RimWorld Beta 18 – A World of Story is released!

Posted November 18th, 2017 by Tynan Sylvester

RimWorld Beta 18 – A World of Story is released! Here’s the video (where I accidentally call it Alpha 18 – old habits die hard).

To get the update: If you’re on Steam, the game will update automatically. If you’re DRM-free, you can re-download from the same link you got the game from originally. It always has the latest version.

If you want to keep playing Alpha 17 on Steam: Right click RimWorld in the Library list -> Properties -> Betas -> Choose alpha17b from the drop-down menu.

It’s finally in Beta! This is build 0.18.1722 of RimWorld. That last number is the number of days since I first started working on RimWorld in February 2012. 1722 days – almost five years. It’s come a very long way since the first public look in September 2013. It’s time to start bringing it to a close, which is why version 0.18 is Beta 18 instead of Alpha 18.

The “Beta” designation means that we’re on the final stretch before the 1.0 release, and that there won’t be major content additions like whole new game systems. Of course we will almost certainly add more content, before the 1.0 release or after. We will also continue seeking feedback so we can fix those little bugs and design problems that only become apparent after tens or hundreds of hours of play. RimWorld has become an exceptionally complex game, and it takes a long time and a huge amount of play to understand how to improve it. So it’ll keep evolving for a while.

In any case, enjoy Beta 18. There is a lot of new stuff. See the features list below for details, and watch the video.

Compatibility: Saved games from non-modded Alpha 17 should still be loadable, though some things may change upon loading (e.g. characters may forget what they are doing; buildings may insta-deconstruct if they changed size and no longer fit, etc). Complex mods made for A17 won’t be usable and will need to be updated. Very simple mods may still load.

Rough features list:

