Don't Starve - initial thoughts and opinions

[FlowerChild]

I find swamps are where the pitchfork comes in really handy. It basically allows you to create visible paths so that you can tell which areas you've determined are free from the "land mines" that tentacles represent.

If you need to clear tentacles, I also find building a few pig huts, or even plopping down spider nests really helps.

The way I play I basically avoid fighting almost anything directly, and always aim to bring two species into conflict with each other instead ;)

[Sarudak]

I must say the level of polish since I last played is really impressive. The abundance of food is just right that even a week in I still feel a bit pinched for sustenance and I'm actually having to expend some effort maintaining my sanity. Also the worlds are so huge now. I've been exploring for a week and have yet to find a beefalo herd.

[FlowerChild]

Work your way up to adventure post haste man. That's where the real fun and challenge is at :)

There's really nothing you want to or can do to prepare either, assuming you know the basics of playing the game, other than maybe setting up a sustainable base near the portal in case you die and get thrown back into survival. Just find yourself the portal to get into it and you're good to go.

[Sarudak]

I haven't really played much since the winter update so I wanted to feel out some of the new features first.

[FlowerChild]

I haven't really played much since the winter update so I wanted to feel out some of the new features first.

That's probably wise. Yeah, if you don't know about the impact of winter and rain, and how to deal with it, adventure will likely kick your ass :)

[CycloneSP]

So, I just managed to make my first pig house and plant it near my spider nest and beefalo heard. What would be the smart thing to do? Farm the lone pigman for his skins? or leave him to his fate against the spiders and beefalo?

[FlowerChild]

So, I just managed to make my first pig house and plant it near my spider nest and beefalo heard. What would be the smart thing to do? Farm the lone pigman for his skins? or leave him to his fate against the spiders and beefalo?

It's unlikely a lone pig is going to cut it, and the problem is that with the spider nest there, the spiders will eat his drops (meat and pig skins), unless you baby sit non-stop (and with you being the only other target, the spiders will attack you once they're done with him). Given that I think pigs only respawn every few days (it feels like around 4 ), it's going to be very difficult to accomplish anything there, as the pig will almost immediately be overwhelmed by spiders soon as he steps on their web.

My most recent spider farm, I think I had around 10 pig shacks surrounding the nest on all sides, except one side which was blocked by water, meaning the eventual spider queen had nowhere to go, and there were enough pigs present to handle any number of spiders that might spawn from the shack. Given the fairly constant war that results, it also gives you a chance to run in and grab the drops before something eats them. Without running in, all you'll be left with is webs and spider glands, as both pigs and spiders will eat everything else.

Like I mentioned above, I'd really recommend running around and demolishing any lone pig shacks that you might find here and there, or really, any pig shacks that don't serve a particular purpose for you, even if they occur in clumps. This will give you an abundance of not only pig skins, but also planks and stone blocks, to work with. Pig shacks eat up stone and wood like crazy, so that last point is actually rather major. Ultimately, the number of shacks you can build will be limited by stone, not pig skins.

And oh, btw, I also took note of the merman head-on-stake drops the last time I demolished one, and it turns out to just be twigs and rot, which is why I didn't remember last time.

[CycloneSP]

Ah, thanks for the info FC. I've been putting it to good use. Just managed toget about 6 or 8 pig huts up around my spider nest. And I've even slain 2 spider queens so far. And by "I've slain" I mean had my heard of beefalo-in-heat kill the first one and a pack of hounds/fire hounds kill the second one. (gosh darn I hate fire hounds. As soon as they die, they burn up all the good meat drops!)

I'm on day 120-something and still going strong. monster jerky -> eggs -> crockpot is my life line when it comes to food atm. jerky lasts for a good long time and eggs act as filler so I can get meat balls and avoid monster lasagna. Also eggs + dragon fruit still makes dragon pie, so that is usually what I eat during the summer.

I've also managed to begin constructing defenses around my campfire and officially turn it into a base. I've laid down a lot of wood flooring and gotten about half if it walled off.(more like a quarter as half of my base is protected by the ocean) I've also been slowly turning all those hound teeth into tooth traps. Oh, and I managed find the pig king too! I was starting to worry about running out of flint when I found him. Oh yeah! I also got really lucky this play through and found 3 sets of gears while grave digging! So I've been using the crap out of my very first every ice box, and I've been lovin it!


I do have a question for you, since you are vastly more knowledgeable and experienced, have you found a viable reason to use a night light? I think they look really cool as decoration, but since it costs so much gold I only made one and haven't even placed it yet. I don't know where to put it really, I've got my campfire, and since the night light causes you to lose sanity I see little value in making it my main source of light. What are your thoughts?


EDIT: also, think you could change the title to "Don't Starve: Player diaries and survival tips" ? I don't know if I'm able change the title or not, but I don't think I am. I think the new title would be more fitting since this is more about what we are talking about, and I do rather enjoy our ongoing stories/updates.

