RimWorld
| RimWorld | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Ludeon Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Ludeon Studios |
| Platform(s) | Linux, Mac OS X, Windows |
| Release date(s) |
(alpha) |
| Genre(s) | Construction and management simulation |
RimWorld is a construction and management simulation video game currently being developed by Ludeon Studios. It was initially released as alpha software for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows on 4 November 2013. It is currently still in Alpha release versions.
Gameplay
The main objective of the game is to expand a colony made by the survivors of a spaceship crash. When enough resources are procured, the player can escape the planet. The game has a top-down 2-dimensional view. The story of the game is generated randomly by an AI storyteller.
Storytellers
There are three AI storytellers - Cassandra Classic, Phoebe Chillax and Randy Random.
Cassandra Classic steadily increases the difficulty of the game.
Phoebe Chillax gives large periods of peace between disasters, but the disasters are still challenging if she is set on a high difficulty.
Randy Random provides unpredictable events for the player. The disasters are randomly generated and can occur at any time.[1]
Plot
The plot revolves around several in-game characters who have landed on a stranded planet when their own spaceship crashed. Combat and psychology of the characters is very detailed; similar to Dwarf Fortress, every colonist has a different personality. Initially, the player starts with three in-game characters; if the player does not like one of their character's attributes, they can keep generating new characters until they find a character they like. The initial starting characters can be renamed if the player wishes.
As time goes on, more colonists will join the colony. They can either join of their own free will, or they can be taken prisoner and talked into joining the colony.
While the game is playing, the storyteller will occasionally throw a random event at the player, which is announced by a message icon on the right-hand side of the screen. These random events can be good (for example, a new colonist joins the colony), neutral (travelers passing through the area) or bad (pirate raid, solar flare, etc.) Each of these random events will affect the gameplay; for example, during a pirate attack, the player will have to defend the colony either by drafting the colonists or by building turrets around the colony.
Electricity is central to the game; almost all devices, from gun turrets to cooking stoves to heaters require electricity to function. It can be generated by various means, for example a wind turbine, a solar panel, or a geothermal power station. Electricity is distributed using conduit. If more electricity is produced than is currently required, the player can build a battery to store the excess energy. Although new features have been made which include different less effective alternatives to electricity. For example, there is a wood fueled stove, which is less effective to the electric stove but doesn't require an electricity source.
The game ends when all the people of the colony have escaped the planet on a spaceship or all of them have died. The characters can do various activities like chopping wood, mining metal, hunting animals and various other chores.
Characters
The characters have different backgrounds depending on random professions divided into two stages- childhood and adulthood. These have a very strong influence on the character and abilities of the character. The characters also have needs that will keep a person stable, these needs go from the basic to the more complex. The basic ones include food, shelter, and having well built clothes on. While the more complex include having a place to sit to eat, or have enough time to increase their joy through various activities like horseshoes or chess. There are two different points which will mentally break a character, they include a hard and a soft breaking point. A hard breaking point is more dangerous because it can cause a character to go mad and attack another colonist, or it can just make them go into a doze and be unable to do any work for a period of time. In the Alpha 13 build, there is a new social aspect to the game. Characters can have prior relationships to each other including, ex-lover, father, mother, sister, brother, etc. These relationships can benefit or detract from the needs and joys of a character.
Animals
On August 21, 2015 Alpha version 12 was released which introduced animal taming, trading, training and reproduction. Animals can now be lured and tamed with food and will "nuzzle" its master giving a mood boost or attacking the tamer if he or she fails the attempt. Intelligence has been added as a factor and will determine which skills the animal is able to learn. These skills vary from carrying and storing items to rescuing and defending its master. Eleven (11) animals have been added including an elephant, two breeds of dog, cows, chickens, a Boomalope which "explodes and sets fires on death" among others. Reproduction, a feature that was highly requested by fans has been added which allows the player much more freedom in managing their animal populations. [2]
See also
References
- ↑ "AI Storytellers". Rimworld Wiki.
- ↑ "RimWorld Alpha 12 – Animal Taming released". Ludeon Studios.