Josiah Gibbonson

We really aren't...it's like "bare minimum" to at least add combat. No, in a game like stardew valley, we're lucky there's combat. In a game where you are expected to survive, it's expected to survive against wildlife. Which would mean combat. It would be incredibly boring if the only danger we had to deal with was hunger, freezing to death during winter, and fall damage, lol. And I don't know about you, but if a game is going to insist on having monsters and boss fights, something tells me it doesn't want to be the cozy farm sim you want it to be... Of course, it doesn't want to be some dark souls knockoff either. Everything must be balanced! And as someone who enjoys the combat aspect of games, it's only natural I'd want to see it expanded upon. Same as people who like to fish- they would LOVE to get more in-depth fishing.

Instead of wolves just appearing everywhere without rhyme or reason, the world could generate occupiable "spawn anchors" for spawning animals. For example, the world would generate empty caves to the side of mountains and cliffs. If a wandering wolf finds it, it has a chance to "claim" it, and turn it into a wolf den, which would spawn wolves around the area in a wide radius. (Some anchor points spawn already occupied) Players could clear out these cave's "animal clutter" and kill any nearby animals occupying said cave to revert it back to a claimable state. (As a result fewer of those animals would spawn naturally, since they now have anchor points...which would make some forests safer) Bears could claim these caves, and would sleep there during hibernation. "Burrow" anchor points could be found for animals like hares or other small animals. "Tree hollow" anchor points would be awesome if squirrels and when birds get added. For animals who don't den or nest, their spawns would remain pretty much unchanged.

Obviously if a sweep mechanic was implemented creature AI would have to get a boost to counterbalance it

Me and support beams have a love/hate relationship.

Surprisingly in TheHunter: COTW most of my headshots never kill...skull is too thick. I aim for the heart. But, if it was an insta-kill, it'd make sense why it'd be hard to hit. But yeah, in the chaos of battle, it'd be a rather useless mechanic- why I mentioned beforehand it'd mostly just be something to reward good aim during stealth, like on hunts.

Opens up more little branching paths, if you ask me. At the very least enemies should have weaknesses and resistances so there can be melee weapon variety outside the silly-looking sickle thing we get or spears.

If our main hand is empty, please let us light fires with the torch in our offhand. It makes no sense to only be able to light a fire if the torch is in our main hand.

There's so many little gameplay loops in the game, yet enough is never enough! Besides the upcoming additions planned from the roadmap (Gemcutting, Quenching, Fishing, ect) what gameplay loops would you like to see added, or expanded upon? I'd enjoy a butchering gameplay loop. Just take your prized game back to base, skin 'em, hang them out to dry, then chop them up for extra meat. (Less gore, no blood involved!) Refurbishing broken clutter to restore it to it's former functionality would be great too. You could take back a bunch of broken junk to your base, then fix it up with glue, rope, twine, and other stuff. Expanding on clay forming would be amazing. Let us mix two different clay types to create unique patterns! But what do you guys think would be a nice gameplay loop to add or expand upon further? I know beekeeping could use some tweaks...(From Golden Combs is amazing, don't get me wrong)

I was mostly imagining how most hunting games do it, where you should aim for the vitals for "more damage" per-se. Would only really be noticeable for hunting and boss fights. It appears "critical hit" boxes are only really useful for people using a bow, or maaaaybe a spear.

Oh, lol. I never knew that. Well, if it gets added, I'd definitely just keep it to where it's just for moving them short distances. You could even load up a boat (or handcarts, if we ever get those) easier that way. For doublechests, one player could grab one end and another player grabs the other end in order to move it. (More complex, but would be cool as heck)

I suppose so. With improved hitboxes and AI, and a few new drifter subclasses to diversify it, combat currently really wouldn't be all that bad. At bare minumim though, I wish there were resistances and weaknesses. . .maybe even parts of hitboxes being "weakpoints" to reward more calculated hunting. Currently the three monsters we see most are: Drifters, the regular derpy bois. Melee and ranged (please for the love of gears improve their ai so they just lunge or something, not grab a stone FROM MY WOODEN FLOOR and spam chuck it at me) Shivers: The fast, spider-gollum bois. Somehow too fat for going through a 1x2 entrance. Would be cool if they could squeeeeze through Bowtorn: Generic long-ranged boi Numbers, speed, and ranged have all been covered by these (if the locusts count, they come by numbers AND climb walls ) I wonder what gameplay mechanics new variants would cover!

