Damage calculations and the various of protection given REALLY need to be re-normalize, and add more observable visual effect

[Cassielu]

With the introduce of Planar Damage and the introduce of scrappy werepig and acid rain in this update, damage calculations for DST have become extreme complex and redundant never before. And worse is, it's becoming part of the main gameplay.

To be honest, search in wiki and counting your damage is no fun at all.

For the "be attacked" part alone, as I konw, now we have:

Spoiler

"bonusdamagefn" in scripts, no community name

• used on Werebeaver and Walter.
• only works on common attack damage

"externaldamagetakenmultipliers" in scripts, no community name

• used on Cozy Bunnyman/Scrappy Werepig/Acid Rain.
• only works on common attack damage

"planarentity" in scripts or "Planar Entity Protection" in community,

• Used on new planar mobs
• only works on common attack damage

"damagetyperesist" in scripts, no community name

• Used on Grazer and Allegiance Skill.
• works on common attack damage and planar damage

"AbsorptionAmount" in scripts or "Damage Reduction" in community

• Work on every damage, except crafting (tellheart) cost, include fire lightning food etc
• Used on Toadstool/Elite Pig/Rock Lobster/Wigfrid

And that's not including attacker part, Armor, Beefalo and so on.

All these things, except planar, have no observable visual effect whatsoever. The player is completely faced with a black box and can only rely on the experience of other players reading the game script. There are a lot of confusing things:

• As both Chinese New Year event NPC, Cozy Bunnyman can be kill easily by use fire, but when I do the same thing on Elite Pig it doesn't work?
• A Planar weapon can help me kill Scrappy Werepig quickly, but not Toadstool?
• When the Snurtle hides in its shell, it is also resistant to planar weapons and fire, but not when the player uses its shell to protect theyself?
• The shell defense of Cave Spider looks exactly the same as the scrap armor defense of Werepig, and the mushroom tree of toad looks exactly same as a bat in acid rain. But some work on Planar Damage, somes don't?
• Werebeaver deals +17 damage to Tree Guard, Mush Gnome, and Wood Armor, but woodie skill tree has a whole different thing to only ree guard?

Not being able to apply what you've learned to another similar case is definitely one of the most frustrating things about sandbox and hardcore games. This whole system really needs to be rethought and regularized.

like, "AbsorptionAmount" and "externaldamagetakenmultipliers" can be merged into the same thing. Even if it doesn't, it should reconsider which creatures should be given which different protection. Give them a logic that can be discovered and recognized by the player.

"bonusdamagefn" could have been deleted entirely. now that the new designers have decided to make skill tree is woodie's primary way of fighting trees, the mechanic given to Werebeaver has almost lost its meaning. and Walter's bee allergy have already been the most boring and pointless character mechanic in the game.