Hahaha fair enough. Sounds very Dwarf Fortress, and it never really annoyed me that the future updates weren't compaible with my savegames...because most fortresses don't make it past a certain stage anyway.

I have done the oops, reload thing because it's easy to get attached to some of your characters. In that case, there is a point where your base can become virtually invincible, if you build certain things in certain ways. When that happens, you could play for ever. However, even if that's your playstyle, you can do other things... like pack up and move to a new place, split your colony and make a second colony in another world map square, or just end the game by building a ship and taking off, or travelling halfway around the world to a pre-existing ship and leaving.

Ooh, that's pretty neat. In DF you can make a basically invincible fortress too, but that's kind of the end of the game (if you don't engage in megalomaniac building projects, which is a fun thing to do in itself ). So if you decide to found a new colony elsewhere, can you decide which items your 'colonists' take with them from your current settlement?

Knowing a little bit how the game ramps up the strength of the attacks and/or threats as your game goes along, I imagine it must make a very big difference to have some proper armor and automatic rifles right from the bat. Not to mention people who actually know how to use them. So basically it's an actual specialized colonising party with soldiers/builders/leaders/support personnel instead of just a collection of stragglers who try to get by. Or not?

Yes, when you go to settle somewhere else, you choose the colonists you want to bring and the gear. You can only carry so much, but if you've tamed any animals (like Muffalo), they can carry things as well.

The strength of enemy raids is directly related to the wealth of your colony, which is measured in possessions and money I believe. So if you kill a trader and steal/claim a 20,000 silver statue, you pretty much just screwed yourself and will get wiped out in short order. So if you grab a few people, equip them with charge rifles and powered armor, then move them to a new colony, the initial raids may be a bit rough. On the other hand, since you don't have much beyond those things, it may not be that bad.

So what you're saying is that you should strip your most talented workers naked and then have them slowly build an utopian paradise in order to not get bothered too much before you're strong enough? Great stuff.

Seems a bit strange that you can kill a trader and steal some really expensive shit from them and then get steamrolled by a much bigger/better armed group though. Why don't they just attack the trader instead? I would imagine the trader would have an extremely efficient armed escort to prevent chumps from getting the jump on them in a world like Rimworld's. Meh, maybe I'm demanding too much of an early access game in terms of realism haha.

The last time I played, the trade caravans that stop by were ridiculous... way more powerful than your colony would have a chance against (without some killboxing at least). So who knows.

Some interesting stuff is when you have a trader stop by, then there's a raid from a group the trade hates. Or a man-eating elephant stampede or something. However, having your friends die on your doorstep is now a good way for them to no longer be your friend. Still... nothing to stop you from getting all that sweet loot.

Oh ok, at least it makes sense then, that you can't just wipe out traders that easily. Good.

So if a trader does die in your colony/territory through outside intervention, their 'faction' will basically hate you? Also makes sense. They weren't there, for all they know it was you who fucked them up. Imagine if they come by a few days later looking for their friend and see you wearing all his gear. "So yeah, we didn't kill him, there were these maneating elephants and they killed him so we figured we'd just take the stuff..." super believable explanation.

In Dwarf Fortress most caravans are badass too, but others (the Elven ones) are basically unguarded. They only sell wood crafts, vegetarian food and animals anyway, which may have something to do with it. Ain't nobody got time to rob that shit.

hehe... yea, if someone from a faction dies while in your zone, you get a negative penalty on the faction love or hate. However.... if you rescue someone from a faction, nurse them back to health, and release them, as soon as they leave your map you get a positive mood buff. So... if you're careful (and lucky), you can minimize the negative impact. Also, if you have money and they're friendly enough to talk on the comm panel, you can bribe them into liking you, so that's a plus.

Those are interesting mechanics, really cool. Looking forward to this game growing even bigger and eventually featuring a goverment of sorts, with matching lobbying and bribes.