Well, it's certainly one of my favorite gameplay loops. So, it'd at least be "my" main focus...Definitely would liven up temporal storms for one such as me! I didn't think of this...a good point! But unfortunate. When I'm all armored up I want to kill some things. Early game we're in agreement! I suppose not everybody makes a base right at world spawn. Well, say a huge boulder hurling towards you. Your shield won't do squat, but a dodge might save you. Or like, melting acid. Definitely don't want it eating away at your shield. Can't wait! Haven't gotten to any of the chapters yet. Still in late copper age with my uncle.

carry on just lets you pick up a storage container (both hands must be empty, and once in your hands you cant move with your hotbar...and you're way slower) so it's mostly just for redecorating or moving short distances without having to take everything out. Although I forgot they're looking for alternatives to the grid crafting system. Once that changes, it only makes logical sense the inventory would change as well. Thanks for the insight!

I...really don't know why everyone immediately jumps to the bandwagon that if you improve combat, suddenly the game revolves around it. I despise PvP with a passion. Wouldn't touch it with a fifty foot pole. PvE on the other hand? Loveeee it. Live for it. How is it you guys don't mind a million steps to make a simple bit of leather, or "complex" crop rotation, but the moment making combat a wee bit more complex in and of itself instead of oversimplified, everyone loses their minds and thinks "oh no, it's dark souls now!"

Because some of us would argue pressing "A or D" while sprinting is still too slow if one wanted to add faster enemy projectiles.

I Just can't wrap my head around all the complex systems in this game, and combat is where we're like "oh no, can't make that complex, new players wouldn't like it" . . .like come on, you think new players like the incredibly long, and detailed task of getting their first copper tools? Or even making a single piece of leather?? "If you only do what is easy, your life will be hard..." I don't mind combat being simple...I just wish it was more in depth so we can have more weapon variety. (Like weaknesses/resistances at the very LEAST)

Just curious. It's such a huge time saver and doesn't at all seem overpowered to me. Seems logical. What would be it's downside?

Maybe my years and years of minecraft combat shenanigans make these concepts easier to me specifically...probably harder for new folk. But if you were that new to the genre, you'd think minecraft would be your training grounds of sorts.

By difficult to master, do you mean hitting the enemy and backing up, and then repeat until they're dead? Or just run, turn, throw a spear, run, turn, throw another spear, and run to retrieve them, rinse and repeat?

Sailing across the seas is pretty fun...are you all happy with how it's implemented? How would you improve it? I personally think bigger waves to toss and turn the boat would be really neat.

One could argue stronger enemies dealing more damage and being damage sponges themselves rather than having diverser movepools as they get stronger makes it more annoying. But I'm sorry, if you can't even take one single wolf in this game down, just play minecraft...seriously. And I don't want a combat intensive game. But if they're gonna progress the story by having us fight unique enemies and bosses, the combat had better be fun. And as it is right now, I just find it bland and tedious. But we can agree to disagree. Doesn't have to be overly complex, new players wouldnt even notice it early game anyway. But if they want to progress easier through the story or survive more dangerous temporal storms, they should reasonably be expected to get better. If you want to kill a wolf, SURE you can just keep stabby stabbing it. But if you want to care enough to do it effeciently, you might research what's best to deal with them to do it safer and quicker. The game should not be focused on combat at all, but when it requires it, all I'm asking is it be a little more detailed like everything else. Not harder, just. . .less mind-numbingly simple.

Agreed. I think a simple "dodge" button could do wonders. That way when more enemies/mobs get added, you can diversify them further by making some have harder to avoid attack patterns. Although I'd also love an actual parry or backstab mechanic, it's not needed. But enemies having weaknesses and resistances among having "weak spots" would certainly make crafting new kinds of weapons viable. When hunting, I'd love to be able to down a deer faster by having to aim at a weakspot. But as is, does NOT need to be that complex lol

You just spam right click against most entities and it's gg ez, lol...Spears are overpowered, just have five of them in your inventory and machine-gun everything in sight since nothing has weaknesses or resistances. Like, ask yourself, if combat is lacking, why do YOU play other games for their combat aspect? Because combat in THIS game sucks! Compared to how detailed everything in this game is, the combat is for toddlers. You could make entities attack faster and make more interesting attack patterns. As is, the character is too sluggish for more advanced attack patterns, you'd absolutely get your butt kicked in. A fast, unblockable projectile coming towards you? Well guess what, no way to strafe, can't jump over it, and heaven help you if you think crouching will do something But, if the character stays slow and not very agile, so must everything else.

I still fail to see why there's all these gameplay loops that feed into different gameplay styles, yet combat has to get the short end of the stick. If you ask me it'd make the main story and bosses more enjoyable, along with making the little scuffles with drifters more interesting. You wouldn't *have* to engage with combat at all if you didn't want. But when you were forced to by drifters or wolves it'd be a more enjoyable experience!

Would butchering be a gameplay loop you'd like to see added? You could get bonus meat if you took the time to carry the carcass back to base, skin it, and dry it out before chopping it up. (Like the butchering mod, but remove the blood part) I think it'd be a fun, optional loop for hunters to come back and let all see their prized hunt on a little cart.