Playing in the Arctic (freezing all year round areas)

[mrofa]

Yehh animals dont really stay long, polar bears stays the longest but when winter comes they in most cases run away from the map.

makkenhoff:
I know the feeling had the same colony ending with thombro

[alexrou]

Would I be playing in -91C if I didn't want a challenge? I was just ranting when 15C made sunlamps a research item. Like it just feels so impossible early game without it.

Sunlamps do not need research unless you are playing the tribal start.

Before you could build sunlamps as tribals before you could generate any power to use them. Having them require electricity technology just helps to avoid confusion. Well, not always it seems.

Regardless, it is entirely possible as crash landing or rich man start to get to hydroponics and get your first crop in before you run out of food. The new animals on the map are just an unwelcome crutch to help get there. 

What if I wanted to play tribal then

[Aatxe360]

Cannibalize useless tribe members.

[Shurp]

Maybe tribals need a special technology they can research, "baby seal club", allowing them to harvest food from frozen lake squares.

[makkenhoff]

Cannibalize useless tribe members.

+1

Especially the ones who refuse to work! (Like, I'm not hauling that wood!)

I don't think it is ridiculous for animals to be on ice sheets, they exist on earth too. Now, if we are trying to find a way to make the ice sheet "easier" fishing seems the logical choice - but I don't find it all that hard right now, once you get past the initial danger of frostbite. Tribals would admittedly have a tough time. I'm not even sure I'd be up for that kind of challenge.

[Shurp]

Yeah, the tribal start on an ice sheet is basically unviable.  But as others have pointed out, maybe it *should* be.  There's no reason the game should be winnable if you pick intentionally awful starting conditions.

Hmmm, I wonder how bad a tribal ice sheet is on phoebe easy?

[BlackSmokeDMax]

I'm pretty sure I saw a twitch stream with someone trying a tribal ice sheet. Was pretty well along already though, so I didn't stop and watch it at all. So I don't know exactly how bad the conditions were, or if he made a scenario to ease it up a bit.

It was definitely an ice sheet, but there are some with not nearly so brutal conditions as others.

[FridayBiology]

theres a lot of letsplay Rimworld icesheets around so if your stuck just check youtube for a work around.

[LouisTBR]

Can I point out that a good way of heating your colonists and creating an early barrack is to build around a steam geyser! It heats your colonists and keeps the place at a stable temperature of around 20 degrees C.

[keylocke]

yep. build steam geyser room, asap. choose one that's near a mountain (the larger the better).. then start expanding slowly. monitor your temp, don't expand too fast or you'd lose temperature fast.

-steam geyser heat stuff up for free.
-mining hollows up space for expanding your colony.
-mining also provides building materials and other resources.
-if insect hives appear in your mines, then jackpot! do your farmville thing on the insects
-try to maintain a good temperature for the hive so they don't go poof.
-???
-profit and lots of delicious jellies.

----------

i think extreme biomes are easier, coz the challenge is mostly about colony management.

meanwhile, the main challenge of temperate biomes are mostly about the battles. (aka : FUN)

[Serenity]

It takes luck getting that geyser though. And geysers aren't part of the map seed. So if you find a good seed online and load it the geyser won't be in the same place.

When you get it, it's great though. Geyser + gravel patch + hydroponics. Only four people, but I've got too much food really (hydroponics grow insanely fast). The room is a bit bigger because of the farming area and the entrance area that I use for crafting, but I just put in some additional heaters. The pawns wouldn't mind it being colder, but the plants do. It's only -22°C outside because it's spring. In the winter it's usually -50°.

There is even a second geyser to the left - and the area is easily defendable, but I've been hesitant to open that up unless I really have to.


EDIT TO ADD:
The game has been harassing me with mechanoid raids several times. But it also showers you with gifts. Like a the 12 strong muffallo man hunter pack that just fell to my turrets. It's just free meat. More than I know what do with.

Other things are not an issue in the arctic. Currently there is a volcanic winter, but who cares? Same with toxic fallout. Just doesn't matter - you only have to be careful to not spend too much time outside.

One of the really extreme temperature maps would be more of a challenge. I'm just about managing for my pawns to be comfortable in -50-60°C. Also thanks to the game dropping some megatherium wool from the sky. Which I then turned into tuques. Wool tuques are just way too good for the little they cost.

[attachment deleted by admin - too old]

[Britnoth]

Maybe tribals need a special technology they can research, "baby seal club", allowing them to harvest food from frozen lake squares.

Considering the difficulty of tribal starts on hot maps was rendered a complete joke with the "magic wood cooler" being added, I would not be entirely surprised if something like this was done. 

[Shurp]

Serenity, watch out, your prison looks easy for sappers to break into.  You may want to build over by that geyser just to make your base more defendable.

[Serenity]

I know. Defense-wise that has been my biggest fear so far. And it's a huge way around so I wouldn't catch sappers in time. But I was also a bit unsure if it's wise to make a opening there when I don't really have to. On the other hand from what I've seen in videos, the AI tends to remember attack paths and stick to what it knows.

But I've got the resources now that I can expand a bit. And that geyser looks tempting...

Otherwise, it's mostly been more mechanoids, more mechanoids and another man hunter pack of wargs. Yay, more free meat.

[Shurp]

probably too cold for anyone else to visit.  You won't see tribals attacking.  Maybe not pirates either if it's too cold out.