Don't starve has lost its dark twist

[XirmiX]

The main reason why I really liked this game was not just because of its survival ways but the dark twist it had in it. When I first played don't starve I survived 17 days sinse I already learnt the basic stuff from watching Markiplier's videos of it. To me the firat time I did feel the dark twist. My pig friend turning into a Werepig after eating too much monster meat just startled me and I didn't know how to get rid of it. I had discovered many new items and spider gland was the item that seemed really important to me. I was killed by spiders, because my armour I made got destroyed. Sometimes when I camped and I had spiders around I was really scared that they was gonna attack me. I had found the pig king, which of Markiplier had been talking about but never found and myself I was really proud of that. Back then I checked out caves once and it wasn't long till I exited (they were still in progress anyway). I remember when once getting insane, Terror beak chased after me. I tried to kill it and I was really scared of it sinse then running from it felt useless to me.

But now that I'm a pro and all, I don't feel have this creepy crawly feeling at all anymore.The game feels more happier and I feel the need for combat and gathering of stuff that I already have lots of.

I'm betting even the newcommers wouldn't have the same feeling. Yes, they would hate to die and be kind of off about all the monsters and stuff, but they would doubtfully get the creepy feeling in them. Unlike many horror games which would jumscare you and make you scare you till you just explode, this game used to make you feela bit of that whilst you have no idea of stuff.

Surviving forever now is what people want. When you start a game, surviving forever wasn't the goal. The goal was to escape and unlock different characters as a reward, and even if you die you still get your reward.

The game has gone way off what it used to be. Everything changed when RoG was introduced. The DLC is awesome and all, but I think there is gotta be a way to have yourself the same noob creepyish feeling even if you're a pro, and all thought you progress, you would still get the fear of the simple things.

Don't starve together was announced. Great! And everyone's excited about it, and so am I, but. The creepy crawly ish feeling accured and still accurs to me when I look at the puzzle. According to devs the puzzle has nothing to do with anything. It was completely pointless unless the devs aren't revealing something to us. The words and stuff from the puzzle just have to be part of aomething in DST else why would devs need to go through all that work of the puzzle whilst they could've made it simple? Yes it was exciting to go through it, but don't you feel like it needs SOME refference in DST? The stuff like:

Darkness

Alone

Together (the only refferance which is the name of the update if I shoild call that)

Crows

The planet stuff (can't remember the two names anymore)

The full moon

The object that someone found in the codes which the name of was what we needed to move forward (can't remember its name either)

The fact that Crows are unknown to where they came from and why they helped the player to progress

The notes with locations on the map

Why berries, silk and rocks?

All those questions and stuff that was in the puzzle are not going to have any refference in DST? It feels sad to me.

So to conclude I want to ask the rest of you: what kind of game do you want Don't Starve to be?

A fun game you're exited to play?

A game you'd want to play to just relax?

Or a game that could bring you into a completely different view of survival, horror and mystery?

[jbeetle]

All of the above, but with time, no matter what you do, the game won't feel like it did when you first started playing it. It's the same for every game.

[Dictator]

This poll is biased. 

[spencer320]

I still love Don't Starve even with having found out all the mechanics and scary parts. Surviving winter is easy now, summer isn't so bad as I remember it being. The Giants aren't all that tough anymore.

 

But something about the game keeps bringing me back to it. There always seems to be a new challenge. You might have to find it for yourself... Surviving 100 days, then 200, then 365 now 1000. Building everything in the same game play. Finally exploring all the caves then the ruins. There's always something that keeps me going.

 

I do miss being a noob and having everything kill me but at the same time, it's good to be good so you can keep testing the limits of you character.

 

That's how I look at it, anyway!

[Maximum124]

i actually still get anxious when I play it, but its usually from the fear of something unexpected happening quickly. I actually barely play it because of that. But yeah now that I know the game it just feels different but its a different feeling for everyone. But if you play a horror game through one and go back to replay it, its going to be different, same with every game.

