Tales From the Rim: Rimworld Adventures

I can't say that this game appeals to me (too much a soap opera / sims), but it does make me dream for the day that other games like X4 (and perhaps even Elite) implement a "personhood" AI rather than just basic robotic "traders trade, fighters fight" autopilot AI. Simple characteristics like bravery, reflexes, greed, honor, intelligence, etc. would go far to make NPCs feel a bit more real in games like these. I'd also like to see a better top-down AI that represents entire factions, providing more complex strategic decisions and reasoning to galaxy-wide movements, rather than simplistic "grow bigger" algorithms.

In other words, I want to believe (in an immersive gameplay sense) that NPCs in my favorite games are people, not just robots or autopilots.
 
I suspect that's from a mod. I checked the Rimworld wiki and didn't see anything like that, and that doesn't really seem to match the tone of the game the developers have.

Long range scanner, not drill. The general trend was to make players leave their spot with caravan and this is maybe the ultimate incentive, I feel. Just reveals a rare resource. Then you saddle up, yeehaw, and go there to mine it.
 
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Long range scanner, not drill. The general trend was to make players leave their spot with caravan and this is maybe the ultimate incentive, I feel. Just reveals a rare resource. Then you saddle up, yeehaw, and go there to mine it.
That one I’m aware of, though I didn’t get to experiment with it last game. I had a raid at my main base during the middle of a quest. It was… interesting.
I can't say that this game appeals to me (too much a soap opera / sims), but it does make me dream for the day that other games like X4 (and perhaps even Elite) implement a "personhood" AI rather than just basic robotic "traders trade, fighters fight" autopilot AI. Simple characteristics like bravery, reflexes, greed, honor, intelligence, etc. would go far to make NPCs feel a bit more real in games like these. I'd also like to see a better top-down AI that represents entire factions, providing more complex strategic decisions and reasoning to galaxy-wide movements, rather than simplistic "grow bigger" algorithms.

In other words, I want to believe (in an immersive gameplay sense) that NPCs in my favorite games are people, not just robots or autopilots.
I suspect that the central challenge of AI with genuine depth is that they’re resource intensive. The games with AI with the most personality tend to be graphically simple, probably to free up resources for the real stars of the game: Dwarf Fortress, Stonehearth, and Rimworld. And “Soap Operas” are the inevitable result of of such AI. Games tend to exaggerate reality for the sake of entertainment, and what are soaps but exaggerations of the relationships we see in real life… just with much more attractive people?
 
I suspect that the central challenge of AI with genuine depth is that they’re resource intensive. The games with AI with the most personality tend to be graphically simple, probably to free up resources for the real stars of the game: Dwarf Fortress, Stonehearth, and Rimworld. And “Soap Operas” are the inevitable result of of such AI. Games tend to exaggerate reality for the sake of entertainment, and what are soaps but exaggerations of the relationships we see in real life… just with much more attractive people?
I'd be happy with something between an autopilot and "Her" (SJ). I'm not looking to invite NPCs in Elite or X4 to the bar on a date, I just want them to feel a bit more real than an autopilot as they fly their ships in the game world.

That said, I wouldn't mind having my NPC crew have a bit more depth. I'll be interested to see how Starfield handles this. Of course it will be a scripted AI, like Mass Effect, which has its limits, but I can greatly enjoy a properly scripted NPC for a season. I was quite sad when my adventures with Eveli Sharp-Arrow came to an end in ESO, because she was very well scripted and felt "real", at least compared to the average NPC. This is one area where a "soap opera" AI would actually appeal to me, and it in theory would not be so demanding since it would be just for a small number of NPCs - my crew.

It will be interesting to see how games evolve as computers start coming equipped with neural network engines. I think this could unlock some pretty fascinating "Personality Forge" options without having to saturate the CPU in the process.
 
I originally intended to start my next game, with the difficulty bumped up a notch and the Royalty expansion added to the mix, after the Buckyball Race that starts tonight at midnight UTC, but I couldn't resist at least starting the next game. One of the things I wanted to do differently is not to reroll my starting pawns. The other was move away from the equator, and its year-long growing season.

First up is Parrot. She was actually the last chosen, because I needed a decent construction pawn, and none of the other pawns had any passion at all for this critical skill. It helps that she’s Elvira’s mother. Passion for shooting and cooking helped seal the deal, though her negative traits almost eliminated her.


Second up is Carey. She was chosen for her strong hunting skills and crafting skills, with only one relatively negative trait, and non barred tasks. Her relationships came very close to adding bumping Parrot off the roster.


