Opening Gambit

[BioFringe]

Having just under 100 hours in and never having made it past the first 30 days I absolutely love this game. It’s like a science project disguised as a game for us to experiment with as we see fit. What’s not to love? With that said, I’m approaching the point that I always decide to start over so it couldn’t hurt to throw out my opening gambit so see what others have to say. In no way am I any good at this game and I’ve refused to seek outside information until now. I’m open to all suggestions, insights, advice, etc so please be kind and share if you can offer up anything positive. Also, I’m a noob so sorry if this sort of subject has already been beaten to death…just love the game and want to talk about it. Btw, Klei is awesome! No-Doubt.

 

Below is what might be considered a “Combat Log” of sorts from my current play through for Cycles 1-21…

 

Spoiler

Cycle 1

Built: Outhouse #1

Built: Cots #1-3

 

Cycle 2

Built: Power Generation #1

Built: Research Table

 

Cycle 3

Research Completed: Advanced Research (T1) (1/6)

Built: Jobs Board

Assigned Job: Duplicant #1 (General Engineer)

Assigned Job: Duplicant #2 (Apprentice Miner)

Assigned Job: Duplicant #3 (Research Assistant)

Built: Oxygen Treatment

Built: Water Treatment

 

Cycle 4

Built: Wash Basin #1

Built: Water Cooler #1

Built: Power Generation #2

Research Completed: Basic Farming (T1) (2/6)

 

Cycle 5

Built: Farm #1

 

Cycle 6

Research Completed: Interior Décor (T1) (3/6)

Built: Flower Pots

Assigned Job: Duplicant #4 (Art Student)

Built: Cot #4

Built: Outhouse #2

 

Cycle 7

Built: Barracks (Moral +1)

Built: Latrine (Moral +1)

 

Cycle 8

Built: Microbe Musher

 

Cycle 9

Research Completed: Power Regulation (T1) (4/6)

Assigned Job: Duplicant #5 (Sous Chef)

Built: Cot #5

Built: Outhouse #3

Built: Wash Basin #2

 

Cycle 10

Built: Battery #1

Built: Farm #2

 

Cycle 11

Built: Super Computer

 

Cycle 12

Research Completed: Meal Preparation (T2) (1/10)

Built: Mess Hall (Moral +1)

 

Cycle 13

Built: Storage

Research Completed: Plumbing (T1) (5/6)

 

Cycle 14

Research Completed: Ventilation (T1) (6/6)

 

Cycle 15

Built: Compost #1

Assigned Job: Duplicant #6 (Architect)

Built: Cot #6

Built: Outhouse #4

Built: Wash Basin #3

 

Cycle 16

Research Completed: Agriculture (T3) (1/13)

Built: Refrigerator

 

Cycle 17

Built: Power Generation #3

 

Cycle 18

Promoted: Duplicant #2 (Miner)

Research Completed: Sanitation (T2) (2/10)

 

Cycle 19

Built: Battery #2

Miscellaneous: 3% Stress Level

 

Cycle 20

Operational: General Labor

 

Cycle 21

Operational: General Labor

 

Hope it all makes sense but if not please ask and I’ll verify what I mean by anything that isn’t clear.

Note: Total Meals Cooked to Date = 0

I plowed through the first 7 cycles by cramming as much stuff in as possible but decided to slow it down a bit for cycles 8-14 and then even more for 15-21. I try to refrain from job promoting until it’s necessary or can be gotten away with in regards to the added stress. I could have also completed the Massage Room and Med Bay but haven’t needed either as of yet. My playstyle tends to dictate that I only do what I must as opposed to what I can. It’s always one thing to know you can do something but it’s an entirely different thing to stop and ask if you should. I.E. additional Duplicant offerings don’t always result in a new colon member as far as I’m concerned. Only take what fits and is needed.

I could be wrong about all of this but that’s how my experimentation with ONI has resulted. How about yours?

 

[Slvrsrfr]

never let them sleep the first night. They don't need to pee until the morning of cy2. Power gen, and research start by the end of cy1. Get the doors on the minor rooms asap. the de-stress latrine buff, and the stamina barracks buff by cy2, when they finally get to sleep. Red alert through the 1st night.

Otherwise pretty good. I've not progressed quite as far.

Happy hunting! welcome!

[Kabrute]

Sounds like your more or less off to a good start.  Picking super dupes at the beginning can really speed things up, without that I wouldn't worry about meeting surfers goals though they are right about pushing your dupes the first day. 

 

Data Brigade.sav

[KittenIsAGeek]

3 hours ago, BioFringe said:

I could be wrong about all of this but that’s how my experimentation with ONI has resulted. How about yours?

