LadyWYT

I could see this. I'm not sure about making it a one-shot for rotbeasts, as in lore those are supposed to be very tough and they don't really have proper heads(or at least, they're faceless), however I could see it being a critical hit in that case, perhaps. I know that headshots are a thing in Mount & Blade: Warband. Generally, they're a lucky hit, and a one-shot-kill if you do manage to land one. The one exception is exceptionally tough targets, whether that toughness be from armor, hitpoints, or a combination of both. At worst though, a headshot will do a lot of damage. Where I am skeptical of the idea, is that such a change is likely to generate complaints about headshots being too hard to land, and that aiming needs to be made easier so headshots are easier as a result. Which, in my opinion, defeats the purpose. Headshots are not something that should be easy at all, especially with medieval ranged weapons, unless the target is very close. The current system actually does allow for high shot accuracy, but it takes a LOT of practice to consistently hit targets at long range, or targets in motion.

It depends on server settings, I think. The default, I believe, is that time does not pass while no players are online.

Ironically, more creatures that require the player to vary their strategy is what we got in 1.20...and there are still complaints about it. The arms race bit and one-shot weapons are spot on though, and exactly what I don't want to see in the game. A one-shot-kill for surface monsters is fine, but the higher tiers should really still be dangerous even in the late game, especially since they aren't encountered all that often by the player. That was the precursor to the falx, right? My best guess is that Tyron wanted a more unique weapon for monster fighting than the standard European blade. As much as I don't like the look of the falx, the design is pretty solid and definitely looks like it would be something easily made from farming tools, if one had to. Yeah, I'd agree with this too. Though with the recent auto-loot feature added to the falx, I think there's a better case to be made for adding a standard arming sword/longsword. It can be similar enough in terms of attack power, perhaps ever so slightly worse on attack/durability, but it's the lack of autoloot that would make it less attractive than the falx for monster fighting. Other weapons like axes and stuff...I think there's room for those to be added as proper weapons as well, but I'm betting that the devs are wanting to make each weapon have its own niche when/if added, instead of just adding what's essentially a bunch of sword reskins. And while more weapons would be nice...it's also not something I expect to see anytime soon, as there are others things that are much bigger priorities. More animals, herbalism, late game tech, etc. I think the answer you get to this question varies depending on who you ask. But to use this next bit as an example: Sure, it's almost a guarantee to be a contentious thread, if that's really all that's been laid out for the argument. In my opinion, the best arguments are the ones where the poster lays out specific grievances and why they have issue with them, and then proposes some specific solutions that they think would solve the problem(though saying "I don't know how to fix this, I just know there's an issue is also fine, because sometimes you just don't know). In those cases, I may or may not agree with the argument that's been presented, but it's a lot easier to understand where the poster was coming from, and offer other ideas.

Which mode are you using? Density search will provide a reading of what's probably in the area if you dig, but the readings aren't guaranteed either. Node search is limited to a six block radius by default(disabled entirely for Wilderness Survival and Homo Sapiens gamemodes), but will tell you for sure if there is an ore node nearby and what kind, as well as give you an idea of how close you are by listing the rough amount of ore it located(medium amounts, trace amounts, etc). You'll want to use Density Search to figure out good spots to dig--usually these will be readings of Decent or higher, but it can be worth checking Poor/Very Poor as well sometimes--and then dig straight down via ladders while using Node Search every so often to figure out what's actually there and where.

This is a modded feature, though in vanilla colder weather will greatly improve spoilage timers.

I'm a little surprised as well, but then I think of how often I actually use traders...which isn't very. They never really sell anything I want, aside from salt and the fancy pots and tapestries...except I rarely get an artisan trader anywhere within decent travel distance. In any case, the under-utilization is probably part of the reason that traders are getting a rework. Maybe, but the builders sell polished stone, which is handy if you don't have certain stone types nearby or don't want to sink time into a quarry. I think both traders will also buy glass, which is a great way to turn quartz into gears over time. Honestly, a few premade furniture pieces would be great, and also fit the theme of some of the other decorative pre-made blocks(like the cabin logs and the different roofs). Chiseling does allow more creative freedom, but not everyone wants to go to the trouble, or has that kind of expertise, so it's nice to have some pretty pre-made options to use as well.

