The 'vanilla' experience.

[Mathenaut]

This isn't about being judgmental or running purity tests (there are other topics for that). Mostly in response to such, really.

Emphasis on vanilla is the metric concerning discussions on balance, but the overwhelming popularity of certain mods can't really be denied. The community isn't that large, so I suspect there is some overlap, and I'd like to see where.

I intentionally didn't introduce example metrics in the poll. I'd like people to post what they use and where they draw the line on what they consider to be 'still vanilla'.

Personally, I draw the line at the UI. Your mileage may vary. You don't need to justify anything (though feel free to if you're inclined), but go ahead and add your .02 and let's see what comes up.

[Boston]

In my opinion, "vanilla" Rimworld, while it is still a great game, is ...... rather annoying. Much like Skyrim or Fallout 4. 99% of the time, I am fully immersed in the game, then I just come across something so jarring that it jerks me out of the game completely. " I can forge armor made of dragons, yet I can't make arrows from wood and iron? wtf".

The things that "annoy" me, for a lack of a better term, about vanilla Rimworld is:
1) The lack of powerless options available. This was greatly fixed in A13, but "technically", you still need power to keep a freezer cool
2) The lack of "furniture" options, at least ones that "make sense", to beautify a settlement. Most of my mods add things like rugs, animal hides, etc, so I don't have to have solid gold floors, nor massive sculptures everywhere
3) Lack of storage. In vanilla Rimworld, whenever you make a stockpile, you just throw whatever it is on the floor, meaning you require more space and it just.... looks bad. I use a mod that adds things like baskets, boxes, and pallets to "clean up" my storage space, as well as letting me store more stuff in a smaller space.

[Devon_v]

I remain mystified as to why EdB's colonist bar and the Pawn State Icons are still mods. I literally will not play Rimworld until they are available for a given release.

Other than that a13 has fixed many of my issues with vanilla Rimworld. Previously I viewed vanilla as little more than a tutorial mode lacking any real depth or challenge.

To me, vanilla is about the core balance. If a mod adds full glitterworld tech and has every faction using it, then we've gone off vanilla, but if a mod just expands on the existing 20th century tech it can still be vanilla.

[CheeseGromit]

In terms of calling the game 'vanilla' Rimworld, for me that's no mods at all.

I will use UI, and minor balance/functionality tweaks to 'fix' annoyances and tailor the play experience, mostly pacing and scaling, to what I prefer. So, I don't consider that I play vanilla Rimworld but I try not to deviate too far from the base.

[rmurdocci]

I remain mystified as to why EdB's colonist bar and the Pawn State Icons are still mods. I literally will not play Rimworld until they are available for a given release.

^ this.

[rexx1888]

upon a new release ill play vanilla for a few games, an then ill mod it. lets me provide actually useful feedback an see all the new stuff, an then i have something to do while the mods update

[Limdood]

I prefer "near-vanilla"

-I like EdB prepare Carefully for setting up "fun" groups. 
-I just recently found the "more factions" mod that adds about triple the normal number of factions (harder to befriend them all, and more POTENTIAL for hilarity...i got sick of always getting tribes/outlanders that were 100% friendly with each other, so the only faction to faction fighting had to include pirates).
-The only truly gameplay-changing mod i use is "mending" because i can't stand the fact that you can't fix clothing/armor/weapons...Its OP cuz its free fixing, but i'd happily pay resources to fix gear.

I plan on eventually trying out EdB interface...never used it yet...probably should. 

In A12 i also used the "new storytellers" to try different things...though none of them really understand me the way Robbie does!  I've tried and discarded expanded crafting and expanded prosthetics.  Too gamechanging.

[BlackSmokeDMax]

For me anything beyond the colonist bar (or even better, the full EdB UI) is "modded"

That is the only thing I need* to play the game.

*Obviously, I don't really need it to play, but I'd rather keep playing an older version until it is ready.

edit: I should add: I'll be sad if some form of the colonist bar doesn't make it into vanilla release. Totally understand not putting it in until a release candidate though. One less thing for Ludeon to keep updating every release possibly.

