LadyWYT

Yet the children yearn for the mines, as proven time and again by a certain other block game.

For some reason, jumping right before he does the ground slam prevents you from getting tossed into the air. Thanks to @ifoz for that tip!

So what you're saying is perhaps Vintage Story is just an interactive biography with a few details changed so we won't know it's about him.

Aside from a bit of hitbox/collision jank, combat feels fine right now. It's simple, yes, but it serves its purpose well. Most of the depth doesn't come from the combat itself, but rather how one chooses to prepare for a fight. Enemies aren't something to be actively sought out and hunted most of the time, as much as they are a supernatural environmental hazard that you need to engage occasionally in order to achieve certain goals. It's a bit refreshing to see, honestly, as most enemies stay a threat throughout the entire game in some way or another; many games paint their monsters as big threats in lore while making them mostly harmless loot pinatas in practice. Vintage Story's combat simplicity also makes it easy for a new player to pick up, but somewhat difficult for a player to master. In any case, I agree with @mertagam; I don't expect to see a combat rework given that Tyron himself is on record as stating the current system is fine. What I would expect to see though is some fixes to hitboxes and collision, as well as a bit more complexity with the potential addition of temporary traits/status effects and more late-game tech(Jonas gizmos, alchemy).

Should really be a hazard in the base game.

For now, the trader population is a bit of a plot hole. I'm expecting to see at least one more bastion of civilization, perhaps a proper fortified town that is much bigger than Nadiya, in addition to maybe another small village on the scale of Nadiya. The Cardinals is a prime suspect for such a location, as it's hinted at being some sort of religious/political center, which would be ideal for a larger settlement. I don't expect to see any procedural generation of settlements though, as that would likely populate the world a bit too much and the settlements themselves seem intended to be plot-critical. It's easier to pack more fine details into a unique set piece, than it is to try to pack a lot of fine detail into something randomized.

Interesting. I can't say that I've seen a thread hating on the Resonance Archive before, but you learn something new each day. To each their own. For what it's worth, you can use the Library's storage vessels, though they won't hold everything you can find there. There's a couple of other chests and storage vessels elsewhere that can be used as well, but for the most part the Archive is wreck due to years upon years of falling into disrepair. It's a good idea to bring a couple of trunks with you in order to store everything at the surface later to make the process of carting everything back home easier. Bear in mind though that the more loot you decide to clean out, the more trips you'll end up needing to make in order to cart everything back home--it's a lot of stuff.

Voicing complaints is fine; so is voicing positive feedback. When posting either on a public forum, it's not unusual for others to push back with counterpoints. It's fair to offer constructive criticism on aspects one doesn't enjoy so the developers can potentially make changes, but it's also fair to offer feedback on the parts one does enjoy so the developers can see what's not an issue. Agreed, and also why it's entirely fair to point out that Vintage Story is still very much in early development. There's still a lot on the roadmap, that would likely solve a lot of the complaints once those things are implemented, but to be honest most complaint threads(and several suggestion threads too) I see don't seem to take the roadmap(or related things like dev team size) into account. Likewise, it doesn't seem like a lot of those threads consider that perhaps the developers have a specific vision for Vintage Story, that doesn't necessarily fit with what's being requested in the thread. To use combat as an example...the system we have currently is solid and ties the monsters into the setting nicely as a believable threat/environmental hazard, rather than the mobile loot boxes a lot of videogame monsters end up being. Combat is required in certain instances, yes, but given what I've seen of Vintage Story so far I don't get the impression that players are intended to be actively picking fights whenever they can, so I don't really see the system changing that much outside of tweaking hitboxes and collision and the potential addition of temporary traits/status effects. The other thing I've noted about many complaint threads is that there's often already a solution to the issue at hand with the tweak of a few world settings or the addition of a mod or two. Unfortunately it's not unusual for such threads to discount those solutions and instead insist that the gameplay standard be changed to meet their specific wants.

Hence why it's a challenge to overcome--just because you have a handle on it doesn't mean it goes away entirely. You can have the best food supply in the world, but it doesn't really matter if you don't eat it. The player won't die immediately if they run out of satiation; they'll have a short window of time to find something to eat before they die, but that ticking health meter seriously puts on the pressure to fix that problem. The player starvation noises can get annoying, yes, hence why I suggested a change of sound effect might be in order. But there should be some sort of sound effect to go with the hunger damage to help alert the player to the problem immediately. A new player might starve to death because they don't yet have a grasp on how to secure enough food. If a veteran player starves to death because they were too lazy to take a snack break, that's on them.

