[1.0] Expanded Rims (updated 07/06/2019) - new research tier, enemies, storyline

[Nales]

This mod is an attempt to expand upon RimWorld's endgame. There are many great mods out there that add new functions or improve the game in multiple ways, but there are only a few that give the opportunity to go beyond charge weapons, marine armor, and vitals monitors.

Nanotech research is available after Advanced Fabrication. It allows to do previously impossible feats, such as healing brain scars without the permanent dependancy of luciferium. It won't be that easy, though. In this particular case, the item is difficult and costly to make, requires a competent doctor to administer, works rather slowly, and causes a huge mood drop and major physical weakness while active.
And while nanotech equipement is definately better than the previous tier, the difference isn't so huge that it completely outclasses it.
Expanded Rims is meant to be more "challenging" than "sandboxy". I recommend not using it with mods that add really overpowered stuff. (There shouldn't be any in this one. Hopefully!)

So what's new?


---- Modulable weapons with new stat types ----





Pesky raiders using good cover against you? Modulate your nanotech assault rifles into the Chaser variation, which takes longer to aim but ignores a large part of the target's cover.
Elephant manhunter pack assaulting your base? Modulate your nanotech LMGs into the Burster variation, which trades armor penetration for firing speed and doubles as a decent melee weapon even if your colonist has no melee skill.
Need to send your animals and melee fighters, but afraid of friendly fire? The Savior assault rifle, while having less accuracy, does significantly reduced damage to friendlies.

Modulation can be done on the spot, by any colonist wielding a nanotech weapon with the appropriate research done, and merely takes a few seconds.
Weapons includes melee weapons, pistol, shotgun, rifle, LMG, assault rifle, sniper rifle, minigun, and reusable rocket launcher. Most have 2 modulations that can be researched.



---- New armors ----




Lost another colonist to some lame lucky shot to the heart? The lifesaver skinsuit halves damage done to vital organs.
Got some excellent quality leather? Craft some nanotech light armor, which will make good use of it and also improves the user's offense - not just aiming time, but cooldown recovery as well.
Or if you don't mind being slowed down, go for the nanotech heavy armor, which improves the wearer's use of cover.



---- Serums and helldrinks ----




Learn to sow the new Hellbud plant, which requires great skill but opens some completely new possibilities, such as special serums which permanently boost your animals' capabilities to make them match your new gear, or non-addictive elixirs to heal wounds faster or become even deadlier in combat. The horrible taste will annoy your colonists, though!
Beware: Hellbud is toxic to anyone who sows it too often.



---- And much more research ----

Improved mortars and shells, improved medical facilities, three new turrets, research AI...
While most of the new stuff is for late-game, the mod also adds some lower-tier research. Build caravan devices to boost your caravans, special tools to increase the speed of a specific work, weapon attachments, protective belts, EMP rifles...



---- New mechanoids ----




Since raiders can get upgraded equipments, so can mechanoids. Expanded Rims adds a new tier of mechanoids, upgraded from the basic white ones. They're using nanotech equipment, and the upgraded Centipede has some very nasty heavy weapons.


---- New storyline ----




Escaping on a spaceship? Eh... perhaps your colonists actually like this planet and aren't planning to leave.
But after a while, a new and deadly threat appears. They're using equipment from some unknown technology. It is rigged to damage itself beyond repair on death, but could you eventually study it and produce your own, unique variations...?
This new storyline is quite long and challenging, and can be played as an alternate ending.



Expanded Rims also makes a few changes to the existing game:
- Autocannon and uranium turrets had their damage and armor penetration reduced. Even with the new gear, these turrets could still shred anyone in their path. To compensate, their steel cost has been reduced.
- Speaking of turrets, you may have some unpleasant surprises if you rely too much on them!
- Launchers now partially use the shooter's accuracy to determine the final miss radius.
- The impact of equipment quality has changed a bit. Master and legendary items bonuses are reduced. Ranged weapons now gain more varied stats from quality below masterwork, rather than just accuracy.
- EMP damage no longer instantly breaks Shield Belts, although they do more damage to them. This is because several EMP weapons have been added, whereas vanilla pretty much only has EMP grenades.

About visuals: you've probably noticed that all the new stuff is basically a recolor placeholder. I would like to replace them with new graphics, but that is really not my domain.

Compatibility: this mod should be compatible with pretty much everything, except Combat Extended and a few special cases.
Can be added to existing saves (but not removed, since it adds a new faction).
Feel free to report bugs and mod conflicts.

License: you're free to include these mods in modpacks or make derivative mods based on them, just let me know about it.

Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1643536285
Zip file: https://nales-lsd.s3.amazonaws.com/RimWorld/ExpandedRims/ExpandedRims.zip

[brunolaranjada]

Awesome!!!!

[cortanakya]

This is the kind of mod I can get on board with. I've always thought rimworld needed a few more endgames than "die" or "leave", although I haven't tried your mod yet so maybe it falls into one of those two categories. If you're looking to outsource some of the artwork I'd be happy to contribute, I suck at coding and balancing and storytelling but I can draw some mean pixel art.

