Characters and synergy

[Rily]

I was playing for a while and I've notice that the players doesn't care the characters, I mean that is not a very important choice, is a single choice of everyone but I think this game needs some incentive to play more with others characters, you can start to play with Wilson and don't want to know anything more, and its ok but How about of the other players?, when the server is full of wilsons the upcoming skins will not make the difference, This game needs a synergy system or something,some kind of mechanics to motivate the players to combine their special abilities, a system where to compatible characters are able to make better things or make things better, for example Wigfrid and Wolfgang who are better in combat could get some kind of bonification when fight together or just for stay in the same world, in other way Wolfgang could get a penalization for stay near to Webber.

 

 

Some kind of these mechanics could make a great diversity of characters in servers, maybe the server list could show which characters are in the server too, and Willow NEEDS synergy with everyone to become a playable character again, just like when she wasn't nerfed

[TemporaryMan]

Honestly?

 

Wigfrid is a strong fighter, but she can't use mushrooms, cacti, farms, butterflies, melonsicles, pumpkin cookies or ice cream.  That's a lot of missed opportunities for health and sanity.  Everybody else can use them.

Wickerbottom has unique books, but she gets very little from eating stale food; WX can serve as a team's trash can for spoiled food.

Wilson is an easy renewable source of beard hair for meat effigies.

Webber can bribe spiders, eat raw monster meat and grow a silky beard.

 

If everyone on a server is playing the same character, it's not for a lack of synergy; it's a lack of communication, planning and teamwork.

[GiddyGuy]

Wigfrid is a strong fighter, but she can't use mushrooms, cacti, farms, butterflies, melonsicles, pumpkin cookies or ice cream

That's cause she can regain health from killing stuff for sanity and health so it's not really needed but if anything she just needs emergency health. 

[rezecib]

@GiddyGuy, I had the same "wut?" at first, but then I realized TemporaryMan was saying that this frees up those sanity/health resources for everyone else, that's her synergy.

[GiddyGuy]

@rezecib, Oh so i'm the stupid one. xD 

[ThaumicParrot]

So each character has their own perks and quirks. But I think that the point of nerfing and buffing characters is so that people can play alone or together, as the same or different characters. Cooperation buffs may give incentive to work together, but many people also like to play competitively, so those who cooperate would have an unfair advantage because of how they play.

[Rily]

Honestly?

 

Wigfrid is a strong fighter, but she can't use mushrooms, cacti, farms, butterflies, melonsicles, pumpkin cookies or ice cream.  That's a lot of missed opportunities for health and sanity.  Everybody else can use them.

Wickerbottom has unique books, but she gets very little from eating stale food; WX can serve as a team's trash can for spoiled food.

Wilson is an easy renewable source of beard hair for meat effigies.

Webber can bribe spiders, eat raw monster meat and grow a silky beard.

 

If everyone on a server is playing the same character, it's not for a lack of synergy; it's a lack of communication, planning and teamwork.

yes, actually, there are some kind of synergy, but all the characters have more potential, I like when we have a wx78 player who eats the spoiled food of the team or a wigfrid player who build helmets for everyone but WIllow!, anyone wants to play with willow? XD

[Vanderer]

yes, actually, there are some kind of synergy, but all the characters have more potential, I like when we have a wx78 player who eats the spoiled food of the team or a wigfrid player who build helmets for everyone but WIllow!, anyone wants to play with willow? XD

 

Willow, even if her lighter is nerfed, still does have the best movable light in the game.

She'd be the best choice for scouting in the dark, at least. Lighter will last a few more rounds then a torch.

[Clwnbaby]

honestly the problem isn't that the characters have no synergy, its there is no incentive to use any synergy.  There is no race to make a base mode, no teams mode, and all in all if you join many public servers most players play their game and if people wish to play along or do their own thing thats cool too.  I personally just do my own thing.  Only time I ever really help people is when I join a friend's server at which point I play for a very short period of time and only work toward benefiting other players.

 

The only mode that in any way creates a need for players to work together is Survival mode and it seems that is instead being used as a PvP ground which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. 

 

But remember this is still Beta so in the future I'm sure some sort of mod or game mode will come out where character synergy will be important.  One sort of already exists and it seems no one is even trying it.  I speak of Glutton Tournament Mod.  Here is a mod that gives you an opportunity to use character synergy and apply tactics to work toward a common goal.  And once you're done you can post your results here http://forums.kleientertainment.com/topic/52925-the-gluttons-of-dont-starve-together/ and see how you stack up against others who have tried as well. 

