new content The Settlement

[GabrielJack]

I started thinking about this more as a possible mod design concept during a discussion within the M.O.D. Network Discord Server, but after further analyzing it, it seemed like some really good material for a possible DLC/Update for DS or New Update for DST material that might interest Klei (Or both, if possible). 
So I was suggested thought it to be a good idea make it as suggestion for it now, as if it is to be made as a mod (specially by me, that still got to learn a LOT about how to mod properly), it might only be made way further down the road or when the M.O.D. Network is more active and I can suggest it as a possible Network mod and people get interested in it.

It provides an interesting backstory for the Pigmen while also creating at least 3 new items, a few structures, a new dynamic location on the map, human NPCs, a small quest-like mission system, a new night event, a new giant creature/boss and a special home that can only be claimed through some hard work.

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The Settlement

A Dynamically generated small settlement of human characters with appearance variations for the characters, huts and the Mayor house. Size of the settlement varies with the world's size. 

Appearance: 
A high wooden fence around with a big gate. A few huts of varying color and shapes, people that are dark and unwelcoming but talk to you when you have some "trust" with them, a shopping booth with a clerk who won't talk much to you depending on how much you interacted with villagers and a big marble house in the middle of The Settlement.
The Settlement is always close to a big pigmen village with a few special structures containing items. In the middle of the pigmen village there is a pedestal with a totem on top of it with four pillars forming a square around it.
 

Missions: 
Some villagers might mention at random or when talked to, depending on trust, about items the "Mayor" is looking for. Items related to the pigman village nearby. Items unique to this village and positioned in special places around it, at least some(10) pig skins, a bunch of (20) dark petals and a few(5) blue mushrooms. 

If these items are delivered to the clerk in the "shop", your "trust" will raise a certain amount and, just like the pig king, he will rewards you with random blueprints regarding the settlement for each of the unique items of the pig village and Gears, Gold, sometimes Gems or rarely a blueprint for the common items. Chance for blueprint with common items raises with the settlement's trust. Settlers and the clerk change the way they reply to you with the more trust you have, but they turn from distant and cold to somewhat weird/unsettling replies and still a somewhat unwelcoming feeling.

After you have collected all the unique village items except for the totem, and has enough "Settlement Trust", indicated by receiving the Cultist Robe Blueprint as an extra "gift" for one of your deliveries, the "Mayor" will spawn near a big unbreakable marble building usually in the middle of The Settlement. 
After talking to the Mayor, if not a full moon night, he will ask you to fetch for him the totem in the middle of the pigmen village.
Every Pigmen will attack you if you grab the totem, unlike the other items, which will have challenges of their own. The four pillars around the totem produce a yellow glowing energy field at night that gives a HUGE amount of damage and reduce the sanity a LOT.
 

At Night: 
If the Mayor has been spawned, he runs inside his building in the middle of the village and red light comes out of the windows. The clerk closes his booth during dusk and disappears inside it.
Every villager transforms into an aggressive character called "cultist" that wear a dark purple robe, so if you kill a cultist, that specific villager who transformed disappears. 
Cultists attack pigmen and destroy pig houses on sight. They run slightly faster than pigmen, receiving reduced damage. Pigmen flee from cultists as long as possible. Cultists return to The Settlement at morning stopping whatever they are doing and turn into Settlers again.
 

During Full Moon Eve: 
Every settler seems apprehensive, exceptfor  the Mayor who "sings" a bit and seems happier than usual, during the morning of a Full Moon Night. 
If talked to, settlers will reply with something like: 
"It is a Full Moon tonight. I hope they don't come inside today... I don't want to turn... Someone always turns, but the mayor knows what to do. Their day will come."
At night, the Gate to The Settlement is closed and every settler hides inside their huts, the mayor also hides but his home stays with the lights out during this night and a "shadow" can be seen moving fast out of it through the ground and disappearing inside The Settlement if looking at it exactly when it turns into night.
Werepigs start appearing inside The Settlement after some time and disappear before morning comes. If in the pigmen village, every single pigman turns into a werepig.
A few Settlers at random disappear the morning after a full moon.
New pigmen and pigmen houses spawn after every full moon in the village until a certain limit(big) is reached. 
 

