I love rimworld, and have never been able to get into dwarf fortress properly, but I'd characterize DF as way more advanced than rimworld in terms of mechanics

I love rimworld, and have never been able to get into dwarf fortress properly, but I'd characterize DF as way more advanced than rimworld in terms of mechanics and simulation. Rimworld sacrifices a lot of complexity in favor of a simpler UI and a more streamlined game. I haven't modded rimworld to oblivion yet, but I don't think you can e.g. make rimworld 3D in any convincing sense through mods. That said, I recommend rimworld anyway.