How about Sandworms?

[Darkwood]

So Deserts have become sorta meh... I mean it is more challenging to survive, but wouldnt sandworms, like those in Dune, be cool? It could be a random event if you have several generators or powersources clumped near eachother. Or, it could be a rare enemy event like Thrumbos. The ennemy could be in two ways: First way is of course it is big (though not that big...8 tiles long, 2-3 wide?) So it could "phase" off the map by going underground for a few seconds. Takeing no damage, dealing no damage. Another way is that it always stays on the surface, becuase of some pre-existing wound. Like how the Worm Hooks work in Dune, It refuses to let the sand touch the wound.

You could be able to make antiworm fences that send sonic waves that repel the worms, but you may need multiple (Like if the have a 20 tile radius). This would be something you could probably have to make early on in a Deep desert.

Another way this could be done is by finding Worm Pulsers in Ancient shrines or ocasionly buying it from Traders. This would attract the worm (or worms) to you.

Now imagine fighting a killer megasloth.... Hell, right? Worms would be bigger and tougher, so why fight them? Good loot, like mabye worms tooth is very valuble, mabye their scales can be used as decoration or armour, lots of food, some spice mabye?

[grapplehoeker]

So, you're asking the Rimworld to be made over into Arrakis, the only place in the universe that Shai Hulud existed?
Nice idea for a Dune game, but it's a little too specific for Rimworld. Next you'll be suggesting Sardaukar drop ships or harvesting spice ;)

[KrysisMode]

Wait there isn't a DUNE mod conversion yet? I'm disappointed by the modding community, they seemed to love the classics.

[ꌗꉣ꒒ꂦ꓄]

I'd say something to replace the Thrumbo on desert maps, because why would a thick fluffy beast that eats trees come looking for wood (heh heh) in a desert?

[Hazardous]

it would just be too many elemnts added to combat this one threat, and if youre not in the desert, it clogs your menus

[Darkwood]

fair enough. Thes where just some suggestions on how it could be implemented, not all at once of course. And really it dose not have to be desert specific, there could be other types, but yeilding diffrent resources. Also what could be could just go in security, where there is often little in it so it blocks less.

And sort of like what Psyr was saying, more interesting creatures that make mmore sense for places like deserts would be nice. Like lets say, thrumbos are more common in Boreal and Temperate forests, Big worms in deserts, mabye something like a weaker version of the insectiods appearing in more variety and nnumbers in swaps and jungles (mabye they build nests in trees, preventing you from chopping some trees... sorta like some ants in the realworld)... Idk, stuff like this? I get that the Developer didnt want Aliens, for the most part, but more Bio-enginered creatures would be fun... (this brings me to another discussion)

[Hazardous]

Originally posted by Buddy:

I get that the Developer didnt want Aliens, for the most part, but more Bio-enginered creatures would be fun... (this brings me to another discussion)

i think the dev doesnt want aliens because the implication is that humans have colonized a vast amount of the universe, meaning only earth things can spread on those planets due to terraforming for the most part

[Darkwood]

Ah. I was thinking more along the lines of Dune actually. Like Humans have explored and found nothing, and belive there is nothing, though some feel that it might be a possibility, though at this point its probably not so. I feel this is also becuase of how the galaxy (wait is Rimworld set in one galaxy or the entire univerese...?) is set up. There are more mediveal worlds, some More significantly wealthy worlds, some setup in a fedual system, etc.... simaler to Dune (and mabye Firefly... Ive only seen parts of it, and the movie they made)

[Vault Dweller]

I believe the sandworms of dune are condidered plant lifeforms not aliens

[Mana Burst]

Rather than going the Dune sandworm route, oughta go the Tremors route, Graboids and Shriekers for the win. Not Aliens since they're prehistoric beasties afterall.

[Darkwood]

Him... Its been awhile sice Ive seen a tremors movie, and I dont rember which one, but I think that would help with the Diveresty. I belive they were smaller and diffrent stages. Also I said Dune like, not exaclty Dune.... but a like half your colony wrecked, everyone bleeding to death, and a rabbit just walks up and starts nibbiling the dead worm, lol... no no no, how about not plant worms : )

[Darkwood]

Also this many comments in a few hours on this subject... seems to be a welcomed or popular topic.

[grapplehoeker]

Originally posted by Vault Dweller:

I believe the sandworms of dune are condidered plant lifeforms not aliens

You should read the Dune series of books. The biology of the sandworms of Arrakis is an interesting two stage cycle and they are most certainly animal and not plant.
The activity of the larval stage to produce spice and the connection to the adult sandworm was generally unknown and kept a closely guarded secret by those that were aware.
You can learn of this by reading Children of Dune in particular and follow the progress of Leto's transformation through to God Emperor of Dune.
Or you could just read the Wiki, but the books will be far more entertaining ;)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandworm_(Dune)

[Darkwood]

Ya... Im not sure if he mixed up the plant thing for something else, becuase it did sound off. But again, Dune like. The spice stuff would be fun, and if vehicles were implemented, the worms could be ridien some distance, but the Larva suit thing, in the book children of Dune (which you mentioned) would not work in Rimworld well.

[Darkwood]

So looking at the wiki again, I feel that Sandorms that are more often the size of those early game would be rough. So mabye altering the Dune sycle. It could be that there are small sandworm dens around rocky areas and stuff like that (mabye a quest for this?) and there are quadrepidal insectoid things that will spew out large larva. The Larva burrow into the sands, and becomes these again. When a diffrent, less common desert insectoid thing (a diffrent kind, tougher, mabye?) when that goes to reproduce, it spews out a larva that is bigger and grows into a Sandworm. This part f the cycle might produce spice. The sandworm goes out when it is worm-like and hunts for food itself, but mostely on the surface (desert hares, tortises, anything out there... this would be the size of a wolf probably... mabye a bear) andanything big enough to eat. If there are multiple young worms from the same colony, they may stick together for a bit during the early stage, but quickly seperate. They hunt bigger and bigger things after seprating. When they are a size bigger than mabye an elaphant, they start eatting young worms. At this stage they start building up spice. Hunters would generally want to hunt these, though earlier the worm is in the cycle, the easier to find. Bigger worms are able to burrow undergorund for a bit in combat mabye, hard to fight, if you even could, though the ones that burrow in the ground frequently would problaby not bother wth you colony until you have many more animals or people. By the time they are Dune sized, they might be able to burrow into stone, slowly though. They spew large amounts of spice and larva that make another nest, starting the cycle again.

Really the ealy to mid stages would be more like large snakes. The tremors stuff might be able to be worked in somewhere. Mabye, these are the only ones that produce spice or most common, but a rare worm like purple worms or Remerhez from DnD would be fun. Though, really rare. The great worms would probably not even be an enemy, mabye their passing makes a big tremor or something.

[TacticalBukkake]

what about the worms in tremors that evolve?