Ocean Feedback Thread

[Mysterious box]

3 hours ago, bloopah said:

Maybe other members of the hunchback walrus family, then?

I'd prefer a different mob but so long as we remove tusks and tamos I guess it's ok.

[Pet Rock]

I've already been active on this thread but I did want to share my opinion.

I loooove the ocean and the boats are a very creative way to change the gameplay experience. However, although I love sailing I still find the gameplay itself is unintuitive. Here are some things I would add/change

1. Better bumpers: Removing the odd placing requirements would lead to them being used a lot more. In my knowledge structures can still be placed on boat bumpers so I don't see how adding a hitbox would make any sense, especially since they can break, so structures would have to be removed to replace them. Additionally, there is so much potential for more creative bumpers. For instance, cookie cutter bumpers could deal increased damage to anything they hit, break the boat fragment things, and uproot bull kelp. Infused moon shard bumpers would be unbreakable but only last a day before spoiling.

2. More intuitive controls: I find my self unable to interact with the steering wheel and Anker a lot and it just feels finicky. Pressing space should make the player walk to the nearest Anker/steering wheel unless items are on the ground (except the nautopilot beacon), in which case it works as usual. I'm not quite sure how the controls work as of now as I am not aware of this when I'm playing so don't get mad at me.

3. More rewarding exploration:  While the tree nuts and fishing are somewhat rewarding, nothing else is worth setting sail on the ocean. Barnacle dishes should be slightly buffed. Crab king should have a separate drop, such as a key to the treasures found at sea (as recommended by others) which would also help make those more worthwhile. The waterfowl should be able to use ocean water "filtering" it to produce fresh water.

oops I accidentally hit send I'll edit this later.

[ShadowDuelist]

2 hours ago, Uncrushed said:

Best Characters for Boating

Wolfgang gets mighty from rowing and rows faster when mighty.  He tears up Rockjaws and whatnot.

Cookie Cutters, Malbatross and even Rockjaws are easy as Walter with his slingshot (marble ammo is most appropriate).  Cutters are also easy as Wanda.

Not impressed that Wormwood can harvest barnicles without drawing aggro.  Just bring a razor and do it at night.

It's nice that nowadays a lot of characters have direct or indirect perks in boats. Worth mentioning:

- Maxwell can easily remove sea stacks from his way with minions, and they can also collect distant objects for you. Duelists can obliterate most ocean mobs, and his power to hold in place Malbatross makes the fight a lot easier.
- Abigail is really good at scaring/killing ocean mobs. It always has. 
- Webber has sea striders and spitters to aid him in his boat travels. Plus eating just monster meat is a big advantage at the sea.
- Wicker has a lot of sea perks, so long as you have something to deal with insanity: Grumble bees to fight things, summoning fish for food or faster catching special fishes, calling full moons for long night travel, stopping rains, sleep status abuse on pirate monkeys, etc.
- Wurt has no problem to deal with any weather or season while at the sea: she can rejuvenate her temperature fishes at any time, and the rain doesn't affect her whatsoever. This frees the boat with space for many other things. She has less food options but nothing than a bundle with foods or a stack of stonefruit can't fix. Carrying a few warrior merms also offers some protection and extra punch against some ocean mobs.
- Woodie (the goose) can pull a boat himself with magnets. Its not smooth and you have to be careful of not smashing it into things, but its doable.
 

[Yuuko]

I don't like making split posts, but there is a lot of different stuff to reply to here:

8 hours ago, Uncrushed said:

This could be about 6 different threads.

Knobbly Nuts, Knobby Trees, and Above Average Tree Trunks

Playing as Wolfgang I was determined to base on the surface instead of the caves where I usually hide in summer.  Above Average Tree Trunks not only made it possible, they made it great!  They also eliminate Overheating and decrease Wetness!  I never liked basing in the Oasis.  Now I have a superior alternative!

The Oasis and Tall Trees interact with wildfires differently, giving Tall Trees some great utility!

Spoiler

 

8 hours ago, Uncrushed said:

The Waterlogged biome feels a little hard to navigate.  Do you just plow into the knobbly trees willy-nilly?  What is it that aggros the grass gators?  How do you fight them?