 

I honestly dont think there is a problem here its just players dont explore the game more fully and utilize whats available to them.  While there is a lack of content to encourage synergistic play styles as of now I have always believed there are some on the horizon and my faith was rewarded with the Feed the King and Glutton Tournament Mods.  These are just the tip of the iceberg I'm sure and expect more to come and probably even more team oriented modes which would GREATLY necessitate the need for character synergy.

 

By the way there is already plenty of character synergy and the fore mentioned synergies in earlier posts are the weakest of the bunch.  There is already so much we can do just nothing to use it on.

[DragonDePlatino]

I think it would be interesting if each character got a unique craftable item which helps out other people, but doesn't help themselves. Willow could craft an item which gives other people temporary fire immunity, Woodie could craft an item which increases the chopping speed of other players for a short time, Webber could make an item which makes spiders ignore other players for a while, etc.

[RalphKastro]

This game needs a synergy system or something,some kind of mechanics to motivate the players to combine their special abilities, a system where to compatible characters are able to make better things or make things better, for example Wigfrid and Wolfgang who are better in combat could get some kind of bonification when fight together or just for stay in the same world, in other way Wolfgang could get a penalization for stay near to Webber.

no. That's boring and artificial. The game already has synergies. I constantly force(in subtle ways) my friends to play certain characters in order to make co-operation easier, like I play as Wendy and somebody plays as Wickerbottom, so that we may be able to kill spiders and gather combat-related resources sooner and I don't have to babysit my sanity as much, leaving the sanity stuff for WB, who is able to start the base much faster. There are many other strategies but this is the first that comes to mind. It shouldn't be a buff or a debuff based on your companions, just certain strategies for certain specific teams, and balancing around those as well.

I think it would be interesting if each character got a unique craftable item which helps out other people, but doesn't help themselves.

I don't. This seems like forcing the player to co-operate in order to play a character effetively. Also seems pretty useless, as all they do is make the other character able to do that which you already can do. 

[Vanderer]

Come to think of it, what DOES Willow bring to the table?

It sure ain't her fireproofness and infinite lighter, at least for now.

And Wes?... : I

 

I can see Maxwell being useful, and Woodie providing you are somewhat careful with him, but who would willow and wes work best for or with?...

[BeastNips]

I think one of the reasons we get so many Wilsons (I play him a lot but only cause I think he looks cool) is that many players who picked up DST without playing single player much, fear winter. Wilson is so useful in winter. But, now that RoG is here, players won't focus as much attention on winter and probably start to try other characters. 

 

I agree with most people above though, the synergy between characters is already there, it just requires creativity. Most of them have a distinct disadvantage which another character can alleviate with their advantage most of the time. Wicker can't eat spoiled food, but WX suffers no penalty: synergy. Webber can't go near pigs but can go near spiders, but others characters do the opposite: synergy. The list goes on. 

 

I think the reasons you see less of a variety of characters are not lack of synergy, but more:

• What I mentioned above about Wilson and winter.
• Lack of creativity as to how to use the characters' advantages (e.g. Wendy looks crap on paper, but is awesome when you learn what she can do). 
• Fear of the characters' disadvantages; Wilson doesn't really have a disadvantage. 

[Vanderer]

 

I think one of the reasons we get so many Wilsons (I play him a lot but only cause I think he looks cool) is that many players who picked up DST without playing single player much, fear winter. Wilson is so useful in winter. But, now that RoG is here, players won't focus as much attention on winter and probably start to try other characters. 

 

I agree with most people above though, the synergy between characters is already there, it just requires creativity. Most of them have a distinct disadvantage which another character can alleviate with their advantage most of the time. Wicker can't eat spoiled food, but WX suffers no penalty: synergy. Webber can't go near pigs but can go near spiders, but others characters do the opposite: synergy. The list goes on. 

 

I think the reasons you see less of a variety of characters are not lack of synergy, but more:

• What I mentioned above about Wilson and winter.
• Lack of creativity as to how to use the characters' advantages (e.g. Wendy looks crap on paper, but is awesome when you learn what she can do). 
• Fear of the characters' disadvantages; Wilson doesn't really have a disadvantage. 

 

 

Wilsons disadvantage is that he doesn't really have anything pretty neat going for him. He has the best dang beard ever and can get effigies the easiest, but that's about it. A simple thermastone, bunny earmuffs, logs, grass and twigs will pull every other character comfortably through winter. 3 of which are basic items that should be carried around anyway.

 

I think it's down to lack of experience, and lack of incentive for teamwork.

