Some Ideas


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I've been bouncing these about in my brainbox for a bit, and thought I'd share my thoughts here on the forum. After all, that is the theoretical reason I'm playing the beta!

Item One, The Tent. I feel it should function perhaps as a form of advanced bedroll, allowing you to sleep through the night and regain some health or perhaps just without as much loss of hunger. For the sake of character changing, if players feel so inclined, a mirror could be built that would function as their gateway to other characters.

On a related note, it would be nice to see improved versions of the bedroll. Instead of grass, the second version is a woolly sleeping pad, requiring equal parts rope, but with the grass replaced by wool. This form would provide some health recovery with lower hunger cost. The final requires rope and silk, obviously improving sleep quality once more, providing greater health benefits and minimal hunger loss.

Item Two, Additional Weaponry. As fun as the spear and the spiky tentacle are, I crave a little more variety to my violence. A tomahawk [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomahawk_(axe)] could be made available as a starting weapon, without requiring research it simply takes one stone and two twigs to make. Little known fact, the term tomahawk was used interchangeably for both bludgeoning clubs and the bladed axe like form that came to be known as the modern tomahawk. OBviously this little axe is more like the club variant, and therefore cannot cut trees but does slightly more damage than tools. Still worse than the spear of course.

A Macuahuitl [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macuahuitl] could serve as an improved varient of weapon, requiring perhaps 400 research points to create. It was basically a wooden club fitted with razor sharp stone, such as obsidian, along the sides creating a sort of crude sword. The stones were knapped until razor sharp, and incidental evidence suggests that the indigenous peoples who used them could even decapitate horses in a single swing. Much better than the spear, potentially better than the spiky tentacle this monster of a weapon would require one log, and six to ten flint.

In extension, obsidian would make for a great weapon or tool upgrade from flint, or gold. It held an incredibly sharp edge, but was unfortunately brittle, so perhaps improved chopping/killing/mining/digging speed, but slightly less durability than gold.

Item Three, Tall Birds. Potentially the coolest creature in this game, it simultaneously intrigues me and creeps me right out. I've been enjoying studying them, and collecting their eggs but some more content related to them would be excellent. Tallbird feather headdress or cape anyone? I alos feel that their eggs are too easy to steal, given the remarkable amount of research points they provide. If the eggs were worth less research, or the Tall Birds faster/more persistent in their pursuit I would feel as though I were in legitimate danger. As it is, they're hardly threatening.

Speaking of clothing, how about a Hugh Hefner style smoking jacket for us gents out there, and an evening gown for the ladies. It'd go great with my top hat.

Lots of silk, some wool, rope and a little gold for the trim and viola! Style.

Item Four, Difficulty. I'm sure that there may be some opponents to this, and I can understand the need to make your game approachable for the general public but as a mostly casual gamer I feel that the challenge in Don't Starve wears thin once you've researched some of the advanced items and become comfortable with the games dynamic. Obviously any game plays out that way, and it in no way reflects poor design. That said, if the game were slightly less lenient, and required more upkeep, or the enemies were more dangerous. Tentacles that moved, albeit slowly, so that you don't always know where they are. Spiders are done well, with their sporadic attitude and aggressive behavior, but don't range very from from their nests. Werepigs, constantly hostile that occasionally roam deep forests, and poisonous mushrooms are some examples that spring to mind.

All in all, I love Don't Starve, and I'm sure a lot will change as time passes, but personally I would love to see it evolve into a game of desperate survival, where terror rules the night and each day alive is a triumph unparalleled by any other achievement the game could offer.

Thanks for your time Klei, and thanks even more for the opportunity to be a part of this incredible beta test. This community straight up rocks. Rocks with gold in them.

Edited by Shadoweangel
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They are working on the difficulty curve of the game from day 50 onwards I believe.

They have introduced feathers but currently no use- knowing klei it will have a use in the near future...

