Just missing one thing... (cabin & end-game suggestions)

[PaladinHeart]

A house!

Or, more accurately, a cabin of some sort.

I mean, seriously, all that wood and you can't make a house? I haven't read about the future plans of Don't Starve, but I seriously hope a cabin of some sort is in there somewhere. A cabin would solve the end-game problem pretty quick.

The night monsters getting too dumb? Why not let them start tearing down the trees the player planted? Or just let em go through them. Then the player has to keep their cabin door repaired or risk a house invasion. Let em start tearing down the science equipment and other stuff too. Force the player to retreat indoors at night.

Not sure whether the cabin should either load another area or if it should require a large plot of land.

Also, some people might want to furnish their houses with those spiffy chests, a bed, etc.. A house (well, cabin) could certainly keep players busy in a longer running game and add extra challenges that weren't there before. It should also be a necessity during the Winter period.

Another thing that a lot of players might want is an area to display trophies, unique items, etc.. in their home. Like that gnome you just dug up, and have no use for aside from spending it on your tech score (and you've already researched everything). Maybe you could display it in a trophy room and get a bonus based on the item's science score? Like a place where your character can sit, relax, and restore some sanity... at least until night comes and the banging on the door starts up again. x]

Honestly if you can add in some kind of house, then this would be my dream game. Well almost. Finding a mate and having kids (that could work as an alternative to the "save me from death!" craftable items) would be nice but I can't possibly hope for every last item I'd want in a game. xP

[mobius187]

A house! Or, more accurately, a cabin of some sort.

Yes, as you may well imagine this is a popular suggestion that pops up every now and then, so there are those who agree with you that we need this type of structure. Of course there are various solutions as to how the game should go about providing it.

I mean, seriously, all that wood and you can't make a house? I haven't read about the future plans of Don't Starve, but I seriously hope a cabin of some sort is in there somewhere. A cabin would solve the end-game problem pretty quick.

Well there aren't any solid plans to provide one, if that's what you are asking, only forum member suggestions to date. However I should mention that this wouldn't actually be the "end all" solution because the Devs have explained that in order to progress in the plot we will need to travel to other... worlds... via a portal. What does this mean? Well we would be abandoning everything we've build/collected in the current world/island and only taking what we can carry on us. Obviously a cabin won't fit in our pocket.

The night monsters getting too dumb? Why not let them start tearing down the trees the player planted? Or just let em go through them.

I take it you're referring to the old exploit known as the "tree wall", when a player would plant a row of pine cones close to one another to create a wall that blocked pathfinding. As you can imagine, nothing except your character and pig men currently have the capacity to knock down trees. The flame hound meanwhile has the ability to burn down trees. Of course this was an exploit and the Devs have since nerfed it, as trees now require a certain amount of open space around them before the pine cone will be planted. You can no longer plant trees side by side.

Then the player has to keep their cabin door repaired or risk a house invasion. Let em start tearing down the science equipment and other stuff too. Force the player to retreat indoors at night.

Not sure whether the cabin should either load another area or if it should require a large plot of land.

Okay, this is one of the sticking points with certain cabin ideas. The fact that it's a place the player can retreat into and be 100% safe. Now you did suggest they could knock down the door, which counters that, but now it comes down to "How is the cabin built/designed". I'm personally against the idea of a cookie-cutter cabin (i.e. craft and place, always the same design inside). For this reason I suggested a solution used by another game, Project Zomboid. In PZ the player used resources to craft sections of a house: walls, floors, stairs, windows, and doors. As he crafted them he placed them in the world and connected them however they wanted to design a unique house. The idea isn't too far removed from Minecraft, only with fewer levels in exchange for less micromanaging.

For a while I thought this was the way to go... but more recently I think I've decided building a cottage/cabin isn't what the game needs. The Devs have already informed us they will allow us to build walls at some stage, and I can picture that a base camp would have more in common with a safari camp than a stronghold. Temporary in nature because you never know when you'll be abandoning it.

Also, some people might want to furnish their houses with those spiffy chests, a bed, etc.. A house (well, cabin) could certainly keep players busy in a longer running game and add extra challenges that weren't there before. It should also be a necessity during the Winter period.