Or just change the sound effect for starvation damage and keep the system as-is. It's not particularly realistic, but food isn't a particularly difficult challenge in the game either(under normal circumstances). Generally, you're not going to be in danger of starving to death unless you deliberately neglected your food supply--even less so if realistic starvation rules applied. Having a faster death from starvation damage isn't as realistic, but gives the player a bigger incentive to pay more attention to their food supply as they will quickly die without one. This proposed change doesn't sound too bad, however, I would perhaps drain the nutrition bars at a faster rate than the satiety meter, simply to spur the player to find and secure food. I wouldn't say the system we have now requires much micromanagement. It's easy to bring a crock of stew or several pie slices or some other kind of snack with you on your building projects and other adventures, and the health boost you get from eating a varied diet helps you survive scenarios that would otherwise be lethal. If the hunger rate is too much of a hassle to deal with, there's already an option to turn it down so it's even less of an issue. This may also sound harsh, but new players should absolutely be worried about to starving to death before worrying about shelter. It's part of the experience, and Vintage Story pulls no punches(though you can determine how hard the game is allowed to hit). While the initial learning curve might be steep, overcoming those challenges is part of what makes the game so satisfying. Would be a potentially interesting way to give more benefit to the nutrition bars. I wouldn't ditch sound effects entirely, as a sharp sound is a great way to grab the average player's attention and direct it to a problem. What I would do though is change the sound to be less frequent, as well as something more suited to starvation. A loud growl from an empty stomach will grab a player's attention, as well as immediately identify what the problem is...and of course more periodic growls will prompt stubborn players to go eat something in order to stop the noise. Those who disregard the warnings find out that food isn't optional.

I think it's a two-fold issue: 1. Goats came later than bighorn sheep, and are coded to be a lot more skittish. Similar to chickens, they don't really calm down until later generations. I would expect bighorn sheep to behave in a similar fashion once they receive an update, unless goats are tweaked to behave like current bighorns. 2. Dairy is in a spot similar to fruit trees--a gameplay loop that requires too much time investment for the time it takes to complete the current story. Once more story chapters have been implemented, I daresay things like dairy and fruit trees will feel more worthwhile to invest in, since you'll be spending a lot more time in the world.

If I'm not mistaken, the traders make it pretty clear that while there are villages out there, they are very few and far between. The ruins we see aren't just failed settlements, but remnants of the Old World that have been shuffled around and torn apart by the initial cataclysm event itself and the lingering unnatural forces after. That being said, I do like the idea of having ruins clumped together more, and having a higher chance of containing high fertility soil. I'd also make ruins more rare in that case, but they would be a more interesting find.

This and this; I'd also chalk some of it up to a drawback of getting older(that is, out of the early 20s and into your early 30s). Taking longer or more frequent breaks is a good idea, and taking a couple days off from the computer entirely usually clears it up. Getting more sleep at night and cutting back on caffeine can also help. That being said, if you take steps to reduce eyestrain and its still not clearing up or seems to be getting worse, you might consider seeing a doctor, as it could be a symptom of something more serious.

Really depends on your settings...I think there's a setting to shorten the distance between story locations, though I'm not exactly sure where that setting is. On standard settings though, I would say it takes roughly a couple of hours on average to travel from the world spawn to the first major location of chapter two(which I will note is not the first location of chapter two that you will visit). Elk will be a little faster and less resource intensive than traveling on foot, but going on foot will allow you to cut through dense forested and rough terrain a little more easily. Assuming you have the world settings for it, going by boat is very safe but also going to be a bit slower than over land and a lot more boring(nothing to see except water). The first story location(Resonance Archive) takes about half an hour on average to get to traveling on foot. In order to find it, you'll want to find a treasure hunter and complete a small favor in exchange for a map to the entrance. Once you've completed the Resonance Archive, talk to the treasure hunter again for a lead on the next part of the story.

Odd, the taskbar should be hidden on your primary screen. Maybe it's the operating system being a butt somehow, instead of the game?

