Bruno Willis

These gifs are amazing, really helped explain the idea. I would say, I'm pretty sure rivers almost never split once they start flowing, it's more likely you get streams converging as they flow down hill (which your model also does). I think this might be solved if rivers had a data identity for the river as a whole, which would record how big and fast it was, which would help determine how it ends up falling across terrain, which I think you were getting at, Gummyslav: That way a large river will hit small divots and check how big and fast it is, and then just barrel through, maybe reducing its speed by a few ticks in the process. Damn, you're right. Does the game generate a "height map" or something before it generates terrain? I think that's what the farseer mod uses to get its distant mountains? If it were generating a vague outline of the terrain height, could it not have a second vague outline which just records the paths of rivers relative to the terrain height, so that when the game goes to generate terrain off the height map, it also takes into account the "river map"? Saying that, I do think the devs will have to do this sort of re-vamp of world gen. anyway to give landscapes more large scale coherence, and rivers will be easier as a result. The way you described islands being alright to do, but larger landforms needing plateaus, makes me think about essentially stacking islands overlapping each other, like scales, to get elevation change while still using those smaller shaped landforms? I'm not sure if that's what you're talking about with geomorph, or if that actually solves anything. Currently I really like seeing the terrain generation where there are obvious geological slabs sticking out of the ocean on these dramatic leans, with slight steps where the land looks like it's eroded to a hard ridge and then left a bit of it jutting out. What makes those look so good it how often they are at angles, which really sells their tectonic origins. You wouldn't want to lose that by generating based on elevation offsets.

Imagine rocking up to your favorite survival goods trader, only to hear a cough from behind their door. Is it worth going in? Do you want to buy salt, and get the flu for free? Do you have enough honey and thyme to make warm drinks for your recovery?

This. I've seen mods where the modder has included a line in the description saying "looking for thumbnail art" and then crossed it out when they got some. That's a great way for those of us with art skills but no money to "pay" for mods we like.

Welcome to the forums! I've also had one of these sessions, and I like what you've got here. The way I read this section is that the game would essentially draw out an elevation map and then overlay a number of likely rivers, then choose the best of those rivers following realistic parameters (fastest flow, most direct route downhill etc.), and generate terrain, those rivers included. Is that right? Reading this, I initially thought that rivers don't typically split again once they've met (the exception being braided rivers which are wonderful and not common). Reading it again though, are you suggesting that the game uses the branching mechanic to propose alternative paths, and then chooses the best of the three possible options and generates that one? I like that idea. I really like the idea of floods, but I've also been listening when people explain that a full meter of water rise would A: not be realistic and B: cause a lot of problems with terrain gen. But, your post gave me an idea about special river-flat blocks which might let us do flooding in a cool way: They'd essentially be dirt slabs, which would generate when a river ran through flat dirt land. They'd generate on either side of the river, out until they met an elevation change. They'd be able to have plants placed on them (I know, that'd be an issue but bear with me), which would grow extra bushy around the base (allowing the devs to use their normal plant models and then extend a half-block of tangled foliage filling the space below). The river-flats would be able to be tilled, and would have good fertility, but if dug up would just produce "silty earth" which would work like fertilizer rather than a placeable block. When rain fell for an extended amount of time though, all rivers with river flats would rise one block higher, and the river flats half blocks would flood, destroying any plants and crops (except rice?) which were planted on them. Any missing bits of river flat would re-generate if there were river flat blocks adjacent (simulating silt washing over the flats). It'd stay flooded for four days after the rain stopped, and then return to normal, except the river-flat blocks would be refreshed to full nutrient value, be un-tilled, and stripped of any grass which might have grown on them.

