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So is this multiplayer version worth losing out on 1-2 singleplayer expansions?


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They have been developing multiplayer for a very long time. So long, we could instead have had additional content for singleplayer- probably in the form of expansion(s).

In YOUR OPINION, was it worth it? Which would you have rather have had?

1) One to Two singleplayer expansions on the scale of Reign of Giants.

2) As is. Multiplayer is your thing. Multiplayer with or without RoG > Singleplayer & RoG + 1x-2x RoG-like Expansion.

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For me, I have mixed feelings. I would love both, but the longer there is no RoG in multiplayer, the more I wish they had focused resources on singleplayer.

 

I was really looking forward to this multiplayer version, until I found out it is like DS beta. By this, I mean no RoG until after release. No caves, no advanced stuff. It's literally like starting over beta's, just with multiplayer. I was there for DS beta, so it's no fun doing it a second time around when I could play RoG instead.

However, if they had RoG in multiplayer, rather than this barebones version, I think I'd prefer the multiplayer version over expansions because I'd get to play with my wife (and DS is my favorite game, so that would be amazing.) IMO, RoG was a huge deal. It "completed" DS for me.

That's just IMO anyway. What is yours?

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I'm of the mind Klei would have done better by going about it differently I honestly don't think full multiplayer was worth the effort or resources unless they really really wanted to do it. I think it would have worked a lot better, if it had to be implemented, to do it the Dark Souls way. Defeating red phantoms for bonus nightmare fuel? Yes please.

 

Not to mention I kind of play Don't Starve to unwind after work and to engage my mind with the low key day-to-day tasks that go into building and maintaining a run. Adding another player isn't overly attractive to me unless we can do something meaningful like build an elaborate castle or something together like in Minecraft or Terraria. 

 

 

This wouldn't bug me as much if RoG felt completed. It really doesn't -- summer is just a huge waste of time and resources, simply being a nuisance to experts while easily killing those not prepared for it (with preparations in question being arcane/unintuitive and non-self explanatory the way warmth is -- i.e. "bundling up" is something we do in RL but all summer prep has no real analogue to reality) with very little stylistic flavor or unique opportunities that winter has. I'm not trying to distract from the topic but rather I'd have preferred if RoG's existing content were fleshed out instead of sacrificing all this dev time and energy at the altar of multiplayer.

 

(I'll take it all back if DST's multiplayer is amazing and offers a nigh-transcendent experience but I don't think that's reasonable to expect from games not designed around multiplayer from the ground up.)

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I'd honestly hate Klei if they rather made more DLCs than free content or fixed outstanding issues. Sure, a system that allows several DLCs is in place, but it would break the community - especially the modding community - if there were even more things and possibilities limited to whoever buys them.

 

I'd not mind a lot if Klei focuses on Invisiblinc after DST, as long as there's still something happening that involves every DS player.

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I can't wait till multiplayer is fully releases, caves and RoG. They are going to release the DLC Through the Ages as well for DST, I just am so excited.

I don't blame them that it's taking a long time, I think they have to rework the entire game.

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I'm personally very excited for multiplayer.

 

There's lots to do in the game as is, and being able to share the Don't Starve experience with other people just seems like a lot of fun to me. :)

 

I wouldn't have really minded more DLC, but I think that working to add a miltiplayer element is a great step in Don't Starve's development.

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I guess I want to disclaim that what I personally want is whatever Klei wants .  I'd take one piece of lukewarm content they had their heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears in than ten thousand pieces of half-hearted filler content they put out to keep the game fresh or fans happy. If they're really set on this multiplayer thing, I'm behind them 100%.

 

(But as I said, my personal choice was for RoG to be balance-tweaked because I don't think it's healthy for the game if the content is only attractive or even tenable to survive in for entrenched players. Perhaps DST is a smart move by comparison, since we create an environment where established players can teach new players.)

