LadyWYT

Yep. But to make sure that I'm very clear here: this particular exploit is not something I would be inclined to fix, if I were in the devs' shoes, since trying to fix it is likely to cause more problems than the exploit itself in this specific scenario.

It's a neat idea, but it seems like it could really mess with the underground system as well. Some ores, like chromite and nickel, are supposed to spawn rather deep, so by shifting the entire chunk downward it's going to shift ore closer to the surface as a result. There's also the issue of monster spawns as well, since the lower Y levels spawn stronger monsters. Not really ideal to have tier 2+ potentially hanging out at the mouth of caves, or crawling their way to the surface. I think it would be less an issue of digging horizontally, and more an issue of digging vertically. For current chunks, I believe the average number of blocks the player has to dig to reach the mantle is about 100. To skirt the world height restrictions it seems more logical to keep the mantle as-is and simple shift the surface down, in which case, the player has less digging to do to get to the mantle in those chunks. There's also sea level to account for as well--most land tends to be above sea level, and it's not that often that dry land is found below it.

I'm of a similar mindset. It's one feature of Valheim that I don't enjoy, since the recipes are locked behind picking up specific things, some of which are reliant on RNG as loot drops. While it can help guide players through the progression by alerting them to new stuff they can craft, it also locks player progression to finding specific things and picking those things up, making it somewhat easy for players to miss some recipes. Minecraft has a similar problem, in that if the player doesn't already know they can craft certain items it may take them quite a long time to figure out how if they rely on the game's crafting handbook. As a mod though? Sure, why not. It'd be an interesting alternative choice for players to have, either for their own preferences or just as a fresh new way to play the game.

Drystone is the bane of my existence sometimes. The stone brick is easier to get ahold of than the loose stones needed to craft it, in some ways. Ashlar stone blocks are rather reasonable to acquire in large quantities, for those wanting the more classic stone block look.

I don't know that there are any mods that do this specifically at the moment, but there is a mod to lock progression to certain tiers: https://mods.vintagestory.at/techblocker

If the player has a very specific build in mind, that requires very specific world generation features, it's generally better to find a good spot in the world and use a little creative magic to fill in whatever's missing. Relying purely on random worldgen in this case will likely lead to a lot of frustration and disappointment. Freeform building is rather easy to do in the other block game, since that's how the other block game is designed, but Vintage Story uses more grounded designs since the focus is centered more on realistic processes and building with what's locally available.

With a status effect system, I'd say it could also be used to mitigate the effects of certain injuries. Historically, strong alcohol was used to dull pain, I do believe, so players suffering from a lingering injury(like a broken bone or serious gash) might consider a stiff drink of brandy, whiskey, or other strong liquor to reduce the negative effects for a time. Also important to note that reducing the effects is not the same as making the injury heal faster. That would be a job for herbalism. Or tying in into the above idea, use stronger alcohol as an option for cleaning wounds so they don't become infected and get worse.

It's definitely abusing game mechanics, however, it's also a classic example of an exploit that can't really be patched out due to the core game design. The player is meant to be able to break and place blocks at will; the only locations they cannot do so currently are the story locations, since allowing players complete freedom there results in strategies endemic to the other block game. The devs could, of course, let monsters simply walk through blocks, but to the player that's not going to feel fair at all. The enemies could break blocks, but that introduces the problem of players getting their builds destroyed, which isn't ideal. Letting enemies only destroy certain types of blocks, like dirt and cobblestone, or preventing enemies from destroying chiseled blocks entirely doesn't fix the problem either, since players will just use different blocks or otherwise turn every block into a chiseled one in order to mess with monster pathing. Thus for this specific example, it's easier to just let it be and not worry about it.

The other bit I forgot to mention, is that the old rule still applies: if something is obviously an exploit, it's fine to have fun with it while it's there(in most cases), but best not to become reliant on it because it may be patched out someday. I've read the occasional game review, but never bothered venturing into the forums. That goes for forums in general, really.

Just throwing my two cents in here, but it seems to me that patching exploits is just...standard practice for game development. Or at least, it used to be the standard. Sometimes the exploits are fun and minor enough that the devs decide to leave them in, but more often than not it's more ideal to fix them in order to have a more polished product. Too many bugs and exploits, and studios start getting a reputation for unpolished products.

I do agree on adding alcohol to meals, but disagree that doing so should intoxicate the player. From a realistic standpoint, adding alcohol to a dish typically doesn't result in intoxication since the alcohol gets cooked out...at least, that's my understanding. It's mostly added just for the flavor, and typically in small amounts at that. From a gameplay standpoint, I also suspect the intoxication aspect is why many players don't utilize alcohol as much as they could. The drunken wobble is certainly fun for fooling around with friends, but outside of that it can be annoying, and having even one mild drink really shouldn't make someone wobble like that. If the effects were more similar to SlowTox, in that it at least took more time and alcohol for the drunk effect to appear, alcohol would probably be a more appealing preservation option.

It's a neat style, but I would be careful about copying font choices directly when it comes to business, especially if some of the words are the same. It can be an easy way to get sued.

I'm not completely sold on the entire idea, but the hides example makes me inclined to say it's a decent idea(especially if creatures get their own unique pelts, and I hope they do!), provided it's feasible to code without causing major issues elsewhere. Which, it's the coding part that seems like it could be a big problem. Really ought to be a vanilla mechanic anyway, in my opinion. Something rotting away in a storage vessel should cause the other perishables with it to rot faster as well. Would mean players need to be a little more diligent about curating their food stores, though it would also mean that players can create compost more efficiently by making dedicated compost containers. That being said, I'd be surprised if this were a popular change.

