Ideas to make Don't Starve Harder

[Olierien]

Hey, I just registered to this forum to first say that this game was a rare find that turned into such a treat for me. However, I will say that I was able to figure out how to not starve after playing the game for about 3 weeks. Now, I don't want to say that this game is easy because I died quite a bit before I learned how to stay alive perpetually and that this game still is in beta. I know you developers are already working on increasing the difficulty tastefully. So, I just wanted to put in my 2 cents for ideas that I think would be fitting for the game. No biggie if none of them make it into the game. :)Problem: One Base to win them all.One of the best ways to survive in this game is to just make a main base that is filled with farm plots, bushes, and bee boxes. I usually just stick my base near some beefalo to get an infinite amount of manure. The only way for me to die after I have built such a base is to actively try and kill myself (fight things without logsuits/helmets). Solution 1: Wandering 'boss' monster.One thing I initially tried to do in this game was to make multiple small bases in case there was something like a wandering boss monster. I think having some sort of roaming boss that can and will destroy your structures would be a pretty fun addition to the game. It would eliminate the need to lower farming plot times to the point where they are unusable and make the player actually have to run around a bit to survive.I know that Krampus is already in the game but he really isn't too aggressive of an enemy to the player and only really punishes players who hoard a lot. I would have to say that making multiple bases made this game more difficult around the end game but did not make the beginning of the game any more difficult. So, I don't think a roaming boss would hurt beginner players too badly.Solution 2: Maintenance.The thing that makes a main base so great is that there really isn't a downside to one. The bigger a base is, the better. However, if structures that you build need to be maintained to still be effective for use, then having a small base could be more beneficial than a larger base. For example, having a farm plot grow a plant would degrade the farm plot by 10%. In order to repair the farm plot, you would have to 'fix' the farm plot with some grass or maybe manure. For a small base, this would not be a big deal. For a a big base, maintaining so many structures could take a lot of time that could be spent doing other things. Again, I do not think this idea would make end game harder but would not hurt beginning game so much.Solution 3: Stay close to the fire.Most of my actual base building happens at night, when I have made my bonfire big and there is nothing else to really do except build. I think it would be interesting to have some sort of monster appear that makes the player have to stay closer to the bonfire at night. I was thinking of a creature that could show up at night that actually tries to burn out your bonfire. I am not saying that it will instantly put out your bonfire but degrades the flame over time instead. Again, beginners will probably be really close to the bonfire as it is when they first start. However, having a torch, miner helmet, or straw roll at the end of the game would be pretty important at the end of the game because of such a creature.Another kind of creature that could be neat to have is a mosquito type creature. Mosquitoes would only come out at night and will suck the blood out of your character. However, sucking the blood out of your character will not lower your health but lower your stomach instead. A big detractor of mosquitoes would be bonfires. They would stay away from them. Most new players stay close to their bonfires anyways. So, they won't be affected as much as longer lived players. I also think that mosquitoes would be much more prevalent in swamp areas.Solution 4: VegicideThe best place to have a main base is in a grassland biome. The manure you get from the biome is just perfect for survival and grass is one of the best resources in this game. I think that there should be some sort of downside to having a base in this biome. So, what about locusts? How about every couple a days, locusts infest grassland biomes and degrade farm plots and eat the crops. This makes players cautious about having a base in this area. They may instead want to build their farm plots away from the grassland biome and go there to get manure. I think there could also be a plus side to a locust infestation as well. When locusts infest a grassland biome, the beefalo die naturally. The player can then pick up some meat and fur from the beefalo without having to actually kill them. However, since the beefalo starved to death, the amount of meat and fur will be a small amount. That is it for my ideas to make this game tastefully harder. I also have one random idea that might be fun.Farm plots have a .1% chance to grow a bean stalk. A player can then climb the bean stalk and enter a cloud-like area. You guys can put anything you want in it but I believe that a 'giant monster' would be an appropriate kind of monster to place in such an area for obvious reasons :)I know I wrote a lot but I wanted to clarify my ideas. This game has been a lot of fun for my nephew and I. I also cannot have a straight face when I play as Willow anymore. When my nephew was playing as Willow, he went into the swamp area and got attacked by a tentacle creature and it destroyed his log suit. He then proceeded to shout, "The tentacle monster ripped my cloth off!" Thanks again for making such a fun game klei entertainment.