Family cost mod

[Beornwahl]

A mod that adds a configurable cost for having partners and children - a monthly expenditure by head.

Intended both for realism (as having stay at home partners and children would incur cost), to counter late game money excess, and simply because I think it's a joy to provide for my in-game loved ones.

I usually play with the revenue service mod, but this taxes by income and the price for feeding one's family seems better as a fixed cost.

Extra wonderful if the mod can handle multiple partners - for those of us who gather most of the village on your farms.

Many kind regards!

[jamespfluger]

So at the end of every month you are charged an amount, configurable in a JSON, that says how much each would cost. and/or if they would be a cost?

It could probably handle multiple players by simply looking to see who the local player is and charging them.

The easiest visualization would be to add text to the chat, but perhaps a letter in the mail could work?

[Beornwahl]

A letter in mail would indeed be a nice feature. The revenue service mod has such a feature and has its code open source, I think.

In regards to amount charged and how to charge I see to different options.

The 'simple' option where the player merely enters and amount to be deducted by the start of each month (either in game or via json). No checks or extra code needed.

The second option would be where the mod checks the number of family members and deducts a fixed amount on the basis hereof at the start of each month. It could further be expanded by consequences like a relationship loss if the minimum amount is not paid - for not having supported one's family - or relationship gain if you give your family a bigger budget.

[jamespfluger]

Hmmm, so you're saying the config would happen at the end of every month.

Option 1: enable player-chosen default fixed amounts Option 2: enable player chosen fixed amounts per-spuse and per-child at the start of each month

I think Option 2 is the easiest amount, as it simplifies the config to "Spouse" and "Child1" and "Child2" I don't see other options working, as a percentage could end up being a MASSIVE amount of money that would be hard to return.

I'd also like to add that if the player doesn't have the amount of money, they won't have any money taken. Perhaps a relationship decrease with your spouse? I'd personally rather it be Mayor Lewis to keep the family wholesome and to reinforce having a supportive family structure.

I'll do some research this week into sending letters. I know how money can be handled and by checking the date, so this should be fairly simple. Work might get in the way, but hopefully within a week or two!

[jamespfluger]

@Beornwahl I have not forgotten this and am working on it!

Configuration

The config UI will consist of sliders that represent a tax %, ranging from 1-100 with a default value of 5-10%

I can set up either

1. A static General Tax % that the user configures and can increase/decrease based off their preference (would prefer this implementation)
2. Individual sliders for Spouse Tax %, Child 1 Tax %, and Child 2 Tax %
3. A combination of both (currently implemented)

When to start

It would be harsh to tax the player in their first year, so I'm adding a setting to start taxing the user in year 2, possibly year 3 (by default)

Visual Configuration

This is what the configuration looks like now. Let me know if you have any changes you'd like to see.

[Beornwahl]

Looks immensely impressive, James!

This mod will, when released, necessitate an immediate replay of the game for me!

I think I'll set it to taxation on year 1, but that's just a personal preference (great the mod allows one to choose).

Is there a way to make the family expenditure a flat cost per member instead of a percentage?