Infestations

[Arcane]

I'm glad the infestations are a part of the game; it definitely works to balance out mountain bases.  However!  I do think they're a little "too" balanced.  In a few of my colonies, I had an infestation spawn in my mountain base.  Instantly two megaspiders jumped out with a couple scarabs and spelopedes behind them, but they didn't need any help.

I think infestations would work better as a mountain base counter if they weren't such an insta-kill.  Five colonists couldn't take down either of the megaspiders, and then a group of four friendlies came to help (after all but one of my colonists was dead, but it was a nice gesture regardless).  The friendlies managed to kill one of the spiders, but died to the other.

What are peoples' opinions on changing infestations so that:
1) They don't spawn the biggest bugs first, but they will shortly if you ignore them.
2) A single megaspider can't take down an entire colony.
3) Perhaps them tunneling through walls is more common.

I'd prefer the insects to be a base destruction (and mini-boss) mechanic, rather than a nightmare-difficulty bloodbath.

[ReZpawner]

It would make more sense for them to arrive gradually, and not all at once.

Then again, if that was the case, they wouldn't provide any challenge for the player at all.

[Blastoderm]

Yeah, now infestations are just insta-kills. Which is not fun, it's like if meteors will kill some of your colonists from time to time. Because 90% of the time there is no chance to save colonists.

I kept agressive predatory insects and arachnids through most of my life and I can say that many of them, especially social ones, prefer to capture live prey. There are two general approaches for hunting insects:
1. Kill and eat before someone will try to snatch your food from you.
2. Capture all you can, eat until full now and conserve excesses for later in a web, hive, lair, burrow etc.

IMO insects should not instantly kill all colonists they can, but instead they must strive to incapitate, capture and bring them near their hives. put them into some Alien-like suspending structure or simply let them lie down paralized\dazed state.

This will be a step away from hives and infestations being a simple instakill for colonists and will force players to mount an offensive on the hive to save their captured colonists.

To add time pressure on the colony:
1. Munching.
Gradually, insects will bite a bit from captured colonists. Arm, leg, eye etc until he is dead.
2. Alien infestation
Classic chestbuster hatchery. Colonist is being used as a hatchery and must be saved and then operated to extract insect larvae.
3. Brood
Colonists are placed in suspended state and wait until a brood of insects will hatch. If not saved in time brood of small insects will appear devour them.
4. Drones
Upon capture colonists are injected with parasite\venom which makes them a slave, tending the hive. They can be either docile or agressive when protecting the hive. Curing is either operation or waiting until subjugating venom will wear off.

[Elixiar]

It's a risk you have to take. I like them.

It makes sense that they come all at once since they did burrow in after all. Just design your base to compensate for their arrival.

[Ford_Prefect]

Yeah.  The current infestation mechanic makes me avoid building in the mountains at all.  Its not fun at all, especially as there is no counter or any form of mitigation. 

Ideas:
* A small warning.  Give a x second warning.  AKA, give a short time period for pawns to run away, rather than they be insta killed by overwellming odds.
* Mechanic - spawn them in rock near the base, and let them tunnel, either towards the base or outdoors.  That way the player will have some warning if they spent the resources to put up interior walls. 
* Mitigation.  Make it so that infestations will only appear inside areas that leave bare rock exposed.
* Mitigation.  Or make so infestations will only appear in dark areas.

[Rafe009]

This thread has been posted probably 100 times and its' always the same complaint.

The people that have this problem are digging into the mountain too early. You CANNOT colonize and mine into a mountain and set up hospital and bedrooms early game if you want to survive. In fact, never put your hospitals in a mountain.

Also try to us the slowest speed when engaging in gun fights. I'm betting many people that have these problems are running the game at 3x when they should be kiting angry bugs.