 

You do need to hit it a bit hard, but not hard enough to knock a hole in your boat.  I'd say start softer and work your way up until you get the knock, don't risk your boat.  You will get screen shake when you hit it hard enough, see things fall etc,  Just look around for the knobby nut then.

8 hours ago, Uncrushed said:

Sunken chests

Wait, what?  You can find a walking cane in a sunken chest?  I have a thread where I've been moaning about the difficulty of getting a cane for months.  The chance is small, but still...

Yeah there is a small chance of walking cane.  You have a better chance of getting lazy explorer in the AG chest loot, and get other better stuff while you're there...  Late late game they aren't a bad way to get extra tusks in the off season for Wanda's teleport network, but imo still not that worth lol

You can also get a lantern, but killing squids for lightbulbs is VERY inefficient (seriously slurpers give 2 and are super ez to kill, why do these only give 1 and are such a hassle?)

I don't consider them worth it...  BUT if you play on PC there is a mod that lets you unlock the chest and use it as a carry-able storage with lots of space.  imo this makes them worth it lol.  If CK gave a Skeleton Key loot that implemented this mod it would suddenly be a worth-while boss to kill, plus Klei could add skins for the loot chests !!!

(I like using this mod with Wolfgang b/c he can carry a LOT around quickly lol  Its both useful and comical lol)

[Uncrushed]

8 minutes ago, Shosuko said:

The Oasis and Tall Trees interact with wildfires differently, giving Tall Trees some great utility!

This is great research - thanks for sharing!  I still use a flingo under the trees as backup because mistakes, hounds. and other disasters can cause fires.  I put my chests out of flingo range, but still under the trees and on scaled flooring so that if one burns, the others don't.  The lureplant at the edge of the range is a great trick!  Since you need water to plant the Above Average Tree, you can put some lureplants on a boat.

It takes a long time to get these trees started, but they pay off forever.  I definitely plan to use them more.

[Yuuko]

21 minutes ago, Uncrushed said:

This is great research - thanks for sharing!  I still use a flingo under the trees as backup because mistakes, hounds. and other disasters can cause fires.  I put my chests out of flingo range, but still under the trees and on scaled flooring so that if one burns, the others don't.  The lureplant at the edge of the range is a great trick!  Since you need water to plant the Above Average Tree, you can put some lureplants on a boat.

It takes a long time to get these trees started, but they pay off forever.  I definitely plan to use them more.

I do a lureplant on a boat under every tall tree b/c I've noticed that the foliage overlay area is not always a complete object.  I've had gaps where a single chest routinely burned yet no other items burned.  I stood in that 1 spot under 1 tree and my temp went up too...  idk how they work, but its not perfect.  The lureplant helps even this out since its range is larger then the tree.  Lureplants don't pop out eyes when they're on a boat either, and its free leafy meats XD win win !

[gamehun20]

3 hours ago, Shosuko said:

seriously slurpers give 2 and are super ez to kill, why do these only give 1 and are such a hassle?)

Because the skittersquid only had 1 light bulb in it's body

[Yuuko]

1 hour ago, gamehun20 said:

Because the skittersquid only had 1 light bulb in it's body

Sure, but why is it designed that way?  Why isn't there another source of lightbulbs at sea at least?  It takes 5 lightbulbs to refuel a lantern, and 1 lantern = 16 minutes of light.  You're going to need more bulbs then these squids give to actually use a lantern.

idk, its just another thing to throw on top of the pile of "why is ocean content always missing the mark."  Same with mast lanterns that BARELY light up the boat space when centered.  They are horrible boat lighting, and you don't get enough fuel for them while boating.  Boating needs more vision then this, not just to see where you're going but you can't paddle in the dark, like physically to move your boat you need light further than the boat footprint.

[gamehun20]

1 minute ago, Shosuko said:

Why isn't there another source of lightbulbs at sea at least?

Crustashines on moon quay

[Yuuko]

1 minute ago, gamehun20 said:

Crustashines on moon quay

Still too high effort.  I mean fr - we can pick 3x at a time in the caves and get a stack in minutes.  A lantern is something you burn pretty frequently, you should be able to refuel it pretty frequently too.

