Do you like DST? Do you, perhaps, really like DST? Maybe, just maybe, you may love DST? Would you consider yourself a DST fan, or a DST superfan? Do you plan to propose to DST?

[SecretPizzaMan]

Warning: Yapping AND a waste of time

I have been reminiscing recently, specifically about Don't Starve Together. I no longer really play DST anymore, but I sometimes I hover over the game in my library. I'm writing this sort of as a public letter of appreciation to the DST developers... and I guess to the community as well, sort of. Eh. Not really.

I played a tiny bit, just two days ago. Only for 20 or so in-game days. I find it somewhat funny that despite all the updates to the game, all the reworks and arcs, the game still plays relatively the same. Polished, sure, but it still feels like the same game I played six years ago. Obviously, that shouldn't be surprising as the game started out perfect and all subsequent updates have severely impacted the quality of the game making it worse and worse yada

This game was very scary and is still holds a rather dreary environment. The graphics are still so charming, the characters too. I always thought that one of the best things about this game was its ability to fully utilize the difference in characters and communicate their personalities through simple dialogue while maintaining relative uniformity between all of them. The storytelling of this game, while nothing is extraordinaire, is what gripped all those years ago. The combat, primitive and one of the weak points of the game, establishes hard limits what a player can do and requires applying basic strategy and foreplaning to get anything done. The art is self-explanatory. And most importantly, it was just stupid fun.

The game that I played six years ago, was frankly, one of the best things I've ever played. This game has always been absolutely drenched in a special flavor of personality that I've failed to see replicated by any other in its genre, and perhaps by the game itself, since. I adored this game; nothing was like it. AN UNCOMPROMISING SURVIVAL GAME FILLED WITH SCIENCE AND MAGIC! Don't YOU just love that? AN UNCOMPROMISING SURVIVAL GAME FILLED WITH SCIENCE AND MAGIC. This game practically defined my personality for several years, which I have a slight feeling many of you relate to as well.

The reason I'm writing to the developers is just to express my gratitude. This game has been the biggest distraction for some of the WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE. And while that might be me being overdramatic, and also sounds super weird and cringy, I really do hope that the general depth of my gratitude isn't being miscommunicated. Like, genuinely, thank you to the developers. You all are great! May the future be bright for all of you, in a good way.

Bye now. If Pakistan erupts in flames anytime soon then I'm totally going to eat red caps in DST (this is a joke, this is a joke).

-Somewhat sincerely, SecretPizzaMan

 

[This14Real]

I too am losing my mind waiting this long for the skilltrees.
But in all seriousness, whatever you’re going through, hope it will pass and you can enjoy more of this game!

[gaymime]

as someone who played this game on his literal deathbed i heartily concur with the sentiment of it being a favourite and a comfort even after several years~<3

[Swiyss]

Uhh. I find myself coming back to this game after 3 to 4 month of playing anything else with my buffed pc, only to realise that nothing else fills me up with joy so much like DST does.
It's like this little hyperfixation that I have with the game dancing with the dark constantly. It's a big tightrope situation, and playing on the edge of a cliff. With old vintage and serious topics of depression and dismal anger contained in the middle of it, while also involving cartoons and little innocent kids locked in an "uncompromising survival world filled with science and magic" called this beautiful and unforgiving constant.

Like seriously, it does sound cringy for most people, but people who can't understand art will critique it instead of aknowledging it. I'll literally play 1000 days, quit the game, try anything else, only to come back to dst and spend 18 hours a day playing on random servers and some of my own non-stop. I'll burn my brain the message that experiencing this game is important for me, using all my free time I have playing it until I inevitebly go back to the chores of working a 9 to 5. But it's still there, waiting for me to play everyday.

And I'll be completely honest with you, there are time that the ONLY THING I absolutely do NOT wanna do is play dst alone, and I go beyond that barrier and force myself to play it even when I don't want to, and in the middle of this situation, I find myself unavoidably enjoying the game after those 1 or 2 days of hating to have to play it again.

Honestly, there is no game like dst for me, I can play Elden Ring, Sekiro, Cyberpunk, Baldurs gate, all of those triple A games. But none of them will ever compare to the amount of joy I get from simply seeing an evergreen change it's cycle, the snow falling down and melting away, the obscure depths of the ruins cycle, the rotting of my supplies, all birds that come and go on their own. I guess all of it resembles too much with my interior instinct self who wants to live a life in nature, and mixed with the dark and dismal feeling that this will never happened when I'm in the middle of the worlds biggest concrete jungle there is. It's a harsh escape from reality, and it's a d**n good one.

[Mike23Ua]

I clicked on this thread thinking oh crap here we go, this is the time between content drought and the devs leaving the forum so it’s less moderated and the forums get filled with weird topics like what I thought this was going to be as we all get hyped in anticipation for JoeW to drop the 2025 Roadmap details.

Instead, I click onto this highly bizarre thread title to find a (somewhat?) pleasant thanks to the Developers for putting out such an entertaining game, it helps people deal with getting through real life stuff.. and I’m no different, over the time that I’ve played DS/DST most of my family has died or gone away no longer caring if I exist, I only have my dad & little sister now. The person I use to spend all my time gaming with, (my little brother) has been in prison. & my best friend died, you guys don’t need my entire life story.. but you do need to know that DS/DST has helped get me through those times.

It was just so fun playing around in this wacky world with this cast of wacky characters who each had their own unique gameplay feel to them, and even though the game hasn’t evolved as much as I’d like for it to into a full fledge DS 2 yet… it’s still fun to occasional return to the game whenever a new skill tree drops to get back that feeling of exploring and doing something “New”

I feel like the last big DST updates I actually really enjoyed were Turn of Tides, Forgotten Knowledges & Curse of Moon Quay (or AKA- The Updates that added new early game areas I can explore asap with new mobs to interact with and resources to collect) 

The newer updates for super late game rift stuff & skill trees designed to interact with rift stuff (some of the best perks being tied to defeating late game bosses) has not been that fun or exciting for me.

But whenever I had gotten use to DS, there was RoG, whenever I had learned most of RoG, Shipwrecked came out for a whole brand new type of experience, and whenever I had felt sea sick of exploring oceans in Shipwrecked there was the Hamlet!

I wish DST would lean back into this sort of new early game exploration, because I can only get excited about a new skin pack for so long before I’m tired of looking at it.

Hopefully the 2025 Roadmap (which if my maths are correct is also the 10 year anniversary of DST) will have some huge announcements and bring with it a wealth of new content for a game!