can anyone recommend any free2play colony sim games that might give a sense of what RimWorld is like?

[sadge]

Obviously a free game prob wouldn't be as good but I just wanted to test something out to see if I'd like this. Like Zomboid, RW seems to be consistently at a pretty high price without desperation sales so I'm speculating it's probably pretty nice and the mechanics outweigh the graphics?

Also wondering if you recommend getting this with the DLC simultaneously for savings or just base game if there's any DLC you think is overpriced?

[Winterbloom]

I mean, theres dwarf fortress which is the OG colony/base sim from back in like 2001. its free, and does have some tilesets with good visuals if you dont like the symbols. the only issue is ui controls can be little overwhelming.

As for rimworld, I wish i had gotten the dlc pack with the game, instead of separate. there is so many good mods that require royalty or ideology as well.

Edit: Dwarf fortress is also still being updated, with a steam release coming soon with an overhauled menu and graphics.

[Doomdrvk]

Dwarf Fortress is good but getting past the even worse graphics and the odd controls is going to be a very massive hurdle. I've played adventure mode and tried fortress mode and you have to use your entire keyboard. Definitely getting it when it comes on steam and going to try it again. But for now I would say I would say its way less beginner friendly than RimWorld.

Now as for the dlcs, don't get any and just learn the base game, there is plenty of content there. The new UIs and mechanics of the dlcs will overwhelm you and make it even harder to learn RimWorld as its already difficult to learn but very very very rewarding. On top of that while you won't get the balance and integration like the dlcs you can download many mods on the workshop without issue to make the game how you want to play it.

[clyneymeister]

You can give the free demo of Clanfolk a try. The developer is a big fan of rimworld and basically wanted to make a game more focused on survival rather than combat. It's in a pre-early access state right now but playable and it'll give a good idea of the basics of rimworld like indirect pawn control and job prioritizing and whether that'd be for you

[brian_va]

Originally posted by SCAP:

Also wondering if you recommend getting this with the DLC simultaneously for savings or just base game if there's any DLC you think is overpriced?

best sale so far is 10% or so. to be fair, i'm not sure if you buy the game and both dlc's if you get more off, but either way its probably only a couple bucks; less than a whopper with cheese combo meal anyways.

i'd suggest to go for the base game, get a feel for what it is, then figure out if what the dlcs add is something you want. worst case scenario, the game isn't for you and you are only out the base game price, not the full package.

for me, i don't want the royalty dlc, dont want anything it adds. i could probably be swayed if it was on sale for 2 or 3 dollars, but even then i know i wouldn't be using it, just buying it because its on sale. i wouldn't call it overpriced, as i'm sure its worth it if that is something you want in your game, its just not what i want.

ideology, on the other hand, was a day 1 purchase. i enjoy what it offers. yeah, it ain't free, but at 1600 or so hours now, the base plus 1 dlc is more than worth it. but, if i knew it would have been on sale in 6 months i would have waited, to be fair. im not sure if the dlcs have been on sale yet or not, but i'd expect them to follow the expected 10% off, more or less anyways.

[sadge]

I have the steam release of dwarf fort wishlisted for when it comes out, I def lacked the IQ to play the ASCII version but have been meaning to try the tilesets. Apparently that's a good way to ease your way into other stuff like Dark Days Ahead too.

Grabbing the demo for Clanfolk now too.

Steam wants 85 for game plus two DLcs and I can only get that down to 82 via a coupon... ideology and royalty seem to new to have a sale, wouldn't hurt to hold off some more I guess.

[Astasia]

You don't save any money on the DLC bundle, not even a penny. No reason to get the bundle at the start, if you decide to grab the game start with just the base game and see how you like it. Once you have an understanding of the mechanics you can look at the DLCs and see if what they add interests you. The DLCs have never been on sale so there is no rush.

As far as getting a feel for the game before you buy, for me I watched youtube letsplays. After watching a few different people playing the game and how diverse their playstyles were I was able to understand just how special this game was.

[Doomdrvk]

Originally posted by Astasia:

As far as getting a feel for the game before you buy, for me I watched youtube letsplays. After watching a few different people playing the game and how diverse their playstyles were I was able to understand just how special this game was.

We also can't forget the diverse starts and how many odd and unique scenarios you can work through. Mods or not the scenario editor adds a good amount. There is also the massive variety in biomes, the climate, even the amount of mountainous rock like "Plains", "Small Hills", "Large Hills", "Mountainous" can provide different challenges with different resources. If you start on a plains biome wood will be prevalent but you will have to cut the stone chunks on the map to fireproof your base and you will most certainly have to trade and caravan to gather more needed resources. While if you were playing mountainous or large hills you can mine for your resources for a long time while pushing towards deep drilling if necessary.

[sadge]

any idea how this compares to Space Station 13 ?

[The Yeen Queen]

Originally posted by Astasia:

As far as getting a feel for the game before you buy, for me I watched youtube letsplays. After watching a few different people playing the game and how diverse their playstyles were I was able to understand just how special this game was.

Highly recommend Pete Complete for some pretty impressive challenge plays. And his narration style is just soothing. Avaak is another good one for that reason, though he doesn't specialize in Rimworld, he does a wide range of games.

[Midnight_Toker247]

It's not free but I can recommend a cheap early access game. Look up Survivalist: Invisible Strain. It is nothing like Rimworld, it is a zombie survival game played mostly from a third person perspective, but it is a colony management game as well. Like Rimworld it is being made by just one person. If you like Project Zomboid and you like Rimworld you will probably like Survivalist: Invisible Strain.

[The Yeen Queen]

Originally posted by Midnight_Toker247:

It's not free but I can recommend a cheap early access game. Look up Survivalist: Invisible Strain. It is nothing like Rimworld, it is a zombie survival game played mostly from a third person perspective, but it is a colony management game as well. Like Rimworld it is being made by just one person. If you like Project Zomboid and you like Rimworld you will probably like Survivalist: Invisible Strain.

Sounds less like a "something OP can try to get an idea if he'd like Rimworld" and more like a plug for a game that's only vaguely like Rimworld.

[Doomdrvk]

Originally posted by SCAP:

any idea how this compares to Space Station 13 ?

Not even close. Space Station 13 is a round based game with ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ happening everywhere by the game choosing player antagonists. Or people being stupid in their job. Its entirely multiplayer and there are no AI except very basic (attack person by moving to them and move around randomly).

[Midnight_Toker247]

Originally posted by Night Foxx:

Originally posted by Midnight_Toker247:

It's not free but I can recommend a cheap early access game. Look up Survivalist: Invisible Strain. It is nothing like Rimworld, it is a zombie survival game played mostly from a third person perspective, but it is a colony management game as well. Like Rimworld it is being made by just one person. If you like Project Zomboid and you like Rimworld you will probably like Survivalist: Invisible Strain.

Sounds less like a "something OP can try to get an idea if he'd like Rimworld" and more like a plug for a game that's only vaguely like Rimworld.

Just sounds like something he may like since he mentioned Project Zomboid, and since the price is what is keeping him away from Rimworld this may be a better option for him.

[sadge]

thanks, wishlisted invis strain for next sale