Helst_navngivet Posted August 26 Report Posted August 26 Would you say the game needs more horror-like elements to the temporal monsters? Me personally, I dont think they need to be super-duper horrifying, I just think they need to be slightly more scary. I think having them behave more intelligently would help. (Again, they dont need to hatch some masterplan to drive me out of my house and kill me, just having them not charge directly at me everytime would be nice) Would love to hear everyones thoughts on this! 2
Maelstrom Posted August 26 Report Posted August 26 Monster AI/agency has long been discussed. Many think/feel their behavior is very basic being either attack or retreat. The devs have to balance them for those that really like high combat challenge and those that are rather combat phobic. I'd like to see a bit more sophistication to monsters, but not to the point where combat exceeds my pretty bad skills. 2
LadyWYT Posted August 26 Report Posted August 26 5 hours ago, Helst_navngivet said: Would you say the game needs more horror-like elements to the temporal monsters? No. It's a game focused on realistic survival and natural processes, with a few elements of eldritch horror in the background for suspense. The more horror elements that are added though, the more the focus shifts from a survival game to a horror game, which appeals to a very different set of players. For myself personally, I don't like horror games. If a game is focused on horror up front, I'm not interested. Vintage Story is fine, because it's not horror for horror's sake, and it doesn't get overly gruesome or gory save for a handful of details that are only implied in the lore, and never really shown explicitly. I will note that seeing a few more monsters would be nice, but for the most part I think the current levels of horror are fine, and more blatant horror wouldn't be a good thing. 5 hours ago, Helst_navngivet said: Me personally, I dont think they need to be super-duper horrifying, I just think they need to be slightly more scary. I think having them behave more intelligently would help. (Again, they dont need to hatch some masterplan to drive me out of my house and kill me, just having them not charge directly at me everytime would be nice) I think the monster intelligence is fine, for the most part, though I do think they should be able to avoid running into pits and things. They don't need to be terribly smart because, well, they are monsters, but they do possess a level of intelligence that makes them rather uncanny compared to similar monsters in other games. For example, drifters have some spooky idles, in which they appear to cower/lament/pray, and well as an idle where they seem to examine themselves and then scream silently in anguish. They're also smart enough to know that throwing rocks at the player is a good strategy. Bowtorn aren't smart enough to make sure they have a clear line of fire at a target, but are smart enough to try to flee if a target gets too close, change their position if they know a target is near but cannot see it, and stop to attack a target in melee range before trying to flee again. Shivers prefer hit-and-run tactics, waiting until you're not looking to run up behind you and bite before scuttling away. Both shivers and bowtorn have some creepy idles as well. Bells are quite disturbing if you know the reason for their existence. They were originally devices meant for communication, and especially helpful for alerting rescue parties to the locations of trapped miners in the event of cave-ins. 1
SnapJelly Posted August 26 Report Posted August 26 Well the monster AI is a thing that people are aware off could use an upgrade, but personally I find the monsters plenty scary as they are even if I get killed by bears and wolves far more often than I do by shivers
Andael Posted August 26 Report Posted August 26 Absolutely, more eldritch horror. I think Seraty and Tyron have plenty of hopes and plans in this regard. And this doesn't mean traditional gore-or-jumpscare american horror. It's more psychological, and having to do with things beyond our comprehension -- keeping things a mystery and strange, which Vintage Story is doing pretty well with. The Temporal Symphony mod is a fairly simple thing but having the world rumble with a hint of the storm as the presage of the coming storm really helps anchor the whole event immersively in the world, rather than a chatbox notification. We're just playing a game which is still in development, and a lot of the nice embellishments take a backseat to core game mechanics. 2
PhotriusPyrelus Posted August 26 Report Posted August 26 The 'eldrich horror' thing is one of my least-liked aspects of the game. That said, they made no bones about it from the very get go, so it's something I deal with to enjoy the rest of the game that I do like. Yesterday I was messing around looking for a good seed to start a new world on and found a portal thingy. I stood in it for a while and saw this GIANT creepy thing way off in the distance. Be cool if that was more than just scenery. The problem with 'eldrich horror' is that one of its big themes is absolute hopelessness and impotence in the face of certain doom and madness. That doesn't really make a great game where most people expect to be heroic and strong and win, to fix whatever problem there is in the world. If the player does succeed, are you really doing eldrich horror or just using it as window-dressing? To neglect that is, to me, like making a cyberpunk themed game while neglecting the theme of transhumanism. ::shrug:: 1
SnapJelly Posted August 26 Report Posted August 26 11 minutes ago, PhotriusPyrelus said: Be cool if that was more than just scenery. I mean it probably will be, the game isn't even close to being finished yet!
