Earmuffs should become craftable with no Science Machine

[PanAzej]

Straw Hat became craftable from the start when RoG was added to DST.

In my opinion, the same should be applied to Earmuffs.

 

Reasons:

- It's a bad item you never go for if you already have a Science Machine. Why lock it in the same tier as Winter/Beefalo Hat?

- I play early game 90% of the time in DST. I have joined servers in Winter countless times.

9/10 times you will not have any gold left to craft a Science Machine, because people on the server have already hoarded everything.

In that case you have to either:

1. Search for Pig King.

OR

2.  Craft a piece of grass armor and rush searching for MacTusk (and pray that others did not already kill him before you got there).

Also, pray for good RNG, because MacTusk doesn't always drop his hat.

- Earmuffs give you a couple additional seconds before freezing to death again. This means less trees burnt (the only way to survive Winter with no cold-resistant items), and if someone joins after you they will have a higher chance of survival (because you did not burn every tree on his way).

 

What are your thoughts on this?

Should this be a thing?

 

Maybe there is some broken cheese mechanic I do not know about that lets you skip the entire game and beat all bosses by Earmuffs becoming craftable with no Science Machine.

[Zeklo]

I don't see why not, it's still essentially a worthless item. This way it'll at least maybe have a chance of being crafted. 

[Canis]

The item Is bottom of the barrel, so you may as well have it's prototype tier reflect that.

[ArubaroBeefalo]

also i think they should add a noise mechanic like womant queen in hamlet. I enjoy using different items for different fights like purple amulet in fw or axe for toadstool, it gives variety and add more uses for non must to use items

[Szczuku]

Oh woops I read the question wrong. Yes they shouldn't require science machine

[Mike23Ua]

No they should still require needing a Science Machine to learn- But they should serve a different purpose besides provide a tiny bit of warmth..

they are EAR MUFFS and as such they would be used a lot more freaking often if they made you ignore loud sounds, such as Moose Goose honks screaming and flinging your weapon out your hand.. or Bearger Continuously Growling & putting you to sleep.

Ear Muffs should be repurposed as Noise Nullifiers.. and maybe as a Downside to always using them.. you wouldn’t HEAR incoming Hounds barking.

Recovering dropped inventory items after having them screamed out your hands is by far the worst thing ever when trying to fight using a Xbox Controller. I usually just use ranged weapons or ignore the Geese because of that.

 

[ADM]

I never understood why it requires us some big brain science to stuff 2 bunnies in your ears... we must have a hat like for summer on early and the earmuff sounds like the best candidate, especially because there's always a savanna area next to the Florid Postern, so you'll have no difficulties to grab some rabbits then have a comfortable winter on the start without burning things all around which is very annoying.

But if not, it deserve a good buffing like the one on Hamlet, you're immune to the Queen Womant's blow sound when you have earmuffs so @Mike23Ua ideas sounds very adapted to block the Moose's screeching or Bearger yawning, maybe even expand the idea to protect players from Pan Flute if PvP is on (hey, something new for PvP servers !)

[Terra B Welch]

Muffs and the endothermic fire, maybe winter/summer starts would be a little more tolerable.

 

[Catteflyterpill]

4 hours ago, ArubaroBeefalo said:

also i think they should add a noise mechanic like womant queen in hamlet. I enjoy using different items for different fights like purple amulet in fw or axe for toadstool, it gives variety and add more uses for non must to use items

I always loved how earmuffs worked to fight the Womant, I think using "useless" items like that is a really cool twist on some of the more despised items of Don't Starve that gives them worth.

[Frashaw27]

5 hours ago, PanAzej said:

Winter/Beefalo Hat

While this may be entirely off topic, I have to inform everyone that the winter hat is a alchemy engine craft. Is it stupid? Yes. It it unessary? Also yes. You have to reach a hogher tier of science to get a worse product of one that costs simular materials. I also think that with the ear muffs being moved down, the winter/beefalo hats should swap places to show a progression of warmth that makes sense. Thoughts?

[Yuuko]

Not a bad idea - a science free winter craft would be nice.

I was thinking - make them like the fashion melon.  Give them a warming effect of 5 degrees and have a sanity drain of 2/minute.

[Harrowick]

Yes, please. This would make so much sense, and would synergize well with the ability to make traps. (which are always available) This would make joining in winter/late autumn much more viable, especially for nomadic playstyles. (Which are fun to do every now and then)

Some more primitive/very basic, weak items would be awesome for each season, so we aren't faced with getting banned instantly because we want to join in the later seasons to help out. 

 

Plus, the earmuffs have been getting quite a few skins recently, may as well make them always available to make em' somewhat useful, right?

[Toroic]

You could both make the earmuffs not require a science machine *and* make them protect against noise and most people would still hardly ever make them.

[Terra B Welch]

On 5/2/2020 at 5:44 AM, Catteflyterpill said:

I always loved how earmuffs worked to fight the Womant, I think using "useless" items like that is a really cool twist on some of the more despised items of Don't Starve that gives them worth.

How about the earmuffs stop bearger's yawn from putting the player to sleep? There's an idea that would give them use.

[ArubaroBeefalo]

1 hour ago, Terra M Welch said:

How about the earmuffs stop bearger's yawn from putting the player to sleep? There's an idea that would give them use.

but if you see someone yawning you still being contagied without hearing the yawn

[TemporaryMan]

I can't fault your reasoning.  You've made a strong case for this, from a balance perspective.  However...

You would experimentally impale two dead rabbits on a stick and wear it on your head to see if it keeps you warm and not declare you've done it FOR SCIENCE!?  I... I don't think I can support that...

[Terra B Welch]

On 5/2/2020 at 5:54 AM, Frashaw27 said:

While this may be entirely off topic, I have to inform everyone that the winter hat is a alchemy engine craft. Is it stupid? Yes. It it unessary? Also yes. You have to reach a hogher tier of science to get a worse product of one that costs simular materials. I also think that with the ear muffs being moved down, the winter/beefalo hats should swap places to show a progression of warmth that makes sense. Thoughts?

honestly yes, it's really odd that the better hat takes a science machine.

[Confused Rock]

12 hours ago, ArubaroBeefalo said:

but if you see someone yawning you still being contagied without hearing the yawn

So we add a blindfold as well! but since the head slot is already taken, maybe make it more like a tarp or garbage bag you put over your entire body to make it impossible to see.

[CorsairsEdge]

Whoa now, Klei did release an amazing skin for the earmuffs, making them essentially the greatest thing in existence:

I've wanted another bee related skin, and it's fantastic! ...Oh, I do love bees.

But seriously, yeah. Vanity reasons aside, they're not the best insulators. Wouldn't completely dismiss them as useless, though I do think they need a slight buff to make them viable as an entry-level winter clothing, even if it's durability. Two live rabbits tied to a stick using science might be a little warmer than a wooly hat. The sound muffler is an interesting idea though. Situational enough to not cause any major balance issues, and uses the head slot in said situations when you might instead use it for a helmet.