 

Also you're really fixated on the puzzle aren't you? The other puzzles offered just as much stuff, why not focus on them too? I want to learn more about Jack and all the runes Maxwell scribbled on his walls.

 

Also the birds didn't help you progress, they stole the papers from Wilson. So if anything they hindered it. The rest of the puzzle unfortunately was probably just a means to an end, just a fun ARG that the community could participate in to build up hype around whatever was going to be announced.

[Snob]

It's not really "Don't starve has lost its dark twist".

 

It's more "I know what to expect from Don't Starve".

[Starvation]

I never thought there was a 'dark twist' really. So, in my opinion the game hasn't lost what it didn't have. The game always felt happy to me. However I've been playing since November 2012, and I was introduced to the new 'creepy' and 'dark' elements steadily (cos it was in BETA) and therefore I didn't have all the elements thrusted into my face like you did (I say this because, judging by your forum join date, you joined Don't Starve after most of the features were implemented). If I did, I probably would've thought it had a dark twist. Also, back in Beta, new features were announced and put in colourful posters like this one , so you would know exactly what to expect, so most things would not come as a surprise. Though if you didn't have much knowledge about Don't Starve beforehand, i guess you would find it having a 'dark twist'

[Maximum124]

Also just to add a bit more, whose to say it had a dark twist to begin with? The first character you have access to has goofy hair and is like 2 feet tall compared to the first NPC you encounter. It just seems like goofy and fun elements in a dark world, not necessarily a normal world with dark undertones. Even then DS isnt very dire, and while They and everything surrounding Charlie and Maxwell seem pretty dark, is that only because we want to see it that way? We don't actually know what They want, or that Maxwell isn't lying in his final speech. Or that Charlie was turned into the grue against her will. We also don't know that the DS characters are all innocent and dont deserve their fate. It could just be just desserts and we're simply veiwing it as innocence wronged because we dont know the whole story. 

 

Basically what Im trying to say is, its only as dark as you make it. Some people recoil in fear and disgust when they see a tallbird, me I think they're adorable. A lot of entry level people see the game as goofy and people (mostly everyone who knows who William Carter is or the ARGs) sees it as dark and twisted

 

The more we know, the more dark it becomes, the more added, the more we question. We dont know what is going to happen next. If you knew nothing about don't starve, it looks like a pretty normal if not goofy game.

[Battal]

In horror games, the developers usually try to keep you in the dark about things as long as they can.  The sheer confusion and uneasiness of not knowing what the hell is going on adds to the terror of the situation.  BUT, when you start making sense of the madness, you stop being so scared because you know what's going on, and you know how to deal with it.

 

It's the same with Don't Starve.  The first time you hear hounds, you're likely going to get scared; the next, not so much, because you know what's going on.  However, I definitely wouldn't call it a "happy" game.  A lot of things can still be freaky; hell, the Night Hands still send chills down my spine.

 

So, in conclusion, don't get mad at the part of your brain that remembers things, and once things stop being scary just enjoy the ride.  Because you shouldn't let your lack of fear ruin a great game.

[J20hawkz]

Dead Space had the same "first time" effect on my first play through. Now I am the hunter!

[Hugo M.]

Even if they made some sort of "Super Dupet Huge Surprise Update That Adds A Ton Of Content" tomorrow, you still would get to a point where you know everything about the game.

[jbeetle]

In horror games, the developers usually try to keep you in the dark about things as long as they can. 

and in roguelikes, I might add.

[DeadpanQuinkan]

Knowledge is the fear killer and unless you have the memory of a goldfish your not going to have the same emotional experience each time.  I was quite surprised to find this game was not just another dark n' scary game.  It has it's tense moments, but a lot of chill moments too.  It deceived me in a way I liked.  This game can still find some ways to surprise me given a few edits with the world generation. I find the games scariest moments are self inflicted.

