How do you want Wilson to be reworked?

[mr. brj]

Feel free to use this thread as a place to give your suggestions on the Wilson rework too, but my main goal in this thread is to encourage some discussions on how you guys think that Klei should approach this rework.

 

Personally, I think Wilson should stay as the "default" character. I find his current gameplay quite enjoyable, because he feels like THE character that defines the standard DST experience. I'm aware that some people find him to be bland and boring for having nothing in his kit, which is also understandable. That said, I believe that giving Wilson perks that affects his own gameplay should be avoided. If anything, a Wilson rework should, in my quite controversial opinion, change the way how other characters play the game, and should make Wilson's gameplay roughly the same as it is now.

 

Regarding that we will be receiving some game changing updates, here are my predictions suggestions on how I think Wilson can stay as the "default" character without gaining any significant advantages or disadvantages over other characters while receiving a unique set of perks at the same time:

 

- Swapping characters through the celestial portal makes you forget all the recipes you have prototyped.

- Wilson has a chance to drop a blueprint while crafting at the science and magic stations (tiers 1 and 2).

- Wilson can craft blueprints of the stuff he prototyped before. For this, he has to stand at his own crafting station, and needs one papyrus for each blueprint he wants to craft.

- Crafting blueprints at his station fills Wilson's "science meter" (duh) and gives him a chance to drop an additional blueprint.

- The chance of dropping additional blueprints increases as Wilson's "science meter" gets higher.

- Wilson now starts with a razor and 3 random blueprints from the tier 1 stations (science and magic). His magnificent beard is also more susceptible to fire (some trivial upsides and downsides, because why not).

 

I think a rework similar to these suggestions would be loyal to Wilson's character and his gameplay. This rework has the potential to reshape the way we play DST, and also the potential to make Wilson finally feel like the main protagonist of the game. How do you guys think Klei should approach this rework? Should it change Wilson completely, or should Wilson just stay as the "default" character he always was? And do you think that a Wilson rework should be game changing at all?

[ArubaroBeefalo]

i would like just some science stuff (like wagstaff`s crafting tab or mad science station) but not mechanic changes. He feels bland because a lot of the characters have a "wilson" gameplay (winona, wicker, wx, willow...) so, if klei make the other characters unique and with an interesting gameplay, having a character without game changing perks will have a bigger value

[Hornete]

I mentioned this before, but I've always liked the idea of a character that benefits other characters crafts and abilities. Winona had concepts for this in the form of like a mechanized bernie, and I believe that unused Wx Mech would have been crafted by her.

It sounds a bit peculiar to have a character who directly "upgrades" other characters since you're not always going to be in a multiplayer setting, and it's likely why this concept was never finalized for Winona. But I've always thought it could work really well for Wilson. He still stays this "bland" and mostly perkless character which a lot of people love! But he can help with other characters and """upgrade""" them if placed in a multiplayer setting.

I've always liked Wilson's "psuedoscience" (Not the Ancient kind in the ruins!) with his unethical and unprofessional means of science, for example in his short,  binding those white rats together, using his blood, and choking a god damn bird in his portrait and feeding it some chemical. That kind of psuedoscience is something I really miss from the early days of Don't Starve, and I would absolutely love to see him "upgrade" other characters perks and abilities through these crude unconventional means of science. I can already imagine the other characters questioning his methods  :}

Now is that a plausible idea? Heck no haha. There's 17 other characters in the game and asking for a unique "upgrade" for each one from Wilson is a bit much. But a man can dream...

[Wendy C.]

Not at all.

[Szczuku]

I want Shadow Wilson to somehow appear in the game. Even as a downside, maybe as a character-specific shadow creature.

I like the idea that the Nightmare Throne loads anyone who sits on it with shadow magic. Wilson didn't have any time to realize that and learn how to control it, shadow magic uncontrollably bursted out of him and so Shadow Wilson came into existance.

