A Simple Solution to an otherwise large idea.

[Xizzzy]

i've read your common suggestions list and one struck my interest because it had such a simple solution to it and would add a potentially intense amount to the game. granted you may still not want it but i thought i'd share my solution and see what happened

Caves/Underground/Hell People suggest a way into the bunnykingdom or caves or various other underground environments

The developers are not keen on working on this at the moment. For a good reason. It is hard to integrate what is essentially a 3D aspect into a 2.5D game. The cave has a roof and walls and our current world doesn't. See the problem? Not to say it might not happen on day just- dont hold your horses just yet on this.

the solution works like this. you have points in the overworld they can be anything you like from digging a hole with a specific tool and using rope on it to altars and ceremonies with the black magic to transport you somewhere else. the point is, the map does not need to connect in a 3D way to the overworld it can be a seperate map altogether with its own mobs, tiles, and textures. this fits in with the way your game is made. whether or not it suits what you want to do with it is entirely up to you. i just thought i'd share this input since it seemed a simple solution to wrestling with 2.5d vs 3d issues to adding caves or hellish areas. it can also function to add places that are holiday specific ie. being transported to the land of the bunnymen for easter or the north pole for christmas to what end is again entirely at your discretion i merely want to give you room for more alternative forms of content.

[sirmentlegen]

that would be cool.

[Xizzzy]

I think it may open a 5D door for them to implement all sorts of fun mechanics. For example, you could do x in the _____ world and the overworld would change in a specific way or you could unleash something terrible. You could have been wandering through dense bushes in some other realm and a bit of pollen or a seed could have traveled back with you and lodged itself spreading and causing trouble or spawning something.

[Xizzzy]

You could even make it so that if you fell into a cave you'd have to figure out a way to return to the surface with limited food options.

[maxg50]

that's sounds really cool hope they will listen to your idea

[Xizzzy]

It would be fun but if they read it and don't want to put it in that is fine too. After all, I got into this game because of what they've done already.

[horatio_svetlana]

I always saw it working like that. Two maps, one for the surface and one for underground that interact with each other. I'm not sure why it seems they thought you'd have to see a ceiling in the underground.

[Xizzzy]

Well, to be fair the quote from the common suggestions thread wasn't from a moderator or dev that I know of or was labeled in that thread I found it in so they may already be aware or just not want to add caves for their own reasons. i agree though the necessity for a ceiling in an underground area is only necessary for a 3d world which this isn't so you can just have lighting work the way it would in a cave and then imply the ceiling how the sky is in the overworld. nobody looks up at the clouds do they/

[mobius187]

the solution works like this. you have points in the overworld they can be anything you like from digging a hole with a specific tool and using rope on it to altars and ceremonies with the black magic to transport you somewhere else. the point is, the map does not need to connect in a 3D way to the overworld it can be a seperate map altogether with its own mobs, tiles, and textures.

Ah, the old "underground caverns" suggestion, one of my favorites and one I've supported in various discussions. I know you've made some suggestions of your own on how this area could be accessed, but for myself I've always promoted the idea of a crevasse (i.e. hole in the ground) that the player can stumble across while exploring the islands. Initially the player can only examine it ("It sure looks deep...better watch my step". But by selecting it with a new crafted item, the grappling hook (gold ore + ropes), the player can climb down. I say "climb down", but as we all know for a 2.5D game it's just going to be a transition between the overworld map and loading/generating an undeground map. Now initially the player should spawn in a chamber that has light coming from above, depending on the time of day. Beyond that small area they need their own light source to navigate the tunnels. Now to avoid obscuring line-of-sight the cavern's "bottom"-most walls would need to be 80-90% transparent and not block clicking.

As for ideas connected to underground areas... I've collected many different ones. Some are mine and some were made by other users, but all of them strike me as interesting.

Caverns should include: boulders (new spawns for a currently non-renewable resource), gemstones (i.e. rubies), crystals (i.e. quartz), mushrooms (varied types/effects that randomize when the map is generated for the first time to prevent players from knowing what they do), blind albino cave fish (in pools), coal, and new ores (i.e. iron).

Also, it's our hope that one day the stone bridges will be removed. On that day caverns could provide another use, as another means to travel between islands. If certain other islands also have a crevasse than players could potentially enter via one crevasse and by locating another, exit onto a new island.

it can also function to add places that are holiday specific ie. being transported to the land of the bunnymen for easter or the north pole for christmas to what end is again entirely at your discretion i merely want to give you room for more alternative forms of content.

