Colonists
Your Colonists are the inhabitants of your colony, the (un)fortunate survivors who have lived to witness the aftermath of the apocalypse and must now work to survive through it as well.
Colonists are individual persons with varying needs and skills. They consume Food and
Water to stay alive to work and procreate, keeping the colony going and growing. Having their basic needs taken care of is a critical part of the game.
Workers and carriers[edit | edit source]
Colonists can be divided into two categories: workers and carriers.
Workers are colonists assigned to buildings. As you cannot directly control the colonists, you might also need to guide them by setting Work Areas. The colonists attempt to automatically hire the best person for the job whenever you construct new buildings or edit the work slots within.
Carriers are vital for moving resources and doing construction work. If you find yourself in a situation where work does not progress, check that you have enough free carriers to carry out the tasks at hand. If not, temporarily free up some by closing some Work Slots in your buildings.
Children unable to attend school and workers assigned to some buildings (e.g. Gate, Scout Tower, growing Field) will also help out as carriers.
Conditions[edit | edit source]
The many dangers of a post-apocalyptic world affect the colonists the most. They can get sick from radiation, contract diseases or injure themselves. All of these conditions will cause penalties to a colonist's health, happiness and work performance.
Physical conditions can be treated by healing them within a Medical Tent or a Field Hospital. This is crucial for a thriving colony as an untreated condition will eventually prove fatal. Having medical buildings active and a Specialist scouring the World Map for Medication can go a long way toward keeping your people healthy.
Possible Conditions[edit | edit source]
Name | Effect | Cure |
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Health loss, Happiness loss | ![]() |
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Health loss, Happiness loss | ![]() |
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Health loss, Happiness loss | ![]() |
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Health loss, Happiness loss | ![]() ![]() |
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Health loss, Happiness loss | ![]() |
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Health loss, Happiness loss | ![]() |
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Risk of leaving the colony | ![]() |
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Loss of control | ![]() |
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Happiness loss, health loss | ![]() |
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Happiness loss, more prone to diseases | ![]() |
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Happiness loss | ![]() |
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Happiness loss | ![]() |
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Slower working speed | ![]() |
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More prone to diseases | ![]() |
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Weaker to enemies | ![]() |
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Turning hostile | ![]() |
Living conditions[edit | edit source]
Your colonists need somewhere to live in. Homeless colonists sleep on the ground but will slowly lose Happiness and even health, if they're exposed for long. Having enough
Shelters for everyone is a top priority. Without a bed to sleep on, colonists will get Tired and eventually Exhausted due to lack of sleep, and they can also get sick, requiring
medical attention.
Shelters range from simple Tents all the way to (circumstances considering) comfortable Houses. Upgrading to sturdier houses improves people's Happiness and provides better protection against the harsh conditions and even Catastrophes and disasters. They also encourage your populace to have children as they feel more secure and private in a proper home. Colonists move to the closest available shelters to where they work, so spreading out housing reduces the time people walk back and forth.
Ageing[edit | edit source]
A colonists life cycle includes three phases: Child, Adult and Elder.
Children: Children grow slowly and help the colony by carrying stowaway boxes and committing simple scavenging tasks. Children who have gone to School for long enough will gain the trait Educated.
Adults: Adults are capable of committing every task in the colony. They can also reproduce, given they live in decent shelters and are at least somewhat happy.
Elders: Colonists cannot live forever, and will eventually pass from old age. Elders still carry out tasks as before, but cannot get anymore children. Elders are more fragile than their younger counterparts, and life may come to an unexpected end at this phase.
Death[edit | edit source]
An inevitable part of life, Death comes to us all in the end, one way or another.
It can take the form of starvation, prolonged dehydration, untreated injuries or Bandit attacks. Dead colonists are a serious liability as their corpses can potentially act as vectors for and spread disease and having dead people lying around in plain sight will make living people unhappy as well.
To prevent any such issues from arising, dead colonists must be taken to a Burial Pit for their final rest. This ensures minimal impact on overall colony happiness and health as the bodies are brought out of sight and out of mind from the living colonists while also putting them in a place where they cannot spread disease.
Specialists, if they die, are either lost in the wilderness or quickly buried on the spot by their surviving comrades. Their belongings and any resources carried by them will likewise be lost.
Traits[edit | edit source]
Colonists can have a grab bag of traits that can give them bonuses or be hindrances.
Name | Effect | Description |
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Educated | Production Speed +15% | Has learned how to work in a post apocalyptic world efficiently |
Hairy | Cold resistance +30% | Mutation has caused excessive body hair growth |
Believer | Max Happiness +20% | Religious background helps to see hope where there might not be any |
Former Hunter | Damages Self when in full Health | Was left permanently injured by a terrible hunting accident |
Driven | Production Speed +15% | Trouble mind that might go ballistic at any moment |
Hard Worker | Production Speed +15% | Works harder than average |
Minesweeper | Walking Speed -25% | One of the lucky ones clearing old minefields. Lost only part of one foot and some toes from the other |
Optimist | Max Happiness +20% | Seemingly resistant to the troubles in the world |
Healthy | Faster injury Recovery | Picture of health despite adverse conditions |
Sloth | Resting rate -50% | Sleeps longer than others |
Clumsy | Walking speed -25% | Constantly tripping over their own feet |
Lazy | Production Speed -15% | Just doesn't give a damn about work |
Spiritual | N/A | Believes in something larger than the human kind |
Reckless | Production Speed -5% | Dives headlong into everything without thinking first |
Been there | Max Health +30% | A lifetime of hardship has made the body sturdy and durable |
Comfort Seeker | Max Happiness -30 living in a shelter with no power | Aspires to minimize pain and maximize pleasure in life |
Tough | Max Health +20% | Built like a brick house, able to endure many hardships |
Daydreamer | Production Speed -5% | Has a hard time concentrating on the task at hand, dreams of better times |
Clawed | N/A | An encounter with a ferocious beast left its mark; scars across the face and a mutilated nose |
Suspicious | Happiness penalty when survivors join the colony | Distrustful of new and unfamiliar people |
Loiterer | Walking speed -25% | Tries to take things easy whenever possible |
Competitive | Walking speed +20% | Has to be first everywhere, best at everything, or at least the fastest |
Punctual | Walking Speed +20% | Finds comfort in organization, punctuality and schedules |
Farmhand | +15% as a Farmer | Loves to see things grow and blossom |
Genetic Lottery | Faster injury recovery | Blessed with remarkable genes |
Ritualistic | N/A | Has structured their day around strict religious routines |
Picky | Hunger rate -15% | Very selective about what they eat, gets by with less |
Martial Artist | Max Health +30% | Sees themselves as a professional fighter, aims constantly for maximum fitness |
Glutton | Twice as hungry | Eats more than they should. Does not care if someone is left without food |
Horrors of the Past | Production Speed +5% | It is difficult to think anything but the horrors they'e witnessed. Hard labour helps to take the mind off things |
Obsessive | Production Speed -15% | Handicapped by compulsive thoughts and small rituals |
Resigned | Production Speed -15% | Has completely given up and doesn't see the point in anything anymore |
Paranoid | Production Speed -5% | Suspects everything and everyone, jumpy and irrational |
Authoritarian | Production Speed +15% with over five specialists in the colony | Believes in control, leadership and discipline |
Hyperactive | Needs more time to get Educated | Has a tough time focusing on one thing at a time |
Green Thumb | Production speed +5% | Feeling dry dirt between the fingers is the best feeling in the world |
Luddite | N/A | Prefers old ways and abhors new technology |
People Person | Happiness boost when survivors join the colony | Enjoys meeting new people |