[porps]

when you hear a joke for the first time it might make you laugh, but after hearing it 100 times it probably wont. Did the joke change or did you change?

 

dont starve is like that.

[Gumhoy]

Stuff

"It used to be scary - the unknown. Now that I've got to know it, however; like an old man it withers away and I must move on. They are coming for me." - Wilson.

The darkness beyond is a spectacle which draws you near. The bait. It's the mechanics that stab you through the cheek and drag you deep into the world. Into the unknown. Bare. Eyes clenching from the blinding light. I wish I understood everything that was going on. What is that? How do I feed myself? How do I get out of here? Why am I here? To me the dark mystery is very much alive.

You seem to have walked the road so many times - you don't see a point in walking it with the same vigour as before.

Try some different characters, hope for new DLC and install some mods that make the game put more pressure on you if that is how you'd like your experience.

I for one, as a new player - am perfectly happy with how the game is and I believe many others will feel the same. There's nothing quite like trying to figure out and master something for yourself - that's what makes Don't Starve an amazing game to me.

 

[the truthseeker]

You got experienced now it's not so hard?

Gee, if only that happened to the rest of us, oh wait...it DOES!

 

 

Tell ya what, you  make a 200+ day video of you surviving in the Ruins (not the Caves but the RUINS) and tell me you didn't feel "a dark twist" anymore. 

 

 

Oh, and the poll is so rigged by bias. 

[Barbarian]

I have 802 hours played, and still finding new things.  Ok, so when a tier 3 spider nest turns into a queen it doesn't scare me as much any more, but the other day a spider hissed and my cat jumped so high into the air he knocked my glass of water all over my laptop.

 

And I still can't go anywhere near to playing as Webber - he really disturbs me.

[the truthseeker]

I have 802 hours played, and still finding new things.  Ok, so when a tier 3 spider nest turns into a queen it doesn't scare me as much any more, but the other day a spider hissed and my cat jumped so high into the air he knocked my glass of water all over my laptop.

 

And I still can't go anywhere near to playing as Webber - he really disturbs me.

His "story origin" really disturbs me the most.

 

[Okay, explain to me AGAIN how a boy eaten partially by a spider (his head) who dies and only HIS skull is buried resurrections as a Hybrid Boy-Spider character?]

[Scrimbles]

His "story origin" really disturbs me the most.

 

[Okay, explain to me AGAIN how a boy eaten partially by a spider (his head) who dies and only HIS skull is buried resurrections as a Hybrid Boy-Spider character?]

 

Well, since his title is 'The Indigestible', I would assume that Webber's skull was too thick (tee hee) and wasn't able to be digested.

 

The second part... I dunno, maybe its like "The Fly", where the Human part was resurrected, but was mixed with the spider part.

(I know its transporting in the move but shh)

Oh yeah, and he was revived BY BEING BURIED AND HAVING A LIGHTNING BOLT STRIKE HIS GRAVE. NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN HOW THAT HAPPENS. THAT'S SOME VOO DOO STUFF WILSON, COME ON.

 

And then he claims that Maxwell told him he could help if he followed him, so I guess he somehow teleported back to the 'real' world after being resurrected... somehow... I don't even...

[magister82]

As a relative newcomer (installed a couple months ago) i can definately say the first few playthrough were creepy and scary. Encountering new monsters, discovering new recipes and finding new stuff was all exciting. As i usually do for these kinds of games I especially avoided any spoilers until i completed a few games. Eventually i got bored of dieing for random unexpected stuff and to revive the lost interest to the game i started checking some info on wiki/forums about tricks and tactics and the game turned from a survival horror to a survival sim. I think it is inevitable that the horror part wear off after you know the game because you know what's going on (and that's the whole point of horror and thriller, not knowing what to expect) but the game still has a unique look and feel and i like it that way. Eventually it will bore me, but even Skyrim and Civilization eventually bore me, so there's no shame in that.