[Nales]

This is the kind of mod I can get on board with. I've always thought rimworld needed a few more endgames than "die" or "leave", although I haven't tried your mod yet so maybe it falls into one of those two categories. If you're looking to outsource some of the artwork I'd be happy to contribute, I suck at coding and balancing and storytelling but I can draw some mean pixel art.

Sounds very interesting! It would be a great addition to the mod. There's quite a lot of stuff, mostly equipment, and also some buildings, serums, mechanoids...
I don't have much (read: "any") experience with multi-people modding, though. Perhaps you can have a look at the mod's defs and start from there?

[Facepunch]

Are there any plans for a CE compatibility patch?

[Nales]

Are there any plans for a CE compatibility patch?

I thought about it, but it's difficult. Not only are there tons of new equipment that would need a patch, there are also several new stats, such as cover bonus and cover ignore, that would need to be tailored specifically for CE's new cover system (which seems to be very complex).

[Ibrahym]

That watcher outpost incidence ruined my game

there is about 1000Outposts all around me which most of them will attack me after 7 days and lasts for 15 day

i decided to modify the mod
<baseChance>0.5</baseChance> from <baseChance>5.0</baseChance>
and add
<minRefireDays>30</minRefireDays>
those things (above) prevented more of them

pls try to fix it

this save is ruined (well maybe, but at least i will have to fight to the last man ).

other than that, ur mod is totally a blast, Good job man

i will send pic later

[Nales]

Bad timing, I just fixed this issue (which was caused by a mod incompatibility) a few hours ago, it should be fine now.
Actually your save is probably alright, the outposts will disappear on their own.

[Ibrahym]

That watcher outpost incidence ruined my game

there is about 1000Outposts all around me which most of them will attack me after 7 days and lasts for 15 day

i decided to modify the mod
<baseChance>0.5</baseChance> from <baseChance>5.0</baseChance>
and add
<minRefireDays>30</minRefireDays>
those things (above) prevented more of them

pls try to fix it

this save is ruined (well maybe, but at least i will have to fight to the last man ).

other than that, ur mod is totally a blast, Good job man

i will send pic later

[Mosart]

Is it possible to install just new armor without install any other content?

[Nales]

Is it possible to install just new armor without install any other content?

No, you can't do that.

[tsmt1001]

The bioattacks seem to go on forever. The tooltip said it was permanent, but the first one lasted for about 20 days and so did the second one. That's kinda long. Would be nice if it was scaled for relaxed players.

[suicidalkid]

I've been stuck on "watcher outposts" for over a year now. I killed all the outposts, and haven't been raided except for a single siege in months. Did I bug something out by destroying all outposts?

[ArchAngelZorak]

I've been stuck on "watcher outposts" for over a year now. I killed all the outposts, and haven't been raided except for a single siege in months. Did I bug something out by destroying all outposts?

I've had this same thing happen.  When I first got this mod things beyond 'Outposts' seemed to fire and I got attacked by the raiding party at the end of the month, then started getting plagues and messages from the guy, etc.  However the last 3 games I've played I've become 'stuck' on 'Outposts'.  I've tried destroying them and ignoring them.  Regardless of what I do the continuation of the events doesn't seem to trigger.  It just stays at 'Watcher Outposts' forever.  I continue to get raided by tribals, pirates, mechs and watchers normally but the continuation of the Watcher Storyline simply doesn't happen.

I've dug through the defs folder and looked around in the devconsole but there doesn't seem to be anything in either location that I can tweak to get things to progress.  I'm playing around with different load orders to see if that has any affect but seeing as how I don't know exactly how everything triggers and how any other mods might change things... I'm just stabbing in the dark.

sidenote.  This most recent game I started as Tribals and purposefully avoided researching Fabrication.  It made no difference, the Watchers showed up anyway (and I was woefully unprepared, 13 Watchers (5 of whom had LMG') was GG).

[Canute]

I need to say, you did a awesome job.
The modular weapons are a great idea, together with the damping shield belts.

I suffer now my 1. bioattack and even got a toxic rain jumped in. Luckly my could call my allies for bulk good caravan for some meat&vegetables.

But you should give the tools and attachments a quality. Because when you setup a clothing policy to use good or better equipment, the pawn's won't use them auto. anymore and you need to force them to use them.
Stinger Sniper Rifle "...but its high rate of fire..."  ehhh sorry only because you add them a burst mode instead of a single bullet you speak from high rate of fire. The modular sniper is better in accuracy, rate of fire and armor piercing.
You should adjust it or give it a modular ammo selection like AP,Burn,Explo. or change the rate of fire like the rifle-mode from the modular.

Didn't compared other weapons yet.

I notice Pawn's and prisoner get affected by the bioattack, but not animals and guests.
Maybe i should look for some yellow Minion's who can harvest for me ! :-)
Or invite more guests, with Hospitality mod they even work a bit for me.