What do you lot think about the idea of illness in Don't Starve?

[WildWesternWilson]

Just an interesting idea I thought of the other day (although I do remember reading something related to the idea before). What if, as a new mechanic (the TTA DLC/Update is coming up, after all), specific conditions could make your character contract a disease of some sort?

Not anything too excessive (having to make soap so you can eat food without waking up the next day, ready to throw up would just be a bit much), but add it here and there for a bit of challenge.

 

I mean, Salmonella from eating too many meat items or Food Poisoning from eating a bunch of monster food, something like that. Those aren't the best ideas, of course, there's certainly much better that could be made with the idea.

 

So, I leave it to you brilliant bast---… Notable nobhea--… People. What do you lot think? Do you think an optional challenge would be nice or would it be on the same level as diseased item variants? 

[Aquaterion]

Well with the prefab disease recently coming in, I wouldn't be too surprised, but then again, they gotta make sure they don't make it too hard for people that just want to play casually.

[CaptainFun]

2 minutes ago, Aquaterion said:

Well with the prefab disease recently coming in, I wouldn't be too surprised, but then again, they gotta make sure they don't make it too hard for people that just want to play casually.

Isn't that for withering resources though?

I would honestly love to see more mechanics like poison. 

[thisbird]

I would LOVE to see some kind of disease mechanic. They are in some rough circumstances, getting battered every single day with terrible things. They have poor diets, and most of the time zero protection from the elements.

I would love to see some circumstance-based sickness: some kind of disease brought on by inadequate protection from the weather, a mosquito-borne illness contractable in swamps, or scurvy if a diet lacks variety (how to handle Wigfrid would take some thought).

Some other illnesses might be brought on by routinely low stats: for example, malnutrition leads to illness if you leave your character's hunger at 1/4 or less for x amount or time, or wounds get infected if you leave your health at 1/4 or less for x amount of time.

[GiddyGuy]

39 minutes ago, WildWesternWilson said:

specific conditions could make your character contract a disease of some sort?

 

[WildWesternWilson]

2 minutes ago, GiddyGuy said:

 

Ach! The cross! How dare thee!

[GiddyGuy]

2 minutes ago, WildWesternWilson said:

Ach! The cross! How dare thee!

You know what you're such a good sport, come back into this house, COME BACK INTO THE HOUSE.

[WildWesternWilson]

2 minutes ago, GiddyGuy said:

You know what you're such a good sport, come back into this house, COME BACK INTO THE HOUSE.

Yeessssss...

 

 

39 minutes ago, Aquaterion said:

Well with the prefab disease recently coming in, I wouldn't be too surprised, but then again, they gotta make sure they don't make it too hard for people that just want to play casually.

My idea was to make it an optional mechanic, like resource variants. 

[Arlesienne]

Some ideas:

- a lot diseases are contracted through grime of different kinds, so let's make an optional mechanic of bathing (I would say in cave ponds as they seem to be the cleanest);

- eating fruit or vegetables every so often (lemons and cabbage, lemons and cabbage!) protects against scurvy;

- a big fight meaning a lot of wounds increases the likelihood of contracting a disease if you don't bandage yourself in X time;

- slurpers and splumonkeys look ideal for spreading diseases if you ask me;

- mosquitos spread not just malaria;

- fever should be a common issue;

- if you work with manure before cooking or just eating, you risk contracting a disease.

Salmonella is not from eating TOO MUCH meat. It's from eating infected meat, mostly. Cooking (AKA subjecting the bacteria to sufficiently-high temperature) makes it (again, MOSTLY) safe again. Ah, and we should consider the fact DST is not a world of good conditions of the developed countries. Sooo... Invasive non-typhoidal salmonella serovars: be afraid!

I want more than just a sanity penalty to eating raw meat...

[Aquaterion]

10 minutes ago, Arlesienne said:

Some ideas:

- a lot diseases are contracted through grime of different kinds, so let's make an optional mechanic of bathing (I would say in cave ponds as they seem to be the cleanest);

- eating fruit or vegetables every so often (lemons and cabbage, lemons and cabbage!) protects against scurvy;

- a big fight meaning a lot of wounds increases the likelihood of contracting a disease if you don't bandage yourself in X time;

- slurpers and splumonkeys look ideal for spreading diseases if you ask me;

- mosquitos spread not just malaria;

- fever should be a common issue;

- if you work with manure before cooking or just eating, you risk contracting a disease.

Salmonella is not from eating TOO MUCH meat. It's from eating infected meat, mostly. Cooking (AKA subjecting the bacteria to sufficiently-high temperature) makes it (again, MOSTLY) safe again. Ah, and we should consider the fact DST is not a world of good conditions of the developed countries. Sooo... Invasive non-typhoidal salmonella serovars: be afraid!

I want more than just a sanity penalty to eating raw meat...

The only 1 i dont like is fever being a common issue. Temperature already is a mechanic in the game, I dont think fevers would fit in, but the rest yea.

[Arlesienne]

1 minute ago, Aquaterion said:

The only 1 i dont like is fever being a common issue. Temperature already is a mechanic in the game, I dont think fevers would fit in, but the rest yea.

Fever when overheating. Or perhaps when freezing. Basically a more elaborate name to the already-existing mechanics.

