Cloning Systems

Cloning Systems

This guide covers the player-facing cloning loop in Rimgate: unlocking cloning, running pods safely, managing biomass and power costs, and understanding failure outcomes before they ruin a run.

For the biomass economy feeding this system, see Wraith Biomass and Cocoon Operations.
For global progression gates, see Research and Progression.
For random world pressure, see Incidents, Quests, and Sites.

At a Glance

• Cloning is a high-power, high-biomass system built around the cloning pod.
• Mode unlocks are research-gated (genome -> full -> enhanced -> reconstruction).
• Calibration needs a qualified pawn (default Medicine 10 minimum).
• biomass stabilizers reduce biomass cost but degrade and must be replaced.
• cyclic wave inducer speeds cloning cycles if powered.
• Minor failures are enabled by default; major failures are optional but dangerous.

Unlock Path

1. Progress Wraith research to Wraith science (Rimgate_WraithBasic).
2. Analyze a recovered Wraith cloning pod object to unlock cloning (Rimgate_WraithCloneGenome).
3. Build your own cloning pod after cloning research is complete.
4. Extend modes with:
   • full-body replication (Rimgate_WraithCloneFull)
   • clone enhancement (Rimgate_WraithCloneEnhancement)
   • reconstruction (Rimgate_WraithCloneCorpse)
5. Add cloning pod optimization (Rimgate_CloningPodOptimization) for major efficiency gains.

Core Infrastructure

Cloning pod (base)

• Build cost: 140 steel, 100 biomass, 6 industrial components, 4 naquadria, 2 spacer components
• Power draw: 9200W active, 500W idle
• Power after optimization research: 5980W active, 325W idle
• Biomass tank: 250
• Biomass is only consumed when a cycle actually starts

Important:

• Pod can hold living pawns or corpses, but clone generation only succeeds for humanlike targets.
• Putting in invalid targets (for example non-humanlike flesh) can waste setup time and fail at calibration.

Optimization facilities

Facility	Effect	Limits	Cost to run
biomass stabilizer	Reduces biomass needed per cycle	Up to 4, adjacent placement	5W each
cyclic wave inducer	Speeds calibration and incubation	1 per pod, up to 12.9 tiles	200W active (40W idle)

Stabilizer notes:

• Default reduction is 5% each (20% at 4 units, settings can change this).
• Hard cap is 50% total reduction.
• Stabilizers are non-repairable and decay during use.

Clone Modes (Default Settings)

Defaults below assume unchanged mod settings.

Mode	Unlock	Host Type	Biomass Cost	Calibration	Base Incubation
Genome	cloning	Living pawn	100	4500 ticks (1.8h)	120000 ticks (2.0d)
Full	full-body replication	Living pawn	150	6750 ticks (2.7h)	180000 ticks (3.0d)
Enhanced	clone enhancement	Living pawn	200	9000 ticks (3.6h)	240000 ticks (4.0d)
Reconstruction	reconstruction	Corpse	250	11250 ticks (4.5h)	300000 ticks (5.0d)

Incubation time then shifts again by calibration outcome:

• No issues: x0.75 (faster)
• Minor issues: x1.25
• Major issues: x1.5

What Clones Inherit

Shared baseline

• Clones copy host genes (xeno + endogenes).
• Clones receive visible Generation X clone tracking.
• Clones usually spawn with clone pod sickness and clone activation shock.
• clone activation shock hard-limits consciousness short-term, so post-spawn medical support is mandatory.

By mode

• Genome:
  • Starts as a replicant profile (new learning-focused setup)
  • Skills reset, then gets random minor passions
• Full:
  • Closest to original profile
  • Keeps passions, skills are reduced by default (80%, or full if NoSkillLoss setting is enabled)
• Enhanced:
  • Combat-biased profile (fixed high combat focus)
  • Gets the enduring hediff bonus package
• Reconstruction:
  • Corpse-based recovery route
  • More expensive and slower than other modes

Additional risk:

• Clones can receive cellular degradation gene as a side effect (chance varies by mode).

Failure Model

Default behavior:

• Minor failures: enabled, default 10% chance
• Major failures: disabled by default (can be enabled in settings)

Minor failure pool:

• Gender swap
• Albino mutation package
• Bonus random genes
• Randomized trait package

Major failure pool (if enabled):

• Clone dies on emergence
• Host dies during process (living-host modes)
• Damaged clone profile
• Insane clone profile (can emerge berserk)

Reconstruction exception:

• Host-death major failure is removed for corpse reconstruction runs.

Operating Workflow

1. Select clone mode on the pod (Genome, Full, Enhanced, or Reconstruction when unlocked).
2. Load a valid subject:
   • Living pawn for normal modes
   • Corpse for reconstruction
3. Assign calibration.
   • Calibration uses the cloning workgiver and requires meeting medicine threshold.
4. On calibration finish, host is ejected and incubation begins (if biomass is available).
5. Pod consumes biomass at incubation start, then runs until emergence.
6. Clone spawns at pod interaction cell with outcome letter + side effects.

Interruption Behavior

• No biomass at incubation start: pod goes Paused until refueled.
• Power loss during calibration: cycle fails and must be restarted.
• Power loss during incubation: progress pauses (does not advance while unpowered).
• Abort incubation command: cancels cycle and discards pending clone.
• Manual Eject command: removes occupant and resets cycle state.

Incident Risk

If clone incidents are enabled, mass clone failure can occur and kill all pawns flagged as clones.

Practical meaning:

• Clone-heavy colonies should treat that setting as a major difficulty lever.

Common Mistakes

• Turning on cloning before your grid can handle sustained ~9kW active draw.
• Forgetting that stabilizers degrade and cannot be repaired.
• Running reconstruction without enough biomass reserve for full cycle completion.
• Using low-skill calibrators and assuming failures are impossible.
• Ignoring Basic work priority and wondering why calibration never starts.

Strategy Checklist

• Build cloning in phases: power reserve -> biomass reserve -> first pod -> optimization facilities.
• Keep one pod lane for stable production and one lane for riskier experiments.
• Use stabilizers for expensive modes (Enhanced, Reconstruction) where savings matter most.
• Keep inducer powered continuously during active runs to avoid timeline drift.
• Decide early whether clone incidents stay enabled and plan colony doctrine around that choice.