Meh. I got way too much seasonal gaming from Guild Wars... not to mention Facebook games seemed to be celebrating some new holiday or event every month. However I wonder whether the seasons themselves should impact the caverns...?

I think it may open a 5D door for them to implement all sorts of fun mechanics. For example, you could do x in the _____ world and the overworld would change in a specific way or you could unleash something terrible. You could have been wandering through dense bushes in some other realm and a bit of pollen or a seed could have traveled back with you and lodged itself spreading and causing trouble or spawning something.

I'm reminded of those areas in Terraria that you need dynamite to open, but when you get inside you can potentially cause the meteor to strike the world... also it reminds me of a Japanese survival horror manga I'm reading called 7 Seeds. The latest event is oddly enough along these lines. Some survivors opened an old vault and unwittingly unleased mushroom spores... now the forest above is being overrun by these "super (mutated) mushrooms".

I wouldn't mind events in the game... but I'm cautious about events that may radically change the world.

You could even make it so that if you fell into a cave you'd have to figure out a way to return to the surface with limited food options.

That would suck.

Well, to be fair the quote from the common suggestions thread wasn't from a moderator or dev that I know of or was labeled in that thread I found it in so they may already be aware or just not want to add caves for their own reasons. i agree though the necessity for a ceiling in an underground area is only necessary for a 3d world which this isn't so you can just have lighting work the way it would in a cave and then imply the ceiling how the sky is in the overworld. nobody looks up at the clouds do they/

The Devs haven't spoken up on this. As for me, I'm in the dark on whether this is feasible or not. I wouldn't mind knowing.

[Xizzzy]

this area could be accessed, but for myself I've always promoted the idea of a crevasse

A crevasse would be a nice way to access underground areas I agree, the suggestions I made for access were just some simple examples to illustrate the between maps access points.

Now to avoid obscuring line-of-sight the cavern's "bottom"-most walls would need to be 80-90% transparent and not block clicking.

If you've ever played diablo 2 you'll know they solved this handily with how they dealt with a 2.5d environment in an enclosed space and used the concept of transparent or fading walls depending on the place a player stood to great effect. It may be worth looking into for the devs who may not have played this game and d2 is just fun all around so those who haven't just should. think of it as required reading.

Meh. I got way too much seasonal gaming from Guild Wars... not to mention Facebook games seemed to be celebrating some new holiday or event every month. However I wonder whether the seasons themselves should impact the caverns...?

Well, the devs seem keen to add holiday gaming to don't starve given the content of the next update. it doesn't relate to caves in any content related way but the means to access a cave and another dimension are the same, which is a change of map. whether i'm visiting a crevasse or completing the ritual of black flowers to enter the land of the pig demons doesn't matter it'll still just be transition between maps as far as the game is concerned mechanically.

I'm reminded of those areas in Terraria that you need dynamite to open, but when you get inside you can potentially cause the meteor to strike the world... also it reminds me of a Japanese survival horror manga I'm reading called 7 Seeds. The latest event is oddly enough along these lines. Some survivors opened an old vault and unwittingly unleased mushroom spores... now the forest above is being overrun by these "super (mutated) mushrooms".

I wouldn't mind events in the game... but I'm cautious about events that may radically change the world.

its much like how in our present environment if you carelessly have a campfire near a forest you can easily lose your source of wood. the butterfly effect, you can overdo something and cause something else to flourish in its place which adds a necessity for not just bounding around the wilderness trying everything without consequences. the research machine could provide the necessary input to prevent such disasters if you bring it the right clues or use the tools it produces in the right ways. ie. you find glowing green mist rising up out of a crack in a cave wall, use a small glass bottle to contain some of the mist and research it and learn that it is composed of a volatile gas so striking your pick against it to break through would have caused an explosion tearing you limb from limb.

That would suck.

lol, it would certainly but if you fell into the cave normally and had no easy means of escape this is how it would play out.

