What i think of the current Stand of SW

[PhelsarusBeel]

So after spending a good chunck of time with SW i think i can finally give a proper review of the expansion.

First lets make this clear i really like the expansion in theory however there are a lot of problems with it that soil the overall experience of it and make me less exited to start a new run in a SW world.

For starters the Start can be really hit or miss mostly because of how worlds are generated. In one world i can start out with a pretty decend starting island what supplys me with enought flint, bamboo, vines and more to quickly start my explorations on day 2 with a proper raft while other times i'm barely able to scrap up enought flint ot gather enought wood for the simple raft. Then there are the rafts itself the Bamboo and vine one isn't to bad however the Wooden ones SUCKS because of how slow it is and this is something i always hate being slow specialy in SW because speed is important in the veins that you need speed to cover as much ground as possible to find ressources you need to start making a base like gold for the Science Machine. Specialy finding gold can be a pain i had instances where i got gold day 2 while other times i can't find a single piece about 5-7 days in.

Next are the Seasons. For the most part i have no problem with them although there are a few minor gripes with dry season (Ash can easily make Fire Hounds blend in pretty well with normal ones what can easily lead to a sudden burst of fire in the base). However a big problem i got with all season is that there is nothing to do during them. For example in RoG while Winter makes traveling large distances a bit harder it's the only season you can easily harvest Ice and stock up on it for Summer as well as it being the only season you can get Winter Koalafant Trunks to make the puffy vests with. Not to mention the Mc Tusk Huntingparty. No season in SW really got this yes i can get some better stuff with a Trawl Net during Hurricane season or get Mosquito Sacks during Monsoonseason however there is nothing big that makes me want to go out and explore to collect rare ressources only avaiable during that specific season.

Now for the big thing and that's Navigating the SW worlds. The problem here is that finding very specific things like say the Slotmachine, Yaaarctopus or the Volcano can be a major pain in the A**. During my hours with SW i have not seen either Yaaarctopus nor the Volcano once and normally I uncover a good amount of the map. The best example was my recent playthrough where i probably uncoverd 75% of the full map in the search for Wilbur and still was unable to find Yaaarctopus and the Volcano what makes the entire thing of finding new stuff just aggrovating because no matter how much i uncover of the map i can miss these Important setpieces by just an inch on the map (more the Volcano then Yaaarctopus) and it makes the entire thing sour the overall funfactor of SW.

The other big thing i start to get annoyed by is the Navalcombat it sucks, it sucks ohh boy does it suck. What i mean is that combat on ships basicly boils down to tank as much as possible and hope that their HP runs out faster then the durability of your boat. And i get it the focus on Navalcombat is supposed to be ranged however even then the ranged options we got are pretty bad for that purpose. Spearguns are to expensive to make to produce them in large quantities (specialy on the Bamboo side because you need it for both a Trawl Net and the Spearguns itself) and all the other options are just not as good (try fighting anything on sea with a boomerang it's a misserable experience). Navalcombat just doesn't work as well with the base combatmechanics from the original game and the options that are supposed to improve it are just not as viable because of how expensive they are.

Then we got the Characters of SW. While i don't have a big problem with them i do say that almost all of them are pretty boring to play because they bring nothing new to the table in terms of new and interesting ways to play the game. What i mean is characters like Webber, Wolfgang, Woodie or Maxwell give you special options to approach specific situations. For example with Woodie i always need to keep an eye on the Mooncycle to get the most use out of the Werebeaver or as Wolfgang i always need to keep some spare food in my Inventory to be able to turn mighty if i need to like when fighting a spiderden or fighting a sudden houndwave away from the base. None of the SW chars really got something like that they all play very much the same and got maybe 1 or 2 small things that makes them a bit more diverse like Walani having the Surfboard and her lower Sanity drain while Warly got the Portble Crockpot and the increased statgain from Crockpotfoods and Wilbur only got his running and the small upside with the apes (yet since the last update all chars can do that with a few bananas).

Lastly the Ocean or better the lack of interesting things in it. For an Expansion what focuses a lot on it there is really nothing to do in the Ocean specialy in the Deep one. Most of the interesting parts of the ocean is the shallow one because it houses most of the creatures as well as having the biggest density of fooditems however the other parts of the ocean are barren and almost completly empty expect for the rare Ballphinswarm or the rare suspicios bubbles. It says a lot when the Desert in RoG is less empty and barren then the Ocean in SW you know for being a desert and all.

