Ty I really do adore the fact that we can end the game but....

[Tynan]

Your game is a Dorflike to the highest degree and one highly respected by the Dwarf Fortress community, people want more options before they want an "end game."

It could be a design misstep; I'm hoping to see how it plays out. I'm not just aping DF, though. I'm also aping games like Civilization that have endgames

Another thing to note is that launch the ship isn't necessarily the end of the colony; you might not be able to fit all your colonists on it (in fact I dare say this may happen often).

[Tynan]

Well damn, now you planted the seed of doubt. Now I'm doubting this whole concept.

Oh well, only a few days lost at worst. We can always cut it.

[Ramsis]

Well damn, now you planted the seed of doubt. Now I'm doubting this whole concept.

Oh well, only a few days lost at worst. We can always cut it.

Didn't mean it like that Tynan, more that we're lacking a lot of bare necessities in terms of content and it's a tad odd that you ran straight into the end game. Also don't take the dorflike comment in a bad light as any game that has survival, details, a constant story, and the like is considered a dorflike these days so eh. Mainly right now I'm pushing for some actual feeling of survival and farming. It's fun to hunt but honestly once we invest a slight bit in our colonies we run out of things to do; most of what people build by day 50 are giant elaborate death traps until the giant mech worm things attack and they just ravage everything.

Request: Make this update the ship and security update! Give us new gear and new abilities, etc; maybe we need new poll like system where we can vote on the general topic of updates. Like, every other update let the community vote on the general ideas to throw in the update as that will let you do what you want but also let the community feel like they are adding their own flair to the game many of us are addicted to.

Also hey, just a thought; why the hell am I putting the deep sleep pods in the ship when I could put them in my base and have my guys hyper sleep/recover quicker? Your ship concept actually brings out a great thing the game needs, tiers and research! We have wood, let's start with wood and work our way towards proper metal use etc. It's still odd to me that my colonists are a bunch of farm oafs but know how to make a giant thermo-gen and a turret.

[Nasikabatrachus]

It could be a design misstep; I'm hoping to see how it plays out. I'm not just aping DF, though. I'm also aping games like Civilization that have endgames

I always did like building spaceships and throne rooms in Civ, so I'm looking forward to seeing this in the next alpha. I wonder if it would be better to describe the ultimate fate of the ship, or just to send it off into the blue? I kind of like the idea of launching the ship and having no knowledge of whether anyone even survives the trip. In any case, I'm looking forward to playing Rimworld: Alpha Centauri.

Speaking of open-ended endgames, what if one endgame option were to send a transmission to the colonists' home system, construct static/robotic defenses, put all the people into longsleep pods, then either play indefinitely or "end" the game and get a description of the outcome?

[Blitz]

I kind of feel like end game is premature as well. I understand the desire to have an end game, but there are a ton of intermediate things that could deeply enrich the story telling and retelling - not just AI - A deeper combat log, a reason to escape the planet, or a rational on how/why they were in space to begin with.

I honestly think that if an "end game" module was released at this time, the new players would think that is the only way to play. They would lose sight of an endless colony and just try racing to the stars. They wouldn't be able to fully grasp what RimWorld has been built on.

With that being said, I would fully enjoy a rocket. I would have fun with it and I would use it to tell the best story I could - with the tools I have. I just wish there were a few more edge pieces of the puzzle before the center gets done.

[forsaken1111]

Am I the only one thinking it would be awesome to build the ship and just live in it?

Also with just a bit of extra work you could have the ship we build + colonists inside saved and let us regen the map and plop the ship down. New area of the planet or entirely new planet for us to exploit!

Then much later on you could introduce different planet types and such. But for now the ability to start a new colony with whatever we can stuff in the ship would be amazing. Sort of like the 'sell prison' ability in Prison Architect which lets you sell off your prison and start a new one with the profits on a new random map, except this would let us carry over favored colonists and equipment.

[Tynan]

I always did like building spaceships and throne rooms in Civ, so I'm looking forward to seeing this in the next alpha. I wonder if it would be better to describe the ultimate fate of the ship, or just to send it off into the blue?

The dialog makes it very clear that you have no idea where the ship will end up. The colonists don't even pilot it - they're all asleep and an AI (acquired by special means) does the piloting.

I just wish there were a few more edge pieces of the puzzle before the center gets done.

I'd actually say that the endgame is one of the most basic "edge pieces". It is, in fact, the outer edge of the game - the one after which the game ends. If that's not an edge, I don't know what is. This concept - that the endgame finally roughs in the entire structure of the game from start to finish - is the main reason I've been wanting to get it in.

Anyway, I'll be interested to see how it plays out and how people to respond to it. Will people feel forced into using it? Or will it provide a nice bookend and climax to the experience instead of letting it just peter out into boredom or end in death? I honestly don't know. But that's why I think playtesting is worthwhile!

In general, I've never really been comfortable about the fact that people just stop playing DF/SimCity/these types of games when they get bored. It means that everyone's last experience with the game is boredom. It means the game never ends with a bang, but always with a whimper. That seems kind of lame to me.

