Comparing the Theme of DS vs. DST

[TheTraditionalGentleman]

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I last theorized on the wonderful world of Don't Starve. This is one thing that I've thought of before, and only recently realized what it was that I wanted to say. So here we go.

 

One thing that I've noticed (as I'm sure many of you have noticed as well) is that DST feels different from DS. Aside the obvious, such as multiplayer, new content, new strings, etc., there is something else that seems to have changed. While playing around in DST, I have noticed that . . . well, DST had undergone a subtle, yet somewhat substantial, change from DS. 

To put it bluntly, Don't Starve was scarier, and much darker. Why is this? Well, it was due to several small sources, that added up to make it into a game that brushed up more against the horror genre than its sequel. The main theme of Don't Starve, from my own perspective, was that everyone that got trapped on the island was damned in some way (do I need to sensor that? Not really sure . . .). And I mean that in the literal sense. The game went out of its way to make it look like all of the characters were twisted in some way, had done some crime/atrocity, and were trapped on this island, doomed to die a grisly fate. The fire in the background on the character selection menu implied that they were designated to hell (or that this island was a form of hell), and their portraits/comments often went along with making them feel slightly twisted. Wilson is seen chocking a small animal (which is also a pun, but who says that can't serve two purposes?), Wendy is obviously more morbid/nihilistic, Willow is obsessed with burning everything, and her portrait shows her standing in front of a burning orphanage (I'm assuming that's what it is), and so on. Granted, saying all of the characters were twisted may be kind of a stretch (like Wickerbottom), but by the time that I unlocked Woodie (it was a glorious day indeed) I had been so saturated in the feel of the game, that as soon as Lucy started talking, my first thought was "Oh shoot, who did this guy kill?".

Along with the characters being portrayed as doomed and twisted, the game was also more hostile. The shadows felt omnipresent, and when you heard that whispering, things started getting freaky. Perhaps the isolation and sense of loneliness is what truly drove the constant peril and fear of the world into the player, but I feel like it's safe to say that in general, the world was a more hostile place.

 

DST on the other hand, seems to focus more on the lighthearted weirdness of the Don't Starve world. I personally enjoy playing DST more than regular DS, but maybe that's due to all the new content, emotes (I can sit down now! Wohoo!!), and skins. And multiplayer of course. I think overall, the biggest example goes back to the character selection menu. Notice that whereas DS had the characters enveloped in flames, with locked coffins for the unplayable characters, DST simply has their portrait. It doesn't imply that you are doomed to die at all. The shadows are also easier to keep at bay, and seem like more of nuisance than an actual threat. Woodie gets pinecones, Willow gets her teddy bear friend, and even if your character doesn't get some kind of sanity boost, your friends can still help you beat the snot out of any shadows that dare attack you. While in DS all the game did was wait it out until you messed up and got killed, in DST, you more or less have to seek out that danger to get killed. That makes it less scary, and more like adventure.

 

So overall, that's what i think the difference is. DS was more along the survival horror theme, with some weirdness and humor thrown in, and DST leans more towards adventure/survival, with plenty of weirdness thrown in. Both games, while in the same series, and basically the same game, have these subtle differences that change the overall feel of the game.

Just to be clear, I'm not complaining at all, I rather enjoy all the changes and differences in DST. I just wanted to see if I could pin down what the difference in themes was. What are all of your thoughts? 

[CaptainChaotica]

Oh, I totally agree.  Don't Starve has this way creepier atmoshere--for one thing, when you're not used to it yet, the insanity effects are _freaky_. First, you keep almost--whatwasthat?!--seeing...something...out of the corner of your eye for just a second.  Then there's these...eyes...looking at you...in the dark.  Then the world starts going grey and everything starts wobbling and _warping_ (if you've got that option turned on) and you can _clearly_ see pale, ghostly creepy creatures wandering by.  (That the game won't let you place things over, such as structures or planting trees...)  And finally the _whispering_...becomes almost shouting and that reeling-crazily music kicks in and even going to _dawn_ sounds incredibly wrong and OH GOD THE NIGHT CREATURES CAN GET ME IN THE DAY NOW?!! (dies)

  (And I don't know what it is, but I'm one of those people who is extra-susceptible to...whatever it is that hearing wrong, slowed-down, draaaagggeeed oouuuttt music does to your brain.  It's like fingernails on the blackboard of your _soul_.)

