Wrong direction of the development.

[Cat Princess]

Latest expansion added extra ‘overhaul’ content which changes the game when activated radically as if it was an overhaul mod. This is not the way. This can be easily done by modders and is a waste of development resources.

What is needed are the core universal systems which will improve upon the base game like all the previous DLC.

For example what Rimworld could really use is more advanced world simulation so that attacks are not unimmersive but arise naturally from wars and faction intrigue generated in the game world. Enhancing the game world would go a long way to improve longevity of the game substantially.
Then a natural extension of enhancing map factions is improvement in diplomacy.

The difference between such change and the anomaly dlc is that the first improves the whole game, applying universally to every play through. While the latter content is maybe fun for few runs but ultimately will get repetitive and after some runs you will just download another overhaul mod for fresh change. It has zero longevity.

[Astasia]

The point of the DLC is to be optional content, core improvements to the game are put into the free update. Each DLC is likely to appeal to different people and every person will have their own concept of "universally applicable content," and it's up to the devs to decide what they want to make and what they think people want. I know some people really liked Anomaly because they feel it added an interesting challenge aspect that wasn't present before, and they enjoyed the theme. Obviously some other people did not like the theme or the "side game" aspect of it as well (including myself), but overall it seems the expansion did fairly well, not quite as well as Biotech though. Whether it did well enough for the developers to continue "fun" or "experimental" projects like that in the future is up to them.

To put it another way: If they did a similar hyper focused and almost entirely self-contained DLC, but the theme was building a space ship and launching into space and all the content was space related (SOS2), functionally that's the same thing Anomaly did, but I'm more interested in stuff like that than "SCP horror" and I'd be super excited about such a space DLC even if it had no real impact on the "core game" as you say. I'm sure there is some theme you enjoy where you'd also be fine with an expansion like that. Whether something is used every playthrough depends on whether it's something you really like or not, and that is subjective. Luckily if a DLC releases and it's a theme you don't like, you can just not buy it.

[Garatgh Deloi]

Should also be mentioned that dark horror Chutulu like stuff (As mentioned on the kickstarter "temples to the void gods" and "void gods may arrive") and "discovering artifacts that may be dangerous" has been a part of the envisioned game since the Kickstarter backing phase (Part of the "Proposed Modules").

Its understandable that it isn't for everyone, but as i understand it, it was always part of the vision.

[Tam]

New dlc is quite interesting and changes gameplay too (ecpecially these invisible enemies) bu ti want to factions wars dlc too. Currently world is dead, enemy bases are memes

[XelNigma]

The 4th DLC is kinda like a oneshot on a board game. A spin off.
After the first 3 DLCs that expanded the core game. I think they are allowed to make some off the wall DLCs.

[WildStargazer]

I agree with what original poster said. Anomaly is very contained in itself and has weak links with the rest of the game, unlike for example Biotech which has 3 main features: gene system, mech system and kids system. You will always use at least one of those in your colony. I also agree that we need diplomacy and factions overhaul, them being a bit deeper would be very nice, because they are very basic as of today.

[Gal Kraft]

It's an old game. I was ecstatic that development was still a thing.

[Reeva!]

I wish they'd overhaul raiding. Enemy bases are almost always the same, and I never raid outside of picking the Raider meme or hunting components, since enemy bases spawn maps akin to yours, filled with resources to mine. Even then, I could just settle a second colony and get all of this with extra Ancient Dangers and no threat.

I want them to add a new slider to the storyteller settings which affects how difficult enemy bases are to raid, and subsequently, how rewarding it is. Raiding is rewarded by large amounts of pemmican interspersed with 3-5 simple meals right now. There's 0 incentive to raid.

Successfully destroying an enemy base also gives you +20 goodwill with pretty much all factions, but only if they are the enemy of those factions, which is convenient, because everyone on the planet hates each other. It's an easy way to rack up goodwill if you're powerful enough to destroy a base, if you know basic cheese strats.

[Elvi]

Tecnically yes, but you need to take the game itself into consideration. World conquest and trully fluid world map would be cool, but there is a reason why most people don't use these mods, the game simply can't handle it long term and or bigger maps. (the TPS will go to hell way before you reach year 10)

What you are asking for is from-the-floor-up Rimworld 2, which, you know, I'm up for but it's not an expansion. And I'd prolly rather get an expansion, to be honest.

