It's been almost 4 years since DST released and the game largely plays the same

[sudoku]

We don't have a road-map yet for 2020 but I hope that whatever content they are working on alters the game so it is different than how we currently play. Don't get me wrong I love how the game currently plays but simply put we have been playing this way for 4 years now and the game is still largely ROG+ instead of evolving into its own unique thing.

That's not to say I don't appreciate the updates we have had. I think additions like the antlion is a step in the right direction in terms of non optional content that forces you to make a decision on your gameplay strategy, and they did admit that most of the ROT stuff was a foundation, but its hard to ignore the fact that most of the new content is fluff, can be ignored, optional, or hasn't had any affect on the meta, save stone fruit.  Now i know this isn't an MMO or a MOBA but those and other similar community based online games are constantly updating and shifting the meta with balancing and new game-play additions. And Don't Starve needs these to keep the game interesting.   

In my opinion both singleplayer, its exapnsions, and the multiplayer suffer from the same issue: the core gameplay loop is addicting, so much so that you run out of content the more you play, but because the game is open ended and can go on forever it gets boring without anything new.  Right now it seems DST's solution to this is ROT content, which has been underwhelming, events which are fluff, and skins. Outside of adding new content, I would really like to see more RNG added into the game to help solve some of the issues with repeated playthroughs. I'm also not sure why Klei is reluctant to touch any of the old items that go mostly unused and ignored but making those better would be a great way to spice the game up and they wouldnt need to be completely reworked like characters, simple number tuning would do in most cases.   

Here is a small example of what I mean combining everything I have discussed:

There are 4 days left in autumn, you build a thermal measurer to track the coming winter. It reads this winter is going to be colder than usual.  You then build a rainometer, unlucky for you it also reads that this winter will have more precipitation than last years so you can expect heavy snowfall with the occasional blizzard. The blizzards will make travelling rather difficult without goggles and will also make you forgo the warmth from headgear so you'll need to pay attention to the rainometer as to when exactly a blizzard will strike. While the snow is calm, you surely will be busy prepping for the Yetski, a yeti-like creature who is quick on its feet as it glides through the winter snow, since he lurks in blizzards.  The Yetski is a formidable winter opponent with a freeze aura that negates any source of warmth requiring a different strategy than your typical Deerclops encounter. Luckily there is still time to kill some batilisks for their wings to allow you to craft a Bat Bat. Its lifesteal is a must if you want to counter the yetski's freezerburn. 

There is new meaningful content that you have to deal with in the form of a new gameplay content, RNG which determines how you encounter this content, and a shift towards using other items that currently go ignored and would hopefully be buffed a bit.  This is the type of stuff I would like to see get added to DST to shake it up and give it its own identity while also improving replayability.

[me real life]

1 minute ago, sudoku said:

its hard to ignore the fact that most of the new content is fluff, can be ignored, optional, or hasn't had any affect on the meta, save stone fruit.  Now i know this isn't an MMO or a MOBA but those and other similar community based online games are constantly updating and shifting the meta with balancing and new game-play additions. And Don't Starve needs these to keep the game interesting.   

My biggest piece of advice to anyone that's started to get bored with the meta: stop following the meta. The meta for DS/T is and always has been incredibly boring and repetitive to follow, it consists of using the same few items to accomplish the same few tasks over and over, until the game is "won" and then that world is abandoned, and any updates to the meta simply switch around a couple of those items and tasks. The game gets way more fun imo when you branch out and try new stuff on your own, like using an insulated pack + heating food to survive winter, or focusing on the optional RoT content and surviving off of fish. The meta doesn't have to change if you aren't stuck in it and you do your own things just because you enjoy the variety rather than because they're the best.

[Mike23Ua]

Antlion can be ignored completely too.. I don’t bother to seek it out or kill it, same with dragonfly- They stay in their own biomes doing their own thing so I don’t ever bother to Quote Alister Black “Pick A Fight with Them.”

 

To ask for content, more particularly to ask for NEW HARDCORE VETERAN style content that forces itself upon the player would literally be a death sentencing for this game- Which like it or not has spiked in popularity for casuals over the years.

Which is exactly why most “New” Stuff that has been added has been completely Optional.