Welcome to the forums and Vintage Story! There's already an option for this, I believe. Both a windowed mode, and borderless(always on top). I usually use the latter, as it keeps the game fullscreen but allows me to click over to my second monitor without it minimizing. I think creature behavior is being worked on to be a little more complex than it currently is; however, there may also be lore reasons for why certain wildlife(such as wolves) are so hostile to the player. If you got the message that the waypoint was created, but do not see the waypoint on the map, it sounds like a bug. You might also double-check your map settings though to make sure you didn't hide your waypoints by accident. This is one of those things that's rather rough on new players, but once you have some experience under your belt it's not so bad. I think once creature behaviors are a bit more refined it'll probably be a little less rough for new players to deal with, but otherwise I think that initial challenge is fine. Drifters and similar monsters haven't been fully explained, but it's implied that they may have been humans at one time. I believe water power is on the roadmap, but I don't know when it will be implemented, if at all. There's a lore reason for it, as well as why you're able to respawn after death. But it's a nice quality-of-life feature as well.

Welcome to the forums! I'm not entirely sure what's causing the light there, however...if you're not opposed to using a bit of creative mode, you might see about using it to set up command blocks to trigger specific music in that area. I'm not sure which blocks you would need specifically, or what kind of commands you would use. I do know it's possible as that function was teased in a trailer(I forget which update), and as far as I'm aware it's how specific music is triggered for certain story locations.

Next time you visit, place candles on the chandeliers and wait for the lights to go out. Places a lot more focus upon the resonator in the center, with all the shelves on the outskirts dimmed significantly.

You might give this mod a try for a variation on the hardcore experience: https://mods.vintagestory.at/temporallife Limits you to one life only, unless you have a temporal gear. Then you get one extra life per gear. Yeah, I do agree that loot for the story locations could be a bit more interesting. I wouldn't call what we have now bad, exactly, but it's not terribly exciting either. The more exciting part is just enjoying the atmosphere as you complete the content. I'd also say that part of the reason the loot is a little underwhelming is that there's not yet a lot that you can do with Jonas parts; once we get more Jonas tech options, then finding those parts will be a lot more exciting. Ironically, we already somewhat have that in the game, and it runs counter to what's presented about the storms in lore. According to a certain dear old friend, the temporal storms were a lot worse post-calamity than the ones we have today, which suggests that temporal storms are calming down as time marches on. However, in actual gameplay, the temporal storms actually get worse as time passes, which makes sense from a gameplay standpoint as that gives players time to prepare themselves. Otherwise, I'm okay with the way the storms are currently implemented. They're an unnatural disaster that the player has to deal with every so often, and help drive home the point that something dreadful happened to the world. I daresay whatever turned the players into seraphs in the first place is what caused the storms, so after a fashion they are a "reaction" from the Rust World to the "threat" that the players pose. I don't think I would make it a more direct reaction though, partly because it's clearly stated that the player is not the only seraph in existence and the player seems to be operating as an "everyman" sort of hero, instead of a "chosen one". Likewise, the lack of direct focus on the player for the temporal storms and associated things makes those entities feel a lot bigger and properly esoteric. Typically when I think "Lovecraftian" or "eldritch" I tend to think of enormous ancient entities that are so drastically foreign that normal things are beneath their direct attention, if even noticed at all.

Yes, though I think it's underwhelming as a reward right now since there's not really that much you can do with those items, hence why it's also relatively easy to stockpile them. Once the update for late-game tech arrives, then I suspect getting temporal gears and Jonas parts will be a bit more exciting, as there will be a lot more that you can do with those items. Which having more uses for those items is also going to push players to brave the temporal storms and deep dark places of the world in order to acquire those rarities. Yes, to an extent. They're there for narrative purposes, as well as a way to provide an environmental hazard that fits the setting and dispense certain pieces of loot. If it was just a matter of killing players, that job could be easily done by bears, outlaws, dinosaurs...any number of things. I think some sort of Jonas tech weapon or two might offer an interesting solution to the problem. If it's a powerful late game item, that gives the player a good goal to work towards without trivializing the struggle of the early storms. Plus if said weapon has limited charges and is refueled via temporal gears, that not only gives players another use for temporal gears, but also means that they'll need to be careful about when they choose to use the weapon, as overuse could deplete their supply of gears too quickly. It's the kind of thing I could easily see being a oneshot weapon for most low-tier enemies(maybe even most common enemies in general), so that players can easily mow through hordes of enemies as long as it has charge. Difficult to acquire, limited use, but ridiculously fun if you can get your hands on one.