Spawning Boss:
If talking to the Mayor at the morning of any non-fullmoon night, he will request you to fetch a special item that can only be fetched in the middle of the pigman village, the totem.
Every Pigmen will attack you if you grab the totem, unlike the other items, which will have challenges of their own. The four pillars around the totem produce a yellow glowing energy field at night that gives a HUGE amount of damage and reduce the sanity a LOT.
If totem is delivered to the Mayor, he rewards the player with a special "JetBlack Cultist Robes". He will then proceed to invite the player to a special event and lock himself inside his home, with red lights on the windows during all morning.

During the afternoon, cultists will start to make a ritual at the middle of The Settlement in which, if completed before it becomes night, the Mayor will transform into a Giant Creature. 
Cultists don't attack the player until the end of the ritual unless attacked, but other cultist won't help during this night. The creature will attack immediately unless the player is using either the "Cultist Robes" or the "JetBlack Cultist Robes". 

At night, a "Blood Moon" event will happen, just like the full moon, but everything turns red and a small sanity drain is in effect. A special full moon with a red color that doesn't make the pigmen turn into werepigs, instead, every pigmen turn into humans during the "Blood Moon" and look just like Settlers during the morning. They act scared and if talked to, they reply with "What is going on? I'm human again?! How much time has passed? What is happening?"
The creature then proceeds towards the pigmen village causing havoc and destruction and killing "pigmen", now humans "again". 
Pig houses hit or stepped by the creature spawn as different appearances of a broken house on fire where they were.
Creature becomes mayor again some time after the sunrise, drops the totem and every unique item collected used on the ritual and is ignored by the pigmen still in shock while running back home. 
A few special "Shaman Pigmen" then spawn off screen and run to collect the dropped items and deliver them to their specific locations inside the village, attacking "anyone" who tries to interfere.

 

Notes:

• The Mayor is immune to damage and flees really fast if attacked. Settlement trust on player drops to zero if he tries to attack the Mayor. Any settler close immediately becomes a cultist and while being chased by cultists in the morning, any settler passed by will also turn into a cultist.
   
• If you kill the creature, the mayor disappears, your trust go back to 0 and settlers will stay as cultists until the beginning of the next season, only turning back on the morning of a full moon, but the creature drops a lot of loot on death together with the blueprint to a unique weapon. 
   
• Villagers respawn every at the turn of a season and a different mayor is spawned as well during that period after the death of the previous creature if the creature has been killed.
   
• If you kill every single cultist before the creature ritual ends, the mayor transforms into a smaller and weaker version of the creature that drops less loot and doesn't drop the weapon's blueprint, but moves and attacks faster. If every cultist is killed any other night, the mayor will still be alive in the morning and new settlers will appear after some time.
   
• If every pigmen in the village dies, be it by the creature or by your hands, and every pig house is broken, a few new pigmen will spawn after the next full moon or the turn of the season, unless every cultist and the creature has been killed. 
   
• Everything inside the settlement can be broken with a hammer except the marble hut, which becomes usable as a sleeping place after every cultist and the creature has been killed, at that moment, no new settlers will spawn ever again in the settlement. A new settlement spawns together with a pigmen village at a random place on the map.
   
• Settlers transform into cultists and attack whenever you strike one of them or try to break something inside the village. They won't turn back until you are far away enough or the beginning of the next morning if the creature has not been killed yet, whatever comes first. You lose a lot of trust for attacking any settler.
   
• Any pigmen anywhere on the map also turns into a settler during the "Blood Moon" event.
   

New Items:

• Cultist Robes (craftable, requires blueprint) 

Rarely dropped by Cultists but always with reduced durability.
Cultists, Shadows and Giant Creature won't attack unless attacked. Pigmen will flee in terror.
Drains sanity very fast. Removes headgear (adds "hood" to headgear while worn)
500% damage against cultist on first attack. 200% damage against shadows.
20% Absorbed | Durability 100

• JetBlack Cultist Robes (Not Craftable)

Cultists, Shadows and Giant Creature won't attack unless attacked. Pigmen will flee in terror.
Drains sanity slowly. (adds "hood" to headgear while worn)
500% damage against cultist on first attack. 200% damage against shadows.
50% Absorbed | Infinite Durability

• Cursing Blade (Craftable, blueprint dropped by creature)

Pigmen, Settlers and Cultists hit by the Cursing Blade turn into werepigs for X minutes after the first hit and restore full life, turning back into a pigman
after the time has passed, returning to full life again.
70 Damage | 1000 uses
 