[Mike23Ua]

10 minutes ago, gamehun20 said:

Crustashines on moon quay

I have a feeling that Klei has plans to add bigger islands into the game then just Moon Quay, Moon Quay is well it’s sort of a story plot point to say “oh hey look Wagstaff did an uh oh and now shipwrecked & hamlet themed worlds are crossing over into DST”

I predict there will be more rifts hence the entire Story arc this year being titled “From Beyond”

And IF this Theory ends up correct, then Crustashine May start appearing on other similar islands scattered about the Ocean.

[gamehun20]

11 minutes ago, Mike23Ua said:

now shipwrecked & hamlet themed worlds are crossing over into DST”

How are they hamlet and shipwreck themed they don't even look close. Just because they are monkeys?

[goodguythatguy]

12 hours ago, Pet Rock said:

 

2. More intuitive controls: I find my self unable to interact with the steering wheel and Anker a lot and it just feels finicky. Pressing space should make the player walk to the nearest Anker/steering wheel unless items are on the ground (except the nautopilot beacon), in which case it works as usual. I'm not quite sure how the controls work as of now as I am not aware of this when I'm playing so don't get mad at me.

 

If you're playing on PC, there's a Mod called 'Ship Control' available on the DST Workshop. It enables you to assign a Hotkey on your Keyboard to automatically Target and Use the Steering Wheel, Mast and Anchor. That'll enable you to do what you're asking for. 

I'm not saying that more intuitive controls shouldn't be implemented in the base game by Klei in some way, but this Mod will do what you're asking for until that day comes. 

[Uncrushed]

4 hours ago, Shosuko said:

Why isn't there another source of lightbulbs at sea at least?

mast lanterns that BARELY light up the boat space when centered.  They are horrible boat lighting, and you don't get enough fuel for them while boating

Lightbulbs at sea

I assume that they want you to explore the world.  You need to go to the caves for light bulbs and the surface world for kelp fronds and ice.  It forces you to explore more.  I'm OK with this.  I even like it better than most boss fights.

Someone said that the squid showed up for worlds with Caves turned off and that stuck with me.

Deck Illuminator

They really suck for the reasons you mention, plus you need a mast and can't put a Lightning Conductor on that mast.  Not sure if it matters where you place them, they only illuminate the deck, not the water and they take a crap ton of resources to fuel.  A fire pit is way better.  Wilson can now safely drop a freakin' burning torch on the boat and paddle all night with much better light than this.  Miner Hat, Lantern...

Deck Illuminators are so bad that their role in the game is a trap for the unwary, like Wet Goop in the Crock Pot.  I don't like that aspect of the game and use the Craft Pot mod to work around this.  If I were in charge, I would remove mast lanterns from the game in the name of simplicity.  At least some items like the Fashion Melon are bad enough to be funny - you can put it on to make your friends laugh (at you).  Or if you base too close to a Moose Goose nest.  I was sad to lose that base, but between the frogs and the dizzy goslings, the destruction was epic enough that I enjoyed it in a way.  There's nothing funny about a Mast Lantern (or Cookie Cutter Cap).  It's just a disappointing waste.

Other Boat Stuff I don't use much

• Fire Pump - I use an Ice Staff to put out fires.
• Sails, Steering Wheel, Anchor - I've preferred to row everywhere after my first Malbatross fight.  Using Tree Jam instead of Boat Patches makes Wavy Jones almost a non-issue.  I use a Grass Raft until I have jam.  Grass Raft and a stack of cut grass is amazing.  Later, I build dock bridges or Telelocators.
• Nautopilot - It's an interesting curiosity.  I love that they added some automation to the game, but it's not very useful.

[ShadowDuelist]

41 minutes ago, Uncrushed said:

Deck Illuminators are so bad that their role in the game is a trap for the unwary, like Wet Goop in the Crock Pot. 

I think Klei didn’t want us to use those for light on land, but instead they made them horrible at the sea too. I guess they could keep their poor duration but their light radius should be much larger to be useful.

They should probably be upgradable to work like glowcaps or mushlights once you know how to craft those (placing glowing stuff inside)

[goodguythatguy]

Misery Crab King dropping a Blueprint for a Deck Glowluminator that requires a Shroom Skin to craft?