It depends on what latitude you chose to settle in. On a default start, you'll start in the temperate climate zone, so assuming you settled down close to spawn(and not too far north or south) winter should start around late October/early November and last until late March/early April. Depending on the version you're playing on, the mob spawns could be due to a bug. There's been issues with monster spawns in 1.20.8 and 1.20.9. Otherwise, it could be that the room is too big/not cluttered enough for how you're trying to light it. Lanterns are probably the best light source overall, as they are quite bright, have a large area, and are relatively easy to acquire. Torches are the next best option if you don't access to lanterns; if you break them and put them back every so often, it will reset the burnout timer on them. In regards to oil lamps...while they do provide light, they aren't very effective at preventing monster spawns. If you're relying on oil lamps, it's best to build small. Cluttering rooms with decoration and storage is a decent way to cut down on potential spawns as well. Same concept applies to opting for smaller rooms instead of larger ones. There's nothing wrong with large rooms or lots of wide open space, but it does leave a lot more space for things to potentially spawn(especially during temporal storms, where normal rules don't apply). I think it's mainly something you learn from experience. Wolves like to howl, so if you hear howling nearby it's a good idea to stop and examine your surroundings. Bears unfortunately don't make as much noise, but since they're bigger they're a little easier to spot. As a general rule, it's a good idea to not blindly venture into thick bushes or other places that visibility is very limited. It's also a good idea to pause every once in a while and examine your surroundings for potential threats; even if you don't find any threats, you might spot something else of interest that you might have missed otherwise. Personally, I don't venture into caves unless I'm looking for ruins and have iron armor or better. Prospecting and digging mineshafts via ladders is a much better way to acquire ore than exploring caves, and while ruins are interesting there's also nothing that's really needed from them. Ruins are mostly a way to acquire cosmetics and pieces of lore(tapestries, books, scrolls), and while they do sometimes have useful resources, it's nothing that can't be acquired elsewhere in larger amounts. For exploring the underground, it's also important to note that the deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. It's partly why I recommend iron armor--iron is relatively easy to acquire, and tough enough to withstand most beatings. The limited visibility and space underground also makes it easy to get cornered, so you may want to bring some materials along to block off passages as you explore. I'd also keep an eye on the rift activity--higher rift activity means more monster activity underground, so it's best to keep your exploring to calm(or otherwise low activity) days. Last but not least, if it's still a bit too much even with the steps taken above, there's no shame in just switching to creative mode temporarily to explore the underground. Nothing can bother you while you're in creative, and the mode will also allow you to easily clear an area of monsters and light it up before switching back to survival for a more peaceful looting experience. Once you're done looting, you can switch back to creative, clean up any of the lighting you wish to, and carry on exploring.

What quality were the gems and what quality was the trader after? If the gems you have don't match the quality the trader wants, he won't buy them. My guess is that's what happened here.

It would be the special ones that can drop the Jonas parts--that is, the deepslit/stilt/bellhead shivers. I know the deepslit shivers spawn during temporal storms, but I'm not sure if they can spawn elsewhere. The other two I've never seen, so I would assume they either spawn deep underground, or in that special area. Perhaps I'll rope my friend into some expeditions to see if we can find any. Normally I just grab the macguffin and leave the area as fast as possible as it's a little too spooky for me to want to hang around very long. Most of the caches are relatively small and don't hold anything too particularly noteworthy; a lot of them are just basic things that you could find in ruins. The caches that hold the most Jonas parts are located on a set of large floating islands that spawns somewhere in the area. It's a jumping puzzle to access those islands, but they are there. In regards to the original question of ideas for building monster farms...aside from building drifter kill boxes around hot springs or otherwise creating pits, arenas, or holding cells to trap monsters in, I'm not sure there's a way to really farm them. There's always going to be ways to exploit the creature AI, but I'd wager that trying to exploit AI weaknesses is usually going to be a slower method of dealing with monsters/acquiring goodies than just tackling them head-on.

There could still be some storm patterns that are mostly bowtorn; I'm just speaking for what I've experienced recently in the game. Overall, the monster ratios feel a lot better than they felt when 1.20 first launched. When armies of bowtorn do spawn, it seems to happen during periods of high rift activity during temporal storms, and the spawns seem to happen in specific spots rather than randomly around the landscape. Hence why I suspect that rifts themselves might be the cause of the issue during temporal storms; they seem to spawning nothing but bowtorn when active. Some of us are a little special like that. Honestly, I don't know why people do stuff like that, but everyone has their moments of it(myself included). Generally when I read about it in a post, I tend to chalk it up to poor planning/execution on the player's part, rather than jump to blaming the game itself. Depends heavily on the context.

Speaking of Valheim's food system, this mod just popped up on the DB. https://mods.vintagestory.at/valkyrnutritions I don't know how well it works, of course, but for those looking for a system like Valheim's, they now have that option.