Looks pretty good, actually.  There are many different ways to play, and everyone has their own style and preference.  My usual route tends to be something like:

1. Start digging.  Dig some more.  Build an outhouse before Cycle 2 starts.
2. Somewhere off to one side of the starting biome, build a battery, hamster wheel, research station, and algae deoxydizer.
3. Research basic farming, then plant some bristleblooms.  Plant some mealwood too. Do NOT build a microbe musher.  It wastes water AND its the fastest way to food poisoning...

This is quite a few cycles in, so there's some more advanced stuff like the gas shutoff valves since my electrolyzer system has replaced my deoxydizers, and the battery has been moved a bit further out, but otherwise my starting area hasn't changed that much.

Spoiler

 

[PhailRaptor]

This is where I am on the world I started today (yesterday?  I have the Night Owl trait xD ) :

I know from my world gen fishing prior to starting that the bricked over Geyser in the top left, in that corner of Swamp Biome, is a Water Geyser.  Haven't connected the Washroom in the middle yet, just got the framework up while I decide how to set up a Coal Generator and the Sieve loop.  Just off the bottom is another bricked over, if I remember right it's an Oil Fissure.  Farther below that is the Swamp NatGas exposed.  But I need Wheezeworts, and of the 2 Ice Biomes I can see so far (off the screenshot, to the right and to the bottom left) there aren't any visible yet.

[BioFringe]

14 hours ago, Slvrsrfr said:

never let them sleep the first night. They don't need to pee until the morning of cy2. Power gen, and research start by the end of cy1. Get the doors on the minor rooms asap. the de-stress latrine buff, and the stamina barracks buff by cy2, when they finally get to sleep. Red alert through the 1st night.

Otherwise pretty good. I've not progressed quite as far.

Happy hunting! welcome!

That is the very definition of Opening Gambit and one I hadn't even thought about. When I first saw the Red Alert button I figured that it was for raids ala RimWorld so I haven't bothered to even look at the tooltip until now. Thanks for the tip.

12 hours ago, Kabrute said:

Sounds like your more or less off to a good start.  Picking super dupes at the beginning can really speed things up, without that I wouldn't worry about meeting surfers goals though they are right about pushing your dupes the first day. 

 

Data Brigade.sav

Since the beginning is the only time that you can have some control over your dupe selection I find that I spend a good 10-15 minutes before I'm truly satisfied enough to start the game. I haven't quite found the perfect mix but I highly doubt the word "perfect" has anything to do with this game. Meaning that I doubt that there's a perfect mix or in the least only one.

11 hours ago, KittenIsAGeek said:

Looks pretty good, actually.  There are many different ways to play, and everyone has their own style and preference.  My usual route tends to be something like:

1. Start digging.  Dig some more.  Build an outhouse before Cycle 2 starts.
2. Somewhere off to one side of the starting biome, build a battery, hamster wheel, research station, and algae deoxydizer.
3. Research basic farming, then plant some bristleblooms.  Plant some mealwood too. Do NOT build a microbe musher.  It wastes water AND its the fastest way to food poisoning...

This is quite a few cycles in, so there's some more advanced stuff like the gas shutoff valves since my electrolyzer system has replaced my deoxydizers, and the battery has been moved a bit further out, but otherwise my starting area hasn't changed that much.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

That looks like a good start and I completely agree about the Musher though it took several play attempts until I realized it. It's also horrible on stress. I haven't planted any bristleblooms yet...what are they good for? Right now my dupes seem quite content eating the Mealwood direct after harvest.

10 hours ago, PhailRaptor said:

This is where I am on the world I started today (yesterday?  I have the Night Owl trait xD ) :

I know from my world gen fishing prior to starting that the bricked over Geyser in the top left, in that corner of Swamp Biome, is a Water Geyser.  Haven't connected the Washroom in the middle yet, just got the framework up while I decide how to set up a Coal Generator and the Sieve loop.  Just off the bottom is another bricked over, if I remember right it's an Oil Fissure.  Farther below that is the Swamp NatGas exposed.  But I need Wheezeworts, and of the 2 Ice Biomes I can see so far (off the screenshot, to the right and to the bottom left) there aren't any visible yet.

I built my first Shower last night so most of what you said is gibberish lol. Sorry, just being honest. You clearly have a strong grasp of how to make a good start as you know how to build for the future (i.e. I build the storage units as needed because I don't know yet what is a good amount). Having said all that, I appreciate your response and I look forward to re-reading it as soon as I gain a bit more knowledge of what comes next. Nice setup though!

[KittenIsAGeek]

@BioFringe Bristlebloom is a higher-quality food than mealwood.  It uses water instead of dirt to grow, and with farmer's touch it can be pretty efficient.  However, it requires a light source.  Your printer pod is a light source and there's room for 5 bristlebloom around it.  Later you can fry it into gristlebloom, or add it to different recipes.  I like to start the bristlebloom early so that by time I actually need to farm it, I've got seeds to plant.  In the mid-game stretch I transition away from mealwood to mushrooms and bristlebloom.  Mushrooms are one of the most economical and easily sustainable foods in the game (I think drekos or a starved fish farm are the only ones better).  But late game, you'll want bristlebloom (and sleetwheat and pincha peppers).