EDIT2: ya know how I said I hated red hounds? Well, I really really really hate red hounds. Ya know that wall I was telling ya about? and those tooth traps? Yeah. Word of the wise, don't put tooth traps in your bottle neck that leads into your base when said bottle neck is made of wood walls.

[FlowerChild]

Also eggs + dragon fruit still makes dragon pie, so that is usually what I eat during the summer.

So do sticks + dragon fruit ;)

I do have a question for you, since you are vastly more knowledgeable and experienced, have you found a viable reason to use a night light? I think they look really cool as decoration, but since it costs so much gold I only made one and haven't even placed it yet. I don't know where to put it really, I've got my campfire, and since the night light causes you to lose sanity I see little value in making it my main source of light. What are your thoughts?

No man. Honestly, it, along with the pumpkin lantern, strike me as two of the most poorly designed of the features. They just don't seem to serve much real use.

[Nekhs]

I've finally overcome my fear of swamps. Like everything else, the solution is pretty much to not take unnecessary risks. Also, a grass suit seems to be adequate to ensure survival if I'm careful.

So far I'm really liking Wendy - I like her in general and Abigail has saved my bacon from beefalo in heat a couple of times now. The only problem becomes the persistent inability to use my tent, and the periodic accidental suicide-by-ghost interactions.

Protip: make the warm clothes BEFORE winter, not after. Durr. /dead.

[FlowerChild]

Protip: make the warm clothes BEFORE winter, not after. Durr. /dead.

As long as you can make a heat stone, and make sure to always carry the stuff necessary to build a temporary campfire, you can get by pretty well. Even with winter cloths, a heat stone is pretty much a necessity.

I only ever make hats for winter, as I value my backpack too much to take it off unless I'm going into combat.

[CycloneSP]

aye, that's generally the case for me, but I seem to have been able to slim down what I normally carry around with me that half the time, my back pack is usually empty. So I've been in the habit of hunting koalefonts just as winter starts(or at least after the first snow) so I now always have a lovely puffy vest waiting for me if I ever need it. Combined with the winter hat, it really helps keep you sane during the winter and the combined warming effect the 2 have makes keeping a heat stone in your inventory for basic winter chores completely unnecessary. I do, however, still bring the heat stone with me if I go on long journeys to mine rocks or collect reeds though. But I tend to try to avoid the swamp with snow on the ground anyway, cuz I hate surprise tentacles.

Also, another pro-tip: if yer seeds(normal not crop) are about to go bad, just feed them to your caged bird. it will completely refresh their spoil time. (I think it might be a glitch, but I dunno)

over all, I think I've got basic survival down by now. Any tips on where to go from there? Like how do ya'll divide up your day and chores? I find I've been spending most of my time drying meat and cooking really. Simply because I can't stockpile more than a few meals or I run the risk of them spoiling before I can eat them all. I really want to rebuild my wall(stupid stupid red hounds) but it takes so long to harvest all that wood and my little 20 plant grass farm won't sustain such a project atm.

[Nekhs]

Surprise Tentacles sounds like the kind of a movie I'm not allowed to watch at work. ;)

I hunted a Koalefant right before winter started on my most recent playthrough, and I made me a breezy vest. That plus my winter hat makes it so I can go for miles without freezing. Still have not made a heat stone, however.

Then I hunted a Koalefant after winter started and got the winter trunk. I was very happy!

... And very overconfident!

I decided to take on a three-high spider nest on my own to try and get the silk (my reasoning went: "I have traps, and I only need a couple of silk") I needed. Suddenly, warrior spiders! And then I died. They ate my winter Koalefant trunk! I was very sad.

Fortunately I was playing as Wilson so I had the beard for a meat effigy ready before I did that particular bit of idiocy, so that wasn't the end of the world as I knew it, at least.

Also, beefalo in heat + tree guardian = living logs and meat. It's great.

[Simurgh]

Man this game has came on a lot since I last played it. Going to take me a while to get used to all the new features, I spawned in, opened a chest and winter. I died. Day 1. Now I have some weird chest thing following me about... Going to take me a while to get my head round it all but there's tons of things to explore/see/do now. And tons of ways to die it seems.

[CycloneSP]

Day 137 and so ends the short life of Willow at the hands of a pig no less. May she rest in peace. T_T


Yeah, I can really say I love the game, but I hate winter. the snow texture on the ground really discourages me from doing anything other than basic chores, instead of expanding and designing.

[Taleric]

I find that winter lets me build up monster jerky to bribe the pigs as well as plan for summer projects. The winter is a bit opressive but I like that it is a natural pause and somthing you must plan around. I would venture more but I am in fear of running into the deer aways from my base. I have yet to ever see him?!?

The walrus hunters got a bad spawn and get wrecked by the swamp before they have a chance to reach me.

I do see why FC is all about the adventure mode. Once you master winter and have a handle on armor/food survival is pretty routine.