Maelstrom Posted August 26 Report Posted August 26 18 minutes ago, PhotriusPyrelus said: The problem with 'eldrich horror' is that one of its big themes is absolute hopelessness and impotence in the face of certain doom and madness. You have not read enough Lovecraft. While most of his stories are hopeless there's a good plenty that have happy(ier) endings.
Facethief Posted August 26 Report Posted August 26 2 hours ago, Maelstrom said: You have not read enough Lovecraft. While most of his stories are hopeless there's a good plenty that have happy(ier) endings. I’m almost certain this has been said before, but Lovecraft isn’t the only eldritch horror writer. The developers did also quite explicitly change their listed inspiration from “lovecraftian” to “eldritch”.
LadyWYT Posted August 27 Report Posted August 27 8 hours ago, Maelstrom said: You have not read enough Lovecraft. While most of his stories are hopeless there's a good plenty that have happy(ier) endings. There's also the legend of Old Man Henderson. Which...isn't exactly Lovecraft, but it's from the "Call of Cthulu" TTRPG so I mean...close enough. 8 hours ago, PhotriusPyrelus said: Be cool if that was more than just scenery. I would hope not. Some things are better left as background mysteries, so that the player never quite becomes too familiar with all the details and thus can keep speculating on what the thing is. Dave, in my opinion, fits just such a role. He's there, ambling along in the background, and you're never too sure if he's friendly, hostile, or even noticing you at all. The day he becomes something the player can directly interact with is the day that the mystery disappears and the novelty wears off soon after.
Maelstrom Posted August 27 Report Posted August 27 7 hours ago, Facethief said: I’m almost certain this has been said before, but Lovecraft isn’t the only eldritch horror writer. The developers did also quite explicitly change their listed inspiration from “lovecraftian” to “eldritch”. Lovecraft is considered the father of eldritch horror. He also generously contributed to the community as it was growing in popularity. So there is little difference between the generic eldritch horror and referencing Lovecraft himself. I hold to my position that not all of Lovecraft/eldritch stories have a hopeless ending. Most do, but not all; and even the ones with a happy ending for the population in general some poor soul gave up his sanity (or even his life) in the process.
River Oak Posted August 27 Report Posted August 27 Eldritch just means otherworldly, which the rust/rot is.We'll see more of it as the story is developed and added to the game. 2
Zaph42nd Posted August 27 Report Posted August 27 On 8/26/2026 at 3:53 AM, Helst_navngivet said: Would you say the game needs more horror-like elements to the temporal monsters? Me personally, I dont think they need to be super-duper horrifying, I just think they need to be slightly more scary. I think having them behave more intelligently would help. (Again, they dont need to hatch some masterplan to drive me out of my house and kill me, just having them not charge directly at me everytime would be nice) Would love to hear everyones thoughts on this! As far as story-content yes, as far as monster behaviors and damage, no. I know a lot of people, myself included, tend to turn off or reduce temporal storms or otherwise modify rust monster spawns since Vintage Story's homesteading elements seem more engaging and thought out as it stands now (combat and monster AI will need an overhaul to make temporal storms and temporal activity more fun to engage with imo). In the future, I think the story could play more into the otherworldly elements of the rust monsters and temporal system, but it feels more appropriate as story content rather than just mechanic changes alone.... Thunder lord I think is a good implementation of the sort of otherworldly/slightly creepy elements of the world and I'd be curious to see more of that or at least subtle soundscape changes or just minor background creatures watching you would be pretty neat and mechanically wouldn't change much
CalciferAtlas Posted August 29 Report Posted August 29 I want to see more monster variety. Give me a reason to build defensive structures in and around my base. Give me a reason to obtain stronger armor and weapons to fight stronger monsters. That's what I want the developers to focus on, rather than whatever they're doing right now. 2
CmdrCrims Posted August 29 Report Posted August 29 On 8/26/2026 at 3:53 AM, Helst_navngivet said: Would you say the game needs more horror-like elements to the temporal monsters? Me personally, I dont think they need to be super-duper horrifying, I just think they need to be slightly more scary. I think having them behave more intelligently would help. (Again, they dont need to hatch some masterplan to drive me out of my house and kill me, just having them not charge directly at me everytime would be nice) Would love to hear everyones thoughts on this! I absolutely think we need more variety of monsters, even on the basic level and more reasons to shore up some defenses. I want more reason to be on edge while I’m chiseling out decorative windows in the middle of the night. that said throw in a few options for an easier mode too for those that want it otherwise. Something more than just “aggressive” or “passive” I don’t believe they should be able to destroy your buildings etc but I do believe we should have more variety and difficulty options with the rust enemies.
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