New Craftable Structures:

• Settlement Hut (Only learnable by blueprint)

Whenever crafted, player can select one out of several possible appearances, all of which can appear inside The Settlement.
Recipe: 5 Ropes, 10 Wood Boards, 6 Cut Stones, 1 Hammer

• Large Wood Wall (Only learnable by blueprint)

Built as any other structure, unlike other walls. Bigger than the biggest tier of the Wood Wall. 
Can be repaired with Wood Boards and Logs. 500 Health. Flamable.
Recipe: 3 Ropes, 4 Wood Boards, 3 Logs

• Large Wood Gate, Side Door (Only learnable by blueprint)

Built as any other structure, must be connected to a Large Wood Wall.
Automatically opens in the morning and closes at night or with the proximity of aggressive creatures during the morning if the player is within range.
Player can manually open and close the gate with right mouse button.
Can be repaired with Wood Boards and Logs. 400 Health. Flamable.
Recipe: 5 Ropes, 3 Wood Boards, 2 Logs

• Large Wood Gate, Double Door (Only learnable by blueprint)

Built as any other structure, must be connected to a Large Wood Wall.
Automatically opens in the morning and closes at night or with the proximity of aggressive creatures during the morning if the player is within range.
Player can manually open and close the gate with right mouse button.
Can be repaired with Wood Boards and Logs. 600 Health. Flamable.
Recipe: 8 Ropes, 5 Wood Boards, 3 Logs

Extra possibilities:

1. Children settlers inside the settlement that have really dark comments and hide on their homes at night. They disappear from time to time and every child disappear if all cultists are killed.
    
2. New child and female pigmen, specially in the village. Child pigmen also turn into werepiggies, just as male and female pigmen.
    
3. Children run fast from the creature towards their mothers, mothers pick children up and run slower, both die together if reached and stepped by the Creature.
    
4. New non-aggressive creature "Shaman Pigman". Ranged with fire magic that comes as a fire pillar from the ground under the target, can be tamed into a follower just like any pigman.
    
5. Unique items such as special axes, picks, shovels, weapons and armors can only be bought through the Clerk depending on Settlement's trust and are not craftable.
    
6. Other possible buildings that can be interacted with within The Settlement and later can be bought as blueprints to be crafted for the player's own base.

[Ecu]

Doesn't really feel like it fits as part of Don't Starve, to be honest.  I feel this could be interesting as part of an overhaul or as a new game, but not really as part of DST itself.

[GabrielJack]

54 minutes ago, Ecu said:

Doesn't really feel like it fits as part of Don't Starve, to be honest.  I feel this could be interesting as part of an overhaul or as a new game, but not really as part of DST itself.

Why would you say so? What gives you the vibe that it is not something that would be a part of the game or how would you say it would give more of that DS/DST vibe if you would change something?

[TheTraditionalGentleman]

I kind of agree with @Ecu. I think it would make for a really fun mod, but I don't think it would really fit the theme of DS/DST.

Reasons being:

Adding NPC's would be . . . tricky to say the least. Maybe not in actual crunch gameplay, but in keeping with the lore. Additionally, the DST characters are the only sentient (not counting pigs/bunnies) one on the island. Having NPC's kind of takes away that isolation.

Secondly, adding a quest system (looking at you, fetch quest) would seem to me to change the game dynamic from a self driven survival game to a guided survival rpg. Kind of like Darkwood, if you've ever played that.

 

It sounds like a lot of fun, and definitely something that I would play, but I think it would be better as a mod than any actual DLC. I just don't think that it's consistent with the theme DST currently has. 

18 minutes ago, GabrielJack said:

how would you say it would give more of that DS/DST vibe if you would change something?

As for this, well, if you wanted to keep it the way it is, you probably couldn't keep the total DST vibe. I'd say to get rid of the NPC's, the merchants, and the quests, but then you've destroyed your cool mod idea entirely  . I'd say to keep the idea as it is, but keep it as a mod, rather than try to shoehorn it to fit within the vibe of DST.

[GabrielJack]

1 minute ago, TheTraditionalGentleman said:

I kind of agree with @Ecu. I think it would make for a really fun mod, but I don't think it would really fit the theme of DS/DST.

