Now to cross my fingers for a release at the end of this month! If not my chips are for September. ' Well on the bright side, July is just another month out of the way, getting us all closer to that sweet, sweet, beta. And Saints Row 4 will keep me busy for about 2 weeks.
HE did point out that it's easy to replenish the Durability, so it's more of a thing to make you not spend all your time underground and spend time in your spaceship or other such things since there replenishes the durability for free without ore.
Well the tools will lose durability no matter where you dig. Down just happen to lose it faster, making up for the fact you dig less blocks straight down... So Digging down may be perfectly viable. Also 1- This isn't a terraria clone 2- What makes you think water at the bottom of the shaft/hellevator will save your life in starbound? 3- Minecraft is the biggest build game out there (I don't like it). And it has durability on everything, guess what? It works. Don't bash Tiy on something you haven't even tried yet.
I suggest making durability optianl but for all things (I'd prefer that for myself). Take Terraria's character creation for example: softcore - character drops half of his money on death mediumcore - character drops loot hardcore - permanent death So if there's will be an option on character creation: only mining tools deteriorate / all tools and weapons / everything imaginable to break. To avert Beta delay due to implemention (heh) it is feasible to share repair method for all equipment. But in future, just imagine the depth, you are running in the cold night under the rain somewhere for the ingridient to make grease for apparent greasing needs for your mecha walker.
I have to admit, I'm still a little lost on the point of durability in this incarnation. I'm not seeing the point of the mechanic at this point, if it's only affecting tools. Don't take that as a vote for applying durability more widely, though I guess it wouldn't be so bad if it worked for armour and weapons the same way. Return to base to repair them fully, rather than having stuff just vanish once it runs out. That would be okay. Perhaps I'm feeling spoiled by the prospect because Don't Starve is just so savagely unforgiving by comparison.
nobody cares that nobody cares. is it really important to call people out when they say those things? is it truly crucial to the community that these actions be stopped by firm typing of keys?
I'm really impressed with the durability system! It sounds like you put a lot of thought into making exploration underground more of an adventure. I can't quite put my finger on it but this adds something that I didn't even know was missing from Terraria! Seriously; bravo.
I just think it'd be more balanced if it was all tools, not just pickaxes. Not weapons though, that can get you into a bind real fast, and no one enjoys that.
Durability on tools to make hellivators less viable is a good idea in my opinion. It keeps the game feeling more adventurous and less like working in a mining camp. To everyone who says that its pointless because it keeps you from getting to harder content, keep in mind that different worlds will have different difficulty levels, so going to a harder difficulty may be as simple as traveling to the next tier difficulty planet.
I think this would be a fun, optional gameplay style. possible hardmode or such. seems a little much for the average player, but would be a lot of fun for the more experienced! I like the idea of having durability on everything. perhaps it would take a long while for the wear and tear to be effective, like after 500 strikes you lose a bit of damage. then after 1500 it falls into disrepair, and a sword would be considered a blunt weapon. I, like others, find it silly and pointless to make mining tools less effective over use. who wants to return to their ship constantly because their tools are slowing down, when they've just smacked into a jackpot of ore? it's not a huge deal, though. I'd be alright with it either way.
NO DAILY SCREENSHOT!? BLASPHEMY! WITCHCRAFT! But in all honesty, very proud of the work the team is doing. This game is going to be one of the greatest successes in gaming history.
If it would be on as an added game mode (isn't hunger sort of like that?). Than I would vote for it to be a step down from the hardest mode So this durability and survival hunger etc.. As a mode (Maybe realistic or survival mode?) - But without any of the harder game elements like perma death and other serious death related consequences. Those should be in an even harder mode or not at all
Ooh, I like this durability system! It's something I've never heard of before, and it sounds new and fresh! I like it! Durability for weapons would have been nice, especially if they worked in a similar way! I'm thinking something like System Shock 2's durability system, except without the jamming. Maybe firerate and/or reload lowers with ranged guns, and slightly less damage and/or knockback on melee? Aw, but that's okay, it's your own unique system, and it sounds great right now as-is! :catface2:
My thoughts on durability (because my opinions will grow spider legs and hide in dark corners if not properly shared): I think just about everything should be affected by durability in some fashion. I like a few of the ideas already posted here where hitting "zero" results in reduced effectiveness. Yes, carrying back up gear can be a pain. Yes, having to hunt for special ore to fix up yer Cloud-Strife sword takes time away from other things you might rather be doing. But! Just think about the first time you frantically battle through a pack of monsters mere steps from the safety of your base with a zero durability useless slapper. With only one hit point you kill the last beast and stand triumphant on your own doorstep. Touchdown in the Super Bowl moments. Yes please.
Nice post. Just one question. Would there be balance between melee and ranged combat, or an obvious reason to go for guns? Pros for guns are the amount of kinds, you could duel wield some, attack from a range so there's a less chance of getting hit. Pros for sword could be they just look cool... Depending on the sword. Would there be a reason to go sword or is it an obvious "no"?
Hate to be yet another hater on durability as an "anti-hellevator" measure, but... Players don't dig hellevators because they are fast to travel while digging. It's already much slower to dig a hellevator in a game like Terraria, than it is to travel by finding caves. People dig hellevators for a fast travel option ONCE the hellevator is done. If you want to discourage hellevators (particularly early-game hellevators, to encourage players to explore rather than just dig down) there are better ways to do it. This ranges from "soft" restriction (e.g. progressively harder enemies which eventually kill you unless you explore for better gear), to "hard" restrictions (e.g. have an unpenetrable layer of rock which requires a stronger drill to be able to dig). You could even try creative restrictions, such as a active lava/tectonic planet, which regularly floods and unfloods random parts of the map with rocks/lava, making long-term hellevators difficult to maintain. However, the durability restriction specifically will not stop players from digging hellevators, but merely be seen annoying and unnecessary. People who already prefer exploring to digging hellevators will explore anyways, and people who prefer hellevators will dig them anyways, and see this durability mechanic as artificial restriction on their playstyle (a big issue for sandbox games!) that adds no gameplay value and accomplishes nothing other than wasting their time, and they will fight it (and curse doing so) rather than "get the hint" and consider alternative ways. I hope you reconsider this mechanic, as least as currently described. Perhaps a more general and developed durability system, which affects multiple types of equipment and can be countered in "fun" way by players, rather than singling out mining in particular which seems woefully single-purposed and prejudicial, will make it more of a legitimate mechanic and less of an annoyance.