Welcome to the forums, and thank you for such an in-depth response. Yes, I think this is an area the game could improve on. I found that chiseling was a very rewarding winter pass-time, but it does chew through nutrition. It feels like this might be a good time to weave and do little, time intensive, low effort tasks, but then we have the problem that spending lots of time on minor tasks might not be all that fun. I imagine when the devs add weaving properly, that could end up being a really fun, time intensive mini-game which you might want to do during winter, but it's still a challenge to fill that winter time. Panning, again uses heaps of nutrition. Maybe chiseling and panning should use less nutrition to encourage saving up those jobs for winter? I would say, going hunting is still viable in winter, and it is beautiful out there in the snow. I would love it if there were more of a reward for surviving a long time, but I think the game wants to keep the cost of dying low because you will almost certainly die a bit if you interact with the storyline, or go out and have fun during temporal storms. It's a bit of an issue, where they want to encourage not dying, but they also want to encourage adventurous risk taking, and those things just don't align. I find filling up the nutrition bars really rewarding, so that's a good encouragement for not dying for me, but I'd love it if there were a solid reward for surviving a full year, which helped you survive just a bit more. It could even just be an extra little bit of health. That way, if you're trying really hard not to die at all, you can gradually tick up your total health, which would be a nice reward for people who play perma-death: as their investment in a world increases, they get slightly better odds for surviving. As it is, I would recommend improving your base over winter. It's a great time to just tinker round, especially with interiors. If on your next play through you want something closer to perma-death but less brutal, you might try increasing the re-spawn radius to something ludicrous as a death punishment. It'd be like starting a new game each time you die, except occasionally you'd run into the remains of your past lives.

This would be the route I'd use. I think the devs are a bit stuck with water as long as they keep the weird TOBG water rules. Personally I would love to see a total re-imagining of water mechanics, so that water sources aren't something which can just be placed or destroyed, where water can flow continuously towards low points, rather than just sink into the earth, and where water can be diverted or blocked to flood areas. It's a huge ask, but I think the devs could come up with far better water mechanics than TOBG has, and I think better, more believable water would seriously elevate the game.

This is something I care about as well. I'd love to see a way to wrap storage vessels in wet linen or something to keep food cool on long journeys. I guess also, use long-lasting foods, like pickles and salted meats? I've never had enough salt to really do that, but I guess that's already an option.

I would lock shutters behind saws. Door bars would have to be early game though. I'd say they could have a variety of different versions - Crude bars made with logs horizontally and a stone axe, which could bar any door, even a crude door. They'd have a durability, probably pretty high considering the resource cost, but when broken, would simply disappear. Milled bars, made with a single support beam and 2 nails/strips. They'd have a lower durability, but be able to be repaired by right-clicking a support beam into the bar housing. Metal lock, made with an iron bar and 2 iron nails/strips (or steel). They'd have no durability bar, and be permanent protection. When a drifter reached a door, it would have a small chance to try the door, like a 5% chance? Each time a drifter tried the door, it would nock 1 durability off the bar on the door, or open the door if it were unbarred (or destroy the door, if it were a crude door). That way having a bar on your door would feel like really good protection, as long as you remembered to use it, but it would still gradually wear down. I think that'd be fun game-play, personally.

I actually love this idea, I've asked for it before. The way I'd get around it being a total nuisance is by adding "storm shutters" to the game. They'd be heavy wooden shutters which could be fastened outside, over windows (ideally you'd be able to slide your window open and close the shutters from inside). If there were shutters, then I'd say stones and bone arrows would break any sort of glass window, unless it were covered. It would be nice to have dedicated shutters anyway, and it would make the lore about the horrors line up with player experience. Think of how fun it would be, running around as the storm hits, closing all the shutters, and then you pause, rest in your safe little kitchen, have a bite to eat. There's a smashing sound from the room above. "Did I forget to close the bedroom shutters?" you think to yourself. Then the drifters start pouring in. I'd also love it if some drifters could open doors unless they were "bared." (a dedicated lock from the inside, which would look really cool/make lots of lore sense). That way if the drifters broke a window and got in, they might be able to open doors to get to you. Real horror. Ideally, shivers would also be able to climb, and squeeze, slowly, horribly, through one block wide gaps. That'd add some extra disgustingness to them, which I'm sure they'd love.

