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RimWorld => General Discussion => Topic started by: Walkaboutout on July 30, 2018, 12:52:45 PM

Title: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Walkaboutout on July 30, 2018, 12:52:45 PM
Tynan's notification that a Stranger in Black has been added, who helps you when you are really in trouble, has me curious. Sadly, I have no access to the game at this time, and so am wondering if anyone has any experience with this yet?
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: fecalfrown on July 30, 2018, 02:29:51 PM
Did I miss this somehow? Where did he say a stranger in black was being added?
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: erdrik on July 30, 2018, 03:21:45 PM
Quote from: fecalfrown on July 30, 2018, 02:29:51 PM
Did I miss this somehow? Where did he say a stranger in black was being added?

Posted by Tynan here (https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=41766.msg423224#msg423224).
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Zombull on July 30, 2018, 04:25:17 PM
I just had a Stranger In Black. It's apparently a new colonist-joins event triggered by dire situations.

My NB colonist was downed by heat stroke and food poisoning, so a Stranger In Black arrived.

Here she is. (I assume she's as random as wanderers and pod people.)

[attachment deleted due to age]
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: lauri7x3 on July 30, 2018, 04:26:23 PM
yeah i was wondering as well....

https://clips.twitch.tv/CourageousCleanBulgogiVoHiYo
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: EvadableMoxie on July 30, 2018, 04:33:14 PM
So it looks like it's just a wanderer joins event but reflavored a bit with specific triggers?
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Zombull on July 30, 2018, 04:40:16 PM
Quote from: EvadableMoxie on July 30, 2018, 04:33:14 PM
So it looks like it's just a wanderer joins event but reflavored a bit with specific triggers?

Check the gear tab. A fairly well geared one who brings some supplies.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: 5thHorseman on July 30, 2018, 05:57:31 PM
Makes me think of the Mysterious Stranger in fallout.

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Mysterious_Stranger
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: jcapp on July 30, 2018, 06:15:06 PM
Just had the Stranger in Black arrive at my colony too. Naked Brutality in Tundra. My single colonist snapped and went after my only prisoner. Prisoner knocked the colonist out and the stranger arrived. Same gear as posted above.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: sadpickle on July 30, 2018, 07:53:22 PM
That's dope, I like it. Randomized events with flavor like this make for compelling stories.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Greep on July 30, 2018, 09:12:00 PM
It doesn't seem to be random.  I seem to instantly get it if everyone is downed.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: bbqftw on July 30, 2018, 09:17:56 PM
Quote from: Greep on July 30, 2018, 09:12:00 PM
It doesn't seem to be random.  I seem to instantly get it if everyone is downed.
I have a funny feeling this one isn't meant to last ....~~
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Greep on July 30, 2018, 09:25:40 PM
New NB strategy: punch the nearest alpaca
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: bbqftw on July 30, 2018, 09:38:23 PM
To be honest there is significant utility right now in knowing which is the safest animal to punch

Like its probably a stronger gameplay tool than knowing how combat works. Fighting well gives you stronger raids. Getting downed gives you weaker raids. So who's the real winner here.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: xrumblingcdsx on July 31, 2018, 01:52:15 AM
I got the stranger in black to come when my only pawn collapsed due to food poisoning. He got back up before the stranger even made it to the base. I don't know about the rest of you but the pawn I got from this event is great!! Good skills, good traits, etc. Seems to trigger a little too easily though.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Zombull on July 31, 2018, 02:48:35 AM
Quote from: xrumblingcdsx on July 31, 2018, 01:52:15 AM
I got the stranger in black to come when my only pawn collapsed due to food poisoning. He got back up before the stranger even made it to the base. I don't know about the rest of you but the pawn I got from this event is great!! Good skills, good traits, etc. Seems to trigger a little too easily though.

See above. Mine was a non-violent with a heart condition. She can cook though.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: 5thHorseman on July 31, 2018, 03:41:57 AM
Quote from: xrumblingcdsx on July 31, 2018, 01:52:15 AM
Good skills, good traits, etc. Seems to trigger a little too easily though.
Tynan explained this (in general, not specifically about the Stranger). He likes to try things all one way and then all the other way to find a middle ground where they work. Also, he wants data on how much the Stranger helps and if it's too much/too little/etc. So, it's probably set right now to happen every time you'd need it to. In a later update, it'll trigger less, or maybe even not at all if it doesn't work well with the game.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: spidermonk on August 01, 2018, 03:11:34 PM
My NB guy got downed because of food poisoning/go-juice need withdrawal kick-in combo and the stranger requests to join even though my guy is gonna be ok after the food poisoning wears off. I rejected her, because I expect challenge from a merciless NB run, and I don't want to be rewarded for mistakes.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Kleine on August 02, 2018, 09:06:10 AM
I think a good solution for debuffing the event would be to 1. Have the stranger leave when the colony is back on its feet and 2. Not allow the stranger in black to drop his gear (By direct command or outfit policy, or imprisoning and stripping him, but that wouldn't be easily explainable).
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Goldenpotatoes on August 02, 2018, 09:29:02 AM
I like the idea of the stranger being some long-time nomad who just wanders the rim helping struggling survivors get on their feet and then leaves after they've helped stabilize the situation.

