Questions about Biotech for a tech-locked player

[UncreativelyNamed]

I haven't played the current version of Rimworld since Biotech was released. (I've been playing a standalone copy instead, to avoid updates.) Now I'm thinking about getting Biotech (mostly for the genes thing) and "catching up," but I have a question or three.

1) I play, almost exclusively, tech-locked tribal-only saves. I wasn't excited about Biotech because...Well, it's techy. Now that the DLC's been out for a while, are there any other primitive/tech-locked players out there who've found enough useful things from Biotech that makes it worth buying?

2) I've been using the Children, School, and Learning mod for a long time, and I see that it's been updated to 1.4, so I could keep on using it. But, is Biotech's kid functionality different/better enough (in your opinion, of course) to warrant buying Biotech and not using the mod?

3) Is the gene stuff even accessible, either in vanilla or via mods, if you're tech-locked to neolithic or medieval?

[BanDHMO]

Of course. Sure, your tribals won't be able to directly choose each gene, but ultimately a Neanderthal-Human hybrid is very much possible with little more tech than a Tribal-tier double bed.

And vampires have their 'tech' as part of their body, so... if you can get bitten, you are teched up enough to enjoy a lot of the Biotech goodness.

[UncreativelyNamed]

Originally posted by BanDHMO:

Of course. Sure, your tribals won't be able to directly choose each gene, but ultimately a Neanderthal-Human hybrid is very much possible with little more tech than a Tribal-tier double bed.

Yeah, I figured the gene stuff would be fine if done the "old-fashioned way," but I was thinking more along the lines of extracting genes and recombining them artificially. I know that's not necessary "tribe-y," but I do sometimes incorporate fantasy elements, and I could probably justify gene-monkeying as part of fantasy-shamanic magic or something...

And vampires have their 'tech' as part of their body, so... if you can get bitten, you are teched up enough to enjoy a lot of the Biotech goodness.

Not sure I'd want to incorporate vampires (They're not really my thing), but good to know nonetheless, thank you!

[Astasia]

The gene modding stuff is all extremely tech based, and I haven't seen any mods that try to make it more magical. You can use one of the genes vampires have to "spread" a xenotype though, this xenotype doesn't have to have anything to do with vampires. In either case, without using several pieces of high tech machinery that require constant electricity, your only option for gene "customization" beyond breeding/hybridization is going to be in the pre-game setup. Many genes do not show up as "endogenes" and can't be inherited, including most of the powerful ones, so breeding/hybridization isn't an option for those.

I mean having things like Impids and Neanderthals running around as enemy factions and recruitable colonists is going to be fairly interesting. And there are dozens of mods that add new xenotypes you can throw into the mix. But ya, if you only do tribal/medieval stuff, a huge portion of Biotech isn't really going to work.

It wouldn't be "difficult" to make a mod that changes genemodding into something more fantasy based, and a mod like that might appear at some point (or could already exist and I just couldn't find it).

[UncreativelyNamed]

Originally posted by Astasia:

In either case, without using several pieces of high tech machinery that require constant electricity, your only option for gene "customization" beyond breeding/hybridization is going to be in the pre-game setup. Many genes do not show up as "endogenes" and can't be inherited, including most of the powerful ones, so breeding/hybridization isn't an option for those.

Yeah, I never have electricity in my game (I start with a permanent solar flare condition, just to be sure LOL), so that would be out. Am I interpreting right that you can assign genes to your starting character(s) then? If so, that's something at least. Do non-xeno pawns that might join or be recruited to your colony come with various genes and can you see what they are? Because that would be a way to diversify, if so.

I mean having things like Impids and Neanderthals running around as enemy factions and recruitable colonists is going to be fairly interesting. And there are dozens of mods that add new xenotypes you can throw into the mix.

Yeah, the xenos are the other main reason that I'm considering buying Biotech. But, again, it's one of those things you can do with mods, too, though my favorite batch of xenos hasn't yet been updated to 1.4, sooooo...

It wouldn't be "difficult" to make a mod that changes genemodding into something more fantasy based, and a mod like that might appear at some point (or could already exist and I just couldn't find it).

I did a quick run through the Workshop and didn't see anything like that, either. I know there are other sources of mods, but I'm guessing that if such a thing existed it'd at least be talked-about on forums and such. So I'm guessing it doesn't exist.