Perhaps you guys would find it fun to have a couple different endgames. Maybe a short one, where you outfit an expedition to leave and try to get to some distant city. And a middle one, where you can build the ship after a period of research and construction. And a long one, where you conquer the area and become more than just a little colony. And players who want to bypass all these can just play forever. I think the idea of different "exit ramps" to end the game at different points might be interesting, so people can choose the length of experience they want. Just an idea.

[forsaken1111]

I think the idea of different "exit ramps" to end the game at different points might be interesting, so people can choose the length of experience they want. Just an idea.

I am 100% in favor of different win conditions, or just letting people play endlessly. Its one of the reasons I love Dwarf Fortress as well. You can choose your own goals and make your own stories rather than the game forcing one on you.

[Col_Jessep]

Perhaps you guys would find it fun to have a couple different endgames. Maybe a short one, where you outfit an expedition to leave and try to get to some distant city. And a middle one, where you can build the ship after a period of research and construction. And a long one, where you conquer the area and become more than just a little colony. And players who want to bypass all these can just play forever. I think the idea of different "exit ramps" to end the game at different points might be interesting, so people can choose the length of experience they want. Just an idea.

This sounds like a great plan, Tynan!
It often depends on the map or the colonists I get how long I want to play. Would be nice if I could just rescue them quickly if the map roll I got isn't great and go for the long haul if I do.

[Blitz]

I'd actually say that the endgame is one of the most basic "edge pieces". It is, in fact, the outer edge of the game - the one after which the game ends. If that's not an edge, I don't know what is. This concept - that the endgame finally roughs in the entire structure of the game from start to finish - is the main reason I've been wanting to get it in.

This settles my concerns about progression. You are thinking of the ship (and hopefully more win conditions and progression exit ramps) as an integral part of the game rather than a filler piece that would give closure. I am not used to that in this genre. It makes the game come full circle and have an actual end to start marketing. The point about DF/SimCity makes sense to me, and I understand how you want to get away from that.

What day are you planning on having the "win condition" balanced around?

[Ruin]

Perhaps you guys would find it fun to have a couple different endgames. Maybe a short one, where you outfit an expedition to leave and try to get to some distant city. And a middle one, where you can build the ship after a period of research and construction. And a long one, where you conquer the area and become more than just a little colony. And players who want to bypass all these can just play forever. I think the idea of different "exit ramps" to end the game at different points might be interesting, so people can choose the length of experience they want. Just an idea.

This! Different ways to play based on what you are in the mood for.  I really like the conquer the area concept.

[Ford_Prefect]

In general, I've never really been comfortable about the fact that people just stop playing DF/SimCity/these types of games when they get bored. It means that everyone's last experience with the game is boredom. It means the game never ends with a bang, but always with a whimper. That seems kind of lame to me.

A self-sustaining DF game that doesn't collapse???!!!   

[cerberus00]

I'd actually say that the endgame is one of the most basic "edge pieces". It is, in fact, the outer edge of the game - the one after which the game ends. If that's not an edge, I don't know what is. This concept - that the endgame finally roughs in the entire structure of the game from start to finish - is the main reason I've been wanting to get it in.

Anyway, I'll be interested to see how it plays out and how people to respond to it. Will people feel forced into using it? Or will it provide a nice bookend and climax to the experience instead of letting it just peter out into boredom or end in death? I honestly don't know. But that's why I think playtesting is worthwhile!

In general, I've never really been comfortable about the fact that people just stop playing DF/SimCity/these types of games when they get bored. It means that everyone's last experience with the game is boredom. It means the game never ends with a bang, but always with a whimper. That seems kind of lame to me.

Perhaps you guys would find it fun to have a couple different endgames. Maybe a short one, where you outfit an expedition to leave and try to get to some distant city. And a middle one, where you can build the ship after a period of research and construction. And a long one, where you conquer the area and become more than just a little colony. And players who want to bypass all these can just play forever. I think the idea of different "exit ramps" to end the game at different points might be interesting, so people can choose the length of experience they want. Just an idea.

I'm not sure, especially in terms of myself, that most people just stop playing DF/SimCity due to boredom. I've played a lot of DF yet I never had a feeling that I've stopped due to boredom, usually there's just other games that I have to play as well. DF especially isn't meant to give you an endgame, it gives you stories. It is more the experience of playing the game than to actually "beating" it. I know that even though building a ship and sending people away in it sounds fun, I definitely would not like it ending the game. Perhaps sending a crew away on a ship would open up other content or increase the difficulty by giving away the position of your town. If there would be an endgame I'd probably spend most of my time staying away from it as much as possible, since generally when I beat a game that sense of completion makes me stop playing it altogether and go to other games. It would probably be richer for the gamer to experience your game in the terms of the outlandish events and situations they have the possibility of getting in to, instead of just building towards an end goal which many completion-ist gamers will go straight to and stop.

[HeadWar]

outfit an expedition to leave and try to get to some distant city.

Now I want to build a Battle-Bus of DOOMâ,,¢ that I can set off in. Should be easier to build than a spaceship, right? So more of a short game goal.