I like these ideas, but not unconditionally.

Limited resources: I like it, but not all the time. I'd rather see limits set in place for special challenge mode or maybe for a campaign/single player story of sorts and have a free form mode as well.

Alternatively, a conservative use of buckets could net you a nice bonus for an end of level evaluation in a free form mode that wouldn't enforce a limit to buckets, but those seeking top scores would be able to make use of it. Those looking to just have a fun time by goofing off can do what they want.

This also can apply to recycling bins and similar, granting a bonus for actually sorting them out instead of just chucking them in a fire. For maximum frustration, the various receptacles should all be scattered far from each other.

As for defending oneself, I can see something like that work, though I don't think there should be health or a risk of dying. That's the stuff of heroes, you see. This is just a working man trying to feed his family. Ain't got no time to die.

That being said, the hazards could still prevent you from going forward blocking the way or forcefully pushing you away until you take care of the hazard in some ingenious, working class family man sort of way.

For the cart, I want to see this. But it can in no way make life easier for the poor guy without being just as capable of making it a lot worse. For starters, it shouldn't have any sort of guards or rails to keep the containers on. The surface should also be exceptionally slippery (from soap I guess? Space soap?) and the wheels should be uneven and never able to go in a straight line for very long. And also more than happy to violently eject its contents if it so much as bumps a shell casing.

As for defending oneself, I can see something like that work, though I don't think there should be health or a risk of dying. That's the stuff of heroes, you see. This is just a working man trying to feed his family. Ain't got no time to die.

That being said, the hazards could still prevent you from going forward blocking the way or forcefully pushing you away until you take care of the hazard in some ingenious, working class family man sort of way.

"enemies": eg. larvae
stop them before it's too late and they multiply or turn into something you can't stop (you lose), or have more difficulty stopping, or that requires "hero" intervention (lost work)

- Use a rock-scissors-paper mechanic for certain liquid cleanup (e.g. slime neutralizes acid which dissolves viscera which soaks up slime) instead of simply pickup and mop.

Baryonyx, have you been reading my personal notes? These are the exact same things I suggested to the RuneStorm guys.

Limited resources: I like it, but not all the time. I'd rather see limits set in place for special challenge mode or maybe for a campaign/single player story of sorts and have a free form mode as well.

Alternatively, a conservative use of buckets could net you a nice bonus for an end of level evaluation in a free form mode that wouldn't enforce a limit to buckets, but those seeking top scores would be able to make use of it. Those looking to just have a fun time by goofing off can do what they want.

This also can apply to recycling bins and similar, granting a bonus for actually sorting them out instead of just chucking them in a fire. For maximum frustration, the various receptacles should all be scattered far from each other.

For the cart, I want to see this. But it can in no way make life easier for the poor guy without being just as capable of making it a lot worse. For starters, it shouldn't have any sort of guards or rails to keep the containers on. The surface should also be exceptionally slippery (from soap I guess? Space soap?) and the wheels should be uneven and never able to go in a straight line for very long. And also more than happy to violently eject its contents if it so much as bumps a shell casing.

The last bit, hero intervention. That really sounds like an awesome idea. Say instead of dying in some scenarios the hero comes along and saves you, preferably with an obliviously optimistic line like "Everything is alright now" or similar, with the irony being that his intervention just about completely negates whatever work you might have done.