Cauldrons trivialize storage progression

[CrimsonStorm]

Right now, there's some interesting early progression around storage (inventory only -> wicker basket -> hamper -> chest). I think this whole system could use some additional balancing, but specifically right now I'd like to comment on the last jump, from hamper to chest. At this point in the game, the number of "useful" items players are tracking jumps dramatically as we gather ingredients for windmills and start doing serious mining. This adds an incentive to search out enough sugarcane to build a few hampers after iron axe is available, but before the saw enables chest crafting.

But, in the middle of this, we also craft a cauldron, which suddenly gives us 27 inventory spots, almost equivalent to 7 hampers! Obviously, not all of these spots can be used for storage since they're also used for cooking/crafting, but I found it jarring to realize that I basically didn't need to worry about storage anymore after I built the cauldron, even before I built a chest.

Some potential options to address:
* limit the items that can be put in a cauldron to those that are potentially part of cauldron crafting recipes
* reduce the number of inventory spots in the cauldron
* have more items convert food in the cauldron to "foul food" -- e.g., I wouldn't really want to eat a steak that had sat in a pot of boiling water with rocks, or dirt, or wool, or zombie flesh, etc...

[dawnraider]

Honestly I don't really see too much of an issue with it. It costs 7 iron ingots to make, which is a lot when you're at the point where the amount of storage you have matters. And at that point anyways you should have an iron axe, which means you can also claim chests from dungeons and temples. I'll give it some thought though.

[CrimsonStorm]

I agree, it's one of those things that would probably have a bigger impact if other parts of the storage progression were adjusted. Responding to a few specific points, though:

It costs 7 iron ingots to make

Agreed, it's not like anyone is going to make a cauldron exclusively for the storage! But, you're probably making a cauldron anyway (for cooking food more cheaply, and for tanning leather in preparation for making a saw) so the extra bulk storage feels like a surprisingly large "bonus" on top of these other benefits.

you can also claim chests from dungeons and temples

True, but at least there's some costs to claiming a chest (in terms of risk and time for exploring). Similarly to how building hampers has a cost of gathering sugarcane and weaving it.

[dawnraider]

Yeah, you absolutely make good points :) Just not sure if it's too much of a problem to do something about.

Limiting it to items applicable in a recipe wouldn't actually do all that much as a LOT of items are used in cauldron recipes, and that could lead to potential confusion and frustration from players. It could also potentially cause problems for existing builds using cauldrons or crucibles (as they share a ton of code and so changes would necessarily apply to both) as fireproof hoppers.

Converting more items ala foul food I feel would just encourage people to put the fire out under the cauldron instead.

Decreasing the inventory space could definitely work and imo is the most viable option, but may cause issues for existing setups as it would be difficult to handle the conversion for people who have cauldrons or crucibles already mostly filled.

[EpicAaron]

True, but at least there's some costs to claiming a chest (in terms of risk and time for exploring). Similarly to how building hampers has a cost of gathering sugarcane and weaving it.

I would argue that the risk, not to mention subsequent material and time investment, of mining and dedicating 7 ingots of iron to a cauldron is worth a lot more than exploring for temples. 7 ingots of iron that could be spent on a fresh set of iron tools is instead put into an inert block whose technological significance might not be felt for some time. I think letting players stuff it with junk while hamper production catches up/chests are found is a pretty welcome reward. Making more than a few hampers in single player is a major pain in the ass anyway.

[abculatter2]

I have felt during some of my recent play-throughs that the jump from hamper to chest felt like a really, really, REALLY big jump, functionality-wise. To the point where, once I had an iron axe and was able to claim 4 chests from a nearby desert temple, I almost felt disappointed by the sudden removal of storage space as a significant consideration. It felt like there should be some sort of additional intermediary between hamper and chest, which could be made pre-saw but still cost something of significance (clay, maybe?) and could be used as a replacement of the chests that currently spawn in the world.

[dawnraider]

Something along those lines is already planned :)