As for the "hell" thing and everybody being damned...I don't know if I'd say that's literal, as I don't think ALL the characters have done something evil--and even some of the ones who _have_ could probably a reduced sentence from the insanity defence (Willow, mainly) but the _theming_ of the game definitely does lean that way.  AND, and, I forget where it is, but Wendy actually _calls_ the place "Purgatory" at one point.  Kid you not, it's in there.  (Funnily enough, I think she says it in Don't Starve _Together_...)

Last but not least, looking at it from a pure gameplay perspective--in a _meta_ way, an affecting-the-player-themselves way...regular Don't Starve is more of a roguelike.  It's not just the loneliness of not having another player to talk/type to or another character to help you out--being alone is actually more _lethal_.  In Together death is WAY less of a thing.  In singleplayer, if you're out of (found and activated!) touchstones, meat effigies, and weren't _wearing_ a life-giving amulet when you die* (which takes away the armour slot, and usually, when going into a known dangerous situation...you'd put on armour instead!)...that's it.  KAPUT. Finito.  Here's your experience points, here's your score, here's your new unlocked character(s), if any.  Better luck next time!

So, yeah...stuff like this is partly why I feel regular Don't Starve has its own value, and should also get some love.  (coughresourcevariationswhencough).  It's not..._quite_ the same thing as its more popular little sister.  It's kind of its own beast.

...Notorious

*For those of you who don't know, merely _having_ a life-giving amulet in your (non-backpack) inventory is not enough, in regular Don't Starve...you can't haunt it as it lies on the ground, because there is no ghost form.  So if it's not already around your neck...

[LordChicken]

2 hours ago, TheTraditionalGentleman said:

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I last theorized on the wonderful world of Don't Starve. This is one thing that I've thought of before, and only recently realized what it was that I wanted to say. So here we go.

 

One thing that I've noticed (as I'm sure many of you have noticed as well) is that DST feels different from DS. Aside the obvious, such as multiplayer, new content, new strings, etc., there is something else that seems to have changed. While playing around in DST, I have noticed that . . . well, DST had undergone a subtle, yet somewhat substantial, change from DS. 

To put it bluntly, Don't Starve was scarier, and much darker. Why is this? Well, it was due to several small sources, that added up to make it into a game that brushed up more against the horror genre than its sequel. The main theme of Don't Starve, from my own perspective, was that everyone that got trapped on the island was damned in some way (do I need to sensor that? Not really sure . . .). And I mean that in the literal sense. The game went out of its way to make it look like all of the characters were twisted in some way, had done some crime/atrocity, and were trapped on this island, doomed to die a grisly fate. The fire in the background on the character selection menu implied that they were designated to hell (or that this island was a form of hell), and their portraits/comments often went along with making them feel slightly twisted. Wilson is seen chocking a small animal (which is also a pun, but who says that can't serve two purposes?), Wendy is obviously more morbid/nihilistic, Willow is obsessed with burning everything, and her portrait shows her standing in front of a burning orphanage (I'm assuming that's what it is), and so on. Granted, saying all of the characters were twisted may be kind of a stretch (like Wickerbottom), but by the time that I unlocked Woodie (it was a glorious day indeed) I had been so saturated in the feel of the game, that as soon as Lucy started talking, my first thought was "Oh shoot, who did this guy kill?".

Along with the characters being portrayed as doomed and twisted, the game was also more hostile. The shadows felt omnipresent, and when you heard that whispering, things started getting freaky. Perhaps the isolation and sense of loneliness is what truly drove the constant peril and fear of the world into the player, but I feel like it's safe to say that in general, the world was a more hostile place.

 

DST on the other hand, seems to focus more on the lighthearted weirdness of the Don't Starve world. I personally enjoy playing DST more than regular DS, but maybe that's due to all the new content, emotes (I can sit down now! Wohoo!!), and skins. And multiplayer of course. I think overall, the biggest example goes back to the character selection menu. Notice that whereas DS had the characters enveloped in flames, with locked coffins for the unplayable characters, DST simply has their portrait. It doesn't imply that you are doomed to die at all. The shadows are also easier to keep at bay, and seem like more of nuisance than an actual threat. Woodie gets pinecones, Willow gets her teddy bear friend, and even if your character doesn't get some kind of sanity boost, your friends can still help you beat the snot out of any shadows that dare attack you. While in DS all the game did was wait it out until you messed up and got killed, in DST, you more or less have to seek out that danger to get killed. That makes it less scary, and more like adventure.

