Structure?

[TheHomeChicken]

TL;DR at bottom; I'd appreciate you reading the whole post though.

So, I had an idea a few days ago, and it's just something i've been stirring around with, as to how it would fit into a game that is designed for you to live on the land. Hear me out.

Structures! By that I don't mean structures like the crock-pot, science machine, etc, but things like a home for you to live in. The original idea came to me, and I thought "Well, it's certainly an interesting concept! But it wouldn't really fit in to well in this game, now would it?" The short answer is no.

The reason this idea came to me, is that the game tends to get boring after day 30 or so. More or less to some people. I understand the game is still in Beta though, so that isn't what i'm getting at. So an idea would be a majorly long term goal to work for. Plus, I tend to feel so bare sitting at my campfire.

Well, I stirred the idea around a bit. And then realized that it would need to be a long term goal, as previously stated, as well as be pretty resource hogging. So, i started thinking about ways to build a house. First walls, then a roof, floor, etc.

That felt too OP to me though, despite how resource needed it was. (Of course, there would be ways to nerf it, maybe the house wearing down?)

The Point of This Thread:

Well, the idea of it wearing down made me think of something; Instead of a full house, why not just have fences, with gates? You could run in through the gate, close it or open it. If something was after you, it would target the fence/gate, and after a few hits, it would break. Maybe you could upgrade the fences as well, to make them more durable. Of course these would require a lot of resources.

However, to make sure it can't be abused, you wouldn't be able to place, examine, pickup, or damage anything outside the fences, you would be limited to the section of fences you're in.

So, how would a defense mechanism, aside from traps, like fences work? Do you know a better system, or ways to better this system? How would a defense mechanism, aside from traps, alter the gameplay? Discuss!

TL;DR - Discuss how a defense mechanism, aside from traps, like fences or walls, affect the gameplay. How would it work?

[Ora]

This really should be in the suggestion forums.

[mobius187]

Structures! By that I don't mean structures like the crock-pot, science machine, etc, but things like a home for you to live in.

You're not the first player to dream of their own home, so in that regard you can consider there are other players who are interested. However this idea has had some degree of debate on whether it fits the theme of the game.

The reason this idea came to me, is that the game tends to get boring after day 30 or so. More or less to some people. I understand the game is still in Beta though, so that isn't what i'm getting at. So an idea would be a majorly long term goal to work for. Plus, I tend to feel so bare sitting at my campfire.

Yup, as you stated, with the game still in Beta we are waiting for more content to provide additional motivations in the game. For me I find the barrier is around Day 100, but to each his own limit. As for feeling exposed around the campfire, well, I'm sure you can tell that's entirely intentional.

Well, I stirred the idea around a bit. And then realized that it would need to be a long term goal, as previously stated, as well as be pretty resource hogging. So, i started thinking about ways to build a house. First walls, then a roof, floor, etc.

yup, back when I discussed player houses this was the favored path to take. The root of my suggestion came from another indie game, Project Zomboid, which allowed players to use resources (like wood) to craft parts of a house: walls, floors, windows, doors, and stairs. Once crafted you had to place it, as you couldn't very well carry a wall in your pocket.

That felt too OP to me though, despite how resource needed it was. (Of course, there would be ways to nerf it, maybe the house wearing down?)

Yes, there have been suggestions along these lines, that the wall sections could be breached, that the cabin could be set on fire, or that monsters would break down the door and get inside. However most argued that allowing the cabin to be breached so easily defeated the purpose of creating it, which in turn caused problems for players who believed it offered too much protection.

Well, the idea of it wearing down made me think of something; Instead of a full house, why not just have fences, with gates? You could run in through the gate, close it or open it. If something was after you, it would target the fence/gate, and after a few hits, it would break. Maybe you could upgrade the fences as well, to make them more durable. Of course these would require a lot of resources.

I'm not sure about fences or gates, but I can confirm that the Devs are planning to allow players to craft walls in the near future. The key element that needs to be resolved first is AI pathfinding, as right now whenever a monster hits an edge (i.e. island or stone bridge) it can become stuck. Once the AI pathfinding is resolved then walls won't become impossible obstacles for hostile mobs trying to reach us.

However, to make sure it can't be abused, you wouldn't be able to place, examine, pickup, or damage anything outside the fences, you would be limited to the section of fences you're in.

Ohhhh. Okay... man, that took me longer to figure out than I liked.

Yes, I agree you shouldn't be able to interact with anything THROUGH the walls. For some reason it sounds like anything fenced in by the walls became non-interactive... and that sounded crazy!

Interestingly that was an issue in Project Zombiod, namely being able to interact through walls so long as whatever was on the other side was within reach, like a crate.

So, how would a defense mechanism, aside from traps, like fences work? Do you know a better system, or ways to better this system? How would a defense mechanism, aside from traps, alter the gameplay? Discuss!

Well right now we have two traps, the bee mine and the "fanged" trap. Another forum member suggested pit traps too.