How to survive

[Dr. Z]

So, I've played RimWorld for a pretty long time now, so I would call myself an experienced player, but there is still something I just don't get. Everywhere on the forums I read something like "I'm in year 2", "well in year 1.5" and so on. So I'm wondering how you can survive that long, with me, there's always a large raid (tribals in most cases) which wipes out my base around june till august, this time it was in june. I'm playing on randy random most times, don't actually remember what challege I play, but I think it's ether rough or challanging.

It's quite frustrating to play for a long time without any progress in the game (I experienced similar things in FTL) so I wonder if anyone can help me.

[skullywag]

Think Tynan is doing something with the raider numbers for A7. Other than that turtle up or play with some mods to ease your pain a little. Until we dont have 50+ enemies attacking at once on a RIMWORLD i dont see a solution bar turtle up with killboxes (which i personally dont find fun)

[keylocke]

at randy random, it sometimes depend on luck. so try to keep multiple saves if you get really bad luck.

other than that, try out some of the killbox designs in the other threads. effective use of killboxes can usually turn losing odds into a win.

the rest is a matter of sustainability management, scavenging good weapons/armor, and recruitment policies..

too much useless colonists recruited increases raid difficulty (try to avoid people that are too high-maintenance, it's better to sell them). while too many turrets too soon, usually takes it's toll on your power supply. it's basically a balancing act.

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also, if you feel like it, you can try out some of those defense-type mods, like embrasures , energy shields, advanced turrets, etc...

though i think it's a bit OP (which is why i tend to stick to vanilla). the option is still there if you feel like it.

[Mrglrglmrglmrrrlggg]

solution bar turtle up with killboxes

This. Actually, having 50+ turrets doesn't help as long as you don't build a special "entrance" for you enemies.

Here is a example of kill box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWhRTEw_TCs&t=2m10s

This video is from an old build but it is still the way to deal with big raids.

EDIT :  A topic just for it. :3
http://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=5936.0

[Rahjital]

Most people think that you have to fight the raiders, and that you have to build elaborate death traps to deal with large raids. If a too strong raid comes, you can just run away from the colony and hide, the raiders will trash it for a while and then get bored and leave. And if your colony is built out of stone walls, the raiders won't even be able to do much damage.

It's also completely possible to fight back much larger raids, all you have to do is split them up and only fight a few of the raiders at once.

[Dr. Z]

I agree with the first answeres that killboxes and things like turret spam or sandbag waffles aren't a thing I would like to use, because it's not really funny in my opinion. I also tried out embrasures and better turrets in the past, but they felt way to overpowered (especially the twelve-shot energy turret...).

My standard defense is a two-tile-strong stone wall with secured entrances. But since Alpha 6 I have the feeling that raiders do much more damage against walls and while they wren't a problem in past Alphas, now I'm in a constant repiaring-damaging marathon.

I've played with sealed escape routes for a while, but stopped it (I don't actually remember why), I think I will try them again and leave my colony in emergencys.

As far as the recruitment goes, I have a strict roster: 2 farmers, 2 miners, 2 really good fighters, 1 scientist, 1 cook and maybe a social guy (with this I also get one or two good crafters most times so I don't need one seperately).

I also build mortars as early as possible to kill some raiders before they reache my base.

[Spectre]

Is it true that depending on your colony's 'worth' it influences on numbers/strength of invasions? Or is it a simple 'harder over time' thing?

In my own experiences it really does seem that the storyteller is actually trying to give me a story (though I will admit other times it just seems random even on Cassandra). One time I was attacked by nothing but tribals, which made me smile as I imagined crash landing on a barely developed world.

Also, Dr. Z why do you limit yourself to that recruitment plan? On my Tribal world I'd still recruit the odd one even after I had a fully functional colony just because it never hurts to have another one wandering around doing dumb labour.

I also agree that kill boxes can get a little tedious, especially because they're eventually mandatory to stand a chance.

[InventorRaccoon]

Is it true that depending on your colony's 'worth' it influences on numbers/strength of invasions? Or is it a simple 'harder over time' thing?

In my own experiences it really does seem that the storyteller is actually trying to give me a story (though I will admit other times it just seems random even on Cassandra). One time I was attacked by nothing but tribals, which made me smile as I imagined crash landing on a barely developed world.