Reasons being:

Adding NPC's would be . . . tricky to say the least. Maybe not in actual crunch gameplay, but in keeping with the lore. Additionally, the DST characters are the only sentient (not counting pigs/bunnies) one on the island. Having NPC's kind of takes away that isolation.

Secondly, adding a quest system (looking at you, fetch quest) would seem to me to change the game dynamic from a self driven survival game to a guided survival rpg. Kind of like Darkwood, if you've ever played that.

 

It sounds like a lot of fun, and definitely something that I would play, but I think it would be better as a mod than any actual DLC. I just don't think that it's consistent with the theme DST currently has. 

As for this, well, if you wanted to keep it the way it is, you probably couldn't keep the total DST vibe. I'd say to get rid of the NPC's, the merchants, and the quests, but then you've destroyed your cool mod idea entirely  . I'd say to keep the idea as it is, but keep it as a mod, rather than try to shoehorn it to fit within the vibe of DST.

I tried to make it so the player feels highly unwelcomed in the settlement exactly so it doesn't remove the "isolation" feel. Actually, having a place of "humans" which you can't be a part of kind of makes you feel even more isolated. In the morning, they are unwelcoming, at night they attack, during full moon, it is filled with werepigs, definitely not somewhere you'd want to be and somewhere you are not welcomed, A.K.A. Isolated

The "fetch quest system" would be used solely for the boss and maybe to collect the crafting ingredients for the Cultist Robe(which you need to buy the blueprint), maybe instead of the Settlers giving you the quest, it should be a part of the shop system? Maybe make it act like the Pigking giving gold for trinkets, but it gives you different things depending on what you give to the clerk and for the unique items(not totem) on the pig village, he rewards you with blueprints or items? This way, the vibe of this "quest system" would be almost exactly the same as the pig king.
It isn't really a guided survival as The Settlement would spawn at a random place around the map during world gen, so it'd take a while until you found it and you would have to survive on your own anyway, as it is not a safe location. 

The settlers are like any other non-aggressive creature, system wise, just like the pigmen, transforming into an aggressive creature at night, while the shop and Clerk would be like any structure or more like the pig king, but the Clerk only appears during the morning of non-full moon days and while there is a living Mayor (even if you haven't spawned him yet). The store appears closed at night, even if you are inside the settlement with the robe so as to not be attacked.

Lore related, I couldn't find much regarding humans or the pigmen, so if you can point me any direction towards lore regarding these, I might still find some way, maybe.

Anyway, if it is not that interesting for a DLC or update, I'd still be very much inclined to make it as a mod and would allow for anyone to try and make it themselves if for any reason I don't end up making and the M.O.D.Network does not get an interest for it.

[GabrielJack]

@Ecu @TheTraditionalGentleman
I've made a few alterations to it, see what you think, if it has more of a DS/DST vibe to it like that 

[Ecu]

5 hours ago, GabrielJack said:

@Ecu @TheTraditionalGentleman
I've made a few alterations to it, see what you think, if it has more of a DS/DST vibe to it like that 

I'm sorry, but you cannot really make it fit into DST because elements such as quests, missions, stores, etc. that are typical in more RPG focused game experiences are just something that doesn't fit in DST's experience.  It isn't that your ideas themselves are bad, just that they really don't fit with the game.

This is why I stated that they could make for an interesting overhaul mod, where the game has been reworked focusing more around said elements, or even it's own game using a similar engine.

[GabrielJack]

7 hours ago, Ecu said:

I'm sorry, but you cannot really make it fit into DST because elements such as quests, missions, stores, etc. that are typical in more RPG focused game experiences are just something that doesn't fit in DST's experience.  It isn't that your ideas themselves are bad, just that they really don't fit with the game.

This is why I stated that they could make for an interesting overhaul mod, where the game has been reworked focusing more around said elements, or even it's own game using a similar engine.

