Vintage Story: Feature Wishlist 2020

[Tyron]

Been a while since the last one. Let the voting begin!

Explanation of each poll item:

• Make it easier for new players (Better in-game documentation, in-game tutorials, improved exploration playstyle, etc.)
• Accessibility (Double tap run, Gamepad support, Offer alternatives to hold-to-use interactions, Color blind mode?, Mouseless mode?, etc.)
• Improved World Gen (Improved noise generators a suggested by TTFCuts, the creator of ATG, large flower fields, region specific plants, more tree types, dynamic dungeons, oceans)
• Seasons Part 1 (Crops won't grow during winter, maybe greenhouses, snow accumulates when its cold and melts when its warm, foliage changes color, falling leaves)
• Transport mechanics (Boats, Minecarts and/or Horses)
• Improved trading system (Player2Player Trading, Mechanics that enable player to progress through trading alone, Fast-Travel Trade routes?, etc.)
• Improve the World map (Remember visited areas, Waypoint sharing, Public Web-based Maps for Servers)
• More Mechanical Power Mechanics (Splitter, Clutches, Ore grinder, Water wheels, Elevators?)
• Better combat (turn the spam-click-to-hit mechanic into something more interesting, ranged enemies, more wepaons, more mobs?)
• More RPG Elements (Character specific skills, Talking NPCs, Villages, Quests and similar)
• More craftable content (Alcohol brewing, Herbalism, Gem cutting, Woodworking, More in-world crafting mechanics, etc.)
• More progression ages (Steel age and Post-Steel ages)
• More Story elements (More Lore, better integrated story telling, Story-Intro Mode, etc.)
• Improved auxiliaries (Improved purchase process, Improved documentation, improved server setup, smaller install packages, more elegant website, etc.)
• Improved Graphics fidelity (Further framerate optimizations, increased view distance, improved shaders such as reflective surfaces, water caustics, depth of field effect and more)
• Improved farming and animal husbandry (Leashes, More crops, New multiblock crops, Fruit trees, More cooking options, more domestication features, etc.)
• Improved mod support (Mod hub, more api stuff as requested by modders, improved model editor, better mod api tutorials & documentation)

[copygirl]

Oops, I voted "Accessibility" because that's what I usually understand as making a game more accessible to audiences who have disabilities and problems with certain mechanical (input), visual and/or auditory aspects of the game. Turns out I should've voted for "Usability", and I can't change my vote. It's been something I've been advocating for a little while.

[Edrein]

I feel like you could have totally put Improved Mod Support in its own category. It may get less votes overall by being lumped together with the other 'auxiliaries' in my opinion.

 

I think overall with better Mod Support and better modding tutorials/resources, we'd see a lot more player made content to help pad things in between releases.

[Tyron]

Good point @copygirl. I renamed the first option to "Make it easier for new players", so now your vote is correct

Ok @Edrein, added "Improved mod support"

[Edrein]

2 minutes ago, Tyron said:

Good point @copygirl. I renamed the first option to "Make it easier for new players", so now your vote is correct

Ok @Edrein, added "Improved mod support"

Unfortunately I can't change my secondary vote to that. But I thank you none the less!

[DrTenabrae]

Me too, I voted auxiliaries for mod stuff

Edited March 21, 2020 by DrTenabrae

[copygirl]

I just want to add when it comes to modding, think the most important specific change that should come first from improving modding user experience is to switch to having mods enabled based on the world / server one plays in. Especially when it comes to mods which add, change or remove content. It would be bad to accidentally load Immersion on a Vanilla world, for example.

(We also happen to have a tracking issue on modding on the issue tracker.)

[SCC]

I voted for "Improved Trading Mechanics" as my second pick, because there was fast travel mentioned there and that's the feature I want. People tend to disperse, to have some space for themselves, then it so happens they are spread too thin to meaningfully interact with one another, so it's mostly single-player with chat, unless you are working on the same project.

[Sda215]

My voted first priority is improved world gen: as it currently stands, while the worlds the world generator are varied and interesting, they still feel like only one big mass of land with no real discernible world oceans or continents. I would love to see actual continents and oceans being generated, and ones that feel realistic too as a result of plate tectonics (at least for the continents, anyway). Though, that might require more of a major revision or even fundamental rewrite of the world generator. But I would also love to see more species of fauna and flora showing up in world gen to give even more visual and mechanical interest to newly-generated worlds (new types of crops; "flavor" mobs like squirrels, birds, insects, etc...; more types of "predator" mobs like bears, tigers, alligators... each with their own quirks to differentiate their encounters from the current wolves and hyena encounters).

My voted second priority are more progression ages. I do want to see steel finally being implemented into the game as a proper progression point instead of being a creative-only oddity, and I wouldn't mind seeing a few later progression stages utilizing fantasy metals as their unifying themes, with the justification that they're remnants from the collapsed human civilization.