The Devs haven't spoken up on this. As for me, I'm in the dark on whether this is feasible or not. I wouldn't mind knowing.

i expect its dangerous territory for them to say much about since if they sound too positive people will just end up demanding it at some point and cause tension. also, we don't really know what they have planned entirely so they may be silent for the reason that its already in the works. the bottom line is we don't know, if they were inclined to let us know more about their thoughts on it i'd be grateful but if not we'll find out eventually regardless. (unrelated note; its such a pain having a broken shift key-

[mobius187]

If you've ever played diablo 2 you'll know they solved this handily with how they dealt with a 2.5d environment in an enclosed space and used the concept of transparent or fading walls depending on the place a player stood to great effect. It may be worth looking into for the devs who may not have played this game and d2 is just fun all around so those who haven't just should. think of it as required reading.

Well I've never played Diablo 2 (shock!), but I am playing Torchlight 2, so you tell me if this sounds similar. When your character approaches a wall you, enemies, and every item blocked from view by the wall are shown as a blue wireframe silhouette. There's also a slight fade or transparency to the forefront texture blocking line-of-sight so it doesn't obscure anything. Or at least that what I recall... to be honest I'm usually just running around whacking stuff most of the tiem to pay attention.

Well, the devs seem keen to add holiday gaming to don't starve given the content of the next update.

Maybe... all I know is that they added the Krampus and will be adding winter. I draw the line at Santa hats.

its much like how in our present environment if you carelessly have a campfire near a forest you can easily lose your source of wood.

I'm all for certain cause and effect scenarios, so long as they come off as fairly obvious to the player rather than a confusing "What did I do...?".

the butterfly effect

Oh, don't get me started about chaos theory... I hated its use in "A Sound of Thunder".

you can overdo something and cause something else to flourish in its place which adds a necessity for not just bounding around the wilderness trying everything without consequences. the research machine could provide the necessary input to prevent such disasters if you bring it the right clues or use the tools it produces in the right ways. ie. you find glowing green mist rising up out of a crack in a cave wall, use a small glass bottle to contain some of the mist and research it and learn that it is composed of a volatile gas so striking your pick against it to break through would have caused an explosion tearing you limb from limb.

I'm just not sure the science machine role would meet your needs fro this suggestion. I'm all for needing to figure out for yourself on how to collect "strange explosive gases", and maybe the ramifications of using your torch on said gases, but if the player examines the source of the gas they should get some warning: "Those vapors appear to be volatile... I had best be careful".

[Xizzzy]

Well I've never played Diablo 2

Even with your torchlight experience I highly suggest a playthrough of D2 as required reading ;3 They are similar but I think you'll find they are in fact not that similar. I could of course be wrong about this as my torchlight experience is limited but you'll see if you play.

I'm all for certain cause and effect scenarios, so long as they come off as fairly obvious to the player rather than a confusing "What did I do...?".

Wouldn't a "what did I do?" scenario be very interesting though? You'd be met with a mystery you'd have to figure out so you don't either do it again or if the effect is to your liking reproduce it. (so long as you don't lose any source of something too easily overall I think its fine if the user isn't completely clear about their action's and the effects they may produce always) It would add its own mythos to the world rather than just another analogue of our own (ie. fires burn down forests)

I'm just not sure the science machine role would meet your needs fro this suggestion. I'm all for needing to figure out for yourself on how to collect "strange explosive gases", and maybe the ramifications of using your torch on said gases, but if the player examines the source of the gas they should get some warning: "Those vapors appear to be volatile... I had best be careful".

I'm going to be a bit specific about the example I used but it should show what I'm after in the process. A gas can't actually appear to be volatile until it explodes in your face (a point of no return so to speak as you'd be dead) To me, the scenario would play out like this. You'd go into the cave come across this crack with green mist like substance pouring out of it and be interested to know what it was so remembering you have tools either try all of them and produce a result or remember you have a tool for examination to bring a sample back to a science machine which could tell you a bit more about it. Your reaction would be that of "oh a weird thing I don't know, I had better find out more" instead of "yay thing me smash" or "oh *instant knowledge* that's dangerous" because the thing you find won't always be something you can know what it does or could do which builds on the world's own characteristics and teaches you about it.

[Xizzzy]

Maybe... all I know is that they added the Krampus and will be adding winter. I draw the line at Santa hats.

Things like Santa hats are only a problem when they become collectible or profitable in any way, otherwise they're just a harmless bit of fun for those interested.

Oh, don't get me started about chaos theory... I hated its use in "A Sound of Thunder".

I like the idea of applying chaos theory to a game to enhance it in some way. It just needs to be handled properly.