[Pong]

Developers should have produced a DLC/update with modding tools empowering the community itself to make most of the Anomaly content, as mods. There are games already that facilitate scripted in-game events and "stories" crafted by amateur modders. We see lots of starting scenarios submitted to the Workshop; that could go so much further if tools were provided.

[Astasia]

Originally posted by Pong:

Developers should have produced a DLC/update with modding tools empowering the community itself to make most of the Anomaly content, as mods. There are games already that facilitate scripted in-game events and "stories" crafted by amateur modders. We see lots of starting scenarios submitted to the Workshop; that could go so much further if tools were provided.

Tools are only necessary if the files are obfuscated/encrypted. Everything in RimWorld is wide open, modders are free to use their own tools they are more comfortable using to create whatever they can imagine for the game. Everything in Anomaly could already be done by modders, and there have been several roughly similar mods of that nature for the game in the past.

Many people would rather have official content than mods though, it's usually more polished and stable, and provides a better platform to build yet more mods on top of. Look at biotech's gene system, there are hundreds of mods that expand it in interesting ways, because the DLC provided a solid foundation for other modders to converge on and unify their efforts. I have like over 1000 genes or something bonkers in my current modlist, from many different mods, and they all work together because they all use the same system. In that sense, the Anomaly system is a "mod tool," and likewise with genes many modders have built their own scenarios to add into that system, with new creatures and scripted events to engage with.

[sbmarauderman03]

Glad we have so many competent game developers out there taking time away from their own projects to give advice here...

[akeen]

TBH, i didint really like the scp like way that anomly went, espelcailly sense they explain all of the things archotech but, archotects donyt make stuff that look like that. anyways, i wish that they make a multiplayer update. not like minecraft kinda multiplayer, just somthing were theres a code were you can enter to join the server

[WildStargazer]

Originally posted by akeen:

TBH, i didint really like the scp like way that anomly went, espelcailly sense they explain all of the things archotech but, archotects donyt make stuff that look like that. anyways, i wish that they make a multiplayer update. not like minecraft kinda multiplayer, just somthing were theres a code were you can enter to join the server

Multiplayer and full multi-threading are two things that will never ever happen as official update or DLC to Rimworld.

[Fibre🌹]

Human greed and desire. This is what happens when we get too comfortable with mods. We start comparing DLCs towards what modders can make. Honestly, who cares? They don't force you to buy the DLC and if you don't like it, don't get it. It won't stop your game progress and there's no multiplayer so you shouldn't feel left out. Just be glad you have people like Oskar with the Vanilla Expanded and many others, that alone should make you question yourself about this post. You've got hundreds if not thousands of modders and artists making mods daily, how can someone still be unsatisfied with an OPTIONAL DLC when you have so many other options.

Edit: At the end of the day, it's Rimworld. What f*cking longevity are you talking about? It's literally a simple colony simulator that you repeat over and over and over again. If you get bored, be thankful there's a workshop page for the game. That should keep you from whining about what the developers do or don't do.

[Reeva!]

Originally posted by Fibre🌹:

Human greed and desire. This is what happens when we get too comfortable with mods. We start comparing DLCs towards what modders can make. Honestly, who cares? They don't force you to buy the DLC and if you don't like it, don't get it. It won't stop your game progress and there's no multiplayer so you shouldn't feel left out. Just be glad you have people like Oskar with the Vanilla Expanded and many others, that alone should make you question yourself about this post. You've got hundreds if not thousands of modders and artists making mods daily, how can someone still be unsatisfied with an OPTIONAL DLC when you have so many other options.

Point is indeed about modders.
Core Rimworld, Biotech genes and mechanoids, Ideology memes and colony depth, Royalty and psycasts, all of these DLCs added tons of opportunities for modders to go wild with it all.

Anomaly is rigid, not much modding to be done. Sure you can add more implants for them, maybe some genes specific to shamblers, but implants are core content and genes are biotech content, it's not Anomaly content. Anomaly has very little potential for modding, so it is in of itself just a giant mod compared to the other DLCs.

I do enjoy Anomaly, but I wish it added more unique elements that could be expanded upon by modders, like the other DLCs. This is definitely the weakest DLC, previously it was Royalty because all it really added were abilities linked to a brain implant, whereas modders have been making abilities since forever. Royalty at least includes persona weapons, techprints, and some colony development needs akin to Ideology, royal rooms and pianos and stuff. It's better than Anomaly.