Startup paralysis

[SilasG]

Hey guys, new user here. I'm having a unique problem, I think. I haven't actually started up a game yet because I keep trying to get good stats on all 3 of my initial colonists and just sit there interminably hitting "randomize".

Is it really majorly important to start with great stats?

[Damien Hart]

Not really. The most important thing in the beginning is really the "incapable of" list. Ideally, you'll want that to read "(none)" for each colonist. Once you've played a bit, you can then start to pick and choose colonists with skills to give you the best (or worst, if you want a challenge) start, according to your personal style of play.

That said, a lot of people still ignore the starting colonist stats altogether.

[Cosima]

Agree with Damien Hart, but I'll add that it can be helpful to have at least one colonist who's good at shooting - I aim for someone with a minimum of 8 that can still help with the other stuff. Sometimes it's fun to have an ultra-fighter with high fighting stats, but if they can't mine/haul/construct/etc. things move slower in the beginning.

I also like to have someone who's got high social skills - helps convert prisoners, better rate when buying/selling stuff to traveling ships. I hit 'randomize' til I've got a shooter, a social person (who can still do other stuff), and someone who's pretty average at everything (3s across the board kind of thing) and it works well! Once I ended up with someone with a 12 social right off the bat, but incapable of fighting or constructing... it can make for some pretty interesting scenarios, at least.

[Cosima]

Another forum on here about what stats people value - all sorts of different ways to approach it! http://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=3669.0

[SilasG]

I finally gave up clicking for the best colonist and gave "good enough" a try lol. Its working ok, everything seems to be running somewhat smoothly only I have a few questions.

1. How can I have my only cook do that (and research) if I turn off Hauling for her? If I leave Hauling on for her and mark some things way off for the others to go pick up, she'll go get it too and I don't want her to! Clicking on her and trying to rightclick the stove and prioritize cooking doesn't seem to work?

2. When adding a Bill to the cooking stove, when I go to Config is that number of times she'll do it or the number of meals in storage before she stops?

[Damien Hart]

Zokajo makes a good point about social skills, they definitely speed up expansion in the early stages.

1. Do you mean you want the cook to only cook, and research when she's completed that? If cooking is enabled, she should automatically complete bills so long as there's food and power available, before completing any other task. If you want her to research though, you'll need to turn off hauling and cleaning.

2. On the config page, there are two options in the top left, one that says "Not suspended", and one below it that says "Do X times" which means she'll complete the number of meals you specify, and leave the empty bill so you can manually add more when you need to. Click on the second option, and you'll see a drop-down list with "Do until you have X", which she'll complete until there are a certain number in storage, and "Do forever" which means she'll keep going until you run out of ingredients.

[SilasG]

Ah! Thank you, I hadn't realized that was a drop down menu lol. Now she's cooking away, nice.

Zokajo: One of my original colonists had a 10 in Social but I sorta kinda bought a slave with a 12 Social and 10 Research so he's doing all the stuff now. Problem is that there doesn't appear to be anything left to research so its all wasted now.

Another question, if I may: I have 2 colonists on Cleaning duties but they won't seem to clean the rock rubble thats all over my carpet in my mountain lair. They'll clean everything else but the rock rubble. I can't tell anyone to haul it and nobody will clean it so its just decoration now, I suppose. Any thoughts?

[a89a89]

It has to be in your home zone

[Coenmcj]

That'll be your homezone, You can set that in your zones menu.
The Homezone is also used for fighting fires when that starts happening.

[SilasG]

a89a89: Thanks! That was it, they are cleaning it all now.  Sorry, to make this thread a never-ending one but I do have another question lol.

I've had all this time just one cook and she's been doing well but now she's starting to fall behind due to the number of colonists. I have another cook and have turned him off all duties but cooking as well but he doesn't seem to want to cook ..or rather he only wants to cook at the first cook's stove (he has another stove for himself) so basically just stands around doing nothing. I have added another Bill to the new stove and set all the parameters just like the other one (except increasing both stoves number of meals to store). Must it be in a separate room perhaps?

[SilasG]

That's my base. I currently have 8 colonists, nothing to research, nothing else to build except more hydroponics farms (I already have way too much veggies and not enough meat), and a cook who won't cook lol.

I'm not really sure what else to do besides install the Industry mod?

Full disclosure, I do have it on the peaceful Storyteller.

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