Again, while a nice idea I'm not sure that is the way to go. However we can already craft chests and tents (for beds), not counting the straw roll. In reference to winter, perhaps we need the option to contruct a small shelter, say a wooden roof supported by poles or lean-to. The key goal would be for it to protect you and your fire from the elements (snow/rain).

Another thing that a lot of players might want is an area to display trophies, unique items, etc.. in their home. Like that gnome you just dug up, and have no use for aside from spending it on your tech score (and you've already researched everything). Maybe you could display it in a trophy room and get a bonus based on the item's science score? Like a place where your character can sit, relax, and restore some sanity... at least until night comes and the banging on the door starts up again. x]

As a note, research points are on their way out, so you won't need to worry about collecting them. A new research system will be introduced in January. I'm not sure I would need places to display trophies... but I would mind trophies either. As for regaining one's sanity, so far I know wearing certain clothing helps (namely the top hat and dapper vest).

Anyway, I'm not against cabins... so much as I'm not sure they fit with the way the game is going. Of course if suddenly the Devs declared we could make cabins (maybe similar to how I described) I certainly wouldn't complain. The game is changing with time, but only the Devs really know what to expect in the future.

[PistonPower]

One solution to this problem would be that:

A) The house is severely flammable

B) The Night monster can still reach you inside if you neglect your fireplace "It's breaking the windows!"

C) and finally overfilling the fireplace will achieve the total incineration of your house and everything in it.

Happy Homemaking!

[mobius187]

A) The house is severely flammable

I'm reminded of dozens of Minecraft rage-quit videos involving burning houses...

Of course my home in Minecraft is always a fortress. I build it from stone, never wood.

[PaladinHeart]

I like all the ideas of making it severely flammable (a nice stone fireplace, requiring lots of stone, would fix the fireplace problem), and that the night monster can still get you. I don't want it to be a 100% safe place. Mostly just something realistic that would be needed during winter. No free light or other silly stuff that would make it easier.

I see the cabin as being an end-game deal, so I don't see it being in the story mode unless it comes at the end. Also, if handled properly it could be even more challenging than not having a cabin. After all, it is something else to take care of. Birds wouldn't be able to land and give you seeds while you're inside. You can't plant stuff indoors. Etc.. etc.. And if you're not prepared for a severe Winter then you're either going to have to brave the cold outdoors or die of starvation.

Also I would prefer the cabin to be placed on the world map, with a roof that disappears when you go inside. I don't particularly like the idea of building each individual block separate because... well in Project Zomboid I was always placing stuff wrong, etc.. so I would prefer the layout to be fairly standard. Or perhaps go half & half, with different rooms that are built & added onto the main section.

Since Don't Starve is a rather strange world, I can see some unique challenges coming from having a house. Perhaps you now need to make a broom and keep the dust swept up or risk it accumulating into large dustbunny monsters. There's also the fireplace to watch out for, so maybe you need to keep it lit or risk strange midnight visitors. And of course if you don't keep a check on your larder then some non-dangerous larvae might creep in and make a nest.. and spawn some rather dangerous insects.

[mobius187]

I like all the ideas of making it severely flammable (a nice stone fireplace, requiring lots of stone, would fix the fireplace problem), and that the night monster can still get you. I don't want it to be a 100% safe place. Mostly just something realistic that would be needed during winter. No free light or other silly stuff that would make it easier.

So by that you mean that you would still need to manage the fire in the fireplace just like a firepit, correct?

I see the cabin as being an end-game deal, so I don't see it being in the story mode unless it comes at the end.

I assume then you are looking forward to more than one mode of gameplay? So far I'm only aware of one mode, which I assume would best fit the category of "story mode". However there have been talks about difficulty settings in other threads. The main issue is that so far what has been revealed of the plot indicates the player will be forced to abandon their base camp on the island in order to progress. On the flip side, I haven't seen any indicators that you couldn't avoid going through the portal... so maybe you could just live on the initial island and build whatever you wanted.

The only issue being that since this is the way the plot appears to be headed the Devs may not want to create content that is not as useful to players who just want to progress in the plot. A large structure, like a cabin, may fall into this category. But then again... if you had asked me whether Project Zomboid would ever allow you to build structures I would have said "Nothing that complicated", and yet they do. So what do I really know?