[TheOneGuy]

I have not been really active around here nowadays, but oh god, Don't Starve....when I saw this topic in new/unread posts...I could not help but to share some of my world. This game has had be addicted for a long time, and I have to say that it is one of the best, if not the best indie game I have played (Other than BTW of course). Anyways, I'm doing good so far and I think ill be surviving for quite awhile, currently on Day 51, while on my main world I'm on day 94. I also got adventure mode completed awhile ago, tough challenge that is, especially Chapter 5. Darkness, you will HATE it after that level.

Anyways, here is some pics of my world, hope you enjoy!

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My beloved camp area, home of chests and other goodies!


My handy ol' bee farm. (They produce honey so fast O_o)


My "true" farm areas, veggies, grass, saplings, getting those berry bush variants took forever.


And lastly, my little beefalo farm, pretty dangerous to "harvest" from them, though..specially since y'know..they're in the heat....Yeah..

All in all, think I found a pretty solid game that will keep me busy for quite awhile!.....If you see a bone, attached to a eye in the ground..Pick it up! Right away! (Best. Chest. Ever.)

[FlowerChild]

Omg...so...much...stone...wasted...on...walls...

I think you'll find DS players tend to value their stone more than just about anything else given it's the primary limited resource in any world :)

[TheOneGuy]

Omg...so...much...stone...wasted...on...walls...

I think you'll find DS players tend to value their stone more than just about anything else given it's the primary limited resource in any world :)

XD, very true. But I like how it looks soooo much. Cant help it, cant stand when stuff is the same all around. Idk, im just weird like that, heh. I do live like, right next to 2 rocky turf biomes tho, so i should be covered...for awhile... Anyways, WINTER APPROACHES. 4 more days... Hope no Deerclops come.

[FlowerChild]

XD, very true. But I like how it looks soooo much. Cant help it, cant stand when stuff is the same all around. Idk, im just weird like that, heh. I do live like, right next to 2 rocky turf biomes tho, so i should be covered...for awhile...

Hehe...I just go through it like crazy because I *love* to build pig shacks :)

It's the only ingredient of the three in there that's finite, they use a ton of stone to make them, and I'm always trying to avoid excessive expenditures of stone because of that.

Plus, I tend to like to have multiple bases all over a map for different things (and to move to in case one gets trashed or is temporarily inaccessible due to a tree-guardian or werepigs), which means a 2nd level fire pit in each, plus whatever stone goes into crafting the food related stuff (2nd level farms eat up a ton too).

Anyways, all told, I use a lot of stone :)

[TheOneGuy]

XD, very true. But I like how it looks soooo much. Cant help it, cant stand when stuff is the same all around. Idk, im just weird like that, heh. I do live like, right next to 2 rocky turf biomes tho, so i should be covered...for awhile...

Hehe...I just go through it like crazy because I *love* to build pig shacks :)

It's the only ingredient of the three in there that's finite, they use a ton of stone to make them, and I'm always trying to avoid excessive expenditures of stone because of that.

Plus, I tend to like to have multiple bases all over a map for different things (and to move to in case one gets trashed or is temporarily inaccessible due to a tree-guardian or werepigs), which means a 2nd level fire pit in each, plus whatever stone goes into crafting the food related stuff (2nd level farms eat up a ton too).

Anyways, all told, I use a lot of stone :)

Inaccessible....Thats why usually carry 2+ spears with me and 3+ logsuits when i go chopping or hounds come to destroy me...God..I HATE fire hounds... which is why i always run to the pig village thats 2 feet from me, makes like so much easier... Not to mention befriending like 5+ pigs...and then destroying Tier 3 spider nests... Yeah, im a nerd at this game..honestly. =), cant believe i found this from random youtube surfing.

[Taleric]

I hope they continue to add great content. Between DS, BTW, KSP and Terarria I have not bought a AAA game in forever.

It is too bad stone has a limit. Scarcity is good in games to give value but I prefer scarcity due to challenge not finite. Need a golem added as a boss for stone here and there.

[FlowerChild]

Yeah, I'm sure the availability of stone is something they'll eventually tackle.

Oddly, one thing that currently bugs me at present is that you seemingly can't destroy gravestone to get more...well...stone :)

I'd also love to be able to destroy them, or mark them in some way, so that they no longer show up on the map, and thus I'd be able to tell which ones I had already dug up.

[TheOneGuy]

I need more swamp biome in my world, its killing me to try and find one, i need those tentacle spikes...Best melee weapon ever, never really could get Nightmare fuel...as my sanity seems to always be at max =|....Ah...well..time to eat some shrooms and lose it.....Wahoo!

[Taleric]

Yes that would be intuitive to break the headstone or at least transplant. Will have to see if signs show on world map. Kind of hooky but you could mark areas done.

I have plenty of friendly tree guards around that I can look at to knock my sanity out. Standoffish for now because the only times it has been that low were on failed runs.

When I think of the armies of pigmen I have marched to their deaths just to get one item my NPC should be nuts already.