[WildWesternWilson]

13 minutes ago, Arlesienne said:

Some ideas:

- a lot diseases are contracted through grime of different kinds, so let's make an optional mechanic of bathing (I would say in cave ponds as they seem to be the cleanest);

- eating fruit or vegetables every so often (lemons and cabbage, lemons and cabbage!) protects against scurvy;

- a big fight meaning a lot of wounds increases the likelihood of contracting a disease if you don't bandage yourself in X time;

- slurpers and splumonkeys look ideal for spreading diseases if you ask me;

- mosquitos spread not just malaria;

- fever should be a common issue;

- if you work with manure before cooking or just eating, you risk contracting a disease.

Salmonella is not from eating TOO MUCH meat. It's from eating infected meat, mostly. Cooking (AKA subjecting the bacteria to sufficiently-high temperature) makes it (again, MOSTLY) safe again. Ah, and we should consider the fact DST is not a world of good conditions of the developed countries. Sooo... Invasive non-typhoidal salmonella serovars: be afraid!

I want more than just a sanity penalty to eating raw meat...

Eh? I said raw meat. You know, before the bacteria is boiled off. 

[Arlesienne]

1 minute ago, WildWesternWilson said:

Eh? I said raw meat. You know, before the bacteria is boiled off. 

Yes, you did. I just agree with that point.

[WildWesternWilson]

4 minutes ago, Arlesienne said:

Yes, you did. I just agree with that point.

Ah, right, gotcha. 

Yeah, I think it would add more of a risk vs. reward thing to that 'oh s%*! I'm going hungry and only have raw meat' scenario. Not common, I know, but it does happen. 

[Arlesienne]

9 minutes ago, WildWesternWilson said:

Ah, right, gotcha. 

Yeah, I think it would add more of a risk vs. reward thing to that 'oh s%*! I'm going hungry and only have raw meat' scenario. Not common, I know, but it does happen. 

I like the way you are going here. And people would perhaps get more of an incentive to use the manure bucket too :).

[WildWesternWilson]

Yeah, it could give some underused items some form of use for sure. The Bucket O' Poop is used quite a bit in my experience, but y'know. 

[Mikeadatrix]

I believe that bleeding should be a thing... I mean... If we're gonna add a bunch of complicated diseases we should at least have a punishment for getting mauled by a spider (etc.).

[Arlesienne]

6 minutes ago, Mikeadatrix said:

I believe that bleeding should be a thing... I mean... If we're gonna add a bunch of complicated diseases we should at least have a punishment for getting mauled by a spider (etc.).

I recall a mod that added such mechanics to DS. Could be interesting...

[WildWesternWilson]

Could be interesting, as long as the option is in World Gen.

 

Not everyone would want it, and it could be poorly implemented if someone did work it into the game.

[Gyths]

*WX perks intensifies*

 

[Nickboom]

1 hour ago, Mikeadatrix said:

I believe that bleeding should be a thing... I mean... If we're gonna add a bunch of complicated diseases we should at least have a punishment for getting mauled by a spider (etc.).

If bleeding is added then the possibility for players to inflict bleeding must exist (for logical things of course) and I'd say it should only last so long. Aka if I hit a phant with a spear that phant should also bleed for a while.

[Bahlsen]

If diseases become a thing I want Wickerbottom to make maternalists quotes like the ones she does since the lasts updates when examining ill characters

[PillsStealer]

Well poison is a thing in shipwreck, so health drain over time is possible

[Axehilt]

I thought poison was fine in DS:Shipwrecked.  It was keyed off a clear, logical, avoidable interaction (snake bite) and really the only awkwardness was having to scramble and dig through UIs to track down exactly what would cure it the first time.

With diseases, the assumption is they'd be distinct from poison (a gradual DoT) and aren't necessarily life-threatening themselves, but instead afflict you with a debuff where the cure might not be easily found.  The simplest examples would modify your core parameters:  one disease reduces your attack damage, another (tapeworm?) reduces the hunger value of eaten foods, and another (rabies) might send you into killing rage every once in a while (draining your sanity rapidly until you kill something.)

Overall I guess I'm neutral on diseases.  They offer a pretty distinct challenge, and as long as avoiding them isn't tedious (wash your hands before every meal!) they might be interesting dynamic changes to your character's capabilities.  But it feels like an abstract challenge -- you're afflicted by a UI icon, instead of being afflicted by a GIANT CLOPPING DEERCLOPS -- and I think the more literal in-your-face challenges are a bit more satisfying as a result of being less abstract.

[TheTraditionalGentleman]

5 hours ago, WildWesternWilson said:

Just an interesting idea I thought of the other day (although I do remember reading something related to the idea before). What if, as a new mechanic (the TTA DLC/Update is coming up, after all), specific conditions could make your character contract a disease of some sort?

Not anything too excessive (having to make soap so you can eat food without waking up the next day, ready to throw up would just be a bit much), but add it here and there for a bit of challenge.

 

I mean, Salmonella from eating too many meat items or Food Poisoning from eating a bunch of monster food, something like that. Those aren't the best ideas, of course, there's certainly much better that could be made with the idea.

 

So, I leave it to you brilliant bast---… Notable nobhea--… People. What do you lot think? Do you think an optional challenge would be nice or would it be on the same level as diseased item variants? 

I'm all for this idea! Actually, when I first started playing this game, Wilson's comment on a cooked morsel "Now I won't get belly worms!" made me think that there was sickness in the game. I think that worms, colds, fevers, scurvy, (or even some horrible combination of the four) would be a great add on    plus it would really tie into the "team survival" aspect of it. If everyone in the group might have to help take care of the sick guy, it would add to the team survival feel and add a fresh challenge.