  • New swamp biomes: Swamp biomes are hard to move through due to choking vegetation, and hard to build in due to swampy terrain. Many new plants were added to fill out these and other biomes.
    • Tropical swamp
    • Temperate swamp
    • Cold bog
  • New incidents:
    • Meteorite impact. A meteorite impacts, leaving a lump of mineable ore.
    • Aurora. A beautiful aurora lights up the night sky, improving mood.
    • Tornado
    • Peace talks quest
    • World refugee quest
    • Prisoner rescue quest
  • Storyful combat: A major rework of melee combat, and a new way to report all combat interactions. Storyful combat generates a combat log that reports each blow, miss, swipe, block and fall in the combat. During or after a fight, you can review the combat log to see what happened, to generate a richer story.
  • Various research has been split up
    • Gun research is now broken into several stages, so making advanced guns like assault rifles takes more research than making simple revolvers
    • Melee weapon research is now broken into several stages
  • New furniture
    • Bedroll: Portable bed
    • Dresser: Passively improves room
    • Endtable: Passive improves room
    • Various new table sizes
  • New quest reward special items:
    • Psychic emanator
    • Vanometric power cell
    • Infinite chemreactor
    • Techprof subpersona core
    • Healer mechanite superdose
    • Resurrector mechanite superdose
    • Orbital bombardment targeter
    • Orbital power beam targeter
  • Tribal content upgrade:
    • Ikwa melee weapon
    • War mask
    • Tribal headdress
    • Recurve bow
    • Tribal hunter
    • Tribal heavy archer
    • Tribal berserker
  • New world site components (used in various situations):
    • Sleeping mechanoids
    • Animal ambush
    • Enemy ambush
  • New mental breaks:
    • Insulting spree. Randomly go around and insult people.
    • Targeted insulting spree. Follow around a specific other colonist, insulting them repeatedly.
    • Tantrum. Go around randomly smashing furniture, buildings, and damageable items.
    • Bedroom tantrum. Go to your own room and randomly smash furniture, buildings, and damageable items.
    • Targeted tantrum. Go to destroy a single, specific, randomly-chosen, valuable item or building.
    • Sadistic rage. Melee attack prisoners for a while. Fists only. Only occurs when there are prisoners to attack. Does not attack downed prisoners.
    • Corpse obsession. Dig up a corpse and drop it on a meeting spot table or in a random high-traffic area. The mental break then ends.
    • Catatonic. Collapse on the spot into a downed state with a psychological breakdown. Recover some days later. This can be implemented by a “catatonic breakdown” hediff.
    • Jailbreaker. Colonist goes to a random prisoner (who is capable of prison breaking), and upon doing a special “spark jailbreak” action with them, induces an immediate prison break in that prisoner.
    • Slaughterer. Slaughter random colony animal(s) periodically.
    • Murderous rage. Hunt down a specific colonist or prisoner (randomly chosen) and attempt to kill them by melee attack. Uses melee weapon or fists, as equipped. Keep attacking until the target is dead.
    • Run wild. The pawn basically starts acting like an animal. You can tame him to try to get him to rejoin.
  • New mental inspirations. Basically reverse mental breaks – these give temporary bonuses to colonists in high moods.
    • Work frenzy (1 day): Global work speed 2.5x
    • Go frenzy (1 day): Walk speed 1.5x
    • Shoot frenzy (3 days): Shooting hit chance improved as though the pawn is 10 skill levels higher.
    • Inspired trade
    • Inspired recruitment
    • Inspired surgery
    • Inspired art
  • World features like lakes, mountain ranges, and bays are now detected and named. Names are displayed in the world view.
  • Caves now form sometimes in mountainous maps. Inside there are special cave plants. There can also be dormant insect hives.
  • Many new tale types were added. So, the game will record many new types of events, and colonists can make art about them. Art descriptions should be much more diverse.
  • Crop blights now appear and spread over time instead of instantly destroying crops
  • Spaceship is now bigger and has one more component, the sensor cluster
  • Spaceship quest ending phase: When going to the hidden space ship to finish the game, the game does not end instantly on arrival. The map generates with the ship intact. To take off, first you must power up the ship, which takes some days, during which you must survive raids.
  • Space ship construction now requires advanced components, which have their own tech tree and production method
  • Split pistol into revolver and autopistol
  • Boomalopes can be milked for chemfuel
  • Added chemfuel generator, which generates electricity from chemfuel
  • Artillery works differently now. There is one type of mortar, which can fire any type of shell, with each shell creating a different effect. The shells are explosive, incendiary, firefoam, and antigrain (a special high-tech warhead).
  • Seasonal latitudes: Seasons now more reasonably adjust depending on latitude. Instead of flipping at the equator, there is a seasonless crossover zone.
  • Redesigned alert letter types and sounds to be more specific.
  • Pawns can now be banished. This is analogous to abandoning pawns in caravans.
  • Technical: The save file now contains the actual contents of the planet map, instead of just the seed to generate it. This speed up loading, makes forward compatibility possible, and makes it technically possible to modify the world map during play.
  • Many many tunings, bugfixes, and redesigns.

EDIT (Nov 20): I forgot to mention another feature we added, which is queuing orders. You can now queue multiple orders for colonists. This was a ton of work to do because it forced us to separate the code that validates jobs from the code that initiates jobs, but should make many things much more convenient for players.

48 Responses to “RimWorld Beta 18 – A World of Story is released!”

  1. Tyson Field

    I just wanted to be able to say… FIRST!!!

    But in all seriousness, this looks like a great update, and congratulations on progressing towards 1.0! I guess there goes my weekend…

  2. Kenneth Presto

    I was playing pubg and then I was like wtf why does Rimworld say update in queued? Then I checked the site I’m so surprised. IT CAME!!!

  3. Michael Petramala

    I love the direction this game is going Tynan! I’ve been in love with the game since I bought it in Alpha 8 and I’ll continue to play long after the game is finished. Keep it up!

    P.S. You have a dark sense of humor with a few of those mental breaks… I like it!