I liked the dried/candied fruit that Expanded Foods offers, as well as the fruit bread and muffins. I expect we'll see more options someday, most likely as a smaller addition to a larger update, similar to how berry bushes are slated for rework in 1.22 but not the main focus.

Speaking of flying machines, apparently that's a mod now: https://mods.vintagestory.at/vsairshipmod

Really depends on how much work one wants to sink into the setup. It's not something I would recommend though due to the changes coming in 1.22. Multi-windmill setups should still be possible, it's just the Frankenmill designs that are going defunct, I think, in favor of watermills and bigger windmill options.

No, that actually is working as intending, at least in this point in the game's development. Water in Vintage Story does not act the same way that it does in the other block game. Water sources have to be placed individually, either via bucket or the creative menu(though if using creative there's probably a world edit tool to quickly fill a space with water). It is a bit cumbersome, may or may not be subject to change in the future. Overall though, I don't get the impression that the player is meant to be able to easily create large bodies of water, outside of world edit.

If the vessels are just covered with dirt they should be fine. The space will just cease to function as a cellar when you remove the dirt to access the vessel.

It's typically a matter of just picking a direction and walking. However: Translocators are a very good way to cover a lot of ground rather quickly, if you happen to find a few. Limestone, chalk, and slate can sometimes be good areas to look at well, as those are rock types that often appear alongside bauxite. It's no guarantee of finding bauxite, of course, but if there are convenient cliffs or caves around to check strata, it can't hurt to give it a shot. However, if you're still having no luck, you might just turn your attention to a different task for a while. Iron is sufficient for completing the story, so you might consider working on story content(if lore is enabled) and see if you run across any bauxite in the process. Likewise, you might consider venturing to the tropics for some new scenery and goodies to bring home, and see if you stumble across a source of bauxite along the way.

Like others have already noted, looking for circular depressions in the ground and then digging down to see if there is suevite or meteor chunks underneath is typically the best method. Sometimes there are suevite/meteor bits on the surface though, so digging isn't necessary.

Welcome to the forums! Cellars still work in southern climates. The difference is they won't be quite as effective as in the north due to the hotter climate. In the default temperate climate, cellars will be most effective in the colder months, while losing a bit of effectiveness in the warmer months. It's probably just due to the warmer southern climate. What rates are the storage vessels reading? To my knowledge, cellars in southern climates should have rates similar to northern climates in the summertime, so stuff like raw meat should stay fresh for at least a few days before starting to spoil. One thing you might check is the cellar's construction, since using wood or placing slabs that aren't flush to the interior can throw things off.

Well...now I have to pay more attention next time I make soup in Vintage Story. I knew the stews changed depending on what you put in them, but the soup all looked the same.

I think perhaps some of it is due to the differing natures of the two. Discord is very convenient for fast communication, which makes it great for gaming with friends, but the fast pace of such communication also makes it very easy to react to things in the heat of the moment, and emotional reactions are, in many cases, not the best choices. Forums, on the other hand, move at a much slower pace, which makes them more suited to handling large volumes of information and people at once, but can also make them frustrating to deal with if one desires quick responses. That wait time, however, is an overlooked benefit, as it gives users a chance to cool off and think over their response carefully before posting. Granted, it's not completely foolproof, as it's still very possible to get into altercations with other users, but it does tend to happen a little less often, I think, due to the slower nature of the posting system.

Five sets of sails is plenty to power a helve hammer, provided the wind is decent. If you connect the windmill directly to the helve hammer using axles and angled gears there shouldn't be any power issues as long as there is some decent wind. If you only want to use a single windmill to power everything, you will need to connect the windmill to a large gear, using an angled gear to connect it to the large gear's rim. In the pictures you provided, you've connected the windmill to the main shaft of the large gear, which in my experience will make the large gear spin quite fast but won't actually translate to power. By connecting the windmill to the large gear's rim via angled gear though, the large gear will turn much slower but actually be outputting usable power. From there it's just a matter of connecting everything else to the other empty slots on the large gear's rim, making sure to include transmissions and clutches so you can switch the machines on and off as needed. One windmill alone won't power everything at once, at least not in 1.21.

I think the better course of action would be to add some sort of flying machine for the player to build and keep fueled/maintain, whether that be a hot air balloon, simple airship, or simple airplane. Granted, I also think flying machines are a bit outside the scope of the game, but if flight is intended to be a legitimate method of player travel over long distances, the player should need to invest a lot more into it. Flight is, after all, a very powerful ability, and while Minecraft's elytra is very fun to use...it's also a source of the game's wonky balance. Acquiring one can take a bit of work, but once the player has an elytra, it's very easy to maintain with Mending and Unbreaking III. Sugar cane can be easily farmed for paper, and it's also not hard to build a basic mob grinder for gunpowder or otherwise hunt creepers with a Looting III weapon. For Vintage Story though, I expect travel to remain more...grounded. Mounts, railroads potentially, and maybe even teleporters as a very late game investment. The glider will probably remain a niche item; useful for covering short distances or avoiding what would otherwise be lethal falls, but not something intended to be used for conventional travel.