The last of my three is Loser, who is my first chosen pawn, and the only no-brainer. With strong Medical and Social skills, plus a passion for research, she would naturally be a pawn I’d keep off the front lines anyways, so being non-violent wasn’t a deal breaker. Plus with the Royalty expansion, she’s a natural to give “psychic powers” to.

I also love the fact that she’s 32 years older than her mother.


Two pawns out of the starting seven were under serious consideration. The first was Trev. He had a relationship with three of the five pawns under consideration, as well as strong combat skills. This would’ve allowed for a very close knit starting community. Unfortunately, between his depressive trait, his smoke leaf addiction, and Loser being stronger his only other real real skill, he was reluctantly left behind to fend for himself. Though considering this game, I’ll probably see him again. If he had had passion for construction and/or cooking, I would’ve accepted him. Beer is my choice for “chemical relaxation,” but smokeleaf would’ve made a fair substitute.


The second pawn to not make the cut was Adkins. She had relationships with both Trev and Carey. She would’ve made the cut if she either had passion for construction, or had more skill at it.


My pawns ended up crashing in a nice temperate forested small hills. It’s a bit north of the equator, with a 40/60 growing season. This means I’m planning on growing 50% more food than their daily needs to start out with, to see them through the winter. The terrain they ended up in is great:


The hills to the east will help protect my future herds. To the south is a huge patch of dense fertile land, which will hopefully provide an ample bounty for my colonists’s fields. To the west is a hill to protect the industrial side of my base, while providing me room to expand to the north.
 
I'd be happy with something between an autopilot and "Her" (SJ). I'm not looking to invite NPCs in Elite or X4 to the bar on a date, I just want them to feel a bit more real than an autopilot as they fly their ships in the game world.

That said, I wouldn't mind having my NPC crew have a bit more depth. I'll be interested to see how Starfield handles this. Of course it will be a scripted AI, like Mass Effect, which has its limits, but I can greatly enjoy a properly scripted NPC for a season. I was quite sad when my adventures with Eveli Sharp-Arrow came to an end in ESO, because she was very well scripted and felt "real", at least compared to the average NPC. This is one area where a "soap opera" AI would actually appeal to me, and it in theory would not be so demanding since it would be just for a small number of NPCs - my crew.

It will be interesting to see how games evolve as computers start coming equipped with neural network engines. I think this could unlock some pretty fascinating "Personality Forge" options without having to saturate the CPU in the process.

I think this video sums up my feelings on this subject quite well:

Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=byvKbMa9zEg


It helps that I seem to have kind of brain that would’ve spun stories out the the patterns of stars in the night sky 5000 years ago.
 
So, the Mashcluster has developed enough to "call it a day". I tend to do this when the concept is proofed. Mechs and lone start is very feasible. Ended up Mash turning into a sanguophage (vampire) - to ensure long-term survivability.
1 additional colonist (recruited from raid), 1 kid turning to adult. The Biotech stuff works out. And yes I can see where they can add that cross-expansion content. Ideology needs a buff-up and Royalty maybe too. Biotech is quite more gameplay content as such. Ideology is a more "customise" your gameplay framework.

I tend to run with the same precepts. Gets me in trouble about the cannibalism each time, but in the Rim meat is just meat.

So I started new colony. My all-time favoured Tribal Ascend, but I mucked up the scenario, picked the vanilla one so it has the Zzzzt event and messed the custom difficulty and now it's ironman game. Couldn't find out how to revert that, lol.

Ah well, less scumming, I guess. The Red Pit is nested in modded map generator map, a valley with one main entrance. Airdrops are still a thing though.
The tribals settled in neatly in the Boral Forest - 1st time ever I do that. Screw heat wave! Gives them about 2 crop cycles of corn harvest a year if nothing goes wrong. If it does it's mushrooms through spring. You can't really die from hunger.

The tribe is engineered to be resistant to pollution, tough and good immunity. Bad animals is the trade-off as well as psychite and smokeleaf dependency. It is a custom genome.
The dependencies were the tricky ones. Had to harvest enough to keep things in control. They need it every 5 day or mood degrades and 30 days without they die. Of course I set the appropriate ideology for high life. In the toxic wastes, lol. I haven't started in toxic wastes. Did I mention they are immune to toxic stuff? We come back to this later.

