Read moreI get what you mean about a framing issue.
You're saying that if it were presented as "here's a prospect, take them as a colonist or get a debuff" that would feel different to "here's your new colonist, keep them or kick them out for a debuff."
We'd at least get the illusion of a choice, even if the outcome was the same.
Technically, that's probably correct. And yes, you could extend that to other events.
And to all the things I listed. The person who's uncomfortable turning away a dying diseased stranger is probably also uncomfortable selling a lethal pleasure-drug to strangers.
Does this kind of samaritan exist? Definitely (I'm probably one myself).
Would declaring that all colonists feel that way improve the game? I don't think so.
That's building a specific moral view onto the existing colonists (one they don't already have), reducing the storytelling scope.
- Want a bunch of isolationists, maybe b...
Colonists definitely have some specific moral beliefs, definitely. They make perfect sense for some backstories. Less so for others. This is an area of the game I've long wanted to improve.