Let's Play: Rimworld Part 4 - A Slim Hope

"We knew it looked like some kind of alpine forest where we landed so we expected it to get cold eventually but mother nature was having the last laugh. The cold snap that hit us killed off most of our fledgling crops and made working outside a battle against frostbite. All we can do now is hope it clears and we can grow more food before it's too late."

Day 10

And back we are again Fox-fans, in the now slightly frozen Fox Republic, running out of food and freezing our collective bits off thanks to the AI director deciding they didn't like us. At the start of this particular day Syd seems to be trying to haul things up to our stockpile whilst Angel continues hunting some of the deer herd to try and bulk out our dwindling food supply. I also order two campfires built outside so they have somewhere closer to run to for warming up.

This really isn't looking good for the colony so far if this cold snap doesn't end soon the food supply will run out. Even if it does end soon we may not have enough to get us through the winter either so it's now going to be key for Nicole to research hydroponics so I can grow food year round. I also order a hand tailor bench and a heater constructed, just hope the wood generators have enough juice to keep us running.

All I can really do at this point is hope the cold-snap ends in time for me to get another set of crops planted and at least one or two good harvests to stockpile food. If we can convince Ash to join our intrepid crew her growing skills will be very helpful, for now we'll just have to see. Nicole for her part researches late into the night whilst Angel thinks playing horse-shoes in the driving snow is just the fun she needs right now (she does have the psycho trait but who am I to judge.)

Snow everywhere!

Day 11

Another day, yet the cold-snap is still persisting and has done for three days now as Syd cooks some of our meager meat supply into a couple of meals and Angel goes hunting for more deer. I've genuinely never had a cold snap happen in the middle of summer so this is looking a little bleak for the three colonists, Syd opts to meditate on it in her room for some reason.

As if by some bizarre miracle the cold snap ended about an hour after that meaning I can see light at the end of the tunnel, time to start planting ladies! Or at least that is what I tried to nudge them into doing but such is the nature of Rimworld. For now I start looking at where I am going to build this greenhouse for the hydroponics, I am thinking to the south below the fields. I don't really want to build it out of wood so a stone-cutter's table also gets placed in the main colony building so I can turn these chunks into usable materials.

Things are at least looking up for now, we were six meals away from starvation or worse. If only Angel would stop being so stubborn and actually start planting the fields rather than doing everything but, I think she's annoyed with me for some reason.

Nicole once again tries to convince Ash to join our little crew and I am seriously hoping she can do that soon. Ash has some seriously good growing skills meaning between her and Angel I may not only be able to get all the fields planted fast but I may even get more than one harvest from each which will keep us going through winter when it hits.

Just when I thought things were looking up Nicole decided to hurl insults at Syd as she went to bed and the two now class as rivals. Just my luck.

Ash still needs a lot of convincing to join it would appear, can't say I blame her.

Day 12

Well, at least this day starts off relatively well with Angel getting up bright and early and finally getting to work planting the fields rather than ignoring my gentle nudging. Not quite out of the woods yet mind you as we are still critically short of meals meaning at least one deer a day has to keep us going until the crops start growing. Angel for her part actually quite smartly planted the whole corn field first, as that will take longest to grow but give the highest yield, a full harvest of that may well see us through the winter.

Ash seems to be slowly coming around to the idea of joining my motley band of misfits but Nicole has thus far been unable to convince her completely, whilst she will be an extra mouth to feed I really really need her growing and animal skills right now. I also set the remainder of the deer herd to be hunted as well as every small animal on the map I can find, until these crops grow meat is the only kind of food I have access to aside from berries.

Scouring the map one final time just in case there are one or two survival meals laying about I also set about designating every single berry bush I can find to be harvested. Every last scrap of food is now going to be needed or this colony won't survive til winter much less last through it.

Looking at my options I think it's going to be critical to get a hydroponics area set-up to supplement the food supply during non-growing months. I think I am also going to consider planting yet another field even if just temporarily, rice being the best bet as it's fast growing if I can even get one or two harvests from it then it will be worth it.

Hunting options are thinning out fast, the deer herd is all but gone on there are only a handful of other animals on the map not counting the Muffalo herd, they however are my reserve option. The main idea for them is to eventually tame them for their wool and milk but as I'd need to be able to feed them too, well, I can barely feed my colonists at the moment. Animal's do migrate onto the map but I can't really rely on it, if needs be they'll need to be hunted for food.