In all fairness though, adding an option to tweak distances is probably a LOT faster and simpler than overhauling the entire combat system. I think the other reason the combat debate puts me off, is that oftentimes when the subject comes up there's not really anything substantial to the argument than "the combat is bad, because I don't find it fun, therefore it must be made better." Okay, sure, players are entitled to that opinion, but there's also no way to discuss any kind of possible solution with that statement. If someone doesn't find it fun, that's not necessarily a problem with the gameplay, as much as it is just an observation on someone's personal tastes. If a specific problem is laid out though(like hitboxes), then it's a lot easier to evaluate and agree that yeah, there seems to be a potential problem, so let's figure out a possible solution. Same logic applies to solutions. "Just make it better" could mean anything, and could include solutions that actually make the gameplay less fun for the player originally making the complaint. If a specific solution is laid out for a specific problem though, then it's a lot easier to read and either agree it's a good idea, or offer counter-arguments that might work better.

Welcome to the forums! I would check this mod, as I seem to recall someone else reporting similar issues and figuring out it was the culprit. Unfortunately, I don't recall what the solution they found was, if they found one aside from removing that mod.

One nuance I enjoy about the current balance is that while combat is required for certain story locations and for underground exploration, it's not required for the game as a whole. Most of the player's time is going to be spent homesteading, scouting, or gathering resources, and not fighting, unless they're going out of their way to hunt monsters at night. As a result, underground exploration and story-related combat serves as a nice change of pace. I may sound a bit cynical saying this, but I'm not sure that the sentiment is limited to those who just really want nothing but combat. There have definitely been at least a handful of instances of various users coming through the forums demanding one change or another, instead of just...adjusting a few of the vanilla settings or installing a mod to cover their wants. Combat just happens to be one of the hot topics that gets complained about...frequently...from users who seem to want a game focused on combat, which isn't what Vintage Story is. I also wonder if some of the downloads aren't from players who don't really care about combat, but play on servers with CO installed. It's definitely a popular mod, but I do get the impression that those who use it are those who are mainly focused on combat to begin with, and not so much the other areas of gameplay. This is one reason I keep harping on hitboxes, as that's one weak point I've noticed. The rest feels fairly solid. The other thing I keep forgetting is that a status effect system has been floated a time or two, and I think something like that would add quite a lot to a deceptively simple system. It's all fun and games until the drifters give you a concussion that isn't fixable by a mere poultice. Though honestly, I'd expect to see at least a few complaints about that sort of mechanic as well, if/when it's added.

A really good idea that I did not think of earlier. It may be possible to team up with one or two of them regarding base building, so that there's always someone around to tend to things.

Like @Echo Weaver already said, the No Offline Food Spoil mod is supposed to grant some leniency for players by preventing food items in their inventory from rotting while they're offline. It won't stop other stored food from spoiling, but it will at least ensure that players don't starve when they log back in, if they haven't played in a while. There are also settings in vanilla to decrease spoilage rates. However, all of that depends heavily on how the server owner wishes to operate their server. Honestly, it sounds like you might be playing on a bigger server, and one of the drawbacks to such is that time will always be passing since there's almost always someone online. As a result, players who aren't playing frequently are more likely to fall behind than the ones able to play more regularly. Obviously, real life stuff needs to come before game, and I don't think there's fault on either party here, but there may just be a mismatch of your playstyle versus what the server is built to support. You may want to consider finding a smaller server to play on, with players that have similar schedules to yours, so that time isn't passing so quickly and players aren't as likely to get left behind if they can't play for a few days.

What I'd actually do in this case, is not add iron+ spears, but pikes instead. That way, the player has a late game weapon option with a lot of reach(and potentially a minimum effective range), but will still need to use a bow for damage at longer ranges.

The spear has higher damage per shot, but it gets outclassed by bows later in the game simply due to practical range and inventory space. Bows can shoot farther, and players can stack 64 shots per inventory slot instead of just one. I daresay this is also the main reason that spears are limited to bronze tier as the maximum quality; if they were iron or better, then they'd be outclassing bows and possibly even falxs, which isn't really ideal.

Yeah, I agree with what @Diff says here about using AI--be very careful, especially if you're only just starting out in whatever craft you're currently working. That's not to say AI can't be useful sometimes, but it can't actually think for itself and like any computer, spits out whatever was fed into it. If one isn't already familiar with their craft(be it coding, writing, drawing, etc), then it's a lot harder to catch AI errors when they happen. Honestly, for a project of this scope, I might dial things back a bit and make something smaller while you draft a plan for the larger project. Perhaps just adding a single NPC, or a simple quest, or even just some custom items, is going to be a lot easier to handle than trying to do everything at once. Once you've got some of the basics figured out in smaller projects, then you should be able to take everything you've learned and roll it all into the big project. As a final note, don't forget that asking for modding help here on the forums or on the VS Discord is always an option!

