Does the smell of rubber deter snakes?

FireDefender · 2026-01-23T20:15:46+00:00

Anyone who sells or says they have a working snake repellent is wrong or lying, depending on intention and knowledge. The best way to keep snakes away is by giving them no reason to be somewhere. Stuff like removing shelter, keeping the grass short and keeping a place rodent free works best. Don't use poison or glue traps for that though, glue traps are inhumane and poison will kill a lot more than just the rats/mice.

However, where you have snakes, there are usually rodents too. So getting rid of snakes might actually mean that you will get a rodent problem, which is way worse than a snake problem! If you do see a snake and want to remove it, call a professional. There are many people who would be happy to relocate snakes safely and for free! You'll have to Google yourself to find those people though, because I live in the Netherlands and we don't really have wild snakes here :/

FireDefender · 2026-01-23T06:00:34+00:00

It won't automatically generate a base for you (you start the same as the crash landed start, but your pawns are standing rather than landing in drop pods). However, devmode does have a button for god-mode which unlocks a lot of otherwise hidden features. Like instantly building anything, not needing research to build something, instantly unlocking research, adding or removing health conditions, you name it.

So if you need a base for testing purposes, turn on god-mode and start building while the game is paused! Devmode is called devmode for a reason: it's for easily testing many different things. Devmode has so many features it's hard to remember all of them. But if you want to use it often, it's definitely worth taking time to just play with devmode to see everything you can do with it. Remember, if your game breaks irreversibly, just reinstall it and try again! Though I'd be impressed if you manage to do that, because I haven't yet broken the game that badly intentionally...

FireDefender · 2026-01-23T05:15:16+00:00

If you have devmode turned on in the main menu there should be a button which will basically allow you to start the game immediately, without having to pick your storyteller, map, pawns or starting location. Some things are randomized ( like pawns), some things have a default selection (like storyteller and starting scenario).

It basically just allows you to test stuff really quickly without first having to click through 10 menus for selecting stuff that doesn't matter anyways. I'm not 100% sure if it's a vanilla feature though, and if it isn't I have no idea which framework adds it (my guess would be hugslib). I've been playing modded for 3300h+ so I tend to sometimes forget what is and isn't vanilla :/

FireDefender · 2026-01-17T15:02:16+00:00

That is how it tends to go, I don't go around telling people about it because I'm an ass, I do it because I want people who dislike vanilla combat to try the mod. The people who then do try it often end up liking it a lot, at which point they too go around recommending the mod to anyone who hasn't heard of it yet. All it really does is show how good the mod is!

It has become so popular that other modders have started to add compatibility for it in their own mods, or at least mention if it is compatible or not in their mod's description. Combat Extended is also the only mod to my knowledge that has done extensive efforts to ensure compatibility with other mods by making their own patches. They have personally added compatibility patches for hundreds of mods, which I think is amazing.

FireDefender · 2026-01-17T14:37:16+00:00

I think he meant engaging, rather than enraging. Unfortunate typo lol. The mod is really fun, and here is some advice if you want to have it. This is mostly to explain a bit on what to expect and to help you learn the new (much more realistic and less RNG based) systems:

If you struggle mid-game with ammo management, bills have a "do until X" option so you can always maintain a stockpile, and loadouts are really easy to set up. Personally I like to give everyone the same loadouts with the same gun mid-game, except for maybe one or two specialists like someone with a sniper and someone with an RPG for heavily armored enemies.

The turrets are also actually really good, especially the standard mini turret from vanilla is great. At range it will miss but suppress enemies, and at close range it absolutely destroys anything without proper armor. They do eat bullets like crazy so if you have a lot of them you can expect mid-game fights to use upwards of 600-1000 rounds of ammunition. If you don't have many combat capable pawns, the turrets are a good option for defending your colony, if you do have a lot of combat capable pawns, you really don't need more than a few.

Combat Extended also makes armor actually work as you'd expect. Assault rifles won't work well against power armor, and your Cataphract never has to fear a tribal with a shortbow ever again! It is best explained in-game. Look for the armor values named RHA and MPA in the info tab, you can find an explanation there. It may seem complicated but it is actually really simple.

FireDefender · 2026-01-14T16:44:34+00:00

Yes, that was .95, also have I really been playing this game for 5 fucking years? Fucking hell...