Now i guess most people think that i don't see to enjoy SW as much because I only really focus on the negative things but that's not really the case because there is a lot to like in SW like the new Giants and from what i saw the Volcano looks cool (just sad when i can't find the damn thing) and the new seasons are fun to survive in however the negative things sadly overshadow most of the positive things because they just show up more commonly and make playing SW just a lot less fun in the long run.

And with that I conclude my current standing on SW it's a fun idea however it's heavily flawed and i hope that maybe the last update later this month and the balance updates maybe address a couple of my problems however this would also mean adding a lot of content specialy to the deep ocean what problaby would mess with the planned release of SW as a finished product.

[PhelsarusBeel]

3 minutes ago, bdiz4shiz said:

you realize you just reviewed a game in beta that is yet to be completed... 

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe!" - Not by Albert Einstein, making this quote extremely ironic

COnsidering that SW at this point is almost feature complete i decided to do it i like to quote the Roadmap

I’m going to share a rough outline of our plans for Shipwrecked in the coming months. We’re aiming to release an update around every 3 weeks, with the next update being scheduled for the middle of January and the final update being at the end of February. After that there will be an update dedicated entirely to bug fixes and balance changes. Of course, it should be noted that all of these times are just estimates of our schedule and may very well change (as they often do).

This means there isn't much left in terms of actual content other then 1 bigger content update later this month and a couple of balance changes and a lot of the things i mentioned what annoy me aren't just simple things but bug integral parts of the Expansion aka Navalcombat and the general lack of things to do during most of the seasons.

Also this is also a lot of feedback because not everyone has to praise the expansion in fact recently i barely saw people have actual critical points about it instead the SW subforum is mostly filled with Ideas what i realize won't make it into the expansion because lets face it we only got at max 1 month left of updates until SW is considerd complete so i decide to give as much input on the current state as possible to maybe get some of the problems addressed.

[stl1234]

This will be an example on how personal opinions can differ greatly. This post is not trying to say the review is invalid, it is just a different opinion on the same experiences.

For world gen & game start: I like the variation caused by lack or abundance of resources easily accessible. In Vanilla and RoG, all the games are basically the same. You gather a large stack of basic resources, including gold, by day 5, have already have explored a large portion of the entire map. Then you find a place with the same resources you like, every time, building the same base, with a different layout, every time. Essentially you survive one world, you survive them all. In Shipwrecked however, the abundance and scarcity of the resources force you to make different choices. The great variation between worlds make it worthwhile, because it is a different challenge, every time. Therefore I like Shipwrecked better.

Season specific things to do:  I generally dislike the mechanic of "you do this now, or you won't be able to do it until the next year". It isn't much a problem when you don't have new challenges the overcome, but that leads to "same game every time" problem as above. I do agree however, that there is a bit of lack of things to do in SW, only thing to be done is essentially exploring, and interesting things are rare finds.

Finding things: I agree on this one. Map is huge, finding specific things is fairly hard. Perhaps some heuristic mechanisms help (like in ROG/Vanilla, following roads gets you to places).

Naval combat: Land combat is always only about one thing: Kiting. You don't need better equipment, you just need to know how to dodge. Naval combat is the opposite. Better equipment significantly improves the ability to kite or otherwise deal with the enemy. I like the version of the combat where better items make significant difference.

Characters: While I generally agree, not all the characters have that kind of a variation outside of SW. We'll see shat the next character has in terms of variation.

Ocean: Ocean still has important things to find in it, like swordfish or bioluminescence. There definitely is a lack of interesting things in it, but it is also true that it isn't a place to spend time. I see it more of an equivalent of bridges in caves, as opposed to a biome with resources that you can setup camp (or otherwise want to spend considerable time) in. I mean I don't disagree, but I don't really understand why this is a big deal.

Anyway, these are just my opinions, on the points you've highlighted. For some, I like them for the exact reason that makes you dislike them.

[F3RR1S]

3 hours ago, bdiz4shiz said:

you realize you just reviewed a game in beta that is yet to be completed... 

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe!" - Not by Albert Einstein, making this quote extremely ironic

Yes, and we have the right to criticize the progress done on it so far.

The game is built up from our criticism and support, that's why it's in early-access.

[hotflungwok]

Hmm, a lot of this is lookin' really familiar.

[EmilioEstevez]

3 hours ago, stl1234 said:

This will be an example on how personal opinions can differ greatly.

This. I like what the OP doesn't like.

[Luponius]

Starting Island Resources:  My approach really is adaptation.  Based on whether I find 1 or 3 flint, I'm going to make a different raft.  If I get gold later rather than sooner I'll have to carefully manage my inventory.