[XirmiX]

This poll is biased. 

Well, if you hate the game or anything, just don't vote. Enuff said

 

 

Well, since his title is 'The Indigestible', I would assume that Webber's skull was too thick (tee hee) and wasn't able to be digested.

 

The second part... I dunno, maybe its like "The Fly", where the Human part was resurrected, but was mixed with the spider part.

(I know its transporting in the move but shh)

Oh yeah, and he was revived BY BEING BURIED AND HAVING A LIGHTNING BOLT STRIKE HIS GRAVE. NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN HOW THAT HAPPENS. THAT'S SOME VOO DOO STUFF WILSON, COME ON.

 

And then he claims that Maxwell told him he could help if he followed him, so I guess he somehow teleported back to the 'real' world after being resurrected... somehow... I don't even...

Spiders are monters, created by Maxwell and he's in all this magic stuff, so anything could happen

 

 

when you hear a joke for the first time it might make you laugh, but after hearing it 100 times it probably wont. Did the joke change or did you change?

 

dont starve is like that.

Yeah, but what I'm talking about is that it would be awesome that if you're a pro and you still get the chills every time from certain stuff.

 

You got experienced now it's not so hard?

Gee, if only that happened to the rest of us, oh wait...it DOES!

 

 

Tell ya what, you  make a 200+ day video of you surviving in the Ruins (not the Caves but the RUINS) and tell me you didn't feel "a dark twist" anymore. 

 

 

Oh, and the poll is so rigged by bias.

Sounds like a challenge I might try actually. But that's not the point.

[spencer320]

You know what part of the game still gets me? Spider dens..... Let me explain.

 

So you walk past that spider den a few times until it's finally a level 3 but you're needing wood so you think, I'll come back tomorrow.

 

Tomorrow comes and goes and the spider den is still there. After about a week (in game) you remember you need to take that thing out before a Spider Queen pops out. So you go and take out wave after wave of spiders and get down and dirty with the den itself. You start whacking it with your spear and if your like me, you keep count. 25, 26, 27, 28 oh crap...SPIDER QUEEN! Or better yet... when you hit it for the 30th time and it explodes in silk and eggs then somehow becomes a spider Queen. Gets me right in the back of the shorts everytime!

[the truthseeker]

You know what part of the game still gets me? Spider dens..... Let me explain.

 

So you walk past that spider den a few times until it's finally a level 3 but you're needing wood so you think, I'll come back tomorrow.

 

Tomorrow comes and goes and the spider den is still there. After about a week (in game) you remember you need to take that thing out before a Spider Queen pops out. So you go and take out wave after wave of spiders and get down and dirty with the den itself. You start whacking it with your spear and if your like me, you keep count. 25, 26, 27, 28 oh crap...SPIDER QUEEN! Or better yet... when you hit it for the 30th time and it explodes in silk and eggs then somehow becomes a spider Queen. Gets me right in the back of the shorts everytime!

*sighs* Guilty of this too. 

[XirmiX]

You know what part of the game still gets me? Spider dens..... Let me explain.

 

So you walk past that spider den a few times until it's finally a level 3 but you're needing wood so you think, I'll come back tomorrow.

 

Tomorrow comes and goes and the spider den is still there. After about a week (in game) you remember you need to take that thing out before a Spider Queen pops out. So you go and take out wave after wave of spiders and get down and dirty with the den itself. You start whacking it with your spear and if your like me, you keep count. 25, 26, 27, 28 oh crap...SPIDER QUEEN! Or better yet... when you hit it for the 30th time and it explodes in silk and eggs then somehow becomes a spider Queen. Gets me right in the back of the shorts everytime!

Done dat, and meh, nothing. But it is kind of a jumpscare

[Strangerdanger101]

Dark twist?

It never had a dark twist for me to begin with.

But to be fair, no matter what game you play, it won't be the same as when you started playing it.