Thank you for the input!

[BanDHMO]

Originally posted by UncreativelyNamed:

I was thinking more along the lines of extracting genes and recombining them artificially. I know that's not necessary "tribe-y," but I do sometimes incorporate fantasy elements, and I could probably justify gene-monkeying as part of fantasy-shamanic magic or something...

And vampires have their 'tech' as part of their body, so... if you can get bitten, you are teched up enough to enjoy a lot of the Biotech goodness.

Not sure I'd want to incorporate vampires (They're not really my thing), but good to know nonetheless, thank you!

I don't think you'd get all of that out of the box at tribal. Magic is usually more "fuzzy" than the exact scientific control that genemodding allows you, so I don't know if anyone's thought of implementing it like that. It's mechanically and lore-wise a tech-based process. BUT, nobody can stop you from doing whatever you like in the game.

So grab a character editor mod and you will have full control of the genomes without having to unlock any late techs and make the changes you think appropriate with the fantasy elements fitting your world/story.

The other thing is, I brought up vampires because they use the gene injection without machinery mechanism, but it's not limited to vampires specifically. This can be your option to "make" more of your existing colonists a specific genotype if you stick to tribal tech only. And the process of injecting such a xenotype would be very much like a magic ritual to a tribal.

Otherwise, yeah, tribals would mostly be using the old-fashioned way of mixing/getting genes. Which is not nothing, mind you. There are quite a few different types of pawns with interesting abilities, like breathing fire, eating uncooked food, damage reduction, genetic drug dependency, etc.

[Astasia]

Originally posted by UncreativelyNamed:

Am I interpreting right that you can assign genes to your starting character(s) then?

Yes, the starting colonist screen now allows you to create custom xenotypes and apply any xenotype (custom or otherwise) to your starting colonists.

Originally posted by UncreativelyNamed:

Do non-xeno pawns that might join or be recruited to your colony come with various genes and can you see what they are? Because that would be a way to diversify, if so.

No. Baseline humans never have any genes other than hair and skin color. Any xenotype that spawns also always has the same fixed genes, there's only some randomization in skin/hair color. An Impid is always an Impid, and a Baseliner is always a Baseliner. Hybrids with mixed genes only happen through pregnancies.

You can select any pawn and view their genes at any time. There's no tech required for that.

[kaiyl_kariashi]

when designing your custom races, make sure to make the genes inheirtable (Germline) unless you're going to spread them via the injector ability gene (which can only apply non-inheirtable (xenogenes)).

[Steelfleece]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=29♥♥♥♥9498 is fairly limited but should be usable for neolithic tribes if you want to just eat a genepack.

[UncreativelyNamed]

Originally posted by Steelfleece:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=29♥♥♥♥9498 is fairly limited but should be usable for neolithic tribes if you want to just eat a genepack.

Thank you for the link! If I decide to get Biotech, I will check this mod out. I think I might have seen that mod in my quick run-through of the Workshop, but from the graphic I assumed it required Medieval Overhaul, which I don't use. But it doesn't appear to, so yay!

[Gnasty Gnorc]

Originally posted by UncreativelyNamed:

I haven't played the current version of Rimworld since Biotech was released. (I've been playing a standalone copy instead, to avoid updates.) Now I'm thinking about getting Biotech (mostly for the genes thing) and "catching up," but I have a question or three.

1) I play, almost exclusively, tech-locked tribal-only saves. I wasn't excited about Biotech because...Well, it's techy. Now that the DLC's been out for a while, are there any other primitive/tech-locked players out there who've found enough useful things from Biotech that makes it worth buying?

2) I've been using the Children, School, and Learning mod for a long time, and I see that it's been updated to 1.4, so I could keep on using it. But, is Biotech's kid functionality different/better enough (in your opinion, of course) to warrant buying Biotech and not using the mod?

3) Is the gene stuff even accessible, either in vanilla or via mods, if you're tech-locked to neolithic or medieval?

1-no

2-yes

3-not without mods

[Pinhead]

Maybe using a storyteller that locks you into the industrial tech tree would be enough? i think theres a storyteller that does this (diego dire i think) lets you get basic gene editing like basic gene banks to insert genetic packs into your pawns