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RimWorld has a 3D mod now, come see it in action

Technically a 2.5D mod

A screenshot of a room in RimWorld, rendered in 2.5D - a 3D camera looking into a world of angled 2D sprites.

RimWorld is a Dwarf Fortress-inspired management game, so it's no surprise that its modding community is also following in the footsteps of their dwarven forebears.

For example, this week saw the release of Yayo's Rim 3D via the Steam Workshop. It's a mod that lets you press a button to view your RimWorld camp in 3D. Come watch a video of it below.

Here's a video from Yayo, the mod's creator:

Watch on YouTube

To be clear, it's not like every item in RimWorld has been suddenly replaced by a 3D model. Instead, the mod looks more like an early '90s first-person shooter, with a 3D world where the objects within it are angled 2D sprites. 2.5D, we used to call this.

It's nevertheless impressive. Once installed, you can press "hotkey 0" in-game to switch between 3D mode and normal mode. You have to move the camera with WASD rather than the mouse once in 3D mode, but it works as a new way to tour and admire the world you're building. The video above shows it running smoothly and looking great during intense combat, too, with lasers pinging everywhere.

Although there's no freelook, there's an options menu that lets you fiddle with the camera settings to change the FOV, tilt, draw distance and more. The Steam Workshop page linked above suggests there are more features planned, including a "pawn first person view", free cam, visual improvements and a sky texture. I already get Dungeon Keeper vibes from how it looks now, but the ability to see through pawn's eyes would seal the deal.

If or when those improvements will arrive is anyone's guess, given the mod page also says that Yayo is going to work on their own game instead for the next 5 months, but there's already more than enough to play with. Have at it.

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Graham Smith avatar
Graham Smith: Rock Paper Shotgun's editorial leader, corporate dad, and breezy evening news writer.
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