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I would much rather they focused on the single player rather than adding multiplayer. I've never thought that Don't Starve could actually be a good multiplayer game, and nothing I've seen of DST has changed my opinion on that. See, I think a good multiplayer game doesn't just throw several players into the same world, but it actually allows for meaningful interactions through the gameplay.

While it's still possible that they'll do something like that (we're still quite early in the development of DST I think), I rather doubt that'll happen. That's not what the people which Klei is trying to please really want, after all.

Of course, I don't think we can just assume that any effort they're putting into DST would be put into Don't Starve's single player. The work they're doing is a result of DST being sooo popular. I mean, the multiplayer could be a major selling point for Don't Starve, but how many people would be willing to purchase another expansion?

Having said that, I don't think that another expansion like RoG is what I really want to see for Don't Starve anyway. As far as I can tell, the game already has more content than they know what to do with. With the creatures, environments, items, etc. that are already in the game, there's great potential for many more world types and different survival experiences than what we're allowed to do. Adventure Mode gives us a taste of this, and I think that's really just the tip of the iceberg. But... they haven't added anything like that, and it seems increasingly unlikely that they ever will. This makes me pretty sad.

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I'm not a multiplayer kind of person, but I'm interested in giving DST a try. Being able to divide work, integrate different play styles, and get killed together seem interesting new experiences.

 

I haven't been playing long enough to witness an update/expansion, so I can't really say anything about what I'd rather have. But I've understood that development on DST has been taking longer than was intended. Does this really make it fair to say any amount of expansions could've been added in the meantime, considering problems can occur with any sort of update? Seems to me talking about the past with the wisdom of today - not really fair.

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I mean... I can only say the multiplayer is what brought me here to the forums. Within 2 days 80k people signed up for the DST beta application. I don't know about anyone else, but that seems like a lot to me. I'm not sure if anyone knew how much attention this would get. But I for sure am glad that they are making multi-player happen (and seems to be a lot of others who agree). And they are even adding new content for it, that's amazing too.  If they choose to add in more content for single DS, I'd be fine with that. I'd be fine with any content they add to either, frankly. I'm just glad they are still working on "Don't Starve" in general, and are happy to do so!

 

My personal thinking, is just by adding the multi-player aspect, to me, it's sort of like a "DLC", working together, being able to do things differently, or strategize, just more idea's and ways to make it fun. Guess it's not so easy to explain, but that's just my view.

 

I guess bottom line. I don't really feel like I'm missing out on anything. Really, I feel like I'm getting a lot! I originally purchased this game because I needed more games to play offline, because my internet was wonky at the time. And gosh darn-it. This game is really fun. Hands down. Then I learned about multiplayer, how exciting! And I know it's taking quite awhile and there is still a few more months at least til there's a release date looming. But even so, just seeing the progress and how far it's coming along is really awesome.

 

I also agree that if Klei wants to put something out there, it's going to be way more awesome than something they aren't really wanting to do. So, again I'm just really happy they enjoy working and developing this game further. And I am certainly looking forward to it! :)

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I'm so thrilled to finally play this game with my brethren, and it's not like they are never going to update single player. I feel that they have laid down the base layers of both multiplayer and single player and they are now adding on to it. Like a big yummy layered cake.

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I was not there DS beta, so for me the game is pretty darn fresh. I played so much on my sister's computer, and watched and played with her as she played, till when news of a multiplayer came out I was stoked! One sale and a promise of the multiplayer version free later I have bought and own the game myself and I love it! I can't wait to play DST! I wish I didn't have to wait for official release. Don't starve in general held just a background existence for me. Now I love the game, play the game, can validly say I'd spend money on related products, and I talk about it to other people. If I was a developer this is what I'd wan't for my game, a growing user base to accompany a growing game. I'd be simply giddy to have more people interested and investing in my work, new ideas and viewpoints being brought to the table because more and more new people want to plat my game. Worth here, should be blatant.