Also, if handled properly it could be even more challenging than not having a cabin. After all, it is something else to take care of. Birds wouldn't be able to land and give you seeds while you're inside. You can't plant stuff indoors. Etc.. etc.. And if you're not prepared for a severe Winter then you're either going to have to brave the cold outdoors or die of starvation.

Another issue is security, as you mentioned, monsters can still attack... but how? I would think only windows and doors are accessible, so if you are placing those a cautious player would choose never to have windows and only a single door... down a narrow corridor... so he can choke-point enemy attacks.

Right now there is one major hostile force, the hounds, and the key to their attack is that they come from different directions. Cabin walls would thwart this strategy. Also, in the last update video we were teased with a creature we've identified as the "Krampus", who is from Christmas lore as the punisher of bad children. We're not sure what he does, but Kevin once mentioned we would have to be careful of "thefts"... so some users think the two are related. That, or the Krampus comes to beat you with its stick(s) for being naughty. Either way, a cabin would protect you and your belongings.

On the flip side, what impact would the flame hound have on the cabin? I've seen some fairly horrific images of entire base camps engulfed in flames because of one of those beasts.

Also I would prefer the cabin to be placed on the world map, with a roof that disappears when you go inside. I don't particularly like the idea of building each individual block separate because... well in Project Zomboid I was always placing stuff wrong, etc.. so I would prefer the layout to be fairly standard. Or perhaps go half & half, with different rooms that are built & added onto the main section.

Yes, but in Project Zomboid I recall you couldn't rotate the screen, while you can do that in Don't Starve. Stairs were the biggest pain in the ass in PZ, in terms of placement, but if the stairs stay in the same position or switch only between forwards and sideways (left) then all you need to do is rotate the screen to determine their direction, problem solved.

But yes, no visible roof. Of course the self-built homes in PZ didn't have proper roofs... or in many cases roofs at all (since you didn't need one, only a ceiling/floor if you wanted 2 or more stories).

Since Don't Starve is a rather strange world, I can see some unique challenges coming from having a house. Perhaps you now need to make a broom and keep the dust swept up or risk it accumulating into large dustbunny monsters. There's also the fireplace to watch out for, so maybe you need to keep it lit or risk strange midnight visitors. And of course if you don't keep a check on your larder then some non-dangerous larvae might creep in and make a nest.. and spawn some rather dangerous insects.

Dust bunnies? Nah. Fireplace extinguishing? Yes. Larder? Mmmm, no to monsters, but I wouldn't mind food rotting if not preserved properly (but that's another topic).

[PaladinHeart]

Yes the fire would still need managing like a firepit. Initially it would be like a regular camp fire but a stone block upgrade (9+) would make it like the firepit, and not so hazardous.

I always go away from my base camp when I hear the dogs approaching. I would assume the same would be necessary with a cabin.

As for the choke points, that's why I'd want the cabin to be pre-determined in size and such. No weird player designs with choke points in mind. Not only is it game-breaking, but just plain ugly. xP

I would say that windows would be a terrible idea for the PC to want to build in the first place, but they can also make for excellent viewing. So.. make the player add them with extra resources. Sure some monsters can come through them, but if you don't have them then you won't hear the dogs coming...

[horatio_svetlana]

I think a cabin could actually add an interesting level to the game's mechanics. I mean, being alone in a house with a monster you don't know where is seems like great suspense. Imagine it, you hear a window break, you go to check out the east room and there's a broken window. A monster is in the cabin and waiting in one of the rooms, cabinets, or chests to attack. The cabin would fit very well into the theme of loneliness in Don't Starve if it wasn't horribly implemented.

The way the windows work could be, they provide sight to outside the cabin so it's necessary to build them or you can't see what's happening outside. Might only show a straight line too, unless pressed right up against the window.

Oh goodness, imagine fighting off hordes of dogs, Optimus Pines, werepigs, and spiders as they break the windows and doors.

Monsters under the bed, Russian house spirits that hurt you if you hurt the house, skeletons in the closet. If you're going insane any hallways elongate, closets become enormous.