my first Steam upload

[mellowtigger]

I've always enjoyed playing computer games, but usually not the first person combat games that are so popular. I very much prefer the "thinkers", where you have time to ponder your choices and make selections. I enjoy the games where you 1) manage a full party of adventurers or 2) help to build a city.

I recently discovered Rimworld which is a combination of these two traits. It's a bit unforgiving. I spend a lot of time in a web browser looking up information because the game doesn't really explain what you what you need to know. The starting conditions for every game, for example:

villagers	The number/type of villagers and their starting equipment is part of the "scenario". I didn't find any of them particularly easy conditions, so I created my own very simple starting scenario. I uploaded my scenario here. If you start playing Rimworld someday, it might prove helpful.
storyteller	One interesting feature of the game is its auto-adjusting difficulty level. Upon starting a new game, you choose the "AI Storyteller" that will govern the frequency and severity of problems that will be thrown at you. The storyteller includes some hard limits like population count. If your village ever grows too large, the AI will repeatedly try to end your overpopulation advantage. It has a similar hard limit on overall wealth. Accumulate too much wealth, and draw unwanted attention. For beginners, I recommend choosing the "Custom / Reload any time" mode. Preload the settings by clicking "Set to standard playstyle" then choosing "Peaceful" as the easiest option. Then maximize the "Colonist mood" slider. Reduce the poison/infection/disease frequencies to at least 25%. I wish the game would let me save the storyteller settings too, but those have to be adjusted (once) at every game creation.
planet	There's the familiar randomize seed. That starting value influences all of the random output needed to create the planet and its zone maps. There are whole threads devoted to sharing these randomization seeds to yield particular useful starting zones.

Even with the above tweaks for easy gameplay, there's still a lot to learn. I've been enjoying it so far.  My first suggestions for new players:

1. Plant a crop of rice before you build anything else.  It grows fast, and you'll need it.  Build it closer to your village than any other crop, so it takes priority when farmers head out to the fields to work.  Then plant a crop of potatoes, which are slower to grow.
2. Build a covered room where you can store fragile items (like food and medicine) under a roof to slow their deterioration.  Gain air conditioning technology as soon as you can, then set that room below freezing temperature.  There's no such thing as thaw damage, and freezing will end the deterioration of all items placed there.
3. Plant a crop of cotton.  You'll need it later for clothing or trade.  Then plant a crop of healroot for medicine.  Your map may include some wild healroot around the zone, but you need your own maintained crop.
4. Build covered rooms for beds, keeping one person per room until some of your people begin to pair up.
5. Put a roof over any electrical equipment, especially batteries!  Otherwise you risk fiery explosions when it rains.
6. I recommend sticking with herbivorous animals at first. They are easily fed by a plot of haygrass. Horses are best, but bison and muffalo are equally good haulers who also produce very useful wool.
7. Start out building everything from wood, because it's plentiful and renewable.  You'll soon discover, however, just how flammable wood can be.  You'll eventually want marble walls that improve the mood of villages who view them.  Use any stone you have available, though.  I mentioned that wood is flammable, right?
8. If you're playing in a forest map, then you'll also eventually want 2 stone floor tiles around your entire village wall.  A wildfire outside your village can quickly consume your own buildings if they are all wood everywhere.

Not knowing any of this stuff, I lost several villages on my early attempts.  Anyway... fun game so far.  :)  Here's a photo of the ranch area of my current village.  You can see a muffalo calf in the refrigerated hay area, while the adults join the alpacas in the roofed bed area.  They have easy access to native plants to the north, with grown dandelions and hayweed to the south.

Comments

[brian_bogue]

I have never played it but have watched countless hours on Twitch and Youtube. It looks like a fun game

[mellowtigger]

I've wondered more than once about hosting game sessions online. Any idea what makes for a successful broadcast? The only one that I ever watch (and seldom, at that) is the "Skyrim grandma" on YouTube. Age is obviously no limitation.

[brian_bogue]

I recommend several different players that do this particular game such as Quill :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM_RKrRMjeU&list=PLs3acGYgI1-vVBH-Ovf2mCABny6UpVyxa
also Aavak: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGe_S5n7MjT3vXqCnBaiag1AeqLADHz37

Now this one doesn't do this particular game but she does have a popular gaming channel, KatherineOfSky: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTIV3KbAvaGEyNjoMoNaGtQ
You might find some helpful tips both for the game and how to present a channel.

[brian_bogue]

Nope age is not a limitation, I have noted that most successful gaming vids on youtube do involve at lest 2 or 3 of the following.
1. head shots of the host.
2. humor.
3. lots of action
4. if it is a design game like City Skyline, Rimworld, or my favorite, Factorio, lots of clever designs.
5. frequent postings of videos, minimum of once a week preferably more often.
Just remember, becoming a successful Youtube or Twitch gamer is nice but don't worry about becoming a widely popular but that you are playing for your own enjoyment and you will find an audience just don't be concerned that you, at first don't have a huge fan base, it will come eventually

[mllesatine]

I loved the Anno series so I put Rimworld on my watchlist. 30 € is a bit steep so I might get it on sale.

[mellowtigger]

Agree. I picked it up on Steam on a short-term weekend sale. With holidays approaching, maybe it'll gain a bigger percentage sale soon.