(TLDR; at the end)
Hey! Since we all like this game, I thought we could come up with stuff that could make it even better. No idea whether the devs lurk here or not, but I'm sure if we come up with great suggestions, we'll be heard at some point. I hope the text is readable, I'v never done Reddit formatting before. Let's begin with the biggest ones:
1. Custom maps
This is a massive game changer imho which would skyrocket the longevity of the game. As we know, a new map is currently in development, but for the future, I think instead of developing a single map (which hopefully is fun and successful), it would be more efficient to spend the time to provide the community with tools to do so on their own.
Considering how large the player base of this game is, it wouldn't take too long until there are lots of fantastic maps around, each with all their own assets. It wouldn't hurt if this happened today rather than tomorrow, because at some point there will probably be copies of this game, and should one of them include customization options, the player base might move there. Let's just face it: The idea of playing Among Us on a map resembling your very own house/apartment complex/garden/whatever sounds freaking awesome. "I can't be the impostor, Blue was next to me from when we fed the cats in the living room up until the vacuum cleaner task"
2. Ghost tasking paradox
Something that has been bothering me for a while is how counter-intuitive the entire dying process and the aftermath is. Just think of it: If you kill somebody, you grant them the ability to do their tasks faster because they can ignore walls, which contributes towards their win condition. On top of that, making tasks as a ghost is boring, we all want to watch whats going rather than moving to the other side of the map alone to fix a task.
Suggestion: When somebody dies, they can spend all game watching the plot unfold like a soap opera, their tasks should be solved on their own step by step (speed can be set as a lobby option, but generally slower than the ghost or even a living player would, but of course not by too much). This removes the paradox situation, avoids the boring ghost tasking, and gives the impostors a strategic option to slay the guy who apparently always takes ages to do his tasks.
3. Impostor Sabotage Cooldown option
I've seen many lobbies where one impostor was ejected, and then proceeded to (unintentionally) sabotage in a way that hindered the second impostor. I wouldn't make this mandatory but as an option as it's uncertain what other consequences it might bring, but generally, it might be worth looking into separating the sabotaging options into game ending ones (Skeld: reactor/oxygen) and non ending ones (lights/comms), and reducing the cooldown of both of these to as low as possible (obviously high enough that instant reactor into oxygen isn't instant win).
I think situations like these could be avoided if impostors no longer share cooldowns, but each of them has a number of uses (determined in the lobby, yay customization) of either of these, just like the crewmates have a fixed amount of meetings. This would result in sabotages having to be used more carefully, but potentially to much greater impact. Since one impostor can no longer set anything on cooldown for the other impostor, the problem should be solved. On top of this, you could let 1 game-ending sabotage be simulatenously running with 1 non-ending one, such as sabotaging reactor and lights at same time, allowing for fancy lights out vent actions at reactor.
4. Other Game option
I think there are a few things which should be available by toggle rather than mandatory. For example, being able to see dead people in admin might be annoying for some, just like being able to spot venting the same way. For Polus, it might also worth considering havinge a fixed customizable delay on lifeline. I also wonder if a toggle option for hiding names ingame (not in discussions, not sure if that even matters), as this would help against the clipping bug of names going through walls and such. I think it would also make for a thrill. Obviously, it's more of a bug I guess, but you also shouldn't ever see a vent animation from another room or through a wall. Being able to select if you want to be the impostor in the lobby could also be useful, as some people would but can't and vice-versa.
5. Z Axis as in different level
If we're lucky we might get this already, as the teaser from the new map shows a ladder being used, although it's uncertain how exactly it's being incorporated. I'd love to have a real Z Axis, especially in terms of custom maps, it would be awesome to not only have leveled maps, but actually buildings where you might be able to spot stuff happening on the ground floor from the second floor, or see into a window from another building from your building. Just imagine, instead of a security room with a camera, you're on the 3rd floor of a building with binoculars, being able to toggle between locations, maybe similar to the find-stuff-in-space-task in laboratory in Polus. Spicy.
6. Fancy Impostor Tools
Note that this is optional, because obviously, you will probably think I'm crazy, but I think there is a lot of untapped potential in what impostors can do. Of course, these options should be limited (1 time usage?) and the lobby settings slightly favored against the impostors to avoid the game being too easy. Ever wanted to appear out of nowhere like Team Rocket with Koffing? We could give impostors the one time ability to throw a smog grenade out of a vent which will cause an area of fog, limiting vision similar to lights out. What if impostors could stick a GPS device onto a crewmate, having them permanently appear on their map (perhaps limited by time/rounds?) What if impostors could move the location of the corpse by a bit? This is only some stuff I came up on top of my head, I am sure you guys will come up with a lot more.
TLDR; Game is awesome, let's think of stuff to make it more awesome.
(1) Custom map option for players to create lots of maps rather than the devs having to do it, definitely more time efficient.
(2) Dead people can make tasks faster, which is bad. Having to do tasks as a ghost is boring, we want to watch the game unfold. Make tasks of ghosts autocomplete depending on time passed (slower than ghost or living player would, but customizable), win-win.
(3) Ghost imposter sabotaging often goes against the other imposter. Seperate impostor cooldowns to game ending / non game ending, allow 1 of each category at same time, reduce overall impostor cooldowns, and gate the usage by tokens instead, similar to crewmate meetings. Offers a lot more strategic options, too.
(4) Some toggle options for seeing dead people in admin, seeing people in vents in admins, toggle ingame names, put a customizable delay on lifeline. Fix seeing venting from other rooms if it isn't already.
(5) Z axis as in levels allows more complex maps and vision games.
(6) Fancy Impostor abilities limited by (one time?) use such as smoking a room from a vent like Koffing to reduce vision, stick a GPS device on a crewmate to see him on the map, or being able to move the corpse location by a bit. Crazy ideas, toggleable in case they turn out to suck. Feel free to come up with some!
Thanks for reading, and feel free to add your suggestions or discuss.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/AmongUs/comments/kqm173/what_we_need_custom_maps_qol_other/