[Michael Wendt]

I vote do any or all... I personally would like to say thank you guys for asking the community and not just force feeding whatever you decide without input.  If more games companies actually did this I feel there would be so many more great games.

 

Also id like to add my opinion on the mods.

I think mods are great and cant wait to have great mod support, but looking at the list of add ons I feel like get the game close to complete, cause time spent on mods so people can make mods that may just be features slows down adding the features, once game is basically complete, or way more complete, then make modding support huge to expand on game. because also mods cant hardly keep up with the changes.   Just my humble opinion.  

 

Also please don't "simplify" the game … I love the levels upon levels to do things, feels immersive.  If an "Easier for beginners" thing is implemented I recommend an option "tutorial mode" when starting a new3 game and it walks you through some the starting mechanics like knapping and so on... but not actually changing any functions themselves.  I came from TFC, so this game is already a ton more intuitive and easily understood in my opinion.

 

Thanks again this game is coming along beautifully and I cant wait to see any new future iterations!!

[copygirl]

1 hour ago, Michael Wendt said:

I think mods are great and cant wait to have great mod support, but looking at the list of add ons I feel like get the game close to complete, cause time spent on mods so people can make mods that may just be features slows down adding the features, once game is basically complete, or way more complete, then make modding support huge to expand on game. because also mods cant hardly keep up with the changes.   Just my humble opinion. 

The Vanilla game content is just made of mods itself (essentials, survival, creative). Improving the situation for mods can mean making things easier developing the survival game down the line. Mods can drive sales. Mods can inspire features in the base game, or even be included partially or as a whole. Thinking of mod support later on, when people have already written many, could cause more work both for the game and mod developers.

Not trying to argue against that point of yours. I just wanted to add that.

[Yukihira_S]

Ok, I'll take all of them.

More seriously, I voted for a better combat system because I must admit that I don't like when drifters punch the air and somehow I take damage. 

About weapons, I'd like to be able to improve the present ones for example by using grindstone to give them the buff "sharpened". A shield would be a very nice addition. In the late game it would be great to have access to flintlock fireweapons since in VS there are already every thing is needed to make them.

Combat mechanics can be improved greatly if it would be possible to make parries and hit the weak spots of the target in order to deal a critical hit. To make the things fair, the pesky drifters should be able to do the same. 

 

[Stang0MTB]

Voting theme: Make it easy as humanly possible, for new players to get into and configure the game to their liking. Goal: Increase revenue.

1. Improved auxiliaries - Improved purchase process, Improved documentation, improved server setup.

2.  Make it easier for new players - Better in-game documentation, in-game tutorials, improved exploration playstyle, etc.

[Michael Wendt]

4 hours ago, copygirl said:

The Vanilla game content is just made of mods itself (essentials, survival, creative). Improving the situation for mods can mean making things easier developing the survival game down the line. Mods can drive sales. Mods can inspire features in the base game, or even be included partially or as a whole. Thinking of mod support later on, when people have already written many, could cause more work both for the game and mod developers.

Not trying to argue against that point of yours. I just wanted to add that.

I agree with this, I guess what I meant was just the things we already know are going to be there should be focused on first, get that cleared up seams more important too me.  But I understand that side too.  I don't want the game being held up though by tons of support for modders and then the modders don't do the things needed and we now wait even longer.  either way, its cool.. I think the modding should be kinda a separate thing all together.  idk the ability for it all, but I think that the devs could put out kind of a "app" for people interested in making mods and maybe "assign" based on apps and what modders want to do.  or put a a list of, this is future plans we aren't actively working on, and people can mod for it and all submit their mods, maybe the devs will be like... this one is the one we want... edit it as needed and bam, we there faster.

again just my himbn;le opinion.

 

[EnigmaticWonder]

Worldgen is my main pick. While I've enjoyed the current generation and seen some spectacular vistas, the world on a whole seems too broken. Cliffs and mountains being random, and water being only present as lakes and ponds. Hate to bring Mineceaft into this, but there's a new mod called Terraforged that does a fantastic job with landscapes, simulating erosion and everything for rivers flowing into oceans, canyons, mountains, etc.. Not sure if that's the direction your looking to go in, but I feel it's worth looking into, might he able to incorporate a similar algorithm with VS's worldgen.

[VonNeuman]

I voted More Mechanical Power Mechanics, and More craftable content, mainly because the game in itself for now runs and looks great. The feel to the controls and overall playability is good. Though it needs more content. My votes would do that, but other methods for increasing what you have to do is very welcome. Season variability would be great, more ages and what that brings would also be really great, and perhaps an anchor for people to develop more mods to if you introduce the first items and mechanics to those ages?

