Syd Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I wouldn't consider mandrakes an end-game material, at least yet. Their current uses don't seem to make up for their highly limited quantity, since certain crock pot recipes are nearly as effective at restoring health and hunger and the materials needed to make them are infinitely available to anyone with some farms, and there's nothing really stopping a player from encountering mandrakes early on, aside from the terrain generator deciding to put them on the other end of the map (I recall generating a few maps that had mandrakes quite close to spawn). I have a feeling that the devs have some more plans for mandrakes.A possible alternative to making effigies limited would be making them rot away after a while, so the player can't create a veritable forest of effigies. They are made of meat, after all, and meat doesn't last forever. Something needs to be done about effigies. Don't Starve is described with terms such as "uncompromising wilderness survival", so I don't think it's fitting that a player can stockpile large numbers of reliable extra lives and reach a point where death is no longer a threat.(Also, as a side note, I readily cross swamps without hesitation on new maps without effigies set up. It's really not too hard to dodge tentacles as long as you keep moving and watch for emerging tentacles in the ground. They give ample warning before they strike, and all you have to do is move away from them since they're completely stationary. I'd probably be much more weary of swamps if tentacles could give chase.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathuram Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 I remember my first visit to the swamp. Saw a tentacle fighting spiders. I went "holy **** that's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I must kill and loot it". So I put on my armour and spear then charged it Don Quixote style. The tentacle grabbed me by the ankles. Stroked my hair and then whispered sweet nothings into my ear as it promptly sodomized me to death. Naturally I was carrying all my flint, gold, spider web, stone and other materials so I had to get my body back. This time naked, without an effigy. I spent 2 in game days dodging 3 tentacles as I snuck in and grabbed items from were I died before having recovered everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I wouldn't consider mandrakes an end-game material, at least yet. Their current uses don't seem to make up for their highly limited quantity, since certain crock pot recipes are nearly as effective at restoring health and hunger and the materials needed to make them are infinitely available to anyone with some farms, and there's nothing really stopping a player from encountering mandrakes early on, aside from the terrain generator deciding to put them on the other end of the map (I recall generating a few maps that had mandrakes quite close to spawn). I have a feeling that the devs have some more plans for mandrakes.Yep, found em right away in my first world ever, actually. In fact, I think they are better for early game than late game, since skipping two nights (one for cooking it, one for eating it) and getting basically full hunger/health is far more useful when you're just starting.A possible alternative to making effigies limited would be making them rot away after a while, so the player can't create a veritable forest of effigies. They are made of meat, after all, and meat doesn't last forever. Something needs to be done about effigies. Don't Starve is described with terms such as "uncompromising wilderness survival", so I don't think it's fitting that a player can stockpile large numbers of reliable extra lives and reach a point where death is no longer a threat.I still think it'd be really easy to simply make it so you can only have one set at a time. I actually thought it was like that at first.(Also, as a side note, I readily cross swamps without hesitation on new maps without effigies set up. It's really not too hard to dodge tentacles as long as you keep moving and watch for emerging tentacles in the ground. They give ample warning before they strike, and all you have to do is move away from them since they're completely stationary. I'd probably be much more weary of swamps if tentacles could give chase.)Yeah, you normally die to those the first time when you don't even know what they are. After that, it's just a matter of moving (provided you just wanna go through). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathuram Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 I ran into my first mandrake on island nr 8 out of 9 which was about 60 days into the game. Nr 9 being the mountain island. Before that I had declared stone super rare and hadn't even built a hammer because I considered it a waste of rare and precious stone. I mined up 25% of the mountain island before I realised that I probably wont be leaving with the whole island in my pocket and when it came to rocks I was probably set for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I still think it'd be really easy to simply make it so you can only have one set at a time. I actually thought it was like that at first.I think something like that would need to be combined with a system that makes food rot away over time (and the devs seem keen on such a system if they can get over the technical hurdles it presents), because even if you could only have one effigy up at a time, there's currently nothing stopping a player from stockpiling all the necessary items to craft more. All the player would have to do is immediately put another effigy back up after one is used up, so effigies would still be nearly as effective as they are now.If effigies are limited to one at a time, and meat is made to rot away over time so the player can't create an everlasting giant stash of all the items needed to make an effigy, then that might do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathuram Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Sounds like you're hunting mosquitos with a bazooka there with the amount of core changes you suggest just to stop people from having too many effigies. An increased cooldown from the current 8 days per effigy to 12-15 should do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptKnuckles Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 (edited) (Also, as a side note, I readily cross swamps without hesitation on new maps without effigies set up. It's really not too hard to dodge tentacles as long as you keep moving and watch for emerging tentacles in the ground. They give ample warning before they strike, and all you have to do is move away from them since they're completely stationary. I'd probably be much more weary of swamps if tentacles could give chase.)lol hit and run? i don't do that, i just start attacking the enemy non-stop (usually i have an inventory filled with honey and spare armor/spears, but this time i didn't (thats where i messed up)) LIKE A BOSSalso for the comment above me, i dont like that idea, the furthest day ive gotten to is 17 (multiple tree guardians keep spawning next to me right after i steal an egg/attack a spider den and killing me (i should probably stop trying to fight more than one of them at once, but it's much better to die from something awesome like that than it is to starve lol)) Edited December 31, 2012 by CaptKnuckles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeppMan217 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Why not just give different Effigy recipes to different characters? Willson's beard, Willow's hair, Wendy's eye lashes, Wolfgang's mustache etc. It's so simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unknowncross Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I think the reasoning for Wilson being the only one able to make a effigy is that he's the beginning character, therefor he should be the easiest character to play with... Right? I've played Don't Starve quite a bit (my friend is staying over and he has it so he lets me play it) and the longest i've survived is 15 days with Wilson... For a beginner it's still challenging, and frustrating at times, if you don't have a effigy... and a lot of times I don't survive long enough to make one... So instead of complaining about it, just don't play as Wilson or don't make effigies? You can't expect the devs to limit something that keeps beginners playing because players who actually have experience refuse to play the harder characters. Anyway, that's my little ramble... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 I think it is fine the way it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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