Dry Season is craycray

[ThaumicParrot]

Alright, so I know this has been discussed at large before, but dry season is just craycray. At first I thought to myself, perhaps I'm just bad at shipwrecked? But I managed to survive in base ROG past all 4 seasons, and in shipwrecked, I've gotten to dry season with webber and walani, but that's when everything just goes to crap. For one, unlike the other seasons, there is physically no way to stay at your base, or even NEAR it for the season. Meteors will simply crash into everything and the only way to stop it, which is still only temporary, is to find the volcano at one of the many outskirts of the map, climb up it, manage to find a magical altar, and appease it. The other seasons are challenging but still fun as you're survival is based on skill, and not on luck. In wet season, you can make flooring and sandbags to stop puddles. In hurricane season, you can prepare by making a chiminea and various waterproof clothes and items. But in dry season, there is nothing but escaping and fleeing. And if I may, here are a few solutions I have devised:

1. Make the Altar of Snackrifice craftable. Perhaps you build it through a piratehatitator, with something like 6 limestone, 3 red gems, and 2 obsidian? 

2. A machine or something similar that protects from meteor strikes at the cost of fuel. Something like a metal umbrella or giant upward-facing fan? It could be crafted with 4 gears, 3 electrical doodads, and 2 shark fins. 

These are just a few suggestions, I'm sure Klei could come up with something better. But in conclusion, dry season is not fun due to it's unpredictability and it's lack of preventive measures.

[oCrapaCreeper]

1 hour ago, ThaumicParrot said:

 For one, unlike the other seasons, there is physically no way to stay at your base, or even NEAR it for the season.

I believe that's the point. The Dry Season is a way to get you out of hiding from your base and play nomadically. 

I think the issue with dry season and play styles is that we're used to being able to craft a machine that negates a natural occurrence automatically - Lightning Rod, Ice Flingomatic, chiminea,  flooring, sandbags, etc. But when we don't get something handed to us and something requires more than a crafting recipe to deal with, people go crazy and call it unfair, op, etc. 

For that reason  I don't think adding a machine or something that fights the meteor showers is the correct solution. They obviously want us to use the altar of snackrifice, but of course most players will never find the Volcano in time before their first dry season without excessive exploring or plain luck. Maybe that can be addressed first.

[ThaumicParrot]

16 minutes ago, oCrapaCreeper said:

I think the issue with dry season and play styles is that we're used to being able to craft a machine that negates a natural occurrence automatically - Lightning Rod, Ice Flingomatic, chiminea,  flooring, sandbags, etc. But when we don't get something handed to us and something requires more than a crafting recipe to deal with, people go crazy and call it unfair, op, etc. 

I do believe this is their intention. However, I find it odd that they would stray from the formula of getting prepared for a seasonal challenge. While some people may find it enjoyable, others may not. I, for one, think it should be more like the other seasons, and if the majority agrees with me, so be it. If not, then I shall wait until world customization comes out.

[oCrapaCreeper]

Just now, ThaumicParrot said:

I do believe this is their intention. However, I find it odd that they would stray from the formula of getting prepared for a seasonal challenge. While some people may find it enjoyable, others may not. I, for one, think it should be more like the other seasons, and if the majority agrees with me, so be it. If not, then I shall wait until world customization comes out.

Well, these are different devs making the game afterall, and the usual seasonal preparation formula was getting pretty old. I for one don't enjoy being able to deal with the main issue of a season with a single crafting recipe and think that's too easily, but it's all the difference of opinion. 

[Luponius]

I find both posts to make valid points, however I do feel the suggestions you made are incorrect Thaumic, as oCrapaCreeper said it's encouraging a particular style of play, or at least a singular adventure to return the world to calmness.  It should instead give us some kind of indication as to where the direction of the volcano is when the eruption and falling starts.  Either by the way the boulders land, or by some other (audio)visual means.