[John Martinez]

I bought this game recently after seeing some minecraft youtubers playing it (you guys really need to nurture this, these guys reach a lot of people). 

Generally I like it. It looks really nice, some of the game mechanics are really cool and the basic survival game is pretty interesting for the first few hours or so of game play.

Here comes the but...

Starting the game...

I do feel like the game is hard to get into for normal gamers. I'm used to playing a lot of modded minecraft including some particularly grindy progression based/realistic mods, so this doesn't phase me one bit, but I think it's a narrow segment of the population to base a product around. Don't get me wrong - your customization settings for world generation are great, super great, but I feel like progression in the game is very harrowing for people because collecting metal resources takes probably more effort than the average person will put into it and there is a lot of content gated behind it (and presumably even more in the future).

Basically I feel like this is a fantasy game, so I don't feel the need to introduce too many realistic systems or ancient mining techniques, but I think at the very least you need some options on the ore generation / distribution algorithm. I really feel like you need an entry point were people can just log into the game and start whacking away at the earth and finding ores without having to craft a prospectors pick or learn how to use it, or even notice that the different rocks have different types of minerals in them, etc. Like I said, I'm used to difficult minecraft mod packs, so for me to put in the effort to figure out how to do this wasn't a big deal, but I don't think the average gamer will put that much effort into it (if they even stick around past the gathering 40 copper nuggets phase).

Mid-game? End game? Is there one?

I dunno about this. I mean, is this a survival game? If so, then once you secure food that's it, right? Well, obviously there are things to do... but other than for the sake of doing them, then why? This isn't necessarily bad, but I guess what I am saying is that I'm not sure what I am supposed to do. Vanilla minecraft is kind of the same way... sorta, but there is content gated behind progression (the nether, fortresses, strongholds, the end, end cities). So, I think that this needs to get sorted out eventually and then probably built upon from there. My own personal view would be to go in a more steam punk direction with the ancient ruins and such. It would be incredibly cool to be searching for ancient ruined cities underground and then looting them for items and components that you can use to craft technology from. 

Anyway, I like this game. I like how often you do releases. I think it has good bones and could potentially rival the other voxel based mining game that makes a billion dollars a year and do it in a way that is unique and interesting, but sometimes it pays to look at what other people do right and I feel like making the game more accessible to kids and normies would go a long way.

[Alex De Lorenzi]

I personally voted for transportation (at the current state of the game I personally think we should be able to travel faster around the VS world).
Second vote went to "Improve world genaration", I mean, it's fine at the moment but I think there should be less "holes" that goes into caves( I found so many high jumps) but more gentle slopes.

ANyway this game is amazing. It was already amazing 1 year ago so I can't complain about the current state of if with all the implementation you made in 2019.

Keep it up Tyron! We love you and we love your creation <3

[Stroam]

Looks like seasons and transportation win this time around. Maybe transportation will also include some way to transport animals, but lets not put the cart before the horse 

[David Sevier]

I voted RPG for my second, though specifically what I care about is villages and more NPC interactions. Ideally getting to the point where we can have NPCs come live with us and actually give all those neat things we build some uses beyond looking nice.

 

I realize that Transportation wins, just throwing that out there in the "What I am interested in" category.

 

For Transportation, I would LOVE to have hang gliders in the game so we can properly appreciate flying around without needing to be in creative mode. It's not all that realistic...but I think the fun outweighs the slightly unrealistic idea of using linen or leather to build a glider.

[Stroam]

The Chinese had prototype hang gliders in the 6th century.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_gliding

[John Dyer]

Just purchased the game last night and I am sold. cant wait to see what the future dev brings to this game. I hope it gets big and goes viral. I fully intend to buy the supporter package on pay day. for me I vote for improved World Map under the guise that there someday maybe a "group/party" system and perhaps a "clan/guild" system. i don't know how practical that is but its a thing i'd like to see.

[Sparkle Kitti]

4 hours ago, John Dyer said:

someday maybe a "group/party" system and perhaps a "clan/guild" system.

The game would need to be turned into an MMO for that

[John Dyer]

Meh idk about that a MMO usually has lvling and progression built into it. I think a "group/party" system makes for a better game play experience. It let's you see where your friends are on the map. No guild system is fine with me. I just like being able to find and see my friends. without having to spend a lot of time trying to find them.

[Sparkle Kitti]

1 hour ago, John Dyer said:

Meh idk about that a MMO usually has lvling and progression built into it. I think a "group/party" system makes for a better game play experience. It let's you see where your friends are on the map. No guild system is fine with me. I just like being able to find and see my friends. without having to spend a lot of time trying to find them.

My point was that for that to really be of much use you'd need to have more than a few people playing on a server. It's more of a hundreds or thousands of players kind of thing. But you could try bringing it of in the mods section and maybe a modder will see the value of tweaking the map to show other players better than it does now.