@Ecu
Even if it cannot fully fit the game enough so that it could be turned into a DLC, I will have full intention of making it as a mod one day, but if I do, I will try to make it as closely like the vibe of the game as possible anyway to make it seem as if a living/breathing part of the world of Don't Starve so this is still helping me ^^ and if I get to adapt it to a point that it just looks like a part of it and the developer kind of think "it would be cool to try" and end up making it, well, AWESOME xD

If you notice, by the alteration, the "store" is not really a store anymore but acts just like the pig king but giving different items depending on what you give him(for the unique items) or your "trust" level(for the common items). 
There has always been somewhat of a "quest element" to Don't Starve ever since the beginning, with building the "Wooden Thing" into the "Teleportato" or breaking the "Glommer's Statue" waiting for a full moon and picking up the Glommer's Flower, breaking the "Maxwell's Statue" to spawn 3-4 Clockwork Monsters during "Check Mate", the way you spawn "Klaus" or even building the "Marble Sculpture" to spawn the "Shadow Pieces". Even the "Broken Clockwork's" inside the "Ruins".

"The Settlement" would work like if it giving special items to a "pig king" to "Domesticate" the Settlement (Slightly like with the Beefalos). Collecting and bringing the items would be like anyone of the "Quests" I mentioned above. Hearing the tips from the settlers would be the same as listening to the "Divining Rod", spawning the giant creature is similar to with spawning "Klaus" as I mentioned above, the only difference is causing the "Blood Moon", which would basically be the opposite of a full moon, and having a few items and "NPC's"(creatures) within the game with varying appearances, which actually give more depth to the game, including one hut you can build which would make it look like you can  actually build several different huts. For together, that is amazing because you and your friend can have the same hut that look nothing like each other.
(I use a few mods that give varying colors to pigmen, pig houses, butterflies and so on and these I always though that should become a part of the original game as they give more of a sense of realism and variety)

As I said, I do intend to one day make it as a mod, if it doesn't end up being made as an update and/or dlc, but I analyzed the game kind of in depth to be sure to make it fitting mechanics already existing to keep the "Don't Starve" vibe even if it looks entirely new and something not seen before 

[Ecu]

2 hours ago, GabrielJack said:

@Ecu
Even if it cannot fully fit the game enough so that it could be turned into a DLC, I will have full intention of making it as a mod one day, but if I do, I will try to make it as closely like the vibe of the game as possible anyway to make it seem as if a living/breathing part of the world of Don't Starve so this is still helping me ^^ and if I get to adapt it to a point that it just looks like a part of it and the developer kind of think "it would be cool to try" and end up making it, well, AWESOME xD

If you notice, by the alteration, the "store" is not really a store anymore but acts just like the pig king but giving different items depending on what you give him(for the unique items) or your "trust" level(for the common items). 
There has always been somewhat of a "quest element" to Don't Starve ever since the beginning, with building the "Wooden Thing" into the "Teleportato" or breaking the "Glommer's Statue" waiting for a full moon and picking up the Glommer's Flower, breaking the "Maxwell's Statue" to spawn 3-4 Clockwork Monsters during "Check Mate", the way you spawn "Klaus" or even building the "Marble Sculpture" to spawn the "Shadow Pieces". Even the "Broken Clockwork's" inside the "Ruins".

"The Settlement" would work like if it giving special items to a "pig king" to "Domesticate" the Settlement (Slightly like with the Beefalos). Collecting and bringing the items would be like anyone of the "Quests" I mentioned above. Hearing the tips from the settlers would be the same as listening to the "Divining Rod", spawning the giant creature is similar to with spawning "Klaus" as I mentioned above, the only difference is causing the "Blood Moon", which would basically be the opposite of a full moon, and having a few items and "NPC's"(creatures) within the game with varying appearances, which actually give more depth to the game, including one hut you can build which would make it look like you can  actually build several different huts. For together, that is amazing because you and your friend can have the same hut that look nothing like each other.
(I use a few mods that give varying colors to pigmen, pig houses, butterflies and so on and these I always though that should become a part of the original game as they give more of a sense of realism and variety)

As I said, I do intend to one day make it as a mod, if it doesn't end up being made as an update and/or dlc, but I analyzed the game kind of in depth to be sure to make it fitting mechanics already existing to keep the "Don't Starve" vibe even if it looks entirely new and something not seen before 

I feel like you're trying to take a decent idea and ruin it by forcing it to fit into DST mechanics.  In the end you'll end up with something that is poor.  If you really want to create this experience that you have in mind, you should do that...without worry about it fitting into DST.  You can use DST's engine by making a mod or just open up Unity and learn to create your own game even.

I really don't see this being implemented as an official DLC, nor would I want it to be implemented as such.  The general premise and intended feel you want to achieve just doesn't fit into the DST game really.