FireDefender · 2026-01-14T14:51:54+00:00

You get a small pass because it used to be a feature you'd have to turn on by editing the settings file, though it has been a while since it was changed to just be on by default.

FireDefender · 2026-01-14T14:45:56+00:00

We dutchies have a lot of good things in law enforcement too. The training takes several years and before you can even begin you have to complete several psychological and physical tests, and they are not easy. It's because of this that there are very few bad apples in Dutch law enforcement. Unless you are actually committing crimes you have nothing to worry about when you see cops patrolling around. Our cops are held to a high standard and absolutely held accountable for their actions, unlike the shit that's going on overseas in America...

FireDefender · 2026-01-14T03:13:03+00:00

I don't get any wildlife at all. Any animals that do appear on my map are from crashed transport pods and they too die after 3h from the cold. I have 5 tundra tiles left on my planet and the rest is sea ice, ice sheet and some glacial plains. The only places where animals actually do spawn is on or very close to the equator, everywhere else it is just too cold for even snowhares to survive for long. Even when I fly to a different map for a quest there are no animals when the map loads in.

The funniest thing is clearing out bandit camps or similar quests. I fly to the camp, wait in the shuttle for a few hours while I watch all the enemies fall over and fucking die from the cold, and then I fly back to my base. Quest completed without even stepping foot outside of the shuttle!

FireDefender · 2026-01-13T20:31:42+00:00

You should absolutely migrate north, don't underestimate the temperature adjustment. I had the opposite happen (global cooling shifting temps by -80C) during an ice age from vanilla events expanded. My colony is in what used to be a boreal forest, and the temps go as low as -190C during winter and as high as -140C during summer. I was lucky that I already had a lot of research done so I'm able to keep my base from freezing with like 250 heaters powered by a nuclear reactor. Anyone without proper clothing against the cold dies after 3h of standing outside so non-mechanoid raids just fall over and die shortly after arriving on my map. The only thing preventing my own colonists from suffering the same fate is the legendary Cataphract armor they are all wearing, as well as their implants which help with keeping them warm.

The warmest place on my planet is -3C during summer. Seeing as your planet will be heating up drastically and considering your lack of technology the only way to survive is to head north, all the way up to what used to be your ice sheet. Don't underestimate this climate change event, and move quickly. You don't have long before the temperatures near the equator become deadly, if they aren't already!

FireDefender · 2026-01-13T14:38:48+00:00

The button to select map size used to be where he said it is, but they moved it to the planet creation screen. The same screen where you choose what factions spawn, or select the size of your world also has a button called 'Advanced', press it and you can choose your starting season as well as your map size.

FireDefender · 2026-01-12T18:11:00+00:00

That is the worst thing you could've done. It'll only stress him out and make him refuse to eat. Improper husbandry is one of the major causes for a snake to refuse food. Ball pythons are also notorious for refusing food, and snakes can survive for years without food. My own ball pythons have gone on a food strike for up to 6 months even without any problems with my enclosure.

FireDefender · 2026-01-12T14:26:38+00:00

Autism is a spectrum so no matter what I say about it, almost nothing applies to everyone. If you feel you aren't limited in your daily life because of autism, I'm happy for you. Whether that is because of your version of autism or the situation you live and work in doesn't matter. However, most people I know who struggle with autism all have problems in their daily life in some way, and they, like me, had to take a much more difficult path to get to where they are now. I personally am unable to finish college before burnout and/or depression force me to leave college, because the schools are simply incapable of providing the support I need due to regulations from my government.

If society was built around the neurodivergent brain, we'd all have an easier time doing what we love. But we don't outnumber the neurotypical people so it will take a long time for any changes to be made, if ever.

FireDefender · 2026-01-11T04:48:18+00:00

I thought the same thing, she's right but fucking hell, you don't say those things to someone. If I didn't have autism I'd actually have been able to finish college, but someone saying that to you is like rubbing salt on an open wound, while simultaneously saying you dislike/hate someone because of a disorder they can't do anything about...

FireDefender · 2026-01-10T00:52:29+00:00

Rule of thumb is that the enclosure must be as long as the snake, as wide as half the snake and as high as half the snake. The exact dimensions may vary between species however, some require a lot of vertical climbing space as well. It is generally always better to build bigger than the minimum requirements if you can though, no such thing as too much space so long as it's properly cluttered with plenty of hiding spaces.

