suspect it is here to stay.

I do like one feature of the pod: it introduces randomness. So it can be a way to make one run different from a previous run. I personally like that as I bore more easily than average (and I have a diagnosis to prove it!).

However, the devs have changed pod output over time to improve the feel (passes at odd dupe trait combos, adding items a alternative to dupes). Adding the "Care Packages" setting to the game.

From feedback here I think changing the pod to be more like the starting set up with regard to dupes would suit some. As an option, not that people that like it as is couldn't continue.

For dupes in the pod at the time of print:

- Add the select a focus drop down.

- Add reroll.

You wouldn't have to use it. So take that random dupe as a self-challenge of for the heck of it fun is still there. But for a play style that prefers specialists or for alternative run choices it works better. So specialist dupe playstyle players have an outlet, people that want to avoid certain traits have it less frustrating, and weird challenge runs are possible. Like everyone flatulent, or can I manage with all mouthbreathers, or even like Surviving Mars Idiocracy Mod (from the devs themselves) try runs where all dupes must have the worst traits. It opens the game for play by a wider variety of playstyles with less frustration.

I also like the feel of congruency having the pod rolling process be just like the start of game rolling process. One has improved over time and the other has not.

[The Plum Gate]

If they're going to allow us to have greater control over the output of our printers, then they may as well require us to repair the unit and power it ourselves.

According to the game lore the technology is nuclear powered. Although this is redacted, it can be inferred. The fact it's redacted may as well be an opening for later manipulation.

[crbd115]

14 minutes ago, The Plum Gate said:

If they're going to allow us to have greater control over the output of our printers, then they may as well require us to repair the unit and power it ourselves.

According to the game lore the technology is nuclear powered. Although this is redacted, it can be inferred. The fact it's redacted may as well be an opening for later manipulation.

Totally agree it should be powered, but tbh its kinda hard to balance what would be realistic vs what is feasible for the player. I used a mod at one point that required the pod to receive 120w of power to build up enough charge to be able to print and that felt pretty fair to me. 
Personally I think it would be interesting if we had to feed it materials, Like the only way it could get care packages is if it had been fed that material previously. Not like you had to continuously feed it but you feed it so it can break them down and be able to print things made out of that material in the future. 
lol maybe to print dupes you need water, dirt, a little metal, some basic variety of minerals, and some oxygen, in addition to what ever it takes to power the pod or recharge it.

[Sasza22]

33 minutes ago, The Plum Gate said:

If they're going to allow us to have greater control over the output of our printers, then they may as well require us to repair the unit and power it ourselves.

I like the printing pod as a piece of "ancient" technology that just powers itself. That said i`m not against it slowing down with dupe production after a while which could be averted by providing extra power. Mini pods on the other hand should be more primitive.

As for the output i`d love if it needed you to analyze critters and plants that you find on different planets. Once analyzed the blueprint could be delivered to the pod and the next care package would be guaranteed to have that. If the critter/plant/resource is not available in the world there should be a blueprint you could find in a Gravitas PoI for it.

[avc15]

Quote

getting usable dupe

This is a bit of a paradox... I assume you mean getting a good dupe... but if all dupes were good, we'd be looking for better dupes

I do hope the mod you need ports soon, but any reasonable change in this direction for the base game should be in the form of settings.