Also, Dr. Z why do you limit yourself to that recruitment plan? On my Tribal world I'd still recruit the odd one even after I had a fully functional colony just because it never hurts to have another one wandering around doing dumb labour.

I also agree that kill boxes can get a little tedious, especially because they're eventually mandatory to stand a chance.

The AI Storyteller also scales attacks with how much your colony is worth. A lot of resources, buildings, turrets and people means that you get larger attacks, and I think it also influences how long it takes before you start fighting mechanoids.

[Dr. Z]

I think it's a mix of ramping up and looking at your colonys worth.

I like to keep my colony clear arranged. Although I might recruit one or two more to do some work, but I never wanted a huge colony with 30 or 50 colonists, I like to have my little town of people I know about.

[RemingtonRyder]

Well, like it's been said, you don't have to fight the raiders.  You can block up the entrances to your base with stone wall (even a log wall will do in a pinch) and wait it out.  You can also get on the comm, throw some of your silver at a faction which is willing to fight the raiders, and ask them for military assistance.

[keylocke]

Most people think that you have to fight the raiders, and that you have to build elaborate death traps to deal with large raids. If a too strong raid comes, you can just run away from the colony and hide, the raiders will trash it for a while and then get bored and leave. And if your colony is built out of stone walls, the raiders won't even be able to do much damage.

It's also completely possible to fight back much larger raids, all you have to do is split them up and only fight a few of the raiders at once.

running away from siege mortar raiders tends to just wreck your base. they usually bring enough supplies to last for several days.

running away from mechs isn't a good option either. they'll just send psychic waves to drive you insane.

basically, running away isn't a very good option in the end game, since large groups of siege raiders and mechs will usually just outlast you if you decide to abandon your base.

you can probably live a nomadic lifestyle in the endgame. running around eating raw food, taking shelter in natural caves. building nothing so that enemies can't destroy it sleeping on the floor beds, etc.. some people might actually enjoy that experience.. lol.

yay! bear grylls! 

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i think it's also fun when a squirrel apocalypse triggers while you're outside the base.

fun times..

[Spectre]

Well, like it's been said, you don't have to fight the raiders.  You can block up the entrances to your base with stone wall (even a log wall will do in a pinch) and wait it out.  You can also get on the comm, throw some of your silver at a faction which is willing to fight the raiders, and ask them for military assistance.

So if you completely wall yourself in they'll eventually leave? Or do they just hang around?

[Dr. Z]

They will attack the walls. Fortunately the AI isn't (yet) smart enough to concentrate on a specific section in the wall but chooses the wall segment a raider attacks randomly for each of them, so with a two or three tile strong stone wall and a repair team on the other site, you should be save.

As for the comms concsole: Do the size of the support troops depend on how much the faction likes you? Because I always get like 4 or 5 supporters against 20 raiders.

[RemingtonRyder]

I don't know.  But you can call in multiple groups so long as you have silver.

[Rahjital]

running away from siege mortar raiders tends to just wreck your base. they usually bring enough supplies to last for several days.

running away from mechs isn't a good option either. they'll just send psychic waves to drive you insane.

basically, running away isn't a very good option in the end game, since large groups of siege raiders and mechs will usually just outlast you if you decide to abandon your base.

That would be because when a siege or ship part lands, you should be the one going on the offensive. If it's a siege, build mortars or send a sniper team to wear them down. If it's a ship part, shoot it from afar, use the speed difference between mechanoid types to lure away and kill scythers, and then kite the centipedes with snipers until they die.

I don't really see why couldn't you outlast any raiders either. Unless you live in a desert, you can always scavenge. Hell, even in a desert, you could just kill some of the infinitely-respawning animals, chop down some cacti (or if there aren't enough, leave a forbidden pile of wood prepared in advance) to build a butcher table and eat the meat raw. Plant some roses to make sure your colonists don't go psychotic and you're set.

So if you completely wall yourself in they'll eventually leave? Or do they just hang around?

Raiders leave if they do enough damage to be satisfied, or they give up after a certain amount of time. They can still deal a lot of damage, but if you have stone walls, all you'll have to rebuild are a few stone walls and power generators.