RimWorld

RimWorld

Ecotech (1.6-ready: SEE WORKSHOP PAGE!!!!)
Ecotech Wish-List
1. Eco Augments:

"Many are the All-mother's foes. But we are her sword arm, her sharpened fang, her killing gaze. Drink deep, warrior, and become." - Greenspeaker Thelu "Gray" Oka

Eco augments would be an answer to bionics, symbiotic implants which root themselves into the subject's nervous system to replace or enhanced a pawn's natural abilities. Unlike bionics which can just be slotted in with a little surgery and some recovery time, these enhancements might need to be "Cultivated." Once implanted, the augment begins relatively weak but "Grows" with its user, perhaps even having a chance to "mutate" granting new abilities to the host based on their activities. (More armor for a melee fighter, keener sight for a ranger, access to a fungal knowledge-record for a researcher. Etc.)

2. Dryad Enhancements

"O, Child of Garaun. Shrug off your caul and emerge anew, you who carry the soul of our fallen. You who carry the will of The Mother. " - 'Welcoming Of The Dryad' Local prayer-song (Translated.)

It only makes sense that eco-tech would make Dryads Dryad-ier. In our own world, fungal mats can help trees process nutrients the same way our own gut-flora does. Perhaps eco-tech allows the creation of special fungal cultures which, when implanted into a Garaunlen Tree, create enhanced or new varieties of Dryad. Imagine clawer dryads with layers of biometallic armor brought on by harvesting heavy-metals from the soil. Or medicinemaker Dryads capable of producing near-glitterworld-level medicines.

3. Bio-Armor

"It was supposed to be a simple. Go in, burn some huts, scare off the primitives with a few shots from our 'thunder sticks' and get paid. Then the trees started talkin' and it all went to hell." - Seamus Liang-O'Malley, Ex-mercenary.

Suits of living armor have a lot of potential. I imagine they'd work a lot like living weapons, but rather than becoming turrets after they "Expire" perhaps they become augments or...

4. Eco Warcaskets and Vehicles

"In the infamous Scottish Play, three witches predict that a king-to-be will meet his end when a forest gets up and marches on his palace. At this rate, I'd hate to be wearing a crown about now." - Dr. Alma Belterra, Lead researcher for Project Mother.

This would expand on the vehicles and warcaskets of the VE mod-line. Living war-caskets could be the "Final Stage" of a suit of expired eco-armor. After spending enough time on its wearer, players might be presented with a choice to either re-plant the armor as a seed, or allow it to "overgrow" and permanently fuse with the host, creating a lumbering giant of fibrous muscle and resinous armor. These "War-hosts" might not have as much weapon flexibility as a war-casket, but could possibly be able to "Heal" themselves of any damage rather than spend materials and time on repairs. Or perhaps they would have more flexibility, able to perform planting or other nature-based actions while war-caskets can do little more than wait for the next battle.

Vehicles might work similarly, swapping out versatility for ease of regeneration. Or maybe instead of Vehicles, you could have Mounts in the form of huge, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Dryads that can be ridden or left to their own devices.
Last edited by Spindles; Jan 25 @ 7:32pm
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Showing 1-15 of 31 comments
SepphorisVT  [developer] Jan 28 @ 6:16am 
While I don't want to yet say how, all of these are being addressed in one way or another. The "when" is the difficult part since there's a ton to do.

3 and 4 were planned to exist together from day 1, armor-wise. You can even find some art of the armor in the game files. However since the rest of the art for the other body sizes never got done, the armor never made it in.
Spindles Jan 28 @ 2:18pm 
Originally posted by SepphorisVT:
While I don't want to yet say how, all of these are being addressed in one way or another. The "when" is the difficult part since there's a ton to do.

3 and 4 were planned to exist together from day 1, armor-wise. You can even find some art of the armor in the game files. However since the rest of the art for the other body sizes never got done, the armor never made it in.