This looks sick! I don't know if you are drawing with a mouse, but if you are, that's the hardest way to draw. Good on you.

I personally hate seeing anything AI, it makes me feel sad, uncomfortable and slightly disgusted. That being said, I am currently using a mod which has an AI thumbnail. I'm a decent artist, and I should probably design them something. I'm sure there are plenty of us out here who can make good images, and it would be a lot easier for me if the mod creator said on their mod "Looking for thumbnail art - please send us something"

I'd quite like to see a dubious looking almanac with temporal storm predictions, suggestions to plant different crops at different dates, eclipse predictions, etc. Some of the predictions would be slightly off, but only by a day or two at worst. You'd be given one for free which would last you your first year, after that you'd want to buy one. And they would come from somewhere! Somewhere in the world there would be a room with a mechanical wood-block printing press and a little scholar with some Jonas tech devices and a telescope, writing out their predictions and sending them into the world via the merchants.

I wish I could be... When I started playing, I was very cautious around bowtorns, even after I killed them. The sight of that spikey rib-cage body slowly toppling towards me was a serious worry, but they're actually perfectly harmless once dead. What! If I'm stupid enough to stand under a bowtorn as it keels over and dies, I want to feel the pain of two or three metal and bone bow-limbs stabbing into me. The suggestion in plain language: When a bowtorn dies it should damage anything its corpse falls on. Cause it looks like it would hurt if it fell on you.

I was so surprised when I got onto the forums and realised some of the old guard hated the bowtorns. They'd only just been added, and I'd never experienced the game without them. I thought (and still think) the bowtorn are sick. So I guess, enjoy the game as it existed, but remember that newcomers only know the game as it exists right now, and their questions, complaints, and suggestions are going to come from that. It's not their fault. Actually, I think it's a very valuable way to see how the game reads without prior knowledge.

This would be a lovely addition. It looked to me (on the recent V.S. video showcasing sharpening) that the Devs are working on moss at the moment. I'd love to see mossy patches on the underside of cliffs, dripping water which can be collected. That'd be very atmospheric.

With the addition of rapids, it seems like V.S. is taking another step away from using the water mechanics from the other block game. That's great, because TOBG's water makes no sense and doesn't look good. There are lots of other ways V.S. might change water to improve it. Waterfalls: At the moment, when water falls, it remains a full block of blue liquid, which looks nothing like a real waterfall. Characters can swim up it too. I would love to see waterfalls changed so that when water drops it gets a different texture, becoming white water, and turning to mist if it falls more than 10 blocks. If possible, it would be nice if falling water could fall in a sheet, rather than as a full block of liquid. It'd be lovely if when falling water hit a solid block at the end of its fall it produced a dramatic water splashing animation too. On top of that, I don't think the swimming up waterfalls mechanic needs to stay. It's not really that useful, and it seems like an emersion breaking hold-over from TOBG, rather than anything realistic or uncompromising. Swimming in Armor: At the moment there is no difference between swimming without any clothing and armor and swimming in full plate armor. There is no risk of drowning if you fall into water on accident. Water is not dangerous. I would like it if different sorts of armor restricted swimming in different ways. Textile armors would weigh you down but not prevent you rising to the surface, while chain and scale would make swimming back to the surface hard. Swimming in plate armor would not allow you to rise at all, except stepping up blocks (so you could walk along the bottom and make your way to the surface that way. I would like it if wearing bags and baskets restricted swimming in a similar way too. I know that would restrict underwater exploration, but now that we will be able to put down bags and access things inside them, I think it'd feel fine. You'd take your armor off, put it in your bags, and leave most of your bags on the shore when you dive. It would be interesting if currents and waves could be used to dunk characters under, making drowning more of a possibility. Water's edge: At the moment if you disrupt water sources by breaking a block, they will stay flowing endlessly, even if the body of water is massive, and the area it is trying to fill is a single block. I would like to see some way for these sorts of weird flowing water spots to heal naturally. They don't look good, and don't make much sense. When it rains, could the game check flowing water blocks, and if they're surrounded on all sides and on the bottom by either solid blocks, or water, replace the flowing water with a source block?

