Devs should honestly stop focusing skilltree buffs on combat

[kroban]

 

13 hours ago, FluffyBun said:

Don't Starve is a game about not starving. It's not a game about combat. I mean, it has combat, and combat is becoming more important over time, but it's still a game about not starving.

Its a game about both things...theres a huge amount of progress and cool items "locked" behind fighting creatures and bosses (e.g Toadstool lamps, BQ bundle, rift activation, etc). In fact thats mostly where the feeling of progress comes from for most players, you "kill big baddie" and get an unique thing as reward. Many crafting materials require almost constant farming of mobs, like silk and living logs. And sure, I guess technically you could just play the game sitting around base living out of eating berries, but who does that other than some newbie that is just starting to play the game? And even in that case, you are still getting threats coming at you. Combat is an essential part of the game if you want to play it on its entirety...

And what do you mean by "utility"? Because utility isn't just "chopping/mining faster" like the example you gave with Wendy. If all characters could do that what would even be the point in having characters specialized at farming, support, combat, midrange, etc?. Theres also out-of-combat utility, that is supposed to make your survival easier ( Winona's tp stations, Willow's Fire Ball, Woodie's faster picking/faster goose). And also "farming mobs" utility, which is for example aoe perks to farm spiders, monkeys, pigs, etc (Walter's new aoe ammo being the best example).

All of the current skill trees have "utility" to some extent, even Wolfgang, "THE combat character", has his insta-work perks, his trash coach whistle and thermal dumbbells. I think the only exception of a "pure combat skill tree" here is Wigfrid.

I could make an entire list of what all characters had when it comes to "utility", but I think your post is pretty biased to support your argument that "all is combat". Like for example, for Willow you basically resumed her as "lighter bernie all combat.....oh and that Fire Ball thingy", when Fire Ball is IMO the perk with the most utility in the entire game, the value you get from it is insane. Its a cheap spammable star caller, awesome light source, gives sunlight which makes crop farms AND OTHER PLANTS like bushes, grass, twigs, trees etc grow faster, also synergizes with Wormwood, and is a carry perk in Lights Out playstyle.

[FluffyBun]

2 hours ago, kroban said:

 

 

And what do you mean by "utility"? Because utility isn't just "chopping/mining faster" like the example you gave with Wendy. If all characters could do that what would even be the point in having characters specialized at farming, support, combat, midrange, etc?. Theres also out-of-combat utility, that is supposed to make your survival easier ( Winona's tp stations, Willow's Fire Ball, Woodie's faster picking/faster goose). And also "farming mobs" utility, which is for example aoe perks to farm spiders, monkeys, pigs, etc (Walter's new aoe ammo being the best example).

TP/farming faster/new resources/alternative resource collection/getting resources faster/light/winter mitigation/summer mitigation/spring mitigation for self/friends/acid mitigation/rowing faster etc

There's so many things in the game that skilltrees didn't even touch with a 10foot pole. For instance, take buried treasure for instance. Not a single skilltree interacts with buried treasure. Or summer. Or suspicious seeds. Or offer new and generally usable resources. Or new ways to interact with hunts, rivers, ponds, statues, etc.

Every character plays the same. They make a pickaxe, they mine rocks until they have a bunch of flint and gold, they chop 2 trees, they hammer pig houses, they make alchemy, etc. Skill trees offer no fundamental deviance from that playstyle, except maybe Wilson's. The only 3 characters (Wicker, Max, Woodie) with deviance from that playstyle has it because of their base kit, not skilltree. Maxwell having deviance from that gameplan makes him one of the most fun characters to play.

I want to see perks which make it viable for characters to do things a little differently. The fighting is different alright, but how about the non-fighting portions? Way too samey. Like, I get it, you want to play Wortox, cause he has 10,000,000 new skills which changes how he fights things, but when out of combat, he's basically the same old, same old. He makes a pickaxe and mines rocks. Lame.

2 hours ago, kroban said:

when Fire Ball is IMO the perk with the most utility in the entire game, the value you get from it is insane.

Still one skill point.

[Guille6785]

23 minutes ago, FluffyBun said:

Like, I get it, you want to play Wortox, cause he has 10,000,000 new skills which changes how he fights things, but when out of combat, he's basically the same old, same old.

does soul hop finally being faster than not soul hopping not count as a good non-combat perk

[Chewabacca]

14 minutes ago, FluffyBun said:

TP/farming faster/new resources/alternative resource collection/getting resources faster/light/winter mitigation/summer mitigation/spring mitigation for self/friends/acid mitigation/rowing faster etc

teleporting: Wortox's soul jars letting him store more souls for teleporting, Capricious Movement, twintailed heart
farming faster: Wormwood (and Wurt if you count the merms tilling)
alternative resource collection: Wormwood and also Wilson
getting resources faster: Woodie, Wurt, even Wolfgang I guess
light: Willow, Wilson's torch tree, Winona
winter mitigation: Wilson's beard, Winona's hotlight
summer mitigation: Winona's hotlights cool down in summer
spring mitigation for self: Wurt
acid mitigation: you got me here
rowing faster: I guess this one is also missing

[FluffyBun]

4 minutes ago, Guille6785 said:

does soul hop finally being faster than not soul hopping not count as a good non-combat perk

Actually, it kinda does.

3 minutes ago, Chewabacca said:

teleporting: Wortox's soul jars letting him store more souls for teleporting, Capricious Movement, twintailed heart
farming faster: Wormwood (and Wurt if you count the merms tilling)
alternative resource collection: Wormwood and also Wilson
getting resources faster: Woodie, Wurt, even Wolfgang I guess
light: Willow, Wilson's torch tree, Winona
winter mitigation: Wilson's beard, Winona's hotlight
summer mitigation: Winona's hotlights cool down in summer
spring mitigation for self: Wurt
acid mitigation: you got me here
rowing faster: I guess this one is also missing

Merms tilling is the best.

Most of this utility is basically wilson and worm, though.

If only winona's hotlights cool down in summer.

[flamboyant wolf]

4 minutes ago, Chewabacca said:

summer mitigation: Winona's hotlights cool down in summer
 

Does it really? 2nd time hearing this, but despite playing Winona a bunch I never noticed it.

[Chewabacca]

Just now, flamboyant wolf said:

Does it really? 2nd time hearing this, but despite playing Winona a bunch I never noticed it.

I'm relying on the wiki for this so your guess is better than mine.