Interesting. Is there still a chance we'll still see 3/4 in the future?
SepphorisVT  [developer] Jan 28 @ 2:57pm 
Yes, 3 and 4 absolutely will happen.
It's just a matter of getting the art completed. Because armor art is beyond my skill and is quite expensive.
As a bit of an add-on/question on this thread, are there any plans for craftable and/or growable animals? Maybe even a growable pawn xenotype for those that want to lean more into the living forest theme?
Having an Eco-tech style for buildings and furniture would be cool, too.
SepphorisVT  [developer] Feb 1 @ 4:39pm 
Originally posted by Revanite01:
As a bit of an add-on/question on this thread, are there any plans for craftable and/or growable animals? Maybe even a growable pawn xenotype for those that want to lean more into the living forest theme?

There are indeed animals! However, they are going to be in their own mod. Currently there are three.

The only reason it hasn't released is because I want a healthy amount to be in the mod first, probably 6-8 separate animals.

That said, even though they will be in their own mod, I do want them to interact with EcoTech at some point.
lewis Feb 8 @ 11:05am 
Fingers crossed hoping that whenever you make the dryad changes/additions they play well with Dryads & Guaranlen Trees Reworked. I can't go back to vanilla dryad/tree behavior after that mod.
SepphorisVT  [developer] Feb 8 @ 2:46pm 
Originally posted by lewis:
Fingers crossed hoping that whenever you make the dryad changes/additions they play well with Dryads & Guaranlen Trees Reworked. I can't go back to vanilla dryad/tree behavior after that mod.

Dryads and Gau trees will mostly be untouched. I don't want to override anything and cause mod incompatibilities.

New additions are much more likely to happen if either are going to be looked at.
sewnutty Jul 30 @ 8:44pm 
Furniture Idea:
Biostasis/Amber Pantries: buildable requiring sap that functions as a tribal fridge for Ecotech specific foodstuffs or items.

Grove Apiaries: Farm or defense involving wasps/bees or other insect hives you may wish to build. If possible a future interaction with Sarg/Oskar's Alpha Bees mod for additional options, but not required atm.

Revitalizing Log: Yes a literal chopped in half log hollowed out and filled to the brim with sap, roots, flowers, and other tendril moss things to help tribals restore their wounds. Or perform implantations/limb regen.

Life-Cycler: A form of Ecotech that can rapidly decompose items to their next form or for disposal. Potential for use as a booster or terraformer for tree groves.

Duskbloom Planters: Nocturnal flowers that have a variety of uses.

Barrel-Mouth: A nutrient paste dispenser that is actually a giant modified caterpillar/grub with honey ant and thrumbo genes to store mass quantities of processed nectar. Tends to die of old age after 2-3 years requiring replacement.

Nectar Bulbs: Essentially natures MRE in a creamy soup of fermented proteins, calcium, and vitamins. They are wrapped in a protective shell that conveniently can also serve as a bowl or drinking vessel for other purposes. Can be grown in small numbers for farm plots, but can be collected en masse via tapping into Barrel-Mouths.

Forest Glass Press: A twist where materials are instead broken down and cold pressed into form by a heavily modified tree. This allows for player choice instead of random chance, but it takes more resources to force this through.

Leaf Wraps: Alternative Bedrolls

Odysseus Roots: Bedding made of tree roots in honor of the old owl. Supposedly very comfy and took the man a decade of trimming to create his living bed. For the players sake, several sprout-lings twisted and grown together will suffice.

Willow-Garlic Pond: A homemade pond for aquaculture with tree interactions in boosts or purely a fish farm. Very compact and useful at the center of many groves.
It would be nice to see some interaction with the Ideology dlc with tree connection and/or nature primacy memes to potentially allow non-tribal colonies to partake in Ecotech as well.
sewnutty Aug 5 @ 12:36pm 
Originally posted by Monokuma:
It would be nice to see some interaction with the Ideology dlc with tree connection and/or nature primacy memes to potentially allow non-tribal colonies to partake in Ecotech as well.
There may be an add-on mod in the future if popular support is big enough according to the important notes section. I myself can come back later today to write up some eco-industrial ideas that may suit your needs.
However, understand that this is Sephorris' mod and anything posted here may not be added in the future.
SepphorisVT  [developer] Aug 5 @ 2:37pm 
Originally posted by Monokuma:
It would be nice to see some interaction with the Ideology dlc with tree connection and/or nature primacy memes to potentially allow non-tribal colonies to partake in Ecotech as well.