It's either going to be a boon and feel lucky and sort of rewarded if you get all your wishes granted, or challenging and proud for still having set out correctly, despite the lack of resources.  And honestly the start is very easy as long as exploration is constantly on going.

Seasons: I would have to agree with you here, seasons should feel more unique.  Not just in the challenge they provide and aesthetics (Which they do vary well enough) but also in the content available.  Something crucial is missing that really spices up the various seasons (particularly the hurricane and dry seasons).

Navigation:  Yeah, the open seas and just a generic 3 depth level system radiating around islands and coral reefs I find to be okay, but something once again seems to be missing.  Oceans could possibly belong to their own separate biomes, or "inherit" surrounding island biomes somehow giving us more information and a better general idea of what to look for.

Roads in RoG and Vanilla worked very well to accomplish this, SW unfortunately seems to make seafaring more of a chore of "get through this much blue, and dodge some repetitive waves until you find a lighter hue of blue" than an enjoyable and more visually involving experience.  Essentially all of seafaring seems to need a good hard look into it.

Combat Navigation: Uh huh, I thought it was just me but it's sorta uninspired in this department as well.  I understand upgrading the boat makes it more maneuverable and that's great, but that movement smoothing it has which causes it to lag a bit behind seems misplaced if we're supposed to just go up to things and whack 'em on the head.  On an armored boat I felt like a hesistant chicken when fighting a blue whale.  Didn't feel rewarding at all, even though I killed it just fine once I got a more accustomed to the handling.

In the end I just felt inclined to stock up on a neat fat stack of 20 spearguns and shoot the shizzle out of anything that pokes its nose at me while at sea.  I disagree with spearsguns being too expensive,  I find them rather cheap, and extremely deadly. (1 shots stink rays, 2 shots swordfish and I believe it 5 shots blue whales, white whales seem to take more than that).

Characters:  Ehh, yeah they're sort of bland mechanic wise, but I find them cheery enough in terms of story.  I don't expect every character to be an entire new gameplay experience on their own, but compared to many other characters they are indeed very lackluster and maybe a little rushed.  Not really bothered by this, though.

Ocean:  As I mentioned in navigation, I wholeheartedly agree with you.  If this is a game about the land AND the sea, the sea is takin a big beating.  I love exploring islands, but the same can not be said about the ocean.  Literally nothing to explore, and no "currents" to ride for that "I'm feeling goooood ~" effect besides haphazardly random spawned waves that give the "crazy girl" vibe (that one ride may sink your entire ship :P).

Conclusion:  Yeah, people replied defensively to some extent to your post, but I agree fully, while I loved this new expansion and don't regret the 5 quid I spent on it, I do wish for more love to be given to the oceans if nothing else.  They're clearly missing a crucial component.  Maybe currents, or inherited biomes or just completely new flora and fauna for the various levels of the sea.

[Hugeisno1]

I do disagree with your negative points. Just about all of them I'd say. I've been enjoying SW and it's new setting quite a bit.

Personally I'm quite a fan of the new Chef character. I worked as a chef for a while and his lines are entertaining. The chef pouch and portable crockpot are wonderful as well. It's the first character I've liked properly since Wilson.

The gold problem isn't a problem at all. It's still the same as with RoG or Don't Starve Vanilla. You can find it on day 2 or day 20. It's always been like that.

 

[AnonymousKoala]

The ocean is empty, I fully agree.

The seasons don't feel as bad as summer(which has nothing to do, but still has a challange. so like an unintereting Winter) in RoG, but I would really love to see more unique things during them.

 

The characters are...bland. Walani is useless, Warly's mehcanic doesn't have THAT much effect I feel, and Willbur has so much potential, but his interaction with the monkeys makes it not special in the least and the running stopping so suddenly is annoying. 

 

 

[AnonymousKoala]

Also, I do like what you said about Naval Combat being based on ranged weapons, but it'll really work if we have a greater variety.

Look at all the melee weapons. You have the early game weapons(spear, etc.), late game ones, ones that aren't the greatest, but are used for some distinct perk(Bat Bat), etc.

Ranged? harpoons, staves, spearguns, blow darts. 

Give more variety. More variety and tweaks, and naval combat being ranged focused is gonna be badass. 

[PhelsarusBeel]

2 hours ago, AnonymousKoala said:

Also, I do like what you said about Naval Combat being based on ranged weapons, but it'll really work if we have a greater variety.

