LadyWYT

There's a weird shadow scarecrow that creepily appears in the distance when I play Valheim sometimes. Always disappears whenever I try to get closer. Never seen anything like it in Vintage Story though.

https://mods.vintagestory.at/show/mod/329 It doesn't make the patterned pots craftable, but it does add more colored pottery options.

Because I forgot to answer this question in my original post, and can't figure out how to edit it in: I don't think there's a way to achieve the desired results for a specific region, without attempting to make a mod yourself. Any world settings you change or mods you install will apply to the entire world itself.

This mod should help with the drifter issue by making them only spawn underground. https://mods.vintagestory.at/show/mod/9700 There are other similar mods if you search "drifter" in the database as well, should this one not work or not quite be the solution you're looking for. https://mods.vintagestory.at/show/mod/6181 This mod may solve the issue of hares eating crops that aren't fenced in. It's for version 1.18, but to my knowledge nothing regarding hares really changed in 1.19 so it should still work. Turning the wildlife settings to "neutral" in the world config options should make bears and wolves(and other hostile wildlife) have a more peaceful disposition toward the player. I think they will still hunt prey animals though, and will likely still fight back should you attack them first. I'm not 100% certain though, as I play with hostile wildlife. If setting them to neutral isn't quite enough, there are mods to prevent them from spawning, as well as mods that tweak them in other ways. Shopping around with the keywords "wolf", "bear", or "hostile" seemed to pull up some of the best results, though the mods also seemed to be for older versions. Which, older mods can be used on newer versions, but it's also a bigger dice roll on whether or not it will work properly.

What about using clay to seal the doors?

Could just be in the literal sense; maybe horses won't be able to carry as much/have as many "upgrades", but might be faster than elks. Or elks might be much better on rough terrain than horses are, which would encourage players to use elks more(unless they sink in the time and resources to build roads everywhere). The update is still a ways away so a lot could change--we'll have a better idea closer to the release. It could also just be a story thing to help separate Vintage Story from the real world, similar to how the player isn't actually a human according to the lore. Outside of the temporal stuff and drifters/mechanicals, Vintage Story feels like a real world survival simulator. Which isn't a bad thing--there's even a game mode for that--but it also doesn't hurt to tweak a few things in order to tell a good story. As much as I like horses and look forward to their addition, it's also refreshing to see a different kind of creature available as a mount choice.

I would assume it's mostly due to the elk already being implemented in the game. It's probably a bit easier to work out the code for mounts with a creature that already exists than it is to add an entirely new animal to the game. Once the mount coding is in place, then the framework is streamlined for animals like horses and camels. I'm also assuming that horses will be coming in the update as well, given the horse is a staple of transportation. Of course, they may already have horses coded, but the models may not be finished enough to use in a spotlight video.

Correct. I tried this in one of my worlds, though I had a dirt block on the top instead of a trapdoor. Since the trapdoor has holes in it and the solid doors do not, I was hoping it would count as an airtight room. However, a couple days went by--more than enough time for charcoal to finish--and the pit was still smoking. I didn't hear it outright burning to ash though. Quickly removing the door and replacing it with dirt proceeded to allow the charcoal to finish cooking properly. It would be really nice though if we could build a more permanent pit with a door and trapdoor for access. Not that digging out dirt to access the goodies is hard, but it's a bit more time-consuming than just opening a door.

I don't think it's a bad thing to have "smaller" stuff worked in with the larger stuff. It helps provide more polish while keeping each update interesting. My observation is game updates(in general) that focus primarily on a lot of little stuff and have no big stuff end up being underwhelming to many players. Also it sounds like we might be getting proper kilns for mass-production of pottery items, if the devs are reworking brick-firing entirely. Only time will tell. Given that ships seem to be getting added this update, I'd wager there will be more aquatic content coming later, especially with the new story bits providing more incentive to go explore. Bright pink would look a little odd, yeah. I like the deep reddish-brown and Oreo colorations on some domesticated pigs much more interesting! I'd love to see more variations for the more "tame" farm-type animals, but I think it's something that should probably be limited to generation 10, perhaps. Currently the chickens are the only tameable animals that have more domesticated coloring. The roosters look similar enough to wild jungle fowl, but the hens look more like the chickens I grew up around on the farm. On the other hand, it's cool having wild animals as pets in the game.