Over the starting years two slaves were captured, one of them died in escape attempt. Bobbie arrived pregnant and gave birth to to not a pure geneline baby. Vela made it to teenager. Then took flake and died to overdose. Don't do this at home. Set your drug policies accordingly and handle the dependency with psychite tea.
All the while I tried frantically to generate another baby to keep the gene line alive. 2 tribesmen are too old and the mother lost its baby and wasn't getting pregnant.
At last (may be a timer after birthing a kid) she was successful.

Baby Blue is currently safe and sound - I hope. Currently have visitors and one of them is pyromaniac and one is go-huice dependant but ideology forbids drug use. I guess I can force him to take it but that gives mood debuff, too. He's coasting the line - maybe I take him out the remaining days with anaesthetic - 4 more remaining. Healroot dwindling fast with the visitor blodrot. But they make me nice items. Then there is the reward, could be wealth problem...

Made a raid on a steel site and left the Laugher (moral guide) behind with baby Blue. And I get a raid. 5 vs 1. Are you kidding me? I even took the slave on the raid - need carrying capacity. So I inspect closer and it's guys all with Toxgrenades. Ok, lol. Come at me bro. Just need to prevent them breaching and they go all arround. The place is fortified but as always I forgot the marsh is actually moveable. And enemies tend to come by air now. Need to keep that baby safe. The wasters converge on the Laugher who's picking them off from a watchtower (mod, experimental, a bit like embrasures) at some point 5 tox grenades were constantly chucked at him, but the geneline, remember?, makes him completely immune. The raid is defeated, but that gave me quite the stopper.

A sanguophage was forced to land and defeated. I absorbed the genes and it didn't convert my tribeswoman, but only added to the existing geneline. So the Laugher is now superhuman toximmune. Susceptible to fire though. Twice a pretty genome doesn't make them beautiful though.

The downed vampire didn't show gene regrowing. Might have been able to extract the vampire genes 1 additional time after days? I decided to take it to execution - he was healing FAST. Like seconds. One moment down - the next already up for walking again. Ironman isn't really for experimenting.

Wrapping it up: Babies are cute. Birth is actually modelled - need to make preparations. And funerals work, too. Baby food isn't too hard, but you can have the mother just breastfeed. Childcare seems iffy - rarely saw someone play with the baby but they always fed it. Playing seems lower priority. Growth moments for kid don't seem hard to achieve. Dependencies can be a real surprise with kids - it may be that kids get overdosed more easily. Dependent toons seem to ingest around the 5 days when the mood debuff hits. Smokeleaf dependency can make it hell when you need quick reactions...

But I was going to try the "autobong". It's Ideology item I never saw. Autobong and tox-IEDs and mortar toxshell. Dev tools showed great viability for tox gas, it dissipates, but not too quickly and gives good debuff and high concentrations can actually kill. Good for preparer raids. I mean it's ironman but some things you need to experiment with, no?
 
To clarify: Dependenies make immune to addiction. Vela, because it's part of the culture took drugs and became addicted, because she wasn't pure Toxycat genome (no cat ears, I swear) - then I didn't track the consumption and it might have been a spiral for more kicks. When I last checked she had "massive" resistance to psychoid and I tweaked a little with the policy. Because I have non-genome line members with the slave, too. But what works for adult might not work for kids.
 
I see I didn't convince anyone with my playthrough idea, but it's perfectly thought out. The tribals are genetically engineered for survival in the toxic waste and maybe put to use there. By who knows. Could be mechanoid AI, the great Aggrotect in the sky, mad scientists or imperial supremacy ideas. Could be a mix of everything. The Rim is your oyster.

But of course tribals being tribals they make up their own beliefs and you gotta make do with what you're given. In this case it's lotsa weeds and 'erbs and meat that tastes like chicken. I'm also seeing a definite resurrection of old World voodoo practices - imagine the Laugher going into deathrest and then pranking everyone by jumping out the casket at the burial. I think the title "laugher" was actually created "after" Lerra turned into sanguophage and used that trick to scare everyone to pieces. Nothing prepares better for the horrors in the Rim than a good laugh. Let's say everyone was really shocked when that happened but then Baby Blue giggled like mad and who argues with humour innocent like that.
 
Do you have them roam around the world map or their dependency to specific products make that nigh impossible ?
Dependency is a genetic defect now. Itt's showcased with the Hussar breed in Biotech, they are genetically engineered soldiers and have combat drug dependency. I took dependencies that fit my playthrough idea for custom colonist genomes.
Right now they can hand down their genes to offspring, and maybe the genetics stuff gameplay I havent seen yet. No world pawn spawns though, but I hear next update shall include that.
In essence you can shop a catalogue of genomes and make your own strain of breed for your starter peeps. It's a bit like ideology in building blocks inside your peeps.
 