Look at all the melee weapons. You have the early game weapons(spear, etc.), late game ones, ones that aren't the greatest, but are used for some distinct perk(Bat Bat), etc.

Ranged? harpoons, staves, spearguns, blow darts. 

Give more variety. More variety and tweaks, and naval combat being ranged focused is gonna be badass. 

The problem is not the late to endgame but the earlygame because you basicly have to use Spearguns what early on are pretty expensive to make because not only do you need 3 Bamboo for 1 gun but also 2 more bambo0 and 3 ropes for the trawlnet to get the Jellyfish with. So in total to get the maximum use out of 1 Trawlnet full of Jellyfish in terms of Spearguns you need the following ressources. 9 Seashells, 29 Bamboo, 3 ropes, 9 Jellyfish 6 Flint and 2 sticks for the Machetes, and not to mention the 3 Boards and 4 Vines for the Rowboat. That's a lot of ressources for basicly nine 1 time use items and while the damage isn't minimal (100 a pop what isn't bad) making Spearguns in large quantities eats up a lot of ressources over the course of the game specialy flint and gold for more machetes.

The problem here is that specialy in the later game if you really want to fight stuff like Sea Hounds or even bosses using Spearguns you basicly need to spend half of any given season farming the required materials for Spearguns to beat them. For example the Sealnado has 3000 HP meaning you need 30 Spearguns to kill it of with them. That's 30 Seashells, 100 Bamboo (for both the guns itself and Trawlnets for the Jellyfish) 30 Jellyfish and 21 Flint for the Machetes to hack all that bamboo. That's insane in terms of just collecting. Or Seahounds who take 2 Spearguns a kill and later on show up in swarms of 4-7. You can do the math for that yourself but fact of the matter is using Ranged weapons for fighting at sea is a very costly thing to do and we just don't have a cheap and viable alternative to do so. And no the Boomerang does not count because it's far to slow to deal with most Seamonsters as well as being not that durable.

[Luponius]

1 hour ago, Mr.P said:

The problem is not the late to endgame but the earlygame because you basicly have to use Spearguns what early on are pretty expensive to make because not only do you need 3 Bamboo for 1 gun but also 2 more bambo0 and 3 ropes for the trawlnet to get the Jellyfish with. So in total to get the maximum use out of 1 Trawlnet full of Jellyfish in terms of Spearguns you need the following ressources. 9 Seashells, 29 Bamboo, 3 ropes, 9 Jellyfish 6 Flint and 2 sticks for the Machetes, and not to mention the 3 Boards and 4 Vines for the Rowboat. That's a lot of ressources for basicly nine 1 time use items and while the damage isn't minimal (100 a pop what isn't bad) making Spearguns in large quantities eats up a lot of ressources over the course of the game specialy flint and gold for more machetes.

While this is true, I don't think spearguns are meant as the go to weapon for killing bosses.  I personally use them to neutralize nuisances more of as a backup than a staple weapon.  I slowly work my way up to a stack of 20 to store on my cargo-boat.  I prefer dealing with bosses using the environment, and it's not the first time that I just ran off from the Sealnado knowing it would end badly in a sandy biome without any allies.

I think at the bottom line of it all, the ocean itself needs to be reconsidered.  What's expected for players to experience when out at sea?

• Is it about travelling?  Consider adding more involved mechanics like currents and cross winds, allowing players to open and shut sails to exploit the situation.
• Is it exploration?  Possibly provide various hues to the oceans that reflect nearby islands to be expected.
• Is it combat? In that case:
  • Allow players to build both more combat oriented vessels and specialized weaponry (which could be attached like the Boat Cannon)
  • As well as multi use projectiles which don't require rearming every single time (like a harpoon)
  • Or replenishment based weapons attached firmly to a vessel (ensuring players can't easily use it on islands).
  • For example a Cocannon, the Coconut Cannon - feed it coconuts to replenish its durability and therefore its uses, allowing coconut projectiles to bore holes into mighty enemies.  It could also be made more fun to use (for example fires from either side of the boat in a static direction, so players have to consider positioning more carefully).  While harder to aim, it makes for a more unique and distinct weapon which should be expected to bring down something like a Sealnado in about 15 hits or so (200 damage per shot, and able to store up to 20 coconuts, attachable to an Armored Boat or a new specialized Warshuttle or something of the sorts).

This game is a potential gold mine, and its come along very nicely thus far, but there are still tweaks that could be made which would allow for more varying play-styles.  Seafaring is one of those aspects that could do with a little bit more love.