Are those three separate deposits?! The iron fairy has been kind to you! Incidentally, I never thought about bringing haybales and walls with me to help navigate underground. I'll have to try that sometime.

I like the idea of using a standard model(s) as the base for the mounts/ships and having different slots for customization and upgrades. I wonder if some of the customization might be related to the player's class, such as an extra-fancy saddle for tailors or a clockwork harness for the clockmaker.

Well shoot, I'm gonna have to explore the surface ruins more thoroughly now. I typically don't bother with them unless I see a cracked vessel or bony soil. As for another angle on the scrap armor...what if instead of actual armor, the Malefactor could make a drifter disguise? It could have the same protection stats as the Improvised Armor, and utilize the scrap metal still, given that drifters seem to have rusty metal parts. The special effect the disguise could have is making low level drifters detect you from a shorter range, so it would give the Malefactor an option for sculking around at night during rift activity or in the shallower caves. The higher tier drifters(2 and up) wouldn't be fooled though, and animals/mechanicals will still see through the disguise.

Cave-ins are disabled by default, I do believe. Likewise, sand, gravel, and mud will automatically collapse if you remove the block underneath them, by default. I think you can change these settings at any time though via console commands

It seems to be an aesthetic variant. It may also be more prone to caving in without support, although I can't say for sure as I don't play with cave-ins enabled.

I think I found another idle animation to add to this list. Drifters will occasionally examine/sniff themselves, and then throw their arms up in frustration. Or maybe it's despair, I'm not really sure. They don't quite seem like mindless drones, but I'm not really sure what their motive is aside from hunting down seraphs specifically.

Yeah, I agree. Though a determined player can build drifter grinders already. The workaround I can think of is causing spikes to mangle the bodies enough so they drop less loot, like how mauled animal carcasses or drifters that died to other drifters do. If that's still not enough to discourage drifter farms from being mainstream, there could be small buffs to the other ways to acquire gears and Jonas parts. Flax is already easier to get via farming. I've found that rusty gears are best sourced from selling stuff to traders. Jonas parts...I think we'll see a better way to acquire these in later patches, rather than having to rely on RNG from double-headed drifters during temporal storms. As for temporal gears themselves...maybe make them more available from certain traders, but expensive as a drawback? There's not currently much that can be done with them, and they feel like an item that should still be rather rare. It could work, but there's a couple main issues I see. Metal scraps can be kinda difficult to acquire in the early game, as they have a low drop rate via panning, and delving for them in caves is highly risky. The Improvised Armor doesn't have the same durability, but utilizes ingredients that are a lot easier to acquire. It seems to me that Improvised Armor would still be the better option to craft for the cost, and save the metal scrap for weapons or dye. Could just be my playstyle though and metal scrap might be easier to acquire than I thought. The other potential issue I could see with the scrap armor is that if it's a craftable unique to Malefactor, it might make them a little too strong in the early game. Maybe if it was something craftable by everyone, with a small discount for Malefactors? That way it gives other classes another option for early defense, while staying in the theme of Malefactors being adept improvisers. If it has a slower charge time, maybe up the damage rather than increase the durability. The bow would still be better in most cases, having more distance, a higher rate of fire, and higher damage per shot in the later game. In the early game though, a sling might be harder to aim and have a shorter range, but hit harder per shot and have convenient ammo. A high speed rock to the head is no joke, and if I recall correctly slings remained a relevant weapon well into the Middle Ages. I know it's Wikipedia, but the article can give a rough history at least: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balearic_slinger