Put it this way. I've seen a camp on day 16 with only 4 farms, a crockpot, both machines and a fridge.

3 people were in the camp as different characters.

I can make 9 myself and then some quite easily as any character. Wickerbottom helps due to her larger sanity pool so less focus on that, but still.

[BeastNips]

 

 

I think it's down to lack of experience, and lack of incentive for teamwork.

That's what I mean with Wilson; lack of experience and knowledge of the other characters' advantages and disadvantages.  You and I know Winter is easy, but other players still view it as difficult. When you read the character descriptions Wilson doesn't sound brilliant, but he sounds safe, and he can get through scary winter much easier (in the eyes of someone less experienced). 

 

I think there are certainly incentives for teamwork though. You might see these new players working as a 3 and getting nowhere compared to you working on your own, but me and a couple of guys I used to play with (one I still do play with) can get stuff up and running much faster than one of us working alone, but it requires organisation. We aren't on Skype or anything like that, we just know what we need and what our characters can do.

 

For example, one of us could be Wickerbottom; we ALL start with a backpack because of this. Starting (more or less) with a backpack gives you a huge leg-up with early exploration and resource collection; she also starts with 2 paper meaning we can have a birdcage up and running in a few days. One of us could play Webber meaning we immediate access to spiders. One of us could play Wigfrid or Wendy, meaning we can kill spiders in bulk much faster/earlier and get silk/monster meat very early game. Combine these three characters and you have bacon and eggs in a few days, no farms required. Another character could play Wilson, meaning when winter hits you have a character that can explore pretty much unhindered with a few extra items. You get the idea. 

 

PS: I don't agree that Wilson doesn't have much going for him; beard and beard hair are easily as big advantages as any of the other characters I think. 

 

 

[Sivdun]

Can we get character count or something like number above the character portrait? I hate when I join server as Wigfrid for example and I see 3 Wigfrids, I want to play as other character so I could be usefull to other people.

[BeastNips]

Can we get character count or something like number above the character portrait? I hate when I join server as Wigfrid for example and I see 3 Wigfrids, I want to play as other character so I could be usefull to other people.

 

Quoted you and posted this as a suggestion. Good idea. 

[The Letter W]

If you have a Woodie (assuming the mod is hosted) in your server, work with them. And by that I mean get yourself a stack of Living Logs and drop them as needed to make full use of the Werebeaver. osmRhodey and I did this quite a lot.

 

Whether or not Maxwell will retain his ability to read Wickerbottom's books (as he does in Rezecib's mod) could continue to be something of a game changer too.

[Rily]

Can we get character count or something like number above the character portrait? I hate when I join server as Wigfrid for example and I see 3 Wigfrids, I want to play as other character so I could be usefull to other people.

Maybe with a restriction of characters you can force new player to select new characters, for example, when you enter to a server with 2 players who are wilson and willow, the characters screen could change to show wilson and willow locked, even like a mod could be very useful.

unless the server's screen would show which characters are in a server could be useful too

[polygone]

The main issue is you can't see who's playing as what on a server before you join it. If you could see the player list it'd be easier to coordinate what you want to play as so you don't end up with duplicates. Either that or just get a mod to force people to choose a different one if they join with a character that's already on the server.

[ThaumicParrot]

Maybe with a restriction of characters you can force new player to select new characters

No offense, but that sounds terrible. People shouldn't be forced to play as a character they don't want to just for the sake of synergy. 

[Rily]

No offense, but that sounds terrible. People shouldn't be forced to play as a character they don't want to just for the sake of synergy. 

I know, and the upcoming skins will be designed for that, but is frustrating entering in a server and find 3 wilsons and 4 with you, then I suggest a way to know which players are in a server before enter, then at least you could see if bring another wilson is a good idea.

[applebottom]

The main issue is you can't see who's playing as what on a server before you join it. If you could see the player list it'd be easier to coordinate what you want to play as so you don't end up with duplicates. Either that or just get a mod to force people to choose a different one if they join with a character that's already on the server.

 

Agree with this. Can't count how many times I join a server and find it full of (eg) Wigfrids and wish I picked up Wickerbottom instead. Or some other char that would complement the current population in said server.

[AveWarren]

Moreover, when you pick a character and figure it out there is one more, you are done. You cant do anything to change it, unless host starts new world. There should be 3 options:

- info in browser which characters are already chosen

- option for host to restrict 1 characte per player (for those who thinks its rude, its his world and his rules)

- option to reset your character and progress in all 3 game modes like it is already in wilderness when you die.