So, I keep dying

Started by lt_halle, November 07, 2013, 10:58:52 PM

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lt_halle

I've tried about ten times to establish a working colony. I have not once made it past three colonists, usually one dying off in the first few minutes due to stupidity. I guess being a veteran of Dwarf Fortress wasn't nearly enough to prepare me for this game, huh?

Anyway, does anyone have any tips for me as to how to live past the first ~30 minutes of a colony? Usually I die once three or four raiders show up per wave. By that time, I've rarely got any research or comms done. Often the first 20 minutes or so is spent micromanaging my pitiful team into establishing the basics (walls, paste dispenser, farm, power, etc.) and by the time raiders show up I have little more than a pistol, a smattering of autoturrets and optimistic thoughts to keep the M24-armed raiders away. I don't want to dig into a mountainside because that feels like cheating to me, but every aboveground colony I've attempted has failed - and miserably.

Kender

There are numerous walkthroughs on YouTube which successfully survived the 30min mark by now. So you can check their strategies.

For the first 30 min, you only need to
1) solve food problem by setting up 2 outdoor farms, and
2) set up one turret with power supply. and
3) make sure you remove all the covers (debris, rock, tall plant) out of the combat zone.

If the raiders hit you in a bad time, hey, you can always load a previous auto-save, since you are still developing your own play style of this game.
Rogue, from Kendermoore of Dragonlance.

lt_halle

Quote from: Kender on November 07, 2013, 11:08:21 PM
There are numerous walkthroughs on YouTube which successfully survived the 30min mark by now. So you can check their strategies.

For the first 30 min, you only need to
1) solve food problem by setting up 2 outdoor farms, and
2) set up one turret with power supply. and
3) make sure you remove all the covers (debris, rock, tall plant) out of the combat zone.

If the raiders hit you in a bad time, hey, you can always load a previous auto-save, since you are still developing your own play style of this game.

I don't know if I'm just unlucky or if I'm really bad, but like I said 30-40 minutes in raiders will show up with advanced weapons and will beat a turret in one-on-one combat (even in the open), let alone three-on-one combat.

Just FYI, since this influences time-flow greatly, I play on 3x speed pretty much all the time.

baronskippy

You don't have to dig into the mountain but you should use it to set up a defensible starting area. Use the terrain to funnel raiders to where you want to engage them. Look at my killing area in the pic I posted, I don't even have to have the turrets on, the raiders will take cover right by them and attack them until they explode and take out a whole crew, I can hold the area by the door with only 3 colonists.

TLDR: I use turrets as mines the raiders set off by attacking ;D

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Kender

#4
Yeah, I play with 3x speed too. the other two speed settings are just too slow.

In version 0.250, raiders are equipped with M-24, M-16, Charge Rifle very early. but hey, you can get those early too, once you defeated them.

My defense strategy is heavily rely on explosive charges. So I only build one turret max in the very beginning, and no turret at all in the late game. In my opinion, you will always loss at least one turret later. so why spend 150 minerals on them while 3 charges (25x3=75 minerals) can do the same job nice and clean.
Rogue, from Kendermoore of Dragonlance.

Spike

There is a pretty rough hump in difficulty in the early game.  I think my first dozen or so games had everyone dying and me getting really frustrated; then I started getting a feel for the gameplay.  (Long time DF player here as well)

The first thing to check, as the saying goes - "Location, location, location!".  Pause (pick up the pistol), and look at the map.  Where do you want to set up, now and planning for the future?  Soil area for 2-3 growing areas.  Steam vents.  Natural choke points.  You do not have to set up where the pods drop.  Also save the game, in case you need to totally restart.

Then start working.  Get 1 or 2 growing areas up & planted.  Get a steam vent cleared, or pick out a spot for solar cells & batteries, and get some power going.  Get a paste dispenser up.  (Rain has a bad effect on batteries & the dispenser)  Do the minimum of work to get all of that, and get started on picking up loose food & metal.  Also build a jail - room with a door & a sleeping area or 3, set for prisoners.

*Food note:  Once food is put into the stockpile, it is only available through the paste dispenser.  A meal (tray) of paste costs 10 food, less with research.  If they eat raw food, they go through a lot more.  Not sure how much or if it's a bug, but I think I saw someone pick up an entire stack of 30-ish and eat it all.  Paste is more efficient, so prioritize.

At this point, you will probably get hit with the first raid, a solo raider with a pistol.  It should be an easy capture, getting you another colonist soon.  Keep building - focus on defense, sandbags or nooks for your guys, a turret or two, and a short firing lane for the raiders.  Be ready to move around in combat if they bring grenades.  You should be able to get a couple of rooms built or dug out.  I tend to plan around my dining room (as that is the most common non-work activity); I plan it out, but put sleeping pads in, instead of tables.  Get your paste dispenser built in here (sell the other) if you have to relocate.  Lights, some potted plants, and smooth stone flooring should help a bit with the mood.  Harvest wild plants if you need more food as you go.

Depending on the first 2-3 raids and any travelers, you should be able to split someone off for research.  I go for hydroponics first.  If you do that, get the room set up for your grow op - 12 1x4 tables should give you a huge amount of food, eventually.

And this is about the hump point.  This is when you start getting hit by heavier raids with tough weapons.  If you can make it through this segment, you might get more prisoners to recruit, and you will get more weapons.  As you get more bodies, you can optimize your defenses; as you get everyone armed better, you can fight off the waves easier.

Save often.  Never give up, never surrender!

Dragula

Great summary.
Defense is important from the get go and the first few raids are probably the hardest of the game. If you survive those you get more advanced weapons, the benefit of better armed raiders.

lt_halle

Hmm, yeah, started a colony trying to rush defenses and get everything going ASAP. It was going great, but I had terrible luck getting a night followed by an eclipse followed by night during a pirate raid while I had hungry colonists. The result was losing two of my five colonists fighting off the raiders and losing the other two able ones (the last was a captured assassin I used for combat purposes and who couldn't perform any tasks) to starvation/mental breakdown. I'm not sure if I could have prevented it or if it was just bad luck.

Is it normal to get maps with one or no steam vents? Most youtubers I've watched have three or four on their map, whereas mine have two max, usually one, and that one is often in an open clearing or otherwise difficult-to-defend zone.

Dragula

If you have plenty of food your colonists shouldn't starve.
But an eclipse followed by night with a raid is just bad luck. Later in the game when you have more time and resources to build batteries it shouldn't be as bad if there's no sun for a while.

Maps are random, so it could be that there is one or no geyser at all. Another form of bad luck.

Kender

#9
QuoteIs it normal to get maps with one or no steam vents?

Can't say definitely, since I only played 2 games (of version 0.250) myself so far.

In the older version, there is no guarantee. However, in version 0.250, I was able to spot 1 steam vent located inside the mountain in both games.
Rogue, from Kendermoore of Dragonlance.

Dragula

Yes, most maps have geysers hidden inside the mountain. This however basically requires strip mining or luck to find them.

Selgald

I have the problem, when I have more then 5 colonists, raiders attack, a wall gets dmg, all colonists run there and die before I can do something, game over.
Deutsches RimWorld Let's Play: YouTube Selgald

Dragula

Once drafted for combat colonists won't just take off to do tasks. If so, it's a bug.

Selgald

What I need is a button that my people stay out off combat. Also I need kevlar vests
Deutsches RimWorld Let's Play: YouTube Selgald

Dragula

Pressing "r" switches colonist in and out of combat mode.