You can, if you can get the drifters to bonk the rams with rocks. I don't think the rams care otherwise. I'm guessing that once upon a time, drifters didn't throw rocks, and that may have been added to try to stop players from just standing on ledges or pillars in relative safety, though I can't really confirm this. The couple things I do know of that were changed to prevent cheesing enemies:

That's a question for the support team, but to my knowledge if a player refunds the game then the linked game account is banned until repurchase. https://www.vintagestory.at/support/

Luckily, you can buy those seeds from agricultural traders, or find them occasionally in Primitive Survival's tree hollows.

Only until the devs add a diving bell.

@Teo Teutza The treasure chest should be directly under the marker, though the depth it's buried can vary a bit. If you're having issues finding it though, you could try popping into spectator mode and taking a quick peek to make sure you didn't miss it by a couple of blocks. There should also be a chest under each marker.

You should give the SlowTox mod a whirl. It's all fun and games until you're six liters in and only starting to feel the effects of the first catching up with you. Edit: I just now noticed that someone voted panning as their favorite game mechanic.

This is why I don't think it's a great idea. I would expect most players to turn it off, save for the ones who don't care about building and want that kind of challenge. Maybe, but that leads to strategies like...just plunking a bunch of glass blocks down around nearby so they'll go after those and not your stuff. And it's not like glass is expensive either, given how easy quartz is to find. Even haybales would probably work, and those are renewable. The player gets the first storm warning 8 in-game hours before it arrives. If I'm doing my math correctly, each in-game day is 48 IRL minutes, so the player has about 16 minutes to get ready before the storm arrives. While that is quite a bit of time, that's still too late to really make serious storm preparations; the player should have that done in advance rather than scramble for it last minute. Overall, the main issue I still see here is that changes like this would almost have to be some kind of toggle in the world settings, and off by default(except maybe for Wilderness Survival). If it's a change that's baked in, all I really see it doing is pushing players to stick with the absolute bare basic dirt/stone box house, as that's the most feasible thing to actually keep maintained. Which is a real disservice to the chisel system and other gorgeous building options available. I think there's something to this. The suggested upgrades are quite powerful, yes, but that's also end-game tech, which the player will really have to work at to get. I was also thinking perhaps something like a cross between Subnautica's stasis rifle and Skyrim's aetherial shield. For those who don't know, the stasis rifle freezes targets in a certain area for a short time, though said enemies can still be damaged(or damage you, if you wander too close to the pointy bits). It also consumes a lot of battery power per shot, so while useful it does need to be used carefully. As for the aetherial shield, targets bashed with it will be phased out of reality for a short time--they won't be able to harm or be harmed while phased. How I think it could work in Vintage Story: allow some sort of ranged temporal weapon, that creates a "stasis zone" and renders targets temporarily frozen and invulnerable. Such a thing would allow players to buy themselves time to either reposition themselves, apply a quick bandage, or perhaps escape a dangerous situation entirely. To keep it balanced, the weapon could have a very limited number of shots before needing to be recharged via temporal gear, and would have no effect on large, powerful targets like bosses.

Rice, I suppose I could see, since I'm not sure that I've heard of it being used as a staple food for animals IRL(though I'm sure plenty would eat it). Flax grain--that seems like maybe a change for gameplay balance, in order to place more value on more nutritious grain crops like rye and spelt instead of just planting only flax to cover all fiber/grain needs.

But that's my favorite track! That being said, I think it's probably a hard one to balance compared to the other tracks. It starts off very soft, so if it was turned down then it would be difficult to hear the first minute or so. However, if it's turned up to compensate then the percussion section can be quite jarring when it finally hits. The best option here might be to just add an option for the player to exclude certain tracks of music from playing entirely(at least, of the tracks that play on a regular basis--no excluding special tracks like boss music or location tracks).

Extreme Home Makeover: Vintage Edition

Hence my quip about the price of convenience. Though really, I would expect bombs to be better suited for blasting through rock in order to carve tunnels or otherwise find ore, than for mining the ore itself. I do find myself wondering now, how the "price of convenience" logic would look applied to other gameplay loops. Would players end up forgoing the intended methods for things like livestock and steel, and waste more resources overall if it meant they could otherwise have the final product a lot faster? That seems more like a niche for trading though--pay through the nose upfront, but acquire some really good stuff much earlier than might otherwise be possible...provided one has the gears to pay for such.