This essentially provides a potential possibility of negating it without feeling powerless and lost, while simultaneously not being a standard "craft this and you're k" methodology.  In reality if a volcano erupts you would sure as heck know where it's coming from.  If they give us at least THAT much info (direction of volcano) at least we can be ready and prepared to brave the seas in search of it, and swiftly appease it.  It would be both punishing, challenging and fun.

[ThaumicParrot]

4 minutes ago, Luponius said:

his essentially provides a potential possibility of negating it without feeling powerless and lost, while simultaneously not being a standard "craft this and you're k" methodology.  In reality if a volcano erupts you would sure as heck know where it's coming from.  If they give us at least THAT much info (direction of volcano) at least we can be ready and prepared to brave the seas in search of it, and swiftly appease it.  It would be both punishing, challenging and fun.

I think this is probably the best way to satisfy both types of players. Another thing could be that messages in bottles could not only reveal treasure, but also other important landmarks like the slot machine, yaaarctopus, and most importantly, the volcano.

[Luponius]

1 minute ago, ThaumicParrot said:

I think this is probably the best way to satisfy both types of players. Another thing could be that messages in bottles could not only reveal treasure, but also other important landmarks like the slot machine, yaaarctopus, and most importantly, the volcano.

Yeah, that's another way about it that would make plenty of sense, maybe a special "URGENT message in a bottle" that continuously floats towards the player when not in shallow seas revealing the volcano's location, spawning halfway through monsoon season.

[oCrapaCreeper]

4 minutes ago, ThaumicParrot said:

I think this is probably the best way to satisfy both types of players. Another thing could be that messages in bottles could not only reveal treasure, but also other important landmarks like the slot machine, yaaarctopus, and most importantly, the volcano.

I like this idea.

Maybe it can work similar to Koalefant hunting. There would be a message in a bottle that spawns somewhere, and once you read it, it would reveal another bottle, and then that one would reveal another one, and you would keep following the bottles until you find the landmark. The volcano could probably be prioritized to be found during the monsoon season. 

[stl1234]

I disagree that there isn't anything you can do to prepare. Yes, you can't craft just one item and hunker down in your base. But that is also the case for all seasons in RoG, because: giants. Volcano eruptions are pretty much like very frequent giant attacks, maybe too frequent. And as with other giant attacks there is a lot you can do to prepare, away from your main base. And, as with other giants it does require some skill with dodging, (well, in this volcano case, maybe a lot more than "some"). Unlike other giants, you can't just have other mobs deal with it though. And that is the problem. For all other challenges, there are multiple ways to deal with them.

I like the idea of making the Volcano more discoverable, to have another way to deal with eruptions than good dodging skills and/or stocking up on healing and armor. And I don't think it would be any less challenging, to take a possibly long trip every couple of days in heat. A suggestion I have there is to use the spyglass. Volcano is a tall structure, it should be easy to see it from any point in the map with a spyglass. Maybe whenever a spyglass is used to look at the general direction of the volcano, it's location can be revealed?

[Luponius]

The spyglass suggestion makes even more sense, and I personally would prefer to vote for that rather than anything else, since it would be more natural than some mysteriously possessed floating bottle or a whole string of them.  If you reach the edge of a map you could take 4/5 peeks with the spyglass (consuming it) and spot the volcano regardless of where it might be.

[EmilioEstevez]

Hmm maybe if we could have a "refuge" where you don't get attacked by meteors that we'd have to retreat and develop during the dry season

[WillPwn4Food]

7 hours ago, stl1234 said:

A suggestion I have there is to use the spyglass. Volcano is a tall structure, it should be easy to see it from any point in the map with a spyglass. Maybe whenever a spyglass is used to look at the general direction of the volcano, it's location can be revealed?

The problem with that is I think SW is a very small planet. When you get to one edge of the map, you sail through fog and find yourself on the other side of the "world." (Admittedly, you could say "them" are the cause of this and their control of the DS worlds). So at any point, by my case, would not be the best, but within maybe one or two spyglass lengths beyond what is revealed.