I may steal this idea for a class idea I've been working on, heh heh. Healing is a major part of the toolkit, as there is currently no dedicated healer option, and having extra bandages from scraps would be a nifty bonus. I honestly forgot that scrap weapons are a thing. I think they would work well as a Malefactor exclusive too. Other classes aren't as given to that kind of improvising, except maybe Blackguards...and I expect they would probably scoff at a flimsy piece of scrap purely based on principle I'm not sure about the scrap armor though. It's a neat idea in theory, but I feel it goes against the sneaky aspect of Malefactor. Maybe craftable spike traps instead? Then you could booby-trap things, which plays into outwitting your opponents rather than conquering through sheer brute force. I still need to play Malefactor to see how it really vibes. It's been one I've avoided so far as I don't like the aesthetics as much and the traits seem like the early game might be too easy for my taste. The weaker late game seems like a fair tradeoff for a strong early game though. I'd wager it's more of an issue in singleplayer, as in multiplayer you could befriend a Blackguard or some other class to make the dungeon delving easier. One potential late game ability I could see them having an affinity for though is trap detection, assuming that traps are added in later patches. They could have an easier time spotting them, or perhaps just have a lower chance of setting them off, which would make them ideal to have along as scouts when exploring dangerous places like the Resonance Archive. I'm not sure about buffing the sling; it runs the risk of edging out Hunter as the ranged class. I could see the sling doing a bit more damage than the crude arrows though. The main advantage of the sling, I think, is that there's almost always rocks lying around, so it's nearly impossible to run out of ammunition. Arrows, on the other hand, require time and resources to craft. What I could see though...slings could be used to launch objects like the Beenade, perhaps sending them further than throwing them manually. Alternatively, in keeping with the improvisation aspect of Malefactor--let them craft things like the Beenade, and maybe something like a smoke bomb(briefly confuses enemies, allowing the player to potentially escape a dangerous situation).

I don't really mind the accuracy; I think it makes up for the drifters' lack of pathfinding ability. The rocks are usually how I figure out they're nearby in the first place, and as others have said, some armor or a shield renders a thrown rock ineffective. Healing items will fix whatever damage is sustained, provided you remembered to bring some. One thing I do really like is the friendly fire mechanic. It's not only a handy way to deal with a lot of drifters at once, but it's also highly entertaining to watch!

Yes please! This would be a great way to use all the animal fat I end up accumulating in my playthroughs. I really enjoy hunting, so there's always an excess supply for all my needs, hence one of the reasons I got the notion for soap to begin with. I like the idea that fragrant soap could be used to repel angry herbivores; moose are tasty but it gets annoying when there's several spawn points for them right outside your buildings. Plus herbs could also be used somehow in cooking, I'm sure. Speaking of classes, I've got an idea for one, but I need more time to finish hammering out the details. So far, I started with a concept of how to make alcohol more useful, and it's somehow turned into a whole tangent on combat that I'll probably end up doing a whole write-up on later. Soap was the one idea that didn't really connect with everything else I had cooking, lol.

Clothes washing has crossed my mind too, but I can't quite figure out how it could function as a gameplay loop without being annoying. Cleaning up the clothes found in ruins before wearing them sounds logical though! Initially, I thought maybe soap could function as a poor man's sewing kit, but it doesn't make sense to fix tattered by washing them(not to mention, it detracts from the Tailor's role). The other option I thought of is having some sort of attribute similar to the wear mechanic, but for dirt instead. Clean clothes could wear out more slowly than dirty ones, with there being a somewhat generous delay between stages of dirtiness(it taking a few days to become dirty enough to warrant a wash). It gives an option to preserve the longevity of clothes you can't just craft more of, while preserving the niche that Tailors have with the sewing kit. In theory, it encourages players to take care of clothing that they intend to wear regularly, without being too intrusive(players could safely ignore the mechanic without much punishment). I didn't even think of this! I love it! You could probably borrow from the leather tanning process and seal the raw fibers in a barrel with soap for a few hours, and thus utilize existing code rather than have to write something entirely new. Haha, true! Though now I wonder if Luxury traders might sell scented soaps, and what effects that could have...