 

So overall, that's what i think the difference is. DS was more along the survival horror theme, with some weirdness and humor thrown in, and DST leans more towards adventure/survival, with plenty of weirdness thrown in. Both games, while in the same series, and basically the same game, have these subtle differences that change the overall feel of the game.

Just to be clear, I'm not complaining at all, I rather enjoy all the changes and differences in DST. I just wanted to see if I could pin down what the difference in themes was. What are all of your thoughts? 

Woah i don't think wilson is choking a turkey, i think he is like giving to the animal something to revive it, at least it's what i have always believed XD

[Sicko Hog]

2 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

In singleplayer, if you're out of (found and activated!) touchstones, meat effigies, and weren't _wearing_ a life-giving amulet when you die* (which takes away the armour slot, and usually, when going into a known dangerous situation...you'd put on armour instead!)..

And even if you have a way to resurrect, singleplayer is full of bugs that screw you over in specific situations.
If you have a meat effigy on the surface and die in the caves/ruins, sometimes the game will just say "nah" and flat out kill you.
If you're wearing a life giving amulet, it'll heal you periodically. Which is nice, except if it heals you right as you die the game has no idea what to do and corrupts your save file forever.
All that leaves is touchstones, and I'm pretty sure they can just be ignored like meat effigies when you're underground.

[Maslak]

 I was more confused that scared when I got insane for first time - I found Crank Thing setpiece, picked all the evil flowers. Tried replanting them, but it wasn't working so I ate them all. Rip.
 Insanity is more annoying than creepy imo, but I admit, Night Hands are spooky. They are the spookiest thing in the whole darn game, am I right? They are greatly designed, the sound effects are cool.

Purgatory... Is it some deep theory like the one saying that Ed Edd and Eddie and all those kids are in purgatory? I don't really think so, sorry for being sceptic ;_;
 

[TheKingDedede]

15 minutes ago, Maslak said:

Purgatory... Is it some deep theory like the one saying that Ed Edd and Eddie and all those kids are in purgatory? I don't really think so, sorry for being sceptic ;_;

I remember it being called... the Cul-de-Sac.

Spooky.

[Destros09]

3 hours ago, TheTraditionalGentleman said:

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I last theorized on the wonderful world of Don't Starve. This is one thing that I've thought of before, and only recently realized what it was that I wanted to say. So here we go.

 

One thing that I've noticed (as I'm sure many of you have noticed as well) is that DST feels different from DS. Aside the obvious, such as multiplayer, new content, new strings, etc., there is something else that seems to have changed. While playing around in DST, I have noticed that . . . well, DST had undergone a subtle, yet somewhat substantial, change from DS. 

To put it bluntly, Don't Starve was scarier, and much darker. Why is this? Well, it was due to several small sources, that added up to make it into a game that brushed up more against the horror genre than its sequel. The main theme of Don't Starve, from my own perspective, was that everyone that got trapped on the island was damned in some way (do I need to sensor that? Not really sure . . .). And I mean that in the literal sense. The game went out of its way to make it look like all of the characters were twisted in some way, had done some crime/atrocity, and were trapped on this island, doomed to die a grisly fate. The fire in the background on the character selection menu implied that they were designated to hell (or that this island was a form of hell), and their portraits/comments often went along with making them feel slightly twisted. Wilson is seen chocking a small animal (which is also a pun, but who says that can't serve two purposes?), Wendy is obviously more morbid/nihilistic, Willow is obsessed with burning everything, and her portrait shows her standing in front of a burning orphanage (I'm assuming that's what it is), and so on. Granted, saying all of the characters were twisted may be kind of a stretch (like Wickerbottom), but by the time that I unlocked Woodie (it was a glorious day indeed) I had been so saturated in the feel of the game, that as soon as Lucy started talking, my first thought was "Oh shoot, who did this guy kill?".

Along with the characters being portrayed as doomed and twisted, the game was also more hostile. The shadows felt omnipresent, and when you heard that whispering, things started getting freaky. Perhaps the isolation and sense of loneliness is what truly drove the constant peril and fear of the world into the player, but I feel like it's safe to say that in general, the world was a more hostile place.

