Rimworld

At the start of the game, RimWorld offers to procedurally generate the game world, which is a planet whose surface is a hexagonal map where the continents, oceans, islands, rivers, settlements and other objects are located. Before generation, it is possible to configure a number of parameters of the created world, and after generation, the player selects the place (one cell) where the game events will begin. Prior to them, the player can choose one of the game scenarios (emergency landing, lost tribe and others) that determine the initial conditions. For example, after an emergency landing, three characters survive, and shipwrecks are scattered on the ground. Additionally, the player at the start selects the narrator, which determines the dynamics of the procedurally generated events during the game. This sets the dependence of the severity of events on time (for example, there may be increasing complexity), as well as the periodization between negative events for the possibility of recovery. The initial settings include the level of difficulty, enable / disable saving, planet parameters, the choice of colonists and the like ^[3] .

The chosen place determines the climatic conditions and the many objects that can be on it. If it is a plain or temperate forest, then there will be a milder climate compared to deserts and tundra, and thus it will be easier for settlers to protect themselves from the cold or protect the heat. The selected place may be located near the settlements of the inhabitants of the planet, on roads, near the ocean, and so on. That is, it determines external events - the probabilities of passing caravans, pirate attacks and the like ^[3] .

Settlers are characterized by various skills and abilities for their development. These are skills of long-range and close combat, construction, medical skills and others. Each of the properties may either be absent or be characterized by a certain number that determines the effectiveness of a particular activity. In addition, for each ability there is such a characteristic as “interest” - the more it is, the faster the character learns in the corresponding field. Each of the characters has its own biography, mainly determined by two periods - childhood and maturity. For each of the periods, a characteristic is generated, for example, if a settler was a “shy child” in childhood, then his ability to hunt becomes inaccessible, but at the same time the characteristics of cooking and medicine increase, as he is “used to take care of himself”. So these characteristics determine the initial conditions, which also include the character’s age and character traits. The latter are separate characteristics that further determine the character's characteristics. For example, the trait “good memory” leads to the fact that the character slowly loses those skills that are not applied ^{[3] [4]} .

In RimWorld, at the beginning of the game and later on, the social relationships of the characters are important. For example, settlers may turn out to be relatives, and this will positively affect their mood or ability to do something. During the game, this manifests itself in various game mechanics. For example, if two characters work together in a cave, then they can do it more efficiently, and are more likely to make friends. Personal relations can begin between settlers of different sexes, which directly affects the gameplay. Relationships can also be with pets - for example, a tamed dog exerts influence, and its loss leads to a depressed settler ^{[3] [4]} .

The combat system includes close and long-range combat, for each of which there are different skills and weapons. The system itself is simplified - the player can give the characters objects to indicate targets for attack, but the character determines most of the actions: the choice of cover, the moment of the shot, and so on. RimWorld has a developed health system: settlers can have injuries of varying severity on different parts of the body, there are different methods of treatment (with a different character, different medicines and others). In addition to injuries, there are many diseases ( atherosclerosis , infection from wounds, heat stroke and others). Depending on the health problems, the character's abilities decrease and his condition changes. At the same time, each of the characters is at a certain age, and the older he is, the more likely are manifestations of certain health problems ^{[3] [4]} .

In the game, random events occur based on the generation of the plot. This can be infuriated animals (from which you need to defend yourself), fires, passing caravans (trade is possible), an attack by other hostile inhabitants of the planet, and others. The number of settlers can change in both directions. For example, a character running away from pirates may be asked to, and if you accept him, you will have to take a hostile attack, during which residents can die. Another example is the discovery of a fallen space capsule with a wounded person, which you can try to save, and after recovery try to persuade to stay ^{[4] [5]} .

An important component is the morale of the inhabitants of the settlement. This is influenced by many factors: the lack of a roof over your head, food not at the table, lack of rest, quarrel with a friend, the presence of entertainment, the influence of personal preferences and others. These elements are related to other aspects of the game. For example, after an attack of a settlement, the bodies of the enemies are better buried, since the decaying species spoils the atmosphere in the colony. A poor state can lead to nervous breakdowns, and settlers begin to behave differently. For example, a character can go to the forest to relieve stress by shooting and set off a fire ^[5] .

RimWorld became available in early access in 2013. The release took place on October 17, 2018 ^{[3] [4]} .

Reviewer Rock, Paper, Shotgun noted the depth of the simulation, expressed with a variety of social components, many characteristics of the characters, their stories. The journalist criticized the interface of the game, calling it the result of a school project on computer science. But he noted that despite the fact that the interface is flat and boxed, it does its job as it should - completely describes the events and the state of the objects of the game world. But, nevertheless, according to the browser, the interface leaves a feeling that the game is not finished ^[4] .

The Strategy Gamer article noted that RimWorld has changed so much over 5 years of early access that changes can be seen as several different games. The main part that gives the game fascination, the critic called the gradual growth of the colony, in which settlers improve, develop new resources, there is a struggle with external factors, and this process makes RimWorld a unique and enjoyable activity ^[3] .

At GRYOnline, they noticed that RimWorld gives a sense of gradual continuous progress when a player masters new and new mechanics, and this creates a desire to return again. The journalist said that the game solved one of the main problems of such games (such as Dwarf Fortress ) - this is a decrease in the entry threshold. The graphics were deemed acceptable, but the sound design deserved more negative reviews, and the browser expressed a desire to add soundtracks, since existing ones are not enough for a long game. A critic noted some problems of artificial intelligence , which made settler management difficult ^[5] .

• - the official site of RimWorld