The Growth of Farming

[Rhidian]

From what I have read on the Roadmap and elsewhere on the forums, it feels as if the developers are trying to figure out what to do with farming. The primary problem is that players have a tendency to make a camp/farm and spend all their time at the camp not doing much exploring. I believe this is why Hell Hounds are the way they are; they discourage holing up in one place.

So how do you have farming, yet not encourage players to spend all their time in one place? I believe the best solution would be to adjust the risk/rewards for farming. As it is, the reward (survival off of nothing else but farms) is sufficient enough to preclude exploration, even with the risks that have been added (hell hounds). Rather than increasing the risks of farming (and discourage farming), why not reduce the yield of food obtainable by farming instead? Make it so that farms alone cannot sustain us; encourage us to find other sources of food that, while riskier, provide enough morsels to eat.

The risk/reward ratio I envision is this:

Farming- Low Risk/Low Reward (maybe have it take longer time for food to grow from transplanted bushes, or from bushes too close together)

Foraging- Low Risk/ Medium Reward

Pigs/Beefalos- Medium Risk/Medium Reward

Killing monsters- High Risk/High Reward

[gibbin]

To be honest, I don't really know what to think of farming (and of base building). I just read the "roadmap" and Kevin said, he's not too fond of giving some explicit goals. Don't Starve is, of course, an open world sandbox game, but from the first time I was thrown in this world by that Maxwell guy, I can't think of something else but how to "escape" and kick his ass in the process. Maybe it's not really meant for your character to do that, but I'd love the focus of the game to be on exploration rather than building my own little farmville, where "don't starve" is more of an ironic thing to say, given the amount of food produced from only a few turbo plots and a bunch of berry bushes, combined with the BBQ.

I thought about how it would be if farming was left out entirely, so you have to go out hunting, fishing and foraging, getting your veggies from wild plants only, like those few carrots in the first area. Finding a rare vegetable/fruit would be all the more exciting and finally being able to cook that nice stuffed eggplant or dragonfruit pie, that replenishes so much of your hunger and health would be a little self-given goal achieved.

Of course, you can decide to simply go without farming, but right now you can only find carrots and berries and all the other wonderful veggies and fruits are completely beyond reach.

[dractactics]

It looks like you guys have had the same kind of thoughts I've been having : http://forums.kleientertainment.com/showthread.php?4405-Seeds-Wild-Plants-and-Farming-Overhaul-Suggestion

The primary problem is that players have a tendency to make a camp/farm and spend all their time at the camp not doing much exploring.... As it is, the reward (survival off of nothing else but farms) is sufficient enough to preclude exploration, even with the risks that have been added (hell hounds)... Rather than increasing the risks of farming (and discourage farming), why not reduce the yield of food obtainable by farming instead?

That's kind of what I'm saying, with carrots and potatoes and things being very low yield, but low risk and filling for a very short bursts, and higher risk plants, like fruit trees and such that you have to explore for, being higher yield (but still not permanent).

Maybe it's not really meant for your character to do that, but I'd love the focus of the game to be on exploration rather than building my own little farmville... Finding a rare vegetable/fruit would be all the more exciting and finally being able to cook that nice stuffed eggplant or dragonfruit pie, that replenishes so much of your hunger and health would be a little self-given goal achieved.

Exactly how I feel! I feel like part of my suggestion too would help balance out between the exploration focus and the 'farmville' play style. You could play farmer for only so long before you have to go out and search for more plants to grow, and would change where you head to explore based on the seasons. (or you could exclusively forage and hunt - high risk, high reward - completely skipping the whole hassle of my farm/plant idea)

[fivebetwhale]

The opposition to your suggestion is the ones who actually like making little "farmvilles" as their don't starve experience. I don't just sit around at base at all the time, I explore and make my farms a part of my game. So i like mixing it up every day a new goal. I just speed farm at night.

But farming like that is hella boring and people will not keep doing it, because of its fun factor. So i don't think developers should lay as much focus on this subject as you emphasize. Since the title is "Don't starve" it should in my opinion, based on the fact that it's a sandbox game, be completely up to the player how he wants to survive.

If you don't like farming, simply don't do it, don't ruin the fun for the ones that like it. This is not a competitive multiplayer game, this is a fun singeplayer game.

No harm intended.

Edited December 14, 2012 by fivebetwhale