If I recall correctly, very little of rimworld actually uses unity functionality. It's just a "seperate" game viewed through unity

I don't know what the other user is talking about it being a "separate game." It is heavily data-focused though. It's mostly C# code. As long as that doesn't make calls to Unity functions, it's fine, but also I'm certain they, and other mods, have. However, you can still handle this, similar to how WINE can run Windows applications without running Windows. You have a compatibility layer that routes all the calls that would have gone to Unity to your own systems that behave as close to identically as possible. If you make a call to "UnityEngine.Vector3", for example, you just create your own "UnityEngine.Vector3" that replicates the functionality.

Designing stable interfaces is hard, they're just a smol bean $4.5T corporation.

I really cannot comprehend how Minecraft collected such a mod base while also being this unbearable.

So many players just end up playing old versions because mod developers cannot reliably keep up with this nonsense. The last version to have decent mod support is probably 1.21.1, and there are so many mods dead after 1.7.10, 1.6.4, or even earlier.

Some of the mods, like Better than Wolves, have it literally in their name.

IIRC, many, maybe most, Rimworld updates broke mods too. This one hasn't though. That's because this one seems to essentially just be a compatibility layer or something. What they must have done is routed all calls to Unity things to their own engine's alternative. At least that's my educated guess, because there's no other reasonable way this could work.

This is still amazing. I'm not diminishing that. It isn't changing the way the game functions though. It's just changing how it functions.

I've gotten some good mileage out of it with no DLCs, just wish it had layers like Dwarf Fortress, doesn't even have to be as many but it's weird that you can't at least build vertically for a few levels. I believe it's possible to pirate the DLCs as well, but I don't really know enough about pirating software safely to try that. I'm certainly not paying another $60 to get them.

I pirated the whole kitten kaboodle. After playing an amount of hours that I don't like admitting to, I then bought the whole kitten kaboodle. I've since played an additional amount of hours I don't like admitting to.

I have a gaming PC that could play anything, yet I play a game with duplo block people.

It's just that good. 😗👌

It does not need the DLCs. I have them and I play vanilla when I play

I'll echo everyone else in that you don't need them but also go further and say don't get any of them to start. The learning curve is a little steep and a vanilla play to start is a good idea. Then you can pick up some quality of life mods and whatever else floats your boat. The game is disgustingly customizable. You can get nuclear power and missiles, dropships, robots, custom furniture armor and weaponry, genetically engineered catgirls, literally anything. It's infinitely replayable with mods alone.

A lot of people are recommending Ideology specifically here, and while that would also be my own recommendation, I feel like I need to throw in a caveat.

Ideology is an entirely hit-or-miss DLC, because the entire point of most of it is giving your colony various limitations for roleplaying purposes. If you don't care about roleplaying then it's probably one of the last DLC you'd want.

Though it does come with the advantage of being the cheapest DLC.

It really doesn't and it's pretty fun and cheap. There are so many mods, like literally thousands. I personally have about 30-35 installed.

I had the DLC's bought for me but I still just play the original unless I play mp/co-op.

The only "must have" one is ideology. But even then you don't need it and could replace it with about 5 mods.

Nah there's plenty of game without the DLCs imo, it's not like a Paradox game. Even without mods it's a lot of fun, if you like these types of games.

That being said if you're willing to pick just one it can add a lot to the game. I put in like 400 hours with just Ideology.