[Rellimarual]

It doesn't seem that hard to me. You now have to stock up on wither-able supplies, but once you realize that it's easily done. Summer doesn't make me that nomadic, though. Instead I rush back to the base right after an eruption to grab food/ice, boat kits,etc., then head out to a sizable shallow-water area so that when the lava rain starts I can dodge on the water. When there's time, I trawl the deep water, but I even then I stick pretty close to my base island. 

[Luponius]

3 hours ago, Rellimarual said:

It doesn't seem that hard to me. You now have to stock up on wither-able supplies, but once you realize that it's easily done. Summer doesn't make me that nomadic, though. Instead I rush back to the base right after an eruption to grab food/ice, boat kits,etc., then head out to a sizable shallow-water area so that when the lava rain starts I can dodge on the water. When there's time, I trawl the deep water, but I even then I stick pretty close to my base island. 

I don't think it's a question of hardship, but has more to do with play-styles.  Some players do as you say, and they're perfectly fine, others might feel forced out of their play comfort with absolutely nothing to look forward to until it's over.  I don't mind either way since I never even build a base but from what's being suggested, it's clear this season may not have been received well by the entire community.

The suggestions proposed here aren't attempting to eliminate the entire challenge, only give some means of dealing with it without scanning the entire map (which is essentially what you would have to do since sea exploration is simply hit and miss).  I'm sure there are others who had an all around negative experience in dry season and felt unusually powerless, in a way which Don't Starve never did before, since afaik this is really the only season where the game just rains hell on you and all you're left with is dancing around to its tune until it's over and possibly randomly encountering the volcano.

[AnonymousKoala]

16 hours ago, ThaumicParrot said:

I do believe this is their intention. However, I find it odd that they would stray from the formula of getting prepared for a seasonal challenge. While some people may find it enjoyable, others may not. I, for one, think it should be more like the other seasons, and if the majority agrees with me, so be it. If not, then I shall wait until world customization comes out.

I always feel like the pre-dry season preperations are to be ready to travel as far away from your base as possible.

Its actually pretty fun too. Dedicating summer to exploration and dodging when needed instead of it being like RoG Summer, which is boring and basically "hide in your base simulator" 

[Serph]

20 hours ago, oCrapaCreeper said:

I believe that's the point. The Dry Season is a way to get you out of hiding from your base and play nomadically. 

I think the issue with dry season and play styles is that we're used to being able to craft a machine that negates a natural occurrence automatically - Lightning Rod, Ice Flingomatic, chiminea,  flooring, sandbags, etc. But when we don't get something handed to us and something requires more than a crafting recipe to deal with, people go crazy and call it unfair, op, etc. 

We don't get things handed to us, we work to build them. That's the game's point, you spend half time surviving the season and half time getting ready for the next season. Lightning and Wildfires are completely random and can easily wreck your base, they're not unfair because we can prepare for it. Earthquakes is impossible to prevent but it's fair because it won't destroy my base and rewards me with stones.

Dry season can:
-Wreck your base 
-Insta kill you if unarmored (IMO nothing in the game should be capable of this)
-Overheat you
-Spawn monsters
-Eruptions happen every 1.5 days.
-Literally nothing you can do to prevent it unless you find the altar

And despite that, it's not even that hard as people think. If you didn't find the volcano, make a endothermic pit, a fridge with 2 thermal stones and long lasting food (or ice + meat for meatballs), and a chest with essentials, boat repair kits and overheat gear, then you spend the next 16 days sailing around the island dodging giant rocks. 

I don't find it a fun season at all, If you find the altar then all you have to do (according to the wikia numbers) is give it 8 eggs every 3-4 days and the season is pointless. Aside from being forced to explore the sea there isn't much enjoy about it.

[DeputyDeath]

20 hours ago, oCrapaCreeper said:

I believe that's the point. The Dry Season is a way to get you out of hiding from your base and play nomadically. 