My suggestion would be to open up google docs and write up a detailed plan everything you'd like to see done for your own experience and decide whether you feel you can achieve that in DST as a mod, or if you would be better served by making your own game.  It might seem daunting to make your own entire game, however, engines like Unity and Unreal offer a whole lot of tools for doing so.

Wish ya the best with whatever choice you make!

[GabrielJack]

@Ecu I was already trying to make it fit DST mechanics and was taking all that into consideration .-. I already have other Game Design Concepts and this really is something I thought over as a part of DS/DST world as a history behind the Pigmen, which also made me start thinking about some way to concile the Pigmen vs Merfolk wars in the future someway. I don't really think I'll make it poorer by trying to give it more of a natural Don't Starve vibe, quite the opposite, and if it ends up making it poorer, I always know exactly what I changed and can take things in another direction.
Unlike other, I never think of things for "my own experience" whenever thinking of Game Design or Mod Design, but think of what it would provoke on others and others experiences in can predict to a certain degree.  

Saying you would not want this implemented now that would be your own opinion and quite harsh, even hurtful, really, but you do are entitled to your own opinion. If something like this was implemented, maybe leave an option at "world gen" if you wish it to be added to the world or not? Something to think about...

[Ecu]

Just now, GabrielJack said:

@Ecu I was already trying to make it fit DST mechanics and was taking all that into consideration .-. I already have other Game Design Concepts and this really is something I thought over as a part of DS/DST world as a history behind the Pigmen, which also made me start thinking about some way to concile the Pigmen vs Merfolk wars in the future someway. I don't really think I'll make it poorer by trying to give it more of a natural Don't Starve vibe, quite the opposite, and if it ends up making it poorer, I always know exactly what I changed and can take things in another direction.
Unlike other, I never think of things for "my own experience" whenever thinking of Game Design or Mod Design, but think of what it would provoke on others and others experiences in can predict to a certain degree.  

Saying you would not want this implemented now that would be your own opinion and quite harsh, even hurtful, really, but you do are entitled to your own opinion. If something like this was implemented, maybe leave an option at "world gen" if you wish it to be added to the world or not? Something to think about...

I'm sorry if it comes off as harsh, but you want more RPG style elements added to DS/DST and I really don't.  Story elements are different than the kind of elements you're trying to push.  Even utilizing the mechanics in a way that DS/DST already uses, the kind of experience you want does not fit into the DS/DST experience.

In addition to this, the overall lore seems to indicate that there aren't people here originally.  Maxwell and Charlie were pulled into the world by the Codex Umbra and additional people have come in through the gate that was made.  The very idea of a whole human settlement feels out of place given the lore.

As stated, I feel you could have the spark for an interesting overhaul and/or new game here, but not a DLC for Don't Starve.

[GabrielJack]

7 minutes ago, Ecu said:

I'm sorry if it comes off as harsh, but you want more RPG style elements added to DS/DST and I really don't.  Story elements are different than the kind of elements you're trying to push.  Even utilizing the mechanics in a way that DS/DST already uses, the kind of experience you want does not fit into the DS/DST experience.

In addition to this, the overall lore seems to indicate that there aren't people here originally.  Maxwell and Charlie were pulled into the world by the Codex Umbra and additional people have come in through the gate that was made.  The very idea of a whole human settlement feels out of place given the lore.

As stated, I feel you could have the spark for an interesting overhaul and/or new game here, but not a DLC for Don't Starve.

I don't really want more "RPG" elements, though I really like the genre and would find it interesting to try and create a "Mod Pack" for it in the future, what I wan't to make the world feel more alive and give an idea to, in a sense "how did these creatures came to be?" to try and create a background story to some of the creatures and their curses, those are story elements just like you mention. You say that I utilize the mechanics in a way that is already present in the game but that does not fit the experience, it really does not make sense to me. How does it not fit if it is already present in the game just the same?

If the lore indicates that, please, point me somewhere where the official lore is written, because even if it "indicates" it, it is still entirely possible that there were people even before Charlie or Maxwell that were not all that successful and just managed to survive, and that would work wonders to give a back story to how pigmen started to exist with one of the curses present on that world.

As I mentioned, if there is no interest for this to be a part of the game, I will indeed make it as a mod/overhaul someday, but that would take too long, and to me, it feels like perfectly something that could fit the game and vibe, if I did not feel like so, I wouldn't even have shared it here. 