There is some plans for integrations with DLCs, and as a matter of fact the most recent ko-fi vote on what players would like to see is indeed DLC integrations. Ideology is likely to be memes and precepts (furniture is hard), and it could absolutely be a way to introduce a way to attain certain weapons of EcoTech without needing to devote yourself. However, that's likely to be a bit limited since it'd be more of a belief thing, and the mod is tribal-first. You wouldn't be able to grow entire gardens of swords and rifles.

That said I can easily see something being added that allows the player to grow or create some sort of structure or plant that creates *one* weapon/armor class desired. If you'd like to have access to organic weapons, then a special tree will produce them via ritual. If you want lithoid (crystal) weapons instead, then you get special access to a year-growing crystal that can be carved into a random lithoid weapon. You'd only be able to choose only one classification, but I think that idea is a good way to add a bit of flexibility without compromising the vision of the mod.
Man, I'd love an Eco-tech integration for Odyssey.
Since it has been suggested by (reads comments) 4 people i will write an idea for future integration that may be lore friendly. Afterwards I will try to create some ecotech structure ideas for more....eco-industrial theme: Biopunk or Anno2070 etc...

Proposal: New Scenarios based on non-tribal starts.
Writing...Coffee...Uploading...Smoothie...Transfer Complete.

"Rotslime Inc." (Brute Force Scenario)
You once held the seat of riches, on CEO boards and data charts you carved your legacy in the breaking of the earth in mega-smelter complexes to drive the future. That future you were so very proud of allowed the vast spaces of worlds to be traversed and you sang your songs evermore. Until the bomb exploded...
Betrayed, bleeding...and with a motley of Starjack repairman you need to return. Whoever did this to you: eco-fascists, terrorists, rivals, or even that one spurned lover chose this place well as the few resources here should prevent survivors from escaping. Until you saw the glow of a nearby village...

"Deadwood Labs." (Symbiosis Scenario)
Clearly they never appreciated the beauty of it all. The inter connection of life and unlife striving to provide you the unending power you so crave, food for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and material for the hands...well someone's blood wracked appendages. How could your assistants not see the truth and the goal you strived for? No matter...even dead they can contribute more than they gave in life.

"Metamorphosis" (Religious Scenario)
You have eating scraps for far too long. This world that was abandoned by the victors and losers of the great galactic war left behind legions of followers. Men, women, and children whose only life is to fight for scraps of food while wearing the tattered, burning memories of a time before. A time when people didnt have to bite out the cancers in their arm and simply went to a doctor. A time when food and water was so plentiful that they held contests and celebrations. Eight generations ago that was...was it eight? The latest victims were holding a bag of trifles: some scanners, and few sneakers with lights, and a bag of seeds?
The main reason I have any interest in non-tribal colonies having access roots from the idea of a colony that came from a technologically progressed culture but decided to reject the polluting and destructive nature of industrial society in favor of a naturalistic way of life.

I had also considered combining it with the scrapper meme from vanilla expanded ideology on a recycling theme, taking all the parts and junk scattered around the planet and from raiders, breaking them down, and repurposing them into clean energy via solar/wind/water power.

I think a certain level of technology can coexist with ecotech as long as it adheres to specific concepts. No deep drills, no mining, no chemfuel, no wood burning generators, etc.

So if you were to make custom memes for ecotech, I would suggest something like "ecologist", which would require a bunch of precepts along the lines of "mining prohibited / no fueled generators / trees desired " that would give access to much of ecotech, barring the most powerful stuff reserved for true tribal colonies, similar to how industrial colonies can link to gauranlen trees but NOT anima trees.
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