Knowing the seasons in Ratopia affects your progress and strategy in the game. In this Ratopia Seasons guide, we have explained quite detailed information about the four seasons for you!
Ratopia Seasons Guide
The first thing that will accompany you right from the beginning of the game is the seasons. Perhaps, when you first start the game, you might not pay attention to the current season and the buffs/debuffs it brings. But I assure you, this dark horse will bring you many problems, especially when your colony reaches significant scales.
Clock
Let’s figure out how to determine the current day. In the top right corner (near the map), there are clocks that show us: which day it is (each season lasts for 14 days), the current time (though a day is divided into 24 hours, here only the first 12 hours are shown, and the night the next 12 hours), and on the left, in a small circle, the icon of the current year cycle is displayed.
The rat uprising is also displayed on your clock. So you can easily calculate when you need to return to your settlement to defend it from attacks.
Spring
The first season that greets the player right at the beginning. No aggressive natural events in the first year, just brief and weak rains. What’s best to do in the next 14 days (besides developing your settlement):
- Gather plants. There are only three seasons in the game when you can gather plants. It may seem like winter is still far away, and you’ll have plenty of time. No, you won’t. As your colony grows, you’ll hardly have time for such trivial matters as gathering. By the first winter, you’ll have around 20-25 little rats, and the optimal amount of food in stock should be around 400.
So, little kittens, don’t neglect this important part of gameplay. Look for a large accumulation of food outside/underground (berries, wheat) and set up a Collection Point as soon as possible. Don’t forget to choose what exactly your worker will gather.
The only edible plant that will grow regardless of the current season is mushrooms, which we find underground.
- Collect rainwater! Even though there’s not much rain now, it makes sense to start preparing for sowing already. What do we need for this? Here are three options:2.1. Cheap and cheerful. As you develop, you will likely go deeper underground. Water here has physics, slightly broken, but enough to flow down and pass through stairs. Build several deep pits right under the stairs for rainwater to accumulate. And be sure to line the bottom with other blocks. Once enough water has collected, you can go down and start bailing water yourself. Don’t forget that little rats can’t breathe underwater for too long!2.2. Thinking about the future. We can research the Water Tank, which will give us one workplace. Keep in mind that this tank will not give you water; it will only give the worker the function of collecting water. If you don’t make a special pit for collecting water, keep in mind that the water will be absorbed into the default soil after the rain stops.2.3. Dew collection. Personally, I rarely use this method, as it is only relevant in warm seasons. Deveb, you can research immediately after the Water Tank. You could say it’s an improved version of the first method because dew will accumulate on the cobweb and fall down. Prepare containers!
- Try to explore the territory deeply since you will need research points and ore. Wood and grass will not be a priority for you in the first two seasons because you will always have them at your disposal in the form of a huge oak tree next to the spawn point.
Summer
Put on your hats, or your head will get sunburned! Storms and scorching heat have been added. I hope you’ve made places for water collection, especially the Water Tank, as now rains will be almost daily. They don’t have any negative effects on buildings/little rats, except that the radius of your vision will be slightly limited.
Heatwave imposes a negative effect on your little rats, affecting their movement speed. The weather won’t set buildings/structures on fire.
Autumn
Autumn is the last chance to stock up on resources for the upcoming winter. It will also be accompanied by heavy rains. What you need to do before the winter begins:
- Accumulate at least 400 units of food. If you have fewer than 20 little rats, I advise checking the “Statistics” section (press G), the last tab. It will display: the amount of your food from all storages, how many days it will last, and the development trend.
- Harvest wood. No trees will grow, and the only way to replenish your supplies will be tree bark. My personal advice is 200/300 units to avoid gathering wood in the middle of winter. The Lumberjack Camp will help you passively cut down growing trees nearby (does not apply to bark).
- Find 2 to 4 fishing spots. This is another way to replenish food supplies during winter, as underground lakes do not freeze. A fishing spot will provide one vacancy for your little rats. You don’t need to choose an additional fish species.
*Note: Fish dishes can only be eaten by middle-class little rats. So, for the first time, leave it raw.
- Make a deal with your conscience. Rabbits are too cute to kill, but on grains and berries, your colony won’t survive. So, look for rabbit holes, set up a Hunting Lodge and a Butchery. The first location will collect rabbits in storage, and the second will process these rabbits into meat, bones, and hides. I recommend setting up two butcheries right away, as you’ll soon have more than 100 rabbits in stock, and one butchery won’t keep up with processing them.
Winter
Put on warm mittens and grab shovels for the snow! Fortunately for all of us, winter won’t bring sub-zero temperatures and freeze our little rats. During winter, we will be covered in snow (including stairs), and that’s it for weather changes. From snowdrifts, we will get snow that can be used later to make ice cream.
I highly recommend not breeding new little rats at this time because your food supply is already severely limited.
Berry Garden, Grain Farm, Florist, and Grass Field will operate even during winter, but for this, you need to spend additional resources: water collected with rain and fertilizer (obtained by processing lime at the mill).