Probably a somewhat goofy and rather situational idea, but here's how I could see it working: 1. Basic Soap Craftable in a cookpot with two slots animal fat and two slots wood ash. Wood ash could be obtained by cooking firewood in the firepit or as a potential by-product of charcoal production, and could also serve as a very basic fertilizer in addition to being a soap ingredient. What does basic soap do? It could let the player wash things like dirty cooking pots and oil lamps to turn them back into clean dishes, for one(although why you'd want to do this, I'm not really sure). While standing in water, a player could also use it to wash themselves, granting a temporary buff for a few hours that makes hostile creatures less likely to detect you(ie, shortens the detection radius, similar to the Malefactor trait "Furtive", but not as good). This could be useful in the early stages of the game, when bears and wolves tend to be more of a problem, without removing the hazard entirely. As for why it could also work on drifters--if they can't smell you, they can't find you as easily(and they don't seem to have eyes). Basic soap does not work on automatons(they can't smell), or on prey animals(they're going to either fight or flee a potential threat). 2. Stinky Soap Craftable in a cookpot with two slots fat, one slot wood ash, and one slot sulfur(potentially). This soap is applied the same way as basic soap, but makes you a rather stinky seraph for several hours. While stinky, all wild animals will prefer to avoid you--predators will be deterred by the scent and prey will be able to detect you from much further away. This could be an attractive option for those wishing to explore the wilds or otherwise get things done without dealing with predator ambushes. What are the drawbacks? Aside from making hunting much harder, being a stinky seraph makes it easier for drifters to notice you. Getting swamped with drifters generally is not ideal, though it could perhaps have its benefits in a multiplayer setting if someone is trying to be a tank. Another potential drawback is that traders(or other future NPCs) might refuse to deal with you until you wash the stink off. The stink effect could be washed off at any time simply by bathing with basic soap. ------------ And there you have it--two items that are a bit niche, but that could provide some potential early-mid game utility. The only other thing I can think of to add to the uses is that washing with either soap could provide a small boost to health regen for a short time. It's certainly not as good as bandages, but it could be useful in circumstances where horsetails and cattails(or other healing items) aren't readily available.

Depends a lot on what character I decide to play. The one I play most often is typically set to medium/low tuba. If I'm going for more of a classy roguish sort I'll opt for the oboe or clarinet. Here lately though I've been playing a tailor character and I've got him set to the high-pitched sax. As funny as the sounds are, I'm starting to miss that tuba

This is me sometimes I had forgotten about this mod as well: https://mods.vintagestory.at/show/mod/3846 Basically what it does is introduce a bleedout mechanic, so that instead of dying immediately in combat, you'll enter a bleedout state instead and have a short window of time to try to escape and either patch yourself up, or be in a more convenient spot to retrieve your stuff. On a whim I just gave it a whirl in a test world; what I found: 1. It does not mitigate damage from poisonous mushrooms--that's still instant. 2. Damage from smaller, weaker creatures(like foxes) becomes negligible, for the most part. 3. Fighting wolves unprepared is still ill-advised, but getting ambushed by a wolf isn't a death sentence. You should be able to either fend it off, or escape to a safe place and patch yourself up. 4. Bears are still deadly without the proper equipment. If you're at full health, you can suffer a couple of attacks and still have time to potentially escape and stop the bleeding. Any more hits than that and you're basically just going to be looking for a more convenient spot to die. 5. Fall damage still kills you instantly, if the fall is big enough. Anyway, it may be what you're looking for on the sweet spot between keeping or losing inventory on death. The main drawback I found was that when using the mod, you'll miss out on some of the funny death messages the game has to offer, as the general one you'll end up seeing will be "Player bled to death while fighting ____."

I like player death to have some penalty, but I also like not losing all my stuff! I think this idea could work decently as a compromise between the two. If I'm recalling correctly, I think the player retains their clothing on death, so maybe the hotbar could work in a similar fashion--the items kept there could be kept on death and the bags lost instead. It could be a setting chosen at startup as the middle ground between the all-or-nothing of the other two options. In the meantime, the mod XSkills already does something like this in its Survival talent tree. You do have to take the requisite perks though(which are somewhat of a mid-late game unlock), but it does allow for at least three inventory slots that can be kept on death.

Thanks! I went ahead and threw some rough color on his face in Photoshop, but it's nowhere near a finished product. My digital lines aren't anywhere near as good as the physical drawing, lol.