That could be his thing- that sooner or later Shadow Wilson would come for Wilson, regardles the sanity, to mess with/kill him and if WIlson defends himself S.Wil leaves behind some sort of resource or something that WIlson could experiment with to create buffs for himself, items and , as @Hornete has mentioned, his allies. Of course S.Wil would return akin to hound cycles, but perhaps we'd have more control over it as gameplay goes on. His actions would range from annoyances to actual danger to 'game-breaking' ones such as obstructing player's vision etc.

I think it'd be interesting to base character's upsides on their downsides as opposed to making weaknesses just to balance out the strengths. 

Anything but bland, default gameplay and Wilson still being reduced to poster boy and in-game laughing stock.

[grm9]

Leave him as he is, game needs a fully default character. Also totally no ideas what someone who just wants to be a scientist but isn't can do special.

[Dollmaker]

9 minutes ago, grumm9690 said:

Leave him as he is, game needs a fully default character. Also totally no ideas what someone who just wants to be a scientist but isn't can do special.

Well according to several quotes he basically created the whole Seafaring stuff. 

So he might not be the greatest scientist, but he can still do stuff. 

[W0l0l0]

Bombs. Give him bombs. 

[Well-met]

beard meter

[ArubaroBeefalo]

22 minutes ago, Dollmaker said:

Well according to several quotes he basically created the whole Seafaring stuff. 

So he might not be the greatest scientist, but he can still do stuff. 

not only that, the science machine and the prototypes are done by him but for gameplay purpose even kids like wendy or weeber can do everything on DS. Before there was a different system that allows you to change character once you research things as wilson or something like that, cant remember

also:

Spoiler

 

people think that for being a great scientific you "need to create new stuff" when science is most likely the opposite, you headbutt a wall of failure until you find something that works with your hypothesis. There is the great Einstein which was against the quatum mechanics theories and nobody will say that he was a dumb scientific because of that mistake

[omegapent]

same old Wilson, but can interact with or craft something related to endgame contents (;post Celestial Champion), which will make the fight/progress faster like bypassing some quest or creating boss's weakness

[Hornete]

27 minutes ago, ArubaroBeefalo said:

people think that for being a great scientific you "need to create new stuff" when science is most likely the opposite, you headbutt a wall of failure until you find something that works with your hypothesis. There is the great Einstein which was against the quatum mechanics theories and nobody will say that he was a dumb scientific because of that mistake

Thank you, I hate how many people will dunk on Wilson for being a "bad scientist". He might not be an knowledgable and smart as Wicker, or Wagstaff, but he gets stuff done. He learned from his mistakes in SW with his boat making and created the seafaring system in DST, created the science machine, implied to have created the meat effigy(I assume so since it looks like him), created the jury rigged portal with Maxwell and I could go on.

Hes a good scientist! He makes mistakes but he learns and gets the job done eventually just as real science is done.

[Cheggf]

Wilson shouldn't get reworked. He's the perfect character to learn the game with because he has no big upsides to use as a crutch, and no downsides he has to work around. With anyone else someone learning the game could rely on their character too much and struggle when switching off, or have too hard of a time from their downsides. With Wilson if you can do something as him you can do that same thing as most other characters.

[mr. brj]

1 hour ago, Dollmaker said:

Well according to several quotes he basically created the whole Seafaring stuff. 

So he might not be the greatest scientist, but he can still do stuff. 

 

46 minutes ago, ArubaroBeefalo said:

not only that, the science machine and the prototypes are done by him

 

This is actually the reason I had the "can craft blueprints" suggestion.