But imagine for a second if they Amp’d Insanity up to 11.. added some new mobs that fight differently from Crawling Horror and Terrorbeaks and at full fledge 100% Insane spawns a World devouring corruption that if not dealt with within a certain amount of time will completely Erase your world.

(like the final boss of Fable 3)

Yeah... you would probably be the only one who would want that.

TL:DR it’s good that most the stuff they add is completely OPTIONAL forced content is just altogether bad all around for everyone involved. Theres a Reason why you can toggle on and off certain parts of the game prior to hosting a world, and I do not expect that to change anytime soon.

[sudoku]

2 minutes ago, Sunset Skye said:

My biggest piece of advice to anyone that's started to get bored with the meta: stop following the meta. The meta for DS/T is and always has been incredibly boring and repetitive to follow, it consists of using the same few items to accomplish the same few tasks over and over, until the game is "won" and then that world is abandoned, and any updates to the meta simply switch around a couple of those items and tasks. The game gets way more fun imo when you branch out and try new stuff on your own, like using an insulated pack + heating food to survive winter, or focusing on the optional RoT content and surviving off of fish. The meta doesn't have to change if you aren't stuck in it and you do your own things just because you enjoy the variety rather than because they're the best.

While I understand you certainly can impose challenges on yourself to spice things up I see that as an artificial way to add replay-ability.  That still doesn't change the fact that you are still dealing with the same challenges as before. I want new challenges that significantly change how you play rather than "Okay I will only fish as a food source" or "No using a backpack for me!".   

[Owlrust]

DST in its truest sense is a game that is meant to be played on a "learn-and-experience" pathway, where the player struggles through the challenges before them and ultimately learns how to get past them; as you progress in the game, you see new bosses, learn how to use your characters, and enjoy the game's mechanics as you get to see it throughout your time surviving. Many people often look at the wiki, or search up youtubers for strategy and info, which in essence, spoils the secrets the game has to offer earlier than you should be able to discover them. It's a very long game in essence, but people want to know everything at once and they ultimately get bored when they already know what's going to happen.

The roadmap should be coming out soon, and Klei has never failed us before, so I'm sure it will keep players (especially advanced players) engaged much more, and bring on more new players.

[sudoku]

The problem with optional content is that it largely isnt worth doing or the rewards you get are luxuries. That is what I mean by non meaningful content.  Killing the Deerclops gives you the eyeball which helps you deal with spring. Killing the Toadstool doesnt give you anything to help you deal with an additional threat and largely isn't worth it.

I'm not sure why the DST community prefers this type of content compared to Singleplayer content, where there are actually new challanges and strategies you have to adapt to.   

[Mike23Ua]

6 minutes ago, sudoku said:

The problem with optional content is that it largely isnt worth doing or the rewards you get are luxuries. That is what I mean by non meaningful content.  Killing the Deerclops gives you the eyeball which helps you deal with spring. Killing the Toadstool doesnt give you anything to help you deal with an additional threat and largely isn't worth it.

I'm not sure why the DST community prefers this type of content compared to Singleplayer content, where there are actually new challanges and strategies you have to adapt to.   

Because DST for the most part is a Multiplayer game, but for example forcing a Multiplayer ONLY boss threat down upon people who may not exactly have 5 buddies they can get together would only be fun for the people who wanted that.

 

I play State of Decay 2 on NIGHTMARE Difficulty, that is a Self-Imposed death wish on my own Behalf, the Difference.. is that I’m doing that in a Single Player Environment where the choices I make don’t hinder anyone else’s enjoyment of the game.

Don’t get me wrong I would LOVE more Hardcore Content in DST, But asking for it to force itself to COME to the players is the absolute wrong way to go about Doing that..

I gave items that people deem as “Useless” an actual life-saving use, but at the same time I separated this content into its own “Islands” so that WHEN Players choose to they can tackle this content themselves and not just have it pop up to ruin their enjoyment of the current gameplay they’re enjoying.

you can check out the idea i posted about that here: 

 

[Lennard]

I think the large problem with this is that the game is almost always predictable and there's basically no surprises. Sure, the world is shaped randomly, the biome placement is kinda random. This can change how you can base and what you can do, but it's largely the same. It would be interesting if the seasons changed was sort of random like spring could come earlier or later. There could also be more weather events that aren't predictable at all. Or when a world is generated, it could have random traits that make some things easier and some things harder. I think rimworld is kind of a good example of this. Sure, the game gets new content. but you experience in like 15 days and after that, it just feels the same again.