 

Mini rant like object, feel free to ignore:

(not necessarily aimed at OP, but triggered by)

 

It's my same gripe against people who complain about titles that go F2P. What is so horrible about getting your game out there to the world. As a game developer I would be trilled to see my work become a household name, hold a candle to some of the more giant titles in the gaming industry and be enjoyed by as many people as possible. It'd be like a dream or something. Yes there's the opposite side of every coin, yes there will be negatives, that's the balance of the universe, but at the same time we as gamers need to re apply humanity to our view of game developers and realize they are human, have lives, and dreams and aspirations too! It's their freakin' game! They made it!!! I'm sure they themselves find these imbalances bugs glitches etc. Their minds are probably boggled with so many ideas for so many things it invades their sleep. (I'm a writer...this is a thing that occurs.) Just like you, they too have fixes, ideas and things they want to add to the game to see it improve. No one wants their creation to fail. I don't think these guys make these decisions without a little forethought of some sort. It's a fine idea,and it is in fact worth an expansion or two. 

 

The OP commented that they were "really looking forward to this multiplayer version, until I found out it is like DS beta" and when people start talking like this it baffles me because, how can you say that about a Beta of ongoing project!?! The "multiplayer version" is incomplete, it's not like much of anything own it's own at the moment because it's a work in progress. There's no telling what the end product will be. That's what makes these type of PC games amazing, they can change constantly, not like a finished game you plop into your console like the old days of cartridge blowing. I just wish people could truly be supportive fans of things and just silently wait once in a while. Sit back and see what an idea can become and pass judgement only after a stamp of completion has been applied. While you wait join the conversation with constructive feedback. If you're not having fun yet, do something else and return when the idea becomes appealing to you. 

 

Patience is a virtue. I'm surprise a lot of veteran players aren't looking at the big picture here in terms of what's going on with their game. We're in a society now where if we don't get what we want right when we want it somethings wrong, but technically I feel this whole multiplayer thing is a great idea. Think about it. You want your single player expansions and updates and such, well what better way to fund all this than increasing the user base, use new audience to flush out and contribute to future content, release new content. A game can't grow without people to play it. Many games I loved have died from this sort of player starvation. If not enough folks are into a game to keep it afloat everyone looses. I think the multiplayer is a well worth it venture and it's working. 

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Very well said, Zendy. While I'm critical of DST, I do get this one feeling that nags at me again and again: I'd be enjoying this game so much more if I could share it with people. And one way I think Don't Starve is uniquely wonderful as a game is that you the player have all the tools you could ever want to make it a fun experience for you. It's one thing to say that the lack of a structure to the multiplayer is a strike against the game, but it's occurred to me that most goals in Don't Starve are player-set. Only Adventure Mode has an explicit goal. The rest of the time it's just a matter of expressing yourself and seeing whether your personal expressions are good enough to thrive by. The answer is usually, inevitably "no" unless you've mastered the game. But death is only a failure in sandbox mode if it's something you're trying to avoid, avoidance of it isn't a goal in and of itself.

 

Incidentally, know what I'm most looking forward to in DST? Not playing Don't Starve with friends who are also deep into DS. No no no, that's not quite the itch I want to scratch. I mostly want to play with complete I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing newbies among my friends. Can you imagine how fun it would be to act like a scout master to them, teaching them the ways of survival while huddled around a campfire and setting them on the path to success in DS in a personal way that poring over wiki pages cannot? I freaking envy them. They'll discover a love for the game I probably couldn't have experienced and it'll bring life and energy back to it for sure.

 

 

Having given it a lot of thought, I think Don't Starve is a very complete game as it is. I have some issues with world generation and the utter pointlessness of spring and summer in RoG but you have the option of turning off whatever you think is a half-implemented feature. So I kind of change my position towards being excited for DST while still personally preferring the singleplayer experience.

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They have been developing multiplayer for a very long time. So long, we have absolutely- without question- lost at least one, if not two big expansions that they could have released instead of working on this multiplayer stuff.