[Azamagon]

When I first started out, one of the most difficult thing to figure out was how to get health (prior to some wiki-diving). And to go with his mad scientist theme, I guess here's what I'd suggest:

• Portable Science Machine (would look different of course), helping both with getting new basic blueprints and the "played for one hour" rewards on the go
  • Fits with his mad science theme to have something like this, and it's newbie friendly
• The Portable Science Machine can be upgraded to a Portable Alchemy Machine.
• With his Portable Science/Alchemy Machine, he could get access to a new tab (Called Mad Science?). In it, there could be a bunch of small little potion options; Something for healing health, something for sanity, along with maybe some more wacky but generally helpful effects (similar to the Mad Sciencist Lab from Hallowed Nights), a few that have some small, but hopefully lategamey-useful bonuses.
  • Fits with the mad science, and the healing/sanity items ought to be really newbie-friendly too.

And... that's it. He doesn't need much really.

[Mike23Ua]

If Wes could be reworked to be made more interesting, so too can Wilson. Simple.

[Dollmaker]

1 hour ago, Hornete said:

Thank you, I hate how many people will dunk on Wilson for being a "bad scientist". He might not be an knowledgable and smart as Wicker, or Wagstaff, but he gets stuff done. He learned from his mistakes in SW with his boat making and created the seafaring system in DST, created the science machine, implied to have created the meat effigy(I assume so since it looks like him), created the jury rigged portal with Maxwell and I could go on.

Hes a good scientist! He makes mistakes but he learns and gets the job done eventually just as real science is done.

Another particular quote refers to him being able to do amputations so he must have some medical knowledge as well. 

Theres other stuff that support this.

His capable, his methods are just... questionable, his cinematic showed how he is indeed capable of doing stuff correctly with proper guidance, the comic further showing this, by making the Maxwell Door and Jury Portal, i think hes just... kinda crazy? he comes off like one of those people that tries to do stuff in a certain way without caring, kinda like those characters that "apparently" follow a recipe, but often make mistakes and are just "whatever", and the result is an utter disaster. 

He appears to openminded and a overachiever, as seen with the Fire Pump, even Maxwell calls it out on how a mere bucket of water was enough. 

[TheKingDedede]

As someone who has played Wilson for a long time and having read many arguments saying he brings nothing to the table, I'll say this:

Spoiler

He's got the best drip, hands down, no questions asked.

 

[-Variant]

As Hornet and others have said, I'd love Wilson to retain his mostly perk-less form whilst also introducing ways to benefit others that aren't himself.

Like Wes without the downsides, just Wilson and maybe some perks to aid others in a multiplayer setting!

[PunkShark]

its rough cause i, personally like Wilson as he is rn. It's nice to have that one character who has no form of downsides or any form of upsides and just be plain. it can be difficult to choose a character with so many powers but sometimes- its okay to just pick the bland one. You don't need to worry about anything. In his own way it makes him unique. 

But we know that he's gonna get a rework, everyone has, everyone will. The problem is most of the have been quite substantial and has never just been small QoL changes. its been completely new mechanics and sometimes even powers, items and whatnot. 

I honestly have no clue what to give him or add to him.

[Dextops]

i'd like him to have more team centered perks and to keep him as vanilla as possible for solo so noobs can get a vanilla experience and so he can actually contribute to a team instead of being dead weight

[ArubaroBeefalo]

1 minute ago, Dextops said:

instead of being dead weight

that is caused by the player not the character but would be cool to have cooperative science powers

[Dextops]

Just now, ArubaroBeefalo said:

that is caused by the player not the character but would be cool to have cooperative science powers

yeah but having perks to add them can still add to a team i am thinking for a newer player setting since that seems to be wilsons main audience

[abrocator]

Stay the same as a reminder of how boring the game (DS) was in 2013.

[BezKa]

At this point, i honestly don't know. Nobody uses Wilson to learn the game anyway, but the argument that he's the cleanest and best way to experience the game (no downsides, no complicated mechanics, very basic upside) really speaks to me. 

At this point, I want them to go all in or not at all. Maybe let him activate some sort of perk lategame, so at the start he's the same but if you choose to you can do something to unlock more stuff after idk killing fuel weaver or something.