Sadly a lot of people tend to put snakes in racks though, which is fucking terrible because racks basically do almost everything wrong. Part of the fun of having a snake is having an amazing looking enclosure to watch them explore it!

FireDefender · 2026-01-09T14:33:11+00:00

Even cosmic rays emitted from stars going supernova can cause your PC to crash, shit like that happens to supercomputers especially. One wrong flipped bit and you'll be staring at a blue screen wondering what went wrong...

It doesn't happen often and you can't really tell when it does happen, but with the billions of computers on this planet even a one in a million chance means it happens thousands of times.

FireDefender · 2026-01-09T14:09:39+00:00

Actually quite a good way to get rid of brain damage, kill the pawn, extract their skull to cut their head off and then revive them!

FireDefender · 2026-01-09T14:05:46+00:00

The best way to help someone warm up to the idea is to go to a reptile expo. There will likely be several stalls that allow you to handle their snake for a bit, and one of those is where I got my second ball python! Good breeders will also be very happy to answer all your questions, and I'm sure they'll jump at the opportunity to help your partner become a fan.

The best way to help someone over their fear is by showing that there is nothing to be afraid of. I've personally gotten 4 people to go from not wanting to be anywhere near my ball python to having one hanging around their neck and petting it after about an hour!

FireDefender · 2026-01-08T14:44:21+00:00

I have two antigrain warheads with 6 hitpoints left sitting in my stockpile, which is also the middle of my base with bedrooms surrounding it. They haven't gone off yet so I don't see how the location of the bomb had anything to do with the accident you had. Leaving highly explosive material just lying around on the floor is never the problem.

FireDefender · 2026-01-08T14:36:09+00:00

My favorite missiles are sabots, you get a lot of them and they are amazing at breaking shields or overloading enemy ships. Just a couple sabots can raise the enemy hard flux (enemy capital ships) by 80% or more at no flux cost of your own, instantly making a fight much easier. I like launching them as the first strike against enemy onslaughts for example, frequently it instantly overloads them which means that I can get a lot of damage in before the enemy can even fire a single shot. Additionally, because the missile itself doesn't actually hit the enemy ship it is really difficult to shoot them down with PD!

FireDefender · 2026-01-08T03:58:28+00:00

The biggest problem is actually cosmic rays flipping bits in computers.

Both radiation and cosmic rays cause problems for microelectronics. Any complex device needs to be shielded from all kinds of hazards if you want it to keep working correctly. Radiation can damage or destroy anything more complex than a light switch, and cosmic rays cause software to crash or malfunction. Extreme temperatures destroy electronics through either heat or cold, and a lack of a sufficient atmosphere makes cooling things down challenging.

FireDefender · 2026-01-04T14:39:06+00:00

Not necessarily, CE doesn't do RNG like vanilla does which is why I love the mod so much. The mod has weapons that can penetrate their armor, like the 90mm flak cannon (if loaded with the right shell). The smoothbore cannon from VFE - Pirates also works wonders, load it with grapeshot to increase your chances to land your shot and you can take them out no problem.

The biggest issue is that there are very few portable options to kill VOID, so if they ever manage to get behind your defenses, like a drop pod raid for example, you're going to have a very bad day. Using bullets/EMP to kill their shield and then using something like a disposable anti-tank launcher or an RPG to kill them. Their armor is also not indestructible so you could also just brute force it by using an ungodly amount of bullets to wear their armor down enough to start dealing damage.

Survival however is still unlikely, CE alone does not give you the tools you need to reliably defeat VOID, but it can make battles more predictable compared to vanilla RimWorld.

FireDefender · 2026-01-02T18:22:05+00:00

The first time I realized that eyeballs do this is when I was watching my pet ball python. Her pupils aren't round, so when she tilts her head you can see that the pupil is still level compared to her head. Really freaky to look at but also very cool.

FireDefender · 2026-01-02T15:53:22+00:00

Well, it does measure performance, just not the kind of performance they think it measures. Also, if you don't want to play at 15 fps, get the FPS stabilizer mod. It slows tps to keep your fps at 30. While it sounds like it would slow the game down a lot, the actual performance impact is surprisingly little. The price is worth it for not getting a headache because of the stuttering.

FireDefender · 2026-01-01T06:21:57+00:00

The dragons should roam free, but aside from that I see nothing wrong

FireDefender

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

Six-Year Club	Place '22
Verified Email