[Ecu]

Just now, GabrielJack said:

I don't really want more "RPG" elements, though I really like the genre and would find it interesting to try and create a "Mod Pack" for it in the future, I wan't to make the world feel more alive and give an idea to, in a sense "how did these creatures came to be?" to try and create a background story to some of the creatures and their curses, those are story elements just like you mention. You say that I utilize the mechanics in a way that is already present in the game but that does not fit the experience, it really does not make sense to me. How does it not fit if it is already present in the game just the same?

If the lore indicates that, please, point me somewhere where the official lore is written, because even if it "indicates" it, it is still entirely possible that there were people even before Charlie or Maxwell that were not all that successful and just managed to survive, and that would work wonders to give a back story to how pigmen started to exist with one of the curses present on that world.

As I mentioned, if there is no interest for this to be a part of the game, I will indeed make it as a mod/overhaul someday, but that would take too long, and to me, it feels like perfectly something that could fit the game and vibe, if I did not feel like so, I wouldn't even have shared it here. 

I feel like you're trying to explain something that really need not be explained, honestly.  The creatures present could really just be manifestations of the darkness, nothing more.  Personally I don't really like the idea of a human cultist settlement in DS/DST.  It really just rubs me wrong and feels off.

As for the lore, you can find these on the wiki.  Maxwell found the codex umbra and started to utilize shadow magic to improve his act as a magician.  With Charlie as his assistant, during their big act, it backfired pulling them both into this strange world.  Maxwell was bound to the world as it's overlord, while Charlie was consumed by the shadows becoming one with it.  Eventually Wilson rescues Maxwell's spirit from the throne, but is bound to it himself.  Later on, Charlie saves Wilson and takes the throne for herself.

[GabrielJack]

1 hour ago, Ecu said:

I feel like you're trying to explain something that really need not be explained, honestly.  The creatures present could really just be manifestations of the darkness, nothing more.  Personally I don't really like the idea of a human cultist settlement in DS/DST.  It really just rubs me wrong and feels off.

As for the lore, you can find these on the wiki.  Maxwell found the codex umbra and started to utilize shadow magic to improve his act as a magician.  With Charlie as his assistant, during their big act, it backfired pulling them both into this strange world.  Maxwell was bound to the world as it's overlord, while Charlie was consumed by the shadows becoming one with it.  Eventually Wilson rescues Maxwell's spirit from the throne, but is bound to it himself.  Later on, Charlie saves Wilson and takes the throne for herself.

I found this quite complete version of the Lore and in no part of it does it say that there were no humans previous to Maxwell, just that he was pulled and soon got bored, but it does state that he pulled in several people even before pulling Wilson or maybe even any other. All those from the settlement could easily be people either living there since even before Maxwell and Charlie got pulled there or could have been some of the people pulled in by him as well, as it also does not state how many got pulled.
If your problem is with they being "cultists" for it being somewhat a "religion" of theirs in a sense, that is one of the things that happened the most throughout the whole human history and people pulled towards the world of Don't Starve and losing their sanity, you'd kind of understand why they'd get to a point where some kind of "cult" would be created. There could be people there pulled since way before Maxwell, as he himself found the book in the desert, somehow.
I feel like there really should be an explanation to the pigmen because, unlike any other creature I've found in the game, they TALK! It is not a matter of intelligence, it is a matter of having learned the language! Someway, somehow, they learned to speak. Is it really impossible to imagine that they might have been human before? To me, it sounds kind of logical, weirdly enough, considering some of the things we see within the world of Don't Starve. A human settlement of people that are afflicted by a curse that turns them into Werepigs, considering there is playable character that turns into a Werebeaver, seems perfectly plausible to me. And if you notice in design I wrote, after adaptation, what turns people into Werepigs and then into pigmen is the "Cursing Blade" and the Mayor, who comes out during the Full Moon, as a shadow, which would also explain why shadows don't attack cultists as they obey the Mayor.

[Ecu]

1 minute ago, GabrielJack said:

I found this quite complete version of the Lore and in no part of it does it say that there were no humans previous to Maxwell, just that he was pulled and soon got bored, but it does state that he pulled in several people even before pulling Wilson or maybe even any other. All those from the settlement could easily be people either living there since even before Maxwell and Charlie got pulled there or could have been some of the people pulled in by him as well, as it also does not state how many got pulled.

