Coding/Modding for Research


Joonyo

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Hello! I am a cognitive developmental researcher using the game Don't Starve as part of my research on video-games and learning. I do not have any experience coding or modding but was wondering if it is possible to get some help with some stuff. Because it would be much easier and less time-consuming for myself and my participants I'd like it if I could send kids home with a copy of the game that they could play at their leisure. Of course, kids being kids they're likely to not follow directions very well so I'd like to try to ensure a few things as well as keep track of their progress. If possible I'd like to be able to:

1) This is the most important thing I would need. Ensure custom world settings are the only playable settings and cannot be changed. Along with this, that the default worlds cannot be selected for play

2) Keep/record a count on how many (and which) items are crafted

3) Keep/record a count of how many (and which) items and such are collected

4) Track how much land is explored/covered

Any and all help would be very much appreciated!

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What a peculiar research object.

Most world settings can easily be forced by a mod, and the rest can be "adjusted" ;-)

As for metrics, I am certain Klei already collects this data (not sure about explored area), but I don't think you can access it without overwriting the code that sends it. In other words, you could either gather your own data or wade through standard metrics. Both is possible, the former takes more time to set up, the latter takes more time to filter and interpret.

However, I don't think you can simply "send kids home" with unlicensed copies (i.e. "cracks") of the game. Your statement is ambiguous, so I'll just assume you meant legally acceptable copies. (The mod could easily be shared via Steam Workshop, but that requires the subjects to have this game in their Steam account)

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