I'm NOT A FAN of the new research tree!

[b0rsuk]

After a long break I decided it was time to try Rimworld again and see what A16 is about. My plan was to do something outlandish - ignore sniper rifles, and use EMP mortars to handle both sieges and mechanoids.

This is not to be. Mortars now require Machining. Machining requires Smithing.

So, what in reality is one of the simplest weapons is one of the most complicated in Rimworld. It was enough that mortars take components to make. It was thrilling to use shells looted from pirate raids against future raids, or buy some from an arms trader ship. Now you must research Machining, which just lets you produce them. Worse, machining enables the creation of sniper rifles, which are the ultimate psychic ship and siege countermeasure.

So, arm yourself with sniper rifles and then you get the privilege of building expensive and inaccurate mortars, which you dont't need anymore. Something doesn't add up. Real life mortars are inaccurate because they're so simple and cheap to make. Rimworld mortars look high tech, are more expensive than turrets, they take components to make, why don't they come with some laser or satellite targeting system ?

Moral of the story: forcing research technologies into a highly hierarchical structure discourages creativity, out of the box thinking and alternate approaches. It makes Rimworld more formulaic.

[DeathWeasel]

Real life mortars aren't actually inaccurate at all in real life because of a simple thing called Trigonometry. The trajectories and ballistics have been well understood for over a thousand years (real life time) so it simply doesn't make sense that several thousand years in the future mortars have become less accurate.

I agree with you that the implementation of mortars in this game needs some serious reworking, though. They are one of the tools that get utterly ignored in favor of nearly anything else.

[Mkok]

1. Accurate mortars would break the game.
2. Rimworlders are not soldiers, I would be lucky to even get a mortar up and running, making it accurate would be close to a miracle. (it would most probably explode on me)
3. Sniper rifles have a weakness. Its sniper rifles.

Personally I love the idea of mortars as they are in the game, the only reason I almost never use them is the micromanagment required (drafting soldiers, manning them, making sure hey dont starve while on duty), and also the fact I generally dont like weapons that use resources (shells)

[grumpyoldcodger]

Rimworlders are not soldiers...

Well... most Rimworlders are not soldiers.  There are a few backgrounds that suggest competency with military equipment, or at the very least familiarity.

[Boston]

Real life mortars are actually pretty accurate. If you can do trigonometry, and plug in some physics (which 99/100 times is already done for you via the attached charge-plate), you can fire a mortar. If you have someone watching where they land, you can make follow-up shots even more accurate.

Mortars are so mechanically simple they can, and were, made out of pipes welded shut at one end. Even "military" mortars are simple; it is just a tube with a pin at the bottom. When you slide a shell in, the pin "fires" a primer on the bottom of the shell, igniting the charge and sending the bomb on it's merry way.

Mortars only suck in Rimworld because "balance", the same "balance", mind you, that makes sniper rifles the go-to weapon for most situations.

Mortars shouldn't require components. Mortars shouldn't require Machining research to unlock.

Yet more "fake balance".