  4. James Cortez

    Just wanted to say that I love your work man. Been playing for years and hope that the games fanbase continues to grow. Thanks for the hard work mate. <3

  5. Matt Snyder

    I love this game… Tynan, thank you for this masterpiece.

  6. Hayden

    Thanks to the whole Rimworld team for this long awaited update 🙂

  7. Gantz

    Keep up the incredible work man your game is such a delight to play !

  8. Andrew

    Awesome update! I think it adds so much more depth to the story and allows the player to become even more involved with each individual colonist. Thank you for all the hard work as I look forward to spending hundreds of hours on Beta 18!

  9. Glerikud

    Thank you for this awesome update. It’s so great to see this game progressing. It was awesome before and it’s just keeps getting better and better.

  10. Neros

    Awesome update

    So looking forward to milking those boomalopes for their sweet, succulent chemfuel 😛

  11. OwlHowl

    Now we can wait another 5 years for 1.0 🙂

  12. Ivan Alekseev

    Drinking game: a shot of vodka every time you call it “Alpha 18” instead of “Beta 18”.


  13. Congrats on going BETA and thanks for the amazing game!

  14. Tony Clark

    Nice. So glad this wonderful concept is being continued.

  15. luk

    There is no Alpha17b to choose from betas drop down list on Steam…


  16. Thank you a lot !!!
    this is my favourite game for years now ! Keep on the good work

  17. R.H.

    I was just getting on to play some rimworld after a week’s break, and I see ‘Update Queued’. I think I broke my sister’s eardrums with my incessant squealing!

  18. Gar

    No! NO! DAMN YOU TYNAN!
    I need to work! Couldn’t you delay the release a few weeks? Now everything I do will be late…

  19. V

    Lots of great stuff! How about some vehicles next time around, so we stop having to shoot pawns off through the air to get places? Also, are you ever considering adding counter that the player can build/execute to combat “screw you” type events like solar flare or tornado? Literally anything else you can prepare for or mitigate. You’ve fixed blight, how about solar flare now?

  20. SubmarineBells

    So (asking as someone who only purchased the game a week or so ago and thus am still new to how you operate): for the DRM-free Windows version, the update can be downloaded through the link in the email from “SendOwl downloads”, is that right? The link that says it can only be used 7 times? Does downloading the updated version count as one of those 7 downloads, or have I misunderstood something?

    Alternately, is there a way of downloading the update from within the game main menu itself?

  21. nccvoyager

    SubmarineBells, the SendOwl download limits reset every major update.
    If they do not (for some reason) or if you need more than 7 downloads (for some reason) you can contact Ludeon support via email, and they can manually reset the limit.

  22. Aramati Paz

    I liked almost everything. Really loved the 1×2 table (I wanted this since the begin). S2
    But the need for research normal bed pissed me. 🙁

  23. LS

    And there was much rejoicing!
    This thing is getting so f***ing amazing…

  24. LS

    Small bug find:
    Some factions (RimCity ones) are named “Could Not Resolve Any Root: Name”

  25. FAUKENA

    Just a few things I’d like to see added for improvement:

    Moving workbenches
    Building bridges
    Crafting prioritization (pawn 1 should work at machining spot before the drug lab – prioritizing manually only works until sleep)
    Reassign crafting projects (in the bills menu)

    Anyways. Really enjoying the game so far! Looking forward to these new updates.

  26. Jito

    Love the update. Definitely time to get back into some rimworld.