As for weapons been a lot of talk on ranged weapons. Not sure if it will happen in the future or not but there is talk on weapons. We only just got the spear a few weeks ago ^_^

Also a note- Tall birds don't respawn. So its hard to keep them alive when they feel like chasing and attacking you... I am two shy at the moment. Means less eggs for me

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Thanks for the info M'Lady! I'm fairly fresh to the scene, so some of the info about the newest updates is foreign to me. I should probably read more of the update notes and forum posts before I go off on tangents, but I'm just now finishing reading everything.

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Item One, The Tent. I feel it should function perhaps as a form of advanced bedroll, allowing you to sleep through the night and regain some health or perhaps just without as much loss of hunger. For the sake of character changing, if players feel so inclined, a mirror could be built that would function as their gateway to other characters.

Sleeping through the night and regaining health sounds good, but it should still cost you hunger as normal. Maybe when you hover your cursor over the tent it could show you how much "hunger" (how much emptier your stomach would be) if you used the tent. In that regards characters would need to eat or have a full stomach before using the tent.

On a related note, it would be nice to see improved versions of the bedroll. Instead of grass, the second version is a woolly sleeping pad, requiring equal parts rope, but with the grass replaced by wool. This form would provide some health recovery with lower hunger cost. The final requires rope and silk, obviously improving sleep quality once more, providing greater health benefits and minimal hunger loss.

Maybe they could add in a new animal... Sheeples. They could be sheep... or sheep-like people (like the Pig Men). Then the razor would finally have a purpose for Willow and Wendy, and every character could create a fluffy wool bed. :)

Item Two, Additional Weaponry. As fun as the spear and the spiky tentacle are, I crave a little more variety to my violence. A tomahawk could be made available as a starting weapon, without requiring research it simply takes one stone and two twigs to make. Little known fact, the term tomahawk was used interchangeably for both bludgeoning clubs and the bladed axe like form that came to be known as the modern tomahawk. OBviously this little axe is more like the club variant, and therefore cannot cut trees but does slightly more damage than tools. Still worse than the spear of course.

A Macuahuitl could serve as an improved varient of weapon, requiring perhaps 400 research points to create. It was basically a wooden club fitted with razor sharp stone, such as obsidian, along the sides creating a sort of crude sword. The stones were knapped until razor sharp, and incidental evidence suggests that the indigenous peoples who used them could even decapitate horses in a single swing. Much better than the spear, potentially better than the spiky tentacle this monster of a weapon would require one log, and six to ten flint.

A club sounds like a good idea, considering the level of technology on the islands. Also, as has been thrown around elsewhere on the forum, I would also suggest bow and arrows. That would give a purpose for the feathers (flint + twig + feather = 1 arrow). As ranged combat would provide a HUGE tactical advantage, since the characters run faster than most of their foes (allowing for running and gunning, so to speak), you would want to limit the number of arrows characters could create so they could stockpile them as easily (32 arrows per slot).

A slingshot would also be a neat weapon to have as a lower-tech level to the bow and arrows. It would give another use for all those rocks we keep collecting when searching for gold. On the topic of gold, they really should "mix up" the contents of boulders. I'm a little surprised that they didn't have iron instead of gold inside the boulders. Then again, maybe that's too Minecraft...? :)

At the top of the weapon tech tree I wouldn't mind seeing the flintlock rifle. I would allow it one-shot kills, but balance that by giving it a long reload time when compared to using a bow and arrow. So it's more like fire, kill, more enemies?... run away! Or switch to another weapon. Another idea, instead of the flintlock rifle would be the Blunderbuss. Why? Because of its name and design. :)

In extension, obsidian would make for a great weapon or tool upgrade from flint, or gold. It held an incredibly sharp edge, but was unfortunately brittle, so perhaps improved chopping/killing/mining/digging speed, but slightly less durability than gold.

Agreed. And I hope they don't include gold weapons... why anyone would use gold as a weapon metal is beyond me. They should have a volcanic island, with intermittent lava rivers that block your path and steam vents that scald you, as hazards of said island. But like flint on other islands, obsidian could be lying around to be claimed by those brave enough to face these perils. ;)

Item Three, Tall Birds. Potentially the coolest creature in this game, it simultaneously intrigues me and creeps me right out. I've been enjoying studying them, and collecting their eggs but some more content related to them would be excellent. Tallbird feather headdress or cape anyone? I alos feel that their eggs are too easy to steal, given the remarkable amount of research points they provide. If the eggs were worth less research, or the Tall Birds faster/more persistent in their pursuit I would feel as though I were in legitimate danger. As it is, they're hardly threatening.

