RimWorld Alpha 8 - Winter is Coming released news

Alpha 8 is out! This time we've added a seasonal cycle and temperature simulation, snow, two more biomes (boreal forest and tundra) with all the attached animals, art sculpting, crafted item quality, weapon and apparel crafting, homegrown medicine, wind turbines, and more.

If you own the game, you can get Alpha 8 by re-downloading from the link you used before (it is a permanent link and always has the newest version). You should also get an update email from us. Anyone still having trouble should start at this thread.

Also note that this build will not load old savegames, so keep your old install separate if you want to finish an Alpha 7 colony.

Change summary below:

Temperature and seasons

• A new temperature system tracks temperatures indoors and outdoors.
• Characters can get hypothermia, frostbite, heatstroke, or burns from being in extreme-temperature areas.
• Certain clothing can protect against temperature discomfort/harm.
• Temperature changes daily and on a yearly cycle according to where you are on the planet. There are distinct seasons.
• There are special heat wave/cold snap events.
• Added heater and cooler buildings.
• Food spoils. This can be slowed or prevented with refrigeration.
• Snow falls and accumulates over winter. It slows down movement.
• Snow can be cleared manually, and will melt if heated.
• New apparel: Parka and tuque.
• Added new biomes: boreal forest and tundra

Art and crafting

• Sculptor's table added. Colonists can create abstract sculptures.
• Sculptures and melee weapons have a quality. Quality is influenced by crafter skill and affects beauty and damage.
• Apparel crafting now allows crafting any kind of apparel.
• Can now craft any kind of melee weapon from appropriate materials.
• Created 'unfinished thing' step to crafting. Crafting can now take several days per item (as in the case of advanced weapons or art).
• Added art trading.

New content

• New animals: elk, hare
• New plants: pine tree, birch tree, moss, xerigium
• Xerigium plants can be farmed and refined into herbal medicine.
• New power plant: wind turbine.
• New weapons: triple rocket launcher, doomsday rocket launcher.
• New items: Glitterworld medicine, herbal medicine.
• Alphabeaver event creates alphabeavers who will consume trees until stopped.
• Ancient cryptosleep shrines now generate on the map. Open the cryptosleep caskets if you dare - the occupants may not be friendly.
• Economy and trader stock generation reworked and rebalanced from the ground up.
• Stats inspector allows inspecting more things in more places, and provides more, clearer info.
• Several new songs from Alistair Lindsay.
• You can now release prisoners. This gains you goodwill from their faction.
• You can now configure your keyboard hotkeys.
• Dozens of other fixes and improvements.