Edit: Btw this is mostly about people that know the game. For new players, the game can be quite a journey to learn since it's very open-ended and it wouldn't feel the same.

[sudoku]

1 minute ago, Mike23Ua said:

Because DST for the most part is a Multiplayer game, but for example forcing a Multiplayer ONLY boss threat down upon people who may not exactly have 5 buddies they can get together would only be fun for the people who wanted that.

 

I play State of Decay 2 on NIGHTMARE Difficulty, that is a Self-Imposed death wish on my own Behalf, the Difference.. is that I’m doing that in a Single Player Environment where the choices I make don’t hinder anyone else’s enjoyment of the game.

Don’t get me wrong I would LOVE more Hardcore Content in DST, But asking for it to force itself to COME to the players is the absolute wrong way to go about Doing that..

I gave items that people deem as “Useless” an actual life-saving use, but at the same time I separated this content into its own “Islands” so that WHEN Players choose to they can tackle this content themselves and not just have it pop up to ruin their enjoyment of the current gameplay they’re enjoying.

you can check out the idea i posted about that here: 

 

I don't look at adding new meaningful game play as forcing me to play it just as i wouldn't consider a new level in a platformer as forcing to me play it. In fact I would welcome that new level so that i didn't have to play the old one over and over. 

[Kyno]

Start Basebuilding

[sudoku]

Idk I dont know why when I suggest new survival gameplay being added people assume I should impose artificial challenges or basebuild when the developers are developing new content for their "survival" game. 

it just seems to me most people who disagree dont want any changes to their social chat sim where they are content to just sit in base and watch carrats perform run and jump animations and scoff at the idea of significant gameplay additions that alter how you survive when surviving is the name of the game. 

[Scrimbles]

The game has been "learned" at this point, even when not playing optimally and using all the "meta" strategies the game can still be incredibly easy.

 

Klei have been completely focusing on small little events that provide no lasting value, which is a terrible way to have player retention, its the reason why games like Overwatch drop off so damn fast, the content gets stale because it becomes so easy, so the devs focus on rapid patches to entice people with new content, only for it to be learned and ignored quickly after, repeat infinitely until the game dies.

~~~~~~~~~~

edit: I don't mean to imply that any of these side events are bad, FAAAAAAAR from it, I like all the new boat mechanics, fishing, the chinese new year events, it's all cool stuff, but I worry that so much time is spent on these little events instead of longer lasting, more impactful content.

~~~~~~~~~~

They need to add something with lasting value, tweaking later seasons, overpowered strategies, or adding some kind of hardcore mode could help the game last for SO much longer than small side stuff like catching fish... because you may get a heavier fish. Or racing rats... so you can... get rewards that are incredibly limited and largely replaceable?

I don't expect Klei to layer more difficult content onto the core game, as much as I want that it would kind of hurt newer players experience, in the same way that RoG does, but somethings gotta change if people are going to stay interested in the game.

 

I think the only attempt at this was disease, but thats such a pointless, unintrusive, easy to avoid mechanic that was either intentionally designed that way, or was quickly abandoned because people didn't like it (because it wasn't interesting, not because it was more difficulty).

[sudoku]

18 minutes ago, Ogrecakes said:

They need to add something with lasting value, tweaking later seasons, overpowered strategies, or adding some kind of hardcore mode could help the game last for SO much longer than small side stuff like catching fish... because you may get a heavier fish. Or racing rats... so you can... get rewards that are incredibly limited and largely replaceable?

I don't expect Klei to layer more difficult content onto the core game, as much as I want that it would kind of hurt newer players experience, in the same way that RoG does, but somethings gotta change if people are going to stay interested in the game.

 

I think the only attempt at this was disease, but thats such a pointless, unintrusive, easy to avoid mechanic that was either intentionally designed that way, or was quickly abandoned because people didn't like it (because it wasn't interesting, not because it was more difficulty).

