The Logistics of TV Broadcasting on Rimworlds

[Mkok]

In another topic, after some discussion, we reached that rimworld is actually a lie. Its only a game supposed to entertain some highly advanced civilization. I guess that this civilization would be the one sending TV broadcasts on the rimworld.

[Mikhail Reign]

Like I said - th game is split between two fluffs.

If the pawns are survivors of a ship rash, desperately stuggling to survive on a strange planet, scrapping an existence out of the dirt, demanding a TV is ludicrous.  It would be like the survivors of Flight 571 spending time and effort to make a TV. If you are a survivor - 99.9% of your energy expenditure would be on things directly related to escape. You wouldn't build statues, or pave roads.

Now if they are colonists tho? That's EXACTLY what they would do. Colonise. Your efforts would go into improving your current situation, not trying to escape it.

[Limdood]

Like I said - th game is split between two fluffs.

If the pawns are survivors of a ship rash, desperately stuggling to survive on a strange planet, scrapping an existence out of the dirt, demanding a TV is ludicrous.  It would be like the survivors of Flight 571 spending time and effort to make a TV. If you are a survivor - 99.9% of your energy expenditure would be on things directly related to escape. You wouldn't build statues, or pave roads.

A more accurate example would be prisoners.  Specifically prisoners who want to escape and would be willing to devote some time to such an endeavor.  They'll still take an opportunity to get access to "joy" activities, despite wanting to spend their time advancing or developing escape plans.

For real-world survival situations, there are no analogies.  There aren't any situations where escape takes years or more of  research and development to learn and manufacture the means of escape...and if there were, some time spent in a "joy" activity would be almost mandatory....people simply can't be in "hardcore work mode" for that length of time....they'd go nuts and lose it, in one way or another...which is actually quite accurately portrayed in Rimworld.

[Mikhail Reign]

So if you were stranded on a planet, and someone said 'there stands a good chance that people will eat you if you don't make a spaceship to get off world' your first reaction would be 'well we better make sure we schedule some R&D time to make a TV - not missing a year of my soaps.'

If they are colonists - yeah broadcasting is something that would be on my 'To-do' list.
If they are Shipwreaked survivors - hell no. Essential to survival or escape stuff only. Smashing out a chess set during that? Sure. Putting a stick in the ground and claiming its a game? Spot on. Making cathode tube TV's ......huh.

[Jake]

If they are colonists - yeah broadcasting is something that would be on my 'To-do' list.
If they are Shipwreaked survivors - hell no. Essential to survival or escape stuff only. Smashing out a chess set during that? Sure. Putting a stick in the ground and claiming its a game? Spot on. Making cathode tube TV's ......huh.

Presumably not everyone on your particular rimworld is there against their will, and not every settlement is a ramshackle little subsistence-farming community of less than fifty people.

And if I was stuck on a desolate planet with literally years of toil ahead of myself and my companions before we had any hope of getting home, and I had a bunch of scavenged electronic parts and other junk lying around and nothing much else to do in my downtime? Yeah, I can see myself trying to jury-rig a working TV or stereo out of sheer boredom.

[JimmyAgnt007]

I think that most pawns are either born on the rim or resigned to staying there given that they dont have anywhere else to be.  Also, its better to deal with 'the danger you know' instead of going off and ending up some place worse. 

The event where you go find the person with the ship would be a good example of people just looking for rescue.  Everyone else has decided to stay because of whatever reasons you want.

Back to television, there is an element of survival with regards to producing content.  Maybe other settlements wont raid you if you make the best shows.  Also, your own colonists wont be as depressed if they have something to look forward to, like the next episode of a show.

Lastly, I write a story called RimworldTV, link in my sig, that covers some people making their own shows.  I should write another entry soon.

[Limdood]

And if I was stuck on a desolate planet with literally years of toil ahead of myself and my companions before we had any hope of getting home, and I had a bunch of scavenged electronic parts and other junk lying around and nothing much else to do in my downtime? Yeah, I can see myself trying to jury-rig a working TV or stereo out of sheer boredom.

Yes, this.  The TIMETABLE is important.  Humans can easily work for an hour, a day, maybe a week, possibly even a month or two in direst need with NO recreation, though i wouldn't personally bet on most people being able to last a month of 24-hour work/eat/sleep.  Once you start getting into the "years" timescale, then a balanced lifestyle is VITAL. 

every story of long-term exposure to the harshest conditions still generally included SOME sort of activity to self-entertain.  POWs, and the American slavery era included leisure activities.  ALL popular entertainment of the genre, from Gilligan's Island to Robinson Crusoe depicts (often ridiculous levels of) entertainment and leisure interspersed in their attempts and efforts to escape or be rescued.

You also forget that there are bastions of civilization on this rimworld...ALWAYS....every rimworld possible in vanilla has at least 1 outlander town, which, due to their trade lists, clearly has the ability and inclination to create and transmit television.  When you're talking years, trading a couple extra day's worth of labor on the rimworld for a shiny TV to sit around to make the whole ordeal more bearable for the duration sure sounds like a heck of a deal to me.