[Yuuko]

3 hours ago, Uncrushed said:

 

Other Boat Stuff I don't use much

• Fire Pump - I use an Ice Staff to put out fires.
• Sails, Steering Wheel, Anchor - I've preferred to row everywhere after my first Malbatross fight.  Using Tree Jam instead of Boat Patches makes Wavy Jones almost a non-issue.  I use a Grass Raft until I have jam.  Grass Raft and a stack of cut grass is amazing.  Later, I build dock bridges or Telelocators.
• Nautopilot - It's an interesting curiosity.  I love that they added some automation to the game, but it's not very useful.

The fire pump was a big disappointment to me.  Its pretty far out of the way compared to a flingo, and feels more like a downgrade.  Sure you don't have to refuel it, but you have to actively man it which means you can't do other things like row / steer / chase wavey / dodge sharks / etc.  Also if your boat is moving it just misses the fires completely...  Biggest thing is IT can be the item that catches fire too like wtf? lol  imo flingo > fire pump 100000%

The only advantage to the pump aside from a lack of fuel is that it has a smaller footprint and doesn't block unit collision, but fr not worth it.

[GenomeSquirrel]

I'd like all ocean fishing items, tackle receptacle and pearl items, to be integrated/consolidated into the think tank so I could craft them without going to the ocean first, and especially interacting with pearl

 

[Popian]

13 hours ago, Shosuko said:

Still too high effort.  I mean fr - we can pick 3x at a time in the caves and get a stack in minutes.  A lantern is something you burn pretty frequently, you should be able to refuel it pretty frequently too.

You get Lanterns from treasure hunting, and can fuel them with non-perishable Fireflies from Waterlogged biomes.

[Yuuko]

1 hour ago, Popian said:

You get Lanterns from treasure hunting, and can fuel them with non-perishable Fireflies from Waterlogged biomes.

Hm, I may have overlooked these.  Waterlogged re-spawn fireflies?  I'll check that out, thx !  A mining hat or lantern I can refill at sea would help a lot.

[Hornete]

16 minutes ago, Shosuko said:

Hm, I may have overlooked these.  Waterlogged re-spawn fireflies?  I'll check that out, thx !  A mining hat or lantern I can refill at sea would help a lot.

Yeah, it's crazy fast respawn too. 70% chance for a tree to spawn a firefly every day, and there's 3 of the trees in every biome.

[Yuuko]

1 minute ago, Hornete said:

Yeah, it's crazy fast respawn too. 70% chance for a tree to spawn a firefly every day, and there's 3 of the trees in every biome.

Okay now we're talking, I missed this completely wow.  AND the waterlogged area provides the spider web for more bug nets as needed.  

[abrocator]

On 5/15/2023 at 1:37 PM, Mike23Ua said:

Klei make it so even if your NOT yet friends with Pearl she will give you a boat just to get the heck up off her island.

That would be awfully out of character.

[Mike23Ua]

4 minutes ago, abrocator said:

That would be awfully out of character.

Is it? She doesn’t like you she even tells you to leave her alone & go away. She’s a “Crabby” Granny until you start becoming friends with her.

Its a simple as coding a dock into her island that spawns a small boat, if you take it she can even have funny comments like “you stole my last one I had to go buy another you Thief!”

OR if you start getting friendly with her: “I have arranged you another vessel should you need to burrow it.”

Code Wise its simple: a boat spawns here and when taken a new one respawns in its place a few days later- 

Moon Quay does this with pirate boats (I think??) 

it’s just meant to be a way to NOT get stranded on an island with no boat to leave on.

[YouKnowWho]

The rarer and more difficult catches like Catfish and Dandy Lionfish are usually much more effort than they're worth. You're generally better off reeling in the hoards of deep bass as they give the same amount of meat while practically jumping onto your boat. Their higher cosmetic weight isn't quite special either, as the common seaside Wobster can just as net you the top spot at the Scale-O-Matic.

Some have suggested how much meat they drop should be based off of their weight, but I feel this wouldn't work. There isn't any real way to prioritize heavier fish besides the heavy weight lure, and making it become the only lure ever worth using would makes things pretty boring.

so instead I think a good solution would be to literally just make these rarer fish bigger

I'm not sure the exact meat amount that would make it worth trudging out for, but it'd atleast add some much needed depth to the fishing experience.