Playwright

An alternative scenario editor for RimWorld. Also comes with a bunch of scenario parts that can be used in the regular scenario editor, and more ways to win the game!

The default scenario editor is clunky, and doesn’t have many interesting parts. There’s very few ways to win the game without leaving the planet. RimWorld mostly goes for depressing starting scenarios where you’re trying to make the best of a fall/tragedy, and then get out as soon as you can, with little reason to want to be on the planet. Making themed playthroughs can be challenging, especially ones that involve setting up specific factions (if you enjoy fantasy races, you might feel this one). All of that is something I aim to address in Playwright.

The Playwright editor is a user-friendly UI to set up your scenarios, and can be accessed from the scenario select screen or from the mod options. The editor saves scenarios as regular old RimWorld scenarios, so you can still edit them afterwards in the regular scenario editor, or even share them! The editor is divided into 5 categories of components for you to pick & choose and configure:

• Origin: The starting point for your scenario. Choose an existing scenario, or make an entirely custom start instead.
• Boons: Extra stuff you start out with, like items, an Odyssey shuttle, royal titles, or even implants!
• Factions: Ever wanted to be naturally allied with the Empire, be enemies with a modded faction, or just easily remove all Mechanoids and Mech-related threats? Now you can.
• Win Conditions: Win the game in more ways. RimWorld can now roll credits and acknowledge victory after you defeat all your enemies, or having a big enough colony, and more!
• Special Conditions: Other special modifiers or conditions. Put a time limit on your run with a Planetkiller, mix random psycasters into the world, or make every prisoner unwaveringly loyal!

This may be the main selling point for some. Playwright comes with a few added ways to win the game (meaning you see the credits screen), which can be selected in the Playwright editor or added in the vanilla scenario editor:

• Conquest: Destroy (or ally) all other faction settlements in the world.
• Colony: Have X colonists.
• Royal Council: Have X colonists with the chosen Royalty title with the Empire (or another modded faction, if they use the Royalty system!).
• Time: Simply survive until X days. Probably the most interesting in a raid/wave/survival-based or wealth-independent playthrough.
• Sell items: Sell X of a certain item throughout your playthrough. Can be any item, but is originally intended for selling Completed Paperwork from "The Corporation – Mort’s Factions" mod. (Non-paperwork uses are currently only usable in the vanilla scenario editor)

Playwright comes with a few optional mod integrations, which will be automatically detected based on the mods you have installed, and will add some content to the Playwright editor:

• The Corporation – Mort’s Factions: adds "Corporate" origin, "Corporate Goons" boon, and "Corporate Boardroom" & "Paperwork" win conditions.
• Big and Small – Sapient Animals: adds "Start with animal (sapient) scenario part, "Failed Experiment" scenario and origin, and "Sapient Animals" boon.
• Vanilla Races Expanded – Android: adds "Androids" boon, starting with extra Basic Androids and/or the required research.
• Endling (Last Of Their Kind): adds "Endlings" boon to quickly add the Endling trait to your starting colonists.
• Vehicle Framework: adds "Extra Vehicles" boon.

Playwright supports adding content externally from another mod. If you are a mod maker, you can add components to Playwright from another mod, or add optional integration with Playwright to your own mod. Want to make more win conditions, or add boons/special conditions related to your mod to the Playwright editor? Check the Addon API documentation for more info.[github.com]

This API was originally meant for my own mod integrations, but I’ve decided to support it as an API for other mod makers to use as well. The existing API won’t see breaking changes until RimWorld 1.7 (and maybe not even then), meaning any mods made using it today will continue working.

I shelved some of my plans in regards to worldbuilding because other mods do them better than I could. A list of recommendations:

• Worldbuilder: Fantastic mod for finetuning your world, including the factions, faction relations, and xenotype makeup. If you use this, you should probably leave Playwright’s "Factions" tab at the default settings, so that Worldbuilder can be used instead. Is fully compatible with Playwright.
• Xenotype Spawn Control: Lets you control the xenotype makeup of factions. Useful if you need a lighter alternative to Worldbuilder just for xenotypes (and if Playwright’s xenotype replacement special condition/part isn’t fine-grained enough).
• Scenario amender: was updated for 1.6 but is currently abandoned, although still works just fine. Allows you to customize your scenario after starting the game. You should probably install this so you have the room to add/delete Playwright’s scenario parts if you change your mind later.

Is this compatible with X mod?
Almost all mods should be compatible. I developed and tested Playwright with both vanilla, and my own modlist of about ~500 mods, and everything works (yes, CE too).

Playwright uses Harmony to patch certain methods. These patches are completely disabled by default, and automatically activate when starting or loading a game that uses the relevant scenario parts. Playwright should therefore be compatible with pretty much anything. If you’re using another mod to customize faction goodwills, simply don’t use Playwright’s faction parts.

Safe to add/remove mid-save?
Yes.

HOWEVER, if you also use B&S Sapient Animals, use Mid-Save Saver before you add or remove Playwright mid-save. (Playwright’s integration adds a ThingDef, removing it with Sapient Animals installed can mess up existing deep drill deposits)

What about performance?
Performance impact of most parts is zero or near-zero, as Playwright simply generates scenarios the same way the game does. Profiling shows no performance impact.

I just want the scenario parts, can I disable the editor?
Yes, check the Playwright mod options.

Playwright is in beta. The mod fully works, but it’s a bit light on content at the moment (particularly mod integrations). I hope to add a lot more content soon. Suggestions for both modded and non-modded content are welcome in the discussions, though I’ll likely only add things that are interesting enough or would fix gaps in the default scenario editor.

Despite being in beta, I guarantee all scenarios made today will remain fully playable throughout RimWorld 1.6.