I use https://mods.vintagestory.at/stickydirt and I really really recommend it. It ties soil instability to the plants growing on it (the idea is their roots make the soil more stable).

I love that these meadows would form naturally via normal interactions. It'd feel so good to gradually see grassland change into a meadow as you mow it for hay each year. It might be good for artificial meadows to have a way to regress back into a wild state too though.

I've never used online forums before this, but I've heard rumors so I expected a level of conflict that's just never come up here. I felt really welcomed, and while I've witnessed a few arguments which got silly, I've always felt I could just post elsewhere. Things like the "humorous stories" thread help keep the forums feeling welcoming and cheerful. For the third pole I put "other", because I think arguments do occasionally devolve and get less than respectful still stay contained to V.S. things, and get personal only about people's positions on V.S., not on any outside life things. Most of the time, arguments seem to be between people who really care about V.S. and want it to be better, but have different ideas about what would improve the game. As long as we keep that in mind, that when people get passionate, it's cause they both really want V.S. to be better, then hopefully we can be understanding? Whenever something gets a bit intense, I always remember that there are quiet people who are interested in some of the less contentious aspects, and you can pull those things out and start a new, less contentious thread focused on one very specific thing. It seems like we get the most arguments when people are talking about big, overarching concepts and systems. Small, specific ideas seem to draw in people who are interested in workshopping the idea rather than criticizing.

Thanks for the reminder about the cold vulnerability slider, I'll use that. This is definitely off topic now, but how about if the air timer for swimming stayed the same, but if you were wearing armor you got a little red tag saying "armor weighs you down" and were unable to rise (spacebar wouldn't let you rise to the surface). Perhaps the same could be said if you're carrying more than one bag, now that bags can easily be placed down? That way you might fall into water, realise you're too heavy to get out, and take your armor off, place your bags on the riverbed, and kick for the surface, then do a couple of rescue dives to retrieve your bags one by one. It'd make falling into water while unprepared a threat, but it wouldn't restrict exploring underwater much at all.

I'd love to see a practical use for the planter pots in game already. It would be really cute to plant seeds in the planters (like 6 seeds per planter) and then remove them once they hit the first growth stage and re-plant them in your garden. If you just let them keep growing, one would dominate and you'd end up with a single crop even if you left all six seedlings in.

That's an excellent idea. It'd still need to be able to be placed on a farm plot with plants growing on it, but that'd be a nice change to ladders anyway. Maybe it would only work with the crude ladders (made with sticks).

Bit of a side note, but with the drowning, I really think environmental effects are pretty toothless in V.S. In NZ, there are no dangerous animals, but people still die in the wilderness because of how bad exposure is. In V.S. we get really really cold, and then eventually, eventually, we take a small amount of damage. Same with swimming, it's a crazy long air bar before we take any damage, which is neat, except that it removes the risk of drowning almost entirely. If you couldn't swim up while wearing armor, that'd be really interesting. Imagine seeing a nice flat bit of grass to make camp as you're traveling through the swamp, only to step onto it and find it's a layer of pond-scum over a deep pool, and now you're desperately pulling your armor off so that you can swim back to the surface before you drown.

It always seemed odd to me that you get the same amount of dried grass from a "very short" grass growth as you do from "tall grass." There's a whole set of different heights of grass, why not give more dry grass the taller the grass growth?

I love the idea of trellis and frames for vines. It could be a two-tall block of sticks, which if placed free-standing on farm plot, would make a 2 tall cone of sticks, and if placed against a wall, would form a leaning frame, again 2 tall. Placing a trellis would work in a similar way to placing fertiliser, in that it could be placed on farm land, even with growing plants on it. I'd love it if an unoccupied trellis would work like a tool rack, and even an occupied one could have have sheer, or a knife, or a reed basket or watering can hung from the side. Trellises and tomatoes would add so much to the look of our gardens.