Things (MODs) that should be in the base game

[KleiDan]

Although there are TONS of mods out there that can change the game entirely and even transform it into a totally different game, there are some basic functionality that should be default instead of an external dependency.

• Research queue: allows you to queue research so you don't have to keep going back and forth in the research page
• Starmap queue: same as above but for planets (the analysis is linear anyways, why do we have to click on every planet manually?)
• Fast Track: HUGELY improves saving time so we don't have to halt the game for a full minute on each cycle late game
• Instant switch toggle: allows you to shift+click switches to turn on/off instead of clicking them, then clicking the button
  (this could be an option feature as some people like clicking the big button)
• Show building ranges: displays the range of pumping, sucking, working of buildings such as liquid pumps, deodorizers, etc
• Better info card: groups info cards better so the information is less cluttered when you have many things in one tile (debris or critters for example)
• Blueprints: allows you to create templates of construction so you can easily duplicate buildings, structures, layouts, etc
• No research alert: allows you to remove the "no research in queue" notification
  (could be toggleable)
• No long commute: removes the almost always there "long commute" notification
  (could be toggleable)
• Insulated joint plate: allows you to have insulated joint plates so you don't need to create vaccum double plates to prevent heat from leaking
• Insulated door: same as above for doors, mechanical doors, etc
• Airlock door: creates a powered door that will completely prevent gas/liquid moving from one side of the door to the other - simpler than liquid locks, but uses more resources. People who prefers liquid locks can simply not use the building

A few other QoL additions that would be welcome:

• Buildings custom hotkeys: so I can use, for example ctrl+p for a liquid pump or, ctrl+t for a tile, etc
• Transformers: changing transformers from 1kW to 2kW max. Maybe adding a "mini transformer" that has a max of 1kW. The double transformer trick to connect Aquatuners shouldn't be mandatory.
• AETN buff: the building is mostly useless as is. A simple Aquatuner + Steam Turbine deletes 10x more heat and can be setup anymore. AETN are stuck in one place, are harder to setup and are 10x weaker. Plus, gases exchange temperature at a much lower rate than liquids.
• Bottle and gas drainers: currently they have to be above a tile to be constructed, we should be able to place them anywhere as dupes use their gun to set the bottles/canisters anyways
• Bigger bridges: currently fluid bridges only "skip" one tile. It would be nice if we had bridges that skipped 2 or 3 tiles

 

Feel free to add other ideas that I might have missed or give feedback on the ideas I presented here.

[cyberwarlord]

9 hours ago, KleiDan said:

Although there are TONS of mods out there that can change the game entirely and even transform it into a totally different game, there are some basic functionality that should be default instead of an external dependency.

• Research queue: allows you to queue research so you don't have to keep going back and forth in the research page
• Starmap queue: same as above but for planets (the analysis is linear anyways, why do we have to click on every planet manually?)
• Fast Track: HUGELY improves saving time so we don't have to halt the game for a full minute on each cycle late game
• Instant switch toggle:?
• Show building ranges: displays the range of pumping, sucking, working of buildings such as liquid pumps, deodorizers, etc
• Better info card: groups info cards better so the information is less cluttered when you have many things in one tile (debris or critters for example)
• Blueprints: allows you to create templates of construction so you can easily duplicate buildings, structures, layouts, etc
• No research alert: allows you to remove the "no research in queue" notification
  (could be toggleable)
• No long commute: removes the almost always there "long commute" notification
  (could be toggleable)
• Airlock door: creates a powered door that will completely prevent gas/liquid moving from one side of the door to the other - simpler than liquid locks, but uses more resources. People who prefers liquid locks can simply not use the building

A few other QoL additions that would be welcome:

• Buildings custom hotkeys: so I can use, for example ctrl+p for a liquid pump or, ctrl+t for a tile, etc
• AETN buff: Uncertain.

 

 

Some of these have been rejected more or less for game challenge and balance. The ones left I fully support for the base game and qol. 

Originally I was against Airlock doors but you could make them fair and I've tried playing both ways extensively. Keeping power to them and stopping heat transfer is still difficult and feels perfect. I've even lost a dupe due to power outages. Make it take plastic and refined metal.

Still out classed by viscous fluid.

They also don't make for better liquid locks. Just faster gameplay in some cases eliminating bit of redundancy. They also look quite nice.

 

• Minor things list. Things I feel are almost missing from the game.

Incubator still outputs the egg and critters on the wrong side. This covers the nice art egg timer and looks silly.

A lot of buildings can't be flipped and this annoys me so bad trying to design rooms and systems. Let me just flip the sink and toilet at least. And the storage tank!

Food recreation buildings stat boosts still feel underpowered for the duration and effectiveness. 

Freezing falling water could make snow when transition occurs, I am dying to use the game mechanics more to transition materials in more ways. Refined phosphorus etc.

I'd like to see a type of Moss and lichen type plants in the base game. The environment still feels bare in places, maybe a plant that crawls the back wall and creates layers? Thicker foliage looks nice.