Making them a temporary colonist who disbands after some set conditions and cant have their gear taken off would be a better way of implementing it.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: mndfreeze on August 02, 2018, 10:28:51 PM
Personally, I love this addition.  Something rimworld really lacked was positive events having the same 'oomf' feeling that the negative ones do.  It probably shouldn't trigger on situations that are not closer to colony ending, i.e. just food poisioning downing a pawn, but it SHOULD trigger if its your ONLY pawn (or all pawns ) and something else is/can cause that pawns death. 

IMO, the gear isn't even that special and can be attained pretty early on.  I don't think it needs to be made that you can't drop it or anything. 

I'd be fine if the stranger left after a while.  Like if there is a condition thats met where the danger is passed enough and you can be fine without him.  I.e.  pawn dying of food poisoning and heat stroke while downed outside.  Stranger shows up and joins, you use them to rescue and doctor, build a new passive cooler or A/C, etc then a week later the stranger leaves.   Or even, all pawns downed, kidnappers about to take everyone.  Stranger shows up, you kill a few and save 1 or 2 people from being kidnapped, stranger helps patch them up, and leaves.   In cases where the stranger leaving would just be a game over, the stranger should IMO stay.

But really, if this is just a normal pawn with slightly better gear then I don't see it being super over powered.  There should be a limit to how many times it can happen though.  Like once per game or once per year or something.   You don't want it to be come a crutch, you want it to be an epic save that prevented a rage quit due to death spiral/new start unfair RNG.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: RemingtonRyder on August 03, 2018, 04:37:41 AM
It isn't a crutch. It's a way of continuing the story. It might be that the man in black can't save anyone despite his best efforts, so instead he has to grab what he can in the way of supplies and continue on his way (you start a caravan with him as the only guy and find a new spot to settle).
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: mndfreeze on August 03, 2018, 07:59:55 AM
Yeah, I don't think it is, I just basically it needs to be balanced in a way that it doesn't BECOME one.

Also, it should be noted for people who seem to forget things like this, but when you wipe your colony, if you keep continuing the story eventually you get a new colonist, so really, its not that much different then how the game already is.  This just gives you a chance to do it in a way that prevents complete loss first.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: mndfreeze on August 04, 2018, 10:56:29 PM
So I've had 3 games in the last few days that ended really early on.  NB on rough.  One switched to tribal and 2 standard.  I have not once seen this event and all games ended by the pawn being downed by a raider or sickness.  So it definitely isn't happening every time, or there are specific conditions that need to be met like food poisoning. 

It would be nice if someone who knows how to dig through the xml can figure out what the conditions are for this event and post em.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Greep on August 04, 2018, 11:41:09 PM
I think it got changed so you need 10 relation.  I mentioned that earlier, but it's possible even earlier that was not the case.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: RawCode on August 05, 2018, 02:49:51 AM
it appear like "tuxedo mask" when situation is beyond hopeless and just down with your colony.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Teleblaster18 on August 05, 2018, 03:09:02 AM
Last night, I had him appear twice.  I wanted to test the integrity of my base, as well as how much will actually fully burn, so I triggered an Animal Pulser, and then had two of my guys put in some work with incendiary launchers, and simulataneously raze the entire thing to the ground.  You know...for science.  I actually learned quite a bit from it.

It's a pretty cool event.  The Man In Black didn't make it a 1/4 of the way to my base to help out, since he got mauled by wildlife, but it was cool to see it trigger.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: 5thHorseman on August 05, 2018, 04:02:15 AM
My colony of 7 went down (in toto, all 7 downed) to raiders and he showed up. They ran off with 2 people and he carried 4 of the other 5 back to the bedrooms of the taken new medbays and patched them up. The 5th one died before he could get them back and patch them up.

About a year later - engaged to one of the colonists that had been taken and that we had won back - the man in black suddenly disappeared as mysteriously as he had arrived. No, not really. He died from an easily-treatable infection that I dind't see because the warning is off right now. Oh well, c'est la vie.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: haanuman on August 06, 2018, 08:28:37 AM
I still have yet to encounter the stranger in black  ;) Now I can be well prepared though.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: spidermonk on August 07, 2018, 09:34:57 AM
I think it's a great event, and very nice for the sake of continuing the story, but on NB it defeats the point and challenge of the run for me. It feels like a huge undeserved revard rather than a chance to continue in a desperate situation. I would rather not have that before second colonist have joined the colony. When the colony has two colonists I consider the main challenge of naked single person start addressed.
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: ZE on August 07, 2018, 09:52:06 AM
i had a stranger help me once, i fell asleep after a hard days work, left my game running, apparently i got several raids, and in one of them she appeared.......... i awoke to 1 colonist still alive, and it wasn't the stranger lol.   so  i dont know if they are OP or not, but considering she was a corpse..... lol i dont think so
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Kiter5 on August 07, 2018, 06:36:34 PM
I did! He saved us! but we still filed and had to kill his mom when she attacked from a warring faction, then everyone died anyway, except Jennifer.... but it's just a matter of time
Title: Re: Has anyone seen the "Stranger in Black" yet?
Post by: Snafu_RW on August 07, 2018, 07:50:19 PM
Think "Shane" the book/movie or possibly Lone Ranger.. even some of Clint Eastwood's later westerns would fit. David Gemmel did well in his similar stories

A drifter (or other unknown) wanders into town. Possibly a threat to the town? Instead <Stranger> helps out a failing community, then leaves for who knows where..
The current game mechanics aren't very good or to my taste IMO, but Rimworld is a /story-telling/ game at its core, after all..