In YOUR OPINION, was it worth it? Which would you have rather have had?

1) Two singleplayer expansions on the scale of Reign of Giants? (Totalling 3 RoG-level expansions)

2) As is. Multiplayer is your thing. Multiplayer without RoG > Singleplayer + 3x Expansion.

 

In my opinion, 2) As is. The devs are doing a great job and I think it's worth waiting for my favorite play-style.

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They have been developing multiplayer for a very long time. So long, we have absolutely- without question- lost at least one, if not two big expansions that they could have released instead of working on this multiplayer stuff.

 

Well this kind of assumes a zero-sum game, because the development of multiplayer doesn't necessarily mean we're going to be out an expansion in the grand scheme of things. Say Klei only had a total of 3 expansions slated as possibilities and still do but have merely squeezed in a 4th with DST? We could actually be richer one expansion, DST that is, at the end of it all.

 

In YOUR OPINION, was it worth it?

 

Yes and no.

 

No because I'm not a huge fan of multiplayer, and while I do plan on giving it a try, I'd have rather had more content focused on singleplayer.

Yes because if multiplayer makes DS more popular and more profitable, this increases the odds of Klei being willing to invest more resources into making more content for the game. I mentioned earlier we might actually be richer an expansion? Well the truth is we might actually be richer even more so with more expansions if there's more profit to be made.

 

 Which would you have rather have had?

1) Two singleplayer expansions on the scale of Reign of Giants? (Totalling 3 RoG-level expansions)

2) As is. Multiplayer is your thing. Multiplayer without RoG > Singleplayer + 3x Expansion.

 

This is blatantly stacking the deck in your favor. We have no idea if Klei would've released 2 new singleplayer expansions by now had they not been developing DST. I mean for all we know all that extra development time and resources might've just simply been placed in Invisible Inc. for instance. Not only that, but DST was announced after RoG was released. I don't see why people in favor of multiplayer ought not have that benefit in your options.

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I edited the OP to more accurately reflect the criticism in this thread.

 

Honestly, I was just sparking a theoretical discussion. Obviously none of it should have been taken seriously- they have already made their decisions and there is nothing anyone can do about it other than make unsubstantiated claims as to what we theoretically lost :p

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I'm glad they brought the multiplayer experience. It is still in beta and I believe that new mechanics will be added in the final version in an attempt to doesn't feel just like a bunch of players playing together in an average DS world, but forcing players to interact more and more in order to survive.

 

Well, I am not a veteran player and didn't witness the arrive of RoG and the big impact it may had to the old players, but it feels that the game have a lot of content and lore (except the caracthers' backstories). The implementation of the 4 season-cycle, and all the specific features of each one, is just what the game needed compared to Vanilla to feel "completed" (IMO). Besides, if you already think that mastered the basics mechanics of the game and survived for like 5 cycles of seasons, you can challenge yourself of doing many things just to see the solutions you would think.

 

I don't know what Klei would still implement to the game in terms of a big expansion like RoG; they're creative, they can think in some thing with the community, but I don't feel the game needs that right now. Just some adjustments.

 

Like Midnight Tea said, Summer is just a boring season, once you learn how to survive it. Isn't like winter for example. Just some retouches to improve the experience throughout the game will do the work for now.

 

Aside from all of that, I don't want to start thinking that Klei would "forget DS" and only work with DST. I think there is this fear, but I hope it doesn't come to happen.

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I was under the impression Don't Starve was a finished product.
This is, of course, coming from someone who has trouble playing through the EXISTING content.
 
 
I'll put it this way, if it weren't for multiplayer, I probably would have never given Don't Starve a chance.
a) It's just more fun playing with friends. When I set the base ablaze as nervous Willow, there's tension but also laughter. On your own, it's just.. you pass the game quickly
b) Foremost, I would have never given the game a chance if I didn't have my friends to help me learn the game while playing live.

I may be new to the game, but even I can tell the multiplayer is helping the game more than any expansion could.

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