  27. Addvon

    Wounderful update and i just want to say i am loveing this game! I have a few ideas tho like the robots. We should have them as a defence like you down a robot and you can shut it down. then if a person has a smithing and reasher skill of at least 10 or 12 they can reprogram a bot at a robotics workbench and have it reprogramed int doing a sertant job like farming, building , defending, orcrafting, ect. But they have a chance to break down or go “haywire” when you are reprograming them. Also the big robots can only have 3 programing opt hauling, defending, or being aportible storage container for a caraven. Also would like to add to this a robot repair pod that heals robots when they are too damaged and they have to be told to do this by another colonists you can not directly control the robots (like animals) they do what they are assigned to do. There is also a chance that when you are raided by a Robotic Faction your robots subrootens kick in and they go hostile like a system reboot depending on what they are working as like a “famer attacks with there hands, a defencive attacks with a weapon you gave them, act. And there are a few new robots i would like to add like a “leader” if you will. each robot raiding party has at most 1 or 2 Ai bots. they do not attack they control the other robots in the party and if you destrroy it they shut down. But there is a chance if you kill it they can drop a “AI core chip” which is amaterial that (can not be destroyed by failed building or if a enemby breakes the computer”) creates a super computer. this computer is like a termanal for all the robots that you control. this renforces there recistance for going rough and allows them to do a extra job. The “leader” looks like a red cube on a moving pedistill. the other robot i would like to add is moving pyionic field emmiter. they can cause all sorts of problems like apain, animals go wild, attract mor robots if attacked,ect. they can attack but they are very limited in what attack they can do like if they fire a weapon there pyionic ability ges away. but if you can control these you can program it to walk arount ad admit a good pyionic ability like, hapy ness, feel good, attract harmless animals, attract dangouris ones ect. this robot looks like a a spider (large) that has a red dot on is back (antena that turns green if you control it) and has 2 weapons a fist attack and a “spit attack that maybe able to auto infect wounds. Or spead a deases (leate game creature.). There are also a new location Ancient robotic foundery where there are alot of robots but you can get un activated robots, robot weapons, robot armor plating, materials for computer,ect. but this is gauded and constantly producing robots like a robot every 4 days that it is there. you can land in one of these andthere will be only on robot gaurd. You have the chooce to take control of this factory “it is inside a mountain by the way or you can destroy it and get good relations to every faction near you.) but more on controling the factory you meet a AI You can have one of you coloniest speak with it/ activate it and it will say the following “Welcome to The foundery are you my perpouse is to protect the ficility and kill all who come to destroy it.” this Ai will act as another coloniest and give you the ability to make more Robots than you know what to do with ( 1 Every 3 days if you give it proper material and repair the belts and the service robots). all factions will find you hostile and attack you on a regular bases. but you can capture them and recruit them as usual. there is also new clothes like a Suit that is given to the coloniest that activates the Ai and worker sclothing (vice precident, and ceo uniforms) to the rest of the coloniest. the robots that work at the factory you take over wont attack you if you are waering these clothes. And you have to expand the facility back words because there is going to be raids on a daily bases by all factions that are near you. so You are given some reasherch at the begginign like hidro ponics, geothermal, micro electronis all the stuff that has to do with electronics they have it. Also any electronic in the “main factory will not be affected by a solar flare because they have addaptide to it over a millinia. But this is just my idea on what to do with the robots because we know they are ancient and they just wonder around and don’t do much but attack. I wanted some depth with the robots and to add somthing intresting to the game and if you would have “A.C.E.” as a ai name (Stands for Artifical Control Entity. Also a name Addvon Carzol Evoths made the name up a fer years ago) just because i gave you the idea. Sorry if there are alot of spellings i like to type fast.

  28. Matt S

    Rimworld crept up on me… over last 2 year this is the game I keep coming back to. It’s become my defacto fave.

    Well done, sir. Can’t wait to play 18.

  29. willpill35

    Question with the Resurrector mechanite superdose, if you freeze a corpse and revive it later when you have one of these, will it still work?

  30. Hop

    I am SO excited to be able to queue multiple orders, thanks a ton for this update 😀

    I would also like to put in a request to be able to reinstall production benches and research stations 🙂

    Thanks again!

  31. Brian

    My first story:

    Colonists landed in the swamp. Heat wave starts first day. run out of food, all colonists pass out from heat stroke and die.