Outside of adding a hardcore mode alongside survival, wilderness, and endless, they could even make a naturally spawning structure, similar to the Adventure Door, where one you activate it with all the players in the vicinity, the hardcore content enables and is reflected in the server description.

It just seems weird to me that in a game that counts the number of years you survive, there is only content for that first year. 

[Scrimbles]

Just now, sudoku said:

It just seems weird to me that in a game that counts the number of years you survive, there is only content for that first year. 

If Klei is potentially worried about making the new player experience harder, they could always just add more challenges to the second, third, however many years survived.

Most players don't even survive past the first year for dozens of hours of play time, so it couldn't hurt.

 

(Uncompromising Mode Mod is still happening and doing this)

[sudoku]

9 minutes ago, Ogrecakes said:

If Klei is potentially worried about making the new player experience harder, they could always just add more challenges to the second, third, however many years survived.

Most players don't even survive past the first year for dozens of hours of play time, so it couldn't hurt.

 

(Uncompromising Mode Mod is still happening and doing this)

That's most likely the reason why we will never officially get this type of content, which is a shame. I imagine 90% of the player base play Autumn sessions and leave halfway through winter or the start of spring, which is why I suspect all of the ROT content so far was developed to be done during that first season.  Before ROT was even a thing they teased new core content with that picture of the ancient gateway in the ruins but why go on with that concept when only 10% of players even venure to the ruins and will never see it. 

[Szczuku]

34 minutes ago, Ogrecakes said:

SO much longer than small side stuff like catching fish... because you may get a heavier fish. Or racing rats... so you can... get rewards that are incredibly limited and largely replaceable?

Yeah that's the dst's problem at this time of the year. Klei has to jump from Hallowen to Christmas to Chinease New Year. And we end up with 3 months of flashy, pointless, limited (but fun) content. I mean... we could've had another 2-3 characters reworked at this point.

Imo dst needs progression system implemented. Either actions done or years survived but it needs to happen. This is exactly the best way to add more forced content without making early game hard for newcomers.

[shadowDigga]

What's sad for me is that even though new content gets added there's a little reason to go for it at all. You can go sea fishing but there's no reward for that. You can kill Malbatross and get useless loot (better mast for empty boring sea). You can farm moon glass to make glass axe and cutter, but they have small durability and can't be prototyped, meaning you'd ultimately spend more time making and carrying those than just using regular axes and dark swords. Squids can't be farmed on regular basis like spiders and only occasionally you get the chance to fight them, but they don't drop light bulbs often enough to make them reliable source of those. Salt is absolutely unfun to obtain (boats can't always fit through salt formation and you can't reach some of the salt, also you have to constantly switch between moving with and without anchor, at the same time risking being swarmed by cookie cutters that drop shell useful for helmet inferior to Wigfrid's helm) so spending it on anything other than saltbox feels like a waste. Like, you seriously would spend 1 salt per 1 raw food to refresh its freshness when you can just cook it instead? So far return of them feels like an attempt to fit SW content into DST's ROG-based world and refresh it at the same time (moon island instead of volcano, moon glass instead of obsidian, non-prototypable tools and weapons, large boats instead of small per-player boats, kelps instead of seaweed, etc). It would've been good if SW original content didn't feel superior to refreshed one nevertheless.

[Hornete]

Just now, Szczuku said:

Imo dst needs progression system implemented. Either actions done or years survived but it needs to happen. This is exactly the best way to add more forced content without making early game hard for newcomers.

I've always found it a bit of a missed opportunity we didn't get more from the Gateway activating other than the ruins reset.

The Ancient Fuelweaver is yelling about how "They" will come, imagine the entire world changing when the Gateway activates possibly bringing in new creatures, biomes, enemies and whatnot.

With this update called "Return of Them" and the ominous picture of the Ancient Gateway in the roadmap, I have a lot of hope they'll do something more with it.

[Mike23Ua]

4 minutes ago, Szczuku said:

Yeah that's the dst's problem at this time of the year. Klei has to jump from Hallowen to Christmas to Chinease New Year. And we end up with 3 months of flashy, pointless, limited (but fun) content. I mean... we could've had another 2-3 characters reworked at this point.