Aggressive/carnivores critter variants. 

Still no way to build ceramic tiles.

Still no way to unlock building poi props, they look awesome but I don't want them easily. Packaging them to keep and collect/research would be fun.

 

●In the first dlc a map to build a space station is still my ideal hope. Something small but a unique map environment. Perhaps needed for special research and gmo variants. 

Silence building notification and a ui button at the bottom right.

More ways to reduce on screen UI. More arrows to shrink everything down when not in use.

Gets hard to see, be a bit overwhelming. 

Priority Zero. This can be selected to turn off dupe delivery.  Allow it to be selected additional to the standard priority for work orders that don't include delivery from dupes.

This would let you build a large area while the game runs with no worry of distraction for dupes.

Edited June 19, 2025 by cyberwarlord

[Charletrom]

Suppress notifications, no manual delivery, and hysteresis storage (for smart bins only).

[cyberwarlord]

3 hours ago, Charletrom said:

Suppress notifications, no manual delivery, and hysteresis storage (for smart bins only).

Suppress notification is such a big one. 

Also has repercussions that add a little spice at time. Dont forget to turn the spom back on.

[O.J.Vodka]

Klei turns a deaf ear to such suggestions, and sending them is useless.

[Charletrom]

3 hours ago, O.J.Vodka said:

Klei turns a deaf ear to such suggestions, and sending them is useless.

I don't think that's fair. Many of the suggested mods function well, and are regularly maintained. Why would Klei devote development resources to incorporating them into vanilla?

We have seen them do so for mods that are popular but not maintained as frequently. Build over plants and pliers, for example.

[cyberwarlord]

I just want a finished sandbox/forge world.

Player created in game content has so much potential.  Custom maps and challenges. 

Still have a half built tutorial world I'd like to finish 

[Bzhydack]

There is one mod I think is essential for larger bases:

Pipe Flow Overlay.

I also like Reapy, the harvester bot.

[Mementh]

14 hours ago, Bzhydack said:

I also like Reapy, the harvester bot.

thats lumbs now  giggles

[Bzhydack]

9 hours ago, Mementh said:

thats lumbs now  giggles

Lumbs are too inconsistent  And I want more bots!

[Mementh]

10 hours ago, Bzhydack said:

Lumbs are too inconsistent  And I want more bots!

the thing i look at is too much automation makes some other things not as needed/useful!

Honestly, its all figuring out what you need.. do you have a biobot dupe who's only job is to be the farmer? thats automation for you LOL

[Bzhydack]

I have another Mod, that should be in main game.

Rotatable Radbolt Chamber. Is sooo annoing to operate with Chamber facing only up...

[Bzhydack]

Bump.

Another suggestion:

Any Ice Maker and Any Ice Liquifier Mods. C'mon, its the same process for any ice, why buildings are limited to only one type of ice.

Automated Cannister Reloaded. Transport of Liquid Bottles and Gas Cannisters on Rails is long time suggestion, and buildings able to automaticly fill bottles and sen them on rails is super usefull

[axxel]

Real stairs

[blakemw]

On 6/19/2025 at 9:42 PM, cyberwarlord said:

Priority Zero. This can be selected to turn off dupe delivery.  Allow it to be selected additional to the standard priority for work orders that don't include delivery from dupes.

 

If the priority scheme were ever reworked, my dream scheme would have:

Priority Zero: Forbid interaction.

Priority Minimal: Always lower priority than any other errand, essentially the opposite of Yellow Alert. Example use case: Idler Gym so only dupes who truly have nothing to do go to it. Or a "ignore duplicant priorities" checkbox.

Priority Maximum: Always higher priority than any other errand except an alert. Any dupe does this errand. Example use case: Atmosuit docks, I don't care what dupe does it I want suits delivered. Or a "ignore duplicant priorities" checkbox.

Yellow Alert: Reworked logic. Mostly like Priority Maximum, but instead of grabbing any dupe anywhere to do the errand, claims the nearest dupe who doesn't already have an equally high or higher priority errand (for example dying is higher priority than yellow alert) and forces them to do it. So Yellow alert becomes "I need the nearest available dupe to do this now!".

Edited September 2, 2025 by blakemw

[soupdiver]

On 6/19/2025 at 10:36 PM, Charletrom said:

Suppress notifications, no manual delivery, and hysteresis storage (for smart bins only).

oh *** yea

thanks for mentioning hysteresis storage, just added to my qol mod list which looks like 90% of what OP posted

[Tytan]

Off the top of my head, I can say:

mod profile,
and most importantly:a  ribbon like cable, at least for electrical wires.

[AcTePuKcyT]

A lot of people have suggested “mods that should be in the base game.”
But I think the real situation is something slightly different:

Most of these features already exist in ONI in some form — they’re just unfinished, inconsistent, or missing the final layer of polish.

