How should I play as a first timer with RimWorld?

Kliktu · August 14, 2016, 08:19:42 AM

So far I've tried the "Crash Landed" scenario about 10 times with as many random choices for everything as possible. Like, I choose a seed at random, starting point at random, choose Randy the storyteller, and use the first set of colonists that it gives me. So far, I have yet to survive the first year. I'm getting better, though, I think! Still, it seems really, really difficult to do it how I'm doing it. How should I play to get the most out of this game? How do you guys play it I guess is what I want to know.

FyrnSkulblaka · August 14, 2016, 08:25:19 AM

My advice is to watch a guy called Blitzkriegsler on Youtube. He does a new series each time an Alpha is released and you can learn a lot about what you need to do (And shouldn't do!) just by watching him.
Other than that, I would play a few years in a Mountainous Temperate forest biome. You'll want a year-round harvesting period too. Once you've learnt how to play there, I would then move onto more challenging experiences.

MisterSpock1 · August 14, 2016, 10:00:46 AM

surviving really depends on the biom you are landing. with less knowledge of the game, iceshield or hot biomes can be very hard.

Serenity · August 14, 2016, 10:05:15 AM

Maybe don't use Randy. Cassandra or Phoebie on Rough were alright for me. Phoebie can be a bit boring with a long time between events, but at the beginning you have lots of stuff to do and can learn base building and the mechanics.

cultist · August 14, 2016, 10:20:54 AM

Try to master the temperate forest and arid shrublands biomes first. They are much easier than any other biomes because they provide a good mix of animal and vegetable food resources and don't have extreme temperatures (arid can get a little hot though). Temperate forest also teaches you how to deal with winter but without the harsh temperatures and short growing periods of colder biomes.

As for difficulty, I think rough is a good difficulty for learning but still being challenged.

Shinzy · August 14, 2016, 10:24:39 AM

I had most fun learning from mistakes and making erry colony better after the previous one failed
ofcourse the game was much more.. basic back then

so I didn't have to learn all the features at once

Cassandra's probably the good story teller to start with as she's more predictable, so you can better prepare for what she's about to throw at you

FyrnSkulblaka · August 14, 2016, 10:31:04 AM

I miss those simpler times, where you could place remote explosives in a tight space to blow all your troubles away. Truly a beautiful thing to behold.

Shurp · August 14, 2016, 01:30:47 PM

A basic guide to surviving in Rimworld:

1) Try an easier difficulty setting. Don't play "permadeath". And use autosave to recover when pirates kill you.

2) Research and build turrets. Put a wall 20 squares in front of them so tribal greatbows don't plink them to death. Play on a mountain map so you can make a nice chokepoint.

3) Stay out of cold biomes until you're pretty competent (indoor farming can be a challenge). Playing on a desert is a better initial challenge, potatoes can grow slowly in gravel.

4) Don't forget to grow healroot (for infections/injuries) and hops (for beer, beer, BEEER!!!) Beer is especially important to keep colonist mood up.

Also don't forget that your freezer also makes a good dining room, entertainment room, and chicken coop!

Kliktu · August 14, 2016, 05:59:37 PM

Thanks for all the advice guys!! I had been playing on "Challenge" mode because the description mentioned that it was "the way RimWorld was meant to be played" (and I also picked Permadeath because it said the same thing, lol). About randomizing the colonists until you get some good ones: do you guys generally do that? If so, I might begin doing it, too, lol. One time I got a Sheriff that wasn't capable of violence, nor of anything else besides dealing with animals and making art! He just wandered around the whole time insulting one of my colonists.... X( The most recent time I played I was doing very well, but then raiders with guns attacked and my trigger-happy bartender saved the day, but she was my only doctor (and the only cook) and she'd been shot a couple of times. Then, my other two colonists got sick and she nursed them back to health. I would still be going, but my hunter somehow triggered a herd of 10 deer to become manhunters.... They're all still alive, but my doctor can't treat herself for the gunshot wounds she got earlier. At least her wounds finally stopped bleeding. My hunter lost her leg to a deer (and although she can do medicine a bit, she is incapable of moving, right now), but 3rd colonist is now perfectly fine, although since she isn't capable of "caring" she can't feed the colonists that are in their hospital beds, so they're now starving....

I'm continuing on this one, now, just hoping I don't get attacked by anything for a while.

Kliktu · August 14, 2016, 06:27:49 PM

They're all dead now.... The two in the hospital beds (unable to move and get food) died of starvation. Then the stupid martial artist that couldn't feed nor treat them due to her belief that the wounded shouldn't be cared for had a mental break, went berserk, and then died of blood-loss due to all the bites, scratches, and tusk goring she got from killing animals in her berserk rage.... And, right before she died raiders attacked and destroyed all my stuff. lol

Shurp · August 14, 2016, 08:51:11 PM

Yeah, "Challenge" and "Permadeath" are definitely for advanced players, not noobs still learning the game.

You could still resurrect your colony if you weren't in too bad of shape on your oldest autosave (5 days ago)

I do hit the "randomize" button a lot to get rid of colonists I don't want (cataracts, trigger happy, etc) and to get coverage of essential skills (researching, social)

Mendel · August 14, 2016, 09:30:04 PM

I´d say if you want to learn the game and still have a good challenge, go for cassandra rough. it gives you a bit easier time really early on but it gets really rough later on.

If you want to design a nice base and relax a little more, then play basebuilder phoebe. I like it a lot. It is nice to have a huge base with impressive rooms and a herd of animals hauling your stuff

I also like to add double or triple the food for the start so I have more time to set up farming, freezer and such.

Kliktu · August 15, 2016, 12:16:28 AM

Thanks for the info, guys! Maybe one day I'll be knowledgeable enough to survive with any random group of colonists! For now, I guess, I'll try to take it a bit easier and learn at a more reasonable pace.

ahowe42 · August 15, 2016, 01:07:16 AM

Quote from: Kliktu on August 14, 2016, 06:27:49 PM
They're all dead now.... The two in the hospital beds (unable to move and get food) died of starvation. Then the stupid martial artist that couldn't feed nor treat them due to her belief that the wounded shouldn't be cared for had a mental break, went berserk, and then died of blood-loss due to all the bites, scratches, and tusk goring she got from killing animals in her berserk rage.... And, right before she died raiders attacked and destroyed all my stuff. lol

Been there, done that :-D

keylocke · August 15, 2016, 03:07:51 AM

use the debug menu and use god mode to prototype your base design. (so you can test out your plans)

the purpose of this is to familiarize yourself to all of the buildings, furniture, equipment, animals, etc.. and how they interact with one another. how many tiles does each furniture need? how many workbenches do you want/need? what's the firing distance of your turret? how many tiles do you need for your trade beacon? how many tiles do you need for the sun lamp? how many sun lamps are you planning to build? what are the crops you are planning to farm? how large do you want your freezer room to be and how many coolers would it need? etc..

debug mode let's you test all of that asap and get you up to speed and learn a lot even when investing the shortest amount of time.