[newboerg]

What about and insta-win button? Just kidding.
Mountain Bases have HUGE benefit towards an "normal" Base. BUT at a certain cost. I Think it is good the way it is.
If you dont like insta death pawns then you really should not burrow into mountains, or better yet do not play rimworld at all ( I love it when my most important pawn gets bitten to death by a manhunting squirrel and the whole colony goes down the shitter because of this) :-)

[Canute]

Learn about infestations !!
- insects don't like light, they prefer to spawn at dark areas.
- insects are dangerous mellee fighter, but they don't shoot back (yet).
- insects try to stay "close" to their hive if they got food.

Dig a long straight tunnel away from your base, and keep it dark. The rest of your base shouldn't be dark.
Then the infestation will spawn at these tunnel, and you can shoot them from distance and retreat to your base if they come to close.

[ArguedPiano]

In fact, never put your hospitals in a mountain.

Absolutely not! The first time a mortar exploded in my hospital was the last time I have ever built a hospital in the open.

Something about the room turning into it's own oven while already incapacitated Pawns and precious Doctors are inside is not a good scenario.

[GiantSpaceHamster]

Learn about infestations !!
- insects don't like light, they prefer to spawn at dark areas.
- insects are dangerous mellee fighter, but they don't shoot back (yet).
- insects try to stay "close" to their hive if they got food.

Dig a long straight tunnel away from your base, and keep it dark. The rest of your base shouldn't be dark.
Then the infestation will spawn at these tunnel, and you can shoot them from distance and retreat to your base if they come to close.

Great advice! Came here to give similar advice. Well lit rooms (and hallways!) in mountains greatly reduces the likelihood of insect invasions. Create a dark spot to be your lure where you can fight them without risking your valuables.

Another good approach for later in the game is to use animals to fight them for you. This is particularly useful if the insects appear in a room with valuables that you don't want to risk damaging with gunfire or explosives. In my current game I have a pack of 8 panthers that can take down 5-6 insects of mixed sizes on their own. No risk to my pawns, no added risk to my structures and valuables, and worst case I have some panther meat in addition to the insect meat.

[GiantSpaceHamster]

In fact, never put your hospitals in a mountain.

Absolutely not! The first time a mortar exploded in my hospital was the last time I have ever built a hospital in the open.

Something about the room turning into it's own oven while already incapacitated Pawns and precious Doctors are inside is not a good scenario.

Today on "Today I Learned" we learned all about tradeoffs! (and awkwardly using the same word twice in a row twice in a row)

[Mutineer]

why not just put fire poper in hospital? Mach better. To be true i never let raiders shot at my base, I use fire to keep sieges bizy when  I killing them. Boomaloos tend to be a good delivery mechanism, but there is others.

[zandadoum]

infestations are hard the first time. after that you can predict where they spawn.
put a turret and fire bomb closeby and watch the infestation deal with itself next time.

just

1) make sure to have double walls so they cant dig out in time and fire does not spread through your base
2) make sure you have a method to put out the fire afterwards. either by deconstructing walls so the room becomes outdoors or by moving in a previously constructed firefoam popper
3) hives might still have to be killed manually after the fire

[taha]

Infestation is determined by type of roof.
As long you have "overhead mountain" as roof, hives can spawn. I had em in almost every room in base: dorms, hydroponics, rec room, hospital, etc.

The amount of light have nothing to do with infestation chance.
Is good to be a lit area, because you have +% hit chance when shoot them, but that's all.

+17 C degrees also used to be a condition for them to spawn. Based on that, I kinda tried to keep a base at +10 C on Ice Sheet. They spawned on hallway (5x25, +11C), dorms (7x11, +10C) and dining room (11x11, +13C). All those rooms were 60% lit and sterile.

[ChJees]

I find myself dealing with infestations in two ways;

Either superior firepower or cooking insect insides.

The first one works if you made your mine shafts and\or hallways wide enough to allow you stacking colonists 1 behind the front. Also you can snipe any overgrown bugs like a scyther if you got long enough distance from them.
Also to note; They lose their aggro pretty quickly if your colonist turn around a corner for a little bit.

Second method works by using Molotovs and\or incendiary launchers to heat up the "room" above 100 Celsius. A good tip is to use something cheap like power conduits to use as "fuel" for the flames.

My experiences in pest control at least .