I think the issue with dry season and play styles is that we're used to being able to craft a machine that negates a natural occurrence automatically - Lightning Rod, Ice Flingomatic, chiminea,  flooring, sandbags, etc. But when we don't get something handed to us and something requires more than a crafting recipe to deal with, people go crazy and call it unfair, op, etc. 

For that reason  I don't think adding a machine or something that fights the meteor showers is the correct solution. They obviously want us to use the altar of snackrifice, but of course most players will never find the Volcano in time before their first dry season without excessive exploring or plain luck. Maybe that can be addressed first.

My issue is that they made the season so that you are forced to live like a nomad, and then...

Made you overheat and everything else wither on day 1 of dry season? That's counterintuitive to say the least.

The easiest way to get through the season in my opinion is to reserve a part of your base island to be battered by volcano bombs, preferably one away from limpet rocks and flammable stuff. A clear stretch of beach near the shore is perfect for this.

By doing this, you can live vaguely close to your base, so to cool your thermal stones every so often, grab a crock pot meal and, if you have an ice fling-o-matic running, harvest your farms. Plus, you can grab all the rocks, flint and stuff from the dragoons and lava pools in calm season or whenever you have the time, ensuring that nothing is wasted.

[stl1234]

1 hour ago, DeputyDeath said:

The easiest way to get through the season in my opinion is to reserve a part of your base island to be battered by volcano bombs, preferably one away from limpet rocks and flammable stuff. A clear stretch of beach near the shore is perfect for this.

By doing this, you can live vaguely close to your base, so to cool your thermal stones every so often, grab a crock pot meal and, if you have an ice fling-o-matic running, harvest your farms. Plus, you can grab all the rocks, flint and stuff from the dragoons and lava pools in calm season or whenever you have the time, ensuring that nothing is wasted.

This is exactly what I'm doing. It usually requires a small satellite base with essentials. Dragoons supply enough monster meat, which solves half of the food problem. The other half can be solved by fishing, limpets, ice, jungle trees, bird cage etc. After the eruption I go to my mini-base to swap the thermal stone, go back to collect items & kill dragoons. Get off the mini base to harvest/thrawl/explore etc, come back with the second warning. Swap thermal stones when 3rd warning comes, and get to the clearing to dodge dragoon eggs. Repeat. May require adjusting later in the season depending on how far you go, since you may not have enough time to get back after the second warning.

[lordbebech]

It would be nice to give players some indications that dry season is coming and the volcano gods need to be calmed down, but not as mention above via messages in a bottle, because this idea is silly - who gives this warns ? Volcano itself? Maxwell? Some kind of friendly pigdruid ? I think the best way to indicate that eruptions is coming would be to visualize on screen  a directional sound wave of volcano's rumbling. Based on it's directions  player would be able to pack up and start few day journey to find and please volcano.

[Luponius]

48 minutes ago, lordbebech said:

It would be nice to give players some indications that dry season is coming and the volcano gods need to be calmed down, but not as mention above via messages in a bottle, because this idea is silly - who gives this warns ? Volcano itself? Maxwell? Some kind of friendly pigdruid ? I think the best way to indicate that eruption is coming would be to visualize on screen directional sound wave of volcano's rumbling. Based on it's directions  player would be able to pack up and start few day journey to find and please volcano.

The messages were merely an example I myself later scrapped if you read down the posts. I also mentioned providing directional cues based on how the dragoon eggs land:

For example upon ground contact they slide a few feet away from the direction of the volcano which indicates that their source of origin and were flung not only vertically in the air but also horizontally across a great big sretch of sea. Same in the ocean, rather than spawning big waves all around, it would spawn small waves in the direction of the volcano and big waves away from it.

Time it just right and you could get a swift ride towards the volcano. Time it wrong and you become coral wrapped in seaweed.

[Xedlord]

Volcanic crab: boss

And if you defeat him he will turn back into the volcano and stop the eruptions for the rest of dry season 

And he'll drop special items