    Not liking the new biomes, they are a bit TOO punishing… especially since you took out any merchants who buy wood!

  32. Adam

    Hey, so I noticed you didn’t mention anything about “Team Skills” in the notes. What’s this about?

  33. Lori

    OMG IM LATE BUT THANK YOU!!! This game has given me so much inspiration as a writer and so much joy as a player of strategy games. It’s like the sims, but 100 times better.


  34. No Black Friday discount!? Seriously?! Are you that cheap Tynan?

  35. Randomdude

    Nice update, though I hope certain features will be polished. For example, now with so many varied tantrums there should be a way not merely of preventing them but punishing colonists who go crazy. Perhaps some capture order, which chosen armed, disciplined colonists would take up. Then a punishment could be issued – the more severe the player will choose, the more future tantrums will be cancelled due to fear of punishment but also the bigger morale hit the peaceful, friendly colonists may suffer.

    Also, I hope that with otherwise smart change to tech progression, difficulty will be adjusted as well? Since it’s now harder to really arm one’s colonists well without investing a lot, early-to-mid game enemies also should be managed so no hi-tech-totting crazed gunmen will raze colonies from the get-go.

  36. Peter

    This really does look like a fantastic update- I especially like the “inspiration” buffs from keeping and sustaining extra-high morale, as well as being able to “milk” boomalopes for chemfuel.

    Only wistful gripe I have is that updates always hell on some mods I’ve come to take as staples, like Hospitality and Leadership.

  37. locionparaclo

    I can not play because my PC is very ugly but I still magnify all the content of the game.
    I hope you add more difficulty level one that is impossible 🙂
    nice game!

  38. Free Ideas!

    I have a theory that sleeping alone may be unnatural for humans, and may be a leading cause of depression and selfishness for people in advanced nations. So I always put my colonists in a barracks… It might be nice if some of them actually enjoyed sharing a room.

    It may seem like a simple feature, but be super complex to implement, but I’d love to see colonists turn on their flashlights when they’re in the dark. I don’t know anyone who can install granite tile in a pitch black dark room…

    Also, when are you going to implement STOCKPILE SOURCING for work benches? I’d think it would be easier to do than radius sourcing, and it seems like a more intuitive method. On that note, maybe a “take to stockpile” option in addition to the usual HAUL designation. Thanks, great game!

  39. tindolt

    Wonderful update, you somehow keep the game interesting, yet a challenge. Thank you for providing me something to waste many many hours of my life XD

  40. Zdiddy

    Aw man, my computer got water damage and now it won’t work so I can’t play the new update??


  41. […] the subtitle ‘A World Of Story’. As you can see in the abridged update video above, or the more extensive change-log here, this largely means a slew of ideas picked almost verbatim from Dwarf Fortress, including a […]


  42. […] technologiczne. Zbyt dużo tych wszystkich zmian aby je tutaj wymienić ale zainteresowanych zapraszam tutaj, gdzie znajdziecie pełną listę […]

  43. Carson Skerkavich

    A little bit bummed that there isn’t a mental break that forces a pawn to attack with ranged weapons. I would love to see my colonist shoot a doomsday launcher at a squirrel near his feet. 🙂

  44. Ragendar

    Thanks for the update. RimWorld is one I’ll always look at fondly!

  45. Skjoldrsson

    Waiting for the 64bit version so my heavily modded games don’t crash after 10 minutes of playtime.

  46. Rune

    Just a short report that the next colonist and previous colonist hotkeys are broken. reassigning them or assigning them to other keys in the keybinding menu does not alleviate the problem.

    Thanks.

  47. SuppleZombieKitten

    Thank you for amazing update!
    Orders queuing is amazing, so is the rest of additional content.

  48. boomalooper

    It was a great update for sure principally on the bedrolls part because they facilitate the caravan travel process with easier basic resources for the colonists. (sorry about any grammatic mistakes I’m not from EUA)