Viewing world before character creation

[Robb]

Is there a way to view the actual terrain when selecting a landing site, but before you select your starting colonists? I end up wasting a lot of time generating characters only to find out the terrain is not to my liking. I want to play in a mountainous setting with my base in a valley. So far I've spent a few hours trying to get that terrain. Not having to generate my colonists just to see it, would really speed up the process.

Thanks in advance for any replies and awesome game Ludeon. I have been looking for a good base building game for a few years since Sim City let me down and have no idea how I didn't find this before now.

[Lys]

Actually generating the terrain takes quite a bit of loading time (on some PCs, at least), thats why it is done last I guess. Your best choice would be to just skip colonist creation and remember the seed/coordinates (you can also check it in the world map ofc) when you found something you like.
Then when you have something, do the colonist creation and put in the old seed/coordinates.

[BorbagUskada]

You can also use the mod 'Map Reroll' : https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=18073.0
I was in the exactly same case, and it save my time.
Don't be afraid in the 'reroll cost'. You can disable it via mod settings.

Also available on steam.

[AngleWyrm]

That could make a good app for Rimworld.
A separate light-weight program that takes seeds and displays the resulting maps. It could probably be a lot quicker than Rimworld's world generator because it doesn't need all the game functions and what-not.

[GiantSpaceHamster]

There are a couple options. The first is to use EdB Prepare Carefully (mod) to save your colonists before you start the game. You can also use it to customize your starting colonists and gear, but I usually use it just to save the random ones I generate and like in case I don't like the terrain I end up on.

The other thing to be aware of is that, for a given world seed, each tile will always have the same terrain. The location of certain things like geothermal vents will change if you reload the seed in a new game but the terrain itself will always be the same for each tile. So if you find one you really like, remember the world seed and tile coordinates.

EDIT: I suppose I've never tried actually starting a new game with the same seed and checking the same tile coordinates terrain, but within a given game settling a tile, reloading and settling the same tile at a later point in the game gives you the same terrain as described above. I assume this means it's tied to the world seed and coordinates, but I could be mistaken.

[dragonalumni]

find a map you want to play first.
1. roll a random rich explorer, don't care about stats.
2. pick a seed, or write down the random seed
3. pick a map spot, enter the game.
4. if you don't like the result start back at 1
5. when you find a map you like, record the seed and location.
6. roll your carefully chosen starting pawns, using the seed and location.

[milon]

Don't forget that even with the same seed & coordinates & map size etc, there's still some randomization that takes place - like geothermal vent locations, for example.

[grrizo]

There are a couple options. The first is to use EdB Prepare Carefully (mod) to save your colonists before you start the game. You can also use it to customize your starting colonists and gear, but I usually use it just to save the random ones I generate and like in case I don't like the terrain I end up on.

The other thing to be aware of is that, for a given world seed, each tile will always have the same terrain. The location of certain things like geothermal vents will change if you reload the seed in a new game but the terrain itself will always be the same for each tile. So if you find one you really like, remember the world seed and tile coordinates.

EDIT: I suppose I've never tried actually starting a new game with the same seed and checking the same tile coordinates terrain, but within a given game settling a tile, reloading and settling the same tile at a later point in the game gives you the same terrain as described above. I assume this means it's tied to the world seed and coordinates, but I could be mistaken.

The first one is the most convenient. That mod is awesome, one of the few that I use.

[Granitecosmos]

Although I don't have this problem since I usually generate an entire planet, giving me plenty of room to find that one spot I want, it's nice to see there are alternatives for those who can't do the same.

[dragonalumni]

Although I don't have this problem since I usually generate an entire planet, giving me plenty of room to find that one spot I want, it's nice to see there are alternatives for those who can't do the same.

You still can't see what your terrain looks like before you start the game. Most maps kinda suck, with geothermals, rich soil and defensive locations are all in very different spots on the local map or too close to the edge of the map, or-- too much water or-- something. After having quite a few nice maps, I feel a bit spoiled but I just want to start most of my games in a spot that is reasonable-- 1 geo, a little rich soil and a place that isn't ambush city.

[RazorHed]

It used to be that you created a world , then chose that world to load and then you chose a spot on that world to make a map . I wish it could go back to that way again.

[Robb]

I have been finding a seed map I like and then ignoring character creation to see terrain. Still a bit of a pain as each try takes a few minutes. I can easily spend an hour+ looking for the right setup. Would be nice to be able to see one spot and if I didn't like it, simply click 'Back' to get back to World Map and choose another. Rinse/repeat til I found one I liked. If it's a limition of game/engine, then at the end of the day it's not a deal breaker for me. Just means it will take me longer to start game.