Way too much work with the vermin... thats for later, when I actually do use vermin for something. But I think you can already catch for example "bog crawlers" and use their extract to poison your ammo/weapons.
SabbyKat, you are my hero. It has been ages since I got a good-ol'-wall-o'-text with suggestions. I actually had the "Scribe" one myself before you posted it. I will see what I can do with the changed names that I know are fine, and set the others apart. I wont change the bowyer for now, since I havent found an elegant solution. But that was exactly my line of thinking: When was the last time someone rejoiced when he saw a group of wood burners, potters, glazers, fish dissectors and potash makers coming along?
Diplomat, or better: Ambassador, would be used in the Embassy, Expedition Outfitter and Expedition Starting Point.
Researcher, or maybe: Inventor(?), should get some more stuff to do.
Architect/Buildings designer has his own workshop in the mod, the Architects Study.
Archeologist has not much do to, granted... even adding more outcomes wouldnt increase the amount of labor he does... any ideas? Maybe restoration of items?
Student makes no sense btw, because the reading books/essays reaction take their own skills... so its only for writing, and Scribe fits perfectly.
If only I could get a good name for the bowyer/ranged weapon maker/gun maker/something something dude.
Please mind that I cant actually control which vanilla reactions they are used for. The Chemist would still make lye, the Alchemists still make potash. I can only change reactions for Craftsdwarf, Kiln, Smelter, Soapmaker, Quern/Millstone, Screw Press.
I actually use blacksmiths and metalcrafters a lot. And even if I rename one of them to Runesmith, this super-magical runesmith would still make the normal chairs and doors... that would be weird.
I am also thinking about double/twin labors. Like Wax&Poison Working. Wax/Poison Worker. It would actually say that ingame, "legendary wax/poison worker". This way I can have my new labor, but dont alienate the old one. Dont know how often that can be done before it looks ridiculous.
About the balancing: Hear you about slade, will be changed.
About harder setting: I cant make them become gradually harder, but the game does it itself already, by making the sieges bigger. I can give them natural skills and better materials, and I planned on 2 or 3 settings. "enable harder invasions" "enable impossible invasions" "enable oh-my-god-please-let-me-die" (not the actual names). I think thats quite easily done.
The cavern appareance I already changed, many version ago But no, caverns still do not accept GOOD/EVIL biome tokens. I cant mod doors/walls, thats up to exwnent or toady, and internal threats are planned. But they ranked super-low on the last poll, with >500 votes for embassy, guilds and magic, and <100 votes for more enemies.
EDIT: Oh, and splinterz gave me good news, I should be able to add this myself into the therapist init file, that way all this changed stuff gets read out into the Dwarf Therapist correctly.
Hehehe. Yay! I didn't get yelled at for being an annoying pain in the *** this time!
Yep. the Bowyer I see your intent - but yeah... I can't think of a mixture to them. The only plausible outcome I see, would bne to give gun-crafting to metalsmith/blacksmith - but then that still makes Bowyers over-all useless, as you really don't need many crossbows or bolts generally... *scratches head* Hrmph... drawing blanks. fletcher is a better term for him - as that works with arrows, bows, string, etc - but not guns to my understand. Nothing I can recall that's 'common tongue' works with gun creating and bows. Wish I could add SOME ideas, bleh. :/
Researcher/Inventor - now Inventor may be more fitting. Creating of new objects, performing 'experiments' (creating oddities to try and discover new functional blue prints/items to be created/whatever), etc etc. That would likely fit better.
True about the architects study - but I meant more so, the skill had an impact on building creation. A skilled architect making better walls, increasing value of buildings/floor, etc etc. I know you can't do that. Just seems like a totally pointless skill outside of the workshop (I gotta go play and see what is in the architect study before I can really say that, which I'm doing now
).
Archaeologist ideas? Hmmm... *taps chin* perhaps add in quite rare areas underground that can be dug up over a long period of time, 'ruins' if you will that have various events like huge spoils of loot, horrifying ancient curses that unleash hell inside the fort (imagine one that raised all the dead dwarves in your map - including the ones in your coffins... FUN TIME!), or even do something awesome like reveal some floors of your map above and below it from ancient maps (which is extremely useful to find minerals and such things). Could also add in 'lore blurps' that tell a little tale tied to the games history designed by you, or even your own spin on the story. there's plenty of other things too, like digging up 'mega books' that give +5 to a select skill when read (library, etc) from the 'ancient knowledge'. Hell, you could even make the ruins collapse into passages that lead down many floors into hidden 'dungeon' like features! x.x
Agreed about Scribes, why I pointed it out. I was fairly sure you had the same thought, and were just 'rambling ideas' like I do, why I mentioned it hehehe.
And student is used for training units (which is a god awful system ._.)...
Yeah, the Bowyer is kicking me in the ass too. Only word I can find that fits is 'Ranged-smith' or something, but it sounds off...
I agree about the runesmith issue. Why I was weary - it doesn't fit right. Runes are magical 'engraving' - metalcrafting is making metal chairs and beds.
Kind of... Apples and Oranges.
Mmm... double-profession seems off. Why would someone make wax (god that skill is so useless. x.x) and poison? Not insulting - it could fit for some, but yep. I wish we could just mod the damn game properly without so many work arounds. I'd love to see what you could do without the restraints hahaha >.<
Glad to hear about Slade. As yeah, it's not 'the best' - but it's superior to steel for cutting edge, and like 100x the weight (which if I recall, does impact the serrated discs and other traps in how well they pierce).
Buwhahahaha. I love the names for difficulty! make sure when you add the 'oh my god let me die!' difficulty, I'm the first to test it. I'll be sure to embark in a killer-rain, undead evil biome to boot, just to make sure it's a good show.
though, what type of difficulty 'changes' would you intend to make? Bigger sieges? more skilled foes? More 'cursed' migrants? More internal threats? more mega beasts/FB? Slower learning/food/etc all rolled into one...?
Damn evil/good tokens! *shakes fist angrily*
So you can't even make certain races able to picklock doors? Damn it. I knew the walls you can't... I hope that update toady is supposedly coming out with, has the new 'siege-walls improvement' I heard mention of. It's really needed. I can totally negate the games threat with 1 year of work in game, by digging a 3 wide trench on the edge of the map - then walling the edge. Nothing but flying races can get over. Even lets me control where trade wagons spawn too. All sieges can do is stand there and go herpaderpa
I think internal threats ranked low mainly as people don't like the challenge of it. They like being sure of themselves, in full control of everything. The thought of having uncontrolled events is not pleasing to most. I'd argue tie it into the difficulty settings you add, really. Makes sense higher difficulty=more dangerous foes, more threats, etc.
Awesome to hear about Dwarf Therapist. I was kind of worried about that, trying to juggle your changes with it could get confusing - but that remedies that concern.
Btw. A fun challenge you should try, is to embark... right into the caverns. No surface building, and all your rooms, facilities, etc, must be in the caverns only.
This proved to be... interesting for me. Cavern one is fairly easy if you don't get jynxed by horrible spawns - cavern 2 is thesible with some intelligent play. Cavern 3 i haven't tried, but... yeah. Probably suicidal even for someone like me ;p stuff there is just brutal.
Anyways! Sorry for my ramblings. I'll try to go play and give you some input on various things as normal (that are up to date and relevant!
).