Stranded: Alien Dawn

I've put in some solid time on this game and while it isn't the worst colony sim I've ever played; I can't call it a GOOD one either. It does some unique things in comparison to things like Rimworld, but Stranded: Alien Dawn is missing a lot of polish in aspects that aren't easily hand-waved by workshop mods. TLDR-worth picking up on a sale if your curious. Not worth full price. The Good -Graphically it feels decent. You feel like you landed on a truly alien planet and it shows in the design of the flora. -The incorporation of "observing" plants and animals I feel is a often overlooked immersion point in a lot of "space colony" sims. - Music is decent and able to be a good tip off to what's going on in game. -The tutorial does a good job on teaching the basics. The Meh -weapon/armor variety is VERY limited in base game. don't go into this expecting rimworld level of variety. -the 3x speed doesn't feel like actual 3x. Especially in periods of the dark where your colonists are sleeping it really feels like a drag. Part of that I want to chalk up to the lack of a visual clock, as the game just uses a small text item for "hour 3" or "Hour 15" -every survivor is unique, with a backstory which leads to a good explanation for why they have the skills they do. but the pool of survivors feels limited because they are all pre-made. With no way of adding new colonists to the roster outside of mods, you often find yourself flicking between who's available and hope they don't end up each others guts. -The SIZE of the base level maps are insane for the scenario. You have such a large map to colonize and there is an element of exploration with it. however, when you exhaust the resources right next to you, trying to move house to a new location is a daunting, tedious, and oftentimes frustrating process. (Especially if you don't want to get chewed on by the local wildlife). I feel like if there were options of transport vehicles that this could help alleviate the problem. The BAD -Colonist IQ is in the negatives. There is no hierarchy to what they consume, just a white/black list of what they CAN consume. Chef's can break their backs making many wonderful dishes for the colony to be well fed, but then Jack over there will just eat raw ingredients despite the cooked food being closer. I wish this was the worst of the stupidity, but they also pick the farthest possible materials to build/craft with, Don't change "worn out" clothing on their own (you have to wait for it to literally rot off their body) and god help the poor ranchers who pick the worst time to go pet their critters. -Straight up I hate the interface. I feel like i'm fighting it 90% of the time between trying to select colonists, build structures, or identify what animals have been tamed. when attempting to tame critters, often i'll find the option greyed out despite having the required items but no explanation as to WHY. The seeking of "why will it not do the thing" is about 20% of the play time.