At the same time, many players never even discover these QoL improvements exist because they’re hidden behind mods. If a feature is universally used, maybe the game itself should carry a cleaner, lighter version of it.

Here’s my personal list of things that could be refined without changing balance or difficulty.

---

✅ Feature Overview (Vanilla Features That Feel One Step Away)

Feature	Status	Improvement That Would Help
Better Info Cards (BIC)	✅ Exists, but overflows	Group/stack items cleanly, add scrolling, optional compact mode
Mass Move Tools	✅ Exists (Shift+K)	Allow multi-item moves in one action (one “Move To” for many items)
Transformers UI	✅ Exists	Clearer direction arrows, watt caps, overload preview, simplified diagram
Joint Plate + Insulated Pass-Through	✅ Exists, but no insulation	Add insulated variant via material toggle
Construction Blueprints	❌ Not in vanilla (mods only)	Add simple room-template save/load system (see mod below)
Alerts System	✅ Exists	Let us suppress categories; convert minor alerts into subtle icons
Long Commute	✅ Exists	Replace popup with efficiency tooltip + average commute in Reports
Research Queue	✅ Half-present	Add visible queue UI; 3–5 slots default; unlimited under advanced settings
Bigger Bridges	✅ Exists, fixed span	Add late-tech 3–5 tile bridges to reduce spaghetti layouts
Direct Switch Toggle	✅ Exists (dupes only)	Optional Shift+Click “player override mode,” still animates dupe

---

WE CURRENTLY HAVE:

Better Info Cards

The current vanilla info-card system overflows off-screen if there are too many items in a tile. BIC (by Aze) fixes this with clean grouping and scrolling.
The mod has over 260k subscribers, so clearly the need is universal.

Mass Move Tools

ONI technically has a version of this, but the modded implementation simply gives better control over moving multiple items at once. It feels like a natural extension.

Transformers UI

Transformers confuse many players — even veterans — because:

• the arrows aren’t intuitive

• watt caps feel hidden

• overload logic isn’t obvious

The feature already exists, but the UI could communicate direction and load more clearly.

Joint Plate + Insulated Pass-Through

The Joint Plate is in the game, but we have no insulated version.
Players currently vacuum tiles just to stop heat leakage.

A simple “insulated” material option would solve the problem elegantly.

---

✅ Blueprint System (Construction Templates)

🧱 Blueprints Expanded (V2) — by Sgt_Imalas

This mod provides everything you’d expect from a real construction-template system:

• store & place full room layouts

• snapshot tool (quick copy/paste)

• blueprint list UI

• import blueprints from older mods

• save & reapply building settings

• material swapping

• apply settings to existing buildings

• rebuild with blueprint materials

• rotate / flip blueprints (not always working)

• configure planned buildings ahead of time

It’s consistent, stable, and used by thousands of players.
Even a lightweight vanilla version (simple save/load templates) would remove so much repetitive building.

I’m not saying Klei should copy the mod exactly — just that the concept has clearly proven value.

---

Alerts System + Long Commute

These two are almost the same issue:

• too many alerts

• too much noise

• mental fatigue for players

• not all alerts are “emergencies”

Being able to suppress categories or convert minor alerts into icons would reduce stress without affecting gameplay.

Research Queue

Not a huge feature, but a nice QoL addition.
Let players queue a few research items instead of clicking back every time.

Bigger Bridges

In real life we have longer bridges; in ONI we stack them like spaghetti.
A late-tech version for longer spans would tidy up mid-late game layouts.

Direct Switch Toggle

Klei likes “dupes do everything,” which is fair.
But an optional setting like:

Shift + Click to toggle switches manually

…would help players test logic or handle emergencies without waiting for dupe pathing. The dupe animation can still play for consistency.

---

As this is not too long already

I’m not arguing that Klei should copy mods directly.
I admire the work mod creators put into these features — they’ve kept ONI fresh for years.

But a lot of these ideas already exist inside ONI, just in a basic or unfinished form.
A small polish pass would help:

• new players (less confusion)

• casual players (less UI fighting)

• veterans (cleaner builds, less repeat work)

And none of these touch simulation depth or difficulty.

They simply make ONI’s existing tools clearer and smoother.

Thanks for reading — and curious what others think & Thank you Klei

[Bluefoxfire]

The ability to shut off the research reactor while it's running. Because being unable to gets obnoxious when, for whatever reason, you have to wait 10 or so cycles on a full load. Otherwise, your dupes get nuked or scalded to death. Not to mention all the heat going around.

Edited November 27, 2025 by Bluefoxfire

[cyberwarlord]

On 9/1/2025 at 12:38 PM, axxel said:

Real stairs

This.

[Alex_D]

On top of what others have suggested, I'd like to suggest a smaller gas tank, like one 2x3 instead of the current 5x3. It could be proportionally less capacity (say 200 kg instead of 400 kg).

This could come in handy for some processes where a large tank, acting as a buffer, would simply not fit or create other inconveniences.