 

DST on the other hand, seems to focus more on the lighthearted weirdness of the Don't Starve world. I personally enjoy playing DST more than regular DS, but maybe that's due to all the new content, emotes (I can sit down now! Wohoo!!), and skins. And multiplayer of course. I think overall, the biggest example goes back to the character selection menu. Notice that whereas DS had the characters enveloped in flames, with locked coffins for the unplayable characters, DST simply has their portrait. It doesn't imply that you are doomed to die at all. The shadows are also easier to keep at bay, and seem like more of nuisance than an actual threat. Woodie gets pinecones, Willow gets her teddy bear friend, and even if your character doesn't get some kind of sanity boost, your friends can still help you beat the snot out of any shadows that dare attack you. While in DS all the game did was wait it out until you messed up and got killed, in DST, you more or less have to seek out that danger to get killed. That makes it less scary, and more like adventure.

 

So overall, that's what i think the difference is. DS was more along the survival horror theme, with some weirdness and humor thrown in, and DST leans more towards adventure/survival, with plenty of weirdness thrown in. Both games, while in the same series, and basically the same game, have these subtle differences that change the overall feel of the game.

Just to be clear, I'm not complaining at all, I rather enjoy all the changes and differences in DST. I just wanted to see if I could pin down what the difference in themes was. What are all of your thoughts? 

 

1 hour ago, CaptainChaotica said:

Oh, I totally agree.  Don't Starve has this way creepier atmoshere--for one thing, when you're not used to it yet, the insanity effects are _freaky_. First, you keep almost--whatwasthat?!--seeing...something...out of the corner of your eye for just a second.  Then there's these...eyes...looking at you...in the dark.  Then the world starts going grey and everything starts wobbling and _warping_ (if you've got that option turned on) and you can _clearly_ see pale, ghostly creepy creatures wandering by.  (That the game won't let you place things over, such as structures or planting trees...)  And finally the _whispering_...becomes almost shouting and that reeling-crazily music kicks in and even going to _dawn_ sounds incredibly wrong and OH GOD THE NIGHT CREATURES CAN GET ME IN THE DAY NOW?!! (dies)

  (And I don't know what it is, but I'm one of those people who is extra-susceptible to...whatever it is that hearing wrong, slowed-down, draaaagggeeed oouuuttt music does to your brain.  It's like fingernails on the blackboard of your _soul_.)

As for the "hell" thing and everybody being damned...I don't know if I'd say that's literal, as I don't think ALL the characters have done something evil--and even some of the ones who _have_ could probably a reduced sentence from the insanity defence (Willow, mainly) but the _theming_ of the game definitely does lean that way.  AND, and, I forget where it is, but Wendy actually _calls_ the place "Purgatory" at one point.  Kid you not, it's in there.  (Funnily enough, I think she says it in Don't Starve _Together_...)

Last but not least, looking at it from a pure gameplay perspective--in a _meta_ way, an affecting-the-player-themselves way...regular Don't Starve is more of a roguelike.  It's not just the loneliness of not having another player to talk/type to or another character to help you out--being alone is actually more _lethal_.  In Together death is WAY less of a thing.  In singleplayer, if you're out of (found and activated!) touchstones, meat effigies, and weren't _wearing_ a life-giving amulet when you die* (which takes away the armour slot, and usually, when going into a known dangerous situation...you'd put on armour instead!)...that's it.  KAPUT. Finito.  Here's your experience points, here's your score, here's your new unlocked character(s), if any.  Better luck next time!

So, yeah...stuff like this is partly why I feel regular Don't Starve has its own value, and should also get some love.  (coughresourcevariationswhencough).  It's not..._quite_ the same thing as its more popular little sister.  It's kind of its own beast.

...Notorious

*For those of you who don't know, merely _having_ a life-giving amulet in your (non-backpack) inventory is not enough, in regular Don't Starve...you can't haunt it as it lies on the ground, because there is no ghost form.  So if it's not already around your neck...

This should be renamed the paragraph thread

[applebottom]

Well said, OP. I see what you're getting at and I agree.

[Serph]

I think it was always obvious that Klei has been going that way with DST? Pretty much every update in the game has been either multiplayer focused or "wacky"/funny/decorative. There are somethings that don't seem very important but have a big psychological impact on the player and how they "feel" the game.

For example, in DS, you wake up in the middle of nowhere and maxwell appears and taunts you. That's simple but a really strong intro, you already understand that your character didn't want to be there, that you need to find something to eat and prepare for the night. This is a game about survival.

In DST, you join a server, pick a character and come out of a portal. This gives a very different vibe from DS, if someone doesn't know about the story they could easily assume that the characters went there on their own to have fun, get gifts, make cute critters, dress in halloween costumes, celebrate seasonal events, etc.