Ah yes, the tall birds are a hot topic. I agree there needs to be more to them. First off, with legs that long you would think that they would be faster. Right now it's child's play for me to steal their precious eggs and run away while mocking them as they try in vain to give chase. As such, I believe the tall birds should move faster than the characters, forcing players to either stealth-steal eggs or be prepared to fight for them. That said, maybe one character could be made unique by be faster than the others. Speed would be a great asset in the game after all. Also, when you kill a tall bird they should drop feathers, which in combination with bow and arrows would make them a faster source for that component than ordinary birds (i.e. 5 vs 1 feather).

And while not my idea, someone has suggested using stolen tall bird eggs to hatch/raise your own mount, which would be a means of travelling around the islands faster. An idea that works well if you increased the speed of the tall birds.

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Hmmm. Oddly it wouldn't let me respond to all your points in the same post. So here's the rest of my responses:

Speaking of clothing, how about a Hugh Hefner style smoking jacket for us gents out there, and an evening gown for the ladies. It'd go great with my top hat. Lots of silk, some wool, rope and a little gold for the trim and viola! Style.

An interesting idea. I'll not sure how much Willow and Wendy would care for gowns. Maybe have the clothing character specific? Like a black funeral dress for Willow, but a sun dress for Wendy. I keep thinking "safari hunter clothes" with a classic pith helmet would be nice to have out in the wilderness. :)

Item Four, Difficulty. I'm sure that there may be some opponents to this, and I can understand the need to make your game approachable for the general public but as a mostly casual gamer I feel that the challenge in Don't Starve wears thin once you've researched some of the advanced items and become comfortable with the games dynamic. Obviously any game plays out that way, and it in no way reflects poor design. That said, if the game were slightly less lenient, and required more upkeep, or the enemies were more dangerous. Tentacles that moved, albeit slowly, so that you don't always know where they are. Spiders are done well, with their sporadic attitude and aggressive behavior, but don't range very from from their nests. Werepigs, constantly hostile that occasionally roam deep forests, and poisonous mushrooms are some examples that spring to mind.

I agree, there needs to be a ramping-up in difficulty and the best gauge for that would be how long your character has survived. It makes me think of Terraria, as they have events like the goblin invasion. Maybe once you reach a certain day, say Day 50, they have unique events, like the Great Spider Migration which has spiders swarming around everywhere at night no matter where you camp. Or on full moons pig men become violent werepigs. Or maybe violent weather and nature events, like an earthquake that starts sinking random islands in sections until they are gone. That would certainly force players to grab what they could from their base camp and run before they were swallowed-up by the waves.

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Pigs do turn into werepigs on a full moon.;)

I kid you not, but I visited the pig man village right after I finished posting on the forum and discovered that fact to my horror (as it turned out to be a full moon). And to think, I had been so good to them before, feeding them grilled monster meat! Ironically werepigs drop monster meat when they die... so I fed that to the pig men the next morning. I don't feel guilty about that at all. :p

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The craziest situation I've had so far was when I fed grilled monster meat to ~6 pig men and used them to assault a large spider nest (twice). It all went pretty well until I couldn't pick-up all the silk due to the surrounding trees, so we chopped one down... and woke up a treant. Poor pig men...

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Sleeping through the night and regaining health sounds good, but it should still cost you hunger as normal. Maybe when you hover your cursor over the tent it could show you how much "hunger" (how much emptier your stomach would be) if you used the tent. In that regards characters would need to eat or have a full stomach before using the tent.

At first, the tent was an item, to regain health, but some kind of useless. So with the actual build, the meatfarms are gone (which is good), and healing with food is harder now. I don't like the thing, that the tent was changed to switch over other characters; healing with a full stomach is a good revival of the healing function, in my opinion. I like the idea.

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