Imo dst needs progression system implemented. Either actions done or years survived but it needs to happen. This is exactly the best way to add more forced content without making early game hard for newcomers.

But why “Force” Anything?

when they started the new ROT Updates they stated we could build boats and venture to new biomes, with new mobs, and new dangers.

that is the heart and core and entire focus of the RoT updates, Please Do note that they said New BIOMES not one Lunar Island you’ll only visit once and then never bother going back to.

[1v0]

Completly agree with you... I have been ranting/lamenting about this almost every post I do... Mainly because I really like this game but at this point........ When I know wich day winter comes (and winter comes exactly at that day everytime) and other things like that...

Most of the additions are optional or just you don't have a reason to go there ... also no new gameplay changing features. What I mean by this is -

Ok now there is a sea but do you need to go there to survive ? NOP !

Do you get better gear there ? NOP !

Any new feature like wind/floods/volcano that affect you on the main island ? NOP !

Event before that The new shadow creatures/mini-bosses from the statues, they are optional too.

 

 

The biggest change is "new" alternative ways to get berries,sticks,grass + the stone trees + the rare and easy to deal with diseasse... Thou then again nothing new there ... This is just the biggest change (and my favorite for now) to the gameplay

And I don't even want to start on the new Characters that have perks that make the base gameplaye even more easy without anything to counter balance it. Like they make the game easier but don't add anything to make it harder...

 

At this point I'm just lurking around the forum waiting for news (with hope for a BIG DLC SIZE announcement (I'm willing to pay for it)) So I can get back into the game... I haven't played (long session) since ANR. because the new updates are just ... Well I start a new world see what is new and quit ... Then back to lurking...

 

Lastly and most importantly

DS was one of my favorite games because of the survival and I didn't know what will happen to me. But now that I know everything (frog rains,winter,deerclops,hounds) everything that can happen to me randomly(or not). There is nothing new that can happen I can build a base and just live as long as I want and all new content will just be around that base nothing new happening to me / attacking me . So no matter how much content gets added I can just survive in the same old base without the need for adaptation or change to survive the new stuff or anything ... This has killed this game for me ...

And the new optional content despite it begin good is not enough for me to start playing again - Mainly because I'm here for the survival part !

[sudoku]

6 minutes ago, Mike23Ua said:

Please Do note that they said New BIOMES not one Lunar Island you’ll only visit once and then never bother going back to.

Not to mention they actually counterdeveloped a reason to engage in any of the new sailing gameplay by making Woodie able to eat seeds and monster meat, swim to the lunar biome, dig up all the bushes, and laugh in goose. 

[Mike23Ua]

4 minutes ago, sudoku said:

Not to mention they actually counterdeveloped a reason to engage in any of the new sailing gameplay by making Woodie able to eat seeds and monster meat, swim to the lunar biome, dig up all the bushes, and laugh in goose. 

It wasn’t this way at first- At first goose couldn’t even swim and you dropped your entire Inventory when transforming.

 

I believe that the real reason Woodie can do this now is Player Feedback, and also possibly if Walani was to be added her Surfboards would pretty much allow her to do the same thing.

[Illumina]

The optional content is barely any rewarding, Klaus? Is optional, don't even bother killing him, he will drop garbage... All optional bosses give things that don't help with your survival and are pretty much useless... I wish DST was more rewarding. 

[-Animaster-]

What really makes this game boring is being predictive. It means if you know how to kite mobs, you won't get hit. When winter comes, you know you need to do a, b and c.

This game can be difficult for beginners, but once you learn it, it's just following the same patterns over and over again.

[Datanon]

2 hours ago, Sunset Skye said:

The meta for DS/T is and always has been incredibly boring and repetitive to follow

yea but it doesnt need to be that way. we have lots of items that are just plain useless, way too many timed mechanics and lack of difficulty (for veterans). its been agreed over and over again in several other games that self-imposed challenges is just an excuse to cope with lack of content; theres no reward and most people feel no satisfaction with doing that because thats like playing "the floor is lava"

maybe its because the base of the game or the genre is unable to host more diversity and variety of good gameplay? maybe, but man there is so much wasted potential in this game due to stuff that could be implemented or even tweaked