AI Storytellers

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Basics Menus Game Creation Gameplay Pawns Plants Resources Gear Mods
Basics Menus Game Creation Gameplay Pawns Plants Resources Gear Mods
Game Creation Scenario system AI Storytellers World Generation Biomes
AI Storytellers Cassandra Classic Phoebe Chillax Randy Random

The AI storyteller creates events like pirate raids, resource drops, or animal attacks. Their choices will affect the story of your colony.

The gameplay of RimWorld is driven by AI (Artificial Intelligence) Storytellers. The AI Storyteller that you choose will make decisions about what events it wants you to encounter and when, based on the situation you are currently in and on the biases of that particular AI.

Choosing an AI is the first decision you make in RimWorld, and will have a great influence on the narrative that is formed as you play. Difficulty is now selected separately from Storyteller but both are changeable in-game.

Current AI Storytellers

The storytellers that currently exist in the game are as follows:

Cassandra Classic

Basics Menus Game Creation Gameplay Pawns Plants Resources Gear Mods
Game Creation Scenario system AI Storytellers World Generation Biomes
AI Storytellers Cassandra Classic Phoebe Chillax Randy Random

Cassandra Classic

Cassandra Classic

Cassandra creates story events on a steadily-increasing curve of challenge and tension.

Base Stats

Type
AI Storytellers

Cassandra Classic is the default storyteller. In the beginning, Cassandra will always send a single mad animal, followed by a single raider. The single raider will appear on Day 5 hour 15 unless a different minor event appears at that exact time. In that case, the single raider will appear the following day. Challenges remain consistent, ramping up in difficulty as you progress, but with breaks every 1-2 raids.

Analysis

Many players find Cassandra to be more difficult than Randy, since her raids are consistent and more frequent (on average). While Randy is often quiet for months or even years at a time, Cassandra is forced to send major threats on a semi-regular basis. At the same time, players can take advantage of her hardcoded breaks. When playing with Randy, a raid can happen at any time, so players can never be 100% secure.

In addition, Randy could send multiple 1.5x size raids back-to-back, potentially creating situations that are harder than what Cassandra can possibly dish out.

Code specifics

Major Threats

Cassandra's cycle begins on day 11. Cassandra begins in her 4.6 day "On" phase. During the "On" phase, there is a 50-50 chance either 1 or 2 major threats will be sent. There will be at least 1.9 days between major threats. Cassandra alternates between 4.6 day "On" phases and 6 day "Off" phases. The dates of these phases are always the same. Cassandra always begins the first "On" phase on day 11 and the first "Off" phase begins on day 15.6. Rimworld days begin at hour 6. Day 15.6 is on day 15 hour 20.

Cassandra averages about 8.5 major threats sent per Rimworld year.

These On and Off cycles are the same after saving and reloading the game, on multiple map tiles, and when changing storytellers.

On Cycle Start On Cycle End
11 15.6
21.6 26.2
32.2 36.8
42.8 47.4
53.4 58
Previous +10.6 Previous +10.6
<minDaysPassed>11.0</minDaysPassed>
<onDays>4.6</onDays>
<offDays>6.0</offDays>
<minSpacingDays>1.9</minSpacingDays>
<numIncidentsRange>1~2</numIncidentsRange>

Misc. Events

<mtbDays>4.8</mtbDays>

Phoebe Chillax

Basics Menus Game Creation Gameplay Pawns Plants Resources Gear Mods
Game Creation Scenario system AI Storytellers World Generation Biomes
AI Storytellers Cassandra Classic Phoebe Chillax Randy Random

Phoebe Chillax

Phoebe Chillax

Phoebe gives lots of time between disasters to relax and build your colony. But beware - if she's set at a high challenge scale, she'll hit as hard as anyone.

Base Stats

Type
AI Storytellers

Phoebe Chillax, is a storyteller whose main characteristic is the long break between challenges, leaving the player with enough time to rest and recover after an event, and live without much to worry about. This gives new players a more relaxed experience to get familiar with the game. However, long breaks between raids can lead to surprising spikes of difficulty.