Sweet good Lord Harry Moses. Enemies landed right into my Dining Room! No frills - straight into the main room when everyone was there chilling, eating sleeping. What did they expect? Tribals can be very kind hosts but you need invite first. Baby Blue got her first lesson how to properly do bouncer job. It's masterwork revolvers for 3 y old kids again.
Oh and Bear visits the colony regularly. We like bear. I promised there were no cat ears, right? Well, it's bear ears (animalist war mask style).

The visitors were utterly destroyed in dining room but what a mess and so many injuries. Purple Bocuse got hit hard being surrounded and forced into 4some. Mr pump action cleared the house in the end. That was part of a 3 stage quest. It sounded like a two stage attack in description but Cass - well she's not always honest - and the last stage was kinda 3 groups attacking. I was running out of combat capable fighters. Lerra lost one eye. She heals extremely fast but a part lost is a part gone forever. I had to pull Baby Blue into combat. That delivered all the meat needed for the rest of winter.

Bit the sour apple and researched the generator techs. 1st the chemfuel and next stage I place toxigens some place near the map entrance in the mountain. zzt event - we hates it. Took battery off the main grid and made a charge bank behind switch.

Bobbie got pregnant again. This gene line shall not falter.

Thinking seriously about a killbox, I'm accumulating wealth.
 
Lol, my playthough has delivered. It is rare that a game makes me laugh loud but the autobong did. Remy the Husky just got initiated as full member of Red Pit. If I can somehow design a waiting room for raids....
Now I just need tame muffaloes from somewhere
 
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"It's the machines - they are their own spirits. I can hear them whispering." said Purple Bocuse.
Lerra frowned. "You're making this up. That fancy chip you stuck in your neck has made you mad."
"No, it's true and you know it. You can stun them, you can make them go mad with your mind. How would it be possible if it was just machines?"

He did have a point. It was a thing to consider. And also about why they were. Noone had had a life as tribal before waking up and the memories seemed strange. Not like the memories the tribe had accumulated since the "arrival".
Purple Bocuse shall investigate the machine spirits while I meditate about the maikeleletronics. The scouts have reported the arrival of a machine site that has started blotting the sun.
"Let roll the drums! I have an important announcement to make. Dark times are ahead. And you, Purple, find out how the machine spirits can be of help. If you're successful you shall be made Chief of the Red Pit."

---

I have entered Darkness meme into ideologion. A nearby site blocks the sun and it is perma night now. A challenge on itself - I could destroy the sit but why not try to use this as map-wide buff for me? A pain to grow plants though - everything died within days without light. Sunlamps eat all my reactor power. I might use the toxgenerators now large scale - the anima tree doesn't grow grass either - it need light, too. Will the tribals win the rush for map control? Or will I just destroy the sun blocker? We'll see.
 
Having an open world map with fog of war, instead of instanced map levels would be amazing and create an whole different experience to rimworld. I doubt that the engine would be able to do it without a complete rehaul though.
 
Having an open world map with fog of war, instead of instanced map levels would be amazing and create an whole different experience to rimworld. I doubt that the engine would be able to do it without a complete rehaul though.
I don't think a fog of war layer would require an engine change. Might be just a mod's work. Seamless map - yes, that would at least require rewrite. And might be not feasible hardware-side - it's struggling with one map sometimes, especially high item counts.
 
Real Life has finally stopped being a poo-head, so I started the game which has been in limbo so long. Though I have to admit, I spent quite some time in the planning stage before I ever hit "unpause." Parrot, my builder, had a small, cramped shelter constructed fairly quickly, with time left over on the first day, so I had her build a table and chairs too. Sadly, Carey and Loser weren't nearly as quick getting their planting done, despite the rather harsh work schedule I'd started them.

It also didn't take long for me to regret that I didn't consider Parrot's inability to do "dumb labor" a deal breaker. Carey and Loser spent a lot of time getting survival meals when they could've been planting, and Parrot herself also spent a lot of time gathering up food to cook, and animals to butcher, that could've been eliminated if she'd spent her extra time hauling stuff to the stockpile, rather than constructing a covered construction zone. Most of the stuff that would go in there doesn't decay quickly, or would've been used before they did decay. But it was either that, or have Parrot create some sculptures, so I chose the former.

By the end of day four, the planting was done, so I relaxed their work schedule, and had Carey start hunting, her faithful hound Kiko at her side. Between that, and Loser foraging for berries, Parrot was able to produce simple meals. The survival rations were, of course, carefully packed up for future use.