As if reading my mind Angel ends her day praying in her room, not something I expected her to be doing but there you have it.

It's rarely been this much of a roller coaster this early on in most of my Rimworld games to date so I hope you are all enjoying it thus far. Will the Fox Republic manage to prepare for winter successfully? You'll just have to keep reading but for now that ends part four, thank you to everyone for reading!

Things have finally thawed out but is the damage already done?

If you missed part 3, find it here!

Let's Play: Rimworld Part 3 - Things Were Going Too Well..

"Had they once been like us? Victims of circumstance simply trying to survive as we were? All we knew for certain was this small patch of forest we now called home was no-where near as safe as we had hoped. We would have to be ready to defend ourselves from more than just the flora and fauna."

Day 7

With most of the basics now in place it's time to start considering what to do next. I am definitely going to need batteries researched before winter as well as heating, lighting and some defences. I am also genuinely leaning toward planting a fourth field and laying down some sandbags in case of another pirate raid or worse.

The day starts with Angel feeding our prisoner Ash whom I have decided to try and recruit given her skills with growing and animals it could really help build up a food stockpile and free Angel up to do some hunting. For now I set up three small 2 by 9 fields for growing some more advanced things like healroot and cotton plants warm clothes are going to also be something I need to consider sooner rather than later.

Nicole attempts to convince Ash to join us whilst also researching, if I can get batteries I can look toward either researching weapons of some kind or perhaps look into alternatives for power generation but we'll get to that later. For now I set Syd off to build some sandbags to the north and south to give my shooters some cover from approaching enemies.

Food is starting to get low now and our starting resources are largely spent so at the end of day seven I designate a wide area of berry bushes to be harvested, steel and compacted machinery to be mined and trees to be chopped.

It really is starting to take shape, it's going well!

Day 8

Well I had a feeling this was going a bit too well now a cold snap hits, meaning it may well kill off my growing crops which puts even more pressure on my low food stores. Not to mention making every single one of my colonists complain about having to wander about in sub zero temperatures!

This could sow the seeds of ending this run earlier than I would like by far if my crops start dying off it's unlikely I'll get enough food stockpiled to survive the winter. There isn't a great abundance of berry bushes so I am going to have to be a bit risky with Angel for now hunting some of the dear herd roaming to the north of me, squirrel and rabbit meat alone won't come in enough quantity to help with my ailing food supplies. There is also another herd to my south and even a muffalo herd to my east but I'd rather wait and see if I can preserve them for the milk and wool later on.

If Nicole can convince Ash to join us sooner rather than later her growing skills may just arrive soon enough to avert at least this minor disaster. Welcome to Rimworld indeed, when the AI story-teller just suddenly decides things are going far too well for you!

This deer herd is now on the menu.

Day 9

With a worrying chunk of my crops dying overnight Angel starts off day nine with some hunting I also decide that rather than researching weapons next I may make a beeline for hydroponics. Also with some visitors arriving I am thinking I try and trade some of my starting silver for any food or meals they may have, every piece of food is crucial now.

It's so cold that I have had to build a campfire in my main building just to give my colonists somewhere to warm up, hypothermia is now becoming an issue, with all my colonists getting frostbite I am not even sure how much further this run can go if things continue on this downward spiral.

At least I managed to get three batteries up and running to store excess power a small victory. I am now definitely going to have the next research be hydroponics and then try and set-up a greenhouse of some kind, it may be the only way my colonists have a chance of surviving the winter at this point.

Just when I thought I was perhaps getting ahead of the curve, it starts to snow two seasons early and kills off the rest of my crops. Hunting is going to be the only way I can survive for now so first things first, I need to chop more wood and strategically place campfire so my colonists don't have to travel far to warm up.

Also I am going to need a tailors bench and put some of the leather I have been gathering to use making some poncho's to help keep people warm. I think my biggest hope right now is that the cold snap ends soon enough that I can replant the fields and get at least one decent harvest before winter properly hits, if I can't manage that, well, we'll just have to see what happens in the next part!

For now though I hope you are still enjoying this written let's play, watch this space for the next part soon!

Driving snow, low food, dying crops.. Welcome to Rimworld!

If you missed Part 2, Click Here!

