Journals, collectibles, and dungeons. (A brief set of suggestions)

[porTesla]

Hey, just wanted to drop by and give my suggestions as to what could improve this game.

Collectibles/Journals

The atmosphere is phenomenal, but I’d like to see the story (even though this is a survival game) fleshed out a bit more in the form of collectible journals, scraps of papers, and the remains of others stuck in this realm.

This has been done in other survival games, such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Miasmata, and has worked phenomenally well in adding story elements to those who are willing to search for them.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KX1aI-rlsek/T61SHvDVe6I/AAAAAAAAENw/HIi4ArcGAs8/s1600/amnesia.jpg

Piecing together journals and other collectible items that flesh out the storyline, and the reason why you’ve been condemned to this realm, would be an interesting, rewarding feature to add. It’d make running around the world a bit more exciting—seeing a scrap of paper would send you into a state of euphoria, as you add it to your journal and expand your knowledge of the lore.

To encourage people to seek out these journals, remains, and other collectibles you could offer rewards for finding certain amounts of them, such as Maxwell’s cigar or suit.

Dungeons

Games like Torchlight and Diablo have dungeons, which are randomly created upon the creation of a new world, and that allow new dynamic, optional spouts of excitement for the player.

Imagine you’re wandering the forests, and find a decrepit mansion. You enter, and find yourself in a twisted structure full of hidden passageways and traps. There are chests and cupboards, ghosts and journals (as mentioned above), and depending on the time of day, it could be a way to save yourself from the Grue (but, in doing so, releases you onto an entirely different set of monsters and obstacles).

Anyway, thank you for hearing my suggestions. I hope you guys like ‘em, and feel free to add to them.

Edited December 19, 2012 by porTesla

[mobius187]

The idea of finding old journals or messages sounds good to me. In fact, in another thread where we discussed a beach biome I suggested that perhaps players could discover a message-in-a-bottle or two, washed up on the shore.

I don't think we need dungeons or mansions, or anything like Diablo 2, but I say this primarily because I don't want the game to become like Diablo 2. I have suggested before that there could be ruins, but I suggested them as a means to promote points of interest and to support other ideas, like an strange "alien" obelisk of Cthulhian origins that would allow the user access to a new invention after it was examined.

[porTesla]

I'm glad you bring Cthulu up, as my idea of dungeons were largely inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, where in a large part of the action takes place in a decrepit mansion and the underlying laboratory.

The dungeons themselves wouldn't feel like the dungeons from Diablo or Torchlight, but rather like haunted houses in survival horror games. This would be most notably true in their lighting and monster design--rather than fighting, say, a mob of monsters, one would be scared ever sparingly by a spider, or perhaps a unique monster or ghost that could scare him and force him into uncomfortable rooms and traps.

[mobius187]

I'm glad you bring Cthulu up, as my idea of dungeons were largely inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, where in a large part of the action takes place in a decrepit mansion and the underlying laboratory.

While I'm not 100% sure, I believe the Cthulhu Mythos has been an influence in Don't Starve, a fact that will be more apparent, I'm sure, once the Devs add the new Sanity meter which will indicate how insane your character has become. That being said, the Case of Charles Dexter Ward was a good tale, and I certainly have nothing against it, I just don't think placing a mansion on a deserted isalnd fits with the game's theme... since a mansion could be filled with all sorts of items that would change the balance/feel of the game. That's the main reason for my objection.

Rather, I suggested that perhaps the players could stumble across the ruins along the edge of an island that disappear into the sea. The ruins might have been a previously submerged... having been ruins of Deep One origin. As H.P. Lovecraft created several horrific alien races there are lots of possibilities.

Feel free to continue making suggestions of course, especially if they are Cthulhu Mythos-related suggestions.