Day five allowed me to name our faction and settlement. I kind of liked the random name the game gave us, so I accepted the name "Southeastern Aseron," for the faction, and Konewood for the settlement's name.

Day six, our first "recruit" arrived: Black, who had the passion for mining our faction was missing. I didn't want to accidentally kill her, since she arrived naked, armed with only an awful knife and no combat skills, so I sent Parrot and Carey out to bludgeon her into submission. She was housed briefly in the storeroom, until Parrot could construct a proper jail cell.

On last day of spring, we rescued a Praetor from the Broken Empire, who was being pursued by a vicious, man-eating squirrel, with big teeth and pointy claws. Loser, being unable to do any kind of direct violence, was chosen as our faction's respresentative to the Empire, for that sweet, sweet psionics.

Four days into the summer, our second "recruit" arrived: Fox. She was addicted to Ambrosia, but fortunately, a field of this most wonderous of fruits had recently sprouted, so I'd be able to supply her addiction. She was an extremely skilled brawler, though, so I took the risk of engaging at a long range, despite being equipped identically to Black. She's the second cannibal in our group, and if we get many more, it could very well be that this particular colony may consider raids to be "free food." I'm sure the large pack of muffalo on the map will rest easy if that's the case. ;)

We've finally finished our fifteenth day. Black officially joined the colony the day before, and we'd harvested our first cotton so that both Black and Fox would be properly attired. Casey had tamed a female Muffalo, and was working on taming a male, so we would at least have a breeding pair. And Loser got the psychic power... "Word of Trust." It isn't a combat-oriented power, but it will allow her to quickly break the resistence of new recruits. Since she's our only warden at this time, this'll help add new blood rather quickly... assuming any attackers survive to be captured, of course. :D
 
The second quarter of my game started fairly tame. A band of refugees knocked on the door, offering work for short-term shelter, just as the Empire wanted a monument built. The first corn crop had just been harvested, and I was feeling secure, so I accepted them to build the monument, planted some additional crops to cover what they ate, accelerated the muffalo taming, and by the time they left, I'd gained favor with the Empire. I also bought a breeding pair of cows. As I'd predicted, Trev came to visit his daughter and lover as a caravan guard. One of the refugees, Jhannyok, asked to stay, and I accepted her to free up Loser to focus on research. I went on an expedition to rescue a nearby captive, and returned with a captive of my own. I was feeling quite confident on my chances to survive the winter.

Once fall came, disaster struck, because that winter came early. A cold snap killed all my corn before they were ready to harvest even a low yield. This included the hay I'd planned seeing my growing herds through the winter. By that time, I had eight mouths to feed, and I had harvested only a third of the food I'd need for the coming cold season... which had just arrived ten days early.

Thankfully, I had a plan "B:" There was still plenty of prey on the map, despite the fact that there was also several predators out there as well. I'd occasionally butcher their leftovers, which was keeping us supplied with enough meat for the occasional fine meal. Carey would occasionally have enough free time to hunt, though her primary job remained crafting clothing for the coming winter... which was now here. Both Jhannyok and Fox had some passion for crafting, so I accepted the necessity of poor clothing to allow Carey hunting full time.

By the time the actual winter arrived, things were looking grim. Our supplies of rice, and the limited amount of berries we'd scavenged from the map, were almost exhausted. We were already halfway through our supplies of hay, and there were another 15 days of winter before the next growing season. Carey's hunting would keep the humans (and dog) fed, but on simple meals only. Without hay, our pasture would be barely sufficient to feed a breeding pair of muffalo and cattle. Good for our food supply, bad for our future. As the prey started to dwindle, the predators on the map starting hunting my people, resulting in two of my pawns getting mauled badly enough that one nearly died from the resulting infection, despite using industrial-era grade medicine.

And then potential salvation came from an unexpected source. An envoy from the outlanders of Neeria, a future trading partner, arrived looking for help. They'd managed to anger an AI persona, who was making their lives miserable with a weather control system, creating foggy rain in their cities. I figured that if the weather was rainy, then the temperature would be warm enough to not be freezing. If that was the case, then maybe we could grow rice, hay, and our pasture would be fertile enough to support our current herd.

I was mostly right. Daytime temperatures rose to barely above freezing, which allowed us to plant crops, and our pasture barely became sufficient to keep our herds fed. Nighttime temperatures dipped below freezing, though not so low that our crops died. At the rate our rice is growing, it won't be ready to harvest until spring is here, but that's better than having nothing at all.
 
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