I never said there wasn't any people here before Maxwell.

4 minutes ago, GabrielJack said:

If your problem is with they being "cultists" for it being somewhat a "religion" of theirs in a sense, that is one of the things that happened the most throughout the whole human history and people pulled towards the world of Don't Starve and losing their sanity, you'd kind of understand why they'd get to a point where some kind of "cult" would be created. There could be people there pulled since way before Maxwell, as he himself found the book in the desert, somehow.

Maxwell indeed had to have acquired the book somehow.  However, said cult would have been outside of the shadow world, rather than inside it.  Especially since once Maxwell arrived, he was bound to the world and gained control of it.  So a cult existing inside the shadow world would not really make all that much sense given the lore.

7 minutes ago, GabrielJack said:

I feel like there really should be an explanation to the pigmen because, unlike any other creature I've found in the game, they TALK! It is not a matter of intelligence, it is a matter of having learned the language! Someway, somehow, they learned to speak. Is it really impossible to imagine that they might have been human before? To me, it sounds kind of logical, weirdly enough, considering some of the things we see within the world of Don't Starve. A human settlement of people that are afflicted by a curse that turns them into Werepigs, considering there is playable character that turns into a Werebeaver, seems perfectly plausible to me. And if you notice in design I wrote, after adaptation, what turns people into Werepigs and then into pigmen is the "Cursing Blade" and the Mayor, who comes out during the Full Moon, as a shadow, which would also explain why shadows don't attack cultists as they obey the Mayor.

There really isn't a need to explain pigman.  In addition, there have been no indications so far that pigman are people.  Given that bunnies and anthropomorphic bunnies exist in this realm, it is easy to say that the shadow has caused mutations to creatures.  Perhaps Maxwell himself creates said creatures.

Essentially I feel you are trying to over complicate an explanation to create an experience that doesn't really fit with the current game.  Why?  Rather than trying so hard to make it so your idea fits mechanically and thematically with DST, why not just create something more your own?  If you want to tell this story, I've already suggested how you could do so.

I do not support this as a DLC or additional content to the game itself.

[GabrielJack]

1 hour ago, Ecu said:

Maxwell indeed had to have acquired the book somehow.  However, said cult would have been outside of the shadow world, rather than inside it.  Especially since once Maxwell arrived, he was bound to the world and gained control of it.  So a cult existing inside the shadow world would not really make all that much sense given the lore.

Not really, if he pulled people in, he himself could have created the first "Mayor", the ritual and the blade in order to amaze himself, which would have started the cult, but he quickly got bored bored of it and started looking for his next "toys". That is also why I suggested the children which would kind of explain how they did not simply disappear with time.

1 hour ago, Ecu said:

There really isn't a need to explain pigman.  In addition, there have been no indications so far that pigman are people.  Given that bunnies and anthropomorphic bunnies exist in this realm, it is easy to say that the shadow has caused mutations to creatures. Perhaps Maxwell himself creates said creatures.

There are other anthropomorphic creature but none of them really talk, only the pigmen do. And Maxwell having created the blade would still be Maxwell creating the Pigmen, he then could have later created the other creatures as it spurred him with an idea. Cursing people into becoming pigs does somehow sound as something he might have done.

1 hour ago, Ecu said:

Essentially I feel you are trying to over complicate an explanation to create an experience that doesn't really fit with the current game.  Why?  Rather than trying so hard to make it so your idea fits mechanically and thematically with DST, why not just create something more your own?  If you want to tell this story, I've already suggested how you could do so.

I do not support this as a DLC or additional content to the game itself.

Now you are just plainly accusing me of something that doesn't even make sense. It is not in the least over complicated and I did have a good notion of the history through what I saw while I played and the mechanics as well and created this out of fun, suggesting it for I felt this really does fit everything quite well. You are the person here who is trying so very hard to try and demotivate me or shoot me down, going to the full length of making sure to say "You do not support this as additional content". Now that was just plain rude and I can only assume you are a nay sayer, one of the people who prefer to try and put people down than to ever really root for anything.

As I said, I already have several Game Design concepts ideas but this is not one of them, this was thought over solely for don't starve and as something to fit inside it story and mechanics. You are now plainly saying that it is your opinion that you basically do not like it and would not approve, do you have any idea how rude that is!?