Rimworld is an amazing game you should try:
I have played it for hundrer of hours (actually thousands), when it was still version A14, and here are some tips I would have liked to know a the beginning.
See also:
https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Guides
Set growing zones unders turbines to avoid them to be blocked by trees. You can disable sowing if you want, so colonists will just cut trees here. Later in the game, you can build solar panels here or put concrete on the floor.
Do not give up too fast.
Sometimes, when all your colonists are down, a strange man in black join to help.
Also, if everyone is dead, it is possible after a few hours that some new wanderers join in.
It's a STORY generator ;)
When you choose a place, wether you like hash environment or not, make sure you're close to other factions to trade with them easily.
I also like to be close to a road to improve movement speed.
On this screen, I choose a bigger map size, 275x275 to increase game lifetime.
Make sure you have a good builder.
Avoid scars as much as possible.
Get a good doctor.
Bonus : good social skill will help recruitment.
Good crafter will be very handy later in the game.
Let your colonist flee in case of threat, except for good melee pawns who might fight back.
Avoir tainted apparel debuf : use Assign Apparel policies for your colonists, allowing clothes with HP over 51%.
Colonists will get undress when they are too damaged.
So, make sure you have a few spare clothes. To do so, add a job to tailor bench to make each furniture you want "Until you have 1 or 2".
You'll probably want to add a rule in incinerator or a simple fire to destroy clothes with HP below 52%.
Be careful to untick clothes you wanna keep even if damaged, such as armors.
Use Assign menu to avoid your colonists getting high or addicted, in Drug policies..
For Pawns with "Chemical interest" or "chemical fascination" traits, disallow avery drugs.
For others, Add "Schedule" rule for smokeleaf joint, Ambrosia and Psychite Tea
Then, set one every 2 days only if mood below 30%.
I set ambrosia to "if mood below 50%".
For beer, I allow it avery day, only if mood below 35%
For everyone, add a schedule rule for Penoxycyline, every 5 days. It reduce risk of infection and diseases.
At the beginning of the game, set them close to your base.
Don't create too big zones at first. 5x5 is enough, with 2 unused between each for fire issues.
Set rice, potato, cotton and healroot at first. If you have a good farmer, add strawberries and corn.
Maybe add a tiny zone for psychoid and smokeleaf. 5x1. and 5x1
potatoes rice cotton ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### healroot psychoid + smokeleaf strawberries ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### #####
Search Devilstrand soon if you're in a teperate climate.
If necessary, create indoors growing zones with heaters and sun lamps to get devilstrand.
You should grow it.
It is a great material with goor armor and fire resistance, at least before endgame with marine armors..
I recommend devilstrand apparels.
At the tailor bench, create a task "until you have 2" of each apparel, and untick every materials except devilstrand.
For other apparels, set "until you have 1". This way, where there is devilstrand available, a colonist will craft with.
Sometimes, ambrosia will sprout on the map.
Your colonist will harvest it when it's ready if you ask them, but it's hard not to forget.
Instead, I suggest to create a growing zone under the ambrosia, and disallow sowing here. Colonists will harvest ambrosia automatically.
Put rooms on the side of your base, it's not a big deal if raiders destroy them.
Put tables next to rooms for breakfast, but disable social spot
Put hospital, prison and kitchen next to the fridge.
Avoir big structures if you can, when there are raids, it's give more cover.
Light up everywhere to speed up work and move.
Create small corridords for fridge entrance, with 2 autodoors and a spare space between.
Create a chimney in the center of your fridge and remove roof at this place : coolers are fragiles and are easily broken by raiders.
Put shelves for food next to cook station.
Fridge does'nt have to be too big. A small fridge with shelves for food only is easier to keep cold. Use double wall for extra insulation, and a small corridor with two autodoors for entrance.
The storage room next to the workshop may be 12x12 inside, with shelves all around and rows of shelves with corridors.
Build small fridge but with shelves inside to keep more food. In these shelves, keep any food, fresh animal corpes (disallow rotten), and eventually plant matter (hop, psychoid plant, smokeleaf leaves, ambrosia).
Put the fridge near the dining room
Create a stockpile zone of 13x13, with shelves inside when you have enough ressources.
Add shelves for cotton and neutroamine next to drug lab.
Add shelves for components in the workshop.
Try to keep on shelves next to workshop, it's good to have ingredients next to production location.
Add some hospitals bed next to your killbox for first aid.
In your hospital, create 1 or 2 separate room for long rest.
In the hospital, create shelves for medicine.
Build Turret mound, 4 turrent separated by a wall and surrounded bu barricades or sandbags
+---+ |T#T| |###| |T#T| +---+
Remember walls absorb explosion.
So, keep your shooters behind 1x1 wall separated by sandbags or barricades.
Maybe you'll want a killbox with double wall on the side of raiders to absorb your shoots, and sandbags or chunks in the last corder so raiders don't stay here.
Charge rifle are the bests.
Earlier in the game, use Heavy SMG or Assault rifle for best shooters.
But for poor shooters, an autopistol or even revolver are fine.
Do not underestimate the first bolt-action rifle in the hands of a good shooter.
Finally, keep a minigun next to your killbox :)
For melee weapons, use maces made of steel or best, uranium. To capture new colinists, it's the best, and it's rally a good weapon for not so good fighters.
When you can, and if you have quite good melee fighters, assing Thrumbo horns, then longswords made of plasteel : that's the best weapon, extremely deadly.
Imagine a masterwork legendary plasteel longsword in the hands of a jumping-over-he-ennemy-line sanguophage :)