[CaptainChaotica]

And boy, are THEY gonna get a nasty surprise!  : P

...unless, of course, the server in question has world-gen settings/mode/mods that make things super easy.  I find it way more fun, myself, to imagine the happy giggly social kiddies with their cute pets, and their costumes, and their happy holiday time, skipping along, la la la, through this fun adventure world, chatting with each other and then OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT!!

(Playername) was killed by Hound.

MWAHAHAHAHA!  I don't know what it is, there's just something _about_ watching/listening to someone's reaction the first time Things.  Get.  REAL!  Someone who doesn't even _know_ it's a hard, dangerous, or survival-genre game, even...

...probably why I name my servers things like "Happy Nature Trail O'Death!", come to think of it--it sums up both sides of the whole thing! 

...Notorious

[EuedeAdodooedoe]

This is precisely what makes me sad; why can't DST be more like DS, multiplayer taken aside? Why can't iy be morbidly creepy and desperate? After all, Charlie did merge with Grue to become some-what neutral, so, perhaps it would make sense if say, the world is much easier at the beginning and safer to survive in (especially if you're a newcomer on a harsh season), whilst later on in the game, Grue gets the upper hand in tormenting players with all kinds of consequential and timed traps and attrocities to mess up the day of messed up characters.

[Begeesy]

On February 9, 2017 at 4:18 PM, LordChicken said:

Woah i don't think wilson is choking a turkey, i think he is like giving to the animal something to revive it, at least it's what i have always believed XD

I always thought the chicken was a reference to Robot chicken theme song, modeling wilson as the 'evil scientist' stereotype.

Oh look, they even live in the same house and have somewhat the same hair style; they're practically the same person.

Quote

Quote

ITS ALIVEEEE

[CaptainChaotica]

I dunno...that guy lives in a castle, while Wilson lives in a ramshackle little shack.  Both pictures are SPOOOOOOKYYYYY!! with A Dark and Stormy Night! but that's about it.  And...let's not go near the pun we're all not saying.  Don't Starve has never had any trace of _crude_ humour in it, as far as I can tell, and that suits it just fine.

Also...

1.  That's a DUCK, not a chicken!  : P  It's never looked like a chicken to me...although, really what matters is what's _happening_ to it in the picture.  And that leads into:

2.  I've always thought he was "just" using it as an experiment--not necessarily _evil_, but doing the typical old-school scientist thing of just grabbing whatever's available to test your newest invention on.  Callous and careless, a bit too eager for knowledge, and way, way, WAY too gullible, is our Wilson. The stuff he's shoving down its throat could be good OR bad--we don't know yet...neither does Wilson...and perhaps most importantly, neither does the duck.

Still, I don't go with the whole Hell/Purgatory thing, myself. (Wendy SAYS that but--well, Wendy.  Queen of the Proto-Goths!)  One thing that breaks that theory, for me, is that _not all the characters seem to be evil_.  From what we do know about the background...it seems most of the people who got grabbed to the Don't Starve world are there for a combination of Their amusement/Maxwell's secret rescue hopes, and bad luck.  No real Judgement, no deep meaningful _moral_ thing, no one being On High deciding who needs Punishment.  If anything, they're the ones curious or gullible enough to step through the portal, but not necessarily all _evil_.

It's just a weird world full of magic and strange creatures that used to be neutral, but then got messed up when the Ancients messed around too much with nightmare fuel and now it sucks.  Heh.

(So then, why is _Charlie_ grabbing people, when she doesn't need rescuing and nobody's forcing her to?  Well...she's half shadow-monster. She's got issues.*  : P)

...Notorious

*Okay, the less-flippant answer is that she's lonely/bored as hell.  That's probably why she keeps decorating up the place--to remind her more of home, take away some of the gloom...and make it the adventurers want less badly to escape....

[Xedlord]

5 hours ago, CaptainChaotica said:

Both pictures are SPOOOOOOKYYYYY!!

It's pronounced SPOOKAY!!!

[EuedeAdodooedoe]

On 11/02/2017 at 3:07 AM, CaptainChaotica said:

It's just a weird world full of magic and strange creatures that used to be neutral, but then got messed up when the Ancients messed around too much with nightmare fuel and now it sucks.  Heh.

Was it now? Didn't Maxwell create the world specifically for the purposes of tormenting those he trapped? The shadows as a result would have had everything to do with the world regardless of how much these ancients messed around with nightmare fuel. Idk, just pointing out my understanding of the story so far.