Analysis

While Phoebe will "hit as hard as anyone," Cassandra is objectively a more difficult storyteller - she sends more threats more often. For comparison, Phoebe can never send 2 raids in quick succession, always taking anywhere from 8 to 24 days between major threats. What this description means is that a large raid at Losing is Fun won't be any easier just because you picked a different storyteller. It's also possible to overestimate yourself, and be hit by a large raid you weren't prepared for.

When playing with Phoebe, in the beginning its always likely to gain one or two more colonists, typically a wanderer. A trade caravan or two shall also arrive before completing a full season (15 days).

Code specifics

Major Threats

Phoebe's cycle begins on day 13 in her 8 day "On" phase. During the "On" phase there is always 1 major threat sent. Phoebe alternates between 8 day "On" phases and 8 day "Off" phases. The dates of these phases are always the same. Phoebe always begins the first "On" phase on day 13 and the first "Off" phase begins on day 21. Rimworld days begin at hour 6.

These On and Off cycles are the same after saving and reloading the game, on multiple map tiles, and when changing storytellers.

On Cycle Start On Cycle End
13 21
29 37
45 53
61 69
77 85
Previous +16 Previous +16
<minDaysPassed>13.0</minDaysPassed>
<onDays>8</onDays>
<offDays>8</offDays>
<numIncidentsRange>1~1</numIncidentsRange>

Misc. Events

<mtbDays>4.8</mtbDays>

Randy Random

Basics Menus Game Creation Gameplay Pawns Plants Resources Gear Mods
Game Creation Scenario system AI Storytellers World Generation Biomes
AI Storytellers Cassandra Classic Phoebe Chillax Randy Random

Randy Random

Randy Random

Randy doesn't follow rules. He'll generate random events, and he doesn't care if they make a story of triumph or utter hopelessness. It's all drama to him.

Base Stats

Type
AI Storytellers

Randy Random, is a wild storyteller whose main characteristic is triggering challenges at any time, to the extent of launching several dangerous threats all at the same time or consecutively. Randy also multiplies his Raid Points by 0.5x to 1.5x, resulting in both easier and harder difficulty raids than you should be receiving. It is possible to receive back-to-back raids at 1.5x but also a quadrum of relative peace with a 0.5x raid.

In the long-term, Randy will average about as many threats sent as Cassandra.

Code specifics

Randy fires events at an average of 1.35 a day. Not all events are fired via Randy. Some events, like quests, are fired separately and not controlled by Randy's firing mechanism.

Randy checks if an event can be fired once every 1,000 game ticks. That 1,000 game ticks is the equivalent to 60 times a Rimworld day or 2.5 times a Rimworld hour. If Randy has not fired a major threat after 13 days, the next Randy fired event becomes a major threat.

<minDaysPassed>1</minDaysPassed>
<maxThreatBigIntervalDays>13</maxThreatBigIntervalDays>
<mtbDays>1.35</mtbDays>
<categoryWeights>
 <Misc>3.5</Misc>
 <ThreatBig>1.4</ThreatBig>
 <OrbitalVisitor>1.1</OrbitalVisitor>
 <FactionArrival>2.4</FactionArrival>
 <ThreatSmall>0.6</ThreatSmall>
 <ShipChunkDrop>0.22</ShipChunkDrop>
</categoryWeights>
<randomPointsFactorRange>0.5~1.5</randomPointsFactorRange>




Challenge Scale at Alpha 11

When the storyteller sends threats after you, they will be a set percentage as large as in Challenge mode (the default difficulty).

Name Threat scale Colonist mood bonus Base sell price multiplier Crop yield multiplier Disease interval multiplier
Free Play 0.05 +15 0.70 1.3 3
Basebuilder 0.35 +10 0.60 1.2 1.5
Rough 0.60 +0 0.55 1.0 1.0
Challenge 1.00 +0 0.55 1.0 1.0
Extreme 1.30 -10 0.40 0.9 0.9

Earlier Challenge Scale Naming

Name Difficulty
Builder Mode 5%
Casual 25%
Rough 60%
Challenge 100%
Serious Challenge 130%
Extreme Challenge 160%