Giving Ghosts More Things To Do (Help the living)

[SupremeLAZY]

The problem:

I joined Diabu's server (20+ players) and it was winter. This made the game very hard. There were a lot of ghosts. And they all did nothing because there was little to do. Players who joined that were alive soon died because of the harsh conditions of winter. All nearby resources were explored. And there was no way to discover new land without dying because of the winter temperature.

 

Analysis:

Now it seems to me the ghosts can't do much. In a 4player server this means the players who are alive should make it there main mission to revive them. Having one less player to do stuff is not good. So

 

But in a 20player the situation is different. Most players are friendly and want to help. But its hard when you spawn in winter. Plus, once the amount of ghosts gets out of balance, the players who are alive have a really hard time cause of the extra sanity drop these ghosts cause.

 

So the main thing, I believe, is that ghosts are relient upon the living players. But the ghosts themselves have no way to help the players who are alive to revive the ghosts. Okay there is the haunting part.. but still. These should be more to do.

 

A solution:

Alowing the ghosts to explore could be a great benefit. Now when u explore as a ghost, the map doesn't clear up. The players could maybe make some kind of ghost portal in which they can get supplies / information from the ghosts.

 

It would also be nice for the ghosts to get an extra ghost view over the world. To do things living players can not. Example: a special machine that produces a food item when 2 or more ghosts haunt it multiple times after on another. So the machine has a "haunt-ness" meter that fills up. when its full, it drops a food item. Or something that the living player needs in order to revive the ghosts. This machine can be a unique item on the map. Or a craftable one. Machines can have different function. A ghost-food-machine that drops food when haunted. Or a ghost-wood-machine that drops wood. The machines would have a cool-down period of course so it's not to easy.

 

In general I just think there have to be more ways in which the ghosts can help the living players. So that in turn the living players can help the ghosts.

[rezecib]

@SupremeLAZY, Ghosts are actually really powerful already, and can do several things that cannot be done by living players. They can change the colors of mushrooms and hounds, which is actually really useful. They can also summon ghost armies from haunting graves, and use them to kill beefalo, spiders, spider dens, beehives, etc. They can haunt crops to make them grow (although this does not work in winter).

 

I think the main problem is just that the players are new, and don't know what ghosts can do. 

[J192]

20+ players

Why would even join that, what is this I don't even

[BlitzKriegKjeld]

In my opinion ghosts are supposed to be "crippled", otherwise there is no real reasonto avoid death.

Some people may even purposefully kill themselves to exploit their boons, which kinda kills the survival aspect of the game.

 

I think that your issue is already fixed by setting the game mode to wilderness for 20 slot servers.

[CarefulSaint]

@SupremeLAZY, Ghosts are actually really powerful already, and can do several things that cannot be done by living players. They can change the colors of mushrooms and hounds, which is actually really useful. They can also summon ghost armies from haunting graves, and use them to kill beefalo, spiders, spider dens, beehives, etc. They can haunt crops to make them grow (although this does not work in winter).

 

I think the main problem is just that the players are new, and don't know what ghosts can do. 

 

How does one do these things as a ghost?

[Sleestak]

How does one do these things as a ghost?

 

Just haunt them.

[Scrimbles]

Ghosts can haunt flowers to turn them into evil ones.

 

GG easiest nightmare fuel.

[Algesia]

Why would even join that, what is this I don't even

Well as a Europe player, Diabu server has the least ping for me, and also there are'less sanity drop of ghost and better community. I like the game more with 20 players then 6. Except that new players who didint play don't starve dies each day and do not explore at all or focus on spawn places. Either way it is great, that several teams can group and the map is big also and you dont need to revive all new players day after day and only revive who even survive more then 4 days

[Gordelox]

I believe there are two real problems at the root of this issue.

 

1) There doesn't seem to be any incentive to help revive a ghost in a public game once all natural sources of revival are used.

 

2) Entering a world in progress gives a player many hurdles to overcome

 

 

There are many ways you could incentivise players to revive ghosts, but I'm not sure how without making it too easy to revive. The real solution in my opinion is to prevent needless deaths of players who have joined mid game (say in winter).

 

I've noticed when spawning into a world just before night, (and I'm assuming during night as well) you spawn with a non-interact-able light source so you don't die outright, to see you through until morning.

 

Players that join a server during particularly harsh conditions could be provided with basic amenities to help them survive just long enough to survive on their own. Using winter as an example, a new player joining a server during winter could be spawned with a thermal stone and the materials for a single campfire. Just an idea though, what do you guys think?

[RalphKastro]

well, while I agree with what you see as the problem, your suggestions seem quite out of place, to say the least.
I do think that ghosts could, however, become much more interesting if only they added some more reviving-related benefits fom haunting(like haunting a spider to make glands drop or even going overboard and just making it so that the telltale heart require materials that are very hard to obtain without a ghost friend), and made haunting not feel like a thing to never use out of fear of setting fire to your base.

[Asparagus]

telltale heart require materials that are very hard to obtain without a ghost friend

 

Mosquito sack (blood) and spider glands (muscle)... to make a heart... O_O

 

Now it seems to me the ghosts can't do much. In a 4player server this means the players who are alive should make it there main mission to revive them. Having one less player to do stuff is not good. So   But in a 20player the situation is different. Most players are friendly and want to help. But its hard when you spawn in winter. Plus, once the amount of ghosts gets out of balance, the players who are alive have a really hard time cause of the extra sanity drop these ghosts cause.

 

I'm sorry to say this but this just sounds like you want to be in a sever with more "experienced" players... problem solved... i guess...

 

plus that's kind of like the point of DST...  Don't Starve... and don't die...

 

All nearby resources were explored.

 

I'm assuming you mean there were no more resources around so... yeah... those players need more experience...

 

but that's just me...

 

OK, bye...