Let's Play: Rimworld - Part 2 A Shaky Start

"What we had assumed was a relatively peaceful section of forest quickly proved too good to be true for our husky, Isis. We only saw the first of the two cougars, a pair of silent killing machines that saw us as little more than food. The sense of elation and triumph as the first beast fell was cut short as the angry barks of Isis were the only warning her had before we knew there was even a second one. Whilst she fought bravely we could not save her from its jaws, rest in peace Isis."

Day 4

Before my colonists even awake on day four the visitor decided to leave a gift of four pieces of gold, that goes some way to make up for Isis being munched on by a cougar. I also decide to put a roof over the stone building my colonists are currently sleeping in, I feel that may make a good prison area but that's to worry about later. Naming the settlement and faction was easy enough so from now on we shall be 'The Republic of Fox' and our settlement will be called 'The Foxhole' names that likely won't surprise anyone but still!

The dining area is starting to take shape at last and just as Angel and Syd begin working on some wood-fired generators yet more visitors arrive from another settlement, a good eight of them. Luckily they are friendly but I won't be interacting with them much this time.

Visitors, lots of visitors.. Good thing they are friendly.

With a pair of generators now up and the freezers coolers being built it means I can more easily stockpile food ahead of the brutal winters in though not starting with the battery technology unlocked was a little jarring, we shall adapt.

Whoops, after sending Syd and Angel to deconstruct some ship parts for more components a mad squirrel attacked and wounded Syd taking several bites and scratches on her arms and legs. Ouch. Those visitors proved more fortuitous than I thought as they rushed to Syd's aid and took care of the squirrel. I'm sure that'll give them plenty to joke about when they get back home, poor Syd.  The end of day four sees Angel patching Syd up and taking her a meal to aid in her recovery whilst Nicole opts to begin research on getting us batteries to store excess power which is going to be vital.

Day 5

I start off this day by throwing down another nine by nine growing zone for corn whilst a recovering Syd heads to the south to break down the ship part she was chased off from yesterday (yes I know it was a squirrel.) She does however sense and ancient danger when she moves past a structure built into the mountain to the south so I am not going anywhere near that place. Hopefully someone will decide to finish the actual beds today as sleeping on the floor is making Nicole particularly grouchy.

Angel opts to finish planting the rice field and begin on the cornfield which is good as I think we may even get two harvests out of each field before the temperature drops. Though I am not sure how much more will happen today due to Syd having to stop to rest so often due to her wounds from the previous day however she does finish healing near the end so that is good, if she'd died to a squirrel that'd have been humiliating.

Not the most eventful of days but that in itself can be a good thing in Rimworld at times, I feel perhaps I have piled too many work orders on which is why the beds still are not finished. I also need to start considering defences, as it's usually at about this point an angry pirate with a stick shows up. Warm clothes are also going to be very much needed but one step at a time for now.

Things are slowly taking shape.

Day 6

And with day six rolling around Syd is actually first to rise likely due to all the extra sleeping she did yesterday, she will be chopping down trees to ensure we have enough wood to keep our generators going and to finish the basics of our first building. With all three colonists now up and about there are many trees being felled whilst Syd busies herself finally building the beds, Angel opts to try her hand at researching over Nicole for some reason but so long as it gets done.

Well, I saw that coming a pirate raid a single pirate called Ash armed with a club seems to have taken offence to all the noise we are making. I briefly considered bashing her over the head and taking her prisoner in an attempt to convince him to join us but a brief look at her bio and skills I am not so sure. Good with animals and plants, we'll have to see how this goes I am not really in a position to risk my colonists too much at this stage.

A pirate armed with a club named Ash. Brave or foolhardy? 

I draft Angel and Nicole and begin moving them toward Ash's position to intercept her, so long as she doesn't get too badly wounded or outright killed I think I may try and convince her to join the Republic of Fox.

She took a few shots but Ash collapsed in pain rather than die outright, with Angel taking a bruise to the shoulder in the process so I opt to capture her after assigning the spare fourth bedroom as a prisoner room for the time being. We'll have to see if we can convince Ash joining us is in her best interests.

That is of course if she survives and recovers from her wounds and Nicole our resident warden can sway her. The end of day six was a lot more eventful, it would appear as both the stove and butchers table were constructed, all the beds are up so the next day it'll likely be sprucing things up, placing defences and starting to work toward building up a health food stockpile to survive the winter.

I hope you are all enjoying this so far, watch this space for the next part!

With Ash in custody and everyone happily sleeping in their own rooms, things are going well!

If you missed Part 1 you can read it Here!