 

[Cipupec2]

My early on priorities are setting an outhouse, a barracks and complete advance research. Then i usually set everyone to dig job and strip mine my base skeleton, and connect all near by caveats and oxylite groupings (which give me the extra oxygen and food to keep me going.) finally i usually switch to construction and rush to food production.

Tip, early on there is no need to rush research, on the contrary doing so will gimp your progress as it takes some 33-25% of your work force away..

[Kabrute]

my real opening gambit was digging through the forums and finding this gem from @Denisetwin
1380665115 has 2 nat gas, 2 cool steam, 1 hydrogen vent, 1 leaky oil, 3 oil resevoir, 3 cool slush geysers, 2 water geysers and 1 volcano (metal from space) this map supplies enough water for super bases........

 

[BioFringe]

Sorry for the delayed response but I was one of those that was swept up in the whole Florence debacle...pun intended.

I just love these responses and some such as the Seed Gambit from Kabrute is something that I'd never even think of but is in fact perfect in many ways. I tried the Red Alert Gambit and it didn't work out as I had planned because I misjudged how quickly the night goes by when you're busy doing thing. Also, my dupes all fell asleep on the ground halfway through Cycle 2 so I'll have to work on it and see if I can get it down a bit better. Still absorbing the rest but they are all much appreciated.

On my own front, I printed out my list as an Excel Spreadsheet and used it as a Checklist for my latest attempt at avoiding an inevitable restart by creating the perfect long-term opening but it failed. I made some more notes and am in the process of revising my Checklist for my newest planned run this evening. Such fun.

Thanks again to everyone for the great responses. Peace.

[Xheotris]

As far as opening research goes, I always go: Basic Farming, then Advanced Research, followed by the basic component of Meal Prep. Then I can promote a research assistant for just the last 10 advanced research points of Meal Prep, and have a garden, bedrooms, latrine, and the outline of a mess hall. That means that my researcher never really gets stressed, and I almost never have to build massage tables.

[Seeker89]

I used to do outhouse, beds then food... I found that was a waste, in my last few play throughs i have been setting up the cots and rooms after I get the power rolling. So outhouse, water, mealworm garden, compost, power, research, algae oxygen, bedrooms.... I do mealworm bars for a bit as I star my larger farm

[ToiDiaeRaRIsuOy]

Seems you have a good idea on what doing first. Your next focus should be to find more water because eventually you will run out of algae. And so you will have to electrolyze for more oxygen.

Also start focussing on ranching. Hatches are very easy and an early source of food and coal.

It might further pay dividends to invest time into researching your way to exosuits early on. You will eventually have to travel into slime filled areas or other hazardous areas, so having the tech and means ready early on can actually be crucial for survival as you will start to look for more water and geysers. If you can help avoid it, don't dig up slime as that will pump germs into the air.

FInally, try to look for ice biomes and dig out the wheezeworts. You might need some cooling as early as cycle 50. Do try to leave the sleat wheet grain plants as they are. Wild plants grow a lot slower, but also don't require water or dirt/fertilizer. It's basically free food.

There is more than enough to do at cycle 30. Infact the early cycles aren't that all too crucial because you have everything you need around you. The real clue is to finding and utilizing alternative sources before your starting resources run out. I always found around cycle 50-75 to be the point where I really needed to get a move on because of heat, because of algae shortages, because of water, etc. My current colony was quite strained until the moment I was able to activate my current oxygen solution (geyser water electrolyzed around an active AETN and pumped back to my base).

[ruhrohraggy]

Seems like it's always a back and forth struggle until you hit stable natgas power and get some form of efficient oxygen generation + water source lined up.

It also helps to keep the dupe number under 6-8 for awhile, unless you have a solid strategy setup. It's also a good idea to pay attention to their morale, and only advance them careers if you can manage / maintain their increased morale demand.

My order seems to always follow :

Dupe personal needs -> Research + hamster wheel and 1x oxidizer -> Give them jobs -> Secure food -> Coal generation and plumbed potties / sinks + break room + medical facility + some decor -> Mushrooms, get rid of mealwood -> Organize and consolidate water -> Hatch farm 4-8 large -> Scout for geysers and cold biomes for wheezes and wolframite -> Refine wolframite and get SPOM up with, hopefully a discovered water producing geyser of some kind -> Work towards nat. gas before coal runs out -> Smooth sailing after nat. gas. and Oil Refineries / Plastic production is steady.

I'm at 938 cycles on my current playthrough...I've secured outer space...launched a rocket, turned every tile into plastic and am now twiddling my thumbs.