[b0rsuk]

It's too early for mods, because the game is still taking shape. It's alpha. Besides, I'm supposed to give feedback on vanilla, not some modded version.

[Aatxe360]

It's too early for mods, because the game is still taking shape. It's alpha. Besides, I'm supposed to give feedback on vanilla, not some modded version.

On the other side of that:

This game is in alpha and therefore not a complete game.  I use mods to to flesh it out to where it's more playable to me.  I do play the 'vanilla' game to figure out where it lacks and use mods to test theories and hypothesis if that particular playthrough would be worth giving feedback upon.

[RazorHed]

I can't play without edb colonist bar.

I don't use mods that just add more of things that I feel are fine in vanilla like guns , floors.

I feel that given enough research you should be able to craft everything. So mods that do that I like.

I really like the A2B conveyor belt mod as it adds a new way of doing things without going overboard on features.

I don't use mods that go overboard on features or are too complex unless there isn't another option .

I feel there should be more turrets , so i'll pick a vanilla-ish turret adding mod

I like edb prepare carefully so I can get a 3 man vanilla team I like and save the group
so I can restart a map and not have to reroll forever.

I don't like modpacks as they add too much unless theres a theme of some sort.

[Mithrawndo]

I don't like to use other people's DLL mods, though please don't take offense: I don't know you, so I'd be negligent if I didn't read your source before I installed it, and as I'm still learning C# I'm often unsure what some subroutines do. Unlike my relationship with Ludeon Studios, I'd have no real recourse if something horrible were to happen as a result of installing an unknown DLL. Once I'm better interpreting C# (the logic is really straightforward, but I'm still acclimatising), I'll be sure to play around with more of them. I'm not averse to altering anything in XML, as this is simply altering game balance - even if potentially it is cheating, like editing all the mechanoids out of your save file: It's your game, and it's yourself you're cheating - nothing wrong with that!

On the subject of, colonist bars look like cheating to me; it makes it too easy to keep a track of them all and hence removes moments like "Oh no! I forgot that I'd left him drafted! Quick: get him inside before he freezes!" that epitomises the fun of losing in games like this, at least for me. I don't think I'd enjoy the game as much if I didn't have moments of abject panic about my incompetence!

Edit: I had to vote for "purge the unclean", even though this isn't actually representative of my position.

[cultist]

I usually don't start adding mods until I become bored with a game. Hasn't happened yet, which is pretty impressive actually.

[falconbunker]

Combat Realism, Rimfire, EDB interface, and EDB prep carefully are my absolutely must need mods. Combat Realism because combat just feels better with it, and with the new ammo and inventory update it sounds like we might even be able to have raiders run out of ammo and be forced to pull out a knife or something and engage in melee combat, or we run out of ammon and have to do that. Rimfire because MOAR GUNS, and EDB's mods because I don't have the patience to constantly click random and hoping for a somewhat good character for twenty minutes, interface because it makes the interface better. And then I have the have the ungodly amount of mods that I have downloaded to spice the game up even more, like glittertech adding commandos, which completely wreck you, or rimsenals federation faction, or shield generators, embrasures, new weapons, etc.

[Gennadios]

My line is drawn at extra items or free resources, I mostly go for things that I feel should be implemented.

Community Core, to save power on my unused workstations instead of manual flicking.

I use Prepare Carefully, this is kind of an old Warhammer 40K argument, but My Dudes(TM) are the source of my engagement. I'll work with other joiners, but the first 2-3 guys are mine.

I use DE Surgeries instead of the more feature packed mods because I don't want the 9 extra buildables and/or resources.

I got Recycle, but won't use Mending until a resource cost is added.

I really want a mod to build turrets out of existing guns but the one available has too much extra clutter.

I also use RTG for the two uranium powered generators, uranium is hard enough to acquire that it feels balanced.